Chapter 1: The Scars that Bind Us

Rain pounded against the ceiling and window panes, creating a rhythmic rattling noise. The colossal living room was cast in shadows, the only light coming from the golden flames dancing inside the wooden fireplace. Two figures stirred in the darkness, seated opposite each other on a pair of red leather Chesterfield sofas. Placed between them was an antique marble chessboard, the pieces of which were scattered across the coffee table, captured and forgotten.

The girl on the left sofa—Selina—absentmindedly rolled a bishop in her fingers while the boy across from her—Bruce— took a scone from the nearby serving tray. Selina did the same.

"I've gotta admit," she remarked after taking a bite, "no one on Earth makes better scones than Alfred Pennyworth. Must be a British thing."

"It is," the boy confirmed between bites. "When Alfred started working here, he insisted on keeping the tradition. Now, it's your turn, 'Lina. Truth or Dare?"

"Oh, right...screw it. I'll do truth this time."

"Now is my chance," he thought. He took a deep breath and braced himself. "Do you like me, 'Lina?"

She rolled her eyes. "What kind of question is that? If I want to come to hang out, I have to climb into the bicycle rack of a bus and ride ten miles outside the city limits. I wouldn't do that if I didn't like you. Granted, you irritate the crap out of me sometimes, but that's what friends do."

"I understand...but that's not what I meant. Do you like me as...more than a friend?"

Selina's eyes widened, and she leaped from the couch.

"You ruin it every time," she sneered as she snatched her leather jacket from the back of the sofa and headed toward the door.

"Wait!" Bruce called out as he chased after her. "Please don't leave! Not again!"

She paused with her hand on the door handle, her eyes narrowed. She hated when he put her on the spot, especially when the topic was emotional. This wasn't the first time he asked her about their romantic relationship even though she always ignored him. Despite how much time they spent together and how well they got along, they lived two different lives. A child millionaire with the world at his fingertips could not be involved with a homeless thief. He could never understand what the world was like for her, and it would be a waste of time to try.

Bruce approached her and placed a comforting hand on her forearm, which she jerked away.

"You don't have to hide it from me anymore, Selina."

"Hide what?!"

"How you really feel."

"I'm not hiding a goddamned thing!"

"Stop pretending that there's nothing between us. I know you feel something for me."

"You don't know anything about me," she replied darkly. "Nobody knows the real me except me."

"I've seen how you act around the girls at school who flirt with me. You're extremely protective, catty, and judgemental."

"Because you're my friend! I don't want you getting your heart broken by some bubble-headed bimbo!"

"Right now, the only girl breaking my heart is you," he returned feebly.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she said curtly. "The truth hurts, but if I say it now it'll save you from more pain later—"

"Will you please just stop lying?!" he shouted as he stepped so close his body practically pinned her to the door. Selina winced but firmly held her ground.

"I'm not lying about anything, so you can back the hell off!"

"Would it help if I told you how I feel first?"

"I already know how you feel."

"Please, just...let me get this off my chest."

Selina huffed in annoyance. He wasn't going to give up. She rolled her eyes and gestured for him to start. Bruce took another deep breath.

"Selina, you and I have been friends for a long time. You've helped me work through the misery of losing my parents in a way no one else ever has. I sit by the window every day after school just in case you decide to come by. Then, when you have to leave, neither of us knows if you'll ever come back. You're out there on your own in the streets! Something horrible could happen to you and I would never even know! I wouldn't know where to look, who to "

"Yeah, it could. So what? No one cares about me."

"Why can't you understand, Selina? I care about you," he replied, his voice heavy with emotion. "I've always cared about you and I always will. I can't help it. I feel like...I don't know who I am without you."

Selina stared deeply into his steel blue eyes. She could see how pleading he looked. He was searching for an answer within hers.

"Well...?" he implored. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Selina heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah...I do. Here's what you don't understand. I have lost every person I ever cared about, and every person I thought I could trust has stabbed me in the back. I've learned the hard way that the only person I can truly depend on is myself. It was nice to have a true friend for once, but you had to go and make things complicated! You had to start putting feelings into things! If you really care about me, you'll realize how stupid it is to like me and let it go. We live completely different lives, Bruce. You would never last a day in my world and I know I don't belong in yours."

"That doesn't matter," he breathed. "It never mattered to me. Why should my social standing or your past dictate how we feel? You asked me the last time we had this conversation why we couldn't just be ourselves. Let's be ourselves, then! You and I work so much better when we stop caring about other people's opinions."

She sighed and shook her head, the hint of a smile appearing on her lips. She took a step closer to him. "See? There you go again, making things complicated," she whispered. "I don't know how you do it, but you make me believe we aren't so different after all. We're both broken. We're both lost causes. People like us don't deserve to be with someone normal. We have scars, Bruce. It's what binds us...and breaks us at the same time."

Before Bruce replied, she pulled on his shirt and brought their lips together. At first, he was shocked. They had kissed before, but it was mostly experimental. This time it seemed more sincere, and he never wanted it to stop. He moved his hands slowly around her slender waist and pulled her closer. They were so immersed in each other that neither heard the knock at the door nor the hinges squeaking as it opened.

"Master Bruce, would you and Miss Kyle like—oh!"

The teenagers immediately sprung apart, wide-eyed and scarlet-faced. Standing in the doorway was Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler and Bruce's legal guardian. A sophisticated but gentle-looking man, his graying black hair was neatly parted to one side and his livery was immaculately pressed. The tip of his pencil mustache lifted as he gave the teenagers an amused smirk. "Pardon the intrusion..."

Bruce began to panic. "Alfred, we were just—"

"—Master Bruce, I may be getting older but I have not yet gone senile. I know very well what you were doing."

Bruce slowly turned to Selina, who had deliberately fixed her attention on the rain pounding against the window.

"I wondered if you perhaps wanted the last few scones," Alfred continued, "though it seems you've gotten yourselves into something else entirely."

"None for me, but I'll take in the tray," Bruce said as he hurriedly retrieved it from the table and started following Alfred toward the kitchen.

"I should probably get going," Selina sighed, trailing behind. As she picked up her satchel and walked into the foyer, she turned back toward Bruce.

"I probably won't be back for another week. I have some stuff I need to do," she said flippantly.

"Alright...see you then."

"Oh, B? Don't read too much into that kiss. You're still not my boyfriend."

They smiled and headed to their destinations, occasionally sharing backward glances.

As Bruce placed the tray in the dishwasher, he noticed a note attached to the appliance's handle. He tore it off, a mischievous smile appearing on his lips as he read the writing.

I take it that means you told her? Well done, Sir.

-Al