10 Days til Homecoming…

Rachel squirmed in her seat, her hands throbbing from being squeezed so hard, and her lip likely has a small cut on it from being a bit too tight. Today was the start of something better, she could feel it. She glanced over the bus seat, her eyes landing on the back of Mr. Malchior's head. His dark, curly tresses were swept off to the side, not a gray hair in sight. Every once in a while, he'd turn around to watch the other students for safety then turn back to the front. However, his eyes would never sweep over in her direction. Not once. Earlier as the students walked on the bus, he'd greet them with a short hello and that perfect smile of his.

Though with Rachel, he didn't dare make eye contact with her. He gave her a close-mouthed grin and a nod. Her heart cracked a bit at that. Rachel pushed a strand of her behind her ear, then cracked open the book on her lap. Her eyes would brim over the words, but she couldn't understand what the story was telling; for her mind was preoccupied with something else. Or rather someone else. The bus came to a hard stop, she jerked forward. "Mm-hmm" someone was clearing their throat, Rachel snapped her head up to see Mr. Malchior facing the other students. Rachel didn't mesh well with the kids she was with and quite frankly, they didn't exactly fit the "coffee-drinking, poetic, deep, tortured soul" type. They looked more like wannabes if Rachel could pick the perfect description for them. They wore clothes you'd see on Hollister models and had hair that was shiny, voluptuous, almost stiff.

The girls next to her had on a minimal amount of makeup that accentuated their high cheekbones and doe-like eyes. While the guys had clean-cut hair and sneakers so nice, they'd put her penny loafers to shame. "These were the gifted kids Mr. Malchior recommended?" She thought as she continued to observe them. From afar, they looked like they were part of a different stratosphere and she was stuck at the bottom, where hell was. "Rachel?" Her ears perked at the mention of her name in that sexy English accent. "Hmm?" "Were you listening perchance?" Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Mr. Malchoir had his eyebrow perched in curiosity, and the other kids stared. "C-Could you repeat?" He nodded.

"I was explaining to everyone that when we get to the hotel, girls will get one room. Boys the other, then I will have a separate room from you all. I'm not to be disturbed after nine-thirty. Only if it's an emergency, other than that. I do not want to hear a complaint or peep from these hotel rooms, do you all understand?" Everyone nodded. "Good. We're representatives of Gotham Academy, I was given special permission to take you all on this trip. I expect good things," Rachel could have sworn on good things, he glanced her way. "Mr. Malchior?" One of the pampered boys raised his hand. "Yes, Phillip?" What a pompous name.

"Are we going to visit some of the cafes while we're at this conference?" Mr. Malchior let a small chuckle "Of course, we'll all have time to visit them during lunch hour," "What time are we expected to leave tomorrow for the first event?" A prissy girl asked "7:30 A.M." They groaned. "Yes I know, it's a bit of a sticky wicket. I assure you all that It will be well worth it," With that, he sat back down and the students returned to their conversations. This was going to be something, Rachel assumed that much…

Kory wrung her hands as she stood in front of the huge glass door. What was she to say? "Hello Mr. Wayne, how has your day been? Great, mine's been awful, I found out that you've found some weird things about me…I understand it may seem alarming, but I can explain" She shook her head at the thought. That would never work, he'd kick her out of his house so fast and he had every right to kick her out. It was only a matter of time before Bruce would tell Dick what he found out about Kory. He'd hate her, once he knew. She glanced down at her shaky hands, flashes of blood spattered on them would go through her mind. Alfred approached the door "Miss Anders, to what do we owe this pleasure? Master Dick isn't around at the moment, he went to 'hang' with Wallace, that's the term slang nowadays isn't it?" Kory placed her shaky hands behind her back and grinned.

"Yes, hang," She let out an uncomfortable chuckle. Alfred had a welcoming presence around him that relaxed her a bit, there were times when he'd remind her of her uncle if he were older, had an accent, and had a smaller frame. Her uncle towered over most of the people in the city, yet, so did most of her family; she wasn't done growing yet based on what her mother had expressed. "Is Mr. Wayne around?" Alfred raised an eyebrow and nodded. "He is in his study, however, he doesn't want to be disturbed," Kory gulped. "It's important," by the tone of her voice, Alfred did not doubt that she was serious. He stepped to the side and opened the door wider, Kory stepped inside. "I'll tell him that you're here," He glanced down at her stomach "Forgive me for asking, but does this have anything to do with hormonal imbalance?" Hormonal imbalance, what could he mean by-oh my god! Blush rose to her cheeks, she covered up her stomach with her folded arms and smiled.

"I'm not—Dick and I never-" Alfred wiped his head. "Thank heavens! Lord knows that the last thing this family needs is a scandal like that," Alfred retreated up the stairs into the dark hallway. Kory gazed around the huge house, she remembered how crowded it was the last time she was there. Inebriated teenagers and fancy gadgets at use, for once, she felt like a normal teenager. He made her feel like a normal teenager. She took a couple of steps towards the living room, all the furniture was covered in leather, state-of-the-art recliners, a glass coffee table, a flat-screen television, a fireplace underneath, and a huge rug to cover the mahogany floors. There were a couple of photos displayed on the wall, the biggest one of the family in the middle.

Bruce stood in between Jason and Dick, they all had smiles, though none rose to their eyes. Dick wore his shades in the picture, Kory wondered what his eyes looked like underneath if only he'd show her. He didn't have the mop of hair on his head he wears now. Instead, in the photo, Dick's hair was slicked back, a few stray hairs fell on his forehead. His jawline wasn't as prominent in the picture as his athletic build. "This picture must have been taken a couple of years ago," Kory thought. She glanced at the photo next to it, a younger Dick Grayson was holding a trophy, and he had a small smile. His eyes were covered by the shade in the photo, so she couldn't see what they looked like. Kory touched her lips and noticed she was smiling, he must have that effect on her.

"Miss Anders," Alfred's voice from up the stairs interrupted her thoughts, she stepped out from the living room and waited for Alfred at the bottom of the stairs. "You can meet him in his study, it's upstairs, down the hall, to your right. Would you like a refreshing beverage or snack while talking with Mr. Wayne?" She shook her head. "I am fine, Alfred. Thank you," He didn't seem convinced, then nodded. "I'll bring you up a bottle of sparkling water—" "—But—" "—I insist. You can't argue with me Miss Anders, I always win. I'm surprised Dick hasn't told you that," he gave her a cheeky grin. Kory nodded, then headed up the stairs where her meeting with Bruce awaited.

The Hive: Spotted! New Girl enters the Prince of Gotham's chambers. Legend has it that those who enter, come out not the same as they were before….

"Hey Wally, what do you think of Kory?" Dick asked as they strolled through the mall. Wally had begged Dick to come with him to the mall to hit on some chick at the counter. He only agreed because he didn't feel like being in the house with Bruce all day. "She's got a nice ass—" Dick gave him a hard punch in the arm. "Ouch!" Wally rubbed away the pain "Dude, you know I bruise easily. Why are you asking about Kory?" Wally knew damn well why he was asking, he just wanted to hear Dick say it.

"Cause…the other day Bee and Bruce told me the same thing, be careful around her," "So Miss Full of Herself and a brooding billionaire told you to be careful?" Dick nodded. Wally put a finger to his chin in thought, Dick watched with anticipation. "The only solution I've come to is food—" "—Wally—" "—You know I can't think on an empty stomach," He patted his rock-hard abs. Dick rolled his eyes "You can't think on a full one either," Wally gave Dick the bird. "You asked and I answered, that's what friends do. You need me to explain our friendship?" "Ugh, no. Fine, we can head to the food court," Wally smiled in satisfaction.

Wally came back to the table with five corndogs, a plate of fries, a chocolate milkshake, and a small salad. Dick grimaced at the tray before him "What? I'm watching my figure," He stated as he took a huge bite into his corndog. "Ugh, no thanks. I'll stick to the slice of pizza," Dick folded the pizza in half and bit a piece of it off. "I wouldn't worry about Bee and Bruce. Bee's a control freak with a superiority complex and Bruce is..well Bruce," He contemplated Wally's words then nodded in agreement. He wasn't wrong, Bee could be lying for all he knows and Bruce never liked any of the girls Dick had around unless they were Babs.

"You're right, they can't tell me what to do. Kory's beaut—cool," Whew. He almost slipped with that one. Wally bit back the smirk, "Right, she's cool. Although, I hate to be the bearer of bad news or however the saying goes. Doesn't she have a boyfriend ?" "I don't think she does, you know how girls with boyfriends act," Wally nodded along "There's always a vibe of 'off limits', Kory has never mentioned her boyfriend. Not once," "We don't even know the guy's name," "Exactly," Dick plucked a fry from off of Wally's plate and popped it in his mouth. "Well, what if we get Jinx to ask her? Bee's out of the question," "Nah, there's no need to get anyone else involved. I'll ask Kory about him myself," Wally slightly chuckled, Dick's eyebrows knitted together "What?" "You're whipped and you aren't even dating," It was Dick's turn to give him the bird.

She dropped the knife from her hands, her heart was thumping hard, through her ears and chest. Kory glanced around the room, his cold body was lying down on the ground, with blood spreading through his clothes. Drops of blood were on the floor, his blood. Her hands were shaking, tears fell from her eyes, and she held a hand to her mouth to keep from letting out a loud sob. "Princess, I have a surprise for you—" The words left his mouth, and she couldn't turn around as he heard his footsteps get closer to her. He glanced down at the dead body near the bed, and Kory could feel his gaze turn from the body to her. "What did you do?" Kory didn't answer, she continued to shake as the tears fell. "What did you do?"

Kory opened her eyes to notice that she was in front of Bruce's door, her hands were shaking as she reached for the knob. Kory retracted her hands and placed them on her face, her cheeks were wet. It felt as though the events happened yesterday, the blood, the body, his screaming. Kory held a breath before knocking on the door. "Come in," she heard Bruce say on the other side. She cracked open the door and found Bruce sitting at his desk, with a file in his hand. Thump Thump. Thump Thump.

Her heart felt as though it traveled up to her ears and rang through her head. "Kory…have a seat," She followed and sat down in the chair in front of him. He placed the file down, then clasped his hands. Kory noticed how calm he seemed, not a twitch in his posture, or crack in his stoic face. Bruce knew something about her. "How can I help you?" His face didn't move, not a smile or a frown. Blank. Kory took a breath, she couldn't let him see her break, no one could. Her eyes shifted to the file in front of her, something about it didn't sit right with her. "You know why I'm here, Mr. Wayne," She kept her voice calm, Bruce moved his gaze from her to the file, he cracked it open, and she saw her face plastered on different sheets of paper. Thump Thump.

"You have quite the past Kory Anders or do you want me to address you by your title…Princess Starfire," her breath hitched as she glanced closely at the lines posted on the papers. "Is Princess Starfire a menace to society?" "Princess Starfire, Royal Trouble?" A mugshot photo of the guy that flooded her thoughts earlier was under another photo, her heart thumping harder through her chest. "I don't deserve that title," Her father's angry face flashed through her mind. Bruce didn't answer as he shifted through the sheets "Underage drinking, drug abuse, gang affiliation…murder," That last word sounded like he shoved a knife into her stomach, and she wanted to throw up.

"What's it going to take for you to stop looking?" Bruce folded his arms, she knew what that meant. In exchange for his silence, she was not allowed to see Dick anymore, even though they were just friends. She sucked in a shaky breath, "Mr. Wayne, I've tried to tell Dick to stay away from me," she didn't actively tell him to stay away, just that she had a boyfriend. Kory thought that might have pushed him away from her, but it didn't.

The more they got to know each other, the closer they became. "Hmm, I think that's the opposite of what you're doing. Dick's starting to fall for you, the fake you" That hurt, Kory didn't change her personality, not really. In her past, she was a depressed, little girl that wanted out of the royal lifestyle. As she boarded the plane to her new life, Kory vowed to herself that she would do better, she had to be.

"I told him I had a boyfriend," Bruce chuckled. "I know my son and if he likes something, he pursues it…no matter the obstacle," She didn't want to stay away from Dick. He understood her in more ways than one when you had the time to get to know him as she had. Dick could be kind and caring when it came to his friends, that's one of the reasons why she was falling for him. It would be hard to separate from him, but she had to do it for his safety. Too many people were starting to discover who she was and it wouldn't be long until, like Bruce, they connected things to her. If Dick knew what Bruce knew, it'd break her "Kory, I don't want to tell Dick about these things that I found out, it would break him," Her head rose, and her eyes were met with Bruce's stoic gaze "But also as his guardian…I have to keep him safe," Tears pricked her eyes and she nodded in understanding. She had to do the same for Dick, Kory had to break his heart.

Rachel sat at the end of the table, far from her poetically-challenged peers who were gathered in conversation about god knows what. At least there was a bright side to this venture. She glanced next to her, Mr. Malchoir was blowing on his spoon before plunging it into his mouth. He even ate soup cute, what a man. He glanced over at her, meeting her gaze for a moment. Rachel turned away to hide the blush that crept on her cheeks. "Rachel, are you going to eat your supper?" She gazed down at the full plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.

Her father would have had a fit if he saw her now, heavy food meant a heavy figure, and his clients wouldn't want to see that. "Oh-uh, I had something from home," He raised his eyebrow before reaching out his hand to touch her shoulder, and she shivered. "Rachel, it'd make me feel better as a teacher if you ate something in front of me. At least a couple bites of the roast beef?" Rachel glanced down at the plate again, the food taunting her with its greasy deliciousness. She couldn't slip up on this trip, her father would beat her black and blue. If someone, a teacher was unto Rachel, they'd start to inquire him about her home situation and get cops involved. She had to be on her best behavior, nothing but glowing praise from Mr. Malchoir. Rachel nodded, then cut into the roast beef with her knife and fork, and placed it in her mouth. It was so good, so moist, and well seasoned. Where had this dish been all her life? She hadn't had food this good in a while…since her mother left. "That was a bite, but progress" Mr. Malchoir stated, Rachel, swallowed.

"I know, it takes a minute to chew it," He nodded, then took another sip of his soup. "What are your thoughts on some of Shakespeare's sonnets?" "I think they "Mr. Malchoir, is it possible if we could head to the pool once we get back to the hotel?" "It's the middle of October," Penelope or Poppy, whoever she was batted her eyelashes his way and smiled "Yeah, but it's California weather. We all brought our swimsuits, you could join !" Rachel wanted to stab a fork in her eye, she knew that look she was giving him.

That perky bitch was flirting and all Rachel could picture was how to paralyze her with a glare. Mr. Malchoir didn't seem to notice her advances, he cleared his throat "Hmm, don't you all want to win some of the events at the poetry convention?" They groaned in response, that answers that. "I'm sorry you all, but we'll have to postpone the swimming to some other time. This is an opportunity to highlight academic achievement at our school. Don't you all want to be recognized for your work?" Another groan, then some okays could be heard. "That's the spirit, let's finish then head back to our rooms so we can prepare for tomorrow's events," Rachel glanced his way, Mr. Malchoir met her gaze and gave her a subtle wink.

She was sitting in a room with a bunch of idiots. They weren't even practicing for the poetry competition. Instead, they were talking about who had the cutest butt in the whole school and of course, Dick Grayson's name was thrown into the mix. These were the people chosen for the poetry competition. "Dick Grayson is in my top three picks for the cutest butt," "I can only imagine what it looks like under those clothes," The girls snickered. Rachel rolled her eyes as she read over her poetry pieces, kill her right now.

"Has anyone ever talked to him?" "I've tried to, but anytime I get near him, I swear it feels like my tongue goes numb," Another round of giggles, another eye roll. "Rachel, what do you think of Dick Grayson?" She glanced up to notice all of their eyes on her. "Shouldn't we be focusing on the poetry competition tomorrow?" One of the girls, who she hadn't the faintest clue of what was, shrugged her shoulders. "I think I'm just gonna wing it. My parents forced me to go to this convention because I need some extracurriculars on my resume if I want to go to Ivy," Two of the other girls agreed, the girl with the flower name that was flirting with Mr. Malchoir earlier flipped through her magazine. "I only joined because it'd give me the chance to get closer to Mr. Malchoir, talk about nice ass," Rachel clenched her fists.

"Oh my god, Penelope, you know the school is keeping an extra eye on all the teachers ever since The Hive leaked those messages between Kitten and Mr. Mod," "Kitten told everyone in our class that she only sent those messages so she could get her grade up to an A plus," "Typical," Penelope flipped her brunette tresses behind her back and smiled "Mr. Malchoir seems different, he's so smart and kind, hot ass hell—" That was enough for Rachel. She closed her binder and pushed herself off the bed, she couldn't take this anymore. Rachel opened the door with a fast swoosh and scurried out the door, leaving the girls in the room confused as hell.

"Yeah, thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure to tell her," Xavier hung up his phone. He glanced at the empty section around him, the only people in this swanky spot were him and the bartender. "Hey, can I get an old-fashioned?" The bartender nodded, then began to make his drink. Xavier twiddled with a game on his phone as he waited. In the corner of his eye, he could see a mane of red hair coming towards him. "There she is, cutie how have you been?" Kory sat down in front of him "Not good, I just came from seeing Bruce," He glanced up from his phone to see her eyes were red.

"You don't say, I'm guessing it didn't go well?" She shook her head, then turned towards the bartender. "Can I please have a shot of whiskey or fireball, whatever is stronger," The bartender met eyes with Xavier, Xavier nodded at him, shrugged, and continued to his duties. "I haven't seen you drink in a while, this must be serious…what happened?" Kory explained everything that happened with Bruce, Xavier hanging on to every word of it. "Damn, I didn't think Bruce would go to such lengths to keep you away from Dick," She held her head in her hands "I don't know what to do, I-I can't continue to lie to Dick," He held up a hand to her "Technically you aren't lying, it's stretching the truth. You're protecting him, that's all," the bartender placed their drinks in front of them, Xavier took a sip, Kory stared at the drink in front of her.

He knew this would happen "You want me to drink it?" Kory sighed and pushed the drink towards him. "Xavier, I-I'm scared. I haven't been getting any texts lately and I don't know if he'll pop up here anytime soon or—" "Hey, it's gonna be okay. I talked to one of my contacts in Tamaran and they said that they haven't seen him in a while, maybe he's coming to his senses," he took another sip of his drink. "You don't know him as I do, something's up. I know it," "Maybe, maybe not. Living in fear isn't a hot look on you, cutie," Kory rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. "This is serious, I have a feeling something bad's gonna happen," Xavier noticed how her shoulders would tense at the mention of him.

He remembered last year how Kory used to be so wild and carefree, they ran in the same social circle during the summer. His father had a couple of business associates in Tamaran, so every summer they'd travel there for trips. One of those business associates happened to be a council member for the royal court in Tamaran. That's how he met Kory and her family. She was the black sheep of the family, as some would call it; even though her sister stood out like a sore thumb with her long, black, curly tresses and violet eyes. Kory had it harder as she was the youngest sister and second in line for the throne. She had to be the perfect angel, to Xavier she was.

Kory was kind, compared to her family. Her younger brother was nice, sure, but he lacked what Kory gained. He also considered her a bit more curious than the others, she was so fascinated with the stories Xavier would tell her about his time in America. Her father wasn't keen on her hanging out with Xavier so much, let alone the other boys that caught Kory's attention. He could only imagine how he must have been after he found out what happened that night…the night that changed her forever. His eyebrow rose in interest, an idea popping into his head. He touched Kory's hand underneath the table "I think I know just the solution to your problem" Their eyes met, both knowing what they had to do.

The Hive: New Girl and Bad Boy, a pairing that makes even Boy Wonder run for the hills. Smells like something's cooking between these two, could it be more than a scheme?

Rachel sat at the near end of the hallway, where no one could disturb her. After she left that slumber party nightmare, she went down to the concierge and asked where the quietest place for her to study was. He stated that he could study in the staff quarters since it was getting close to after hours there'd hardly be any disturbance. She let the moonlight illuminate her poems so she could read them somewhat in the dark. There were so many to choose from, most of them is about her mother's departure. "Rachel?" She glanced up to notice Mr. Malchoir's presence, his steel grey eyes gazing down at her. "I always seem to find you in a dark corner somewhere reading.

The concierge told me that I might find you here" "Yeah, it was getting a bit too loud for me in there," "Are you practicing for tomorrow's competition?" She nodded. "I'm having trouble deciding which one to practice on," He took a seat down next to her, his hands slightly touching hers. "Maybe I could be of assistance, why don't I listen to a couple of the poems as you read them aloud and we'll decide then," blush crept upon her face.

"They're a bit personal," "Forgive me for protruding," Rachel glanced at the papers, and placed her hand on the thin piece of torn paper. "I Wish" She remembered this poem, this was the first piece of poetry she wrote since her mother left. Rachel never read it aloud before, only in her room to put herself to sleep. "I think I can read this one," She wanted Mr. Malchoir to be proud of her work and if she had to hit a sore spot to do it, then so be it. She got up from her spot on the ground and stood in front of him. Her eyes met his, he gave her an encouraging nod. Rachel took a deep breath, tears began to prick her eyes.

"I wish I could hug you for the last time

I wish I could tell you that you are mine

I miss you every day

I wish you could stay,"

A single tear fell from her eyes, the drop fell on the paper. She didn't want to look at Mr. Malchoir, because if he saw her cry, she'd break down in front of him.

"Those memories never fade away

I wish I could see you for the last time, I wish I could tell you

I-I'm not fine

I miss you every day,

I wish you could stay,

Those memories, never fade away,

I wish I could hold you for the last time,

I wish I was there instead of you in the line,

I miss you every day, I wish you could stay,"

More tears began to fall unto the paper, she could hear her voice string out and shake. Images of her mother floated through her head, then they were replaced with images of her father's angry face.

"T-Those memories, n-never fade away…"

This time she did look up, Mr. Malchoir wasn't in front of her anymore. She wiped away the tears with her cardigan sleeve, a hand touched her shoulder. Her eyes met his again, pulled her into his arms, and she finally broke down. All the tears, anger, hurt, and confusion that was built inside of her had broke her. Rachel bit down on her lip as she cried into his shoulder. He rubbed circles on her back as she continued to cry. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me—" "—Shhh, I'm here," was all he had to say for her to calm down.

"You're so strong Rachel, it was a beautiful poem and I thank you for having the courage to share it with me," She didn't answer him back, instead she let the tears continue to fall. If her mother could see her now. How skinny she was, her body was decorated with marks, and bruises, and how she rarely smiled. Rachel pulled herself back from , he rubbed his thumb on her cheeks. Rachel gazed up at him through her hazy eyes, the tears clouded her eyes just a bit. He was gazing down at her, his thumb never leaving her face. "It's now or never," Rachel thought. She closed her eyes and leaned in close enough to where her lips met his.

Rachel could fill Mr. Malchoir stiffen under her touch, she couldn't hide her feelings anymore. "Rachel…wait," Her lips left him, and he removed his hands from her arms. Rachel's eyes widened in realization. "I-I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me—" He ran his fingers through his hair, he was silent. His silence spoke volumes. Rachel grabbed her things from off the ground, then headed down the hallway and out the door. Tears ran down her face, each step of the way.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kory asked as she followed behind Xavier. "Positive, a couple of people from school go to this place all the time. We act all in love and shit and boom! Someone sends a photo to The Hive, then Dick will leave you alone," Kory wrung her hands. "Ugh, I thought I was supposed to be laying low," "You are, we'll pretend that we don't notice them. It'll be an 'accident'" She rolled her eyes as they headed inside the restaurant.

A black figure stepped outside of the car, his spotless hiking boots hitting the pavement. He turned around and handed the driver a crisp hundred-dollar bill. "Thanks," The driver said before the figure closed the door and he drove off. The figure studied the street in front of him, coffee shops, and restaurants. He took his phone out of his pocket, the light illuminated his green eyes. On the screen was a picture of Kory Anders on The Hive website, a smile was growing on his face. "I'm coming for you, babe" he closed the phone and shoved it into his pocket.

Rachel stood at the back of the group as Mr. Malchoir was signing everyone in at the kiosk. How could she be so stupid, kissing her teacher? She knew he'd never return the feelings, everything that was said or what he did was a trick of the light. Of course, she wasn't his type. If her father could see her now, he'd tell her that a man like that wouldn't be interested in a little girl like her. He'd want a woman, perhaps a perky blonde, not a freak.

"Alright everyone, we have a couple of minutes before the competition begins. If you all could please stay close by and study in the meantime, that'd be great," The students dispersed, Rachel followed, but a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. "Rachel, if I could have a moment with you?" Her ears were burning "Um, I can't talk right now . I-I have to practice for the competition," "But I—" "—Have to go, bye!" She quickly removed her shoulder from his grip and speed walked away, leaving Mr. Malchoir with an inquisitive look on his face.

Rachel glanced around to find the nearest bathroom, it was down the hall. Perfect. She pushed through a couple of teens who were exiting and headed to the biggest stall. She cracked it open, then closed it shut and placed herself on the toilet, tears dripping from her face. She opened her notebook, then began to write down on the sheet of paper, tears staining the ink.

The students gathered around the stage as the speaker, that was around the height of Gar, made his way to the podium. "Hello, students, teachers, and chaperones. We appreciate you all for taking the time out of your schedules to join this very exciting convention and competition. While all participants in this completion won't receive a prize, doesn't mean that you aren't great poets," As he continued to speak, glanced around the room, there was no sight of Rachel anywhere. He bent down to Penelope "Penelope, have you spotted Rachel anywhere?" He whispered, she shook her head.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled a breath, the image of their kiss burning in his mind. "Now, without further ado…from Gotham Academy, we have our first poet. Miss Rachel Roth," His heart sank into his stomach, this wasn't good. The audience clapped as they awaited for Rachel to appear on stage, but she didn't. The speaker glanced around "Rachel Roth?" No one made a peep, someone did cough though.

The speaker met eyes with Mr. Malchoir who gave him an apologetic smile. "Last call for Rachel Rot—" "—I'm here," Rachel appeared from the crowd with the journal in her hand. Mr. Malchoir let out a sigh of relief as Rachel stepped unto the stage. She placed her journal down on the stage and stepped closer to the mic, her eyes met his. He smiled at her, Rachel averted her eyes away and sucked in a breath. "I call this poem…Unrequited," gulped as she placed her hands on the mic and began to speak.

" I turn away and close my heart—to the promise of love that is luring,"

Rachel closed her eyes, her voice was strong and elegant.

"For the past has taught us to not be caught, in what is not worth pursuing,"

The crowd lingered on her every word, she was beautiful up there.

"To never do the things I've done that once led to my undoing. And so I add your name to my almost list,"

He didn't notice the tear escape from her face, no one did. She opened her eyes, small violet flecks shone through the spotlight.

"Under love, alongside Survived and right across from the things I could forget…"

She inhaled a breath, letting the silence from the crowd speak for her.

"…Almost,"

Rachel stepped back from the microphone and took in the crowd before her. They erupted in snaps and applause, a small smile crept unto her face. A small strand of hair got into her face, she pushed it back. "Give it up for Miss Rachel Roth from Gotham Academy!" The crowd cheered, being amongst them with a smile on his face. She met his eyes, he gave her a thumbs up. Her heart thumped a bit, she was only his student and nothing more…that's what she has to accept.

Xavier placed his hands over Kory's and leaned in close to her, where their noses were almost touching. "Are they looking this way?" Kory gazed over at the students from Gotham Academy. They weren't paying them any attention and instead were focused on the phones in front of them. "No," She sighed as she leaned away from Xavier. "Cutie, you have to act as if you like me if this is going to work," Kory folded her arms over her "What's the point? We don't feel that way about each other so what makes you think that they will buy it?"

"You've seen movies right? Those actors don't like each other off-screen, but they have to act like it when the cameras are rolling so they could sell the story, consider us actors," "I would rather not," Xavier rolled his eyes, she was too busy thinking about pretty boy Grayson to make this scheme work. Kory had to get it through her thick skull that this whole plan was for him, but what would convince her? "Kory, I hate to bring Grayson into this…but we're doing it to protect him. That's it," "I know, but I feel bad about it. He'll never forgive me,"

"A hottie like you, he'll forgive you in no time," Kory placed her head in her hands, the music through the hummed. It was a song by Usher, DJ Got Us Falling in Love, and another idea popped into Xavier's head. "I've got an idea, follow my lead," he grabbed her hand and brought her to the middle of the restaurant. "Xavier, what are you—" He began to sway his body to the beat of the music, he couldn't believe he was doing this.

So we back in the club

With our bodies rockin' from side to side

Side, side to side

Hell must have frozen over for him to dance in public like this and with Kory Anders of all people. "Dance with me," Kory bobbed her head, and Xavier pulled her in closer. "Come on Kory, you have to act like we're a couple remember?" Kory bit her lip, then sighed and follow Xavier's rhythm.

Hands up, and suddenly we all got our hands up

No control of my body

Ain't I seen you before?

He placed his hands on the top of her hips and danced along with her. A couple of people watched in interest as they danced. "There ya go, you're letting loose," He smiled as Kory giggled. The music continued to play, and slowly Kory from Tamaran was coming back and into the light, Xavier began to notice a small smile form on her face. Secretly, she was enjoying this, he knew she was.

'Cause baby tonight

The DJ got us fallin' in love again (love again)

Yeah, baby tonight

Xavier grabbed a hold of her hand and spun her around, her curly tresses flew in the air. She looked gorgeous, undeniably attractive under this light, he couldn't take his eyes off of her as she strung her hips along to the beat. Xavier glanced over to see their classmates with their phones out, they must be recording them. Perfect. He had to pull something big to seal the deal, and he knew just the thing. Xavier placed a hand on Kory's cheek and pulled her in, his eyes closing as he placed his lips on hers. SNAP!

The DJ got us fallin' in love again (l-love again, again)

Rachel glanced down at the trophy before her, she did it. On the nameplate read "First Place in Original Poetry," She couldn't wait to see the look on her father's face when she brought this home. He could eat shit and Rachel wouldn't have to hear his stupid patronizing comments for a while. "Congrats Rachel," The students around her said, "Thanks" maybe they weren't complete idiots. Some of them had decent poems that they wrote, she was shocked at some of the vocabularies they input into their work.

Maybe she shouldn't judge people so much, based on their outer appearance. Maybe. "Congratulations Rachel," She heard an English accent state behind her, she swallowed and turned around to see Mr. Malchoir with his hands in his pockets. "Um, thank you," She averted her eyes to her worn-out penny loafers. held out a hand to her, she shook it, and there was something inside his palm. Rachel removed it and found a sheet of paper in his hand, she closed her hand quickly as turned to the students. "I'm very proud of you all," He turned his head down to Rachel and smiled "You all did a great job today, no matter what the judges say. I thought your poems were fantastic," One of the girls raised their hands, and Mr. Malchoir pointed at her.

"Could we explore the convention now?" He laughed before nodding "Sure, we have an hour before we have to head back to our rooms and prep for supper. Take a buddy with you please!" All the students dispersed, and Mr. Malchoir shook his head and laughed before following. Rachel glanced around to see if anyone was beside her, the coast was clear. She opened the palm of her hand and read the sheet of paper: Meet me outside the hotel grounds at 10:00 p.m. Her heart sank at the thought of what was to come.

Kory grimaced as Xavier pressed his lips against hers, she couldn't push him away and had to act like she was enjoying this. He removed the lips as fast as they came and smiled. She turned her head to see the Gotham students taking photos of them, the task was finished. Which was her cue to get out of there as fast as she could. Kory ran out of the restaurant, Xavier on her heels.

She pushed through the door, then wiped her mouth with her free hand. "Cutie! You did it, that kiss was—" before he could finish, Kory slapped him across the face. Xavier's head snapped to the side, and he held his cheek, which was now red. "Hey! I did what I had to do—" "—You could have warned me! Or give me, how do you people say it here, 'the heads up'. How dare you-" He grabbed a hold of her shoulders, Kory wiggled out of his grasp, and he sighed. "I know it was out of the blue, but I had to make them see that we were a couple somehow,"

"A kiss on the cheek would have been just fine," He rolled his eyes "It wouldn't have hit the same, Dick would see your discomfort. With the kiss, you couldn't tell anything. You're in the clear," She ran a hand through her hands and sighed, "Can you take me home?" He nodded as they began to walk to his car, the kiss lingered on his mind. Xavier couldn't help but think that kissing Kory was nice, she had a full set of lips that were soft and warm.

He could imagine her nose scrunched up as his lips met hers and her doe eyes shut. Would he mind kissing her again? Not at all, but he knew she wouldn't feel the same way. She was infatuated with Grayson and his brooding act was boring. What would Grayson do once he found out about Kory's past? He'd throw her away, that's what. "You could be saying thank you," She scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest.

Dick skimmed through a couple of the pages in his textbook before writing it down in his journal. Knock. Knock. "Come in," Dick glanced up from his books to see Bruce open the door. "Hi," "Hey?" Dick noticed Bruce's posture as he came in, he was stiff…stiffer than usual. Something was wrong, he could tell that much. "Everything okay?" "Well…I have to talk to you about something, may I?" Bruce pointed to Dick's bed, and Dick nodded. He Sat down on the bed, then sighed "Dick, it's about that Kory—" "—Nope, no. If it's about her, I don't want to hear how much trouble she is or how much you don't like her—" "—But Dick, she is trouble—"

"—You don't even know her—" "—Do you?" Dick was shocked at how pushy Bruce was on this. He couldn't understand why he was acting so weird over Kory, it was like he knew something that Dick didn't. Dick's eyes widened in shock, his fist clenched on the pencil he was holding, his jaw tight. "What do you know?" Bruce noticed Dick's mood change, he had to be careful about this. Not that it mattered, but Kory stated that she was going to keep her end of the deal, but time was ticking. Dick was one of the smartest kids he knew, it wouldn't be long before he'd find out everything about her. "I know she has a boyfriend," Dick scoffed "And how do you know that? Jason?"

"It doesn't matter how I know. Don't get involved with that Dick, leave it alone—" "—I am," He grunted. Bruce sighed, then placed a hand on Dick's shoulder only for Dick to shrug it off. "Dick—" "—I have to finish studying for this test," Dick didn't glance up to see the hurt look cross Bruce's face, instead he focused on the sheet of paper in front of him and pretending to read the book in front of him. Bruce shook his head, then opened the door and shut it close. Dick ran his fingers through his hair and picked up his phone from off the desk. He was about to dial Wally's number when a blast from The Hive popped up on his phone. Dick swiped it open, his eyebrows knitted together as he read the headline on the screen.

The Hive: "COUPLE ALERT?!: New Girl or Bad Girl? Looks like a precious gem, Kory Anders is in a tight lip lock with none other than Bad Boy Xavier Red. Ooh, La La! Do my eyes deceive me or is Gotham's hottest new couple? Locals spotted the two in a heated dance exchange downtown, all over each other. Next thing you know, the seductive dance was sealed with a kiss. It was sweet and spicy! I guess Boy Wonder is a thing of the past…don't worry Dick, I've got girls lining up at my door to mend that broken heart.

Xavier closed his phone, then gazed over to Kory. She had shame and guilt written all over her face, he placed a hand over hers. "Hey…you did what you had to do," She didn't answer, instead she removed her hand from under Xavier's and pressed on the car door lock, Xavier re-locked it. "Xavier-" "—Dick, will get over it. I know he will, once this all blows over," "How do you know?" The problem was that he didn't, if he were Dick Grayson and he saw someone that he liked, kissing some other dude. He'd freak out and probably kick down a trash can, or whatever was closest. That was him though, from what he gathered about Dick Grayson.

Dick was the type to bottle in his emotions and let his stoic face do all the talking. Kory wore her heart on her sleeve, anything she was feeling at that moment, you knew. Xavier noticed her hands start to shake, right now she was anxious about what was to come. "Cutie…if your friends, don't want to be friends with you after this…you still got me," He joked. Kory gave him a "not now" look, then messed with a random thread on her jeans. "I just want this to be over," "I know and it will be, but you have to trust me that we're gonna get you out of this," She nodded, then squeezed his shoulder.

"I do…trust you," "Good," Kory opened her phone, then hummed. "I should go, my uncle is going to wonder why I'm out this late," Xavier shrugged, "You could always tell him that you were out with your boyfriend," He puckered up his lips, and Kory shook her head, and giggled. "Fake boyfriend," She hugged Xavier, then stepped out of the car and waved Xavier goodbye. He waved back to her as she walked up the stairs to her apartment building. Once she unlocked the door and went inside, that was Xavier's cue to drive off.

He parked his car near the back alleyway of the bar and unlocked it, before hopping out. Xavier surveyed the area around him, and for some reason, there weren't people around. This area was usually crowded with druggies tripping out, homeless people begging for change, or potential clients. Now…it seemed dead. Xavier placed his hoodie over his head and began to walk over to the bar, it wasn't a bad walk, but he didn't want anyone following him. Crshh. Crshh. As he walked, he could have sworn he heard the sound of other footsteps behind him. Xavier turned around, but no one was there. He shook his head, before taking out a knife from his pocket.

He turned around, and a black figure swings his fist and smacks Xavier in the face. Xavier falls to the ground with a loud thump, "Ahh! What the hell—" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, the figure hit him with another blow to the face, then another, and another. Blood began to spill from his split lip, Xavier tried to get a couple of hits in, but the guy was too fast. The figure picked up a brick from off the ground and walked Xavier in the head with it, knocking him out cold.

Rachel fiddled with the loose string on her cardigan, she was so nervous about meeting with . In her mind, all she could picture was him yelling at her for her inappropriate behavior or calling her father. She'd rather deal with his yelling and get it over with. Rachel glanced up at the dark sky, the stars were out. "At least that could be something positive on my mind," She thought to herself.

"Rachel," She heard his thick English accent ask, Rachel turned around and met his gaze, before glancing away. "Congratulations…again," He was trying to lighten the mood, a tactic her mother used to use before she came with bad news. Great. "Thanks," She pulled at the sting, thoughts racing in her mind. He stepped closer to her, she could smell his cologne. Oh god. "Listen, Rachel, I—" "—I'm sorry I kissed you!" She blurted out before covering up her mouth. He didn't say anything, instead, he choose to look over her head, she sighed and continued "I-I know it was very inappropriate and stupid and I didn't mean to do it. I can accept if you want to remove me from your class immediately—"

"—Rachel…shh" He was chuckling, this man was laughing at her having a nervous breakdown. She swears sometimes she wanted to rid all men on this stupid planet. He cleared his throat before taking a hold of her hands. "What you did…wasn't stupid or inappropriate…I'll admit I was surprised at the kiss," She didn't look up at him, all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die.

"It won't happen again—" She stopped talking as took a hold of her chin and lifted it to look at her. His gray eyes sparkled under the fluorescent moonlight, her heart was beating out of her chest. He bent down and placed his lips on hers, her eyes widened in shock. He was kissing her! He felt the same way, Mr. Malchoir liked her! Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips intertwined.

comicgeek16: Whew! That was a long chapter, but well worth the wait...hopefully :). I'm working on the next couple of chapters after this and they are DRAMATIC as hell. You'll be on the edge of your seat for sure! Please R&R, I love the reviews everyone is sending, it gives me such joy to see that many of you enjoy the story! There's more to come! Thank you!

Credits for Rachel's Poem(s):

I Wish by Vabhavi Arya