The second Kori walked into her home economics class, there was a loud screech from the back of the room. Kori threw her hands over her ears to muffle the harsh sound. Once the sound had stopped, she saw Kitten storming up to her, teeth bared and hands balled into fists at her sides. "So, you think you can steal my boyfriend, you little bitch?" she seethed.

Kori stood up straight, towering a few inches over Kitten, refusing to cower to her no matter how badly she wanted to in that moment. "I do believe Richard did the breaking up with you. He was not yours for me to do the stealing from," she replied confidently, then turning to head to her seat.

Kitten grabbed her by the shoulder and roughly forced her back around to look at her. "You better listen well, Anders. I will have my Dick back, and I am not above going to drastic measures to get him back. You better break things off with him, or there will be hell to pay."

Kori placed her hands on her hips, and responded, "I hate to disappoint you, but I am not afraid of you." With that she turned and retreated to her desk, paying no mind to the blonde who was making daggers at her through the entirety of the class period.

When the final bell rang, Kori left quickly, not wanting another confrontation from Kitten, and made a beeline for her locker. "Girl, you would not believe the day I had," Bee said, approaching Kori as she was fiddling with her combination lock.

"Please, do tell," Kori said.

"Well, first off, I've got to stay after," Bee said, holding up a small slip of paper in her left hand. "I've got detention. Worth it though. Some chick in trigonometry was running her mouth about Rachel, and I straight cussed her out in the middle of class. Made her cry. Maybe now she'll think twice before talking trash about my friends while I'm in the room.

"And apparently, you and Dick are the talk of the century. Every time I turn around, someone is asking me questions about the two of you. So, what's the deal? Are you together?" Bee asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Kori paused in putting her books in her backpack, deep in thought. "I do not believe we have yet to define our current relationship status."

"Well, have you kissed him?" Bee pressed, raising an eyebrow and smirking at her.

Kori's cheeks flushed a bright pink. She was beginning to understand that lip contact was a much more sensual act on earth that on Tameran. "I have not. But I fail to see how lip contact would be a determining factor. I once did the making out with Xavier, and we are not together."

"That's because Xavier is a tool," Bee said.

"Oh cool, are we talking trash about Xavier?" Gar asked, popping up between the two girls, Rachel and Vic right behind him.

"Actually, I was just trying to figure out what the hell is going on between Dick and Kori," Bee said. "Speak of the devil."

Just then Richard appeared at the other end of the hallway, speaking with a few of the other football players. He laughed at something one of them said, then slapped him on the back and headed in the direction of his friends. "Hey, guys. Hey, Kori," he said draping an arm around her shoulders. The four others exchanged knowing glances. "Did I miss something?"

"Funny you should ask," Vic said. "Because we think we've missed something between you and Kori. And we want an explanation."

Richard shrugged, "There's not really anything to explain. Like I said, we're taking things slow." Kori leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling very comfortable with his arm around her.

"Well, if that's all we're going to get out of you, I really ought to get to detention," Bee huffed, starting down the hall. "Kori, Rachel, see you at home?

"I'll be there," Rachel said, heading in the opposite direction towards the parking lot.

"I will not. I must meet with the marching band shortly," Kori replied. "But you will be at the game, yes?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Bee hollered back from down the hallway.

"Alright, Dick. Say goodbye to your girlfriend. We gotta go hit the field," Vic said.

"I'll meet you there," Richard replied.

Vic started down the hallway, then noticed Gar was still hanging back. "Yo, Gar, c'mon! I think they want some alone time, if you know what I mean."

Gar wiggled his eyebrows at the couple. "Don't have too much fun, now," he teased, then jogged off down the hallway to catch up with Vic.

"Richard," Kori said once the hallway was almost empty, save for a few stragglers who were still at their lockers. "I must thank you for today. I have not been this happy in years."

Richard smiled at her. "Me too," he said softly. "But I really do need to get going. Coach Harrell will have my neck if I'm late. But hey, what do you say we hang out after the game, just the two of us?"

Kori looked up at him, and replied, "I would like that very much." She could feel herself sinking into those blue eyes of his. "And Richard?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to speak. But the words 'Kiss me,' got caught in the back of her throat, and instead, despite all of the fluttering that she was feeling in her stomach, or all of the rampant thoughts running through her head of just how soft his lips looked, she said, "Good luck at the game tonight."

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The stands were packed when the marching band stepped in to the school's football stadium, synchronized and beating out a solid cadence that echoed off the bleachers and returned to them a half-beat later. Kori forced herself to focus her eyes on the back of the head of the tuba player in front of her. It seemed as if the entire city had crammed themselves into the home-side of the stadium. There was a lot of noise — chatter, cheering, and the occasional honking of a horn. High school football was a sport that Jump City took very seriously, decking themselves in Eagles black and blue, complete with face paint, pompoms, rally towels, banners…. It was sensory overload to even glance at the crowd through the peripherals, especially combined with the smells of concession stand hotdogs and astroturf.

The girl playing the quads — a tall brunette with a higher IQ than regard for other people's feelings, named Kaitlyn — signaled for the band to stop where they stood on the track by tapping the cue they had memorized on one of the four drums in front of her, and everyone halted at exactly the same time, and turned to face the field. Kori felt fortunate to have been assigned a spot that was in the row closest to the field, offering her the best view possible to watch for Richard to come running out.

It wasn't too long until the announcer came over the loudspeakers, letting the crowd know that their beloved Eagles had arrived. And it was at that exact moment that the entire football team burst through a banner on the left side of the field, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. Kori scanned her eyes over the mass of bodies, searching for only one in particular — though any one person would be difficult to single out when they were all dressed identically all the way to the helmets on their heads. But that was when she noticed the number 16 on the jersey of a boy staring right at her from the field. He gave her a smile and a nod before running off with the rest of the team, while Kaitlyn gave the cue to start playing the fight song. The team circled the field while the cheerleaders danced, everyone aiming to hype up the crowd for this first game of the season. And it was working. The crowd was louder than ever. Kori could even swear she hear many of them chanting, "Grayson! Grayson! Grayson!" She refrained from joining in, despite the intense urge, and maintained her focus on the fight song.

While the opposing team, the Hartford Hornets, took the field, the band retreated to their reserved section of the bleachers, the drum line setting up their instruments on the track in front. The band was given the okay by the director to remove their hats and jackets, since the early fall weather was still very warm. Kori removed hers, revealing the jersey Richard had given her that she was wearing underneath.

Once Gar had placed his bass drum on its stand and removed his own hat and jacket, he walked over to Kori with a huge grin on his face. "Dude, this is gonna be so sweet!" he exclaimed, holding a hand up to her for a high five. Having picked up on this particular social cue earlier this week, Kori gave his palm a hard slap that had him shaking his hand out as it throbbed. "Jeez, Kor. That's one hell of an arm you got there. Say, did Rachel happen to say if she was going to be here?" Gar asked, scanning the crowd. He did not see her, but with a crowd this size, that didn't mean she wasn't here sitting with Bee somewhere on the opposite end.

"She did not say," Kori shook her head, scanning the crowd herself. But her eyes stopped about a fifty feet down the track, where she could see Kitten shooting daggers at her from her spot amongst the cheerleaders, then a sly smile spread across her face, one that promised revenge on the red-haired girl with whom Richard was now so enamored. Kori peeled her eyes off Kitten and studied the field. The players were getting in position, and the drum line banged on their drums, providing a drum roll to accompany the kick off. Then the game began.

All throughout the first half of the game, Kori watched intently as Richard made passes and scored touchdown after touchdown, being amongst the loudest spectators cheering for him. She still did not understand how the game was played or what much of the verbiage meant, but she would follow Gar's lead, and cheer when he let her know something good had happened. The blonde girl who played the smallest bass drum also joined them in cheering on the team between pep songs. Her name was Terra, and she was stuck to Gar's side like glue, not that he seemed to mind.

When there were only a few minutes left in the second quarter, with the Eagles leading 35 to 21, the band was cued to suit back up and get in line to take the field at halftime. It wasn't long before the timer ran out and the team hurried off the field. Kori watched as Richard hurried off with them, stopping to watch from the sidelines as she performed. He knew Coach Harrell would have expected him to head to the locker room to talk game plan with the rest of the team, but he wasn't about to miss Kori's first performance with the marching band.

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As soon as the band played their last note, Richard made a beeline for the locker room. Kori didn't see him go, only noticing his absence after her had left. The remainder of halftime and throughout the third quarter, the band was allowed a break, so Kori removed her hat and jacket, and walked through the stadium in search of Bee, who she was certain would be here somewhere. She was about to take her search to the concession stand when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Xavier in a red hoodie, looking more smug than normal. "So, I see you're Dick's new little play thing?" he scoffed. "You sure don't waste any time, do you?"

"I am not sure I know what you mean," Kori replied, not really wanting an explanation. She started to continue in the direction of the concessions, but he grabbed her upper arm in a tight grasp. "Xavier, I must ask that you let me go."

"Not until you've heard me out. Dick is only ever looking for one thing, and that's the next thing in a skirt that will worship him and let him use them for his own pleasure. So rest assured knowing that if you don't give him what he wants, this little thing you've got going won't last," he hissed out the words like they were venomous, and he had his prey right where he wanted her. "But don't worry, I'll still be here waiting for you when he decides he's done waiting on you."

Kori tore her arm away from him, rubbing at the marks that were likely to stick around for a few days with her opposite hand. "If I were you, and I thank X'hal that I am not, I would not do the holding of my breath." She didn't stick around for a reply from him, but finally made her way to the concession stand, where she found Bee and Rachel on their way back to their seats.

"Kori! You were awesome out there, girl!" Bee exclaimed, giving Kori a high five. "Are you enjoying the game?"

"Indeed! I am most enjoying watching Richard score the down-touches!" Kori said gleefully.

"Umm, I think you mean touchdowns," Rachel corrected in a monotone voice.

Kori's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, but she quickly changed the subject. "Rachel, Gar was hoping you would be here! I must let him know where you are sitting so he can come find you!"

"Uhhh…." Rachel started, but she was interrupted by Bee who had a smirk on her face.

"Yes, Kori. Please do. We're in section F on the back row. I'm sure Rachel would love to see him."

Kori squealed with glee. "Then I must make with the haste! It was most pleasant seeing you, friends!" When Kori returned to the track she found Gar their laughing with Terra. "Gar, I have found friend Rachel! She and Bee are sitting in the back row of section F, if you would like to go see her!"

"Sweet!" Gar said, his ears perking up slightly. Terra's gaze briefly fell to the ground when he told her that he would be right back.

There were only a couple minutes left of halftime, when Kori felt another tap on her shoulder. Without even looking, Kori responded, "Xavier, I have already told yo—" She stopped mid sentence when she noticed it was actually Richard holding a hot dog slathered with an excessive amount of mustard.

"I mean if you're not hungry, I could just get rid of it. But I think you may have forgotten my name," he said with that crooked smile that Kori loved so much. She threw her arms around his sweaty frame, nearly knocking the hot dog to the ground.

"Richard! You have been playing so well!" she exclaimed.

"I had just a couple minutes before I had to get back to my team, but I figured that's give me enough time to come see you. That was one hell of a halftime show by the way. Great job," Richard said, handing her the hot dog. She gladly took a bite. "It is just about time that I go though. But I'll see you after the game, yeah?"

Kori swallowed. "Indeed! I have not forgotten our plans to do the hanging out."

"Me either." Richard winked at her and jogged off to where Vic was waiting on him.

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Richard huffed as the play was called. All he would have to do is run the ball to the end zone one last time. There were only twelve seconds remaining on the clock, and the Eagles were less than 30 yards from a touchdown. Even though they had practically already won the game with the score currently sitting at 56 to 28, Richard knew he couldn't slack off. His team was counting on him to make them look good.

The whistle sounded, the clock counting down. Vic managed to get ahold of the ball, already nearly tackled by a couple Hornets. He quickly threw the ball to Richard, who made a mad dash for the end zone, a Hornet hot on his tail. The Hornet jumped in an attempt to bring Richard down, but he only managed to brush his heel with the tips of his fingers.

And then Richard crossed the line. And the game was over. The Eagles had won!

The crowd erupted in loud cheers that poured down into the ears of the football players, who wear busy celebrating themselves, engulfing Richard with hugs and claps on the back. The noise was so all-encompassing that it would be easy to miss when the screams of excitement turned into screams of horror.

The screams started from the band's section of the bleachers and gradually spread across the stadium as more and more people noticed what was happening down on the track. "Dick, emergency!" Vic hollered to his friend past the bodies of their teammates. "It's Killer Moth!"

Richard's heart started hammering rapidly in his chest, and he prayed to God that Kori was alright. "Go check on Kori! Nightwing will be there in thirty seconds!" he called back to his friend urgently, then dashed off to the nearest hiding spot behind the massive scoreboard, where he tore off his football uniform, exposing the Nightwing suit he was wearing underneath. Slipping his mask out of his pocket and onto his face, he sprinted off across the field and towards the flock of giant moths that were swarming the marching band. He managed to take out two with one swing of his staff, and another with a roundhouse kick to its nasty little face. There were still too many to count, but at this point the cops that served as security at the game started shooting bullets at the flying beasts, taking out more than half of them. Nightwing continued to fight the mutants, five of them hanging up on him at once, but he jumped as they all made to charge at him, causing them to crash head-on into each other, falling unconscious.

Once all of the moths had been defeated, Nightwing hurried back to the track. What he saw horrified him. Kori was unconscious in Rachel's arms. Seeing the panic on his face, she said, "Her vitals are stable. She'll be okay. One of those moths flew off with her and swung her around like a rag doll before dropping her. Lucky Gar was close enough to catch her. She doesn't have any serious injuries, but she passed out from the trauma."

Nightwing collapsed to his knees next to them, the rest of their friends gathering around. "Bee, I need you to take her home. I'll be right behind you," he said in the deep husky voice that he used while behind the mask. With that, he picked Kori up and followed Bee to her car. Once he had gotten her buckled in, he hopped on his motorcycle and sped to Bee's house.

They pulled up to the house at the same time, and Nightwing carried Kori to her room. Bee followed closely behind. Nightwing gently laid Kori down in her bed and quietly said, "Bee, don't feel like you have to stay up. I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'll be right outside all night making sure Killer Moth doesn't try to make any more surprise attacks. There are definitely more moths where those came from." And so, Bee left for her room, giving him a look that silently told him both thank you and to alert her if there's any more trouble.

"Richard…?" Kori stirred, opening her eyes slightly.

"Richard's not here. I'm Nightwing, and you're safe now," he said. Kori remembered her friends telling her about Nightwing, the hero of Jump City. She had never actually seen him, but something about him looked familiar. His hair, his build. And the sweat dripping down his face smelled familiar. But she didn't know that voice, and couldn't make out his eyes. Still, she could tell she could trust him. She wasn't afraid of the strange man that stood over her in her bedroom.

"Will he be coming to see me?" she asked, her voice weak.

That question shattered him, hating to disappoint this girl that was already so fragile and normally so strong. "I'm afraid not." Kori held her head in her hands, though whether it was from the grief or the headache he was certain she was suffering, Nightwing was unsure. "Sleep. You'll feel better."

Kori shrugged. "I do not sleep much at night. That is when the worst memories of my past do the most haunting," she admitted, hanging her head.

Oh, how he wished he could wrap his arms around her and stay there all night to take the pain away. It shattered his heart to know that she was hurting so much, but that he was so helpless in this situation. "Nothing will get you tonight, I promise. I'll be right outside your window all night long, keeping away anyone who may come to hurt you. And as for the nightmares, I'll be back in here in an instant if you need them scared away."

Kori's shoulders visibly relaxed. "I thank you, Nightwing. I shall try to sleep, but could you keep the light on?"

"Anything for you, Kori," he whispered. Then he slipped soundlessly out of her window, where he would be keeping watch until sunrise.

And when morning would come, he knew he would have to put an end to whatever his relationship with Kori was, for her safety. And if that thought could crush him, he would have been nothing but dust blown by the wind.