Crazy Little Thing

Chapter 5

Jason hadn't visited the manor in quite a long time. That didn't mean he didn't still visit Debbie at St. Victoria's whenever he could. Debbie knew he was busy with his own business affairs as Red Hood but she still missed him.

"How's Ms. Jill and Barnes?" she would ask while they sat in the garden of St. Victoria.

Jason shrugged at the mention of his two partners, he kept his helmet tightly underneath his arm, "They get their work done. I heard you got Barnes a date."

Debbie was able to keep in touch with Jason and sometimes, very rarely, keep in touch with even his partners in crime. She was only a little girl to them and they had never been actually introduced but few of Jason's comrades knew of the innocent blonde.

The two continued their tradition in spending time together during the night when Debbie was at St. Victoria's. Even during the colder seasons, Debbie never failed in waiting for her friend out in the garden, sitting on one of the benches or the steps of the kiosk.

"I'll be gone for a little while," Jason told her one night.

"Jay-"

The older man gave her a stern look. Debbie huffed and looked down at her feet, her shiny black shoes were stained with mud from chasing birds with Damian at the park that afternoon, "Red, can't you at least tell me where you'll be going?"

Jason stood up. He reached up and slipped his helmet over his damp hair. Debbie simply looked on. She noticed how tattered the man's clothing was. He must've just come back from an assignment. The blonde was always curious as to what he did. She knew he kept the city safe. But she wanted details. The stains of faded blood on his jacket held many secrets.

"I need to close ties with those who we were involved with," he said in a single breath, his face turning away from her, "Who Lawrence was involved with."

The young man knew she didn't like to speak of those past events. Or perhaps he was the one that didn't like to speak about it. Either way, it made him feel terrible. Guilty and angry. So he would see to it that anything relating to Delto or Lawrence or even Debbie's innocent mother was kept under wraps or destroyed all together.

What he didn't expect was her reply to what he would be busied with for the next few weeks.

"I can help."

"Debbie, no."

"It's my life, Jason. I can take care of myself. I've proven that already," she was becoming angry.

"I really wish you hadn't."

His words hurt her. He didn't mean for it to come out that way. But it did. Debbie tried masking away the pain. She pretended she didn't care. Why would she?

The blonde shrugged, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her sweater, "I have an exam tomorrow, I should sleep."

Jason didn't even attempt to stop her from leaving. He stood like an idiot, letting her leave with not one other word. It was either let her go or have an argument which would have most likely ended on even worse terms.

Debbie spent the next few days venting out her frustration with Damian. Although the young boy knew nothing of what was happening between her and Jason. It was fine with Debbie. She needed a change anyway. Someone to help her forget about Jason all together. 

Damian quickly found out he liked riding the bus. He and Debbie decided one day after school to just jump on a bus and ride around the city. It was stupid at first but intrigued him nonetheless. Seeing the different people going on with their lives. He was sure he would never see any of these strangers ever again in his life and yet they had all shared similar destinations at the very same time. 

"Rich people don't ride the bus..." Debbie mumbled under her breath absentmindedly.

They sat at the very back of the bus, Damian in the aisle seat, making up stories in his head of all the passengers while Debbie prefered to look out the window. He turned his head toward her, "What?"

With a lazy smile she yawned, "Nothing."

It didn't take a genius to figure out the blonde had other things occupying her mind. He could read her like a book. Debbie may not tell him everything but he knew very well when something was off. He could just feel it. And he knew it had something to do with Jason. His older brother was out of the city for the time being. Damian would have hunted him down if he felt like it. But that was none of his business.

He'd never seen Debbie angry. Annoyed, yes. Frustrated, sure. But sincerely pissed off, it was difficult to picture her that way. The blonde was silent most of the time they were together. That was okay with him. He didn't mind the silence, instead he embraced the comfort of it. 

On Friday nights they would go out to the backyard of the manor and sit in the grass. Debbie said it was a way of having therapy and would release all the bad vibes from them both. Damian stayed quite and simply followed the blonde as she lead them outside. 

She liked taking off her shoes. Debbie loved the way grass felt between her toes. Damian would have thought her crazy but most of what she did no longer phased him. It was simply a thing she would do. Nothing out of the ordinary for a girl like her. 

"It's going to rain," he said as he gazed up into the sky from where he sat in the middle of the lawn. 

There was that smell. The smell before rain began to fall. It smelled like sticky, warm summer rain. The suffocating freshness. The death of the summer sun. The sky was a dark orange. Not sun orange. A gray orange of rain clouds and light pollution. The sign of rain just begging to come down. It was Debbie's favorite kind of rain. 

Debbie shrugged as she lay on her back, spreading her limbs and smiling, "So? You scared?"

Damian scoffed. How dare she accuse him of being scared of a little rain. He was only commenting on the matter. They could become sick. But he was not at all scared, so he shook his head, "Pfft, no." 

Both of them now lay beside one another. Two silly, stubborn children. The air began to pick up just the slightest. Surely it would be a windy night. Yet neither of them dared to move. Thunder rumbled from far away. Every second it came closer and closer. 

Damian bit his lip. Debbie grinned. Then suddenly she felt a shot of cold water that hit her forearm. That made her smile even larger. Damian was attacked next, two steady drops of water hit his cheekbone, making him blink suddenly. 

They both closed their eyes, neither noticing the goofy smile on each others faces. It made them smile how stupidly random they were being. Damian thought it idiotic. But he was being a child for once. It was okay. Debbie had only hoped the rain would cleanse her body of the sins she had committed. 

She hoped and hoped. 

Perhaps the rain would wash the filth from her soul. Perhaps.