Capture 6 - Proof in water

Richards POV:

"So... I heard you and Kori got stuck in the mud?" Gar started laughing hysterically in that high squeaky way, snorting every now and then.

I rolled my eyes, the lengths of his idiocy knew no bounds. It startled me slightly however, when out of no where a big booming laugh joined in, rattling my eardrums. I looked up at Vic in irritation.

Traitor.

Sighing, I began to play idly with my food, my eyes down cast and filled with worry. It was as if a great weight was on my shoulders, pressing down harder and harder every day.

"Whats wrong dude?" Garfield put a hand on my shoulder, and I looked away muttering under my breath.

"Nothing. It's just that Bruce is forcing me to attend this formal banquet thing tonight."

Well that was part of the problem I suppose, but I was used to Bruce's treatment. My face pulled into a scowl when I thought about how often such things occurred for me. As expected, it was going to have boring dances, and prestigious meetings just because my adoptive father deemed it so. I honestly didn't even want to be the inheritor to Wayne's Enterprise's.

That wasn't my choice though, that had been taken from me long ago.

"Why are you going to a ball anyway? Is it so you can loose a slipper? Oh! Or maybe its so you can find the slipper of your lost love?" Gar grinned widely, and I gave him a silent look, his humor wasn't the best.

"My reasons are my own, but it seems you've revealed the reason why your failing your grades. Perhaps you should pay more time to text books, and less time watching Disney." I smirked when Gar deflated, he was too easy to tease.

"Come on man, stop avoiding us. We're all buddies here right? Why don't you tell us the real reason your so gloomy?" Wally finally spoke up and I turned my attention to him.

Although the track star was quick to let his mouth run away with him at times, he was still a good friend to me. Both Victor and Gar settled down and looked towards me expectantly. I pulled another face of annoyance and spoke hesitantly.

"Its about Kori I guess."

"Awww!" Gar and Vic cooed teasingly, though they instantly hushed when one of my chosen looks was sent their way. It was hilarious in a way, after all who else could glare as effectively as me, even while wearing sunglasses?

"If you must know, I don't like her, I'm annoyed by her." Trying to correct their views of my feelings for her wasn't going to be easy.

Kori was a strange girl to me, but also very wilful and strong. She lacked the knowledge of some things, and although her attitude was a change to what I usually encountered with girls, it didn't make me like her more than the others. I would never connect with someone who viewed me as Bruce's mere puppet, and I knew that's what she thought of me, it was obvious. But no matter, her thoughts were easy to disregard, she was amusing to me, that was all. I could think about her whenever and however I wanted, it wouldn't change a thing.

"Come on guys, lets be honest." Vic broke into my thoughts, he then pointed to Gar who blinked in surprise.

"You tease Richard, when you actually like Kori's friend Rae er Rain-"

"It's Raven, and dude! No I don't!" Gar's beet root red face said it all, and everyone near our area of the dining hall stopped and stared at him. A few whispers of 'I knew it' were passed round.

"Okay, nothing to see here guys." My hand gave the 'move on' sign to a few girls, some of whom blushed and began to giggle amongst themselves. I sighed and leaned on my palm. That was another thing I was sure Kori just assumed about me. I hated my popularity, though it did come in useful sometimes. In the case of Kitten though, it became a curse to me.

"Anyway, like I said earlier Gar, you need to get some courage and ask Raven out. Robin, you need to stop pestering the one girl that you've ever truly liked and oh, that feeling which you get when your around her? It isn't hate or even annoyance man!" With that said Vic leaned against the wall in a smug sort of manner, silence fell over us.

"Vic. I thought I told you not to call me that name any more. We're not in kinder garden, and I don't want people overhearing it." I growled out, ignoring Vics apologetic look. I knew I was avoiding the real reason why I didn't want to be called the name...it brought back too many painful memories.

My shoulders shuddered and I pushed those thoughts away.

Wally sighed, and Gar shook his head confused. I knew in a matter of moments he would say something idiotic...

"So, what your saying is that Richard needs a heart, and I need courage?" Garfield pouted, his green eyes dimming as he realised he'd left himself wide open for an insult. I smiled and decided to lay off

"I suppose that means you need the brains." I said to Vic who frowned down at me, rubbing his bald head and turning away from me slightly.

"Have you gone quiet now Vic? Your not any better than us in the girl situation you know. You don't want to ask out Karen because you think she will turn you down, just because shes an A star student, and your a D+ in everything but I.C.T and Sport."

I now felt a victorious smugness settle over me. No way did I like Kori, sure I'd give her that she was...attractive. But it was irrelevant when to me she was a chore. I was a multie millionaires son, and every girl on the planet wanted me. No, this wasn't my ego speaking, it was a fact printed in every magazine I had read. Heck, I'd had so many girlfriends that I couldn't even count them all. And yet, all of them had been a disappointment, as not one of them was the girl I was looking for.

I wasn't even sure what I wanted in a girl, but in the end it certainly wasn't a girl who only wanted me for my money.

Every girl wanted me...expect her.

Oh no.

My eyes widened and I tried to force the thought away. It stuck to my mind like glue, and I nearly groaned out loud. No, I wouldn't bring myself to chase after a girl just to satisfy my curiosity about her.

The four of us sat in silence, occasionally interrupted by Wally slurping his drink awkwardly. It seemed to me that no one had noticed how Waly had escaped the teasing of all of us. I frowned at him, sneaky know it all.

We sat until the bell rang, signalling us to go to lessons, which was luckily a free lesson for myself.

"Well, its time to get going wizard of Oz pals!" Gar jumped up from his seat and I again scowled at him, muttering.

"Seriously, less fairy tales, more studying."

Garfield grinned sheepishly and waved as he walked away. Vic followed, streching as he clamped Wally on the back

"ya think you got away with it huh? We all know you like Jinx."

I lingered behind for a few moments, listening to Wally chase Vic away yelling his excuses for the whole world to hear. I pushed my sunglasses up my nose and closed my eyes. I wasn't about to admitt to myself that I wanted what I couldn't have - no way did I like Kori, and as I stood up and walked away, I went with the intent to prove it.

At that moment, somewhere else in the school...

Kori POV:

I eagerly bit into a mustard sandwich, grinning at my friends as we enjoyed lunch outside. It was pure sunshine, so we had decided to sit in the sun, although Rachel sat in the shade of a nearby tree.

I'm glad I haven't seen Richard all day. It was true, I hadn't. So maybe he was avoiding me?

"Hey, are you okay Star?" Asked Rachel from her sitting position near the tree. I don't know how she sensed my emotions, since she was facing away from us.

"Yeah, you are a bit quiet" added Jenny.

I looked up from my mustard sandwich, wiping some of the yellow substance from my cheek.

"Oh I'm fine...just a bit-"

"just a bit Richiefied?" Karen giggled cutting me off.

"Oh for the last time I do not like Richard! All I feel for him is pure frustration, he's the source of all my headaches. "

"Sure...Kori and Richard sitting in a tree, K I S -"

"Fine I'll prove it!" I got to my feet and hastily stormed off, leaving Jenny to finish her 4th grade poem.

"Shes got it bad" said Karen as I walked away.

Huffing, I kicked an innocent looking stone out of my path. I didn't care what anyone thought, Richard was just an annoying rich kid who I had fights with over ridiculous things...that didn't mean I liked him, and I was determined to go prove it.

Looking up, I had to blink to make sure my eyes weren't fooling me. There Richard sat on a bench, over looking the water fountain only a few paces away. I couldn't believe my luck, though as I confidently approached him it began to shimmer down. For a moment, it was barely there but for just a slip of second he almost looked...sad. His sunglasses were off, set beside him on the bench forgotten. The water reflected in his eyes made them gleam in an almost unnatural light.

I snapped out of my musings when I realised I had been staring. Even worse, it seemed he had realised I was staring, judging by that smug look on his face.

"Well, well, well its miss princess perfect" Richard stood in an almost welcoming manner and smirked, putting the sunglasses over his eyes once more.

Hey, hes starting to sound like Kitten.

I frowned, what was I even thinking? It had just been the lighting that was all, but it was a mistake to think there was any depth to this guy. I tried to ignore the image of that almost lonely look on his face and tried to think of a come back.

"I suppose couples who go out really do become similar, Kitten the Barbie girl is starting to change you into Ken." I smiled sweetly, though it was a bit forced. That come back wasn't the best, hopefully he wont notice. I stopped walking and stood a little away from him.

"Kitten and I aren't a couple, and what do you want anyway?"

My heart gave a nervous stutter in realisation that I didnt actually have a plan. This was just a lame attempt at a confrontation. Richard looked at me expectantly, and I decided to simply go with what sounded right to me.

"Look I hate you, you hate me. I think what's best is that we should start avoiding each other, and if we do see each other...to be nice or just ignore one another. What do you say?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. That sounded much better than anything else I could have said, and I was quite tired of all the arguments, yes it would be much better to simply ignore him.

"No."

"What?" My voice came out higher than intended. Gazing at him stupefied, he gave me an odd sort of look, one that showed amusement and yet a secret kind of emotion.

"I enjoy annoying you, and doing this" without a moments hesitation, Richard grabbed my shoulder and turning my body, pushed me into the water fountain!

To say I was shocked was an understatement. In Tameran that act would be seen as a challenge, and emerging out of the water, Richards laughter echoed in my mind. My blood began to boil and hearing the call of battle, I slowly looked down at myself. I was soaking, cold and seriously pissed off.

Everything turned red as I grabbed Richard from behind in a blind sort of rage. However, before I could pull him into the water fountain, he twisted out of my grasp and using my outstretched arms as leverage, pulled me up and threw my body into the water again.

He is more skilled than I thought.

Resurfacing again, I spluttered out water and glared up at the boy who overlooked me in an almost displeased way. Richard rolled his eyes at and walked off mumbling 'amateur' under his breath.

"Hey!" I yelled at his retreating form. He looked back at me calmly and muttered

"unless you can beat me in this game, we wont stop until I say so. What can I say princess? You've become a source of amusement to me, and I'm not ready to let you go just yet. If you want me to leave you alone, you'll have to beat me."

My eyes blinked in surprise. Could he even comprehend how arrogant he just sounded? How did he even have the audacity to order me around like I was his toy? How dare he!

Taking advantage of my silence, he turned his back and left with the same calm and collected attitude he had shown while pushing me into the fountain.

Coward.

I fianlly got out of the fountain, receiving a few odd stares as I did so. I ignored them and headed to the bath rooms to get dried off. It seemed that my whole time at Jump City high, had been spent going to the bath rooms to get cleaned up after some event with Richard.

Day one had involved crying for getting blamed, day two was the food fight, later that same day I got muddy. The other times I just went there to be alone...mainly to cry.

The strange thing for me though, was that I didn't even know why I was crying. Sure Richard was being horrible to me, and my sister never talked that often to me any more (what with her working 24/7) but I guess I knew my parents deaths had to come out sometime. It had been stored up inside me for so long, that I guess I was letting it out little by little. It was hard to come to a strange country when I knew no one, and in America there was nothing famillier to me at all.

I sighed as I attempted to text Jenny on my cell phone. It looked like I needed yet another spare set of clothes from her. Shaking my head in dismay, I wondered what misery was going to happen tomorrow.

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wow, that was longer than i thought! haha o well im so happy about making this fan fic! but I'm disappointed with the amount of reviews!so please review! there must be more than 2 people who have read my story!