I don't own Young Justice and 10 things I hate about you.

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Chapter 3

Artemis put down her bag on the table next to pizza box with missing pieces.

"Bag off the table. We're gonna eat something."

Lawrence opened the freezer and took out a can of beer. With a loud snap the metal broke open and he took a sip, Sighed deeply, savoring the taste after so many hours at work.

Artemis rolled her eyes at the sound - as if he didn't drink anything for weeks and finally could soothe his thirst.

Lawrence sat down and crossed his legs on the other wooden chair. He put down the can on the table, a piece of pizza already in his mouth.

"Why are you still on your feet? Need an invitation, baby girl?" With free hand he patted the chair beside him.

Artemis crossed her arms and looked at him skeptically. "I have nothing against pizza, believe me, but you know all too well that I don't eat meat."

"Since when?"

Artemis frowned. "Since two years?"

Lawrence waved his hand, and with a full mouth he said, "That's why we eat those leaves all the time? I thought we did it 'cause we had no money or something. Besides, wasn't it just some teenage idea? 'I don't eat meat, because everyone else are doing it.'? Don't expect me, girl, I'd keep guessing, if you're serious or not."

"I don't eat meat for 2 years." She repeated for emphasis.

Lawrence moved his eyes to the pizza and then back to his daughter. "So you won't eat it?"

Artemis sighed. "Maybe it isn't too late to order something or..."

"We won't waste money on ordering food. Today's the last time we did it. Next time I try to don't be late, but I can't promise I don't murder one of those shitheads at the workshop."

Artemis knew there was no point to argue, when he was at bad mood. Maybe when she was younger it bothered her, when daddy'd come back home cursing at everyone and everything, but now she didn't have to put up with his moods.

She went to the fridge, her eyes quickly scanned the shelves in search of something to eat. When she spotted nothing besides a few tomatos in weird brown shade, she decided to check in the freezer.

Lawrence slowly let his free hand stroke her hair. She was glad he couldn't see her face. She grimaced at his touch, though that was much gentler than every time he'd tell her to punch, kick or try harder, otherwise she'd end up useless just like her mother.

He took his hand when Artemis rose, holding the bag of frozen spinach.

"Oh, baby girl, if I knew you like frozen spinach, I'd brought more from our home in Gotham!" Lawrence laughed. "Here! Take this and, have something of life."

He threw a can of coke and Artemis caughed it instinctively. She looked in disbelief at the name of the drink, and then at herfather.

"Come on! You have to be shitting me! Are you on a soda diet, too?"

"Sugar's bad for the body. If you want to stay in shape without more training, we need to get rid of junk food." She tore open the bag of spinach with her teeth, putting the coke on the counter. "I know that the trainings were... important to you." That's an understatement, she thought. He was obsessed. "But we have to give up on some things to not return to them."

"Ah, yeah. Your mother did the thousands of lectures about it. She usually did those vietnamese family dishes. Then she kept repeating some bullshit about why they are so healthy and about their vitamins and so on. Apparently, she passed it on you." For a moment Artemis thought she saw a small sinerce small on her father's face, but he didn't show it for so many years, she might as well be wrong about it. "Does that mean that you want to continue your trainings?"

"No!" She said a little too loud, then cleared her throat awkwardly. "Of course not. But I want to keep the form. I'll try running or archery. School's got good running team."

"Baby girl, we both know that you've never been a fan of running. Archery has always been your thing."

Artemis recognized her father's pretentious tone. Every reminder about Oliver usually made Lawrence grumpy. Lately they didn't hear a word from Oliver, so Lawrence was in heaven. He believed that Oliver undermines his 'educational methods', but, if Artemis had to behonest, thanks to him, Lawrence changed for the better. Even Dinah helped him to get through his pride.

Artemis still rembered that Oliver told him that he may not be her father, but even he can be better father to her than Lawrence ever was. It shook some sense into him, and he pulled himself together to be there dor his daughter after her mother's death.

"What's up at school?"

Artemis really expected anything, but that question struck her like a bolt from the blue.

"Are you serious?" She asked, just to be sure. "Are you really that interested what's up at my school?"

Lawrence sighed. "Is it so hard to believe that I want to know how my daughter spent the day?" Artemis gave him a skeptical look. "I know Lex Luthor for some time. Who would've thought that this old bastard will end with a bunch of hormonal kids on his head..."

Artemis leaned against the counter and sniffed the bowl of spinach before she took the first spoonful. She cringed, but swallowed anyway. Next spoons weren't so bad.

"He maybe doesn't have the best approach to teenagers, but he keeps them in check." And he's kinda creepy.

"And the boys? They don't bother you, do they? "Seeing the murderous face of Artemis, he cleared his throat. "Found any friends?"

"Yeah. Zatanna, funny girl with love of magic tricks. Apparently, her dad is a magician. And I can't forget about Megan. Sweet loud Megan." Lawrence didn't miss the shadow of smile that crept onto his doughter's face. "She's so optimistic,enthusiastic with everything, even such stupid things as helping someone. And she feel bad when someone voluntarily give her their portion of pudding. It's really weird."

Artemis snorted. It was an understatement. Megan was a master of strange things.

"We hit it off pretty well. Early, in front of Luthor's office. She came with her uncle and, you wouldn't believe... she lied that we know each other well - that's we're best friends, even. Her uncle suspected something, but then came up with that diabolical plan, and he was so damn happy." Artemis' face fell. She turned toward his father with blank expression." He said Megan can't go anywhere, including dating and parties, if I don't go."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"She want to be popular and liked. Popular people go out on dates and parties, even if they don't want to. It's kinda their thing. If she'll be glued to me by the hip, she won't be popular."

"And you don't care about popularity."

"Yeah."

"I'd give you some advise, baby girl, but you gotta figure it out by yourself."

"So you're okay with me going out on dates or parties or whatever."

"I didn't say that.. You have to figure something out, baby girl. And don't get pregnant, by the way. We don't want another burden in the house." He went to the couch and sat on it. "You're watching the game with me or...?"

"Or." Artemis threw a bowl in the sink, threw empty pizza box into the trash, because her father obviously didn't bother to clean up after himself. She headed toward the room.

"As you wish! But you don't know what you're missing, baby girl!" He yelled after her when she closed the door to her room.

It wasn't decorated, most of the shelves were empty, with the exception of a few rock band's posters to cover the floral patterns. And of course the big poster of Alice in Wonderland beside the bed - only thing she took from Gotham.

Artemis looked out the window to look at the nieghbourhood, then her phone rang.

Without looking at the screen, she automatically answered, "Hey, Oliv..." But then stopped, because at the same time she heard girl's voice.

"Hi! Artemis? It's me, Zatanna. Who's Olive, by the way?"

"Hey. A friend. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just checking, if you gave me your real number." Artemis frowned. "Kidding. I realized that I know your number, but I didn't give you mine's… so here it is. Write it down or something. So… uhm, we'll talk tomorrow, right?"

"Sure."

"See you tomorrow, then."

"Bye."

When Zatanna hung up, Artemis took a shower and didn't hear when someone called her again. Next time her cell rang, was when she cleaned her bow and arrows, which she got from Oliver a while after they first met. This time Artemis checked name on the screen and couldn't keep a smile, when she saw familiar nickname.

"So how's my niece-at-heart after the first day at school?" Deep cheerful voice asked from the other side of the line.

"It's high school. How you think it was supossed to be, if not awful and embarassing?" She said sarcastically, eyes rolling mockingly at the imagined picture of Oliver 'Green Arrow' Queen's goofy grin.

"Aww. I'm proud that you survived. Besides, who else could I talk to about Dinah's horrible meals? She just wasn't made for cooking, you know, but she insist to learn how to cook. Fish from the previous week still gives me a misery."

"You know, you could just talk to her about it."

"Nah, don't worry about it," He released breathless laugh. From the many voices on his side of the phone, Artemis knew he was still in Queen Consolidated. "I don't want her to loose her faith in herself, especially…"

Artemis had some idea what he was talking about, but she didn't want to push it. On the other side, she really wanted him to tell her.

"Are you at work? You should already go to you wife."

"Yeah, my… what? Artemiiis," Oliver whined. "We're not going there, remember?" He asked, but before she could open her mouth, he spoke again. "Don't make this day about me. Today it's all about you. So talk."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Really?"

"Really. Classes were boring, people were boring, the school's boring, so nothing new." She said with a yawn, but still told him everything that happened that day, including embarassing meeting with a redhead and diabolical plan of Megan's uncle.

FINALLY, RIGHT?

Tell me what you think and what you want to see. And text me, if you want to say something.

- KOGEKI