Re-Educating Miss Roth
A Teen Titans Fan-Fiction by Jacob McDonald
Opening notes: Action, sex, and drama. What else could you want in a chapter?
Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Teen Titans.
Chapter Four: ... makes us stronger.
Jinx gasped for breath as she slowed to a stop next to Ami, both of them coming out of a run.
"Holy... shit..." Ami gasped out. She shook her head, bouncing her new, just past shoulder length hair cut. Her bangs had been trimmed away entierly, and her hair hung straight now, rather than the wavy curls it had been before.
Jinx clutched her side and suffered in silence. It was gym class on Tuesday, and both of them were still feeling the effects of their brawls from Friday night. Running with bruised ribs wasn't fun, and as Raven came up behind them with Janice and Becka in tow, they both grinned sheepishly.
"Lesson learned, I think." Raven didn't smile when she said it, but her eyes danced with glee.
"Shut it, Cassie." Jinx straightened up and glanced over at the newest addition to their gym class, "Good hustle there, Rose. You run very often?"
"Yes." she nodded with a light smile, her fair features making her face seem to glow, "I was on my old school's tennis team, so I stayed in fairly good shape."
"Cool. Another decent player for softball then." Ami grinned at her, "If you can swing a racquet, you can swing a bat."
"I'll certainly do my best." Rose nodded at them, then walked off to talk to Ms. Lovit, Raven's eyes following her as she moved gracefully away. Hanna finally caught up to them, and slowed to a walk as she reached their small huddle.
"That new girl's fast." she remarked as she stopped next to Janice.
"Yeah." Becka nodded, "Are you two going to be alright?" she looked at Jinx and Ami in a concerned manner.
"We'll live, I'm sure." Jinx winked at her, "Water anyone?"
"You getting it?" Ami asked.
"Yeah. Cassie and I can handle it. Come on Cass."
"Hmm?" Raven turned to her blond haired friend, "What?"
"We're getting water for everyone."
"We are?"
"Yep."
Raven shook her head, "Yeah... sorry."
Jinx handed several water bottles to Raven, pulling them from the bucket of ice at the edge of the track that ran around the football field at the back of the school grounds, "So what's up?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You've been staring at Rose all morning. I thought you didn't play for both teams."
Raven rolled her eyes, "There's something about her. She's... odd. I can't get a solid fix on her emotions."
Jinx paused as she picked up a few more bottles, "You think she's blocking you?"
"Not intentionally. It could just be a natural resistance to telepathy for all we know. It's a minor metehuman ability, but it's fairly common as ability's go."
"Still... worth looking into, you think?"
"I'm having Robin run the background check. In the meantime, let's just keep close to Becka."
"Right." Jinx nodded, and they walked back to their friends.
Raven sat in her painting class staring off into space. Her brushes lay next to her, untouched, and her canvas was completely blank.
"Having trouble, Miss Roth?"
Raven jumped and looked to her left, her eyes wide. Mrs. Cain stood there with a sever look on her face. A quick read of her emotions told Raven that she was mostly amused by her young charge being so distracted though, so she relaxed.
"Sorry. I'm just... finding it difficult to get a good subject to do my portrait of."
"Have you tried?" Cain softened her look and sat on the stool next to Raven.
"I don't think I want to do any of the friends I've made in the few days I've been here... Janice might make a good subject, but she's doing me, so I really don't want to take up her painting time having to modal for me..."
"Have you tried looking in the cracks and crevices?"
"Excuse me?" Raven blinked.
"Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely places... the cracks and crevices."
With a parting look of wisdom, Mrs. Cain stood up and walked over to a young man who was having trouble blending his colors.
"She's weird sometimes." Maggie Delmont said from Raven's right. The dark girl looked over at her.
"Why do you say that?"
"She just says weird stuff." Maggie shrugged, "Can you think of any cracks and crevices you have yet to explore?"
"Yeah, I have an idea or two." Raven nodded, a thought coming to her, "How's the nude of Brian Berklin coming?"
Maggie snorted out a laugh, "Not so good." she turned her canvas and Raven saw what was shaping up to be a thin young man lounging back against a tree, writing in a notebook, "It's Gregory Vaugn. You know, the nerdy guy who's always writing in the notebook?"
Raven nodded. She had, in fact, noticed him early in her stay at the school. He seemed to be always writing, and she had often wondered what it was he was jotting down.
"We've been friends for a few years... we don't talk much, but I'm always drawing, and he's always writing, so it doesn't matter much."
"You like him." Raven nodded, getting a clear signal from Maggie.
Her eyes widened, and her cheeks grew red, "No! It's not like that! It's just... we're just... friends..." she trailed off as Raven gave her a look.
"It's in the painting." she said quietly, reaching out and tracing the contours of his lean form in the air above the wet paint, "A lot of love went into this piece."
"I... well..."
"Isn't there a Spring dance coming up soon?"
Maggie blushed even more, and looked away, "The Valentine's Day dance, yeah."
With a start, Raven realized she had forgotten that February 14th had any kind of significance. The Titans didn't celebrate Valentine's Day.
She frowned as she clarified for herself that she didn't celebrate Valentine's Day. She locked herself in her room and prayed for the day to end as quickly as possible. She just couldn't stand all the pink.
"Is there something wrong?" Maggie looked concerned all of a sudden, "You've got a good scowl going there."
"I just don't like mushy holidays. I'll probably skip the dance."
"Oh, you should go. I do every year, even though I don't dance and I never have a date. It's just fun to watch, and they have tons of chocolate."
"Hmm... chocolate, you say?" Raven gave her a small smile, "Maybe I'll reconsider..."
Raven was lounging on her bed, reading her History textbook later that evening when the door to her room opened and Jinx came bounding in, her skirt torn in a few places and the rest of her uniform completely filthy.
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Oh, some of the guys were down in the field playing football, and I decided to join in." Jinx shrugged as she tossed her mud stained jacket on her bed, "Even hurt like I am I can still keep ahead of those slow pokes."
"Then how'd you get so dirty?" Raven arched an eyebrow.
"Well I had to take a few tumbles. I let them tackle me a few times."
"Why?" setting aside her textbook, Raven sat up and watched Jinx yank off her skirt and inspect the rips in it before tossing it aside as well. She started on her blouse as she continued.
"To let them get a glimpse at my underwear! Duh!" she motioned to the tiny white panties she was wearing. They rode up dangerously high on her thighs, "I might be a tease, but at least I'm a thoughtful tease."
"So... you were just letting a bunch of strange guys feel you up and stare at your half naked ass solely for their benefit?"
"Actually, I'm fishing for a good date to the Valentine's Day dance." Jinx finally got out of her blouse and tossed it aside as well, "Fucking hell do I need a shower..."
"Jen... the mission..."
"Yeah? You think Becka's not going to go to the dance?" Raven opened her mouth to retort, then shut it again. Jinx smirked, "It's okay. One of us should be the wall flower so that we can keep an eye on her the whole time."
"Yeah. Whatever." Raven turned away, and glared at her text book. Why did she feel so... frustrated all of a sudden?
As Jinx pulled on a robe and grabbed her shower supplies, Raven looked back at her. Now was as good a time as any, "Hey, Jinx?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?" the blonde turned back to her and raised an eyebrow.
"Would you, um... mind posing for my art project?"
Jinx grinned, "Couldn't find anyone else to do it?"
"No, it's just... I want to paint you."
Jinx paused for a moment, her smile fading away, then slowly nodded, "Okay... you want to do it tonight?"
"Sure." Raven nodded, "In here is fine. I'll think of a pose while you shower."
"Okay." Jinx nodded, then grinned again, "I can keep my top on right?"
"Oh, for the love of...! You saw that?"
"I snuck out and sat with Cy while you were up there. You've got a nice rack, sis!" Jinx ducked the shoe Raven hurled at her, and giggled as she ran down the hall to the shower.
Becka walked through the common area of the second floor, and paused by the full length mirror on one of the walls to check her makeup. She made sure there was nothing between her teeth, then started for the door.
"Going somewhere?" she looked back over her shoulder to see Ami sitting on one of the couches, doing math homework.
"Just out to see Chad."
"Doxon?"
"Yep."
"I saw you talking to him at lunch today. It's study time you know."
"Uh huh."
"You'll get detention if you're caught."
"Yup."
"Your dad'll flip if you get detention for being caught out of the dorm with a boy."
"Daddy can screw himself."
"Just making sure you're aware of all the consequences. Keep to the back fields... no one goes there this time of night."
"I know, Amelia, thank you." Becka smiled, "I've got to go."
"Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"I'll try to keep my panties on, thanks."
"Don't knock it 'till you've tried it, Sister."
"Bye!"
"Bye."
Several hours later Jinx sat on her bed, leaned back against the wall. She wore a loose white tank top that showed the slight curve of her breasts on the sides, and a little bit of cleavage at the top. Her gray flannel shorts were long enough to drop halfway to her knees, and she had her otherwise bare legs and feet folded in front of herself. Her head was tilted to the side, looking up and away from the black haired girl who was painting her from the other side of the room.
Once she had seen how Jinx had positioned herself on the bed, Raven had told her to freeze, and had immediately started painting. She hadn't even sketched the basic form out first, and had instead began with short, light brush strokes to capture her roommate's peaceful expression and exotic features.
"How's it going?" Jinx asked, breaking the silence.
"We're supposed to add a little something extra to make it into a truly unique painting. I'm almost done with it now."
"Hmmm." Jinx nodded.
There was silence in the room for several minutes more before Raven spoke again, this time in a quiet, measured voice, "You know, Jinx... you've been doing very well on this mission."
"Yeah?"
"Yes... you've grown, I think. As a person. I'm starting to see a thoughtful, caring person in you. Nothing like the Jinx I fought so many times."
"Well... we all have to grow up sometime."
"It's not just that though... you're a good friend, a confidant, and... well... a decent step sister. I would call you a friend, Jinx. A close one."
Jinx was silent for a moment, then she sighed, "I'm not that good a person, Raven."
"What makes you say that?"
"I still... well... I don't know. The HIVE is in my blood, Rae. I just don't know if I'll be able to go Titan after this is all over."
"We don't expect you to join the team. You're free to go once we've rooted out the assassin."
"And how would I live? Stealing and blowing stuff up is all I know."
"You know how to care. You've learned compassion, and trust. I might be tempted to say that you've learned to love..."
Jinx just sighed and dropped her head. Raven added the last bit of paint to her canvas and sat back. "It's done." she backed away from the painting and inspected it, "It's still wet, but if you want to see it..."
"Sure." Jinx stood up with a weak smile and walked around the easel to see what Raven had created. When she saw it, her eyes grew wide, her throat tightened up, and her hand flew to her mouth.
The painting was incredibly realistic. There was her face and body, leaned in a relaxed pose... the same face and body she saw in the mirror every day. The wall behind her had the same texture the wall next to her bed had, and the sheets she was sitting on even had all the folds and wrinkles right.
What made the painting truly special though, was the soft golden glow Raven had added, that matched Jinx's blonde hair perfectly. Her peaceful expression was highlighted ten-fold by the softly glowing halo Raven had painted above her head, and the downy feathers that she had added around Jinx's legs on the sheets. It was angelic, and it made her look like to be at peace with everything in the world.
"I guess... I was inspired." Raven said in a small voice.
Jinx's eyes began to tear up, and she let out a choked sob. Raven looked over at her with worried eyes, but Jinx just brushed her tears away and rushed across the room. She grabbed a hooded sweatshirt and pulled it on. Zipping it up halfway, she bent down and yanked on a pair of cross trainers.
"Jinx, I-"
"Just... don't. I have to get out of here. See ya." and she walked out the door, letting it fall shut behind her.
Raven sighed and looked back at the painting, "You are a good person Jinx... you just have to find out for yourself."
Jinx fled to the back of the grounds as quickly as she could. The Academy took up several acres of land in the middle of Jump City, and it housed it's own small park in the rear of the school. Trees lined the outer wall, providing ample cover for someone who wanted to stay in the shadows and not be noticed.
As she walked slowly through the shadows, Jinx picked out several other figures around her. The new girl, Rose, was leaned against the back wall of the sport equipment building on the other side of the small field from her, writing in a composition notebook. She was easily recognizable by her silvery hair, which glowed in the moonlight. There was also two young lovers holding hands and walking through the field, gazing up at what few stars could be seen inside the city.
Jinx let her eyes follow the strolling couple, who she couldn't quite make out. Her thoughts were elsewhere though. Raven had told her that she considered her a friend, and that she thought that Jinx, the girl who had tried to kill her on multiple occasions, was a decent person inside.
Compassion. Trust. Things Raven had told her that she had learned.
Love.
Had she learned to love? Sure, she cared about her new friends, and Raven was fairly important to her, in a step-sisterly kind of way, but love?
"Maybe..." Jinx sighed as she spoke out loud, "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm just a fucking dumb blonde mercenary..."
There was a click from behind her, and her ears perked up right away. It had sounded like a safety-
Suddenly, Rose was running across the field. She sprinted at an incredible rate, and hurled herself at the two young lovers with a shout, "Get down!"
The sharp report of a sniper rifle sounded behind Jinx, and she felt a bullet beat air next to her temple. The shot blew a chunk of dirt out of the field where the two people Rose had just tackled had been moments before, and the girl let out a startled cry.
"Becka..." Jinx recognized the voice instantly and whirled around. Her cat-like eyes narrowed, and her vertical pupils allowed her to see in the dark like a cat.
There, crouching on the wall and cursing softly while he broke down his rifle was a man dressed all in black. Jinx sprinted at him and tossed a lance of pink energy at the wall under his feet. The power inhibitor/tracking chip implanted in her arm lessened the effect of the hex, but it was enough to make the brick crumble under his feet as bad luck took over. He regained his balance just in time for Jinx to hurl herself from the ground in a burst of pink energy, and tackle him backwards off the wall.
They hit the sidewalk that went all the way around the Acadamy campus on the other side of the wall with a dull thud, her on top of his chest. The light impact of steel rimmed black boots in front of her gave her enough warning to lunge to the side and let Robin do his job.
As the assassin rolled to his feet, he pulled out a .45 and pointed it at Jinx. Robin's bo-staff slapped the gun from his hand, and his boot found the man's jaw. The black clad killer toppled backwards, and Robin finished the attack with a strong downward punch that sent the assassin into oblivion.
He glanced over at Jinx, who was breathing heavily and staring at him, "Go. Run around the other side of the wall and get back to your room. I'm glad you were out here, Jinx, but you can't be seen here."
She panted a few more times, then nodded, "Right." and she fled into the night.
Raven was waiting for her when she returned to the room, "Robin called. He said Rose... helped."
"She kept Becka from getting killed if that's what he meant. I never even knew the guy was there, and yet, she knew exactly where that bullet was going to hit. She just tackled them though... like she knew that there was going to be an attack, just not where it was going to come from."
Raven nodded, "That explains her mental defenses then. Limited precognition. She can catch glimpses of the future."
"Wild." Jinx panted, "No one saw me come up, and I was pretty quite. We should be okay."
"Good job out there. Were you following Becka on purpose, or..." Raven's eyes darted to the painting, and Jinx looked at it too.
"No. I was just moping. Look, Rae... the painting is beautiful. I... really... thanks. For having such faith in me."
"You're welcome. Becka's coming back now though, so let's get ready to greet her."
"Okay." Jinx didn't bother asking how Raven knew Becka was coming back, but tossed off her sweatshirt and kicked off her shoes instead. Not more then fifteen seconds later, the door to the floor slammed open and voices in the hallway grew loud enough to draw attention.
They walked out to 'see what the commotion was about' and saw Becka hurling herself into Hanna's arms. She was sobbing and hysterical, and Hanna looked quite confused, but comforted her friend none the less. The other girls were there too, as well as Rose, Ms. Veerlin, and Mrs. Cain. Two police officers stood in the common area as well, and one stood guard at the door to the stairwell. The male officers looked distinctly uncomfortable being around so many young woman who were wearing their night clothes.
"What happened?" Raven asked as she came up next to Rose.
"There was an assassin." Rose replied in her quiet manner, "I... saw him, and kept him from killing Becka, but she's still pretty shaken up."
Raven leaned in closer to her and whispered, "You didn't really see him, did you?"
She glanced sharply at the black haired girl, "How did you... oh." she whispered back, "You're an empath?" Raven nodded, and Rose continued, "I could feel someone trying to read me, but didn't know who. I guess a lie still comes through as a lie."
"We'll talk later." Raven said, and Rose nodded. Jinx looked back and forth between them for a second, then stepped around them.
"Ice princesses unite..." she mumbled and walked over to where Hanna had been joined in her comforting by Ami and Janice. They all huddled around Becka and hugged her, whispering soothing things at her.
"Was the assassin caught?" Raven asked Mrs. Cain.
"Fortunately, one of the Teen Titans was nearby, and was able to apprehend him before he fled too far. He's in custody now."
"Why would someone try to do this?" Raven asked again.
Veerlin answered this time, "She's the Senator's daughter... they were probably trying to use her death as a threat of more violence if he didn't do something they wanted."
"Will she be sent away?" Raven frowned, and tried her best to act worried.
"No." Cain shook her head, "But we will be beefing up our security, and making sure that Miss Pullman doesn't take any more late night strolls with Mr. Doxon."
"Is Chad okay?" Jinx asked from where she was patting Becka's hand.
"He's fine." Veerlin assured them, "I know it's a little much to ask, but why don't you girls try to get back to bed and get some sleep. The police will be guarding the door and the building for the rest of the night."
"Okay... I'll get them all along shortly." Raven nodded to Veerlin and Cain, "Rose... we'll talk again later?"
"Sure. Goodnight, everyone." Rose nodded and followed the police officers and the adults out through the door to the stairs.
Becka looked up at Raven through the arms of their friends, "Cassie... can we just... all stay out here tonight? I... I need you guys right now..."
Raven's eyes softened, "Sure. Janice, Hanna, can you two help me get some blankets and pillows? We'll let the cripples take care of Becka for the moment."
"Sure." Hanna jumped up and ran for her and Becka's room.
"Yeah." Janice stood up and walked for her and Ami's room.
"Cripple my butt. I could still kick your ass." Jinx stuck her tongue out at Raven.
Raven rolled her eyes and walked back to their room for some bedding.
At 1:00 AM, the second floor girls were still awake. They were lounging around the common area, which was filled with pillows and blankets, engaging in various activates and chatting.
"We haven't had a slumber party in a while..." Hanna said as she tossed another Cheeze-It at Jinx, who was laying upside down on one of the couches with her head hanging off the pillows. She caught the snack in her mouth and crunched it.
"You've done this before then?" Raven squinted at her toes as she applied a violet nail polish to them.
"All the time our sophmore year." Becka smiled at her friends, "Thanks for staying up with me, guys. I just... it was really scary."
"Thank God Rose saw the gunman..." Ami replied and grinned at Becka, "So! How's Chad?"
"He was pretty shaken up by the whole thing, but he seemed to be okay. He told me we could talk about it whenever I felt like... no pressure or anything."
"No pressure on any other fronts?" Janice giggled as Becka threw her a look, "What? You can't sneak out and then not tell us what happened."
"We only held hands and stuff..." Becka blushed, then looked over at Jinx, who was staring at her with wide pink eyes, "What?"
"And stuff?"
"Yeah... stuff."
"Like... stuff that involves tenderly spoken poetry, or stuff that involves you wearing a strap-on?" Jinx grinned.
The other girls all gasped (except Raven, who rolled her eyes) and burst into giggles. Becka took a few minutes to get control of herself, then, blushing to her roots, cleared her throat, "No, we uh... well, he kissed me once..."
"Was it sweet?" Hanna asked, leaning forward.
Becka stared at them for a moment, then sighed, "Yeah..."
"Ohmigod! Are you like, falling for Chad Doxon?" Ami leaned forward as well. Janice stopped drawing in her sketchbook, Raven paused in her toe painting, and Jinx sat upright. They all looked at Becka, and she looked back at them.
"Well... Chad and I have known each other for years now... we started here at the same time, and that's been four years already. And we've always been friends, and he's really sweet, and he's a nice guy, and he knows me so well, and... yeah. Yeah I'm falling in love." she melted into a puddle of sighing and giggling goo and fell into Hanna's arms, "I'm in love!" she kicked her feet a few times and the girls all giggled. (Except Raven, who rolled her eyes.)
"Wow! That's great, Becka!" Jinx grinned over at Raven, who was shaking her head and painting her last few toes again. "What about you Sis? You ever been in love?"
"Nope." Raven shook her head, "You know better Jenny."
"I guess so. Hey, did you ever sleep with Rob?"
"Nope." Raven shook her head again, still not looking at Jinx, "Just Roy."
"Roy?"
"Harper."
"Who?"
"The fast one that liked to bow hunt."
Jinx did a double take, "Wait... Roy S. Harper?"
"Yeah." Raven nodded, applying the last bit of polish to her pinky toe. She looked up at a gaping Jinx, "Just a quick tumble a year ago when we were doing the exchange program between West Gotham and East Gotham."
"Wait... you had sex with Roy Harper?"
"Yes." Raven nodded.
All the other girls watched the exchange with great interest. Finally Ami spoke up, "Any one else? Raise your hands..." she grinned slyly as her own hand snuck up into the air. She was joined by Raven and Jinx a moment later, then, ever so slowly, Janice raised her hand as well.
"Oh, this is going to be good. Hanna giggled and scooted over next to Becka, "Virgins over here! You guys gonna spill?"
"I'll go!" Ami smiled and moved to sit in the middle of the group of friends.
"We've all heard this one..." Becka rolled her eyes.
"Speak for yourself, Miss 'I'm-so-in-love-because-I-got-a-smooch.'" Jinx stuck out her tongue, "Cassie and I have yet to hear this story."
"So I met this guy when I was staying at my Dad's vacation home last summer..." Ami grinned like an idiot, "He was hot. I mean, like, really hot. We got to know each other a little bit, and we hung out for a few weeks. The week before I was supposed to head back to my Mom's place, we were out jet-skiing and we got a little side tracked by each other's mouths..." she giggled, "We just started making out, just like that! Like it was some mutual thought and we just went at it. We had sex that night on a pontoon boat out on the lake, and then like, four times a day for the rest of the week. We were like gerbils." she giggle again, then sighed, "Jordan. Wudda man..."
Jinx snorted, "Wish my first time had been like that."
"Let's hear it then." Raven sat back, "Believe it or not, girls, Jenny and I have never talked about this kind of stuff."
"Really? You sure you're sisters?" Hanna asked, "I'd tell my sister in a heart beat. She's really cool."
"Let's let Jinx tell her story." Janice said with a smile.
"And then you can tell yours." Ami glanced at her and frowned.
"Right..." Janice shrank back.
"Anyway, my first time was kind of... well it sucked. It was with this guy named Jim... we called him Private Jimmy 'cause he was so into the military. He's a solider now. I was fifteen, he was sixteen, and he was used to girls that liked it rough. It wasn't slow and passionate or anything... just hard, painful, and over in two minutes."
"That sucks." Ami frowned, "Did you kick him in the nuts later?"
"No, but Cassie broke his nose last year when he got fresh with her. I considered that ample payback. No one fucks with my sister."
"You throw a mean right hook too?" Hanna looked over at Raven.
"I used a dictionary." Raven droned at her.
"Heh. Bookworm." Jinx shrugged, "I've a had a few good lays since then. The best one was like, three and a half hours, and the guy knew what he was doing..."
"Sweet." Ami bobbed her head, "Karma comes full circle."
"You gonna give us more details about this Roy kid, Cassie?" Becka grinned at her.
Raven rolled her eyes, "Fine. We were hanging out in the workout room of... his parents house, and we just kind of... well... we looked at each other, and decided it was time to throw down. One thing led to another and we were sparing in the middle of the mats."
"So you do know how to fight." Ami looked interested.
"Not like Jenny, but yeah, I practice a few forms of martial arts. Anyway, he's way better than I am, so he took me down, and ended up on top of me. I was feeling kinda... well, I don't know. I wasn't really turned on, and I'm not really attracted to him, but... it just seemed like a good idea at the time. No emotional attachment, you know? We just had sex, and never spoke about it again."
"Wow." Jinx blinked, "And here I thought you'd be a virgin the rest of your life."
"Just because I don't date much doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good fuck." Raven shrugged and turned to Janice. She sensed great trepidation, and knew what was coming before the dark haired southerner even opened her mouth.
"Well... I guess this might come as a bit of a shock to some of you, but... I haven't had sex with any guys..."
"Then why'd you raise your hand?" Hanna looked confused.
There was silence in the room for a few seconds, while everyone stared at Hanna then back at Janice. Janice spoke slowly, as if Hanna was a child, "Because I've only been with other girls."
A beat of silence followed her proclamation, then Becka blinked and said, "So... you're a lesbian?"
"Um... yeah. I started experimenting with other girls when I was fourteen. I lost my virginity to a cute brunet two years ago when we were messing around in her room. Didn't hurt at all, and she was slow and very sweet about it... you know, using a smaller dildo to start with."
More silence, then Jinx spoke up, "So, have you and Ami ever-"
"No!" Janice glanced over at Ami, who smirked, "We, uh... well, I told her about it a long time ago, but she's not gay. She's just... my best friend." she smiled at the red head, who smiled back.
"It's weird giving her hugs, but you get used to it." Ami looked around at the other girls. Raven shrugged, since she already knew, and Jinx grinned. Hanna looked like she was still trying to wrap her brain around the news, and Becka was looking at Janice in a suspicious manner. She spoke up,
"So... do you like, check us out in the shower and stuff?"
Janice fidgeted for a second, then sighed and slumped down, "I'd be lying if I said I haven't done so in the past four years at least a few times, but it's not like I stare or anything... except at Ami, but she doesn't care."
"It's not a big deal, guys." Ami grew serious, "I mean, if she wants to see the hottest chick on the floor, all she has to do is look in a mirror. Have you seen this girl naked? She's like... ba BOOM!"
"Stop it..." Janice blushed.
"Well it's true!" Ami leaned over and punched her shoulder lightly, "You've got the best body, and, let's face it everyone, she's got the prettiest face here."
"I dunno..." Hanna finally giggled, "Cassie's pretty cute..."
"And she'd got bigger boobs..." Jinx put in, then as an after thought, "If you like that sort of thing..."
"Man..." Becka shook her head and finally smiled, "And you went out with Brian Trent for like, two months when I hooked the two of you up... were you just being nice?"
Janice shook her head, "I was going through a faze... I was still exploring my sexuality then. I went out with him to see if I could get into guys." she shook her head, "Girls are way better kissers."
"Well, we do know how to do it right. Guys are all tongues and spit flying." Jinx made a face, "I don't think I've ever made out with a guy who didn't try to drool all over me."
They all burst into laughter, and the light tension that had settled over them broke.
"I told you none of them would have a problem with it." Raven said to Janice.
"You did." she smiled at the black haired teen, "Thanks, Cassie."
"Don't mention it. Now," she looked around at everyone, "Let's get some sleep. We still have class tomorrow."
"Jenny."
"Hmmph?" Jinx rolled over and looked up at Raven in the darkened room, "What is it?" she whispered
"Follow me." Raven stepped over her and walked down the hallway. Jinx took a few seconds to get up, then plodded down after her to their room. They walked in and Raven shut the door quietly.
"Why did you wake me up again at 5:00 AM?" Jinx asked with blurry eyes.
"So we can talk to Robin."
"Doesn't he sleep?"
"Not really." Raven opened her jewelry box and pulled out her communicator. Flipping it open, she hailed the Titan leader.
"What is it Raven?" came the reply, "I'm off duty in a few hours, and I have a ton of paper work to do, so please don't bug me about Rose Wilson's background check."
"Actually, I was wondering if you had any more info for us on the attack last night." she was back to using her usual monotone.
Jinx walked over and looked at the video link over Raven's shoulder, "Yeah..." she yawned, "We getting pulled out now that you've caught the bastard?"
"No." Robin shook his head, "Senator Pullman refused to yield on the legislation the assassins were trying to push through, so they put up an open hit on the market. Ten million large to whoever caps Rebecca Pullman."
"No way..." Jinx breathed.
"I'm afraid so. Expect more attempts, and be on your guard." Robin looked at them hard, "No more letting her wander off alone. I want one of you with her, or following her everywhere she goes at all times. I don't even want her to walk into a bathroom alone."
"Got it." Raven nodded, then sighed, "What are we doing about this situation, Robin?"
"We're trying to track down the people who put out the hit. Cy's working on it, but it'll take him a few days at the very least. His prediction was closer to three weeks."
"Just in time for the Valentine's Day dance!" Jinx brightened up, "Sweet!"
"Don't let it get in the way of the mission, Jinx."
"Hey, Robin... I bet Raven could use a friend to bring as a date."
He glared, "Be. On. Your. Guard. Robin out."
The screen went black and Raven snapped the unit shut. She put it back in the box then turned back to see Jinx grinning at her, "So... Speedy, huh?"
"It was just a one time thing, and no I didn't feel any emotion about it. It was just for physical pleasure. Like taking a long, hot bubble bath... only stickier."
"Uh huh."
"Did you really have sex with Private HIVE?"
"Yep. And it was just like I described it. I actually kicked his ass to hell and back the next day for being so rough with me."
"Yeah." Raven nodded her head, "That's my girl."
"Though it was pretty funny when you broke his nose."
"With a dictionary." Raven's mouth twitched into a smile, "More like a marble column from the library..."
"We're getting pretty good at this whole secret code thing..." Jinx grinned, then yawned again, "Hey, we have time for a little more shut-eye?"
"Go ahead." Raven waved her off, "I'm going to meditate."
"Sure. See you in a few hours."
After Jinx had left their room, Raven sighed and walked over to her bed. Sitting down, she closed her eyes and focused. Careful not to start floating, she droned out, "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."
Her last thought before her mind went blank was that protecting Becka was going to be a whole lot harder now.