Thank you so much for venturing to my story. Hope you like it. I was watching the MTV show "If Your Really Knew Me", and I thought 'What if that happened to the Titans?' and thus, the plot was born. So I planned it out, and the story just came to me. I don't own the show nor the Titans, they're not mine and they never will be.

Rated M for language, adult situations. Anyways enjoy!

Challenge Day

The sun rose over Jump City and Raven Roth sat up indolently in her bed. She ran her fingers through her short black hair and her amethyst eyes fluttered opened. They scanned across her room for anything that might not be right. Everything was in array, and if a piece of dust were in the erroneous spot, she'd be aware of it.

She had another nightmare, so her pale skin was even paler, and she was coated in sweat. "Piece of shit," Raven huffed and hurled her pillow across the room. She generally has nightmares everynight, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Raven loathed mornings, and she detested school, but she is required to go. It's not that she's not smart; Raven is very intellect, witty, and cunning. It's just, she is opposed to all the rules, the duration of the school day, the time it starts, the amount of time between classes, and prom was completely meaningless and useless to her.

At school, Raven Roth would be deemed the gothic bully. She abides by her own rules, and whoever gets in her way, will be sent to the ER. She's notorious for her glare that was made to eradicate butterflies and annihilate rainbows. Nobody makes fun of Raven Roth. Every so often, somebody will gather up enough courage to, and she has no clemency on him or her whatsoever. Raven only smiles and laughs when she's with her brother, she scarcely cries, and she loves to threaten people.

Raven folded back her blankets and got out of bed to get prepared for school, but little did she know, today would change her life forever. The seventeen-year-old showered and put on denim skinny jeans, black converse, a tight black hoodie, and a metallic black head banned pushing her hair back, prior to going into the kitchen. Clad in jeans and a black 'Kiss my ass' tee, was her brother, preparing their usual herbal tea and toast. Neither of them were big eaters.

"Good morning," Raven greeted him blankly, sitting down at the table.

"Morning," he greeted her back monotonously, typical. Nicholas "Nick" Roth is Raven's twenty-one year old brother. Nick is the most unapproachable, intimidating, menacing, and daunting person in Jump City. He answers to no one, does whatever he wants, and if anyone even thinks about messing with him, they're dead meat. Nick doesn't cry, and barely shows any emotion. He laughs maybe five times a year, smiles on a good day, cracks witty jokes, and sarcastically insults people a lot. He's very clever and intellect, but also sly and crafty.

Nick sat down at the table, and handed Raven her breakfast. He has short black hair that naturally stands up in the front, and hazel green eyes. His pale skin is flawless, not a bump or a mole anywhere on his porcelain face. He's body is toned and slender, but not like a body builder by any means. Raven had to acknowledge that, altogether, he is very handsome. Girls are always following him around, sending him cards, asking him out, and trying to get his attention in any way possible. But he always ignores them or turns them down. He has major trust issues, and is very meticulous about who he lets into his life. However, he also says that he will know when he sees the right girl for him.

Nick eyed his sister, "Another nightmare?" he asked knowingly.

Raven nodded, "Yes, a bad one."

"Scale of one through ten?"

"Eight," Raven sipped her tea.

"What was it about? If you don't mind my asking." he questioned her, sipping his tea as well.

"I'd rather not to talk about it," Raven conveyed.

He nodded and continued eating his breakfast.

Nick and Raven have a very healthy brother and sister relationship. Both of them respect each other and their privacy. Nick is extremely protective over Raven, but he does acknowledge the fact that Raven can and will defend herself. He himself, taught her how to look after herself, and to always, continuously, and permanently, in any situation whatsoever, watch her back. Even though they do try to keep everything peaceful and harmonized, sometimes, they do argue. Very foul and spiteful things are said when this happens, but at the end of the day, they love each other anyways. However, with both of them loathing the whole 'showing emotions' concept, they don't talk about how they feel on any situation or just in general.

Simultaneously, they both turned and looked intently at the door. A few seconds later, someone knocked on it.

Raven and Nick enjoy saying that they have a sixth sense. Whenever something typical is about to happen, for instance, a phone ringing, they know. Moreover, when something terrible is going to happen, they get this unnerving creepy feeling that doesn't go away until the situation is over. Furthermore, it's like a sixth sense.

Raven stood up from the table and sauntered over to the door. She opened it, saw who was there, and slammed the door in her face prior to sitting back down at the table.

"Who was that?" Nick questioned, not even looking up.

"Another member of your fan club," Raven answered.

He nodded, and they finished eating breakfast, before they left and went out to Nick's car. He drove a black Ford F-150. Sometimes he lets Raven drive it, but not very often. He knows that she's not a reckless driver, but since he loves that truck and calls it his 'baby', he doesn't want to take any chances on something happening to it. It took him a year to save up enough money to buy it, since he's only the manager of a car repair shop, and spends the majority of his paycheck on bills. While Raven works a part time job at Fat Ass Burger, and spends her paycheck on her cell phone bill (she uses her cell for emergencies and to contact family members only) and utilities for the house.

Raven ripped the, "I love you Nick" sign off his windshield, and they got into the truck. The ride to school was always silent, seeing as neither of them is big on talking. The whole 'talking just for the fun of it' concept, wasn't an interest to either one of them.

After about five minutes of nothing apart from the sounds of the city, they pulled into the school's parking lot. The announcement board that stood right in front read: Challenge Day Today!

"What's challenge day?" Nick asked.

"Something stupid I'm sure," Raven got out of the car and reluctantly sauntered up to the school's main double doors. She went inside to see the same things she constantly saw on a regular basis, and sure enough, it was the same, old, and unchanged things. Situated in front of their group of lockers, are Richard "Dick" Grayson and the rest of his basketball robots. All of them togged up in their black and red varsity athlete jackets that read Titans on the back, with matching Air Jordans and jeans, typical. Moreover, they all had a basketball at hand, and Dick was spinning his on his finger, as usual. His stormy blue eyes full of joy, same as everyday, as he and his team have horseplay.

'Typical lunkhead ball freaks,' Raven reasoned as she moseyed past them, and moved onto the next clique. Posted up by the cheerleader's lockers, are Victor "Vic" Stone and the rest of his pigskin-chasing group. Each of them is sporting their black and red short-sleeved football jerseys, even if it was fifty degrees outside. All of them held a football, and most of them are hurling them around over people's heads.

'Same old airhead team,' Raven thought, as Kori Anders and her posse brusquely cross the hallway in front of her, as accustomed. Kori has taken the Homecoming Queen title for the past two years, and plans to be it for another additional two years. She is also the captain of the dance team. She had roughly six other girls in her clique; they are her 'supporters'. They do whatever she tells them to do. Nearly every girl in the school wanted to be friends with Kori, and every person knew her. She had her nose stuck in the air looking down on everyone. Strolling about a foot behind her, the supporters were doing the same. Her average length red hair is always flowing down her back, and her emerald green eyes are always shinning. However, in actuality, no one truly saw her beauty behind that stuck up I'm better than you attitude.

'Nothing new about Malibu Barbie,' Raven reasoned, as she rolled her eyes and sauntered past them, looking on to the next group. Adjoined to the haywire water fountains, showering anyone who got too close, is Garfield "Gar" Logan, and the rest of the idiotic fools. Gar is the leader of all the class clowns in the school. He taunts freshman and weird kids, and the rest of the group laughs and joins in. Gar wanted to 'look the part', so he added a lime-green streak to his short light-brown hair, which harmonized with his light-green eyes.

'Idiots,' Raven judged and continued moseying down the hall to see the outcast. Tara McCoy is sitting on the bench unaccompanied and uncomfortable. She has been at the school for roughly two months, and nobody really knows anything about her. She keeps to herself, and does not have any friends. She is sitting there hiding behind her lengthy blonde hair, with one of her bright blue eyes watching people walk by, as usual.

'The outcast is normal, or at least her normal,' Raven considered and continued down the hall to her locker. Her locker is spray painted black. She got an entire month of detention for doing it, but it was worth it. Now her locker definitely stands out, just as she does. She opened her locker and grabbed her history book out of it before slamming it shut, right as the bell rung.

She continued her daily-disinclined walk down the hallway, with her black backpack on one shoulder hanging low. She passed the rest of the school cliques, as she was accustomed to doing everyday. The band nerds, the skaters, the soccer team, the swim team, the Scholastics team, the stoners, the preps, the baseball team, the loners, the troublemakers, the cheerleaders, the video game addicts, the dance team, the teachers' pets, and the medieval times freaks. The same unchanged things like everyday.

Raven sauntered into her first period, history class. Situated on top of his desk throwing paper airplanes at people, is Garfield Logan. One other member of his clique is there, laughing at other people's misery. Dick Grayson is there, showing off his basketball tricks with two members of the team. Tara McCoy is there, sitting in the very back of the room, minding her own business.

Raven took her seat in front of where Dick Grayson sat. He was the closest thing she had to a friend, if you even want to call him that. He is always disturbing her and being a nuisance. She could not stand him, and wished everyday that he'd not talk to her.

Suddenly, Raven got a feeling, 'Duck,' she thought to herself, and ducked down just in time to dodge the basketball that would have whacked her right in the head.

"Sorry Raven," Dick apologized when he came to get the ball, "I didn't see you there," he casually leaned against her desk. He smirked, and she shot him a death glare. She knew he did it on purpose.

"You asshole," Raven slammed her book down on his fingers, "Get the fuck away from me Dickhead."

He wrenched his throbbing fingers from under her book, "Uh, ow," he said carelessly, as if it didn't hurt at all.

"Uh, Bye," Raven said bluntly, "And don't come back again."

The bell rung and he glared at Raven before he took his seat. The teacher, Mr. Simon, walked in.

"Take your seats please class," he told them in his nasal voice.

"What's crakalackin Mista S?" Gar asked sarcastically, as he sat down correctly in his seat.

"Mister Logan, I have told you time and time again, I don't understand your funky teenage talk," Mr. Simon sat on his desk and crossed his legs.

'These people are so weird,' Tara judged, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear.

'I'm surrounded by cow manure,' Raven thought, rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest.

"Now class," Mr. Simon continued, "Today will not be another normal school day. Today, something we'd like to call "Challenge Day" is coming to Jump City High. You will learn more about challenge day later. Now, you will be assigned in a group with five other students, and I didn't pick the groups, so don't complain to me. Posted on the billboard next to the door of every classroom, are the groups. The hosts will tell you when you need to be with them, so go look, and make your way to the gymnasium."

'Just great,' Raven got up and joined the high school students making their way to the list.

She fought threw the crowd and finally made her way to the front. 'Let's see,' she thought, looking for her name, 'What lucky assfaces get to be in a group with me?' She found her name on the list and read the surrounding names, 'Tara McCoy,' she read mentally, 'Shit. Victor Stone, dammit. Garfield Logan, fuck. Kori Anders, double fuck. Richard Grayson, triple fuck.'

"Who the hell is Tara McCoy?" Dick asked no one in particular as he read the list.

"The outcast, wouldn't expect you to know," Raven answered rudely and sauntered out of the classroom. She stopped by her locker and put her things up, prior to making her way to the gym.

Every junior that attended Jump City High, also a man and a woman that nobody knew, are there. Raven presumed they were the hosts. Seated in the long rows of red chairs, are all the students. Raven found an empty chair right in the middle of the band nerds and the skaters.

'This day just keeps getting better,' Raven thought and folded her arms across her chest and her legs with one knee on top of the other. Raven watched what everyone was doing; she looked closely and saw that the two hosts are wearing nametags. The man's nametag said Vinny. He was wearing a red sweat suit that read 'Be The Change' on the back. The woman's nametag said Jennifer. She is wearing a red shirt that has 'Be The Change' on the front. Vinny is moving a paper canvas in front of them, and both of them held a microphone.

"Hey everybody," Jennifer greeted them in a fun joyful voice, "My name is Jennifer, and that's Vinny. Everybody say what's up Vinny."

"What's up Vinny," nearly everyone said, excluding Raven, who rolled her eyes.

"We want to welcome y'all to what we'd like to call a challenge day."

'Can we please just get this over with?' Raven thought bluntly, wishing she were anywhere but there.

"Now, what I want you to do first, is check out every person in this room. Go ahead, check um' out."

Everybody looked around at each other, and notions crossed their mind about each of them.

"Notice how you're judging them. And even right now, I know you're judging me. Some of ya'll probably think I'm beautiful, some of you might not. Some of y'all might be like I like this girl, she's cool. And the crazy thing is, you don't even know me, and I don't know you either. Today in challenge day is about finding out who people really are, not just who we think they are by checking that outer shell."

'Oh hell no," Raven refused.

Then Vinny began to speak into his microphone, "I want to teach y'all something, this," he raised his arm up in the air with his index finger, thumb and pinkie sticking out while the other two were down, "Is the international sign for I love you. Everybody show me this sign."

Everyone held the sign up high, while Raven did hers down low.

"We're going to be playing around in this room today, getting buck wild," Vinny continued, "And whenever we need y'alls attention, we'll hold up the sign. And whenever you want to send somebody love, just hold up the sign."

All the students looked around at each other with their eyebrows quirked, not knowing what to expect.

"Alright everybody," Vinny continued, "Get up on your feet." Raven just sat there, having no anticipation to get up, but everybody else did. Music began to play "Get Up Off Of That Thing" by James Brown. The room was a loud chortle as everybody danced around like idiots. Raven rolled her eyes, once again, and tried to ignore them all.

"I want everybody to dance with somebody you don't know," Vinny told them over the music.

Everyone did as he asked, and surprised the hell out of Raven. Everybody seemed to be having fun, not caring what people thought about them. But even then, the cliques are still there.

The song ended and Vinny spoke again, "Alright everybody," he held up his sign, "Run and get a seat on the opposite side of the room you were sitting at."

Everybody darted off in different directions, while Raven just watched, and rolled her eyes yet again.

Everybody laughed and some kids flipped out of their chairs and Vinny spoke again. "Alright, everybody get up and go dance with one other person you don't know."

They laughed and danced, and another song, "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, came on and they danced with another person they didn't know. After that, Vinny told them to run and sit down again, and they did.

Jennifer walked up to the paper canvas and picked up the blue marker and talked into her microphone, "Nearly every person on this planet is like an iceberg," she drew an iceberg on the canvas. "They only show about ten percent of who they really are," she drew a water line threw the iceberg near the top. "We'd like to call it being fake. There's ninety percent of a whole person that you never show to anyone. And today in challenge day, is about dropping this water line completely, and showing one hundred percent of who you are, being real."

Raven just rolled her eyes, but every other student was listening, and the words meant something to them.

"Now, can anybody tell me what emotions we're not afraid to show?"

"Boredom," Raven called out immediately, her right leg bent with her foot up in her chair, and her arms wrapped around it her knee.

"Alright boredom," Jennifer wrote it above the waterline.

"Joy," Kori answered, sitting straight up with her legs crossed at the knee, and her hands laced together in her lap.

"Cheerfulness," Toni Monetti, a prep, responded.

"Alright," Jennifer wrote it down.

"Optimism," Vic announced.

"Amusement," Gar called out. Jennifer was writing them as they said them.

"Affection," Roy Harper, a jock of the basketball team answered, eyeing the cheerleaders, who were all sitting together.

"Astonishment," Dick replied.

"Annoyance," Garth, a football player responded.

"Sadness," Tara called out, and every head turned towards her in the back. She blushed and shrunk down in her seat.

"Okay," Jennifer wrote it, "And I believe that's about it."

Everyone looked at the canvas. The part above the water line was barely filled with words.

"Now," Jennifer told them, her voice a sympathetic whisper, "What are the emotions you don't show?"

The room is tacit, and mostly everyone is staring at the floor.

"Anger, frustration," Gar answered, breaking the silence. He was sitting back with his arms across his chest staring at the floor.

"Okay," Jennifer wrote them below the water line.

"Neglect, grief," Dick called out, leaning over with his elbows on his knees, and his hands laced together, staring at the floor.

"Envy," Toni responded, wiping away a tear.

"Disappointment," Roy Harper replied.

"Powerlessness, stressfulness," Vic announced, staring at the floor.

"Rage," Garth answered. Jennifer was writing each one of them down.

"Suffering, worry," Kori responded sitting the same way, but staring at the floor.

"Sympathy," Jinx, a troublemaker, replied. The gym was silent except for the emotions being called out.

"Aggressiveness," a skater answered.

"Shame, guilt," Gar called out, still staring at the floor.

"Torment," a loner responded.

"Anticipation, doubt," Dick replied, still staring at the floor.

"Helplessness, despair," Tara answered, her head hanging down, and her hair covering her face.

"Fear, trust," Raven responded, looking down at the floor.

Jennifer finished writing and stepped aside so everyone could see the canvas. Everybody looked up simultaneously, and the words they just named completely filled up the bottom of the iceberg and on the sides. Mostly everybody was too shocked to say anything.

Vinny moseyed over and stepped inside a blue-taped square on the ground. "Now what I'm standing in," he began, "Is my comfort zone. What do you notice about my comfort zone?"

"It's small," Victor Stone replied.

"That's right," Vinny continued, "And our comfort zone is where we're comfortable. We can hangout here, we can just be ourselves. But if you stay in your comfort zone too long, it's no longer a place to be comfortable, it's a prison, and we live our lives in that prison, afraid to show anyone who we really are. And today in challenge day, some people are going to step out of this box." He took a step forward and came completely out of the square.

'Over my cold dead body,' Raven refused, yet again. The other students were paying close attention, and you could tell by the way their eyes looked, that they had no idea what to expect.

"Now," Jennifer began in a low whisper, "I'm going to go first, cause we wouldn't ask you to do something we wouldn't. I love my mom. If you think I'm weird and wild, she's where I get it from. I remember in the eight grade, she started acting depressed. I was confused cause she was so different from the mom I grew up with. And all her friends stopped coming around because they didn't understand her depression. And I came home from school one day, and I found her after she'd taken a whole bottle of tranqualizer," tears began to form in her eyes, "She just didn't want to feel it anymore. A few days after that, I went back to school and my friends asked me how was I doing, and I was like I'm cool, let's go smoke."

Raven held up her hand, with the sign for I love you on her fingers, showing that she had respect for her. "How many of y'all have came to school, and said you were cool and you really weren't cool?"

Everybody's hand rose simultaneously.

"That's why during this part of today, it's so important that we talk about how crazy we feel on the inside. Cause I don't care who you are, you're going to get crazy sometimes, it's part of being human. So what can we do to let those feelings out, so that we don't hurt ourselves and other people?"

"I want everybody, in silence," Vinny told them, "To go into their assigned groups, and pull those chairs in so your knees are touching. Alright, go ahead y'all, in silence."

'I don't know about all that, but I'll go,' Raven reasoned, standing up and moseying over to the rest of her group, who were already sitting down. She pulled her chair back so that nobody would be touching her. From the left of her it went Dick, Vic, Kori, Gar, and Tara on her right.

"Alright everybody," Vinny continued in a low whisper, "Right now I want everybody to close their eyes." Everyone, including Raven, closed their eyes.

"I want you to think to yourself," his whisper was now more sympathetic than anything, "What's your story? What's it really like to be you? Past the image, behind the mask. Somedays you may even feel like you have a hole in your heart, and nobody knows about it. What's it really like to be you?"

'It's like my life was a mistake,' Raven cogitated.

'It's like I'm a kid in a grown up's world,' Dick contemplated.

'It's like I only have the strength to live one part of my life,' Kori mulled it over.

'It's like I'm not in control of my own life,' Vic pondered.

'It's like I'm taking a risk to show who I really am,' Tara deliberated.

'It's like I'm more of a puppet than a person,' Gar ruminated.

"Go ahead and open your eyes," Vinny told them, and they did so. Tara and Kori wiped away tears from their face, and Raven kept her face straight, along with Dick, Vic, and Gar.

"Right now," Vinny continued, "I need an eager volunteer to tell your group if we really knew you, what would we know? They're there to listen, and everyone's going to get a turn so be respectful, please begin."

Raven's group looked around at each other. And Gar broke the silence, "Well I guess I'll go first," he offered, and nobody else said anything so he concluded that they agreed.

"I'm class clown," he began, "I like to make people laugh by doing ridiculous things and sometimes I pick on people. But, if you really knew me, you'd know that when I'm lying down at night, thinking about all that's happened that day, I feel guilty about the things I do and say to people. And I wish that I had the gall to apologize, but I don't. And if you really knew me, you'd know that the only reason that I do any of that stuff, is cause I want to fit in, and I feel like if I don't make jokes and pick on people, nobody will like me."

'The only friends you have are the other class clowns,' Tara pondered, 'Nobody else like's you because you make of people.'

Gar took a deep breath and kept going, "If you really knew me, you'd know that I am adopted by my Uncle. I live with him and my two older cousins. My cousins, they make fun of me all the time, they run all over me, and they always question my sexuality and call me gay, even though I'm completely straight," Gar began tearing up, and started staring at the floor instead of his group members who were watching him.

'So that's why he picks on people,' Tara reasoned, 'His cousins do it to him, so he does it to everyone else. It's all he knows.'

"And if you really knew me," he continued, his voice uneven, "You'd know that the reason I live with them, is because my mom died from cancer when I was ten, and a week later, my dad died in a car accident."

'It must be hard for him, poor kid,' Dick assumed.

Raven was literally forcing herself not to get teary, and so where Vic and Dick, whilst Kori had tears cascading down her cheeks and Tara had a few. Gar was leaned over with his face buried in his hands, no doubt tears falling from his eyes. Tara rubbed his back comfortingly, and Kori wiped her tears away.

Gar sat up about thirty seconds later, and Tara embraced him in a heart-filled hug. Whilst the rest of the group looked around at each other, waiting on someone to talk.

Vic finally broke the silence, "Well I guess I'll go next, I'm the captain of the football team, and a jock. I've been named MVP for the football team for the past two years, and I have my own personal cheerleaders. But if you really knew me, you'd know that even with everyone knowing my name and wanting to be my friend, I still feel really alone."

'At least somebody feels the same way I do,' Kori reasoned.

"If you really knew me," Vic continued, "You'd know that my parents have been divorced for seven years now. And I'm always going back and forth between their houses. My step dad is always pushing me too hard. Every time I'm with him, I'm training, practicing, exercising, running, or lifting weights. He always says, that was good but you can and will do better. And he makes me feel like I'm not good enough," his voice began to be uneven, and he stared at the floor.

'I can't even imagine what that's like,' Kori considered, her tears coming back.

'Damn, I wouldn't be able to deal with that,' Gar admitted.

"My step mom is an evil bitch; she wants to send me away to military school. Which is always causing all four of them to argue, back and forth, every time they see each other. Holidays, birthdays, weddings, funerals, it doesn't matter, they argue and I hate it so much. I just want things to go back the way they were." He closed his eyes, holding back his tears, but still, a few escaped. Kori hugged him, and Dick patted his shoulder.

"I want to go next," Kori told them as she wiped her tears away with a tissue she got from her purse, "I'm Kori Anders, the homecoming queen for the past two years, and also this is my first year of being captain of the dance team. But, if you really knew me, you'd know that my parents are on the verge of divorce." Her voice became sobs and tears poured from her eyes.

'Who knew Malibu Barbie actually had problems in her life?' Raven reasoned.

'Poor girl,' Vic thought.

"Everyday I come home, and I have to listen to them argue, and stop them from physically hurting each other. And it's hard to watch what used to be slowly but surely fade away. And my dad, he just leaves at like eleven at night, and comes back at like six in the morning extremely drunk. And my mom just tries to act like everything is fine, and it's not."

Raven was trying so hard to keep her face straight, 'That's tough shit.'

"If you really knew me," she continued, "You'd know that with being the captain of the dance team, comes the trouble of having to deal with people judging me. When we're performing at halftime, I know that people look down on me like I'm just a dirty slut," she sobbed, "But I'm not, I have a lot of respect for myself. That's why I hold my head up high, and I try to show people that I'm not the lowest common denominator."

'Maybe I did judge her too harshly,' Raven admitted.

"If you really knew me," she continued, "You'd know that the biggest struggle with being homecoming queen, is having to deal with people saying that I didn't deserve it. There was a girl who was just harassing me on the internet. Everyday she would post things about me, or send me hate mail. And even though I know that everything she says isn't true, it still hurts."

Vic hugged her, and Gar rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I'll go next," Tara told them, "I'm Tara McCoy and I'm the outcast." Kori sat up straight and stared at the floor, her tears still falling. Raven and Dick still had their straight faces on, and Gar and Vic were wiping their tears away.

"I've been going to this school for almost two months," she continued, "And I don't really know anybody, but I know that they think I'm a shy weird person. But if you really knew me, you'd know that at my old school, I was popular, and I had tons of friends. I was a very open-minded lively girl. But for three months until a week before I came here, I'd been dealing with domestic violence."

'Who knew?' Raven asked herself in disbelief.

'Holy shit,' Dick mentally cursed.

'What dickhead would hit a girl?' Gar pondered.

'How sad,' Kori considered.

'Man, that's harsh,' Vic thought.

"My boyfriend began to get so controlling, and then one day he hit me, and everything just escalating from there. He would just like grab me and slam me into things, and grab me by my hair, and I was just too terrified to tell anyone. And I didn't leave him for three months. This is my first time ever opening up about the situation. And I finally got away from him when I moved." She stared at the floor, and her tears started falling.

'Emotions are useless, I don't need them and I don't use them,' Raven told herself, but her eyes were filling up with tears.

"If you really knew me," Tara continued, "You'd know that the reason I moved, was because both of my parents died in a plane crash. I came to Jump City to live with my mom's best friend, she adopted me, so now she's my mom. And everyday I regret not telling my parents I loved them enough, and not appreciating them like I should have. They were always doing embarrassing things. And I would always say they were so annoying, and my friends would be like they're just parents, and compared to mine they're cool. And I really wish I could turn back time, and just enjoy them knowing what I know now."

That did it for Raven and for Dick, both of them had tears streaming down their faces. Gar hugged Tara, and Vic and Kori were hugging each other.

'Fuck,' Raven cursed mentally, wiping her tears away.

"I'll go next," Dick said, wiping away his tears, "I'm Dick Grayson, the captain of the basketball team, voted most likely to succeed last year, and a lot of people consider me a jock. I come to school everyday with a smile on my face, and I just have all this positive energy. But if you really knew me, you'd know that even though I look happy on the outside, on the inside, I'm just not."

'What possibly could make him unhappy?' Raven judged, 'He has everything a person could ever want, a huge house, a red motorcycle, and tons of friends.'

"My dad is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises," Dick continued, "So I get whatever I want."

'Nice way to start out, idiot,' Raven thought.

"But money can't buy happiness, and my dad doesn't know that. All he does is buy me things, and that's it. He doesn't pay attention to me, it's like I don't even exist to him you know. I actually feel like I'm raising myself. And I'd trade all the money in the world, just to have a dad who cares."

He stared at the floor and tears fell from his perfect blue eyes and rolled down his fair face. He leaned over with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. Kori was watching, tears filling her emerald eyes yet again. Gar and Vic were staring at the floor, trying not to get emotional again. Tara put her hand on his shoulder, and Raven actually felt a little sympathy towards him.

"If you really knew me," he continued, his voice a little uneven, "You'd know that my mom died from a heartattack when I was fourteen years old. One day she was fine, the next we were rushing to the hospital, and just like that, she was gone. And the biggest obstacle on dealing with her passing, was the fact that I was being eaten alive by guilt. Cause I knew my dad had been having an affair for two years, and I didn't say a thing to her. And she died not knowing because of my stupidity."

Raven looked away from him, and tried to blink her tears away, but they escaped anyways. Tara's eyes filled with tears, and she moved her hand from his shoulder to wipe them away. Kori was dabbing her eyes with tissues and gave Gar some so he could wipe his tears away. Vic was leaned over with his hand on his forehead, staring at the ground.

Dick sat back up but still stared at the floor, and his face covered in tears. "If you really knew me," he continued, his voice really uneven, "You'd know that a year later, my little sister Chloe died at the age of ten from cancer." He paused, and tears cascaded down his cheeks, along with everyone else's.

"She was a really great person, and she meant the world to me," he continued, "When she first died, I remember how unreal it was, it didn't even feel like she was gone. Cause no matter how much I tried to come to the realization that she was gone, I couldn't. Even after two years of her being gone, it's still not real to me. She was my best friend, and the only person who really did understand me and what I was going through, cause she went through it too. Dad barely visited her in the hospital, and when he did, he had nothing positive to say. And one day, he came in, and I heard him telling the doctors to pull the plugs on Chloe, and let her go."

'Damn, maybe I did put the wrong label on him,' Raven reasoned.

"I know the only reason he did that was so she could finally be at peace, but deep down, I hate him for it. I hate the fact that he didn't even ask me what my thoughts were on the situation, he just took it upon himself to end her life. And I do believe that Chloe could have made it, she was a small girl, but she put up a big fight."

Everybody turned and looked at Raven, as it was her turn to talk. Each one of them with tears in their eyes and rolling down their cheeks.

"I guess it's my turn then," Raven reasoned, wiping her tears away, "Well, I'm Raven Roth, I'm typically a stoic, meaning that I don't show any kind of emotions, but today isn't a normal day, so I'll just go with whatever. I guess you could conclude that I'm not the most behaved person at this school. I do get into trouble a lot, but only because I have to hurt somebody before they hurt me. Because if you really knew me, you'd know that it's because I have tremendous trust issues. I don't like for people to touch me. I don't know why, but I'm just not comfortable with strangers putting their hands on me. I don't let people into my life, It was my choice not to have friends. I'm just too afraid that I'll get hurt."

'Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her touching anybody,' Dick pondered, having flashbacks in his head of Raven dodging hands.

"You don't have to be afraid," Kori told her, "None of us are going to hurt you, or judge you for that matter. And it's not healthy to keep things bottled up inside." The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Raven looked into all of their eyes, and decided it was only fair for her to open up, as all of them did.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before starting, "I get judged a lot because of how I dress. Yes I am gothic, but when people see me, they automatically assume that I do drugs, or I vandalize things, or I fight people for no reason, and all kinds of negative things. But on the inside, I'm just a petrified teenage girl."

She stared at the ground, and held in her tears. "If you really truly knew me, you'd know that I was never acquainted with my father, he has never been apart of my life. And I live with my older brother Nick in a two-bedroom apartment, and I have been for the last four years. Nick is the father figure in my life, and I look up to him," she sniffed, and a few tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks, "He's what I think a man should be. And he tries his best to give me a good life, and I love him."

She looked up and saw the rest of her group members staring at her, their eyes filled with compassion and tears.

"If you really knew me," she started again, "You'd know that once, I did have a friend in the third grade. His name was Andy, and I trusted him, I really did. I wouldn't be afraid to open up to him, and be myself around him. We'd already planned our whole lives out. He gave me a candy ring, and we promised each other that we were going to get married when we were older," Raven smiled, "And one day, we were playing on the railroad tracks behind his house. His parents told us not to, but we were just little kids, and we didn't know any better and thought they were just being party poopers, so we did it anyway. And the train came, and Andy, he just couldn't get out of the way fast enough. And the train hit him, and he died."

'I remember Andy,' Kori thought.

"If you really knew me," Raven continued, her normal monotone voice unsmooth, "You'd know that my mom died when I fifteen years old. I found her after she'd overdosed. My mom, she wasn't willing to change. I remember times when I was seven or eight years old, and I would sit in her doorframe watching her snort angel dust, shoot heroin, or smoke pot. And I knew things about drugs that no one my age should have known. But, she was my mom, and I still love her to this day. I've forgiven her for all the hell she's put me through, and the only thing I regret is not telling her that. She died not knowing because of me trying to hold my emotions in."

'At least somebody knows what that's like,' Dick thought, wiping his eyes with a tissue Kori had given him.

"If you really knew me," Raven continued tears cascading down her face, "You'd know that a year prior to my mom dying, I was sexually assaulted. My mom brought some of her 'friends' over to our house, and one of the men was a little too friendly. And if being raped wasn't bad enough, I got pregnant. And I wanted to keep the baby, because I don't think that, by any means, is abortion right. But being only fourteen at the time, my mother decided to make the decision that I needed to get an abortion."

'Oh my goodness,' Kori thought, tears pouring from her eyes.

'Oh man, who knew?' Dick asked himself, tears falling from his eyes.

'That must've been hard,' Tara assumed, tears cascading down her cheeks.

'Poor girl,' Vic considered, tears escaping.

'Holy shit,' Gar cursed mentally, wiping his eyes.

"And of all that I've been through," Raven sobbed, "That, is the thing that haunts every waking moment of my life. I think about it everyday, I hate myself for it. You have no idea what it's like to lye down, and have your baby taken from you and killed, and not be able to do a damned thing about it."

Raven leaned over with her face buried in her hands, sobbing. Kori, Vic, Tara, Gar, and Dick wanted to hug her, but she didn't want them to touch her.

"Well, we love you Raven," Tara told her, "And we respect that you're not comfortable with us touching you, so we send you air hugs."

Raven sat back up, and looked at Tara and the rest of her group members before smiling at them, "Thanks, and I appreciate it."

They all smiled back at her, and Jennifer began talking in to the microphone again.

"Alright guys, show me the sign if your done."

Raven's group and every other group raised up the sign.

"Alright then," Jennifer said, "Reach out, give each person a hug, and say thanks for sharing."

Raven's group stood up and Vic, Kori, Tara, Gar and Dick all joined in a group hug telling each other thank you. While Raven stood a foot back away from them, and reached out placing one hand on Tara's shoulder and one on Dick's. Every head turned and faced her, she blushed and pulled her hands away.

"Uh, thanks," she said unsurely, and walked off into the crowd of hugging teenagers.

'This is my worst nightmare,' Raven thought, weaving her way through the crowd.

"Alright everybody," Vinny said into the microphone, "Can you all come and stand behind the blue tape."

There was a lengthy piece of blue tape on the right side of the court, and another one on the left side. Everyone did as he asked, and astoundingly, Raven's group was standing altogether in the front. From the left it went Vic, Gar, Tara, Kori, Raven, and Dick.

"This next activity we're about to do," Vinny continued, "Is really special, it's called the power shuffle."

Jennifer stood on one of the chairs that was on the sidelines of the court, right in front of the half court line. "The way it works is," she told them, "I'm going to call out different categories or situations and if what I say applies to you, then cross the line. Please cross the line if you have ever been picked on, teased, hurt, or put down by someone in this room."

Tara, Kori, and many others crossed the line and stood behind the other one. Raven held up her sign along with Vic, Dick, and Gar who was staring at the floor.

"And did someone cross this line because of you?" Jennifer asked, her voice sympathetic and low, "Something that you might have said or done? I want everybody who crossed the line to look to your left and right at the people next to you and see their courage."

Tara and Kori embraced each other, tears falling from their eyes. Gar had tears falling from his eyes, because many people did cross the line because of him.

"This is the only way the world will change," Jennifer told them, "Is if people are willing to look at themselves, and be honest. Thank you."

The people who crossed the line returned. Kori and Tara were meet by hugs from the group.

"Please cross the line if you have ever been judged based on how you dress, what you look like, who your family is, the people you hang out with, or what you like to do, by anyone."

Raven, Dick, Gar, Tara, and Kori crossed the line along with many, many others. Tara hugged Dick, both of them crying, and Raven patted Kori's back while she sobbed. Vic and so many others held up their sign.

"Did someone cross this line because of you? Because you formed an opinion of them? Judging people is wrong, and every person in this room is guilty of it. Everyone is. Thank you."

They all went back to the line, and hugged each other.

"Please cross the line if you have ever been picked on, hurt, harassed, or put down virally by someone in this room."

Kori crossed the line, and so did a few other people. She hugged them, and they all had tears streaming down their faces.

"Cyber bulling is one of the most common nowadays, and many people don't realize how much they really do hurt people by doing it. It's not right, it's not funny, it's not cute, and it's most definitely not okay. Thank you."

They returned from the line, and Kori embraced Gar, tears pouring from her eyes.

"Please cross the line if you have an immediate family member or close friend that has died."

Raven, Gar, Dick, and Tara crossed the line, and few others did too. Gar embraced Tara as she sobbed, and tears streamed down his face. Dick closed his eyes, tears cascaded down his cheeks, and Raven placed her hand on his shoulder. Vic and Kori were holding up their sign, both of them with tears rolling down their face.

"What did you like most about her or him? What do you regret doing or not doing the most? Whether someone dies suddenly or gradually, there can and most likely will be unexpressed emotions that they never knew about. That's why y'all shouldn't keep things bottled up inside. You never know which day might be your last or someone else's. Tomorrow is not guaranteed by any means. Thank you."

They returned, and Tara hugged Vic, while Kori hugged Gar, and the rest of the teenagers were hugging and crying. The room was silent, besides sniffing, and some sobbing.

"Please cross the line if your parents are divorced, separated, or just not in love anymore."

Vic, Kori, and about half of the rest of the group crossed the line. Raven, Gar, Dick, and Tara held up the sign to them, each of them with tears streaming down their face, including Raven.

"Look around," Jennifer told the people who crossed the line, "There are other people who know what this feels like. You're not alone, there are others. But you didn't know because nobody ever mentions what's going on at home. Thank you."

They all returned and Tara embraced Vic, while Kori hugged Dick.

"Please cross the line if you didn't get to voice your opinion in any kind of situation before."

Dick and Raven crossed the line, and many others did too. Vic, Kori, Gar, and Tara held up their signs high and proud.

"Are your thoughts still there? Unheard and not thought about by anyone? It's nice to have the option to speak out even when you don't use it. But nobody really appreciates anything until it's gone. Thank you."

They returned and everybody continued hugging and crying.

"Please cross the line if you are adopted or have never meet one or both of your birth parents."

Tara, Gar, and Raven crossed the line, and so did about a third of the crowd. Tara hugged Gar, and Raven stared at the ground. Dick, Kori, and Vic held up their signs.

They waited a moment in silence, everybody was quiet, even the sobs stopped. They were giving their respect to the people who did cross. "Thank you," Jennifer told them, in a whisper, while wiping her tears away.

They returned, the group hugged again, and Raven put one of her hands on Gar's shoulder and one on Vic's.

"Please cross the line if you have ever been a victim of any kind of violence, abuse, or assault. Any kind."

Tara, Kori, Gar, and Raven crossed the line, and so did more than half of the crowd. Vic and Dick held up their sign, and so did the rest of the teenagers on the right side of the court.

"Abuse is not cool in any way, form, or fashion. It hurts either physically or emotionally, no matter who it's coming from, or how it's coming, it still hurts. And it's not right, and we all know that. Thank you."

They returned, and they hugged and cried.

"Please cross the line if a family member or a friend is on, was on, or died from drugs."

Raven crossed the line, and so did a few others. Dick held his sign up high and looked directly at Raven, while the rest of the group held theirs up to everyone in general.

"Does that person know or did that person know, that you were or are still being effected by them taking drugs? If not, tell them, and if you can't tell them, forgive them. Drug abuse affects many people in many different ways all over the world. It affects whoever is abusing them, and all the people around them. It's not cool to do drugs, and being a drug addict is very preventable, just walk away. Cause in a long run, being drug free is way cooler. Firstly because, you get to live a full life, secondly you can't get a good job when you have ever taken drugs, and lastly, nobody wants to get involved with a person who does them. Thank you."

They returned, and everybody in the room was in tears, including the hosts.

"Please cross the line if you have ever been a child."

Vic, Gar, Kori, and Tara crossed the line, along with half of the crowd.

"Now if you got to cross the line in this one, please send your love to those who didn't get to cross." Everybody on the left side of the court held up their sign, the members of Raven's group that crossed held them up high and proud, showing their respect to those who didn't cross. While Raven and Dick were crying their eyes out.

Jennifer's voice was a whisper full of sympathy, "Some people," she held her sign up to those who didn't cross, "Never had the chance to be a child. They had to grow up, way too fast. Some people had to see and witness things that no young child should have had to see or witness. They had responsibilities put on them from the day they woke up. Having to take care of people and things when they should have still been cared for."

They waited a moment, in silence, showing respect. Raven looked up and saw the whole crowd of people sending their love to her and the others.

"Some people just never got the chance to be a child. Thank you."

They returned, and hugs, and I love yous were exchanged.

"Please cross the line if you have ever felt alone."

Every single student crossed the line, and many more hugs were exchanged.

"Look around," Jennifer told them and they did so, "All of these people are here for you. How can all y'all feel alone when you're surrounded by all these people? This is why you need to open up. If you did, then you wouldn't feel so alone, because all these other people feel the same way. Thank you, and please take your seats."

Everybody exchanged hugs for about five more minutes, before everyone was seated.

"So what we're about to do right now," Vinny told them from the front of the gym, "Is called a speak out. During speak out, you have the chance to get the microphone and say whatever you want to say. It's about using your voice to create change. Who wants to go first?"

Gar raised his hand.

"C'mon up here ain't nobody trippin. Send those signals right over here," Vinny handed Gar the microphone, and everybody's hands went up with the signs on them.

"Uh, hey everybody," Gar said, "I'm Gar, and I like to make people laugh. But sometimes I make fun of people to do it. And I just wanted to apologize to anyone that I may have hurt in the past, I'm sorry. And I will try my best not to hurt anybody else."

Everybody clapped and he took his seat.

"Who's next?" Vinny asked.

Jinx raised her hand.

"C'mon up here sweetheart," Vinny gave her the microphone. A few people raised their signs up, cause Jinx wasn't the nicest person, and not a lot of people get along with her.

"I'm Janet," she told them, "But many of you probably know me as Jinx. I do get into a lot of trouble, and I know that I have hurt people in the past. And one person more than anyone else. Kori, could you please come up here?"

Kori raised her eyebrow, but went anyways. She stood beside Vinny and faced Jinx.

"Kori, I just want to apologize. I'm sorry that I wrote all those things about you online. You did deserve to win homecoming queen, I was just jealous that you got way more votes than me," more people raised their signs, including Raven and her group, "And I was wrong for calling you a slut just for being captain of the dance team. I did judge you, and I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I will stop. Do you forgive me?"

All eyes went on Kori, and Jinx held the microphone up to Kori's mouth.

"I'm not the type to hold grudges, so yes, I do forgive you," Kori told her, and everyone applauded. Jinx gave Vinny back the microphone.

"Alright y'all hug it out," Vinny told them, and they gladly did. And he hugged each one of them too.

"Who's next?" Vinny asked.

'I can't believe I'm doing this,' Raven raised her hand.

"C'mon up here sweetie," Vinny told her. Raven stood up, and many signs went into the air. But not everyone in the room, because Raven wasn't the most liked person in the school either. Vinny gave her the microphone, and she stepped about a foot away from him.

"Well, I'm Raven," she told them, "And I have damaged a lot of people in this room, as well as ones that aren't. And I want to publicly apologize for it, and I anticipate all of you do forgive me," more signs went up into the air, "I would also like to tell you all, that I have extreme trust issues. I'm not very keen on the entire 'touching' concept, and I opted not to have friends. But now, in reality, I do feel like it is a necessity that I open up more, and actually be close to people. Not only for my sake, but also for other people's."

'I can't believe she's doing this,' Dick thought.

'Am I dreaming, or is Raven Roth really saying this?' Gar thought.

"So," Raven continued, "I'm going to share this story with all of you. I was sixteen, and it was Christmas day. My mom had died the previous year, and it was the first Christmas devoid of her. I just, I couldn't take it you know, and I decided that I was going to commit suicide," she pulled back her sleeve on her left arm to reveal a long red scar, that started at her wrist and came all the way up her forearm. Gasps of Kori's and a few other people's echoed around the room.

"I was tired of being put down by life, and I wanted to end mine all together. But my older brother, Nick Roth, found me and took me to the hospital, and I survived. I remember the whole ride there, I was fading in and out of consciousness, and that was the first time I ever made my brother cry. And I came to school a few weeks after that, and nobody knew what I had just experienced, until now. All the reasons why, I didn't want them to be voiced. The whole experience and what I went through, I wanted it to be covert. But now, I realize that when I depart from this earth, I want to go with no regrets or remorse. And knowing that the task God created me to complete, was completed. And I'm extremely grateful that my suicide attempt was a fail, and I was given a second chance at life."

"How many of y'all would have missed her," Jennifer asked, from the back of the gym, "If her suicide attempt would have been successful?"

Every hand raised, Dick stood up and everybody followed his action, and applauded.

"We love you Raven," Kori called out above the clapping.

"I love all of you too, and thanks for listening," Raven took her seat, and the applauding died down.

"Who's next?" Vinny asked, and Dick stood up and came to the front. Vinny handed the microphone to him. Everybody's signs came up, Dick is very much liked at this school.

"I'm Dick Grayson," he said, "The captain of the basketball team and labeled a jock. And I'd just like to say, that I absolutely agree with Raven. When I leave this world, I want to have no regrets or remorse, and I don't want anyone else to either. So whenever you have something on your mind or you need somebody to talk to, I'm here for you. Come and talk to me and I'll give you my full and undivided attention, and I'll help you out."

"Give him a round of applause," Vinny said even though everyone already was clapping, "It takes a lot to do that."

Dick took his seat, and the applauding died down.

"Anybody else?" Vinny asked, Kori came to the front and he handed her the microphone.

"Hey everybody," she said, "I'm Kori Anders, but most of you know me as the leader of the clique the Homecoming Queen and her supporters. And because I've been 'assigned' into that clique, I'm not 'allowed' to associate with anyone outside of it. So, I say, to hell with the cliques. They're nothing but barriers keeping us from each other. And as long as I attended Jump City High, I make it my mission to break all the cliques, and have us to be just, normal high school students you know, not Stoners and Nerds."

Everybody applauded, and she took her seat.

"Anybody else?" Nobody raised their hands or stood up, "Anybody?" Nobody said anything.

"Alright then, give those guys an awesome round of applause."

Everybody clapped, and some hugs were exchanged.

"Alright, now what you feel in this room right now, this is real power," Vinny told them, "And if y'all can make this room feel like this today, then there's absolutely no reason you can't tomorrow."

Jennifer came to the front, "I challenge you," she said, "When you walk out those doors, to live your life. And y'all are free to go change the World."

End Chapter

How was that? Good or bad? Should I continue? Leave a review, and tell me what you think.

Vinny and Jennifer are real people; they are actual hosts from the show. And Jennifer's story is true, I didn't make it up. Part of Gar's, Kori's, and Raven's stories are based off of real people from the show.

-GothicPrinccess