None of the Teen Titans belong to me.
As expected, the group got lost as they wandered aimlessly through a park.
Richard continuously apologized- to Kori, mostly- for being completely useless in finding their way back. Even though he was born and raised in Gotham, he always stayed close to the hotel at his guardian's request.
Garfield wasn't in a hurry to get back, though. He was still a little upset over the fight he had with Raven, but he knew he needed to make things right- for the sake of the team, of course. Tomorrow would be the beginning of the "contest" Ms. Mae had signed them all up for.
Future Heroes of America wasn't just a local club. It had several sister schools competing in the competition as well; first prize being a scholarship to any college for the winning team members, as well as some extra cash to be donated to a charity of their choice.
He knew that the competition would be fierce- the kids from his own school were competitive as it was. Especially Karen Beecher, who was the president of the Blue Team. Not many things scared Garfield; in fact, he could probably list all of his fears on one hand. But the thought of competing against Bee, as was Karen's nickname, was something he had hoped would never happen.
"So are any local Gotham schools competing?"
Garfield abruptly stopped his worrying as his best friend's voice brought him back to reality.
Victor had begun making his way closer to Richard to start a conversation, switching places with Raven as they walked, and Garfield was now strolling along down the path next to her.
He caught her eye momentarily and grinned, but she quickly looked ahead, a blank expression on her face. He sighed in defeat as he listened to the black-haired boy's response.
"Yeah, Gotham High is for sure, and I think another private school on the west side of the city entered as well," he shrugged, adjusting his sunglasses nervously as the redhead beside him leaned in closer to listen.
"That is glorious! It is always good to have some of the competition!" she cheered, clapping her hands in front of her.
Victor grimaced. "Actually, Kor, I think Bee is all the competition I was prepared to handle," he admitted, itching his shaved scalp nervously.
"You got that right," Garfield agreed, shivering playfully. "She's one scary chick- and I'm pretty sure she's got Roy on her team, and you know how crazy he is about winning."
Victor and Kori nodded thoughtfully, while Raven and Richard shared a confused glance.
"Who are they?" the pale girl asked hesitantly, though she purposefully looked away from the blonde, letting him know she wasn't talking to him.
He huffed in frustration while his larger teammate answered. "Bee's this girl who goes to our school- she's top everything. Class president, straight-A student, captain of the volley ball team; a real go-getter," he explained, looking back and forth between the two newbies. "And Roy is the captain of the lacrosse team, as well as the archery team. He's not as smart as Bee, but he is definitely as motivated."
Raven arched her brow as she mulled over this new information, while Richard gave Victor an inquisitive look. "Lacrosse, huh? I was always pretty good at that- when Bruce had let me join a team, that is."
Suddenly, a weird thought crossed Garfield's mind. "Hey, Richard?" he began, leaning forward to get a good look at the boy.
Richard hummed in acknowledgement.
"Why are you on our school's team, and not on one of Gotham's?"
At his question, both Raven and Kori glared at the blonde, though for different reasons. The black-haired boy shrugged. "I guess your school was short a member, and when I asked to be a part of it, they put me on your team."
Victor nodded in understanding. "Jinx's boyfriend Wally was supposed to come, but he had a huge track meet this weekend. You probably took his place- though I wouldn't let Jinx know... She can be a hell of a lot scarier than Bee," he laughed dryly.
Richard took a moment to let his words sink in, before he gulped nervously. "Heh, right."
Kori giggled at his response, while Raven rolled her eyes in amusement. So far, this trip was definitely not what she was expecting, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
She was pleasantly surprised that she had made friends so quickly, and was already feeling fond of them all- even Garfield. And yes, she was still mad at him, but she wasn't mad mad; just a little embarrassed.
Since she was so inexperienced with being social, when that jerk was hitting on her at the restaurant, she felt really uncomfortable. No guy had ever really shown interest in her, but instead of being flattered, she felt... sad.
Did she only attract douche bags? He was, after all, the first guy to take notice of her in that way since starting the trip. Why couldn't she be attractive to nice guys? Or smart guys? Or funny-
"I'm sorry for what happened back there."
Raven glanced over at Garfield, her eyes wide. It was as if he was reading her mind.
He gave her expression a quizzical look, and she quickly adopted her signature glare. "It's fine," she deadpanned, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear nervously.
The blonde boy shook his head. "No, it's not. I understand why you'd be mad- I completely embarrassed you," he guessed, shrugging indifferently. "Obviously a girl as smart and... uhm, as smart as you wouldn't date a guy like me."
Raven's eyes softened as she watched the boy beside her hang his head sullenly. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she didn't want to admit to herself that he was actually a really good guy, even though that was probably what he needed to hear right now. Instead, she bumped his shoulder slightly with her own. "Opposites attract," she smirked.
Garfield smiled slightly, before a confused look passed over his face. "Hey!" he cried defiantly, bumping her back. "I can be smart, too... sometimes..."
Chapter niiiiiiiine! Sorry for the wait! Writer's block and being social for once has giving me less time to write- as well as the fact I'm actually showing up to work lol.
Please leave a review! They are like little presents and I always enjoy reading them- especially since I kicked my online shopping addiction and no longer receive little presents from myself in the mail :(
But anywhoo, review! Or follow! Or favorite! Or PM me some ideas- and thank you Kaarlinaa for suggesting the villain thing! It triggered so many ideas!