Lolita 𐐪𐑂 Dick Grayson

e l e v e n

September's warm breeze kept my hand warm as it was wrapped around a cold strawberry milkshake. I took the very last sip and threw the cup into the garbage can I had been sitting next to. I struggled getting up but once I did I put my hood over the cap I wore.

The navy cap kept me disguised from those walking around me. It was night at last and instead of spending my night stuck doing homework in my old stuffy apartment, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get myself those basketball shoes I last saw on my walk down these streets.

Uncle Matt refused to buy me new shoes saying my old ones were still good enough for me to play in. See, I was given a scholar ship in entering Gotham Academy. As my grades were above average and I topped in the list of talented athletes in the city, my basketball coach had made sure I was enlisted into Gotham Academy for high school.

Sadly, those old shoes were left over the summer in the locker room that was demolished and turned into a new one.

Plus it had been a while since I had felt some adrenaline pump into me. Now that I didn't have anyone to keep me company, I wasn't afraid of going back to my old routes.

So as the shoe store came into sight I felt my palms grow clammy since it's been a while since I last did this. I turned a corner and came faced with the entrance of the back of the shop where a large dumpster laid. I walked down and since it had to be around 10 at night no one was out.

Everyone knew after 8 pm, if you were out walking in Gotham you'd be asking for a beating. And if you were a girl...well. I sucked in a large breathe re-positioning my hood over my cap. I cocked my head sideways examining the back of the store. My eyes glanced from the dumpster to the piles of shoe boxes stacked beneath a ventilator. Perfect.

I trudged along the pavement and made it to the boxes. One by one I climbed them, occasionally flattening one of the cardboard boxes. I grabbed onto the edges of the vent and pushed upwards, carefully to not fall back. As screws undid themselves and fell onto the ground with a ring, the cover of the vent was now pushed aside.

One, two, three! I huffed pushing myself into the small space. Now on all fours, I crawled deeper into the narrow space. The tunnel was lightened by the small led lights covering the store. I got closer to the brightest part to see another vent cover right above a register. I turned my body and kicked with both my feet as my back hit the walls of the vent.

A crash came beneath me as the metal cover scratched the marble tiles. Quickly, I jumped down slightly jamming my ankle on the landing. I hissed and curled my lips in to prevent me from cursing. Slowly and now limping, I made it to the front of the store where the basketball shoes I saw where.

There in a glass display a pair of jordon 7 mulberry shoes laid. My eyes widened seeing how gorgeous these shoes were. I ignored the price tag printed with a large $499 and opened the case. They weren't the purple ones I saw earlier, these were much better. And they were a size 6. My fingers tied the laces of the shoes to each other so they would wrap around my neck easily.

When I had swung the pair of shoes around my neck I heard a clung coming from inside the vents. My head whipped around, the shoes hit my chest up and down. My first instinct was to hide but there was nothing to hid in or behind. Then I thought of the back door. My feet glided through the store and pushed opened the employees only door.

There I was meet with rows and rows of shoe boxes and other equipment.

"I know you're in here" A muffled voice cried before a thud shook the ground. I quickened my pace and found the back door at last. I ran to it but as I opened it my ears where met with a loud deafening siren. I groaned and while covering my ears, made my escape to the front of the store.

I ran and ran until I finally reached the block that was around the corner of the store. Instantly, I heard the wind pick up round me and a whoosh of a cape come nearer. An alley would have me cornered so my best bet was staying out in the public. I tried running across the street but before I could hit the sidewalk, a body stopped me.

His bo staff swung around his hand and landed on his shoulder.

"So we meet again?" Robin laughed crossing his ankles but losing his balance. He tipped over slightly but his bo staff kept him up.

"How pleasant, now excuse me" I gasped shaking from his sudden presence. I shoved my way around him but his hand grabbed my arm bringing me back. I punched his shoulder and tried kneeing his thigh. As it only got him slightly that's when I grabbed his staff.

As it lost grip with its owner, it now landed in both my hands. Here I swung the stick aimlessly.

"Stay back, Tim" I accidentally blurred out. The white of his mask grew, his lips parted. He stood there motionless. As he stood stun I grabbed the bo staff and hit him hard on the ankles. With out hesitation I dropped his weapon and made a ran across town, taking the shortest short cut I had known to my apartment.

My luck only grew when I could see small flashes of blue lights far ahead. Those escrima sticks were a certain someone's trademark. My shoes bobbed around my shoulders, hitting me roughly.

"Not today Nightwing" I whispered trying to find some way out. It seemed Tim's shock had ended when he began running close to me, his weapon stuck in front of me in an attempt to stop me. I dodged it, ducking. But in the process his hand caught onto the lace pulling the shoes off.

"No, no, no" I begged trying desperately to grab the shoes back but it was that or ending up in jail. I stomped my foot and returned to running my way out of the situation. A certain street was crowded to my left. My body trudged towards that direction, heavily breathing. Before Tim could try to reach for me again, I had now made it into the crowd. It seemed like a frat reunion as kegs of beer filled the road that was closed off with tables of red solo cups lining them.

I coughed breathing in smoke of a couple of cigarettes near me. My hood fell from my cap, my cap too on the edge of falling. I went to readjust it but I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey little lady" A guy with a cigarette between his teeth chirped. His black hair stood up, a couple strands of white hair fell upon his head. I took the cap off and looked him up and down. I went to open my mouth to respond but out the corner of my eye two silhouettes hovered over a building behind him.

One of the shadows was much smaller than the other, and shaking from as much as I could see. The other one, who's top half was much larger than the first one who's facing the second one. It seemed they were arguing by the way their arms slowly began flailing around them.

The boy in front of me cleared his throat causing my stare to go back to his face from the top of the building. His eyes flickered to the building behind him, his eyelids narrowing.

"Sorry, I uh" I bit my lip looking around "Could I crash the party?" I asked looking back at him. He smirked blowing smoke out his mouth, stepping on his cigarette. His arm went out to wrap itself around my shoulder bringing me to his side.

I tried looking behind me again to see if both of them were still up there but the guy distracted me as I felt his fingers grip onto my hair. He wasn't Dick for sure but he wasn't bad looking either. Plus it seemed like he was in college so good enough for me. I sighed but pushed myself further into him, giving him a look of lust. It was time to move on.