Chapter 4

Beast Boy sat alone at the table, slurping up the last bite of his pasta lunch. "Mmmmmmmm…" He sighed. "Now to go meet Terra down at the mall. I really do love her." You say that but do you mean that? "Whoa, my conscience is talking to me… cool…" Terra, the girl you long to love, but is there another, that you've loved all you're time as a Titan. You try to make her laugh, and she ignores you, but you don't ever mind that much, do you? If your mind can't handle this, I think I'll just shut up now. "No, wait!" but the voice had already melted back into his head.

"Raven." He repeated the name over and over for a few minutes. "But Terra and I… we… and I… and she… but I can't ditch her!" with that, he swiveled around in his chair and trod out the door.

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She awaited him at Vegetarian Hut. Since she was turned away from him, he had to tap her shoulder to catch Terra's attention. "Hell-oooooo." He greeted her.

"Hey, Beast Boy!" she seized his hand and jogged happily to the nearest out-door table. "It's really nice today. Do you mind sitting out here?" He shook his head and smiled at her. "Wait a minute." She stopped and stared for a moment.

"What?"

"These tables are made out of stone. Since they said there weren't enough tables on the balcony… You want a more scenic view?" she grinned and he laughed.

"Sure." Without another word, Terra's eyes glowed yellow, and the table and chairs began to rise – with them still sitting. She let go when they were on the balcony. "Wow."

"Yeah, I've learned to control my powers better." She floated a rock from the ground and imitated a trick of Slade's, crunching the exterior, to reveal the diamond beneath. "I suppose, beauty can be a bit rough around the edges at first, but for he – or she – who dares to seek behind the mask, everything can clear up." Terra smiled at him. Then immediately, her smile dropped. "Beast Boy, I think we can be great friends. But not more…"

"Why not, Terra? I thought we were having fun.

"We were having fun Beast Boy." She sighed and looked out at the lake, watching the waves turn. She bit her lip then continued. "Someone a while back, stole my dreams from me, and now I've taken them from someone else."

"What? Who's done this to you?"

"My last boyfriend, Tyler. He was cheating on me for a cheerleader. One night, he came to my house with a knife, pointed it at my throat and threatened me not to tell. Took all of our money. He was just using me to get an entry to the richest house on the block. That's why I ran away." She stopped to gaze into his bewildered eyes. "I shouldn't steal you from someone. I should love a man who is not already spoken for." A tear built up in her left eye and trickled down her cheek. "Raven loves you, Beast Boy. She always has. I saw her diary last night, when I went in to check on her. The Opaque was opened on her bed. I couldn't help it, and I shouldn't have done it, but I'm glad that I did."

"But she always rejected me… She didn't mean it, did she?"

"Never."