Bethany Ford - A Young Justice Novel (Robin/Dick Grayson Romance) [Completed]

Chapter 16: True Family

This chapter is short and sweet. I may post another chapter after school today! Try to stay whelmed for me.

Bethany's POV:

At the cave, I was brooding in the shower. I had been put on the same dodgeball team as Dick, Artemis, and Barbara. Artemis and I were just on our own, dodging and throwing. I wasn't that good at aiming, but dodging I was great at. Artemis was great at throwing, but not too good at dodging. While we were struggling, I had looked over at Dick and Barbara, and it looked like they were a machine. Barbara stood in front of Dick and would deflect all the dodge balls for Dick. Dick was just hiding behind Barbara and would occasionally reach around her to throw a dodgeball. Strangely, Dick was like a machine and would expertly hit his targets every time.

The reason why I was brooding was the fact that Barbara and Dick kept messing with each other. Dick and Barbara would chat and laugh and nudge each other casually, while I was running around the gym trying to dodge all the balls being thrown at me.

Ugh! It wasn't fair! Barbara and Dick seemed like they knew each other like the back of their hands. I have never been in a relationship with any guy and I never really had any close friends. After my father died and no one was there to catch me, I had realized that humans were the most manipulative, selfish, and greedy beings. I had distanced myself from everyone. Guys never talked to me anymore, so I never got close to anyone, especially since my family had seemed to shun me. It was like Ash and Cain had taken my place and I was just invisible to everyone. I had no one I could rely on. No friends, not my siblings, and not even my own parents.

I got out of the shower and dried off. I put on some soft cotton sleep shorts and a tank top and sat at the head of my bed. I drew my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms around them, and then rested my head on top of my knees. Thinking about my old life always made me so sad.

I think that my mom went crazy after Dad died and she had to marry Peter. She didn't used to be crazy and abusive. She didn't use to be like that! She used to be loving and care for me. But after Peter and his shithole kids came along, everything was ruined. Ash and Cain immediately took over the school that I went to. They became so popular and their favorite sport was to humiliate me in public everyday. After two years of hell, I had had enough and I started planning my escape. I thought I would just run away and find refuge somewhere because I was always too afraid to tell the police. I didn't know any of our family, so if the police caught my parents, then I would be put into the adoption system. I would get beat up at home and then go to school the next day with bruises everywhere. No one noticed, or they just didn't care. No one cared about me. No one. I was in that world alone.

I hadn't realized that tears were streaming down my face and I was sobbing quietly. I never cried in front of my parents or step siblings. I never wanted to give them any satisfaction of seeing me broken. By now, my head was buried in my knees and my nose was getting stuffy. My face was wet with tears.

Watching Dick and Barbara had sparked all the memories again and made me realize that I would never be able to have that kind of relationship with others. I never even experienced that kind of relationship with friends. Were Dick and Barbara just friends? I shook that thought out of my head. It's not like it mattered if they did; I never had anything with Dick anyways.

Someone knocked on my door, shaking myself out of my self pity.

"Bethany?" M'gann's voice came muffled through the door, "Can I come in?"

"U-umm, yeah sure, I just," I wiped my face really quickly and sat straight on the bed, "Umm yeah... just, like, yeah come in," I stuttered, heart pounding. Did she hear me crying?