Rites of Passage | Damian x OC

12. New Beginnings

Between Jess's schedule and Misty's much busier life, the two of them hadn't had a chance to do anything together aside from the few nights they'd grabbed dinner or breakfast together at the facility. That didn't count though, according to the black-and-pink-haired teen, as hanging out, so when they'd realized they both had Sunday afternoon free, Misty insisted on taking her new roommate to some of her favorite spots in Gotham.

The first destination of interest was some gaming arcade that she'd apparently been going to for a few years. Jess had been a mild, intermediate gamer when she was younger, having owned a console or two, but she was by no means an expert at anything she'd ever played. Regardless, she was open to checking the place out, eager to do something different that didn't have to do with books or searching for decent job offers.

She was currently standing in front of the floor-length mirror Misty had recently brought in and stood up against the wall—unfortunately right next to her Batman poster, so he was practically staring at Jess—pulling her hair back into a smooth, high ponytail.

"So is he hot?"

Jess, turning to glance at her with both hands working the scrunchie around her hair, asked, "Huh?" They hadn't spoken in the last several minutes while she finished getting ready, and Misty was waiting patiently until they'd leave.

Sitting cross-legged on her bed with a lollipop in her hand (Jess had learned the girl had a major sweet tooth), having changed into a dark purple t-shirt dress, Misty clarified, "The dude you said you're helping at the library."

"Matthew?" Her nose scrunched up at the idea of "hot" and "Matthew" being in the same sentence. "Um, ew."

"Oh my god, no, not the librarian," Misty snorted. "I meant the guy you're helping, like, with the shelving or whatever. Damian? Isn't that his name?"

"Ohh..." Jess saw the chiseled face in her mind's eye, the piercing green eyes, and wondered why the other girl was even asking. "Well, yeah, you could say he's nice to look at."

"So he's not ugly or just 'okay'? Like medium-ugly? He's actually attractive?"

A short laugh escaped from her just as she stepped away from the mirror, satisfied that her ponytail had no bumps or flyaways. "'Medium-ugly'?" Jess repeated, reaching for the sneakers at the foot of her bed. "I've never heard that before. Why do you ask?"

Misty sighed as she twirled the lollipop in her mouth. "Pretty much every hot guy in Gotham is a douche or really dense, so I wonder which of those Damian is then. But based on what you said about him, he sounds like he's more of a douche, and you also mentioned he seems pretty smart."

Jess's shoulders quickly moved upwards in a shrug as she sat at the edge of her bed, tying her shoelaces. "I don't really know him at all, but he can definitely come off like a jerk sometimes. I don't think he does it on purpose though—he's just naturally that way."

"Hmm. Maybe that just makes him that much hotter."

As they left their room and traveled through the facility hallways, Misty then said, "Well hey, you never know, maybe you and him will hit it off. Some girls are into the whole 'asshole that treats you like shit' personality." She turned to Jess and raised her filled-in eyebrows. "Are you into that? I'm not into that, but it's cool if you are."

Jess smiled shyly and shook her head. "I've actually never been in a relationship... Even if I was, I would hope it wouldn't be with a guy who's an ass."

Plus, I'm way out of his league in every department, not just physical looks.

"Good. I was lying when I said it'd be cool if you're into that. I've had friends and known too many girls who, unfortunately, had to be in that position."