Flyboy.com
Part 3
Six Years
Ago, Dick is seventeen
“Hi, U awake?”
“Yes, just. ‘Sup?”
“Big news—B and me talked last night
Really talked and straightened some things out.
It was good.”
“FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What did U talk about?”
“School, my parents, work, friends, next year—all good.”
“N? What did U decide?”
“B wants college. I want 2 wrk. Maybe do both.”
“Y no college? U’r 2 smart not 2.”
“Tired of school, want to work.”
“That’s stupid D”
“No. I want 2 do something besides classes.”
“B will shit.”
“I know.”
* * *
In the event, Dick didn’t actually tell Bruce that he would prefer to either
avoid or delay college for a while.
“U said U’d tell B”
“Couldn’t.”
“Y?”
“Couldn’t disappoint him.”
“So U live his life? What about U’r life?”
“I know, I can make this wrk.”
“Maybe.”
“I can. What about U? U going?”
“2 college? Yes. Going 2 Yale.”
“Yale? Hot shit 4 U.”
“Shut up.”
“Really—Y R U doing this?”
“I told U, I don’t want 2 disappoint him N I O him.”
“Who do U talk to—anyone who could talk 2 him?”
“Lisa—drop it.”
There was a long pause. “OK”
* * *
“But really, Master Bruce. I do think you need to sit down and have a long talk
with the boy. I’m not sensing enthusiasm for the college search and I fear it
may indicate a reluctance on his part to pursue this course.”
“Of course he’s going to college. He’s an honor roll student, he’s a gifted
athlete, he’s independent, self-motivated and he’s socially aware. And what on
earth would he do it he doesn’t go?”
“I can think of any number of answers to that question, should you wish to delve
into the possibilities, sir.”
In fact, so could Bruce, but he didn’t want to open himself to the possibility.
Dick was going to college. He’d get his degree then go on to get his master’s at
Harvard or Wharton or maybe Yale. He’d intern at Wayne Enterprises and work his
way into the business so that, in time, he could tale over and let Bruce retire
from the day to day hassle and then, eventually, he could take over the mantle
of the Bat. Oh, fine, perhaps he’d want to establish his own identity and that
would be fine, but the point was that the legacy and the protection of
Gotham—and beyond—would continue in an unbroken line.
Dick already had the respect of the Justice League. He’s established himself as
a natural leader and a valuable member of every team he’d ever worked with
during his career.
He was the whole package and Bruce was damned if he’d let the boy waste it
running a travelling circus or something equally ridiculous. In addition, Dick
had never suggested or hinted in any way that he wasn’t interested in college.
If anything he seemed to accept it as the natural course of things. He wasn’t
shy or retiring; if he had other plans, surely he’d have voiced them by now.
There hadn’t been anything on his computer saying that he was unhappy or
frustrated with the school search, nothing of substance, at any rate. Sure,
there’d been some teenaged grumbling, but that was normal.
Bruce picked up the college catalog he’d been looking through when Alfred came
in. Dick had brought this one home yesterday; Hudson University. Small, liberal
arts, upstate. They had a business program but it wasn’t anywhere in the same
league as any of the Ivy or Big Ten schools but if Dick wanted a smaller place,
he was sure they’d be able to find something to suit him. Maybe the London
School of Economics…
* * *
“So what ever happened with that friend of UR’s—the 1 with the H prob?”
“Better.”
“N U?”
“OK”
“C’mon, D, this is me. How U doing?”
“Really ok. B agreed to the school I wanted. I think he thinks I’ll transfer in
a year but it’s ok 4 now.”
“How’s U’r wrk—U still work, right?”
“After school and evenings. Some weekends. It’s ok, 2”
“This is Y U don’t have a GF. Or R U gay?”
LOL. No, str8. Busy. N B makes me travel 2 much.”
“U N B doing better?”
“Better, yes.”
“100% better?”
“80% better.”
“N U? U ok after last year? Lose the a-hole BF?”
“He’s still N a-hole and I M better w/o him.”
“brb”
There was a pause while Lisa did some more homework and Dick answered the
intercom in his room; Bruce wanted him down in the cave and ready to go inside
of five minutes.
“Gotta go. L8R”
* * *
That night, after patrol, Dick checked but Lisa was off line. ‘Not a surprise,
it was one in the morning but he wondered about her. In fact he found himself
thinking about her a lot. It wasn’t even remotely romantic, when he thought
about her—well, hardly remotely. He acknowledged that he was make and she was
female and that they might be able to have something but in the next instant
he’d pull back and be grateful that he simply had someone he could talk to, even
if it was just on a computer.
They’d sort of come up with an unspoken agreement. They wouldn’t meet, they
didn’t talk on the phone, they didn’t write letters via snail mail, not even
birthday cards. Their relationship was confined to the Internet. Period. They’d
never discussed it and in the beginning they’d made comments about getting
together but now he’d prefer to keep things the way they were. There was
something safe about the distance between them. It made the things they talked
about somehow safer, knowing they wouldn’t have to look at one another the next
day in math class or on some vacation.
It worked for them.
And no one knew about it and that was, somehow, almost the best part. He didn’t
have to explain anything to anyone about her or answer questions about what she
looked like or if she was a good kisser or anything stupid like that. They could
just be there for one another and leave it at that.
And he was glad that Bruce and Alfred didn’t know anything about it.
Dick liked having something which was just his—okay, and Lisa’s, too. It was
personal, private and he didn’t want to share her or their friendship.
There was so little in his life which wasn’t overseen by Bruce of Alfred or
shared with the rest of the Titans or on display in school or published in some
crappy magazine or instant book.
Lisa was and their friendship was special and he wanted to keep it that way.
* * *
“Hi D, U’r test yesterday go ok?”
“Aced.”
“Go Flyboy!”
TBC
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