Lost Stars

Chapter Nineteen

-Athena's POV-

I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms out. Despite my protests, I had been forced to wear a tank top out in public. I placed my hands to cover as much of my arms and shoulders as I could.

"Dude, no one will care. It's not that bad," Artemis crossed her arms over her chest. She grabbed my wrists and tugged my arms away.

"I still have that jar of cover up. I can go get it," I reached up to try to take my hair out of the bun. Once again, Artemis stopped me. She had convinced me to go out to lunch with her on the condition that I wore a tank top that revealed my body. I wasn't ashamed of my figure. But rather the fact that I was covered in scars from head to toe.

Every glance my way made my heart race. I was thankful for the scorching summer sun that Gotham offered. I looked over my shoulder to stare at the ocean. I smiled as I thought of how supportive Aqualad had been.

Artemis cleared her throat and drew my attention back to her. She tossed her blond hair over her shoulder. "So...Wally has been acting really suspicious these past few weeks," She said, chewing on a pastry.

I cocked my head to the side. "How so?"

"He has been going out without telling me and then making up excuses," Artemis growled, "and he comes back smelling like flowers."

I chewed my lip. Artemis was always super jealous and protective over her friends. But, I doubted that Wally was stupid enough or bored enough to cheat on her. Artemis was truly a bombshell. She had dark brown eyes with florescent blond hair. Her skin was a light brown color, showing her true Vietnamese blood. She had a tight, fit body and long legs. For that ginger boy to even think about leaving her was a mistake.

"It's probably just a guy thing." I tried to lighten the mood, but I could feel the anger radiating off of her.

Artemis shrugged. "How can he already be having a midlife crisis? He's only in his twenties." I chuckled.

"Well, how long can superheroes be expected to live?" I joked.

Artemis spit out her mimosa and giggled. "He's already died, you think he'd be over all this!"

We both laughed until a wave of silence feel over us both. "Do you think he is upset that the life he thought he had isn't playing out like the one he has now?" Artemis asked, letting her head drop a little.

I pondered on her theory. When we saved Wally, Bart and Barry explained what they had seen. Wally had been happily married to an alternate version of Artemis with their own suburban house. But most of all, they had a child together. That was something that the real Artemis could never give Wally.

Although Wally had seemed happy before, I didn't doubt that he was accepting of the real Artemis. They both loved each other so much. There was no way Wally would ever abandon all that.

"Not at all," I said, confidently, "Wally loves you Artemis. He's not cheating on you. He's not wishing he could go back to before. He's fine here. He's fine with you."

Artemis's face softened as I reassured her. "He came home last night drunk as hell," she chuckled.

"You think he was out with a girl?"

"No, no, no," she shook her head, "he was out with the guys. Dick even--" Artemis stopped herself.

When she mentioned his name, I didn't even feel any different. But when she stopped, I felt like she hit a nerve. I awkwardly shifted. "I feel bad for Barbara then."

It went quiet again.

A few moments later, I saw Artemis's eyes following something behind me. She bit her lip. "Don't turn around right now, but holy shit," she mumbled under her breath.