Speedy drove them back to the orphanage and pulled up in front of it. He turned off the car and got out, walked around to the other side and then opened the door for Rain. She stepped out and they both leaned against the car for a minute. They sighed in unison and looked up at the starry sky, which they had been so close to just an hour ago in the seat of the Ferris Wheel. "Cotton candy, corndogs, balloon animals, fireworks…this has been some day." Speedy said.
"This has been a perfect day." Rain corrected him.
"I'm glad you think so. I hope you had fun."
"I did. Did you?"
"I had a great time." Speedy answered and they began to walk towards the doors of the orphanage.
"Thanks for taking me."
"Hey, no problem." And then he looked up at the orphanage. And it hit him for the first time. Rain really did have nobody to be there for her. That's why she was in there. But yet she somehow managed to be so strong and independent. It was almost amazing. Who wouldn't want a daughter like Rain? She didn't deserve to be in there, she deserved a family and to be around people who loved her. He looked up at the sign hanging above the door and then looked at Rain and held her by her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Rain, you know I'll be there for you if you need anyone…right?" he asked with all seriousness. Rain pulled some hair behind her ear and smiled.
"Of course, and you know what, I would say the same thing…if I could. I'm just not special like that."
"You don't have to be a hero to be special; you're special in your own way." Speedy replied quickly. Rain smiled and looked at him funnily.
"Are you alright, Speedy?" she asked. He backed up and removed his hands.
"I just want you to know that I'll be there." He said. She just nodded. He held out his arms. "Give me a hug." He said, and she walked into his arms and they hugged. He rocked her back and forth a bit as she rested her head on his shoulder and he placed a hand on the back of her head, holding her there. Then they backed away. "I should get going." He said.
"I'll see you around." Rain answered and waved as she walked into the orphanage.
"Bye." And he walked back into the T-car and drove off. When he arrived at the tower, his perfect mood was crushed.
His teammates were sitting in the main room with bruises and bandages all over. Pieces of their outfits were torn and cut. Speedy gasped and walked down to Aqualad who was holding an icepack to his temple. His arm was in a sling and his eye looked swollen. "What happened?" he asked in shock.
"We fought Billy Numerous…without you." Aqualad explained. Speedy's mouth went agape and he turned to look at the twins. The twins had bruises all over them, and Menos had an ice pack tied to his ankle. They began to yell at Speedy in Spanish and shake their fists at him. He went to see how Bumblebee was doing, but when he turned around she was glaring at him in the face.
"Thanks a lot, Speedy." She said. She had a bloody nose and lip.
"I-I had no idea! If I had any clue I would have been there in a minute!" he alleged.
"Yeah right. Not only did we get beat pretty bad while you were out with your girlfriend, but Billy Numerous got away."
"We'll catch him!"
"No, we're in no condition to fight for at least a few days. If you had only been there. We can only cover ground as three when you're not around."
"But we have five members!"
"Mas y Menos can't fight on their own, you know that! Alone, they're useless!" Bumblebee explained. Mas y Menos said something to her in Spanish.
"Stupido!" they yelled at her after her comment.
"Maybe all we need is another member."
"And who would that be Speedy? Rain? She can't fight if her life depended on it."
"She doesn't need to!" Speedy shouted. And then everyone was silent.
"Forget it." Bumblebee said and she shook her head. "Let's all get some sleep. Maybe things will clear up in the morning." She said, and then she walked away with the others.
Speedy stayed in the main room, not knowing what to say or to do. He had a responsibility to the team, but he had a responsibility to Rain as well. Could he keep blowing off his duty to be with her? Was any of this fair? He couldn't just stop seeing Rain, he enjoyed every minute spent with her. Not only that, but he felt like he had to be around her. What was he going to do? If he kept it up, he'd be off the team for sure. And that was the last thing he wanted. He figured he'd sort it out after a good night's sleep.
He walked to his room with heavy feet and a torn mind. He changed out of his outfit and climbed into bed. He kept tossing and turning, wondering what he could possibly do. He looked over at his outfit which he left strewn on the floor with the other ones, and hanging out of his pocket were the pictures from the photo booth. In the corner was his balloon animal. Everything reminded him of the perfect day he had just had with his best friend. He didn't have a clue what to do. And the talent show he had promised to go to was in a week.
The next morning was quiet, not because nobody was talking, they just weren't talking to him. They all sat on the couch, laughing and watching TV, wanting to exclude him, and he couldn't blame them. He was being a horrible teammate. So all morning he just polished his bow and counted his arrows. Then he thought fixing his hair would be suffice. But after that he had nothing to do. Later in the day he went out in the back and practiced with his bow and arrow. He always hit the mark, never an inch off. He soon grew bored, and desperate. He needed to talk to someone or he'd go crazy. And he knew exactly who to talk to about his problem. "I dunno, I just feel like I'm letting them down. And I don't know what to do to make it up to them. I feel like they're going to kick me off the team soon." He said into the telephone.
"Well, they have a right to be angry Speedy, I'm sorry." Rain said on the other line.
"I know." He said in the confines of his room. He bowed his head and sighed. Then he rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I just feel like there's nothing I can do."
"Well, you could stop picking me up for school." Rain offered.
"No, then I won't get to see you as much." Speedy reminded her.
"I know, I know, but maybe it's for the best. And who knows, maybe seeing each other so much makes it look like we're more than friends. I think you should let me walk to and from school from now on." She said.
"Alright." Speedy gave in.
"Besides, I'm getting fat." She said, and he laughed.
"No you're not." He said after laughing.
"Now go fix them the best dinner they've ever had. They deserve it." Rain told him. He smiled and chuckled.
"Thanks Rain." He said softly.
"No problem. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, bye Rain."
"Bye Speedy." And they hung up. Speedy jumped up and ran into the kitchen, where he spent hours fixing a smorgasbord of food. He finished with the dessert and set everything out on the table. He took off his cooking mitts and called everyone in.
"Mmm. It all looks so good." Bumblebee said. "What made you fix all this?" she asked.
"Just my way of apologizing."
"Whose idea was this?" Aqualad asked as they all sat down. Speedy smiled.
"A friend's." he simply replied and they dug in. "Just a friend's." he repeated.
"It's delicious." Aqualad complimented.
"Si, delicioso!" Mas y Menos cheered with their little mouths full.
"So…we're cool…right?" Speedy asked.
"Of course! What did you think we were gonna kick you off the team over this one incident?" Aqualad asked.
"It's two actually." They all looked at Bumblebee after she said that. Speedy gulped. "I'm just kidding." She laughed.
"Thanks Rain." Speedy whispered to himself before he sat down and began to eat with the rest of the team.
