Warning: I just started to become interested in DC comics, interested enough to write fanfiction for Batgirl, my favorite character who's inspired me to start reading comics in general. Also - Injustice! Yesss!

PART I

My name's Tom.

Hmm, I don't really know what else to say about myself.

Well, I'm a freshman at Gotham High School...

I enjoy sleeping, eating, reading, writing... erm, breathing.

Yes, the last part is very important. Ok, what else, what else..

Y'know, why don't we just come back to me later?

"Thomas Green."

I glance up, Mr. Wilkinson's voice breaking me out of my thoughts. He glares at me for a moment. "Thomas Green," he says again. "Why don't you help us with problem 5?"

"Erm..."

I glance down at the page of my textbook, which is the table of contents. After sneaking a glance at the book of the kid who sits next to me, I quickly turn my book to page 450 and read out problem 5. None of it makes sense to me, so I sit there a bit awkwardly in silence. As I begin to form a hum-drum explanation, I stop myself. "Okay," I say. "Why does Jason care about how many miles he's going anyway? Don't they have something to measure that?"

There's a giggle around the class, but Mr. Wilkinson, an old man with a brown mustache, does not look amused. He blinks slowly at me. "Thomas, just answer the question and stop being a smart-ass!" He looks around the room. "Everyone, this is a supremely easy question, and it will be on your test. Some people just don't get it-"

"The answer is 7 miles," a voice interrupts. Everyone's attention turns to none other than Barbara Gordon, an otherwise quiet, but cold, girl who sits in the back of the room. Barbara Gordon... no one knows much about her, except that she's Comissioner Gordon's daughter (which makes 99.99% of guys in school too afraid to approach her), and that she can be a little cold and distant. The cold and distant part, I don't know how that got around, people say she's stuck up, but personally, I just think she keeps to herself... and people don't like that (herd mentality). I stare at her for a moment, feeling a hot blush creep up my neck.

Barbara Gordon... I've always liked her. A lot.

That girl is the type of person who changes your life the moment she looks into your eyes and sees something special.

When I realize that I'm staring, I quickly break eye contact with her and glue my eyes to the textbook.

"Okay Miss Gordon, since you are so smart, let's give you the hardest question of the day," Mr. Wilkinson grunts. "This is the one that none of the others in any of my classes have been able to solve this year."

Barbara only stares back, looking bored. She's twirling a pencil in her slender fingers. "Well, bring it on then and stop flapping your lips."

His face goes red. "Miss Gordon!"

She raises her eyebrow, looks around the room. "Go ahead," she smirks. "But before you send me to the office, ask me that question."

"Okay then!" Mr. Wilkinson reads the question aloud, and all eyes turn to Barbara. She stares coolly into his eyes, and doesn't miss a beat as she answers the question correctly and smoothly. This only encourages Mr. Wilkinson to continue battering her with more, and more tough questions. She answers each one like a martial artist, a block here, a punch there, and a kick there. Everyone is stunned into silence, especially me.

The bell rings just as she finishes answering one question. Whatever Mr. Wilkinson had to say is interrupted by everyone quickly gathering their books and running out into the hallways like a herd of cattle. I, however, stay behind and watch as the teacher gives Barbara a disdainful, yet impressed, glance, and walks out of the classroom without a word. Barbara stands up and starts collecting her things, but just as she's placing a pencil in her backpack, she stops and her brown eyes flick up to meet mine.

I quickly look away and rush out into the hallway, my face red and my heart beating loudly in my ears.

"Hey you..."

The sound of her voice makes me walk even faster...

"Hey! Wait up!"

I skid to a stop, almost awkwardly, and slowly turn. Her face is inches away from mine, and I swear, her breath smells like strawberries. Or maybe that's just my imagination... rose-colored glasses. Gosh, she's beautiful. I gulp. "Hey... can I help you?" She smirks. "Thomas, right? Or Tom?" Her voice is dripping with sarcasm, disdain, and something else... something I can't quite place.

"Y-yeah..."

"Not going to thank me for saving your ass earlier?"

"Oh, um," I look at the ground. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

I look at her, then say quietly "well, you're the one who mentioned it..." At this, her eyes narrow and I quickly delve into silence, but can't help sneaking another glance. She is so freaking cute.

"You got a point there," she grins, and her whole face transforms into a kind of innocence. "Hey, let's grab lunch together, yeah?"

"Erm..."

Before I can say anything, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards the cafeteria. Oh boy. I glance up at the windows which line the hallway. It's a bright, sunny day with not a cloud in sight.

After she buys us both lunch, and I thank her timidly, she pushes the doors open into the sunshine. We have lunch behind the bleachers, where she asks me everything about myself. No, really. Finally, when the interrogation is done about my family, where I was born, what I like to do, we fall into silence... I sense the silence is just her pausing to give me permission to ask her about herself as well. I mean, I'm not used to being bossed around by a girl, but a part of me likes it. The attention, I mean... not the bossing around part. No, really! Hey, don't look at me like that.

"So... what about you?"

She looks at me, her slender hands buried in the grass, her face tilted upwards and her red hair spilling like a blood river down her shoulders. "What about me?" she asks.

"Like, your family..."

Her eyes twinkle. "My dad's a sweet guy."

"Hmm."

"Yep, don't believe me?" she pulls out a cell phone, shows me a picture of her and Comissioner Gordon baking cupcakes.

"He loves you a lot," I find myself saying.

"Yeah," she agrees quietly.

There's a short lull, then the school bell rings.

She gets up and dusts the grass off her jeans. "C'mon, slowpoke."

We're back in the hallways at school, and for some reason, even though our classes are different ends of the hallway, I'm at her locker near her next class. She places a stack of books into my arms. "Here ya go, hero. Take these for me."

"Where?"

She glances at the classroom.

"Oh, okay."

"That's what boyfriends do, right?"

My mouth drops and my face turns red. "W-what?"

"I mean, if you were my boyfriend, and there's only a 1% chance of that ever happening, then you would be carrying my books into this class for me."

"Um... yes, hypothetically..."

"And hypothetically..."

We reach the entrance of the classroom.

"Hypothetically," she says quietly, almost a whisper, "you'd kiss me, just... like... this."

Her lips touch mine. They're really soft. Just as we kiss, the bell rings.

I'm frozen... frozen in place, frozen in time.

She winks. "See ya."