Broken
Trust
I’m *still* running.
I haven’t stopped for well over twenty minutes even though I have a cramp, my
legs hurt, and my arms are tired. Branches have been beating restlessly against
my body and I can already tell my skin will be peppered black and blue tomorrow.
Yet, I just *can’t* stop running; I have to get away. I have---
THUMP!
“Ouch!” Darned tree root, didn’t see it till it was too late. Now I’m
sprawled on the forest floor, I can feel that my knees and hands are battered
from the hard rocks I landed on. Geez, that really *hurt*. Stupid, gosh-darn,
effing, piece of---
“Shit!” Wow, that actually felt good. Normally I’m not one to yell out
profanities and have little emotional outbursts, but, then again, it’s not
every day that my mentor and girlfriend betray me. Slowly, I push myself to my
feet. Great I’m going to be sore tomorrow. Okay Tim, take a deep breath and
find your way back to Brentwood.
~<>~
Forty minutes later I’m sitting on top of the gym at school. I pull my knees
up to my chest and make myself into a small ball. Good god, I just feel
so…so…lost and…alone. In less than an hour, I lost the trust of two people
who were *so* close to Robin. What am I supposed to do now? Act like nothing
happened? Quit? Leave town? Crap, I’m *so* confused.
Beep!
Wonderful. My watch is nicely reminding me that I have to get back to my
dormroom. I really don’t think I’ll be able to handle school today. Scratch
that, I *know* I won’t be able to handle school. I’ll just have to sneak in
and ask Alfred to get me out of school; family emergency or something. Guess, in
a weird way, this *is* a family emergency. I need to go someplace and collect my
thoughts, maybe then, things will fall into place.
~<>~
Good ol' Alfie came through for me with no questions asked. He knows I’ll tell
him and I will. Just later cause later’s always good.
Besides, right now, I’m speeding away from Brentwood towards our Young Justice
hideout. It’s the only place that I can sit and think and I figure that the
rest of the team is out and about doing something. Also, there’s a computer
there and a talk with Dick sounds like a grand idea right now. Maybe we can
exchange Batman horror stories…hmm…that’s not a bad idea at all.
Well, the hangout *looks* empty, but then again looks *can* be deceiving, so---
“Hello, anyone here? It’s Robin.” No answer: good. Okay, so now I’m
here, what to do? I could wallow in self-pity. Yell. Perhaps cry. Or better,
I’ll just beat something to a pulp. Since it’s not nighttime yet, the
dummies in the gym will have to do.
I can live with that.
Thump. Whack. Crack. “Shit.”
Well, that was nice. An hour of mumbling profanities and beating a plush person
has calmed me a bit. It’s not made anything clearer, but at least I don’t
want to kill Bruce anymore. Maim him, maybe, but not kill. Ugh, the exhaustion
from lack of sleep and physical excursions I did, suddenly hits me hard. Slowly,
I make my way to the makeshift beds we have and fall into the soft mattress.
Just need to rest and then I’ll consider heading home.
~<>~
“Is he dead?”
“He’s not *dead*, Bart. He’s breathing.”
“Oh.”
“Man, Rob looks beat.”
“Should we wake him?”
“I don’t know, he might want to rest.”
Oh yeah, like I can rest when everyone’s talking right over me. Time to rise
and shine, Tim.
“Hello.” By the distance that Kon jumps back I must have startled them.
Good. Inside I’m grinning like an idiot. “What are you guys doing here?”
Looking at the gang, I notice they seem to be avoiding eye contact. That
*can’t* be good.
“Well, you see…”
“…that is…”
“…we planned…”
“Wondergirldecidedtohaveapartybutwedidn’tknowwheretofindyousinceyou
weren’tinGothamsowewentaheadwiththepartyanyways.” I watch as all the YJ
members seemed to blush at exactly the same time after Bart finished his
speed-speech. So, they’re having a party and I wasn’t invited or rather I
was giving a half-hearted invitation. If they wanted to they could have used the
YJ communicators that everyone *should* have. Man, why does not being invited
bother me *so* much more right now? Oh well, shrug it off and push through.
“Let me grab my stuff.” I rise to leave, but Cassie flies in front of me.
“Come on Robin, why don’t you stay?” Normally, I’d leave, but right
now…maybe this is what I need.
~<>~
“…and then I knocked him to the moon!” Ahh, a Superboy story; got to love
those exaggerations. I must admit that staying was a good idea. I feel twenty
times better, sure there’s still that nasty black cloud over my head, but---
“What’s the matter, Rob? You’re even less talk-a-tive than normal.”
Impressive job, Cassie. Wondergirl seems to be getting better at this detective
stuff, but still…you can’t top the Master.
“Nothing.” Oh no, she’s giving me the I-know-you’re-hiding-something
look that Dick gives me whenever he thinks I’m injured. I sigh deeply and draw
even more worried looks. Hmm, they actually seem…concerned? Why would they be?
I mean they don’t know *me*, they know Robin, and only then as a leader and a
“stick in the mud”. Why would they concern themselves with someone that
won’t even---
Suddenly, I have an idea. An evil, backstabbing, yet perfectly legit idea. I
*owe* it to *him*, that’s for sure. Okay, here goes, deep breathe and remove
the mask. Luckily this doesn’t seem to phase my teammates much. They’ve seen
my face, even though I still wear the mask most of the time.
However, I’m not quiet done yet.
“Name’s Timothy Drake or…Robin.” By the looks of disbelief on their
faces I’ve succeed in shocking them. Niiiice! I’ve always got to keep my
team on their toes; they’ve got to be ready for anything. I take another
breath and continue. “I’m a fifteen year old guy with a dad and a step-mom.
I go to a private school with friends and live like any other teenager. It’s
nice to finally meet Young Justice.” I smile to the gang and feel…actually I
feel pretty good.
There’s Batman’s “trust” thrown right back in his face…
…and it feels *good*.