DISCLAIMER: I – in no way – own the Teen Titans.

CHAPTER THREE – START OF SOMETHING NEW

Smiling faintly to himself, Richard recalled the amazing moment in his past when Kori admitted her feelings for him. He remembered how that had been the day when things between the two of them had changed immeasurably; it was, after all, the day he and Kori had taken their friendship to the next level. Hangout days with the gang suddenly became one-on-one time between the two teenagers. However, whenever confronted about their relationship status, neither Kori, nor Richard admitted to being single or taken.

"We were never boyfriend and girlfriend!" Garfield remarked to Rachel Roth and Victor Stone. "Terra's just weird like that; she's a compulsive liar, remember? It's not like I would actually go out with her… no matter how hot she is."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I don't care," she responded monotonously, not taking her glance away from the boy with the spiky black hair. "That bitch called Dick an asshole. It wasn't like he was bothering her to begin with."

With a nod, Victor added, "Exactly. If anything, she and Koma were the ones tryna start something over there-."

Richard continued to look out the window, drowning in thoughts of his past before butting into the conversation his friends were having. "Guys," he interrupted, "drop it. Koma and Terra were just being… honest. You can't blame them for that, can you?"

Garfield and Victor exchanged a knowing look to one another before Rachel took the initiative to speak up. "Dick, what's bothering you? You've been this way since you got back from Gotham. Actually, I think from the time you got here up until that run-in with Koma and her friends… you've actually gotten worse."

Richard, not even paying attention to his friends, resumed to looking out the window and having flashbacks of the past. It was not until he felt three pairs of eyes staring him down when he turned around and let Rachel's words sink into his mind. "Wait, what?" he replied, startled. "Oh… umm, guys… it's nothing. Really…"

Victor gave Rachel a side glance, which she responded to with a slight shake of the head. Carefully, Victor took the seat next to Richard on the windowsill. "Nuh-uh, dude; we know something's on your mind."

Richard, turning away from the windowpane, smiled politely to his friends. "Guys, seriously… it's nothing. Just trust me when I say that. I mean-."

"Look, if you're still hooked on what happened between you and Kori…"

Richard clenched his fists as he quickly rose up from his seat on Rachel's windowsill; he was obviously somewhat angered by Garfield's statement. "Look, can we not talk about that? That happened during our sophomore year… in high school. We're college sophomores now. I think it's time we let go of that fiasco and looked to our futures."

"Trust me, Dick," Garfield said, scratching the back of his neck, "we have… but you haven't."

In seconds, Richard fled from the room. He furiously raced down the hallway, only to throw himself against the wall beside Rachel's staircase. There were tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he slowly sunk to the floor. Burying his head into his arms, Richard began to cry silently to himself.

"Boy, why are you crying?" a petite girl with flaming red hair inquired.

Richard's head shot up from the ground instantly. It was then that he noticed a green-eyed girl towering before him. "I wasn't crying!" he sneered, wiping his eyes subtly to make sure that he hadn't been crying.

The girl turned her head to properly face the young Richard Grayson. Her eyes widened almost immediately. "I am so sorry! I was only rehearing for my audition later this month… I didn't realize you were there… or that you could hear me."

"Wait, what?" Richard wondered, slightly embarrassed.

It was now lunchtime at Jump City Junior High. Richard Grayson sat alone beside a wimpy tree while the girl in front of him was only standing about two feet away. She smiled as him as she attempted to make friendly conversation with the preteen boy before her.

"I'm an aspiring actress," she explained with a pearly white smile. "My name is Kori Anders. I just moved to Jump City a few months ago…"

"Charmed," Richard replied. "People call me 'Dick'."

Kori gasped, "Does that hurt your feelings?"

Richard looked at her, trying to contain his laughter."No," he said, "because it's my name – Dick Grayson. Most people call me that anyways; it's a nickname. If it's any consolation to you though, my real name's Richard."

Kori nodded with a smile before she took a look at her surroundings. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Richard. I really am sorry about a few minutes ago," she apologized, "I didn't see you there…"

Richard chuckled. "May I be frank with you, Kori?"

"Well, sure, Frank," Kori remarked, "if you prefer it to 'Dick'!"

Richard could no long contain the laughter anymore; was this girl actually being serious? He shook his head as he released a snicker. "You can call me whatever you want to call me, Kori!" Richard said, still laughing. "I was just going to tell you that no one really ever notices me… unless they really have to."

"Are you sure about that?" Kori wondered, tilting her head. "Someone's bound to notice someone as handsome as you."

Richard shrugged. "Only when they have to," he repeated. "That and only when they want something from Bruce."

"Who?" Kori asked.

"My adoptive father," he replied casually, "American millionaire, soon-to-be billionaire… Bruce Wayne, owner of the Wayne Enterprise. Yeah, everyone here only talks to me if they think they can score some points with the old man."

"That's terrible," Kori stated. "If that's the case, is this the reason why you're eating by yourself?"

"Actually," Richard said, looking at the far corner of the quad, "see that blonde with the pink mini skirt over there?"

Kori looked into the direction, in which Richard had implied with his head nudge. She noticed the blonde with the white polo shirt tucked into a pink mini skirt. "Is she the one in the center of the group? If so, then yes…"

"That's Katherine Moth," he muttered. "She's my girlfriend… and she kinda asked me to sit here. I'm supposed to be waiting for her, but she doesn't look like she's coming around any time soon."

Kori shook her head with a smile. "Well, if your girlfriend can have a little fun with her friends, then… why not have a little fun of your own?"

Richard looked up at the redheaded girl before him; what was she implying? "What?"

"Come sit with me," she offered. "I was going to have lunch with a couple of people that I met the other day in my English class. You can come along if you would like; I am sure it beats sitting under this lonely tree… by yourself."

Richard smiled a crooked smile before nodding at Kori's offer. "I'd like that… a lot."

"Well then, my friend," she giggled as Richard stood to leave with her, "this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Two stories rewritten in one day? Totally awesome, no? Well, I'm halfway done with the rewriting stage of this story. Before I continue with it, however, I'm going to work on The Girl of My Dreams first; I feel obligated to do so anyhow. This chapter of Reminiscent Memories was rewritten and republished on August 6, 2012.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of the story. Please, don't be afraid to review and/or favorite! Also, major brownie points to anyone that understood some of the references made in this chapter of the story. ;) Don't hesitate to check out any of the others stories I have available on my profile; they need love, too! (and I'm desperate right now. XD)

~ May Vulcan