Bonjour, my little marshmallows! So the last chapter was just okay for me, so I hope this extra long one will make up for it. Anyways my newest obsession is Fall Out Boy and I know I'm like seven+ years too late. Blame FOB if I don't update fast enough for people. So I truly hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Remember to review, and my thanks goes to those who have. Oh before I get sued or something I don't own the song (Ani Difranco-Untouchable Face) mentioned in this chapter. However I did rearrange the lyrics and made it a rock n'roll song. Ciao!
Chapter 7: Letting Yourself Go
Raven's P.O.V
"She had beautiful eyes and a great smile. It felt so right being with her, she was amazing," Cyborg told Raven.
"Oh, really? And what was her name again?" Raven smirked.
"Aria, Aria Chance," Cyborg replied.
"Aria, huh?" Raven repeated, the smile not leaving her face. She had been listening intently to Cyborg's retelling of his epic romance the previous night. Apparently, Aria had introduced herself to Cyborg after Raven left, and the two hit it off. Raven was glad her two friends found happiness in each other. She was especially pleased to see that constant smile on Cyborg's face and the sparkle in his eyes. She even ignored the alarm that passed through her that Cyborg could figure her out. Instead she took another bite of the breakfast provided by him.
"Y'know Rae, we haven't done this in a while," Cyborg referred to their pleasant breakfast together. Raven came to the realization that he was right. Ever since that night at Royals, she hadn't been spending that much time with her beloved friends. Guilt weighed heavily on her as she thought about her promise to be more devoted to her team.
"You're right and I'm very sorry about that. I just wanted to take some time to myself and finally figure out who I am besides a demon portal. But that doesn't make up for not being here when I should be," Raven apologized.
"It's really great you want to do that, but just remember you have a family here. I mean we need somebody who's a little sane around here," Cyborg said.
"Really? I thought that person was Robin," Raven replied.
"Not too sure about that after the whole Slade thing," Cyborg joked, getting a soft chuckle from Raven. They sat together in a comfortable silence as they continued eating. However, that peaceful silence was interrupted by the light clatter of footsteps entering the kitchen. Raven looked up to see an array of bright colors worn by none other than the Boy Wonder.
"Hey," Cyborg greeted, "Care to join us?" Robin gave a curt nod and stiffly sat down. As he poured himself a steaming cup of coffee, Raven noticed something off about him. Although Robin wasn't a morning person, he was never completely detached. An unusual silence hung around him. This morning Robin came off cold and distant, as if something was deeply troubling him. Raven suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise.
"Is he staring at me?" Raven thought, casting a glance in his direction. However, Robin looked intent on finishing his coffee. Raven continued to subtly scrutinize him, trying to pick up any signs of trouble. Despite her attempts, the mask was able to conceal any expression of distress Robin might've had. Raven shook her head deciding that she would ask him later.
"Hey, why did no one tell me about having breakfast together?" Beast Boy whined, as he walked in on the three members sitting together at the table.
"We didn't plan on it, it just happened. Besides you probably still wouldn't have been invited," Cyborg replied.
"Ha ha, very funny, tin man," Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. He had barely sat down when he started scarfing down his plate of tofu. Raven resisted the urge to remove his jaw, as he obnoxiously made noises of pleasure. For the next five minutes they sat in a perfect silence until Beast Boy broke in saying "So, what's new?"
For the first time that morning Robin uttered some words saying, "I don't know ask Raven."
"Excuse me," Raven was confused by what Robin was implying.
"Well Raven, it has come to my attention that you've been sneaking off at night. As leader of this team I feel the need to be aware of your recent activities. What's the matter goth girl? Finally got some friends and afraid they can't handle who you really are?" Robin finished, taking a sip of his drink. An eerie calm hung in the air, as the Titans took in what Robin had just said and waited for Raven's upcoming response. Cyborg just pressed his fingers to his temple and Beast Boy searched for the nearest escape. Raven gaped at Robin and tried to wrap her head around the words that came from his mouth. Before saying anything that would ultimately wound their friendship, Raven needed to get to the bottom of Robin's new found attitude. Using their mental bond, she began to probe the shadows that was his mind. A strong mix of emotion hit Raven with a lasting punch. She could distinguish betrayal, confusion...and was that lust? She had just deciphered the feeling when mental barriers began building, shoving her out of his head.
'Stay out of my head,' Robin mentally commanded.
"Look, I don't know what your problem is but maybe we can talk about it minus the hostility," Raven finally replied aloud. A unanimous sigh of relief came from Cyborg and Beast Boy at Raven's calmness.
"My problem is you, but I thought we already made that clear," Robin responded, clearly not in the mood for listening to reason today.
"Last time I checked you weren't my keeper," Raven snapped. The hostility and tension kept mounting with every comment. Beast Boy let out a small cough.
"Y'know what, it's been fun, but I just remembered I have to do that thing with that other thing and yeah." Beast Boy speedily fled the room leaving Cyborg alone with the feuding members. The metallic hybrid wasn't about to allow all hell to break loose.
"Okay, well that's enough for the day. Time to go back to our rooms for some quiet alone time," Cyborg attempted to relieve his team members of their verbal battle.
"No Cy, she needs to know she can't just go to God knows where without informing the team. Unless of course she's doing something she shouldn't be," Robin said.
"Seriously? You let Starfire leave the firkin planet and I'm being harassed! I'm going to ignore what you may or may not have insinuated, it's none of your business what I do outside this tower," Raven argued.
"Girl's got a point," Beast Boy peeked around the hallway. Robin sent him a fierce look and the changeling let out a squeak, transforming into a mouse.
"You might want to remember who you're talking to here. As your leader I have the right to revoke you from the team because of insolence," Robin spoke. Raven's eyes widened and her mouth slightly fell open. Did he just threaten to kick her off the team?
"So are you going to tell me about where you've been recently or stand there with your mouth open?" Robin asked in a cold tone. Raven closed her mouth and stood up, the chair scraping across the floor.
"I think it's best I leave before I do something I'll regret," Raven spoke with as much spite as she could muster.
"What are you going to do? Write a poem about how much you lie to your supposed friends?" Robin sneered, his tone unrelenting and body language setting Raven off even more.
"No I'm going to write a poem about you. It goes like this: Roses are red, violets are blue, a certain pig head, deserves a big SCREW YOU!" Raven exclaimed. No more comments were made after that, instead Raven was left with the startled expressions of her teammates. Raven stormed off down the hall, her cloak whisking behind her. The door slammed shut behind her as she entered her room. Raven paced back and forth across the carpeted floor, anger boiling inside of her as she thought of Robin's insults. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she pictured ramming her fist into Robin's face.
"I don't care how emotionally screwed up he is, he had no right to treat me like that," Raven steamed. She forced herself to sit down, hoping to calm down. Her effort was to no avail, Raven only continued to grind her teeth and huff and puff. Struck with an idea, Raven reached for her cellphone on her mahogany desk. As she dialed the number she thought, 'This will really piss him off.'
"Hello," a voice answered from the other end.
"Hey, Aria, did you have anything planned for tonight?" Raven asked.
"Oh hi, Rae," Aria sounded surprised. "Well, umm, I actually did have a little something in mind."
"Oh really, what?" Raven inquired.
"Let's just say it sure as hell ain't no Royals," Aria laughed.
"His name is Victor Stone, he had the most gorgeous eyes ever. And a nice body to match. It felt so right being with him," Aria drooled.
"That's great, Aria, but where are you taking me?" Raven asked for the millionth time.
"Relax," Aria and Hale replied in perfect sync. Aria obviously still had not told a very confused Raven where they were taking her. But whatever they were doing was a heck of a lot better than staying in the tower with Robin. The brawl had rocked Raven to her core. Not only was she totally furious, but she was a little dejected. For her best friend and secret love to be able to say those things to her, hurt Raven more than words could ever show. Any hope of Robin returning the undying love she felt for him vanished along with their close friendship.
"Where do we go from here?" Raven wondered. Aria and Hale suddenly made a sharp left down a dark alley and Raven cautiously walked behind them. The alley was nearly pitch black, there was only a faint light above a closed back door. An acrid stench arose from the huge dumpster and rats scurried down the alley ahead of them. Raven instinctively covered her nose and said "It smells like wet dog and are you sure we're heading in the right direction? And don't tell me to relax."
"Chill," Hale said while Aria let out a small snicker. They stopped in front of the back door, which now Raven could see was marked with a golden star. Aria knocked on the door and a tiny section of the door slid open to reveal a deep pair of green eyes.
"Aria, Hale, and a friend," Aria simply stated. The section was closed and a minute later the door opened. The owner of the green eyes stood in the doorway. A tall blonde leaned against the door with a smile on her face.
"Welcome to Carrie-oke," the girl greeted them motioning for them to come inside. It was then Raven noticed her subtle uniform. The girl simply wore a black t-shirt with Carrie-oke in gold letters on it.
"Hey Jillian," Aria said as she walked in.
"H-hi Jillian," Hale stuttered quickly walking by. Raven simply gave her a polite head nod. Raven quirked an eyebrow as she gazed at the scene before her. Dozens of people were either crowded around the stage or the bar. Beers sloshed in their hand as they drunkenly sang along with the equally drunk girl on the stage. Amongst the uproarious scene a DJ working the music for the karaoke egged the audience on.
"Over here, Rae," Aria waved her over to a table they now sat at. Raven sat down next to Aria in the booth with a questions written all over her face.
"Shoot," Aria said.
"One: The name? Two: How did you two know about this place? Three: The audience?" Raven finished.
"The woman who owns the place is named Carrie," Aria began to explain.
"My friend happens to be the DJ. Us DJ's gotta stick together, kind of like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but instead we're the Brotherhood of the Traveling Turntable," Hale joked, getting a small smile from Raven.
"Besides this is where all the greats are discovered," Aria added.
"I can see that," Raven referred to the current singer's raspy rendition of 'Rolling in the Deep'.
"They're not all great," Aria defended. "As for the audience, there's free beer tonight." Raven nodded and began to settle in this new environment. For some reason she took comfort in the crowd's carefree attitude. Although they were most likely too far past the point of being sober, they looked genuinely happy.
"My sister is actually a lot worse than Adele up there," Hale pointed out.
"Shut up, no I'm not, you jerk," Aria slapped his arm.
"Denial is not just a river in Egypt," Hale shook his head.
"I'm going to beat you with a stick one of these days," Aria pointed a threatening finger towards him. Raven looked between the two of them shaking her head at their little spat. All attention turned to the stage when a staggering man came on. His baldhead shined underneath the spotlight and his potbelly protruded from under his beer stained shirt. In a slurred, husky voice he began singing Cascada's 'Evacuate the Dance Floor'. The audience roared as he began busting a move. Raven couldn't help but laugh at his complete idiocy. Halfway through the song, the man whipped off his shirt and started swinging it above his head. The crowd was in hysterics when the unthinkable happened, and everyone watched as he slipped off the stage, landing flat on his face. A great silence spread across the bar like wildfire. Suddenly, he rose back up saying "Evacuate the dance floor!"
Raven found herself being caught up in the thunderous cheers.
"Got to love beer and karaoke," Hale grinned.
"Speaking of beer, I could go for one," Aria started to get up.
"No, I'll get it," Hale smiled.
"Thanks, little brother," Aria smiled back. Hale left with a tussle of Aria's hair. Raven gave them a strange look wondering what just happened.
"You guys went from tearing at each other's throats to being the best friends in the whole entire world. How?" Raven asked.
"Simple. He's my brother, he's supposed to annoy me yet make me happy, too," Aria said. Three glass mugs of beer were sat down on the table in front of them.
"Drink up," Hale said, taking a seat. Raven stared at the drink in front of her. A brownish orange liquid filled the cup, tiny bubbles collected at the top with the frothy, white foam.
"I'm not much of a drinker," Raven declined.
"Just take a sip, it's really good, I promise you," Aria persuaded. Raven took a deep breath and raised the glass to her lips. An acidic, bitter taste filled her mouth and she almost gagged.
"This is terrible," Raven sputtered.
"I know," Aria took another sip.
"Then why do you drink it?" Raven inquired.
"Don't know," Aria laughed. Raven couldn't help but laugh along with her.
"Excuse me, I need to visit the ladies' room," Aria excused herself leaving Raven alone with Hale. She suddenly felt a little shy, never really having a one-on-one conversation with Hale.
"So, why'd you become a DJ?" Raven thought fast.
"Already asking personal questions before the first date?" Hale teased. Raven's pale cheeks became a faint red to her dismay.
"Is this what you do? Constantly flirt?" Raven asked.
"Essentially," Hale grinned. The conversation was interrupted by a breathless Aria now standing beside the table.
"Don't ...be mad...Rae...but..." she didn't get to finish.
"Up next we have Rae Roth," the DJ announced.
"What?" Raven sputtered. "Aria, you didn't." The girl guiltily nodded her head with a sheepish expression.
"No, never," Raven stated. She couldn't imagine herself doing something so public. Getting up in front of a huge crowd was bad enough, but singing was out of the question.
"Come on, these people are so wasted, tomorrow they probably won't remember anything," Aria pleaded. Raven was adamant; she was not getting on that stage.
"Hale," Aria shot him a helpless look. Hale gave Raven a mischievous wink, before jumping up from his seat.
"Rae! Rae!" he began shouting. Soon the rest of the bar got caught up in the mantra. Raven found herself forcefully thrown in the spotlight she had so desperately tried to avoid. Everyone looked at her expectantly waiting for her to take the stage. She wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out.
"Rae, I'm sure you've faced worse than a crowd of people you'll probably never see again," Aria suddenly said. She was right, Raven had faced much worse. From horrid villains to the deepest pits of hell, Raven had seen it all. Better yet, she had seen it through. In that moment a newfound courage was awakened in her, and Raven wasn't going to let a performance scare her.
"Give me the damn mic," Raven said. The place roared with cheers, making Raven cringe a little. She walked up to the DJ with her legs shaking a little.
"What will it be, sweetheart?" he asked, handing her a microphone.
"Anything about that one damned person who gets you every time," Raven replied, thinking of Robin.
"I know exactly what you need," he gave her a wink. Raven tentatively walked on to the platform. Her heart rate was a racecar and she wasn't even sure she was in control. Minute beads of sweat appeared on her hands. The bright lights were blinding her yet protecting her from the constant stares. She gripped the microphone, her knuckles turning to a pale white. A hard-hitting beat blasted through the speakers. The electric guitar played a complex melody with a dark edge. Raven found herself nodding her head to the music. But as soon as the lyrics appeared on the screen, the guitar slowed and Raven knew it was time.
Think I'm going for a walk now
I feel a little unsteady
I don't want no one to follow me
Except maybe you
Raven refused to look at the audience as she sang along. As she sang she couldn't help but notice how close to home the song hit.
I could make you happy, you know
If you weren't already
I could do a lot of things
And I do
The DJ wasn't lying when he told Raven this was the song she needed. The song was literally her complicated love life.
Tell you the truth I prefer the worst of you
Too bad you had to have a better half
She's not really my type
But I think you two are forever
And I hate to say it, but you're perfect together
The electric guitar began to play a heavy anthem filled with emotion. The beat continued to thump in a rhythmic tempo. Everyone let out a chorus of woo's and began to dance wildly to the music. Raven looked up to see a dancing Aria. Their eyes met and Aria pointed to her as she danced.
'What the hell?' Raven thought. She thrashed her body side-to-side along with the music. As the lyrics came up she grabbed the mic and sang along loudly.
So screw you
And your untouchable face
Screw you
For existing in the first place
And who am I
That I should be vying for your touch
Who am I
Bet you can't even tell me that much
Raven pulled her hair from the ponytail it was in and whipped her head from side to side. She realized she was having fun on this stage in front of this crowd of people. The song returned to just the rhythmic beat.
Out on the porch the fly strip is
Waving like a flag in the wind
You know I really don't look forward
To seeing you again
'Here's to you Richard,' Raven thought.
You look like a photograph of yourself
Taken from far far away
And I won't know what to do
And I won't know what to say
With the music hitting that edgy style again, Raven decided to do the same. She slid off her brown leather jacket, revealing her deep red tight t-shirt. On a whim she tossed it into the hysterical crowd. She was surprised to see the many hands reaching for it.
So screw you
And your untouchable face
Screw you
For existing in the first place
And who am I
That I should be vying for your touch
Who am I
Bet you can't even tell me that much
By then the audience were singing along with enthusiasm. The song began to pick up, reaching the ultimate climax.
I see you when I'm so perplexed
What was I thinking
What will I think of next
Where can I hide
In the back room there's a lamp
That hangs over the pool table
And the fan that's on it swings
Gently side to side
There's a changing constellation
Of balls as we are playing
I see Orion and say nothing
The only thing I can think of saying is
Screw you
The song came to a sudden stop, leaving a dazed Raven. The crowd cheered for her and the DJ congratulated her on a stunning performance. Raven left the stage with a smile fixated on her face. There was a warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach that she never wanted to let go.