Dick + Kory
Never in his wildest dreams did Dick ever think he would find himself strolling down the busy streets of East Gotham in a tuxedo. Even as stares were delivered at the overdressed couple, they kept their attention focused on each other and not so much at the commuters around them.
It had been a couple of minutes ago when they had stopped by a local fruit stand and purchased a small cup of fruit medley to share together. Just something to keep their appetites down until they reached Mei Fu Cuisine, one of Dick's favorite restaurants in this part of the city for some Chinese, as Kory had requested.
She fed him another cherry from the fruit cup, tossing a couple of melons around with the fork in search of a pineapple for herself. "It's a shame I've never stopped there before," Dick said in mid bite. "They're really good."
"Told you," she mumbled, chewing on the last strawberry. "Have I ever steered you wrong, Dick?"
"Well, not yet. Then again, the night's still young," he kidded with a smile.
Kory stopped walking, sliding the plastic fork out of her mouth and using it to point at him playfully, "Honey, if you weren't so gorgeous to look at, I'd have no use for you." She looked inside the cup and found there was one cherry left, and she was saving it specially for him. "Come here," she brought the fruit closer to his mouth. Kory could be very persuasive at times.
He obeyed and parted his lips, "Ah-" Dick winced. She had accidentally bumped the tip of the fork into his cut.
"Oh!" Kory gasped, "I'm sorry." She hurried the napkin she received with the dessert cup to his mouth, gently swabbing any bloody ooze that might have leaked out, even as Dick retracted to the touch. "Oh, stop," she giggled, thinking of how childishly he behaved. The closer she got with the napkin, the more he'd jerk his head away. "If you don't stop, I can't get it."
Finally, he halted the motion and stood still, allowing her to swab his lip. "There?"
"Just a little bit more," she concentrated. "There. All better." She threw away the napkin as well as the empty fruit cup into the nearest trash bin. "Just remember to put some antiseptic on it." She saw as he lightly felt at the wound, like a curious little boy. She shook her head, "I still can't believe Xavier hit you like that. What was he thinking?"
"In all fairness, Kory, I got a good swing at him myself."
"You too?"
"I had to do something. I couldn't just let him..." he shrugged, not knowing exactly what to tell her about their disagreement. "Let's just say he deserved it."
"I'm sorry, Dick. He probably considered you a threat to his relationship with Babs. It's just," she paused, "he's always doing this, you know. Is it any wonder why I have yet to have a decent relationship with anyone. I've seen him in action with all my old boyfriends. And they've never stuck around long enough for a round two."
This just about confirmed what Dick already knew about Xavier's relationship with Kory. They were close, very close. He looked at her, but she kept her head straight ahead, almost as if she was thinking about something. "Well, I think he's learned that I'm not one to back off so easily, Kory."
She smiled that smile of hers at him again, causing his nerves to rattle. "I know that, hun." He didn't know how or why, but it was like she had this gravitational force that pulled you into her world, and the world undeniably noticed her. "Babs is lucky to have someone love her as much as you do."
This caught Dick off guard and he blinked back, "What?"
"You. How you've gone to so much..." but there was a soft contortion of her face, expressing discomfort, and she stopped. "Wait, hold on."
Kory rested a hand on his shoulder while the other undid her French twist. She shook her head, slowly letting her deep red hair flow down as it cascaded in romantic waves, giving her a piercingly phenomenal look. If anything, he preferred it this way. It was such a natural and becoming look for her. Not that Kory would care what he preferred, he thought.
"I needed that," she said, taking off her silk headband which had still been wound tightly into her hair. She fooled around with her locks, combing her fingers through the waves.
Dick wondered how brain dead he must have appeared, without much intelligence coming out of his mouth as he held it open in awe. Kory must have thought so too, when she asked him, "What? Something wrong?" as she still fiddled with her hair.
"Huh?" he composed himself. "Oh, no. I was gonna say the restaurant," he pointed to a couple of buildings up the block, "is just up here."
"Ooh..." Kory said eagerly, rubbing her hands together, "dim sum here I come."
"Did you know dim sum is usually served during brunch in China, so…" He wondered why she off all people would even be interested in such useless information, so he ceased. "Sorry. Just something I learned on my trip to China with Bruce."
"So why'd you stop?" she nudged him. "I liken myself to a sponge." She extended out her arms and closed them, as if to hug all the knowledge she could muster. "I love absorbing all kinds of information."
"Really? Babs always considered me a..." He tapped at his chin. "Now what was it she always used to refer to me as? Oh, yeah." He snapped his fingers, "A Mr. Know-It-All."
"She's crazy. Besides, who doesn't love intellect in a man? It's incredibly sexy."
"Sexy?" he echoed with doubt.
"Yep. A rare combination of brains and brawn is something not many men can pull off."
They continued on until they reached the entrance, with Dick feeling a little better about himself. Kory gazed up to the sign of the restaurant. "Mei Fu Cuisine," she read and looked to him. "Sounds nice. I like it already."
"Wait until you taste the food."
He held the door open and she was taken aback by the sweet ambiance of the interior. There in the center of it all was a cascading water statue, and to the right, a large reception area, included was a full service bar and a few stools. Kory held his hand, following Dick as he led the way to an area in the back which opened to a series of lavish tables and booths. She did a double take of everything around her, taking in all the stylish decor and impressive elements. The closer they got to their destination, the more the room smelled of spices and appetizing aromas. It was then that a blond woman appeared from behind the hostess pedestal and smiled greatly at the sight of one of their best customers.
"Why hello, Dick," she greeted but froze when she saw Kory linked to his hand, "…and we're not alone," she finished through her teeth.
"Evening, Veronica. How's it going tonight?"
"Better now that you're here. But what happened to your lip?" she pointed, cringing at what the pain must have felt like.
"Nothing big." Now he was beginning to feel self-conscious. "Just had a little accident."
She pouted, "I hope it doesn't hurt too much." She tapped a hand on his shoulder while looking at Kory, wondering why he had apparently traded in one redhead for another. "Did we just come from another party?" She looked them up and down, indicating their formal attire.
"Yes. We had another one this evening," he shrugged like it was nothing. "But at least it was all for a good cause. That's the important thing." He glanced to Kory, "Oh, I'd like you to meet my-"
"Girlfriend," the redhead squeezed in before Dick had a chance to finish. "Nice to meet you. This really is a beautiful restaurant."
He was unsure why Kory chose to play along with the façade that was their relationship when it clearly wasn't needed, at least not in front of Veronica, but he wasn't one to argue. "Tha...that's right. My girlfriend." He wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her in closer.
"Well, thank you." The hostess gave a stuffy laugh. "Lucky you, Kory." Veronica smiled though her eyes had a trace of minimal happiness. "Let me show you to your table." She breathed out roughly and led them to a secluded booth near the back of the restaurant. There were quite a few diners, but nothing compared to the banquet earlier.
The couple sat opposite each other and Dick thanked their hostess, which was met with another seductive smile. Her stare lingered on Dick with obvious fascination for the man. And Kory noticed. "Your waiter will be arriving shortly, Dick." She cast a silent wink at him, choosing altogether to ignore Kory's existence.
A warm blush had rushed to Kory's cheeks. She wasn't hot due to the humidity, as the central air had remained on, circulating the whole restaurant. No. She was blistering mad! A little more than she should've been, she thought. Albeit Dick hadn't given her a reason to be. He was in no way remotely flirtatious in his behavior; he was a standard gentleman.
But even she couldn't deny that she was a tad jealous. And yet it was this menacing jealousy that had her frightened because she simply was not the jealous type…ever! She even set up her own romantic interest, Leon Kovar, with her sister. Why? Because she loved the essence of love. More importantly, she enjoyed it when those she cared for found love.
But seeing this woman coming on to Dick taunted her to the very bone. She debated with the idea of leaving right there and then with some excuse of having to return home because in her current state, she absolutely refused to have feelings for someone who was deeply in love with another. It just wasn't going to happen.
"So have you decided what you want?" Dick asked just in time for a young man to appear with menus in hand.
"I don't know. Any suggestions?"
"The Guo Bao Rou is quite addictive," he offered, looking over the menu.
The waiter began his repetitious wording of the house specials to Dick but lost his tongue when his gaze shifted to over his date. Despite his visible attraction to her, he continued on and brought out the pad with which to take their orders. "I'll have the Beef Chow Mein with a sweet tea," Dick ordered, bringing down the menu only to see the waiter's attention lay elsewhere. He looked to his date, who had placed her menu flat on the table to read, oblivious to the men's stares.
She gazed up to Dick. "You know what? I'll have what you suggested, hun."
He nodded, turning to the waiter with a deadpan stare. "She'll have the Guo Bao Rou with a..."
"Cherry Coke please," she answered.
The young man excused himself and the twosome quickly engaged into a more meaningful conversation. Somehow the topic ended up back on what had happened earlier that night between Dick and Xavier.
"So he gave you the whole, 'I've known Kory longer than you' and the 'you're not her type' bit, didn't he?" she air-quoted the words.
Dick did a fast chuckle. "I take it he's given this famous speech before."
"To you and every other guy who has dared talk to me."
"A little possessive, is he?"
"Not possessive," she shook her head at the idea. "He just tends to be a little," she knew there was a bit of denial on her part but she said it anyways, "protective of me." Dick raised a quizzical brow at her. "Ok. So maybe just a tinge possessive," she admitted with a gesture of her fingers, signifying a pinch.
"I know it's not any of my business, but can I ask what happened with the two of you? I mean, if he really feels like you two belong together, then what happened? Why aren't you?"
She waited a while before answering. "It's complicated. Things between us are…complicated."
"Hey, I've been told I'm a pretty complex person myself. Maybe I'll be able to relate," he pressed, really wanting to know what issue could have kept these two apart. "And I've been known to be a relatively good listener." Dick smiled, hoping she'd give in.
"There's not much to say. Ryan, my brother, and Xavier are the greatest of friends. Like two macho peas in a testosterone-filled pod. As terrible as that may sound, you can't help but love them. Then X and I," she thought back, a frown forming on her face, "we started having these feelings for one other." She began twiddling with her fingers nervously as she went into more detail. "But after awhile, Ryan found out about us and it hurt him. Us being together really hurt him," she frowned again. "So he threatened to do serious harm to Xavier if he continued to see me. Not that Xavier was scared of him," she waved off, "but he was afraid of losing their friendship. So we decided to stay away from each other," she explained. "…Until tonight of course," she added as an afterthought.
"Do you love him?" he asked bluntly, causing Kory to shift her expression into a muddled one. He immediately caught wind of how prying it must have sounded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ask that. It's none of my business."
"No. No, it's a good question." Kory nodded her head absently. "Especially since I'm not sure of the answer myself."
A soft,"Oh," was all he replied with. Dick looked down to his hands, interlocked on the table as they were. What was he expecting to hear her say? No, I don't love Xavier?
There was a long pause until she spoke unexpectedly. "I'm just scared that I might be outgrowing him," she informed, perhaps more to herself. It seemed as if this was something she had been reasoning with for a long time in her mind.
"Why would that scare you?"
She looked to him. "I used to think Xavier and I were meant for each other." She laughed softly. "I really did. We understood each other inside and out and we were identical in almost every way. I was happy that there was actually someone out there for me," she patted her chest.
She stopped so Dick pressed on, "But?"
"But now," she stared deep into his eyes, "I don't know what it is but something's changing. And I'm not sure if I want it to or not." Kory pulled back a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "Does that make sense?"
"Perfect sense," he ogled her in wonderment, not thinking that it was possible for her to be plagued with the exact same problem. "You have no idea how sensible that is."
She smiled, glad to know that she wasn't alone in her conviction. They were interrupted by the sound of their waiter clearing his throat. He appeared with their glass of beverages. "Tea for you." He placed Dick's drink just before him on the table. He looked to Kory, "...and for you, a Cherry Coke," he grinned mischievously. Just as he brought down her glass, it tipped over, causing some to spill just above her chest.
Open-mouthed, Kory gasped when she was met with the ice cold soda.
"Kory, are you ok? ...here." Dick reached for his napkin, offering it to her.
Automatically, the waiter, too, reached for the nearest cloth napkin and began wiping away at the soda on her chest. "I'm sorry! I can't believe I did that!"
"It's alright," she breathed out, her body still affected by the cold drink. "Accidents happen." She felt uncomfortable with this stranger's hand whisking the napkin just above the area of her breasts. "Really. I can do it," she informed as nicely as possible, grabbing the napkin away from him.
The waiter shook his head, watching her. "That was stupid of me." But Dick knew better, especially when he saw the excited look in his eyes at the cheap thrill of touching her.
"It's fine." She finished swabbing the last remnants of the soda. "See. All gone." She rolled her eyes away from him, hoping he'd leave.
"I'll come back with your orders now." He looked to Dick, then to Kory and smiled handsomely before leaving. Dick twisted his eyes at the provocation.
"Well, I said the food was good. I didn't say anything about the service."
Kory grinned. "Between you and me, I think he did that on purpose," she whispered as if it was some big secret.
Dick feigned shock. "You don't say?"
And she laughed again, feeling her cheeks warm up. Dick could have sworn time stopped every time she smiled at him. They could smell the aroma of the cuisine hit their senses as the waiter walked up to their table and placed their smoldering plates before them. "Enjoy," he winked at Kory one last time.
Grabbing her chopsticks, she gazed over to her date and saw him taking a hold of his fork. "Aren't you going to use your chopsticks?" she asked, grasping his sticks in her hand and ushering them to him.
He shook his head. "Nah. I never really could get the hang of 'em."
"Wait. Wait," she grinned from ear to ear. "You've mastered the technique and the know-how of all these martial arts moves but you've never mastered," she brought to view the wooden utensils in a dramatic fashion, "…the chopsticks?"
Normally Dick would have shamefully nodded, but Kory's frivolous demeanor only made him laugh loudly. "What can I say? I've always been a stubborn learner."
"Here, let me." Instantly, she raised herself out of her seat and traveled over to his side, moving in just beside him. She cupped his hands gingerly, positioning the sticks correctly in between his fingers. "Just tuck it under your thumb like this and hold it. And grab at the other one like a pencil," she instructed.
As she kept on with her instructions, he was foolishly lost in her words. She was so close to him. Inhaling her fragrant tresses, a rush of divine exhilaration was sent through his body. Even at the loving touch of her hands, his body could only beg for more.
"Did you get that, swee-" she asked, glancing to her right. She was surprised to find him so close to her face. The piercing blue of his eyes could have punctured a hole in her heart effortlessly.
"Every word of it. I guess I just needed the right teacher." He took the stubborn lock of hair that had found its way back to her face, and calmly tucked it behind her ear carefully.
She edged forward, but still hesitant, as she saw him getting closer to her mouth. There it was again. That kindle she felt when he contacted her lips. It ignited something within her. Something she had never felt before. Something she found herself hopelessly immersing in.
As much as it stung his cut, Dick couldn't ignore the sudden charge he felt when he touched her lips. It was almost addicting. Sadly, it only lasted a millisecond as the pestering waiter had arrived and intercepted with yet another question. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" he asked, focusing more on Kory than the couple themselves.
"No, garçon." She kept her disappointed expression. "We're just great."
"If you need anything, you know where to find me," he stated with a breath of desire.
Dick, on the other hand, was getting fed up with his indecent intentions towards her. Kory smiled sadly at him and raised herself from his side of the booth, retreating back to her own, much to their discontent.
Despite the awkward moment, their dinner came and went with a glut of laughs and an occasional tasting of each other's plates. If there was an obvious mood killer, it had to have been their pesky waiter who chose to pass by their table frequently, opting for a better look at Kory. Moreover, Dick noticed this, which would probably explain why he was more steaming than his hot Chinese dish. Kory simply ignored him, while Dick tried his best to not to succumb to his level of ignorance.
After finishing up their meals, Kory excused herself to the ladies' room, hoping to rid her body of the stickiness from the spilled soda. Like clockwork, the waiter presumed to pass by again. That was until he viewed Kory was no longer in the booth. Miffed, he turned on his heels in the opposite direction.
It was blatantly obvious to Dick what he was up to, so he stopped him midway before the persistent young man could leave. "Excuse me, sir," he called to him. He could see him compress his shoulders and turn back, annoyed. He reached their table and waited for Dick to speak. "Can you please bring me the check? We're done."
The waiter coiled his eyes at him and headed off to retrieve their bill, however Dick wasn't finished with him just yet. "Oh, one more thing." He flicked a couple of fingers for him to return. With a bored shrug of his shoulders, the waiter proceeded to lean down to face him. "Try that stunt again and you'll be sucking your food through a tube," he threatened. "She's with me, pal. Are we clear on that?"
Judging from the fresh cut on his lip, his threat must have been warranted. The waiter gulped deeply, "Crystal."
"Good. Don't pass by here again until we're gone." Dick casually dusted off any imaginary lint on his shoulders as he remained in his swooped position. He brought out his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar bill from the billfold for a tip. "It's called class, buddy. Get some."
The waiter hesitated grabbing the bill from Dick, but did so anyway. He circled to leave, but against his better judgment, turned reluctantly back to Dick. "How am I supposed to bring you the check if you don't want me passing by?" he fumbled with his words.
"Figure it out."
The poor waiter nodded, shuffling his feet as quickly as he could away from the angry boyfriend.
Kory
Opening the bathroom door, she quickly entered and locked it shut. Kory walked up to the faucet and turned it on. Grabbing some paper towels, she damped them with water and began wiping away at the sticky residue on her chest. She remembered the smug look of happiness on the waiter's face. "Jerk."
Satisfied that she was free of any dried soda, she shut off the water and looked at herself in the mirror. She shook her head and shut her eyes, her mind muddled with the same question she'd been quietly asking herself for the last twenty minutes. "Why'd you kiss him?" she repeated out loud. She opened her eyes, allowing her to study her reflection for a good minute.
Babs's condescending voice came to mind.
...and Dick will come back to me because we love each other. But you wouldn't know about that, would you?
Just then, Kory slapped herself softly as if that was a surefire way to drive out the unwanted emotions. "You can't feel this way," she mumbled to herself in a whisper. She leaned both hands on the counter, letting out a frustrating blow of air.
You'll have to learn to accept that he doesn't feel the same way for you...
"You just can't," she reminded herself. She ran her hands over her face, exhaling again. "First Xavier. Now Dick." She shook her head, "I won't let it happen again."
She gathered she'd been in there for about five minutes and decided to make her way back. Returning, she smiled politely at the other diners as she passed their tables. Kory could see why Dick chose to come here. It really was a beautiful place. A place she would probably be bringing her own friends to in the future.
"Ready to go?" Dick asked when he heard Kory returning.
"Ready when you are, babe."
It wasn't long when Veronica approached them with their bill. "Thanks," Dick told her, following her to the pay station.
"No problem. Stephen insisted I deliver it myself. He seemed pretty shook up about something," she shrugged.
Kory gazed over to Dick. His smug smirk was evidence that something was amiss. She leaned up near his ear, drowning out anything their hostess was saying. "What did you do, Dick?"
"Me?" He side-glanced as they walked, feigning ignorance. "Nothing. I just gave him his tip," he smirked again.
"Did that tip include something that could get us arrested in all fifty states?" All she received for an answer was a sly shrug and the embracing of her hand with his as he got ready to pay the attendant.
Xavier
He was just a block away from the university, navigating through the streets of Jump City in his fully restored 69' Chevy Camaro, with a favorite Jim Morrison tune blasting in the background.
In addition to it's suped-up engine, his black muscle car, adorned with classic red racing stripes, was a "chick magnet", something his friends tended to brag about. But Xavier wasn't the least bit concerned with using his car as an aphrodisiac. Easily, he didn't need it to garner attention from the opposite sex. It seemed to come naturally to him, whether he wanted it or not.
"Come on, you damn light!" he shouted, taking his anger out on the red traffic signal. The flashback of busting Dick's lip replayed again for about the hundredth time that night. Since Kory had failed to return to their table afterward, he wondered if perhaps Dick had blabbed about their little scuffle in the restroom to her. And if so, was she angry with him?
He looked to the light again. It was still red, and he emitted a loud breath of air. "Who the hell does he think he is anyways?"
...She's kinda become something special to me.
"What does he even know about her?" he asked to no one particular, but he had to vent. "He couldn't possibly know her better than I do. What's her full name?...KoryLinn. Her birthday?...March 1st. How did she get that barely visible scar on her knee?...Chasing after Silkie when he ran into the street. And who pulled her out of the street and away from that speeding car?" His strong hand gripped tighter on the steering wheel. "...Me! That's who!" His voice grew, drowning out the song that played on his stereo. "What has he done for her?"
He pressed down on the accelerator once he saw a flash of green, finally making his way into the student parking area near his dorm. He turned off the engine and sat, listening to his music. "He's just going to use her. Then she'll be thrown away like yesterday's trash." He turned towards his radio. "You know I'm right, Jim," he said to the late Doors' frontman before shutting of the music. He got out and eagerly took off his gloves which had been bothering him all night, throwing them to the passenger seat.
It was then that he stared hard at the polished leather, remembering how she spent much of their forbidden romance in that very seat. Times of how she would sit atop him, placing soft kisses on his neck as he drove, or the rigorous boxing matches she secretly attended, and the ballet recitals he'd watch from afar as he waited for her to finish, they all came pouring back to him. But his most favorite memories were the days when she would play with his hair, when he had some, every time he laid his head in her lap, both watching the sun-setting horizon at the beach. Its orange rays always lit up her smile while the ocean breeze blew at her hair. He would often do a double take, expecting to wake up from some sort of dream because no way would someone like Kory ever want him. He had to be dreaming.
Even if she was sixteen and he nineteen, just teenagers, those were times that no matter how hard he tried, he could never forget. As much as Ryan expected him to.
Xavier pressed the button on his car fog, triggering its alarm. He battled with the cool air as he made his way back to his dorm. He opened the hallway doors that led to the his room, not paying much attention to the come hither stares from the gossiping ladies who wandered the halls. Despite the wounds on his face, he still remained a looker, especially now that he was donning a fashionable tuxedo. If anything, it probably helped retain a bit more of a mystery about him.
He was met with Billy Michaels, one of his classmates that lived a couple of dorms down the hall from his, walking up to him with a couple of books in hand. He gave a quick laugh, "Looking snazzy, X. We moonlighting as an escort now? ...servicing those widows over forty?" Billy joked in his thick Southern accent.
Xavier just smiled smugly, loosening his black bowtie. "Yeah snazzy. Your mother thought so, too. Though I had to give her a freebie tonight. Seems she's reached her limit on her credit card."
Billy just grinned as Xavier walked past him, until his joke had sunken in. "Hey, that wasn't cool," he said to his back. Xavier just kept walking, responding with a playful flipping of the bird as he reached his door.
Once inside, he found Ryan at his computer desk, typing what was left of his report. "Hey bro," his roommate greeted when he heard him come in but saw as Xavier took off his suit jacket without so much as a word, only a scowl visible on his face. Ryan raised a brow but spoke again. "Hey, Ryan," he imitated his friend, in pure Xavier fashion. "Sorry that I'm too busy acting like an asshole to say hello."
"Not now, alright." He couldn't help but feel a little resentment at his best friend at the moment. Had it not been for Ryan's meddling, he wouldn't be in this predicament, and Kory wouldn't have been out with some complete loser tonight. He proceeded to unbutton his white dress shirt.
"Don't tell me," Ryan crossed his arms. "You and Ms. Diva didn't have such a great time tonight?" he laughed at the thought. He leaned back in his computer chair, now relaxing his hands behind his head.
He forced off his dress shirt until he was left in a white undershirt. "Real funny."
"What?" Ryan maintained his bewildered expression, wondering what had his friend so tensed up.
"You seem to love cracking these lame jokes while…" but didn't finish. He couldn't. Ratting Kory out to her own brother would only make things worse for them, particularly since he knew Ryan would be fuming. Besides, Xavier wasn't anyone's stoolie.
"While what?" Ryan looked on, growing nervous.
While your little sister is out with some scum-sucking bastard, he thought. As much as thought explaining to Ryan about his sister's ongoing romance was what he should've done, he wouldn't betray her that way. Their bond and trust would have been broken, and he would never allow anything to jeopardize that. Kory was, by far, an important and influential person in his life. He needed her. But it was apparent that she wanted to keep her relationship with Dick hush.
"Well what?" Ryan stressed.
Xavier pinched his forehead tiredly, exhaustion from his match, and frustration from the night's unexpected turn of events had hit him all at once. Not to mention, Babs's constant whine had threatened to bring on an onslaught of a headache. He raised up a hand, "Nothing." He waved off his argument. "Just forget I said anything. I needed to vent off on someone and you're the one who was right in front of me."
Ryan's expression morphed into one of concern. "What's wrong, man? You feeling like shit?"
"Shit would be putting it mildly, Ryan." He sat on his bed. "Coach Wilder keeps ragging on me. Doesn't he think I know my scholarship is riding on my boxing? Then I have Babs whose never-ending mouth keeps putting me in a jam."
"Look, I've told you once, and I'll tell you again. Dump. The. Bitch."
Xavier brought up a hand defensively. "Hey, don't call her that, ok."
"Why not?" he said absently, turning back to his report. "She is."
"Don't talk about women like that."
Ryan wrinkled his forehead, curious as to why Xavier's tone suddenly became so demanding. With him of all people. He turned back to him. "Jesus, X. What is the big de-" Suddenly it all made sense. He had forgotten what a touchy subject it was for him. Remembering, Ryan backpedaled. "Sorry, bro. Don't pay attention to me. I'm an idiot sometimes."
Ryan held up his hands in an apologetic manner but he was stopped when his best friend intervened, "Don't. It's cool." He raised himself off his bed and took off his white undershirt, wanting nothing more than a good workout. "I'm gonna hit the gym and box me a few with the bag." He looked to his watch for a good indication as to how much time he was left with.
"Well, don't take long. I heard the weather is supposed to get worse tonight."
Xavier searched the closet for his athletic bag, already equipped with what was supposed to be tomorrow's workout sweats. "Be back in thirty." They knuckled punched their hands together and Xavier made his way to the door.
Ryan called unexpectedly, "Hey, X?" He held the door open, waiting for his friend to continue. "Don't worry yourself too much. Everything's going to work out. I'll still be here for you, bro."
There was a faint smile on his lips, but it never fully formed. Along with a crisp nod, he waved and headed out the door to the university gymnasium.
Terra
"Would you like extra butter on that?" Terra asked, smiling brightly as she handed the customer his change back.
After serving a few more movie-goers, she leaned herself over the counter for any other signs of life in the lobby of the movie theater where she worked. Most of the movies had started and the place was practically barren except for the latecomers and their nosy children.
She dreaded this part of her job excessively. "Have I mentioned how much I loathe this?"
"Give it a rest, will you Terra? You've only got thirty more minutes to go before your shift ends." Ellie, her co-worker, reminded her as she made fresh popcorn. "I, on the other hand, still have about four more hours on mine."
"Well, it's not coming fast enough." She glanced across the lobby at the mounted clock that hung on the wall near the bathrooms.
Ellie flipped the switch to the popcorn machine, waiting for the red light to come on. "Oh, so like I was telling you," she seesawed her gaze between Terra and the machine, "Henry and I went to this new club last night."
Terra rearranged her ponytail, tugging it through the back opening of her yellow ball cap, which unfortunately was part of her uniform. Listening to her co-worker go on and on about her fabulous boyfriend, she couldn't help but roll her eyes inside her mind. Not that she didn't enjoy working with Ellie, who could somehow manage to make the time just fly by. She just didn't feel like any discussions that centered around boyfriends, considering the dry she'd been having as of late.
Ten minutes had passed, and after laughing at one of the many vulgar jokes Ellie learned the other night, Terra pushed her playfully against the wall. "You and Henry are sick in the head," she kidded. In the midst of their horseplay, Terra looked out into the lobby and noticed a boy of about her age looking back at her. She couldn't shake the notion that he looked eerily familiar.
"Hey, Ells?"
"What?" she asked, trying to pour some cream soda into one of the theater foam cups for herself.
"Come here," she whispered. "Check this guy out, but don't make it so obvious," she rushed out the latter. Ellie walked over to her and examined the teen in question carefully, using the blond's body as coverage.
"Yeah so?" She slurped her drink through its straw. "You interested in him or what?"
"No! Not that, stupid. Do you recognize him? I mean, do you know who he is?" Terra continued to gaze at her co-worker who peeked over her shoulder once more at the mysterious teen. He looked harmless enough dressed in a simple red t-shirt and jeans. Had his abnormal behavior not gone noted, he would have been inconspicuous.
"I don't know. Looks kinda cute with his tendrils of blond hair, but no. I've never seen him before. Why?"
"Because yesterday I went to the beach with some friends and he was there. I clearly remember seeing him there just walking around not doing much."
"Ok, so he was at the same beach at the same time. Whoopee-freaking-do."
"Then what about earlier that day? We went shopping at La Vista and he was there, too. And now he's here at the movie theater where I work? Something's up."
"You think he's following you?" Ellie asked sounding more like a pushy detective.
"Well, don't you find it pretty weird that he's been everywhere I've been lately?"
Ellie rolled her eyes. "Terra, you're just paranoid. Get a grip."
"I'm not paranoid, Ells. Something doesn't seem right here."
"Fine. Do you want me to go ask him if he has a problem then?"
"Have you gone totally crazy? He could be some kind of a whacko or something."
"Or he could be-" but Ellie stopped after she did a quick check into the lobby. "Oh, no," she panicked.
"What? What is it?" Terra turned to look back out into the lobby only to see that the young man was now gone. "Where did he go?"
"I'm not sure. It's like he just disappeared. Maybe he saw us looking at him and freaked."
"You think so?"
"Uh..." Ellie mumbled, a little frightened at this point. "This is very odd, Terra. I've never seen someone just wander around the lobby like that. And then you say he's been following you. Just in case, you better be extra careful. He might be dangerous. Gotham City is known for its lunatics." An apprehensive quiver overcame Terra at the thought. "Hey," she prodded the blond with her drink, "maybe he broke out of Arkham. I hear about it happening all the time on the news."
"Well, thanks a lot," she said, clearly unnerved. "Like that's something I want to hear right now. Especially since I have to drive home by myself."
Ellie gave a little shrug. "Can't your mother pick you up? I'd give you a ride but my shift doesn't end 'til after twelve."
"Madame is out on a date with her new boyfriend," she thought harder, "or lover, or whatever the heck he is tonight," she waved off the suggestion. "Who cares."
"Then to be on the safe side, ask one of the guys to follow you to your car." Terra nodded. Why this young man was following her at all was a mystery, but a mystery she wasn't keen on solving.
Rachel
It had been a half hour since Dick had left with his date and for Rachel, spending a half hour without the solace of her next door neighbor, but instead with the elitist drunken fools she was surrounded with was long enough.
She had informed her father that she was tired and called herself a cab. It took no more than twenty five minutes to reach home, what with the heavy Friday night traffic, and the first thing she did was get out of her navy pant suit. She was about to change into something less binding when she received a call from Malachi asking to see her tonight.
Normally, his call would have made her happy, however he had to add those unwelcoming words at the end, "Tell no one you're coming."
She grabbed some clothes, even as her mind fought against it, believing for a second that she couldn't bring herself to continue these trysts. She meant nothing to him, and she knew it.
In a moment of frustration, she took her clothes and threw them across the room, as she slid down beside her bed. She cupped her face with her hands, though she didn't cry. She almost never did. She remained in this position for the next five minutes until she realized nothing would come of it. Nothing ever did. She'd go back to him just as she always did. She sighed. There was no room for self-pity now and she raised herself off the ground, grabbing her clothes again, and reluctantly started changing.
She parked her black Mercedes a block away from their rendezvous spot, hating that she would have to walk the rest of the way. But it was what Malachi wanted.
Rachel pulled her long wool coat around herself tighter, blocking out the cool air that had invaded Gotham tonight. She swiftly walked down the crowded sidewalks with a purpose. She kept most of her gaze to the ground until she passed an arcade store. It was hard to ignore with it bright lights, and it succeeded in casting a neon glow on Rachel's face.
She felt her heels stop as she succumbed to the screams of laughter and shouts emanating inside. There was a shrill of a voice singing over the karaoke machine, and it was this amateur voice that had caught her attention. She moved closer to the window and gazed inside only to see the same young gentleman from the bookstore.
"Garfield?"
He was laughing away with a mic in his hand, along with two guys who appeared to be twins. He pointed to the screen of the monitor, causing the brothers to join in where he left off. Just then, an attractive African American girl had walked up behind them and hung an arm around Garfield as the other brought in one of the twins closer to her. She, too, had begun singing along with a smile bright enough to rival Gar's, before tipping the bill of his baseball cap down upon his face.
His girlfriend. Naturally.
She felt the vibration from her phone go off. She sighed and answered it. "Hello?"
"Where the bloody hell are you? I've been waiting for ten minutes. Are you coming or not, love?"
"I'm getting there. You're the one who wants me to be discreet, remember?" she bickered.
"Fine. Just get your arse here quickly." The sound of the phone clicking to an end made her flinch.
She took one last look at Gar, who was no longer wearing his baseball cap as the ebony beauty had now donned it, sipping away at a drink. Even with his hair matted down, she couldn't deny that he looked adorable. Her eyes widened. Adorable?
She moved away from the window, as if she had just been burned to the touch. She began her walk again to the dreaded café where she was sure to hear more of Malachi's reprimand for her tardiness. She kept her gaze to the ground, with no enthusiasm whatsoever in sight.
Vic + Wally
"So then you don't have a problem with it?" Wally asked again, holding on to his slice of pizza.
"For. The. Last. Time," Vic said through clenched teeth, "I don't care!"
Wally jumped back, some of the tomato sauce staining his new shirt during the process. "Gosh, Vic. It's only a simple question." Wally grabbed a napkin to wipe down much of the sauce but only managed to make it spread further.
Vic glared. "Well, ask me about dating Jinn one more time and it'll be the last one you ever ask me." No. He didn't have a problem with one of his best friends dating his ex-girlfriend. Jinn was still a decent girl, and Wally was a great guy, deserving of someone like her. Besides, his relationship with Jinn hadn't lasted for too long.
"I just don't want to ask her out without knowing how you feel about it first."
"Look, Wally. Go for it, man." He gave him a gentle push against his shoulder. The redhead blinked back, almost touched as he was surprised for Vic to be speaking so openly to him. "Please. Then maybe you can bother the hell out of her instead of me."
His face deadpanned, disappointed at how easily it was for Vic to ruin their "bromance" moment. "I know you don't really mean that. You don't have to act all macho around me, Vic. You can let your sensitive side show."
"Damn," he shook his head. "I forgot just how annoying you could be without Dick around."
"Speaking of which, is he still at that," he tried swallowing down the bite of pizza still in his mouth, "…that thing Bruce was having?"
Vic shrugged and peeked at his watch, noting how it was still early into the night. "Probably not. When was it supposed to be over again?"
"I don't know. How about cranking him?" the redhead suggested, taking a hold of Vic's cell phone.
"A crank call, Wally? How old are you?"
"Come on. We both know how he hates these stupid parties anyway. At least we can keep him and ourselves entertained for a little bit."
Vic smiled mischievously at his friend's idea, thinking of the good laugh they'd get out of Dick's expense. "Alright, alright. But you gotta do it." Vic relaxed in his chair and watched as Wally began pressing the speed dial.
"Put it on speaker."
The phone had begun to ring, and Wally brought a finger to his mouth. "Just shut up and I'll do the talking."
"Hello," they heard a voice on the other line say.
In a maniacal whisper, Wally said, "I'm going to kill you."
"Excuse me?" The annoyance of the call was evident in his voice.
Disguising his voice, he nodded to Vic. "You'll be dead by tonight."
"I will?" Dick asked, skeptical of the man's threat.
"But first, I'm going to make animal love to you."
Vic squinted his eyes in laughter as he listened on, nudging Wally at the cleverness of his prank. "Hey, hey," he leaned into Wally, whispering in his ear. "Ask him you hope he likes it rough."
Grinning, Wally continued, "I hope you-"
"Hey, morons! You do know I have caller ID on my phone, don't you?" Dick announced through the other end.
A dry silence remained and the two fools exchanged a look, fazed by the other's forgetfulness of the fact. They both lost their nerve to continue, and Wally began stuttering. "It...it was all Vic's idea." He shifted all the blame to his jokester in crime, and quickly dropped the cell into Vic's hands.
"You jerk," Vic mumbled at his backpedaling friend, hesitantly lifting his cell to his ear. "Yo, Dick! Sorry about that," he laughed nervously. "You know Wally and his stupid shenanigans. I tried to stop him but-"
"Vic, drop the act. I really don't care right now."
"Droppin'." He cleared his throat.
"So where are you two at?"
Vic answered, "At Gemini's Pizza Heaven."
"What about you? You still at this classy dinner you're having or what?"
"Nah. I left about an hour ago. Kory and I just finished having some Chinese when you two decided to call and amaze me with your intelligence."
"Kory?" Vic echoed. "Oh, yeah. The girl you found to help you with Babs."
"Yes, Vic. Her."
"The one you keep-"
"Yes," Dick interrupted. "Her." If he knew his friend, Dick was probably turning a beet red as they spoke, fearing that she might have heard Vic's voice resonating through the receiver. His booming voice wasn't one you could easily ignore.
"Hi, Vic!" they heard a feminine voice call out to him through the phone.
"Yo, she sounds cute," he tapped Wally's arm, who agreed. "Hey yourself, sweet thing!" he shouted back into the receiver.
Dick, on the other hand, was more than ready to end the call, before he suffered any more embarrassment from his buddies. "Ok, well. I'll call you-"
"Yo, can we meet her?"
"Meet her?" There was a sense of dread in Dick's voice. "I'm not sure. She might not be comfortable with the whole idea-"
"I'd love to meet you guys!" she shouted once again.
"Doesn't seem like she has a problem with it to me," Wally suggested, licking his fingers clean of the pizza sauce.
"Yeah. You see, she wants to."
After getting assurance from Kory, Dick announced they would meet them at the pizza parlor. "Oh, and guys?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't embarrass me," Dick gritted quietly over the phone, probably away from Kory's earshot.
A smiling Vic waved off his warning. "Now why would we go and want to do something like that to you, Dickie?"
Wally reached over the table and closer to the cell, which still remained on speakerphone. "Yeah. You have nothing to worry about. It's not like we're gonna tell Kory about what happened to you at Motocross Madness last month."
The two friends both laughed out loud before hanging up, causing Dick to sweatdrop at their impending meeting. Yes. Dick knew them all too well.
*****
First, let me apologize for the long update. Sorry! I've been exceptionally busy with school and work this month. Although this wasn't much of an update, you can see some things are starting to build up…emotions, introductions, um… complications. And though Terra's situation might not seem too dire now, it will pose a problem for Kory…and that's all I'm gonna say. And I just love Xavier so much, I simply had to add him to this triangular drama of love. And pairing him with Babs (I'm still taking medication for that!)
And in case some were wondering what Arkham is, it's the notorious asylum for the criminally insane that all the Batman villains get sent to. Or if you well, the nuthouse. So yeah, I'd be pretty scared too if I had someone like that following me. How do they manage to break out so easily?
Oh, and I need to give credit where credit is due. My friend Ellie, yes I named the co-worker after her, gave me the little phrase about Kory being a movie, rock, porn and all-star in the last chapter. She read some cute little message similar to it, I had to change it a bit, and wanted me to use it for Kory. Of course, she wanted Dick to be the one that said it. I'll be dodging her bullets for that stunt.
And of course this author's note wouldn't be complete without props to my readers. Thanks for all those that reviewed, my lovable loyal repeat reviewers and the neat newbies: silpixOX44, linkinparkh2over, depressed 4 eva, KittyAuthor6. Thanks a million guys (girls)! Whatever, you get my drift and until next chapter…