Poisonous

Chapter 33 - Lover

A few days later school started again. I had been with the Wayne's since after the wedding. I sat in the car with Damian as Alfred drove us to school. I gripped the hem of my skirt. I hadn't really been outside of Wayne Manor since the wedding. I was trying to hide myself from the pubic. I pulled out my necklace and started messing with that too.

"You're going to be fine. You're still the same person as you were before," Damian said, trying to comfort me.

"I know. It's just that what if they start treating me differently?" I asked.

"They might. But that's going to be okay. I'll be with you the entire time."

I nodded. We started approaching the school. Kids were already huddled inside the gates. I swallowed a lump in my throat. I can do this. I thought. I grabbed my bag and stepped out of the car. Damian waited for me on the other side of the car. He took my hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"You've got this!" he said.

"Can't I just wait in a classroom until school starts?" I asked.

"No."

"Why?" I whined.

"Because you can't be hidden forever. Now come on." Damian started dragging me.

"I can walk."

"Then walk."

I started walking ahead of him. He quickly caught up to me. We walk in to the gates of the school. At first it seemed normal. Like no one even saw me. Then everyone at once stared at me. I clammed up. I wanted to go bury myself in my jacket and leave. Students started forming around me. I didn't like it. I didn't like the attention.

"Eva, is it true?"

"Whoa! It's so cool you have powers!"

"Do you know Batman and Robin?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," I said. The school bell rang. "Got to get to class. So, um, yeah, bye."

I scurried away to class. Damian was snickering in the background. I took my seat in Mr. Williams's class. More kids started staring. I didn't think anything of it. I wasn't going to let some secret identity stop me from being different (even though I was so nervous before).

Mr. Williams began teaching like the things that happened over winter break didn't even happen. Science class, on the other hand, was way more difficult. It just so happened we were beginning our lesson on the plant cycle today. Mrs. Figgs walked into class carrying a pot and dirt.

"Welcome back, class. How was your break?" she asked.

"Good," the class said in unison. Even I said it was good even though half of the time it wasn't.

"Open your books to page 437. Begin reading the first paragraph."

The first paragraph was just an introduction to the unit. Photosynthesis, how the sun affects the plants, etc. I already knew these things.

"Today we will plant a small carrot seed into the pot and analyze it as it grows," Mrs. Figgs said.

"Mrs. Figgs! Why don't Eva show us how it works," one boy said, I think he was on the basketball team.

"Yeah! We can see how powerful she really is!" the class agreed.

"Eva? Can you come up front, please?" Mrs. Figgs asked.

I walked up to the front and stood behind the counter where the pot and seed were. "First, you plant the seed into the dirt." I took a small handful of first out and placed it in my hand to make a hole in the pot. "Then you put the seed in, like so. Next you cover the hole up and add water. Now we just watch it grow."

"That's it?" the same kid asked.

"Yeah. Real simple."

"No. Make it grow faster!"

"Fine." I snapped my fingers. The carrot grew. I pulled it out of the pot. "See? It's a carrot."

"Fascinating," Mrs. Figgs said in fascination.

The class started chanting, "More! More!" over and over again.

"Okay, settle down! We've only got one more seed and we need to actually take notes about its growth."

The class started talking in disappointment. I went back to my seat. Mrs. Figgs started the actual lesson. I started taking notes at what we would be observing. Sooner or later I caught myself doodling on the paper.

* * *

I sat against in a tree in the school's yard. It was after school. I was reading a book when Rachel came over to me.

"Eva!" she exclaimed in her overdramatic way.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm sorry for all the things I've said in the past. It was wrong of me. Can we be friends?"

I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Then I saw the other Prissies a few yards away. They had their phone cameras pointing at us.

"Ah. I see how it is," I said.

"See what?" she asked all innocent like.

"I see your 'friends' over there. Bet you just wanted to be friends with a heroine, is that it?"

"What? I would never!" You could almost hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"Look here, Rachel. We were once friends in the past. Not anymore. So if you could kindly leave me alone." As I walked past her, I bumped her shoulder so that even if she did post the video then it still made us look like we were enemies.

"Eva! Come back!"

I didn't. Instead I met with Damian on the front steps of the school. "Where's Alfred?" I asked.

"He'll be here later. I was thinking we could walk around for a bit."

"Uh, okay."

Damian started walking away from the school. I trailed behind. We walked two blocks until we reached a small park. It was one of the nicer parks in Gotham. It was big. A few benches surrounded a small fountain, a play area and sandbox for the children, and trails that lead to gardens. It was one of my favorite parks in all of Gotham. I was too busy looking at the scenery to notice Damian walked off. If I didn't see him climb a tree, I might not have ever found him. I followed him up the tree. We were high up from the ground. I leaned against the tree trunk hoping I wouldn't fall. Damian sat on the tree's thick branch. I didn't know why he came up here. If he wanted privacy, he could have stayed below. The park was empty.

"Eva," he started. He took a breath. Obvious at a loss of words.

"Yes, Dam--"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

I smiled and kissed his hand. "Gladly."