The Rich Boy

Chapter 16 - The Pre-Party Blues

"I'm so excited for tomorrow!" Farah squealed as we walked up the steps to school. We were joined by Dick and Donna. Dick has been by Farah's side basically 24/7 since the almost mugging. He's barely been his jokey self, just serious and moody. Almost like Jason. He scans the horizon like he's looking for something that might hurt Farah. It's cute, and also really weird.

"Ugh, me too. I asked Brandon if he wanted to come with me and he said he would." Donna squealed back.

"Who the fuck is Brandon?" Dick mumbled under his breath.

"The guy who invited us to that party last week." Farah explains before turning back to Donna, "What's your costume gonna be?"

"I'm going as a Greek goddess. Maybe Athena." She beams as we approach our lockers. Dick snorts and shoots her a knowing look.

"Seems dangerous, Donna. You might get noticed." He says while leaning against the locker next to Farah's.

"Dick..." She warns. He just shrugs.

"What's the big deal with a Greek goddess costume?" I ask as I grab my book, "You guys are so weird with costumes."

"It's an inside joke." They both said at the same time.

"Of course it is." I grumble, "One of these days you all are gonna have to explain these jokes to us you know."

"Maybe one day." Dick says as the bell rings for the day. He slings his arm around Farah's shoulder and they walk down the hallway to her first class of the day. He's been walking her to class all week, like he's her bodyguard or something.

"He knows she's not gonna get mugged while walking to class right?" I joke with Donna. She smiles a little, before responding.

"Dick likes to protect the people he cares for, sometimes even to an obsessive extent. He'll probably get over it in a couple of days. Maybe... Hopefully... I mean, one time when we were kids Tim broke his leg while we were fighting Slad- uh I mean when we were play fighting. Dick didn't leave him alone for like three months. He was always on his ass, even when the leg healed."

"Why is he like that?" I ask, swerving through the sea of Gotham Academy students. Donna ponders my question a bit before answering, I could see the wheels turning in her head on how to respond.

"He has a lot on his shoulders. He's the first child to the Wayne name, he has big shoes to fill. Not to mention he has been trained since childhood that his number one priorities are his siblings. He knows that one day he's gonna take the role his father has had, and he wants his loved ones by his side when that day comes. So he's fiercely protective."

"Gosh, I didn't realize it was that serious." I tug on my backpack strap. Donna shrugs as she enters her classroom.

"He's a complex guy. But I mean so is Jason. Jason is next in line for his Dad's role, unfortunately he has made it known many times he doesn't want it. But if Dick starts off on a path of his own like he's already started, Jason might not get a choice."

"All of this just for a weapons company?" I'm bewildered.

"There's so much more to the Waynes than you know Imani. So much more." That's the last thing Donna says before he stalks into her classroom.

After that conversation with Donna, the school day seemed to just fly by. I wasn't really invested into my classes today like I usually am. My mind was buzzing with the party tomorrow. I had a sinking feeling something was going to go wrong. But I just brushed it off as nerves. Babs gave me a ride home today since Jason wasn't at school all day for some reason. I didn't want to text him, we were cool again but sometimes I still felt weird.