Revenge (Seqeal To Wrong Parent)

9--Gala

"You know," I said. "The mountain's not that bad." I frowned as Bruce fixed my suit jacket and tie. "Isn't this dangerous? I mean, you're still healing from the explosion and I won't even be in costume..."

"We'll have the whole Justice League and the team watching our backs," Bruce said, smoothing back my hair. "I haven't made a public appearance in weeks, which could cause people to ask questions. And they'd ask even more if you weren't there." He hesitated for a moment before looking me straight in the eye. "Now, I'm going to warn you before it's too late. You're going to hear some people calling you some awful things, like a charity case, alright? Don't believe them."

I nodded. "Okay."

Bruce smile. "And try not to look so nervous. I'm scared that Deathstroke will crash this party too, but being nervous causes people to ask questions."

I nodded. "Alright." I was scared to the bone, but I tried not to show it. Taking a deep breath, I followed Bruce downstairs. People had already shown up and I was surprised that there were going to be more. I'd already decided that I didn't like galas. I followed Bruce down the stairs and tried to hide from the curious glances my way. "Aw, it's a little Bruce," someone said. Another stated, "He must be adopted. Looks foreign." The loud comments set my teeth on edge, but I simply smiled and followed Bruce through the crowd, resisting the urge to clutch onto the back of his suit coat for support. I wasn't a child anymore. I could do this.

As I glanced at the window, I spotted Superman flying past and I couldn't help but smirk. I couldn't believe there was this much security for me. Slade would be an idiot if he tried to attack tonight. I started to calm down at that thought.

Bruce stopped to chat with some people and I awkwardly stood behind him, looking around at everyone. Rich snobs. Every last one of them. I felt extremely out of place, like a smudge of dirt on a palace floor. There were a couple more comments indirectly directed towards me, but I ignored them.

Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. I resisted the urge to jump and turned around to face a girl who looked a little older than me. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back from her face and wore a dark blue dress. "Hello," she said with a smile. "My name is Kristen. Who are you? I haven't seen you at any parties before."

"Um, I'm Dick. I'm Bruce's ward," I awkwardly held out my hand and she shook it.

"Dick? Is that a nickname?" She asked.

I nodded. "It's short for Richard."

"You want to come and meet my friends?" Her smile was so genuine I nodded. She grabbed my arm and led me through the sea of people to a group of teenagers. They were all sitting at a table together. There were three girls and two boys. I could sense the 'rich-kid' aura surrounding them. I regretted agreeing to this almost immediately. I was just going to end up embarrassing myself.

"Hey everyone," Kristen said, waving. "This is Dick. He's Bruce Wayne's ward."

"Dick?" One of the boys asked. "What kind of a name is that?"

"Um...it's a nickname," I said quietly, feeling my face getting warm.

"For what? Dickhead?"

I gritted my teeth. "No. Richard."

"Come on, guys," Kristen said. "Don't be mean."

"So how come you live with Mr. Wayne?" One of the girls asked politely. I bit my lip. I really didn't need their pity, but I decided to answer anyway. "My parents are dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, sounding sincere. "How did they die? Was there a car accident?"

I shook my head. "You see, I grew up in the circus-"