November 2 2014. Dick and Jason's house.

"Happy birthday!"

Raven woke up from her slumber to the sound of loud confetti popping and cheering. She adjusted her eyes – Jason and Dick were on her bed, towering over her still body, their eyes full of excitement and joy. Raven was reminded of two over-excited twin dogs waiting for their owner to wake up. She groaned. "Get off me."

Jason and Dick complied with a goofy grin on their faces. "Happy birthday," Dick said, sitting down on the edge of the bed whilst Raven sat up. He took out a small box and handed it to Raven. "This was from your dad."

Raven took a moment to shake the box to figure out what it was. "My dad?" Raven asked, slowly pulling the ribbon tying the box closed. Dick nodded.

"Well, yeah," Dick said. "Someone came here at dawn and said it was for you."

"But it wasn't my dad."

"No."

"Huh."

The day before her birthday, Raven's dad unceremoniously announced that he was needed at the Ivory Coast. For what reason, Raven didn't ask, but it meant that Raven would be spending her birthday alone, once again. But then, she was reminded of the party. That for once, she actually had friends to celebrate with. She smiled, and she proceeded to ask Dick and Jason if it was alright for her to stay over in their guest room for the night. The two of them eagerly accepted, and the three of them spent most of their Saturday night watching British television.

"What's inside?" Dick asked, and Raven opened the box, revealing a pair of raven-shaped earrings. Underneath was a small folded note, which Raven took out and read aloud.

"'Happy Birthday,'" Raven read. "'Make sure the all doors are locked.' Thanks, Dad."

Jason snorted, and took the gift and the note away from Raven's hands, placing it on the bedside table. "Enough about your dad," Jason said. "Ugh he's scary."

"Comes in the genes," Raven said drily, and Jason rolled his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Ten thirty," Jason replied, and he nodded in confirmation when Raven widened her eyes in shock. "Yep. Get up and shower! The party starts at six, and we need to prep."

But before Raven could get off her bed, Dick interrupted her. "Wait," Dick said, and Raven readjusted her seat on the bed. Waiting for a response, Raven inevitably frowned when Dick and Jason stayed in their places, but once Dick gave a knowing look to his brother, Raven felt nervous. After Raven urged him to continue, Dick and Jason gave a smirk, and Raven was amazed at how alike the two of them were despite not being actually related to each other. Awaiting their response, Raven was thrown back when Jason and Dick immediately lunged at her, giving her a crushing hug. "Happy birthday!"

Raven was physically restrained by their hug, and grunted. "You guys said that already." Said Raven once the two of them let her go.

Dick dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, but you weren't really awake by then," Dick said, and Raven watched Jason lift another birthday gift from the floor. With approval from Dick, Jason handed Raven the gift. "Open it."

"Jeez," Raven said as she unwrapped the gift wrapper. "I feel the love."

Jason chuckled. "Hurry up, you nerd."

Raven opened her gift, and laughed in delight once she found out what it was. "Scented candles?" Raven asked, lifting the gift up for her to observe. Dick chuckled, and Jason shrugged with a smile. "'Smells like the library.' Thanks, guys."

Jason frowned. "Are you being sarcastic?"

Raven frowned back. "No," Raven said. "I actually like the gift."

"Oh," Then the three of them laughed. "Well the candle is Dick's idea," Jason said, pointing to his brother who grinned. "I have another gift for you, but that's like a collective thing… Um, you'll see later."

Raven chuckled, and set aside the gift on the bedside table. "Thanks," Raven said. "Really. You guys are very thoughtful."

"So you know how tomorrow is the start of fall break?" Raven nodded at Dick's questions. "I've been thinking that we should go on a road trip."

Raven tilted her head and pointed at Jason. "With him?"

Jason shook his head no. "Ugh, sorry," Jason said with a scowl. "But I hate road trips."

"It's just going to be the five of us," Dick said. "What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea."

Suddenly, Dick's smartphone rang. "That must be Wally." Dick said, promptly leaving the room. Raven stared, confused.

"Wally?" Raven asked, and Jason shrugged. The two of them were met with silence that consisted of the two of staring at each other. Finally, Raven broke the silence by laughing. "A staring contest. Great way to start the day."

Jason chuckled. "That was unplanned, yeah."

"Well, I'm off," Raven said, standing up from the bed. "Go accompany Dick or something."

But before Raven could leave the room, Jason grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Wait," Jason said, and Raven turned around to see Jason staring at her with a blank look. She tilted her head, waiting for a response. "…Does Gar make you happy?"

Raven blushed. After Raven told Jason what happened after her date with Gar, Jason was inexplicably overprotective towards Raven. Raven was quite bothered with the surging attention she received from Jason, but decided to let it flow. After all, the two of them often quite meddled with each other's affairs whenever a problem arose.

But ever since Jason revealed that he had an altercation with Gar, Raven took the initiative to fix things herself, fearing that if things were left unaltered, then Jason would be far too possessive over Raven. And to the relief and surprise of Raven, everything worked quite in her favour. Not only did Gar actually like her back, Gar wasn't moving out of Jump City. Raven felt so elated.

Does Gar make Raven happy?

Every time she hears a notification from Gar's messages, Raven immediately feels a small twinge of excitement rushing through her veins. Every time Gar would crack a silly joke to make Raven laugh, Raven's heart would flutter at his attempts. The way Gar would grin once seeing Raven in sight. The way Gar would send her a morning text with a corny joke or picture. The way Gar would invite Raven over just to show her a new piece he learned on the guitar. The way Gar would lean on Raven's shoulder whenever he was tired. Anything Gar would do, whether big or small, was enough for Raven to feel bursts of glee.

So, does Gar make Raven happy? "Yes," Raven finally said, smiling fondly at her thoughts. "Yes, he makes me happy."

Jason simply looked at Raven with an unreadable expression, and after a while, he let go of Raven's wrist with a smirk. "Thank goodness," Jason said, sounding relieved. "I don't think I could handle babying you anymore."

Raven gasped in mock offense and hit Jason's shoulder. "That was on your own volition, Todd-ler."

Jason laughed. "Ouch," Jason said, placing his hand over his chest. "My heart, it burns with pain."

"I'm going now, you dolt."

"Yeah, you better shower," Jason called out once Raven walked out of the room. "You stink!"

Raven laughed, pulling out an obscene hand gesture for Jason to see. Raven couldn't see his expression, but she felt immensely proud of herself once she heard Jason gasp in mock attitude.

After an hour, Raven was finished with her shower. She didn't mean to spend that long in the bathroom, but Raven supposed she was occupied with her thoughts. A shiver ran through her spine. She couldn't believe that in a few hours, people would be over at Dick's house celebrating her birthday. The attendees were a variety of people from the freak list, to a number of juniors, sophomores, freshmen, juniors, and some other extra invites that Raven hadn't bothered to check. It surprised her that that much amount of people coming knew what they were celebrating and weren't bothered.

So much has changed, Raven thought to herself, and for the better too.

Raven took one last look in the mirror. Before coming over to Jason's, Jason specifically told her to bring some "decent-looking clothes to wear and not some hipster-looking goth kind of crap" clothes. Raven, not sure what exactly Jason meant, simply chose a blue draped neck top and black pants. There wasn't any specified dress code, but Raven was sure that no one would dress over the top for everyone would most likely fall in the pool at some point of the party. Raven decided against putting any make up now, as she was certain it'd be smudged in a few hours even before the party.

She tilted her head. Honestly, Raven couldn't remember when she dressed up for a birthday party on her own request. The closest thing she could remember was her failed joint birthday party with Kitten when she was six. Raven laughed bitterly. She wondered what Kitten was doing right now.

Raven wasn't oblivious; she knew that Gar's party has taken a toll on Kitten's mental health. Not that she cared – after seeing Kitten's desperate attempts to regain party guests, Raven wasn't sure exactly why she was anxious of Kitten's moves against the party. For some reason, it was satisfying to see people unbothered with Kitten's antics. Kitten has been so domineering throughout high school, that it was nice for Raven to see that Kitten wasn't exactly influential anymore. Raven tried to set aside any hatred between the two of them, to simply ignore everything that has happened between the two of them, but one listen of Kitten's sinister laugh was enough for Raven to dream of snapping Kitten into two. Raven was ever so grateful for her inner patience that she thought she never had.

Regardless, Raven hoped that one day, Kitten would wake up and realize how monstrous she has been to everyone. Maybe it would be today.

After cleaning her mess, Raven turned off the bathroom lights and left. She headed to the living room, and was pleasantly surprised once she saw the furniture pushed away with a platform to perform in the front. Raven saw Dick talking to Wally and two other people she recognized as Charlie from Pre-Calculus and Isaiah from English. Just as she was staring, Isaiah blindly turned his head, and smiled once he saw Raven.

"Hey, Raven!" Isaiah called out, and Raven headed to the four of them, noticing a bunch of technical set up in her view. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Raven said, and she said the same to Charlie who greeted her as well.

"Raven," Wally said joyously, and hugged Raven, to which Raven reluctantly returned. "Happy sixteenth!"

"Thanks, Wally," Raven and Wally never conversed much, but Raven did enjoy talking to him in her AP Psychology class about various scientific topics. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're setting up the main hall," Charlie replied, and Raven wondered exactly who invited him, for she didn't recall anyone being particularly close to him. "Lighting, the stage... Stuff like that."

"Huh?"

Wally gave her a pointed look. "You can't seriously expect us to party in the dark," Wally said, then paused to think. "Well, actually, that'd be cool. Do we have glow sticks?"

"That's not what I meant," Raven said. "I meant, why do we have a stage?" Raven looked at the platform next to her.

Dick stepped in to answer. "The sophomores are performing," Dick replied. "In fact, I think they're practicing right now."

Raven gave it a thought. "Jason's band?" Raven asked, and Dick nodded. "I see. Is everything else ready?"

Isaiah shrugged. "Theatre's ready, yeah?" Everyone but Isaiah and Raven nodded. "The swimming pool is already prepped with stuff and such… Basically, yeah. We just need to test the lights here, set up the stage, and wait for Kole's crew to come in and set up the food."

"I can't believe this is actually happening." Raven muttered to herself, and Wally, who heard her, laughed and patted her on the back.

"Believe it, Raven," Wally said, his voice full of mirth. "It's happening. It's happening right now."

Raven took a second to take in her surroundings. "Where's Jinx?" Raven asked, and Wally scrunched his eyebrows.

"Why is everyone asking me that?" Raven blinked at how purely curious Wally's voice was.

Aren't you dating? Raven wanted to ask, but decided against it. "Never mind."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Well," Dick butted in. "As much as it's nice to have you here, Raven, I think I say this on the behalf of everyone when we'd rather keep the element of surprise."

"You're kicking me out."

Wally chuckled. "Kind of, yeah," Wally admitted. "It's weird to set up something for someone right in front of that someone."

Raven scowled. "Where would I go?"

Wally shrugged. "Gar's? I don't know."

"Actually," Isaiah interrupted. "I think he's with Jinx and the seniors setting up the entertainment. He's coming here soon."

"Oh, so that's where Jinx is," Wally said to himself, and Raven was genuinely intrigued at how laidback Wally was regarding Jinx. "But still. It's weird having you here."

"Wow," Raven wheezed out. "I'm being ostracised at my own birthday."

Dick rolled his eyes jokingly. "Sorry, Raven."

"I think I want to stay back and help," Raven said determinedly. "I don't want it all about me. Isn't this party about having fun together? I think… I think it'd be best if I contribute too. Otherwise I'd feel like everyone's slaving for me."

The four guys looked at each other, then finally shrugged. "Fine," Dick relented. "But trust us when we tell you to look away. We still want to keep the element of surprise."

Chuckling, Raven accepted, and the five of them resumed working in peace.

xx

November 2 2014. Kole's house.

"Oh! Friend Kole, the cake looks marvellous!"

Kole blushed at Kori's comment, revelling at how amazing her own work looked. Her idea of a cake consisting of ravens and books was executed perfectly – in a fit of artistic inspiration, Kole simply designed the cake so that a debonair-looking raven bird was standing on top of a stack of books. To ensure representation of the freak list's independence, Kole, with the help of Kori, made nine more miniature birds coloured with every member of the freak list's favourite colour. Some people, like Jericho and Kori, had the same favourite colour, so Kole decided to add some more defining elements such as their hairstyles. Kole smiled. The cake was perfect.

"Gee, Kori, thanks," Kole said, and she looked to the left of her own cake and saw a beautifully adorned cupcake tower made by Gnarrk and Jericho. She sighed in fascination. "The tower looks amazing, boys."

Gnarrk and Jericho, who were standing in front of Kole and Kori, simply smiled and blushed. "Thank you." Jericho signed.

Kole smiled at her best friend, and signed back: "You're welcome."

"Shall we place the desserts in their cases of protection?" Kori suggested, and Jericho nodded, walking to retrieve the cases.

"Hey," Kole said, watching Jericho and Gnarrk carefully place the desserts in their cases. "What time is it?"

"It is four-thirty," Kori said. "I think we should head over right now."

Kole nodded, agreeing. "Sure," Kole said. "I'll tell the others in the living room."

Kori smiled, and proceeded to help the boys wrap the other foods, while Kole headed out of the kitchen. After she heard that the freshmen of the recycling club had problems agreeing with a location to meet up in to work on the birthday mural, Kole proposed that the freshmen work in her house instead. Lorena, who was dating Eddie of sophomore year, asked if it was alright for the sophomore band to prepare in Kole's house as well, and Kole agreed, thinking it would be a good idea if many people prepared at the same spot.

Kole walked into the living room to see the freshmen covering their finished artwork with black cloth. On the other side of the room, Kiran of the sophomore band seemed to be practicing singing, with other members of the band practicing their own acapella noises. Kole quirked an eyebrow. She didn't know the sophomores very well, but after getting to know them prior the party, Kole found them to be extremely good company. She blushed at Jason's presence, slightly guilty and tempted to confess to him that he was a recurring topic of gossip during the recycling club, but she decided against it.

Kole, noticing that the school had a lack of promotion for community service projects, decided to open up a community service club that would operate right after fall break. Following the school rule of requiring a minimum of eight people to start a club, Kole was immensely relieved when the freshmen and the sophomores in her house agreed to joining.

"Hey guys," Kole said, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. "We should go – it takes half an hour from here to Dick's house!"

Humming in agreement, everyone in the room wrapped up what they were doing and headed out of the house, with the freshmen slightly bantering on methods of delivering their oversized mural to their destination.

Satisfied, Kole returned to the kitchen, happy that the food supply was ready to be brought. "Guys," Kole said, her voice airy. Her three friends looked at her in interest. "I am so excited!"

Kori squealed, and immediately ran over to Kole's side. The two of them jumped up and down, squealing in excitement, and once they calmed down, Kole and Kori giggled. "I, too, am feeling the excitement!" Kori said. "Have you greeted friend Raven the 'happy birthday'?"

Kole's face fell. "Oh," Kole said. "No, I haven't! But I suppose I will wait until I see her in person."

"Agreed." Kori said.

"I have," Jericho signed. "On Facebook. She says she cannot wait to see what you have prepared and help us out."

"Gnarrk." Gnarrk supplied, and Kole raised an eyebrow.

"You greeted Raven already, too?" Kole asked Gnarrk, and Gnarrk nodded in response. Kori and Kole pouted.

"Are we bad friends?" Kori asked, and Kole shook her head no, reassuring Kori that an in-person greeting would be much more meaningful.

The four of them proceeded to carefully bring the food supply to Gnarrk's van. Once they finished, the four of them settled down inside the van, with Kole being interrupted from her buzzing cell phone.

"Hold on," Kole said, picking up the call. "Hello?"

"Kole!" Gar's voice said at the other end of the line, and Kole immediately put her phone on speaker, mouthing to everyone that it was Gar. "Are you guys coming over?"

"Hello, friend Gar!" Kori chirped in, and Gar laughed, greeting Kori back.

"Yeah," Kole answered. "We might be there around five fifteen? Gnarrk's driving right now. What's up?"

"Is it weird of me to say that I'm completely nervous?"

Kori giggled. "Do not be nervous, friend Gar!" Kori said. "I have faith that everything will go well in the end."

"Thanks," Gar paused. "I just called to check in. I'm with Jinx right now –" "– Hey. –" "And some other seniors. We'll be reaching in just… Right now, actually. Remember to enter from the back door, yeah?"

"Yeah, Gar, we've heard it all from the almighty leader," Kole said, and giggled slightly at her nickname for Dick. "See you there!"

"Bye!"

With that, Gar hung up, and the four of them conversed together again. Their conversation fell short, however, when Kori immediately pointed out her view. "Friends! Is that Bette and Rose?"

Kole, not believing what Kori said for they just passed the local park, tilted her head to see Kori's view, and gasped. "What are they doing there?"

"They are attending the party of Kitten, are they not?"

"Yeah," Kole said. "But the local park is like a fifteen minute drive to Kitten's house. What are they doing there?"

"How odd," Kori said, her voice tracing with confusion. "Are they not attending the party of Kitten?"

"Who knows," Kole said, relaxing back in her seat. "Maybe they got sick of Kitten."

xx

November 2 2014. Walker Mansion.

Kitten was fuming. It was eight past five, and only a total of thirty people were present. That was a stark difference from last year's seventy, and Kitten felt like as if she wanted to faint. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that her party was going to be a flop, and Kitten didn't like that feeling at all.

"Where is everybody?!" Kitten whined, and was further annoyed when Selinda shrugged next to her. Kitten groaned. Kitten had a tendency to start her parties early, so even though her invitation said five, it was usually customary for her guests to appear thirty minutes earlier. But after moments and moments of waiting outside of the mansion's gates for guests, Kitten grew increasingly impatient. Every car, every van, every…one who passed by Kitten's house would raise her hopes up and then inevitably crush it when she realized that people were only passing by her house to get to Grayson's house.

Kitten frowned to herself. Honestly, it was so weird. Everyone used to be on their knees asking about details about her grand party and buzzing in excitement about how amazing Kitten's birthday party would be, and now every time Kitten even tried to approach the subject of her party, people would just give her a small smile telling her that they'd "think about it".

"Well?!" Kitten demanded. "Bette and Rose are supposed to be here any second, where are they now?!"

"Oh my gosh, Kitty," Selinda said, and Kitten narrowed her eyes at how exasperated Selinda sounded. "I don't know. Stop asking me and ask them."

Kitten tilted her head in annoyance. "I have been, like, texting them since forever!" Kitten exclaimed, and she didn't miss how Selinda shot her brother an annoyed look, to which her brother responded with a similar sentiment. "Is everyone going to the freak party?!"

Kitten paused in her tracks, and widened her eyes. "Oh my gosh," Kitten said, feeling as if she had a grand epiphany. "No one's going to my party because they're all going to the others!"

"Or maybe," Baran supplied. "Less people are interested in going to parties this year. It's junior year."

"Bull," Kitten spat. "Everyone was dying to go to my party until that freak party showed up. What's the difference now?"

"Jeez Kitten," Baran groaned, and Kitten watched Selinda try to pacify her own brother to no avail. "Not everyone wants to go to any of the parties because you made it such a big deal!"

"What do you mean?"

"He means nothing," Selinda interrupted. "Right, Baran?"

"I don't get why you're so hyped up about this party," Baran said, completely ignoring everything his sister said to his sister's dismay. "Some people are going to the other party, some people are going to this, and some people just can't give a rat's ass about this whole party war going on! People are already here, Kitten, can't we start the party already?"

"No!" Kitten shrieked. "I invited everyone. Well, except the list, of course, but that's not my point. Everyone usually goes to my party, and now that they have a choice, they're actually picking the freak party over mines?! Are they insane?! And where are the others? Bette? Rose? Oh my gosh, I'm pretty sure they're with that ugly, dumb, stupid backstabber Gemma in that freak party right now!"

"Kitty!" Selinda exclaimed. "There's no need to be mean!"

Kitten eyed Selinda curiously. "Are you serious?" Kitten said. "What is this, breaking news, the Flinders twins are now pro-Gemma? Don't try to deny this, I know you have this weird best friend obsession with Gemma and I know your own brother has a freaky crush on her, which, by the way, Gemma will never reciprocate because you're a freak! Both of you are freaks!"

Baran narrowed his eyes. "Well maybe Selinda and I should just go to the other freak party then! Maybe we'd be more respected there!"

Kitten ignored the other party guests crowding in to see what was going on. "Don't you dare leave my party for theirs!"

"Kitty," Selinda said, her voice quavering with worry. "Please calm down. The people coming in the other party are just, freaks, right? They're not worth it… Please, Kitty, look around. Can we just party now? Look, everyone is staring."

Kitten couldn't calm down. Every thought that popped in her head was enough for Kitten to wish impending doom on everyone. She hated knowing that her party wasn't the centre of attention anymore. She hated that people cared less about Kitten. She hated it, and she hated that she couldn't do anything about it.

Unless…

"Attention!" Kitten said loudly, attracting the attention of all of her guests. "This party is now postponed."

Kitten ignored the gasps and murmurs she generated across her surroundings, and proceeded to text someone of importance. A few minutes later, a long, sleek, fuchsia-coloured limousine drove past Kitten's front yard, and stopped once Kitten held up her hand. Everyone watched with intent curiosity, wondering what Kitten was up to this time.

Selinda was the first to speak up. "Kitty… What are you doing?"

Kitten looked at Selinda with fierce determination before getting inside her limousine. "I'm bringing back my people," Kitten said. "Anyone who wants to fix the atrocity before us will join me."

Once she finished speaking, everyone started rushing in to the lengthy limousine. Kitten was half-sure that people were more interested in the fact that they got to ride a limousine, but she couldn't care less. She needed to fix things, fast.

xx

November 2 2014. Grayson's house.

Kitten stepped out of her limousine, with everyone else behind her following suit. She marched towards Grayson's front yard, surprised when she learned that their party hasn't started and everybody was just collectively gathering outside, waiting for the front doors to open. Kitten took a moment to observe the other party's guests. She felt a rush of anger flow inside her body when she realized that there were more people in this party. Not as much as Kitten had before, but it could definitely happen. And Kitten was not letting that happen.

She scanned through her view, trying to find someone to talk to (or rather, yell at, but Kitten would like to see herself as composed). She tried looking for slightly ashy-green hair throughout the sea of people, and frowned when she couldn't. Kitten did, however, spot Raven in one area, talking to Wally and Dick. Frowning, she headed over Raven's spot and shoved her, making everyone gasp in shock.

"You bitch!" Kitten shrieked, and before she could push Raven any further, Wally and Dick stepped in front of Raven, with some other people gathering closer to see the action.

"Whoa, Walker," Wally said, holding up both of his arms while Dick held Raven's forearm. "Back off."

"Go screw yourself, West," Kitten spat. "This is between me and Roth."

Kitten knew perfectly well that it wasn't Raven who started the party. It wasn't Raven who invited a bunch of other people. It wasn't Raven who stole Kitten's party guests away. But Raven was the reason for the existence of the party, and that was enough for Kitten to be angry.

"You're a selfish, self-righteous bitch!" Kitten exclaimed, struggling to get past through Wally who was now driving her away with his hands. "Jeez, West, I get it, get off of me!"

Wally gave up trying to restrict Kitten from moving closer, and moved next to Raven, who let go of Dick's hold. "Are you talking about yourself?" Raven bravely said, and Kitten resented the howls generated from the spectators.

"How many people are in this party?!" Kitten demanded.

"Why is that important?" Dick asked, his voice calm.

"Just for your information, you freak," Kitten spat at Raven. "I have significantly less people in my party this year. Want to guess why?"

"People realized how much of a monstrous individual you are lately?"

Kitten's nostrils flared. "Because you," Kitten pointed a finger at Raven. "Stole my guests away. You can't help but be selfish and take my friends away! I can't believe you're being so inconsiderate right now!"

Raven's eyebrows shot up. "Are you listening to yourself right now?" Raven asked drily. "You have your own party and we have our own. Mind your own business and bring your mess somewhere else."

"Look at yourself!" Kitten said, her voice rising. "How could anyone want to spend time with you? You did something to everyone. You poisoned them!"

"What's going on?"

Kitten immediately turned around to see the culprit in crime. Gar Logan. The starter of it all. Kitten had to restrain herself from lunging at him. "You," Kitten said venomously, pointing at Gar with an intricately manicured finger. "You started this. You took a bunch of rag-tags and formed some kind of… freak cult!"

Gar eyed her confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your party, you idiot!" Kitten screeched. "You took my people away for this dumb excuse of a party. What did you do, huh? Did you poison people? Blackmail? Threats? What the hell did you do?!"

"Are you serious?" Gar said, his voice disbelieving. "All those methods are stuff that you'd try! Newsflash, Kitten, I – we – didn't do anything. People came here because they wanted to, nothing else!"

Kitten scoffed. "Am I supposed to believe you?" she said. "For years people have been dying for the day that is my birthday. And suddenly you come around, gathering a revolution, for what? You've been strutting around acting as if I'm the bully, but no. I'm the damn martyr. I've been doing everyone well throughout my whole life, and this is how everyone repays me? By going to this freak party? And most importantly, you, Garfield Logan, you stole my friends away."

"Kitten, just leave."

Kitten turned to see Gemma looking at her in disdain. Kitten scoffed.

"I should've known you're here," Kitten said. "You've always had a thing against me."

"Do you want to know why?" Gemma shrieked, and everyone fell silent. Everyone gathered around the scene, forming a quasi-semicircle with Gemma and Kitten in the middle. Kitten's party attendees were at the side, watching at a close distance with apprehension in their eyes. Kitten hated it.

"I've been friends with you since freshman year," Gemma began, and Kitten noticed that her voice had a French lilt to it. Kitten scrunched her eyebrows. "And I thought that you were great. You were so nice to me back then and then one day you create this grand party and I was so excited. But then the next day you publish a list of names that you didn't allow to go to your party and you ruined their lives. And even though I feel guilty now, I joined in because maybe I thought that the list was actually legitimate and you had a point. Later in sophomore year, however, you publish another list with descriptions and the past me thought it was funny, but now I think it's a low blow. Then you continue to do the same thing again this year.

"It sickens me that I thought it was funny. That I thought you were right and everyone else here is a freak. But you know what, Kitten? You need to wake up and realize that not everything is about you! I don't know what you see or think in that list, but it's not everything. I'm standing here right now wondering why all of us let that stupid list rule us. Why we ever let you control us. Because I'm sick of it! We're all sick of it!

"You stomp in here wondering why people aren't going to your party. Well, let me tell you why. It's because you are a bitch! Because you are a bully! And most importantly, because you're a hypocrite. You walk around asking why you're the victim. Look around, Kitten! We're the victim here! We're the victim of your own selfishness, of your own… your own bitchiness! Not everyone wants to go to your party because you've turned into a monster. And by the way? If you want people to go to your party, terrorizing them with words and inventions is not the way! You want to know the best way? It's by friendship. It's by respect. And generally, it's by being a nice person!"

Gemma stopped, and walked away to find something. Kitten, feeling hot tears in the corner of her eyes, wiped them away and stomped her foot.

"How dare you –"

"I'm not finished." Gemma hissed, now speaking in her natural French accent rather than her fake Californian one. She returned with a chair in her hand, and placed it on the floor. Gemma shot Kitten one more dirty look, before standing on the chair, adjusting a bit from the instability caused by her high heels. Once Gemma settled on the chair she spoke up.

"My name is Gemma de Mille," Gemma began. "And I'm standing here before all of you to tell you that I should be on the freak list. You know why? I'm a freak! For years I've been trying to hide my French accent for an American one and I never felt good about it. I cried for three days watching Blue is the Warmest Colour and I'm scared of turtles. I'm a freak and I'm proud!"

Gemma hopped off the chair, and waited for a response. Everybody stayed still in their place, unsure of what to make of what just happened. Suddenly, someone stepped out from the crowd, and stood on top of the chair.

"I'm Jaime Reyes," Kitten heard the sophomore crowd cheer. "I sometimes talk to myself when I'm nervous? Or sometimes when I'm not… Uh, the point is, I'm a freak, sometimes. And sometimes I'm proud!"

And with that, a total of twelve other people stepped on the chair to speak up.

"I'm Kole Weathers, and I love ice. I'm a freak and proud!"

"I am Kori Anders, and I have a pet silkworm. He is the Silkie and I love him the way he loves me, even though I am a freak!"

"Isaiah Crockett here, and uh, I actually have this weird burn scar across my torso? I'm a freak."

"I'm Jinx, and I'm freaky fabulous!"

"I'm Billy Numerous and I hate studying… Oh, that's normal? Whatever. I'm still a freak, though!"

"I'm Victor Stone and I dreamt that I married a toaster once…"

"I'm Dick Grayson, I think I'm too bossy sometimes."

"I'm a freak!"

"And I'm proud!"

There were so much more. Even Roy, Roy freaking Harper, stood on the chair. Kitten gritted her teeth.

"I get it!" Kitten exploded, facing the crowd. "All of you are freaks! See? But some of you still have a chance. Remove yourself from the presence of all these freaks!"

Kitten heaved heavy breaths, waiting for someone to react. After a while, Kitten felt herself undergo extreme stress when no one did. However, Kitten's anxieties were mitigated when Selinda walked towards the centre, but for a reason Kitten was not expecting.

"I'm sorry Kitten," Selinda said with a sad smile, and Kitten felt her blood boil when she saw Selinda kiss Gemma on the cheek. Selinda murmured an apology and stood up on the chair with the help of Gemma, and spoke. "Kitty, I remember you as my best friend… I'm so sorry to say this, but you're being extremely cruel lately. Why can't you let people decide how they want to have fun? Who they want to hang out with? I've had so much fun with you throughout high school and it scares me to say this but… Not everything is about you.

"I'm Selinda Flinders," Selinda raised her voice, looking at the crowd. "I'm allergic to peanuts, and I love eating pie. I get scared in the dark, I sleep with a nightlight, and I got teased growing up with my accent. I am seen as a freak, and that annoyed me so much that it was easier for me to call other people freaks too. But you know what? I'm sick of everything. I'm sick of this, I'm sick of that… I'm tired of fighting. That is why I'm here, right now, coming out of the closet as a freak. A freak, and proud!"

Selinda stepped off the chair, and the crowd cheered, with her brother Baran lifting Selinda off the ground to carry her from his shoulders.

Kitten couldn't believe what was happening. All her friends… Her preparation… It all seemed futile now. Kitten wiped an angry tear off her face, not caring if she smudged her makeup or not.

"Kitten," Kitten heard Gar say, but she didn't dare turn around. "You can be happy. All you have to do is learn to love others like you love yourself."

Kitten was silent. Was Gar right? Was Kitten the one subconsciously pushing her friends away?

Of course not, Kitten thought angrily. With that, she turned around and screamed.

"Mikron!" Kitten shrieked, and Mikron immediately winced. "Give me the bombs."

Kitten ignored the shocked murmurs and patiently waited for Mikron to hand her the stink bombs. Mikron, seemingly docile, walked over Kitten and held out his hand to reveal one of their made stink bombs. Kitten reached out to grab it, but suddenly, Mikron pulled back and sneered.

"Are you deaf?!" Kitten shrieked. "Give it to me, now!"

"No." Mikron said angrily, and Kitten took a slight step back, surprised. "I am done with your cruddy, snot-faced, dumb plans! You want an evil genius, fine. But you've messed with the wrong evil genius."

Kitten watched in horror as Mikron threw the stink bomb on the ground, waiting for the bomb to… do nothing?

"I broke it," Mikron explained, looking at the ground in disdain. "Because it sucked! And I am not being held accountable for some crap invention!"

Kitten felt like breaking down.

"Kitten," Dick said, interrupting the scene. "I think it's time for you to leave."

Kitten huffed. "You know what?" Kitten said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'll leave. And once I do, all of you will regret what just happened today. Come on, let's go."

Kitten turned on her heel, and walked away, expecting her party guests to do the same. But when Kitten realized that the only footsteps to be heard was her own, she stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Seriously?" Kitten asked.

Kitten wanted to throw a tantrum. She considered reaching down to take off her stilettos and throw both of them at Raven and Gar. She considered pushing everyone in her way and hurting anyone who resisted. She considered pulling her party guests into her limousine so that she could save face.

But Kitten couldn't.

It was hard to accept, and Kitten didn't want to accept, but…

Kitten lost.

Kitten lost her friends, Kitten lost her party, and most importantly, Kitten lost her dignity. Kitten wanted to ask Raven why Raven always ended up stealing whatever was meaningful to Kitten. But maybe, Kitten had nothing meaningful.

It was an awful, awful feeling. To feel alone, to feel ridiculed. Kitten would fight back, but she wasn't stupid. She knew any attempts to do so would be futile – no one would be there to support her. Sighing, Kitten bit her lip, then spoke up in a quiet voice.

"You win."

Kitten saw Raven eye Gar questioningly, to which Gar responded with a confounded expression. Raven walked closer, and she held up a hand.

"This was never a competition, Kitten."

"It doesn't matter," Kitten responded. "You just… win."

The two of them fell silent, and Kitten had the unnerving urge to whack Raven on the head. However, Kitten was tired. All she did next surprised everyone.

"Happy birthday, Raven."

With that, Kitten walked away. Her mind told Kitten to fight. But Kitten was lethargic. She considered sobbing on her way home. But even that seemed tiring. With a sigh, Kitten entered her car, but not before hearing a soft whisper from Raven's lips:

"Happy birthday, Kitten."

xx

November 2 2014. Dick/Jason's House.

Everyone was in shock. Raven, particularly, had no idea how to decipher what just happened. Did Kitten just… give up? Would Kitten return for something more? For some reason, Raven couldn't imagine Kitten returning. She seemed… hopeless. A minor part of Raven felt bad for Kitten, but essentially, Raven thought what happened was well-deserved. Raven hoped that Kitten would remain functional, however. She wouldn't want to be pinned as the main reason of Kitten's mental breakdown.

Raven turned around to see everyone stare back at her with confounded expressions. Raven looked at her watch. Five fifty-seven. Raven realized that not everyone attending their party was present in the crowd. Some actually stayed back to set up the party, and Raven chuckled at just how much they were missing out.

Finally, Wally stepped in to break the silence. "Okay, so that was weird," a collective hum of agreements sprung out. "But everything inside has been ready for a while, so… Let's party!"

Everyone walked in the house, with the new unexpected guests settling in buzzes of excited murmurs and giggles. Finally entering the house, Raven felt herself gasp in shock once she saw the main hall.

The living room was finely decorated with a variety of banners, balloons, and confetti. The lights that were put up seemed to be incandescently colouring the room with various sets of hues that seemed to change in periods of time. The sofas were pushed back to the edges of the room to maximize space on the dance floor, and next to the left of the living room Raven could see the kitchen intricately adorned with the food supply. To her left was a miniature snack bar and to her right was a corner for the DJ to work with, whoever the DJ was.

But the one thing that entranced Raven was the platform ahead of her. As opposed to the white wall Raven saw earlier, the wall was now covered with black satin sheets which made Raven wonder what was behind it. In front of the wall was a band setup, with the drum set located in the middle, the keyboard on the right and the two guitars placed on the left. Raven took quick note of the two microphones nearby the front of the drum set.

Raven was amazed. She did see the set up while she was working with Dick, Wally, Charlie, and Isaiah earlier in the day, but to see it in action was fascinating. Raven smiled. Raven knew the party would be spectacular, but what she was witnessing right now was beyond words. Raven never felt so captivated.

Suddenly, a loud pang rang from the platform, gathering everyone's attention. Raven made sure to sneak in a spot in front of the audience. As she settled in a place, she tried looking for Gar. Honestly, Raven hasn't talked to Gar throughout her birthday, and although Raven understood that Gar probably was saving time for something more special, Raven longed for the moment where the two of them could be alone.

After deciding that she'd find Gar later, Raven saw Roy and Garth scuttle on the platform, with the sophomore band preparing for their acts. Raven tilted her head, wondering if it was planned for Roy and Garth to host the parties, or if it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Regardless, Raven was curious.

"Hey there!" Garth exclaimed, and everyone cheered. "So even with whatever happened just now… Welcome to the 'Pro-Freak' party! I'm Garth and here's my friend Roy;"

"But to start off the night," Roy supplied, and Raven felt slightly unnerved when Roy was looking straight at her. "Let's remember what today is. Happy birthday Raven!"

Raven blushed at all the howls and cheers generated from the crowd, unsure of how to respond.

"So we've got an interesting party ahead of us," Roy began. "We've got the sophomore band behind us preparing to perform some awesome songs later, and some other special words to be said by special people."

"After the speeches, then it's party time! Remember to check the map," Garth said, pointing to the poster on the left wall near the platform. "There's the entertainment room, the backyard, the theatre, and of course, this living room right now to enjoy the night! And some other places if you're feeling mischievous. Just a reminder though, if you decide to hop in the swimming pool in the backyard, make sure to completely dry yourself before entering back in!"

"Alright, mother Garth," Roy said slyly, earning a few chuckles from the crowd and a glare from Garth. "We heard the rules, we heard the crazy cat, and we heard… Literally everything, really. Let's start the party!"

With that, Roy and Garth left the stage, leaving the sophomore band ready to perform. Raven watched the crowd cheer, and smiled when she saw Dick stand next to her with a smile on his face. "Everything looks amazing," Raven commented, and Dick grinned. "Thank you for organizing almost everything."

"It was no problem," Dick said, then he slightly frowned. "You're okay, right? With everything that just happened?"

Raven, however, simply chuckled. "I'm good, actually," Raven said. "Relaxed."

"That's good."

"Yeah," Raven said. "Ready to see Jason inevitably fail with the drums?"

Dick snorted at Raven's insult thrown at his brother. "Yes."

"Hi everyone!" Dick and Raven looked up to see Kiran of the band speak into the microphone. "I'm Kiran Singh, and the two guitarists to my right is Eddie Bloomberg and Jaime Reyes. Our wonderful keyboardist is Donna Troy, and the drummer behind is Jason Todd. With the formalities aside, it is my pleasure to introduce all of you to our sophomore band, The Titans!"

Raven smiled. "But before we actually perform as a band…" Kiran trailed off, a glint of mischievousness apparent in her eyes. "I want to invite all of you to sing a very important song with us tonight. Raven, I've had so much fun knowing you throughout high school and more fun preparing for this party. This one's for you."

With that, Kiran started to sing a few verses of 'Happy Birthday', with the crowd either signing along or clapping in rhythm. Raven felt her cheeks heat up with fascination. After Kiran finished singing, the stage became quiet. After a while, however, Jason livened up the stage again with tapping his drumsticks together three times. The band then progressed into a lively remix of the traditional festive song, with Kiran's singing stopping occasionally for the two guitarists to start their solo. After the guitar's solo, Donna stole the stage away with her tremendous display of skilled musicianship with the keyboard. Once Donna finished her part, the band was left with a quieter, yet melodic tune from the guitars and the keyboard, with Jason's drumming dominating the stage. Kiran then sang again.

"Happy birthday to you!" The song finished, and the crowd was howling in joy, with the band uttering 'thank you's to the crowd. Raven was enthralled. What Raven heard from the band was experimental music, and even though Jason would often talk about it to Raven, Raven never bothered to explore the genre on her own. Raven felt extremely privileged to find out how amazing experimental music could be.

"Thank you!" Kiran said to the microphone. "Our next song is…"

The crowd ended up dancing in their places or singing along to the songs. The band performed a total of three songs, and whenever Raven had the chance, she would smirk at Jason with a thumbs up, while Jason would respond with an equally matched smirk and a wink. The band was so in sync with each other – it was like as if every quirk of each member complemented well to the identity of the musical group. Raven wondered why Jason didn't bring up his band much in their conversations. They were amazingly skilled. And much to her delight, Jason was extremely talented with the drums. It made her laugh inside thinking of all the times Jason insisted that he wasn't that great using the drums.

As the band was finishing their last song, Gar stepped walked to the platform, looking at Raven with a smile. Raven smiled back, her heart fluttering. Gar looked extremely splendid tonight – it turns out, when Gar couldn't hang out with Raven the day before, he was actually getting his hair done by dying it green, getting rid of the ashy-green coloured hair that he so resented before. Raven actually remembered a fleeting glance at Gar during the altercation with Kitten earlier in the day, but Raven was much more occupied with the occasion rather than the colour of Gar's hair. Now that Raven had the chance to view Gar, Raven found it extremely endearing how Gar dressed up for the occasion. He was wearing a green dress shirt with brown pants, and Raven made a mental note to insult Gar about how he looked like a tree.

Kiran finished the song, and cried out a few formalities to the crowd, which were chanting words of appreciation. Smiling, Raven watched Kiran step aside for Gar to speak in front of the microphone.

"Hey guys," Gar said happily, and the crowd howled in response. "So, uh, I'm Gar. Most of you know me as the one who started this all, but really, this party could have never happened without the help of my friends. Thanks, by the way. Anyway, I've only been here for a short amount of time, but I really enjoyed my time here so far. I just want to say that we all have our quirks here and sometimes we're called out on it but in the end, it's ourselves who define us, not anybody else. And to Raven… I have a lot to say but I'll keep it for later. All I wanna say now though is happy birthday. You look beautiful tonight."

As Gar left the stage, Raven felt her face furiously redden as she heard the audience express their delight over what just happened. Raven saw Dick walk away with a smirk, leaving space for Gar to stand next to her. Gar gave a Raven a hug once they were near, and let go once somebody told them to 'get a room!'. "Happy birthday." Gar said once again, and Raven gave a gentle smile, holding his hand.

"Thanks."

"Aww," Roy interrupted their moment as he cooed into the microphone. "That was so sweet. Well, moving on, we have –"

"Wait," Raven eyed Jason with a quirked eyebrow, who walked over to the microphone to say something. "I have something to say."

When Raven urged Jason to continue with a small nod, Jason spoke up.

"I don't want this to sound like some maid of honour speech in some wedding," Jason said lightly, making the crowd giggle. "But uh, remember how we sat next to each other in Algebra 2 last year? I don't think you remember this, but on a Friday you told me that your birthday was on the next day. I said, 'well why should I care?', and you gave me a look and told me that I should care because you had a grand birthday party prepared from your friends. At the time, of course I thought that was bull and you were obviously being sarcastic. But then, seeing the situation now, it's funny.

"Raven, you are my best friend. You are so brave, and even though I shiver sometimes whenever I'm around you because you're so cold, I know you have a golden heart. I am so happy to see that everyone in here has pushed aside their differences and saw you who you really are – a human being. You're flawed, but you're perfectly flawed. I don't think I can ever ask for a better friend in the entire universe and… yeah. I can only be happy if you're happy."

Jason then turned his attention to Gar. "So I'm going to be super brotherly here and give you a warning," Jason said half-jokingly, and everyone in the room laughed. "If you ever dare to hurt Raven in any form ever, the last thing you'll see in your life would be me laughing at your death." Jason chuckled. "But yeah. Gar, I admire you for setting this whole party up… Everything. Not only had you made my best friend happier than I've ever seen her… Which is probably, like, never… but you also united a bunch of people for the right cause. It's… Amazing. Yeah, amazing. So I propose that everyone give a round of applause for this tree over here."

Raven squeezed, Gar's hand, who revelled in the applause generated across the room. Raven felt slightly annoyed that Jason was the first one to call Gar a tree, but she gave Jason a grin regardless, to which Jason returned with his trademark smirk.

Once the applause died, Jason spoke again. "Well that's my impromptu speech. I want to show one more thing," Jason nodded at Eddie and Jaime, who immediately removed the black satin covering the wall, revealing a beautifully ornamented mural with recycled bottle caps, showing a figure of a raven flying through the forest. Raven widened her eyes, not believing the masterwork right in front of her. "So as ambiguously talented as I am, I did not make that thing behind me. That credit goes to the recycling club over there. Hope you like it.

"And one final thing. You juniors are kind of weird. But keep doing you, I guess," with that, Jason let go of the microphone and placed it back on its stand. Suddenly, Kole and Jericho walked in front of the platform, placing a food trolley in the middle, with Kole and Kori's raven cake on top of it. Everyone gasped at the sight of it. "Lastly, happy birthday, Raven."

"Blow the candles," Jericho signed to Raven, and Raven nodded slowly with a smile, walking behind the trolley so that she was facing the crowd. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Raven signed back, though she felt clumsy doing so as she hasn't practiced her sign language in a while. "And thanks, Jason. To everyone. Um, I don't want to delay the party anymore with some more words so…"

Raven blew the candles. Once she stood up straight again, Kole and Jericho threw her a hug from both sides, taking Raven aback. After a while, the two let her go, and Raven heard Roy shouting from behind her: "Let's party!"

As the guests scuttled to get some cake, Raven felt herself become dragged from the hand by someone. Once the two of them broke free from the crowd, the two went out to the backyard, and although Raven was fascinated by the beautiful illumination from the night lights, she playfully scowled at the culprit.

Gar laughed, and brought her closer by wrapping his arms around her waist. Raven simply sighed in relaxation as she rested her head on his shoulder. The two of them remained in their quasi-hug until Gar pulled away, holding her hands.

"You look weird," Gar said lightly, bopping her nose as Raven gave him a grimace. "I mean, you look great, but you also look weird."

"Thanks," Raven said sarcastically, letting go of Gar's hold. "I guess I'm just weirded out at how everything turned out."

"You mean with Kitten and then your birthday celebration?" Raven nodded. "Unbelievable, right? Nah. I think you have to have faith in yourself that everything will be alright in your favour. That's what Rita would say to me all the time."

"Everything around us, it's real?"

"Yes."

"It's not some big joke?"

"Gosh, no," Gar said, pulling Raven closer. He ran his hand through her arm and finally settled on the back of Raven's neck. Gar breathed out a sigh of relief. "Nothing's a joke here."

Gar leaned in, his lips just a few distances away from Raven's… And inevitably pulled away once someone obtrusively interrupted.

"Hey guys!" Dick said, and once he realized what was going on, cleared his throat and blushed. "Oops."

"What do you want, Dick?" Raven grumbled, and Dick glared at the usage of his name.

"Vic's been looking for the two of you," Dick explained. "There's a photo booth in the entertainment room, and he wants a group photo of us five before everyone else takes a spot!"

Dick ran off, expecting Raven and Gar to do the same. Raven and Gar reluctantly followed, with Raven mumbling under her breath how Dick's nickname was a perfect description for their friend, making Gar chortle and Dick groan.

xx

November 2 2014. Local park.

Kole tended to skip whenever she was happy.

The party, much to everyone's relief, was an immediate success, despite the previous quarrels from earlier in the day. Kole chuckled. It was weird seeing a shift of influence in just one night, but Kole wasn't complaining.

Kole headed to the store. Seeing that the party had run out of candies to put in the candy bowl, Kole took the initiative to buy some from a convenience shop. The closest convenience store near Dick's house was the one in the local park, so Kole headed there. As she passed by the benches, Kole spotted a blonde female figure weeping while sitting. Kole took a step closer, and was pleasantly surprised once she found out who it was.

"Kitten?"

Kitten looked up and Kole was surprised that Kitten's makeup wasn't destroyed entirely. "Go away."

Instead of running off, however, Kole simply took a seat next to Kitten, ignoring Kitten's malicious growls. After a while, however, Kitten broke down sobbing.

Kole didn't do anything, though. She simply sat there, waiting for Kitten to calm down. After what felt like an eternity, Kitten calmed down, and wiped away her tears.

"Why are you here?" Kitten's voice hitched.

"I'm actually heading to the convenience store," Kole said. "Why are you here?"

"I read online that being one with nature calms you down. I'm testing that out."

You're stupid, Kole wanted to say, but she held back. Instead, she said something else: "Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did."

Kole ignored her. "What was the purpose of the list?"

"You guys are really freaks!"

"Come on."

Kitten sighed. "I don't know. You know how everyone on the list stood out in some way? So people pay more attention to them? Why would I have other people pay attention to people that aren't me?"

Kole raised an eyebrow. "How do I detract attention?"

"I don't know, people like you! You're all environmentally friendly and such," Kitten paused to think. "Remember how you weren't in the list in freshman year and you went to the party with your ice tricks and whatnot? People paid a lot of attention to you there."

Kole chuckled. "I remember," Kole said. "But really, that was the shallowest reason I've ever heard. The list itself was already superficial, but your response really went there."

"Good to know."

"I'm not here to tell you some nice things," Kole said. "Because frankly, I think you deserve everything that happened to you today."

"I know."

"I will tell you to suck it up, though," Kole said, then scrunched her nose. "Wow, I sounded just like Jinx!" Kitten raised an eyebrow. "See, you kind of pushed your friends away. Friends won't come to you anymore but you can make the effort to come to friends. It's not like the entire school population went to the party, so you're not losing all hope. The recycling club may not be ideal for you, but I am opening up the community service club after fall break. I'm inviting you to join."

Kitten snorted, and crossed her arms. "Why would I do that?"

"Well first, you need the community service of course," Kitten said. "But really, it's all about practicing selflessness. Spending time for other people instead of yourself. I think it would be a great lesson for you. Plus, I have a community service trip planned to the Dominican Republic to help out with Habitat for Humanity. It'll be cool!"

Kitten fell silent, deep in thought. Then, she finally responded. "I'll think about it."

Kole huffed. "Actually, you're not going to think about it," Kole said. "You're going to join the club, and you're going to love it."

Kitten gave out a hollow laugh, then shook her head. "Fine. What other choice do I have?"

Smiling, Kole stood up from her seat, and before she left, Kole asked Kitten another question. "Want to join me to the store?"

"No," Kitten said.

"Well, happy birthday, then."

"Thanks," Kitten said, and before Kole could walk any further, Kitten spoke up. "And thanks for just now."

Kole nodded curtly, then left. She wondered how Kitten would do in the community service club.

xx

November 2 2014. Dick/Jason's front yard.

Jason sat on the doorstep, not willing to socialize with anyone. As the party started, people immediately rushed to his band, complimenting them on their musicianship. Some girls even tried flirting with Jason, dropping not-so-subtle hints about their interest. Jason, desperate to leave the scene, gave the girls a fake number much to their oblivious content, and left.

As Jason wandered around the house to occupy himself, he learnt a lot of things throughout.

For once, Jason learned that Garth was really skilled at being a DJ. So skilled, that Jason saw Kiran, Eddie, and Jaime ask Garth to collaborate with their band in the future. Garth accepted, and Jason was excited for what was going to happen next. Jason learned too that as peculiar as she could be, Kori was actually a great conversationalist, and she was definitely not unattractive. Jason understood why his brother, Dick, was pining over her. Jason also learned that Roy Harper, who Jason never talked to or heard about before, complemented together really well. Jason and Roy playfully bantered along the course of getting to know each other, but when Roy made plans for the two of them to chill together, Jason knew that he had earned a new, wonderful friend.

But as Jason listened to Roy ramble on about his achievements in the field of archery, Jason's attention gradually migrated to Gar and Raven, who was amiably conversing with two girls Jason recognized as Gemma and Selinda. Jason focused entirely on how Gar and Raven held hands throughout the entire time and throughout the entire course of Jason watching the two of them, Jason only realized in the end that he was holding his breath. It was weird seeing them hold hands. Raven was never a fan of physical contact and although that didn't stop Jason from trying, Raven would always push him away. But to see Raven completely trust another person to hold her hand for a prolonged period of time caught his attention.

As the seniors approached Roy for a game of UNO, Jason took the opportunity to leave.

Jason stared at the lawn in front of him. He sighed. Jason was truly happy for Gar and Raven, but he still couldn't shake off the odd thoughts of 'what-if's circulating in his head. Jason felt a bit resentful towards Gar. Oh, who was he kidding – he completely resented Gar. But Jason knew that as long Gar made Raven happy, Jason would be okay. After all, he loved Raven, but her happiness was much more important.

Jason felt someone else take a seat next to him. He turned his head. "Donna," Jason said, and Donna gave him a smile. "Hello."

Donna tilted her head. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Please, my thoughts are worth much more than a penny."

Donna laughed. "Sure," Donna said, nudging Jason's shoulder with her hand, and Jason felt himself relax. "So any reason you're out here alone?"

"I'm waiting for my package from space," Jason said jokingly, and laughed when he saw Donna roll her eyes. "1800-Space-Hardware-Store. It's like the IKEA of space."

"Oh? And what exactly did you buy?"

Jason gave her a wink. "It's a surprise."

Donna laughed. "Seriously," Donna said once she regained composure. "Why aren't you inside?"

Jason shrugged. "Felt like being here."

The two of them fell silent. The sounds of the party music was faint in the background, but the silence of the front lawn balanced it well. Jason felt extremely at ease. He snuck a glance at Donna, who was staring at the lawn in front of them too. Jason remembered that as sophomore year started, he spent less and less time with his friend circle due to rigorous volleyball training, and whenever he had free time, he would spend it with Raven instead of Kiran, Donna, Eddie, Jaime, or even the five of them together. Jason felt bad.

"We should hang out." Jason said his thoughts aloud, and Donna scoffed.

"You think?" Donna said. "Honestly, band practice is the most time we've spent with you lately."

"Sorry," Jason replied. "Volleyball… you know how it is."

Donna raised an eyebrow. "Just volleyball?"

Jason wanted to curse Donna's keen perception. "Fine, Raven too."

Donna chuckled. "You know, we all had a bet," when Jason tilted his head, Donna continued. "Kiran and Jaime thought that you'd end up with Raven while Eddie and I betted against it."

Jason glared at Donna. "You betted on Raven and I?"

"Is that bad?"

"For how much?"

"Seven dollars each participant."

Jason stared at Donna, confounded at the new piece of information he heard, but then laughed. "Why seven?" Jason asked lightly, and Donna shrugged sheepishly.

"Eddie wanted ten, while Jaime proposed five. Kiran came up with the middle ground."

"Wow," Jason said. "So you have fourteen dollars now?"

"I can give you four, if that makes you feel better."

The two of them stared at each other with blank expressions, then broke out laughing. "You guys suck," Jason said, pushing Donna lightly with his shoulder. "Go rot in hell."

"We'll see you there," Donna said teasingly, and Jason stuck out his tongue playfully. "Want to talk about it?"

Jason thought about it. "Nah," Jason said finally, and he meant it. Jason had enough of pining over the past. "Besides, I think I'd much rather discuss ways to obliterate the four of you."

The two of them laughed. Jason felt as if a huge weight was taken off his shoulders.

xx

November 2 2014. Rooftop.

"You're going to make me fall."

"Raven, for the hundredth time, I'll be there to catch you."

Gar and Raven finally settled down on the roof, watching the skies ahead of them. Gar smiled.

The two of them decided to retreat on the roof when they realized that alone time together was virtually impossible inside the house. The front lawn wasn't an option either for Raven didn't want to be disturbed. In a fit of adventurousness, Gar suggested the rooftop. Raven initially declined, but after constant persuasion from Gar's part, Raven relented.

Gar had fun. He didn't want to seem boastful, but the party was a huge success. The main hall consisted of people either dancing or conversing with one another. The backyard was filled with miniature physical games or stimulating pool games. The entertainment room was filled with people playing their own sets of games, or simply playing with the photo booth. Gar didn't visit the theatre, but according to Vic, people watched one movie before deciding to play a game of charades. While Gar didn't exactly join the activities in any of the rooms, Gar had fun talking to various people in the party.

Selinda and Gemma, who were enjoying their time by singing random songs on the platform, approached Gar and Raven when they had the chance. The two of them promptly apologized with whatever they did to Raven in the past, with Raven brushing them off stating that she forgave them. But the highlight of their four-way conversation was when Gar recalled who exactly prompted him to celebrate Raven's birthday.

"Oh, did you know? Gemma here was the one who told me to celebrate your birthday, Raven."

Selinda and Raven were pleasantly surprised, but applauded them both. Gar smiled thinking about the camaraderie formed in the night.

Gar broke the silence. "You want to know what's weird?" Gar continued when Raven asked. "Wally and Jinx aren't dating."

That was enough for Raven to be taken aback. "Really?" Raven asked, and Gar nodded. "Huh. But they're still friends?"

Gar shrugged. "Great friends, actually," Gar said. "It's weird. Wally told me that the two of them decided to stay friends instead of wreck their relationship by being together."

"I actually liked the two of them together," Raven commented. "They were rushing, yes, but the two had chemistry. Is Wally completely okay with this?"

"Apparently so. You know Jade Nguyen, the senior?" Raven said yes. "Well, like, she has a half sister named Artemis I think, and Wally met her in a Model United Nations conference a few days ago. Wally claims that he hates her guts but personally, I think she's the next 'the one'."

Raven chuckled. "May the gods have mercy on this girl."

Gar felt the urge to talk about something else.

"We are dating, right?" Gar asked once he felt Raven lean her head on his shoulder. Raven hummed softly in response.

"You're mine," Raven said. "And I'm yours. That's all I know."

Gar grinned. "'Cause, like, if we were, I'd feel like a pretty shitty boyfriend."

Raven stood up straight and eyed Gar questioningly. "Why is that?"

"I didn't get you a gift."

Raven widened her eyes and shook her head fervently. "As far as I can tell, you did."

Now it was Gar's turn to eye Raven questioningly. "What?"

"Look around you Gar," Raven said, pointing to their view below, showing the backyard. "You gave me a party. You gave me a way to find friends. You gave me happiness."

Gar felt like the world was complete. "You know," Gar said, and Raven tilted her head in curiosity. "When I first saw you, I wondered if I can make you smile."

"You did more than make me smile, Gar," Raven said, and Gar scooted closer to her and slung his arm around her waist. "I wondered if I can make you cry."

"Cry with happiness, yeah."

The two of them laughed. Gar wondered what exactly he did to win this amazing girl. Gar tightened his hold on Raven, not willing to let go. Not now, not ever.

"You know," Raven said, her voice sounding light. Gar hummed to make her continue. "If you still feel bad about not giving a gift to me on birthday, there is one tiny gift that I would love."

Gar's ears perked up. "What's that?"

"Kiss me."

So Gar did.

The end! Shoot, happy tears coming! And a super long goodbye author's note (1K words! Sorry!) separated into three parts, but please bear with me and read it because it's quite important! There will be a TL;DR in the end to summarize, however

The ending:

I know I said before that this story would be 14 chapters, with the 14th chapter being the epilogue. But honestly, this chapter was the longest fiction piece I've ever written in my entire life and I decided that where I ended the story is near perfect. Plus I thought that the epilogue wasn't really important but here's some things that you might want to know for closure:

1) The Community Service Club led by Kole is having a meeting in a classroom to discuss their Habitat for Humanity trip to Dominican Republic. It's the last day of school, and they're heading the next day. Kitten is part of the club and quickly finds a new boyfriend in Fang, a sophomore mentioned in earlier chapters. Is she still monstrous? Well let's just say people don't take her that seriously anymore.

2) Raven and Kitten had a truce to stay away from each other's hairs.

3) Yes, Wally and Jinx never got back together. Reasons below later.

4) 'The table' is officially Garth, Roy, Karen, Mas, and Menos. The counterpart would be Gar, Raven, Vic, Kori, and Dick. The table sits at the east of the cafeteria, while the counterpart resides at the west, much like the show. Jason sits with his sophomore band, who occasionally stops by the table to talk about music (while Jason and Roy converse)

The course of writing:

You know how I'd give gifts to the first reviewers (I'll refer to them as FR) of every chapter? Yeah, they weren't useless, they were actually tools in helping me develop the story with consideration of my reader's suggestions. Here's stuff that wasn't my original plan (which means it was requested from first reviewers):

1) I never intended to write Wally and Jinx together. In my original plans, Jinx would've been dating Vic, and I can't recall what I planned for Wally. However, two reviewers played a major role in Wally and Jinx's relationship. One asking for the ship to be a secondary focus, the other asking for a deeper focus on how rushed relationships won't always work. Those reviewers are sysoba and Artemis Raven Courtney.

2) Raven's original 'best friend' in the story was going to be Jericho! An FR however requested Red X to be her best friend instead (with elements of jealousy). But Red X could be anyone, and I really CBF to make an OC, so I went with popular fanon and used Jason Todd. To be honest, I think this is my favourite request because I grew really fond of Jason! FR: Zaacna

3) Toni and Garth wasn't my idea either. But highlight on Toni was requested with a mention of Aqualad, so I decided to pair them up for fun. To be honest, without this request then I would've never really focused on the friendships between the table, and the past regarding Kitten. FR: Artemis Raven Courtney

4) Jason and Donna (Wonder Girl!) – I've always longed for WG to be in the story but I didn't know how. An FR requested a focus on their friendship. FR: CleoArrow

Those are the biggest game changers of the story! And throughout writing I've been getting some reviews like: "I THOUGHT KITTEN LIKED DICK" and such. I know that. But my excuse for the lack of Kitten/Robin in the story is really simply because I got distracted. I included a number of references from the Teen Titans comics (not the animated ones) and the new show Teen Titans Go. As a last minute thing, I also included some elements of RHATO by making Jason and Roy meet. (I'm not a fan of RHATO but ugh I'm a sucker for this OT3: Kori/Jason/Roy)

This story is no way near perfect, but it is one of my best fanfictions I've written and I'm proud. I wish I could've wrote more depth on some characters (such as Dick and Vic …) but my main focus were on other things. In addition, this story turned out to be more 'romantic' than I intended? But eh, I suppose it turned out well.

Final words:

As I picked this story up again from the dust, I don't recall myself ever wanting to abandon this story. I know I've undergone so many hiatuses due to real life but I am so proud of myself for finishing in the end.

I want to thank every single reviewer that has commented on my story! I am truly grateful for everything given. It always brings a smile to my face when I see an e-mail notification about reviews. If you have an account and you reviewed, you would know that I always respond to my reviewers. That is because I really am thankful, and replying back would ensure my display of gratitude. I remember getting annoyed at some users who would favourite/follow this story but would not leave a review… But over the course of time I've come to realize that every favourite/follow was a motivator too. I am thankful for everyone who has participated in reading this story. Even if I could get talkative in my author's notes.

I would also like to say that the reviewers of this story made me change my policy of Fanfic reading – I would review every ongoing fanfic I wanted to continue. Reviews are motivators, and I would love to contribute to so.

And to answer possible questions – will there be a sequel? Will I continue writing? No to the first, sorry. But yes to the second. If you see in my profile, I have a bunch of projects in my head already. But they're probably not going to be published for a long while. If it's multichaptered, I will masspost it all (to reduce hiatuses made). If you read my story Project (ugh it's so bad please don't read it now though), it's my next thing on my Fanfic list – I'll be rewriting it however it won't be multichaptered, rather it'll be a really long one shot. Look out!

TL;DR/AN Summary:

I ended this story earlier than planned because I was satisfied with the way I left it. A lot of the storylines in this story were not formed by me, rather they were formed by first reviewers of every chapters (thank you to every one of you!). I am thankful for everyone who has read this story and left something behind (review, favourite, follow). Lastly, I will continue writing, but it won't be periodic.

xx

Miss Paint out!

08/09/15 EDIT - I will not continue Project. I had a lot of ideas for it but in the end none of them worked. In addition, I don't think I can accurately portray stories dealing with mental disorders. Not now, not... now.