Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

Truth

Guilt gnawed at my stomach as I sat in class. The teacher droned on, writing with a squeaky marker on the white board. Chemistry formulas and atomic numbers were displayed, but my brain couldn't process it. Artemis was diligently taking notes beside me, while Amelia was texting someone under the table.

The conversation I had with Barbra played over and over in my head. Did Dick like me? No. That was nonsense. He was just a sweet guy. I'm sure he was nice to everyone. He wasn't showing me any special treatment... right? My mind flickered back to when he took me to that coffee shop. Or how he tailed the car Dr. Linh forced me into the other week. And then this morning, when he gave me a ride to school and let me take his jacket.

I fingered one of the silver buttons on the blazer I wore, gently tapping my nail on the surface. Did I like Dick Grayson? My face turned scarlet at the thought. No, I couldn't... and yet, besides Dinah, he'd given me the most emotional support out of all my friends. Granted, most of them had no idea what was going on with my father, but having a friend who wanted to be there for me meant the whole world. And yet, I still owed him an explanation.

Artemis nudged me as the teacher's gaze raked across the classroom, and I hurried and made a few scribbles on my paper to make it look like I was busy. I halfheartedly tried to write down some notes, but my brain was running a million miles an hour.

"What's with you today?" Artemis whispered to me.

I shrugged. "Just tired." I offered as an excuse.

Artemis's eyes narrowed.

"Wait, is that Dick's blazer?"

I froze instantly, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the pencil in my hand. I wasn't sure why I was embarrassed. I mean, he was just being a good friend... right? But right on cue, Amelia's hazel eyes shot to me as fast as a bullet, and as sharp as a knife. They raked over me, as if noticing the way the larger jacket hung off my frame.

But I paid her no attention. I kept thinking about how much of an explanation I owed to Dick. As far as he knew, I'd been kidnapped before his very eyes and he hadn't pushed me for an explanation. Maybe he was afraid of upsetting me? But if there was one thing I did know, it was that I trusted him. And it was time I was honest with him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Yadav? May I go to the bathroom?" I asked politely and raised my hand.

He let me go, and immediately I got out of my seat and rushed for the door. Artemis gave me a puzzled look and mouthed, are you okay? I nodded and gave her a small smile for her benefit, and left the classroom. I hurried down the hallways, my heart thundering in my chest. The foyers were mostly empty, letting me navigate them quickly.

My shoes echoed in the stairwell as I climbed them quickly, heading straight for Dick's class. I slipped past the group of students hanging up paper turkeys and plastic leaves, remembering how it would soon be Thanksgiving this week. I swallowed and wondered what Dick's reaction would be once I told him. Would he be nervous? Surprised? Angry that I hadn't been honest with him sooner? My finger tapped against one of Dick's silver buttons anxiously as I approached his door.

I took a deep breath and smoothed down my hair, still damp from being out in the snow. Here goes nothing. I peered into the classroom, my eyes scanning the rows and rows of students. The other teenagers looked a few years older then I was, and were hastily copying down math notes onto workbooks. I fought a smile. Of course Dick would be in 12th grade calculus or something like that.

Dick was fairly easy to spot, his white shirt bold against the sea of navy blazers. He sat back casually in his seat, twisting apart the pieces of his pencil and putting it back together at the teacher spoke about how to solve the problem on the board. The older students were paying attention, scribbling notes here and there, but my eyes were glued on Dick. I squinted my eyes, and upon further inspection, I noticed that he had already solved it, the answer circled on Dick's notes.