Shocking Love (Dick Grayson) UNDER MAJOR EDITING

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Dick’s POV.

What was I going to do? I don’t have a place to live, a job, what was I going to do? If I didn’t have a uniform, I wouldn’t be able to go to school, so I might as well just find a place to live and get a job as fast as I could.

 I walked through the gates of Wayne Manor, giving it one last look. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Alfred. I gave out a sigh and continued on my journey. After hours of walking I finally arrived in Gotham City.

I walked around trying to find myself a job, luckily I came across a little sign that said ‘help wanted’, it was at a bakery. I walked in, the smell of fresh bread being made my tummy rumble. I’ll buy one when I really need it.

“Hi, how can I help you?” the lady at the counter asked.

“I saw the help wanted sign, and I was wondering if I could apply for a job here?” I replied.

 “Um, I’m sorry, how old are you?” she asked politely, “I’m 14 years old”, I saw her look behind all he piles of bread and then nodding to…herself

“I’m sorry, your too young to work here….or anywhere for that matter, you have to be 16 and up.” She said, she looked as though she was actually sorry.

 “Oh, that’s okay” I said. I walked out of store, I could have bought food except, I had to save my $50. The only money I had. Great, if I don’t have a job, how was I supposed to buy a house?

If only I hadn’t been diagnosed with insomnia.

Where was I going to sleep now? If I go to the cave, everyone will start to ask questions as to why I’m sleeping there, if I go to the watchtower Batman will be there, I can’t go back to the manor cause Bruce basically banished be from there. I guess my only option was to go sleep on the streets or the park. Well, the streets, people will notice me, so I guess it’s the park. I stared making my way towards the park, surprisingly there were no kids here, and I just hope it stays that way. I walked up the stairs on the playground and sat myself in one of the tunnels (the ones you have to crawl through on all fours), this is it then, my life.

Living out of children’s playground.

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Night had fallen and it had become really cold. I was tired but I couldn’t sleep thanks to that stupid insomnia. What was I going to do if I couldn’t sleep? If I stayed on my civilian clothes people would notice me as Dick Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne and then they would start to question why I was living on the streets, than living in the manor. I guess my only choice was to stay in my Robin suit.

I got took of my civilian clothes, which was kind of hard because I was in a tight space. Now I had to go on patrol because if someone found me in a child’s playground instead of patrolling Gotham. But if I went patrolling, I would be sure to meet Batman at some point. No. He said I he didn’t want to see me. Whatever. I quickly stashed my backpack under some leaves that had fallen underneath a tree. I jumped from roof to roof finally setting on Wayne Tech building. I don’t even know why I came here.

“I am so hungry right now.” I said quietly to myself, and as if on cue my tummy started to grumble.

 No.

Eating can wait; right now I have to patrol Gotham in case someone gets hurt.

After sitting on the rooftop for at least 1 hour, nothing seemed to be happening, I don’t know if it was a good thing, that nothing bad was happening, or if it was bad that nothing bad was happening. You know what I mean?

 Great where to go now? I guess there is only one place that I could go. To my parents. I swung across each building until I came across the cemetery gates. I walked through them and began walking through the endless rows of graves until I came across an all too familiar one. I laid down next to them and began to talk to them almost as if they were there.

“Hi mum, hi dad. I’ve missed you guys. I know I haven’t been visiting much but that’s because there’s been so much going on lately. A couple years ago I had this massive crush on this girl called Charlie, and I asked Bruce if I could invite her over, he said no and that there would be consequences if I did, but I was too blind to see that he was telling the truth, so I invited her over anyway. Boy, was that a mistake. We dated for a year! A year and I didn’t even notice anything. She was using me mum. She only dated me because of some stupid bet she made.”

 I stopped to take in a deep breath as it still hurt whenever I though about her. Bruce was right. It was wrong to invite her over. You know, he punished me? He punished his own ‘child’ for inviting a girl over. I mean, I would understand why he punished me when he found out, but when he did, I hadn’t even invited the girl over yet. Things at school hadn’t been getting better. She announced the whole thing out at a school assembly and all the kids laughed at me. Do you know what it feels like to be laughed at? It hurts to know, that people are laughing at you, not with you, but at you.

“The team, they’ve been ignoring me, just because I stuffed up one mission. Even Wally was ignoring me for a while. Did you know, that once we beat Poison Ivy, even though I got knocked out, the team didn’t even notice me? They left for the cave to go celebrate. How could they not know that I wasn’t even there? Am I that bad of a person that they just chose to ignore me entirely?

Oh, yeah, Bruce also place a shocker collar on me, and I think he put a tracer on me, but I think he took it off. Whenever I did something bad, he would shock me. I still remember, when I stuffed up the mission, Batman said I couldn’t be Robin for a whole month, so he locked me in one of his spare rooms and beat me! I only got one meal a day. He would beat me until I was bloody and bruised! I was so tired and weak! I could barely do anything!” tears were now rushing down my face, when it dawned on me, that I had actually done nothing since my parents had died.

“I noticed some changes, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night because every time I closed my eyes flashbacks of your death, and Bruce beating and shocking me would appear. So I went to the doctor and found out some stuff. Do you know what he told me? He told me, that I was diagnosed with insomnia. Do you know what that is? It’s the inability to sleep because something so traumatising has happened and has implanted itself in my mind. There is no cure and the only was to stop it and to just hope it goes away…. What if it never goes away?

What will happen?

Will I die from sleep deprive? I wasn’t planning on telling Brue because I knew he would send me back to the orphanage, but he found out. He found out and then kicked me out! So now I have nowhere to live. The only home I have now is in a child’s playground. Winter’s coming up and I don’t think I have enough clothes to keep me warm for the rest of the winter.

What do I do mum?

Dad?

I have nowhere to live, no one to look after me, and worst of all, I have no friends to help me. I miss you guys so much, I would trade anything to see you one more time.”

I was crying now. My life is so messed up. I had no one to help me. And for once in my life, I fell asleep next to my parents.

**********************************************************************************I woke up to someone poking me awake. I looked up to see a groundskeeper poking me with a stick. “Rough Night?” he questioned. “Probably had a hard time fighting Joker” I looked down only to realise that I was still in my Robin suit. “Ha-ha, yeah” When had Joker attacked? I stood up and took one last glance at my parent’s grave and ran off to go back to my ‘home’

Except one thought dawned on me.

 Had I actually fallen asleep last night?