A few months later
Megan had anxiety. So when a man in a white mini van started to slowly follow her, and begin taking pictures she could feel herself having an anxiety attack. She was freaking out.
Her heavy breathing and tears didn't keep the man away. She looked around trying to find an escape but she just couldn't focus. She needed water. She needed Conner to come hug her and assure her everything was okay.
She patted herself down and found her phone. She felt weak and uneasy. Looking back to the man who quickly dropped his phone and looked back st the road once noticing she saw him. Her fingers were shaking as she called him.
He answered on the first ring.
The man quickly sped up, thinking she called the cops. Her face was turning pale and she could feel her throat start to close up. She wished Conner could have just magically appeared and taken her away to a safer place.
He did get there fast, jumping out of a car. He called out her name and she ran to him instantly. He had a bottle of water for her, this wasn't the first time it's happened recently.
"Where the hell is he?" he was angry, and had the right to be, and to be honest, he wouldn't leave her. Though he said that rather loudly, enough so if whoever did that had heard him and hopefully drove away.
"Hey, hey, Im right here." he muttered, hugging her tighter.
Zatanna didn't get over her fathers death completely, but she was definitely getting better. She didn't hide out in her room all the time and and cry. She really only cried every few weeks. Everyone tried to avoid the subject and she greatly appreciated it.
She had many late nights talking to either Dick or Artemis on the phone, both of them somehow understood, Dick with his own parents death and Artemis hadn't told her the whole story but her mother was in prison for 6 years, and it felt like she was dead. Her mother in question had just gotten out of jail a few months before her fathers death.
Zatannas mother had gotten over his death relatively easily, granted for weeks she cried but Zatanna always blamed her for the dearh, he wouldn't of had to go to that side of town if she didn't cheat on him. Anyways, Sindella was with another man now and technically was before her father even died, for he was the one she was cheating on Giovanni with.
Zatanna was brought back to attention by the teacher basically screaming at her, she slightly shook her head and looked up at the board. The teacher just let out a sigh and continued on with the lesson. According to Dick. had given up before she even started.
Whatever that meant.
It was the last period of the day, and her science teacher, usually let them do their own thing the last few minutes of the day, whether it was homework or texting. She quickly wrote down answers to her math, after this all she would have to do is the reading and she'd be done. A few more questions left...
RING
She groaned and her head flew back as she put her things away, standing up and flinging her bag over her shoulder and joining all the other kids, rushing out of the school. She shared science with Wally, who she wasn't that close to, but they always did have their own little arguments about magic. She, of course believed it was real, and could do tricks that blow his mind. Nothing like turning him into an animal, though that would be efficient to shut him up sometimes.
The rest of the gang joined them as they all walked out of the school, their houses were almost the same route, they all piled out one by one. First Conner, though today Megan wanted to stick close to him for unknown reasons to them, then Artemis and Wally who lived pretty close to each other, though Wally was a few blocks down. Then Dick and Zatanna.
"I thought your house was down this street." she said, pointing down the long road, he shrugged and looked to her with a smile. "I was hoping I could come over to your house?" she stayed silent for the moment, thinking about it, "Sure, I mean we probably won't stay there for long my mom doesn't like company but after awhile we could go walk around...if you want."
Dick raised and eyebrow and shrugged "Sounds good to me." he pulled out his phone and texted his adoptive father, Bruce, before putting it back into his pocket in one swift move and walking down the sidewalk. It wouldn't be the first time he went to her house, though usually her mom isn't there. He seemed relatively happy, a small bounce in his step Zatanna noted.
She paused for a moment, a small, barely noticeable one, as she remembered that her mother wanted to show her something. Dick raised a eyebrow but decided to not question it. Once they made it to her house, she let him in, hoping her mother wouldn't be to mad. Once she walked in and closed the door she noticed Sindella's boyfriend and two kids. A year or two younger than she and Dick. They seemed annoyed more or less.
Sindella's lips thinned as she looked at Dick, she wasn't expecting one of her daughters friends to come over. He looked awkward and was rocking back and forth, looking over to Zatanna who seemed just as confused and awkward as he was.
"Who are they?" the raven haired girl finally asked, gesturing to the two kids. "These are Steve's two kids, Tom and Kate."
After Zatanna had tried to excuse Dick and herself to go anywhere but there, Sindella had forced them to bring Tom and Kate along. Tom was in eighth grade, and Kate was a Freshman. Dick had suggested they walk to a park, and while that sounded boring it was a better idea than she had, so they agreed and began to walk. It was rather awkward at first, Tom and Kate just whispering to each other behind Dick and her.
"You know you don't have to come with us." Zatanna said to her friend, who just shrugged in return, "I want to, trust me." he put a hand on her shoulder and a weird tingly feeling went up her spine. She knew what it was and she refused to believe it. She was not developing a crush on Dick, she can't love someone again, she can't come this close to another person.
Because when they get hurt, it breaks her, it breaks her into a million pieces and just puts up another wall around her heart. It took what seemed like years for anyone to get even close to breaking her wall after her father died. And that was Dick.
"Are you two dating?" Tom asked, out of the blue, Zatanna shook her head, coming back into reality. "What was that?" he repeated the question and she shook her head. "No, no." she answered it rather quickly, so quickly it made Dick raise and eyebrow and slightly look down, maybe he liked her too? No, can't be, he doesn't.
He can't.
The Next Day
Artemis was not having a good day. She woke up in a bad mood, and then remembering that it was Monday just made it worse. Sending glares at just about everyones way. Everyone was sluggish, and slouched.
Except Wally.
Who, just like he is everyday, was bouncing around happily, telling jokes with a large radiant smile. He ran over to her, and Artemis just sighed and raised an eyebrow at him.
"No."
"Is it that time of the month?"
She glared her eyes and he quickly spun around and began running. She was so getting him back for that later. Megan walked up, she had her trademark smile on, though you could tell that she was tired from the bags under her eyes.
Zatanna walked up also, talking to Dick until she went up to Megan and Artemis and Dick walked past to find Wally. Once Dick was out of ear shot the raven haired girl leaned into her friends "I think I have a crush on Dick."
Artemis and Megan looked at each other, Artemis letting out something pretty close to a belly laugh and Megan chuckling. "Oh we know." the blonde stated, crossing her arms over her chest."
"Its pretty obvious if you ask me." Megan added "Also the fact he likes you back." the redhead then said and Artemis nodded. "Crazy how you guys havent found out for yourselves." Zatannas brows furrowed for a moment before looking at the clock and sighing, a small smile grazed her lips though.
"Almost as obvious as you and Wally?" Artemis' eyes widened and she shook her head, Megan let out a small laugh and agreed with Zatanna. "You two lovebirds cant go a day without looking at each other." Artemis tensed up and eyed them.
The bell rang before the blonde got to say anything and they all went their separate ways.
The day went by rather quickly, well for some of them, Wally kept complaining about how slow-moving everything was. At the end of the day everyone rushed home, but Artemis, right before she left the school remembered she had left her essay in her locker, she was supposed to finish it tonight and turn it in tomorrow, she was a procrastinator.
She ran back through the halls until she reached the locker and quickly took it out in one swift move. A sigh of relief escaped her and she walked down the hall while stuffing it in her bag.
She heard a slam when she walked put of school, and a few laughs. She looked over to see a scrawny boy, with very shaggy brown hair and large glasses. In front of him was a few girls, the 'Girl Squad' as most called them.
Artemis never minded them, because it was never as bad as the movies, and all the stories shes heard shes decided were false and it was just cliche. But when she sees them in action she begins to doubt her past decision.
The blonde approached them and the girls became silent, looking over to her as if annoyed.
"Let the boy be." she stated, rather calmly, knowing her reputation would probably scare them off. One of them grinned and walked toward her, but Artemis noted the obvious hesitation.
"Make me." there was a slight tremor in her voice, fear in her eyes and hope in the boys'. Artemis stepped forward and the girl stepped back.
"Oh I will." one of the girls behind her grabbed her friends wrist. "May its time to go..." Artemis smirked as they walked away. 'May, thats the bitches name' she noted.
Artemis looked over at the boy, who stood up and brushed his clothes down. "Thanks for nothing." he said with extreme irritability in his voice and she raised an eyebrow at him, once he saw this he stepped away from her.
"I wanted to see two hot chicks get into a fight." he explained and began walking away as if that was okay. Artemis' eyes furrowed and she walked angrily up to the unexpecting boy and grabbed the back of his hood, pulling him back harshly and he fell to the ground.
He wouldn't say anything, for that would lead to her fighting him, and he was not taking that chance.