Cora pov:
My eyes pop open and into a glare as the incessant screech of my alarm wakes me up.
I roll myself out of bed and I can't help but be happy about it. I walk the entire length of my room to get to my closet. I grab my uniform.
As I tug off my shirt, I notice the deep purple mark that stops just above my hip. There's no more stitches along it, but it's still not fully healed. Timmy won't let me use the device yet.
I pull on my shirt quickly. I don't like looking at the marks. Any of them. Even though there's a few that I can reach along my shoulders.
I did not miss the skirt. I try my hand at my tie, I try to remember how Dami does it. Over, under, through, around? It looks backwards. Around, over, through? It didn't even knot.
I drop the two ends around my neck, frustrated. I need to learn to do this on my own at some point. I can't rely on Damian every morning. Regardless, I leave it alone for now.
I brush my teeth, then my hair. A high ponytail is enough for my first day back. I wash my face just as I hear a knock at my door.
"It's open!" I shout. I hear footsteps over the running sink that I shut off.
"Good morning, Beloved." Dami says, leaning on my door frame.
"Good morning, my love." I say with mock formality. I still see the red tips of his ears. I think if I ever said it with complete and utter sincerity to his face, he might burst into flames.
"Are you sure you want to go back?" He questions gently as he steps forward. He silently starts to tie my tie.
"I'm actually excited. I missed my friends, and getting to do stuff." I say childishly. He scoffs.
"You hate school work, but you miss school. Ironic." He says sarcastically. I roll my eyes.
"Oh come on. It's not all bad, you're gonna be there." I say happily. I grab his hand and he follows me as I pull him through the doorways.
I'm practically skipping down the hallway, then down the stairs. I'm practically vibrating until we get to the limo. Our bags are already there and I'm holding Damian's hand really tightly the entire time.
My smile starts to dull as we get closer, though. I'm a little nervous and I think Dami can tell. He looks at me with inquisitive eyes. Although, his eyes are usually inquisitive.
"Cora, are you sure you're up for this?" He asks cautiously. I consider it.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm just starting to get nervous is all. Do you think, um, do you think people are gonna stare at me again?" I question. He scans my face.
"Honestly?" I nod. "They'll look, maybe talk to you, and then they'll return to their day. Everything should return to normal." He says truthfully. I frown.
"I hope they just skip to ignoring me. I feel fine, and I am fine. There's no reason to stare or anything." I complain, mostly to myself.
"You were gone for a few weeks. People tend to worry. Like Mikelson, you know she'll still be worried." He says. I sigh.
"I know. I missed her. She makes Gym fun." I state. I see him smirk. Well, he knows something I obviously don't.
"What's that face for?" I question suspiciously. He smirks wider.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is just my face." He says, obviously lying.
"I don't buy it. Tell meeee. I can't be in on gossip I wasn't there for." I whine. He smiles devilishly.
"I will say nothing, except that Mikelson may not be lacking in reasons to hope." He says cryptically. I glare at him playfully.
"Very helpful, babe." I state, unimpressed. He shruggs and points his thumb behind him at his window.
"It worked as a distraction." He says pridefully. I roll my eyes but grab my bag.
I slide across the leather seats after Damian. He extends his hand to me, which I accept. I keep a hold on his hand as we walk to class. I may or may not be squeezing it tightly.
Mrs. Brown greets us cheerfully as we enter the classroom. I smile back, happy to see a friendly face without pity.
"Cora, welcome back. Do you have the assignments I sent?" She says brightly.
"I do indeed. They're all complete." I state, setting my bag down on my desk. I regretfully release my grip on Dami's hand and dig through my bag. I pull out a hefty stack of paper.
"Thank you, I'll get your marks back as soon as I can." She says, accepting the pile. I nod as she leaves. Damian smirks at me and I roll my eyes. He knows how much I hated those assignments.
As the class goes on, I'm glad I did them. I still know most of what we're doing, other than the new stuff. The class goes by quickly and without incident. I missed the atmosphere of being in a class full of people.
It doesn't take long for the bell to ring. I gather my things and Dami walks over.
"Ready? I think we're doing Algebra this week." He teases. I scoff.
"Not even funny. I still don't get why there's letters in math." I say dismally. He seems to enjoy my suffering at the moment.
We banter like that through the hallway. We reach the dreaded math classroom and we take our seats. Mr. Greenfield comes around with a stack of papers, setting one on each desk.
"Nice to see you back, Cora. If you did the assignments then you should be fully prepared for the quiz." He says, placing a paper on my desk. I shoot a look at Damian.
"I did them, but I didn't know there was a quiz today." I say politely. I see Damian shrug.
"It's a pop quiz, no one but me knew about it. Just do it the same as on the assignments and you'll be fine." Mr. Greenfield says casually. He moves on, setting down more papers.
The quiz isn't too hard actually. We covered a lot of it last year and it was set up exactly as the assignments were. Doesn't mean I liked the surprise though. I hand in my assignments at the end of class.
"I promise you, I had no idea about the quiz." Dami says easily, but I can clearly see the smirk on his face.
"Sometimes I think you like watching me suffer." I state with a quirk of my brow.
"You're cute when you're frustrated." He admits. I scoff.
"Keep smirking at me like that and I'll get really adorable." I tease with a roll of my eyes. He chuckles.
"Can't wait. Inside or outside?" He asks.
"Outside. I don't feel like facing people right now. I'm already starting to get tired." I explain. He nods and leads me to a pair of doors.
I find myself at the base of a tree. It's leaves are orange and there's a few already scattered across the ground beneath it. It's a pretty scene.
"Are you trying to make up for the quiz thing? Because I don't actually blame you." I state. Damian chuckles.
"I happen to like this tree. I eat here when you're not here anyways." He defends, sitting at the base of it. I plop beside him, being mindful of my skirt.
"I know I was bored at home, but you must have gone crazy. School is boring and you don't have friends here." I'm not teasing, just stating facts.
"I've been talking with Kaidan. He's usually annoying but he's been okay." I hear Dami compliment.
"That's high praise coming from you. I'm happy you made a friend." I say, digging into my lunch. I really need to thank Alfred for the lunch.
"I wouldn't call him a friend." He says.
"I know you wouldn't. But I would." I say happily. He tuts but says nothing. I win this round.
We finish our lunch just in time for our next class. The bell rings as we step through the doors. I hold Dami's hand as we walk down the hallway. I notice a few people staring and some pitying looks.
We stroll into science class easily. I watch Jeremy's face light up. It's a welcome change from the pity and wonder.
"Hey, Cora! Uh, Damian, too." He amends. I nod to Dami as I release his hand.
"Hey, Jer. How are you?" I ask politely.
"Well, I'm close to failing this class without you here to help." He says with a laugh. I take my seat next to him.
"Oh please, I don't help you that much. I'm sure you're still doing fine." I try.
"Girl you couldn't be more wrong." I flinch as he says it, but he doesn't notice. Good.
"What did you get on the last assignment then?" I question, trying to brush off my fear. It's only a little, but it holds tight to my chest.
"I got a 70. My dad threw a fit." He says sheepishly.
"A 70 isn't the end of the world." I assure. He rolls his eyes.
"Says the girl with straight A's. I bet you kept your grades up while you were gone even." He teases.
"I did the work, I'd have to hand it in to know if I did well." I say casually.
The class starts at that moment. I didn't miss this teacher. She reminds me of a hawk. Her eyes stare into your soul and her voice is super shrill. As soon as our work is assigned she makes her way over to me.
"Cora, did you complete your assignments?" She asks. I'm getting sick of that question.
"Yes ma'am. Here you go." I say, presenting my stack. She accepts it with no emotions. Lovely.
I work silently for the rest of the class. I almost yelled in relief when the bell rang. I bag up my things quickly. Damian is beside me just as quick.
"Ready, my love?" I question. I enjoy seeing the red that flushes his ears.
"Indeed." He replies calmly.
"Okay. Bye, Jeremy. See ya tomorrow." I say as we leave. He gives me a wave.
"Excited for Gym, Beloved?" He asks.
"Of course. Alfred said I shouldn't exert myself too much but I haven't been able to do anything while at the manor. He's like a ninja." I say seriously. Damian chuckles.
"He could have been for all we know. But he's not wrong, don't push yourself please." He asks. I sigh but relent.
"Okay, I won't over do it. But you have to promise me that we can spar when Alfred let's me." I state. He smirks.
"Deal. I've been looking forward to a rematch." He smirks. I grin.
"Excited to tally another loss?" I tease. He laughs sarcastically.
"You might want to get out your pen, Beloved. Because I'm not losing next time." He taunts back.
"If my memory serves correct I'm beating you by 3." I jab. He doesn't flinch.
"Perhaps the medicine is messing with your head, you're only ahead by 2." He grins with a glint in his eyes.
"My mistake, I was thinking ahead." I grin back.
"You two just can't flirt like a normal couple, can you?" I hear from behind me.
I whip around to see Riley, her hair starting to fade at the roots. I grin happily at her.
"We flirt normally. Healthy competition is good for a relationship." I defend. We stare at each other for a long moment.
"Gosh I missed you!" She breaks, throwing her arms around me. I can see it coming so I'm not on edge.
"I missed you too!" I say, hugging her back.
"Have a good class, Beloved." Dami says as we break apart. I smile up at him.
"You too, my love." He blushes in his cheeks this time. I like using this nickname.
I start catching Riley up as we walk into the gym. We head for the change rooms as we chat. I really missed her.
"Why would you hate that? I would have loved a few weeks of bed rest." Riley complains. I scoff as I roll my eyes.
"Because it's boring with a capital B. I made it through half of my 'To Be Read' list. That's like 6 books." I say, loosening my tie. I don't want to have to get Dami to retie it later.
"That sounds like a good thing, Cora. I mean that's the point of a-" she stops mid sentence. I finish pulling off my sleeves as I turn to face her.
"Riley? What's wrong?" I ask. Her face is pale and she's staring at me in shock. Her hand is to her mouth. I see her eyes get red.
"Cora, y-your back." She whispers. My hand flies up to my shoulder. I can feel the ridges of a small gash. Oh. I didn't think about this.
"Sorry. I know it looks bad I just need to put on my shirt." I say quietly. I fumble with the fabric for a second before I quickly yank it on.
When I look back to Riley, she has tears running down her face. My heart yanks and I place a hand on her shoulder.
"Riley, hey, it's okay. I'm okay." I assure. She lowers her hand, looking me straight in the eyes.
"Is that from, f-from-" She starts shakily.
"Yeah. But I'm alright now. I promise. Once they heal I can get rid of them. It's okay." I reassure. She takes a deep breath and holds it for a long moment before letting it out slowly. She repeats that and I let her.
I slowly release my hand. Riley seems calmer now. She wipes at her tears. I hand her a folded tissue from my skirt pocket. She accepts it with a look.
"I thought I might need it for today." I explain as I finish getting changed. Riley does the same, the colour in her face returning.
The actual class goes pretty smoothly after that. We run laps, which I do slower. We play a game of volleyball, which I have to pace myself during. And we end with some cool downs, which I don't bend as far during. It's infuriating but I know it's necessary.
I notice Riley averting her eyes from me in the changing room. The other girls didn't do the same. I change as quickly as possible, just to get away from the stares. I feel, vulnerable. I definitely don't like that.
"So, how are things with Kaidan?" I ask as we're waiting outside the Gym.
"I don't think he's ever going to take the hint. I've been trying but he's oblivious." Riley says exasperated.
"Oh, fun." I tease. She laughs sarcastically.
"Only if you enjoy frustration." She sighs.
"Yeah, that-" I feel a hand on my shoulder.
Within the next second I grab the hand and pull it forward, grabbing the arm that's attached. I blink as I see who I just Judo flipped.
I release his arm and my hand flies up to my mouth in shock. I stand in horrified silence, considering the hallway has gone quiet.
"Ow." He states, not sounding actually hurt in the slightest. Regardless I rush to help him up.
"Oh my God! Damian I'm so sorry!" I say hurriedly. He rights himself easily and brushes off his sleeves casually.
"I need to remember that you can do that." He mutters, not seeming to be fazed. I blink in silent panic.
"Dami, are you okay?" I ask worriedly. He raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, Beloved. I'm perfectly fine. Which means you need to start training sooner rather than later. Poor form, dear." He smirks. I let out a surprised scoff.
"Damian Wayne, that is not how you react to someone flipping you over their shoulder." I say, a little shocked.
"It is when I know you could do worse. Ready to go?" He asks, casual as ever. I laugh in shock.
"I could have seriously hurt you." I say. He grabs my backpack from the floor.
"If you could have then why am I not hurt?" He teases. I splutter.
"Be-because, I don't know! I just panicked!" I say getting frustrated. He smirks widely.
"My point. Not your fault, and not your intention. If you wanted to hurt me, you would have." He states in a casual way as we walk down the echoing hall. I don't register the students gawking at us.
"Well, of course I didn't want to hurt you. I just felt someone grab me and I panicked." I find myself explaining. What am I even trying to prove?
"And I will alert you of my presence before touching you in the future." He says calmly. My head is spinning at this point.
"How are you so calm about this? I flipped you Damian!" I say loudly as we walk through the front doors.
"Simple, I don't mind. I'm not hurt, you seem fine, other than the initial shock. Are you okay?" He asks as we walk closer to the limo.
"Yes, of course I'm okay." I say, still I'm disbelief.
"Then I see no harm done. How was Phys. Ed?" He questions as he opens the limo door for me. I shake my head as I get in.
"It was fine. Riley saw the scars and got upset, but no one else said anything." I report tiredly. I'm suddenly very tired. Damian gets in beside me and closes the door.
"That's good, did she say anything?" He asks, sounding more cautious now.
"No. She couldn't even fully ask if they were from when I got kidnapped. The other girls stared a lot though." I recount, that feeling of vulnerability returns.
"That will go away with time. Eventually they will barely even glance. Unless they swing the other way, then perhaps they may continue to stare." He muses.
"How do you know it will stop? I don't know these girls." I say, feeling defensive.
"I have scars too, Beloved. My peers stop staring after a week or two. It resumes every year though." He says. I can hear the annoyance in his tone clearly.
"Maybe you could use Timmy's device. If it bothers you, that is." I suggest. He shakes his head.
"I like my scars. Each one is a reminder of a battle I walked away from. They remind me that I'm strong." He states, pride envelopes his words.
"Maybe I should keep one of mine then. I may not have walked away, but I survived." I muse, mostly to myself.
"Only if you want to. Some scars are reminders of things we'd rather forget." He says as he rubs his wrist absentmindedly.
"I want to remember. I survived that clown with a smile and I'm proud of myself for that." I say, my arm is reached up to my opposite shoulder.
I want to remember.