The Rich Boy

Chapter 1 - The First Meeting

I've been going to Gotham Academy for four years now, but I am still an unknown. Which I guess is fine. I don't need to be known, sometimes being anonymous is nice. But when you're trying to walk through a busy hallway and everyone is in your way? It's annoying. Trying to get to class on a Monday right after lunch was like hell on earth. Everyone is walking slower than normal because it's Monday and no one wants to be at school. Plus, at the same time, it's after lunch so everyone is trying to get to class at the same time.

Usually, I would leave lunch early with my best friend, Farah, but I fell asleep under the tree where we usually eat. And instead of waking me so we could walk to calculus together she instead left me there by myself. So now here I am, trying to push through the crowd so I'm not late for class. I mumble out sad little "excuse me's" and "behind you's" but people don't seem to notice or care. I see my class straight ahead and I think, "Finally, I'm home free." Boy was I wrong. I run head-first into the biggest chest known to mankind.

I fall on my butt and wince at the contact it makes with the hard floor. All my books scatter on the floor and my papers fly out my folders. I could cry at the mess.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry!" A voice above me rushed out. I don't look up to see who it is, I'm too busy picking up my things as fast as possible so people don't trample all over them.

"It's fine," I grumble out annoyed.

"Lemme help you." The voice offers. That's when I finally decided to look up and see who the cause of all my frustrations was and my heart stopped at the face. It was Jason Todd Wayne. My crush of like five years, or since whenever I started going to this awful school. I could barely stutter out a response.

"O-oh um. Thank you." I stutter out like a loser. He just grins at me and bends down to help me grab my things. I scramble to pick up my books faster than I think anyone has ever moved before. I stand off the floor and stuff everything back into my backpack. He also stands up and hands me some of the papers he picked up. Our hands brushed for a second and I swear it felt like lightning was surging through my veins. I kind of snatched the papers out of his hands like a crazy woman but I was nervous.

"Sorry again um..." He trails off.

"Imani."

"Sorry, again Imani. Hope I didn't hurt you or anything." He rubs his hands together nervously and I think it's the cutest thing ever.

"Nah, I'm all good." I flex my biceps to prove it as a joke and he lets out a little chuckle.

"Alright cool. I'll see you around Imani." The way he said my name made my heart leap out of my throat.

"See you around," I murmured pathetically, but it didn't matter since he was already halfway down the hallway. I stared at him longingly until the bell rang and scared me out of my trance. I all but sprinted to class, luckily my teacher was late too and I made it to my desk right as she walked into the room.

My best friend Farah leaned over and whispered, "Where were you? You're never late to class."

I glared at her with the fury of a thousand suns and whispered back, "You didn't wake me up!"

She gave me a sheepish smile, "Sorry bestie, I saw Grayson and got distracted."

"I can't believe you abandoned me for a man who doesn't even know you exist!" Farah always seems to raise my blood pressure with her decisions when it comes to Jason's older brother Dick Grayson.

"I had to try and stake my claim against all these other bitches." She glares around the room and I roll my eyes but crack a little smile. It's hard to stay mad at someone as crazy as Farah.

The teacher starts talking and I pull out my notebook and pencils to take notes. In the corner of my eye, I see Jason walking down the hallway with Dick and my heart soars remembering the encounter we had earlier.

"I don't know what is making you smile like a dufus but I know it's not calculus. You're going to spill after class dork." Imani whispers. I didn't even realize I was fucking smiling! Why am I so whipped over a boy who probably forgot who the hell I was? I stick my tongue out at her and finally start to pay attention to the board. My motto is studies before boys. Not that I am particularly close to any boys but still!

After class is over me and Farah walk to AP Literature next. I tell her about my little hallway encounter and she is just as geeked as I was. She tells me about how she saw Grayson walking out of the cafeteria by himself and not flanked by his friends or his brother and she thought that it could be her opportunity.

"It was my chance, Imani! I could've talked to him or I don't know he could've seen me and fallen head over heels for me! Love at first sight!" Her ranting and raving started gaining some unwanted attention. I grinned and tried to calm her down.

"Okay girl, I get it calm down. So what happened after you saw him and abandoned me? Did you close the deal with him?" She gives me a blank look as we walk into class together and take our usual seats in the front of the room.

"No, as soon as I got close Barbra Gordan approached him and they started talking. I couldn't approach him when she was around! I mean look at her." We both turn our heads toward the back of the room where Barbra sits with her friend Donna Troy. I nod in understanding. Barbra and her friends are pretty, intimidating, and rich.

"Do you think they're dating?" I ask Farah. Her face drops.

"Oh God, I didn't even THINK of that." I laugh and take my books out of my book bag. Farah groans into her hands. The teacher starts writing on the board so I start taking out my notebook to take some notes. Farah sadly scribbles in her notebook and I giggle a little at how dramatic she is being.

"Farah I don't know why you're so upset. He doesn't know you." I whisper to her. She rolls her eyes.

"It doesn't matter Imani," She whispers back. "I know him and I just know I'd be perfect for him."

"Girl, be so for real. He's a slut and he's so rich he pee's gold how would you be perfect for each other?"

"I'm rich too! Maybe not Wayne money rich but rich nonetheless. And I don't care if he's a slut. I might be one too." We give each other a look before breaking out into quiet giggles. Farah talks big game but we both know she is anything but a slut. She can barely talk to a guy without stuttering.

"Ladies quiet down, please." Our teacher gives us a stern look and we both quiet down. My face heats up when I hear the people behind us laughing at us. Embarrassed, I continue to write my notes silently.