Tweetie

58

Robin walked, her face blank of emotion as she moved around the crowd, her eyes searching the stalls that gathered, getting ready for the big baseball game to start.

For a game so busy, it still felt incredibly lonely. She saw the people, she heard the rumble of so many different conversations. Once, she listened to them, once, she tried to find a lead from the conversations that weren't her own. These were all people who were none the wiser to the issues, they didn't see blood pool on the pavement under the glow of a neon light. They didn't see the scratches on the back of doors, pleading to be let out. They saw nothing but the current moments. It must have been nice.

The night was darkening, soon to be pitch black, yet everything was lit by bright lights above them that shone onto the field and the crowd. It was as if they were at a professional baseball game...

So that's where all the schools funds went.

 As much as she wanted the game to be the reason she was there, so she could cheer her friend on, it was not, and she refused to trick her mind into thinking that way.

Everybody was dressed casually, ready to spend their night cheering for their team and watching pretty fireworks. Unfortunately, it made it a little harder to distinguish who was who, and the crowd was large, filled with students from two different schools as she scanned everyone, taking in their features and their clothes but never finding the right person in her mission to finally put an end to the case that had made her life all the more miserable.

She was about to move to another section of the crowd when she noticed a flash of blonde, then a yell she couldn't distinguish and then, of course, she was being tackled in a hug, forcing her to let a short gasp escape her in surprise.

"Tweetie!" Joel latched onto her stomach, refusing to let go as she widened her eyes, hoping not to fall back in her still overwhelmed state from so many nights working. "I've been so worried! Are you okay!?"

"Joel," she breathed, taking a moment to realise what was happening. And before she knew it, she was hugging him back, forgetting the main reason she was even there. "Are you okay?" She stole his question, "I tried to get things done as soon as I could."

"I'm okay," he smiled, trying his best to reassure her. But, as he pulled away and looked over her, she couldn't help but acknowledge his exhausted eyes that bore into her.

Immediately, she hooked him in another hug.

"Thank you for calling," he hummed into the hug, taking it with a smile, "it really helped. But are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in months."

"Oh," she stopped, remembering why she was there. And quickly, she stepped back and away from him, turning to the crowd in an anxious state of panic. "I'm looking for-"

She was stopped, her words cut short as the crowd yelled, chanting their school teams names as the players made their way onto the field, getting ready for the game. It felt like thunder, like a roar that could have made the ground shake and the field split in two. There were particular names being called out by friends of the players, but mostly, 'Fox'. Of course, the popular group of boys would always be the centre of attention, no matter how little they wanted it.

"Are you alright, Tweetie?"

"Not yet," she shook Joel away, not meeting his eyes as she searched. Then she saw the familiar face of Oscar, his purple hair anything but bland as he waved to her frantically, hoping to catch her attention. She returned the wave, though, her eyes still searched the crowd, frustrated by the situation. He wasn't there.

"God," she breathed out, stepping away from Joel in her own pool of growing annoyance. "I have to go."

And before he could argue, she was gone, running down the steps and catching Fox's eyes as she escaped the crowd and instead headed towards the school.