Young Justice: College AU | Complete

Chapter 23

It was still bitterly cold as she walked through the snow covered park. The park was a quick short cut to get to her next class. While walking she noticed something attached to a tree. Generally this caught her interest as she walked over. Squinting her eyes she read the writing on the paper. "Archery Team! Tryouts on Thursday at eight o'clock sharp" the page said as she smirked. She didn't really do much at the moment besides homework. Wally was going to join the track team in the summer but she didn't have a sport.

Besides archery was her thing and she absolutely adored it. The way the bow sat in her hands as she pulled the arrow back. The satisfying smile when it cuts through the air and hits the target. Sighing her breath became visible in the frosty air. After much thinking as she walked to class she decided she would join. She didn't want to waste her talent away. Waiting in the hallway she looked out the window. It was still snowing and she couldn't believe it.

That's when someone tapped her shoulder from behind. Artemis jumped from the sudden contact but turned around. To her surprise it was Zatanna. She had a frown on her face but a bag was with her and everything. "Hey Zee. Why are you here?" she asked skeptically. Usually Zatanna would be at home with Mar'i. "Oh um Dick got me a scholarship here to become a teacher. I didn't know you were in this class" she said nervously. Artemis took note to the things that were different about her.

The reddened nose, watery and bloodshot eyes, hair a mess, and her skin conplexion was paler than normal. Sure they didn't hang out as much as they would in High School but she knew her well enough to know she wasn't okay. "Zee what's wrong?" she asked a little more concerned. Artemis was really starting to worry for her now. The last time she had seen her this distraught was when her father died. "Mar'i's in the hospital and we're not allowed in to see her" Zatanna said as Artemis wrapped her in a hug. It was strange because they didn't get any news of this happening.

     Tears fell from the girls eyes wetting her shirt. "Where's Dick?" she asked curiously. The bell buzzed as the teacher unlocked the door and walked into the lecture hall. Sighing she let Zatanna go and placed her hand on her shoulders. "I'm a bad mom Artemis I let her get kidnapped and then hurt. Its my fault" she cried out as the tears flowed down her pale cheeks. The blond shook her head with a small smile. "Zatanna you are the most hard working girl I have ever met. I don't know what happened when you went M.I.A but I do know that you took care of Mar'i. Just like if you were her real mother" Artemis said as Zatanna cut in.

"But she got hurt" she said wiping her tears.

"Zee you're two years younger than me and you take care of two kid's and go to school. Now is that hard working or what?" she asked as Zatanna raised an eyebrow.

"Two kid's?" she asked as they started walking into the lecture hall.

"Grayson is a kid admit it" Artemis said as the two of them both laughed.

     Taking a seat near the top they watched as everyone began to file in. Artemis's phone buzzed as she checked the text from Wally. "Awe you two are adorable" she said nudging the blond in the shoulder. A blush spread across her cheeks as she put the phone away. Wally always texted her that he loved her before she started any of her classes. "So are you and Dick a thing yet?" Artemis asked now nudging Zatanna as she froze. A bright red now tinting her pale cheeks. "N-no of course not!" she whisper yelled as Artemis chuckled.

At least she was making her less depressed at the moment. People filled the seats and soon the lecture started. Her pencil quicjly gliding across the page of her notebook. Hand cramping she bit back and exhausted sigh. The teacher was speaking quite quickly. All of her notes were messy but as long as she got them down she didn't care. "In this class I encourage group work. For an assignment you will pick a partner and create a newspaper. It will be due first thing after Christmas break" the teacher said towards the end of class.