Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Normal Like You ❯ Birthday Presents ( Chapter 14 )

I think I'm getting a new computer for Christmas. Joy!

Normal Like You

Chapter 14: Birthday Presents

“You're seventeen. Happy birthday.”

She'd survived seventeen years. She'd managed seventeen years without anyone knowing or asking questions.

Happy birthday to her.

She had run from Jinx. She had run from Gar. She had run from her father. She had run from everybody.

She was just too damn tired to keep running.

Raven gazed at the street signs. Where was she? Was she lost? It was better than being back home. She sighed. One year left. One year and she could take the money she had saved up and buy herself a new life. She could leave Jump City behind and act like she was normal. But now?

Now she had to go home.

`Home is where guilt leads you.'

Her mother had told her that she had been abused as a child. She had married her father to escape that.

`Look how well that worked out for her.'

A single car passed by. Could she end it? End the pain and suffering and confusion? Could she just let herself die like her mother?

No. No fucking way was she just going to lie down and admit defeat. Even if she had to avoid Gar at all costs, she was going to stay alive long enough to get out.

`Gar…'

God, she'd been so stupid. Why had she run to him? She hadn't even thought about it. Just run. Somehow she'd found his house and climbed into his room.

And kissed him.

Why did she kiss him? She remembered the night Roy had drugged her. Gar was the only thing she remembered. His eyes were so intense with fury.

Why was she thinking of him?

Raven stopped to look around. Ah, just one block to go. She could climb into her room and curl up in her bed. A night of sleep was all she needed. Tomorrow she could pretend nothing happened.

Tomorrow she could fix everything.

><><><><><><

Sunlight dawned on Raven's bed. She uncurled herself like a cat, pushing against the headboard as she stretched. Saturday. Good. She could hide out somewhere for the weekend. Raven pulled on a new shirt. She paused. When was the last time she looked at herself in the mirror? Maybe to brush her hair, but she never really looked. She glanced at the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. What was she so afraid of? Her reflection? Could she see every beating, every fear, every ounce of worry in her face?

She shook her head. `I'm getting paranoid.' She pulled on her sweatshirt when she head a sound that startled her:

The phone rang

It was the sound she hadn't heard in six- no seven now- years. The phone rang, she answered, and a voice on the other end told her that her mother was dead.

It was an odd sensation as she laid a finger on the plastic phone. Her father didn't seem to be around. Should she answer it?

Something- like an unexplainable sixth sense- told her yes.

So she did.

“Hello?” she asked uncertainly.

“Raven?” a male voice asked. Was that…Gar? “Look outside.”

She turned to the window. What was he…? Her eyes went wide. “Gar?” she asked slowly, “What are you doing?”

“Kill me later. Just come outside.”

Gar was actually parked outside her house. Many emotions filled her at that moment, but it was mostly just fear and anger.

“Raven, if you don't come outside, I'm ringing the doorbell.”

“No!” she said quickly, “Don't you dare!”

“Well you know how daring I am…”

What the hell was he doing?” “Gar…” she said warningly.

“Come on. I'll be good.”

“You do know that if I go out there, I'm going to hurt you.”

“Yep.”

She sighed. There was no getting out of this. “Fine. I don't know what you're doing, but it better not piss me off.”

“Everything I do pisses you off.”

She put the phone down and glanced around the house. No drunken snores, shouts about hangovers, or screams about where she was yesterday. Did she step into the Twilight Zone or something? Maybe she climbed into the wrong house and Gar just happened to misdial. Which brought her to an important question: how had Gar gotten her number?

Well, there was the phone book.

She shook her head. She'd worry about it later. Right now she had to see what Gar was up to.

><><><><><

“Where are we going?” Raven asked as she climbed into the car.

Gar grinned. “A place you'll like.”

She didn't like it when he was vague. “Can you guarantee this?”

“Yep.”

She cocked her head. Why was he acting so… normal? Every guarded secret had been released and he had grabbed the biggest one. Why was he acting like nothing happened? Like he came over to her house all the time?

“What?” he asked when he noticed her gaze.

She turned away. “How'd you know my number?”

He gave a nervous chuckle. “I found Jinx.”

Her whole life was being broken by a single teenage girl. “And she just gave it to you?”

“First she asked me if I was your boyfriend, then she said she'd give me your files for fifty dollars a paper. Then she tried to sell me someone else's. When I asked her why she would give up a friend's info for cash she said you didn't pay her to keep `em secret.”

“I thought I hear her mention something about starting a business,” Raven muttered.

“She asked me why I would want information on you when I wasn't your boyfriend.”

“What'd you say?”

“I told her I was stalking you. She gave me your phone number and something else.”

“I'm going to kill her.” She glanced at him. “She really believed you were my stalker?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You don't look creepy enough to be a stalker.”

“Well I figured she wouldn't buy that I was your boyfriend.”

“What was the other thing she gave you?”

He grinned. “She told me when your birthday was.”

“I'm definitely killing her when I next see her.”

“Anyway, I thought your birthday kinda sucked, so I thought I'd show you something kind of cool.”

Raven rested her chin in her palm. Oh yeah, someone was gonna pay for this.

Author(ess) Notes:

Do things make sense yet? Don't worry, there's more to come.

Someone asked why Rae kissed Gar. I think the answer would be obvious: she has the hots for him. Plus she was having issues. Serious issues.

I plan on starting another TT fanfic soon, but I really wanna finish this first. Anyway, thanks for all your wonderful reviews. Now review some more.