Chapter 5
"You are a sick puppy"
"Sorry a bug flew in my ear and I didn't hear that last part. Yawn I'm suddenly tired"
"You liar, it's 8:30"
"Well I'm tired anyway Buh-bye!"
"Wait I'm not-"
Cassie hung up before Raven could say "done" Raven slammed the phone down, hard. She was making her way to her computer when her bedroom door creaked open and a deep blue eye peeked in at her. "Raven, I heard a strange sound" her mother whispered her eerily. Raven stared uncomfortably at her mother.
"It's okay, mom it was just me"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Cassie hung up on me so I got upset and slammed the phone"
"I'll sweep the house" her mom said and closed the door with a click. To a stranger's ears "sweep the house" meant Arella Roth would grab a broom and clean up unfortunately Raven knew sweep meant her mother would grab a small hand gun and walk around their dark home, eyes and ears peeled for burglars. Raven wasn't sure how her mother had become so paranoid but she was pretty sure it had something to do with her mysterious and absent father. She switched her computer on and tried to get some homework done
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hey, Rae!" Robin greeted walking up to her Wednesday afternoon.
"Uh, hey"
"Ready to go?"
"Go where?"
"To the mall to buy your dress for your first date" Robin smiled punching her arms fondly.
"DATE?"
"Your date with Wally or rather our date or my date with Donna and your date Wally or do we call it our double date?"
While Robin tried to figure out what to call it Raven's mouth hung open once more. How did this happen? Now she'll never be able to back out. And how did Robin know about the double date? She hadn't even mentioned it the only person she told was…
"CASSANDRA SANDMARK!" Raven screeched when she entered the store where Cassie was suppose to be meeting her and Robin. Heads turned in her direction but she was oblivious. "Hehe" Cassie said nervously
"How could you!" Raven growled twisting her fists into the collar of Cassie's shirt
"Now now calm down Raven…and please don't hurt the shirt I haven't paid for it yet…"
"CALM DOWN! YOU WENT BEHIND MY BACK!"
"I had to!"
"Had to? Oh please I'd love to hear this one!"
"I knew you'd back out and now you can't"
"ARG!"
Raven didn't know whether to cry or to rip Cassie's mouth from her face though the second would have made her feel a little better.
"I think this will be good for you" Robin said finally entering the store and burping a little from a coke (they don't allow food in this particular store)
"What will?" Raven asked with innocence mixed with curiosity
Cassie raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the sudden transformation all because Robin came in.
"No offense Rae but you don't exactly dress like a girl and guys like girls who well…"
"Show their stuff" Cassie put in, saving Robin from embarrassment.
Raven looked down at her denim overalls and white t-shirt. She glared at her two best friends daring them to pursue the topic further but unfortunately for her both her friends were most definitely daring.
"I mean c'mon Rae no one can see…well anything. I mean jeans and shirts sexy but not when they're three times your shape and are held together by one butt ugly belt"
"Hey! I beaded that belt myself!" Raven whined glaring at Cassie
"Well, that explains it"
Raven didn't have the heart to glare Robin into silence as he chuckled.
"C'mon Rae give it a shot. This might look good on you" Robin smiled encouragingly holding up a red dress.
"You really think it would?" Raven asked blushing a pretty pink.
"Yeah, c'mon"
"Ok"
She took the dress from him and swore her heart skipped a beat when their fingers touched. Cassie had to pull her away from Robin and push her into a fitting room. Raven reluctantly unlatched one of her jumper straps. "Uhm, Cass?"
"Yes, Rae I'll guard the thin dressing room curtain until your descent" Cassie assured her reading Raven's mind. Raven slipped out of her jumper and her X-large T-shirt (She's a medium) and into the slinky red dress. She blushed at her own reflection seeing how thin the spaghetti straps were and how they exposed so much of her shoulders. The lower part wasn't much better, the skirt was like mummy wrap as is covered her milky legs and what's worse it stopped short above her knees. She tugged ferociously at it hoping to stretch it longer.
"Rae we've waited enough, we're coming in!"
Raven gasped as Cassie jerked the curtain open. Robin's eyes widened slightly but he recovered quick enough to give her a gentle smile.
"You look great Rae"
"I-I do?"
Rae looked back at her reflection and turned away.
"Bu-but the color's too bright"
"No way it looks great, trust me"
Raven nodded in reply extremely pleased and that was the end of the dress discussion. Before she knew it, that dress was hanging on her door and she just spent most of her life savings on a dress that she could not get fat in, not that she ate a lot but just in case she ever came across a dish worth indulging she wanted some stomach space in her clothes. "What was I thinking?" she asked herself and groaned. She pushed herself off her bed and dimmed the lights. She looked out her window, Robin lived next door…when she dimmed her lights his window shined brighter and clearer and he seemed so much closer. She rolled up her sleeves and gripped the nearest Sycamore branch and boosted herself up.
"Hey!" she greeted as she landed through Robin's window
"Hey, stranger" Robin smiled before returning to his homework
"Whatcha doin?"
"Homework, history to be specific"
"So you're really going with Donna?"
"Yeah…"
"Do you like her?"
"Define "like" "
"As in wanna hold hands in the moonlight"
"No way! She's just a friend I'm not sure if I'm ready for a relationship after…you know"
Boy, did she ever. Raven remembered the two years that Robin and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/ Oracle) had been going out, the most miserable twenty four months of her life. And then of course Barbara graduated (She was two years older than Robin) and Raven was free to dream of the day Robin would stop liking her and start LIKING her.
(A/N: Note the emphasis on the other type of LIKE)
"Soooooo you mean to say you're not really interested in anyone else right now?"
"I dunno Kory Anders is pretty cute"
"I don't think Kory's right for you"
"Why not?"
"Because…she's a head taller than you?"
"Hahaha, how shallow do you think I am?" Robin laughed
"I'm hoping as much as a kiddie pool at least" Raven mumbled
"You say something?"
"Who me? Nooooo must be the wind. I'll go back and iron my dress"
"Haha, want to look for good for Wally" Robin teased making kissing noises
"Yeah, every girl wants to look good for the guy she likes" Raven murmured sadly escaping into the Sycamore.
Robin watched as Raven disappeared within the sycamore and minimized his history report. He clicked back to his game and typed with zest.
Boywonder: I thought she's never leave…
Three minutes…
Boywonder: hello?
BuZz!
Black shades: Sorry I just got in
Boywonder: Oh
Black shades: Who you talking bout?
Boywonder: Lil sis
Black shades: I hear u
Boywonder: u got a squirt poppin here n ther?
Black shades: twin sis pain in the neck
Boywonder: identical?
Black shades: not really. So what's the deal with your sis?
Boywonder: sweet kid, just wish she'd knock
Black shades: privacy an issue?
Boywonder: big time…I'm kind of constantly watched
Black shades: Eew
Boywonder: LOL not like that its just ppl always lookin me x-pectin a lot
Black shades: diff 4 me. invisbl
Boywonder: lucky
Black shades: not really
Boywonder:…
Black shades: I want this real sweet guy 2 like me can't c me
Boywonder: loser. Guys who can't c what they've got r losers
(A/N: Look who's talking: P)
Black shades: HEY HE'S NOT A LOSER HE'S JUST SHORT SIGHTED…
Boywonder: I didn't mean 2 offend just that u seem like a real nice girl…
Black shades: I might not b a girl I could be a creepy 40 year old perv lookin 4 a gullible lil boy 2 b my butt monkey (laughs evilly)
Boywonder: If that wer tru then u'd b in serious trouble I can kick some serious butt when necessary
Black shades: oooooooo I'm shaking
Boywonder: LOL fine I'm just glad I have someone 2 b honest with amazing how u can do that
Black shades: nah, it's just an effect of talkin to a stranger
Boywonder: I hope that guy gets his vision fixed
Black shades: I do 2
Boywonder: G2G I hav skul 2moro
Black shades: skul? Puh I'm abov skul
Boywonder: u sound like a real rebel
Black shades: just 2 u curfew boy
Boywonder: LOL bye
Robin logged off and shrugged off his shirt collapsing onto his bed he fell into a deep sleep .