The Last Talon

Chapter Eighteen

'Terry you seem agitated?' said Max, touching her friends' shoulder. He was staring at the parking lot with an anxious expression on his face. 'Are you ok?'

'Yeh, Max I'm fine.' Said Terry. He sighed. 'Dick's starting today, I called round last night to see if he wanted to catch a ride in with me, but he said he would rather make his own way here.'

'I'm sure he's fine Ter.' Said Dana, she really liked Dick and she could understand why Terry was so worried, every time they hung out as a group in the city Dick seemed very jumpy and looked at a lot of things as though he was seeing them for the first time. It made him seem so innocent and vulnerable. But from the time she had spent around him, she could already sense that he was stronger than he looked.

'I know, I just worry about him.'

'You're going to give yourself worry lines.'

They all jumped and turned to see Dick sat on the wall beside them, looking as though he had been sat there all along.

'Dude, don't do that.' Said Terry, holding a hand to his chest. The talon grinned and lowered his eyes. It was then that Terry took in what the kid was wearing. Black jeans and a black hoodie. An outfit that just screamed that it was trying to blend in. He was sure the kid would have the hood up if he thought it would help.

'How did you get here? Jason bring you in?'

Dick rolled his eyes. 'Nope, he's freaking out about me coming here. Tim called it parental separation anxiety.'

'Are you ok?' asked Terry, he could see Dick was trying to put on a brave face, but his face showed anxieties of his own.

'Yeh, I'm fine.' Dick tried a smile, but it didn't look right. 'It's just the last time I did this it didn't go so well.' The eyes went back to the floor.

'You went to school before?' asked Max, as far as she was aware Dick had been homeschooled all his life.

'A long time ago.' Said Dick, this time he didn't raise his eyes to talk. 'I don't really want to talk about it.'

'It's ok man. You've got us this time.' Said Terry. Dick didn't let on how much his heart suddenly yearned for Babs and Artemis when he said that.

'Come on, we better get inside.'

As they walked through the corridor it became apparent that Dick's plan of blending in was not going to work. Everyone watched them and whispered as they walked passed. Terry caught bits of the whispers, but he knew for a fact Dick was hearing all of it. Dick's eyes never left the floor and Terry had never seen him look so vulnerable.

As they continued down the hall, Nelson Nash and his crew came from the opposite direction. Dick sensed them and sidestepped to avoid them, but Nelson sidestepped too and crashed into him. He had intended to send the kid to the ground, but Dick managed to stay on his feet and didn't seem to be unbalanced.

'Watch where you're going freak.' Said Nelson.

'Leave him alone Nelson, you're the one that walked into him.'

'You got a problem, McGinnis?'

'Yeh, maybe I do.'

'Terry!' Dana pulled her boyfriend back. 'This isn't helping, just walk away.'

'Better listen to your girlfriend McGinnis.' Nelson smirked. 'And you.' He pointed at Dick, who didn't flinch. 'You better stay out of my way freak.'

Freak!

Circus Freak!

'Hey Circus Freak, what did I tell you about being such a know it all in class, it makes the rest of us look bad.'