Innocent (A Treacherous Novel)

8

Gotham City, New Jersey

March 1, 2003

"Happy birthday, Dickhead" Ashley yelled as she burst into his room and jumped on his bed.

"Ashley!" Dick complained. "Quit!" He demanded.

"Nope" Ashley said and jumped off the bed and opened the curtains and let the sun shine in bright enough that Dick felt like his eyes were burning out of his sockets.

"I hate you" Dick groaned and pulled the covers over his face.

"Dick!" Ashley whined as she stomped her foot. "Get up! You only turn thirteen once!" Ashley begged.

"I would like to turn thirteen in peace" Dick's muffled voice said from under the cover.

"We both know that as long as you're with us, that isn't gonna happen" Ashley said, putting her hands on her hips. "So get up, get dressed and smell the roses" Ashley said, putting her hands on her

"Stay down, go back to sleep and smell nothing" Dick told her, sarcasm drenching his words and making Ashley frown as her face just how unimpressed she was with him.

"I swear" Ashley began to say furiously before being interrupted.

"You swear about nothing" Dick told her. "Go back to bed" he demanded and watched the girls' eyes narrow.

"Richard" Ashley exclaimed, heavily accentuating his name. "I swear to whatever God is up there, I will lay on you and not move until you agree to go!" Ashley exclaimed angrily.

"Whatever" Dick said nonchalantly, knowing it would make her tick. He turned and laid on his stomach, to further show he was not affected by her threats. Ashley's face dropped before she huffed and grinned maliciously. She ran and threw herself on Dick, making the boy grunt as she landed on his back. 

"I'm not moving until you get up, get ready and get out the door" Ashley said resolutely.

"It's a Saturday" Dick complained. "Go do something, call Wally, do girl stuff or something" He told her and smashed his face into the pillow.

"It's not Wally's birthday" Ashley groaned as Dick didn't even budge to move.

"Birthdays aren't even important Ashley" Dick said. "The only purpose they serve is showing to the world or whoever you decide you're close to that you survived another year" He told her.

"You know what else birthdays are good for?" Ashley asked him as a joke popped into her head.

"What?" Dick groaned, wanting to be left alone.

"For giving the middle finger to the God of Death" Ashley said.

"There's no God of-" Dick began before being interrupted by Ashley.

"You can't say there's no God of Death" Ashley interrupted him. "Or are you forgetting that Diana was literally created from clay because Zeus was horny for her mom but couldn't bag it?" Ashley asked him, giggling at her scandalous question.

"That's one way to put it" Dick said in agreement. "But I'm still not getting out bed" He told her, steadfast in not moving from the king-sized bed. Ashley groaned but nonetheless stayed laying on top of him, determined to keep her promise of not moving until he got up.

"Please Dick" Ashley said sweetly before Dick moved his elbow and it began to hurt as it rested between her ribs. She heard him sigh he dug his face in the pillow. She sighed too and moved his arm. When they both laid there as still as could be with no more arguing and fussing, Dick began to snore lightly as he entered the first stage of sleep and Ashley was beginning to doze off. There was a light knock on the door and Alfred entered.