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Chapter Text

Courtney's life had been nothing but change. While she didn't hate her step-father, she did resent him and his place in her life. How dare her mother fall in love with Pat while her daughter was still heartbroken over the death of her father? He'd been the best dad in the whole wide world, and no one could ever replace him. Pat was weird. Everything about him was weird. He collected weird old junk, and he seemed obsessed with stories about the Nazis even though they'd been defeated like twenty years ago. Despite how weird he was, he did have some neat stuff lying around, and Courtney amused herself in the long hours she spent home alone by going through Pat's things. That's when she'd made a discovery that shook her. Amidst Pat's gear was the costume for a superhero sidekick once known as the Star Spangled Kid. Seriously. Pat? That realization aside, Courtney had an idea. She'd taken some kickboxing classes, and if she made some adjustments that fancy converter belt would work just as well for her as it had for the Kid. She started hitting the streets, working out some of her constantly building frustrations. That was how she met Jack Knight, and, eventually, came into possession of his Cosmic Staff.

Just as life was finally starting to not suck, the unthinkable happened. Pat announced that they were moving; as if she didn't even get a say. Mom hadn't been any help whatsoever, seemingly just as excited as Courtney's step-father about the whole idea. Originally they discussed taking the family out to Nebraska. Seriously. NEBRASKA. Instead, they ended up heading out to Fawcett City, which everyone knew was almost as bad. Quiet. Peaceful. Absolutely no action for Courtney's alter-ego. With great reluctance, she tucked away her staff, her stolen belt, and her handmade costume. Instead of fighting crime, she could now look forward to being the new girl at a new school. Dealing with other kids her age seemed to be worse than fist-fighting Commie spies, and she wasn't going to be allowed to hit anyone. Basically, her life was over, and it was all Pat's fault. How was she going to not resent him?

He insisted on driving her to school the first day, which pretty much sealed her fate as the destined to die alone. Hunkering down in the passenger seat, she silently fumed. She was furious with Pat. She was furious with his ridiculous sea-green Chevy truck. Why did he even drive the eyesore? If he was going to be her lame step-father, the least he could do was have a cool car. Something that didn't scream loser, like a T-Bird. Now that was a vehicle. Pulling up in front of the school, Pat reached across her lap and pushed open her door. "Come on, Court. Try to make the best of it. You're a fun girl. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends right away." 

Grunting in bare acknowledgment, she jumped out of the old truck, shouldering her bag. She hated that dumb nickname, and she hated that Pat tried so hard to act like they were friends. He was just some dumb guy that married her mother. That didn't mean that she had to like him. Stomping towards the school she heard the truck pull away, letting a scowl cross her face. As if she was going to play nice with the dumb hicks from this dumb hick down at the butt end of the world. That thought, though, broke through her bad mood cloud, almost startling a giggle out of her. Using a bad word, even in her own head gave her a thrill. Maybe that would be her new persona out here. She was used to being the good kid, but apparently, no one cared to notice that. If she was bad enough they might even have to move back home.

A wolf whistle broke her concentration and Courtney pulled up straight, whirling around to investigate. What she saw was an older boy giving her the eyeball, so she returned the favour. Slicked back hair, leather jacket, torn jeans - Courtney might have been feeling rebellious but she had the feeling that maybe this one was more trouble than she was interested in right yet. Running her eyes up him once, real slow, she turned her little nose up, flicking her hair over her shoulder before turning away. She could hear a ripple of laughter from a nearby group of students, and barely concealed the triumphant grin that wanted to flash across her face. She had made her point, and maybe scored a few with the audience. Maybe this school wouldn't be the worst thing ever.

Two periods later and she was completely overwhelmed. School here was nothing like school back home. The building was unfamiliar, she was totally lost, and she wasn't even sure what the lesson had been about in that math class. Books clutched to her chest she turned down a corridor, only to run smack into something solid. Sprawling on the floor, books and papers scattering she looked up to see the rough-looking older boy from earlier. He smirked down at Courtney. "Well now, looks like the princess slipped off her throne." He held a hand out to her as if offering to assist her up. She reached up to accept his help, expecting him to react with common human decency. Instead, she gasped, startled, when he tugged her up to her feet and right flush against his body, stepping forward to press her against the lockers. "The princess better watch herself, because this isn't her kingdom, capisce?"

It was like a bad mobster movie, and her heart was pounding a mile a minute. If she had her belt and her staff she'd make mincemeat out of this bully, but even her kickboxing lessons flew out of her head in her panic. The seconds stretched out between them, and Courtney struggled for something clever to say. Finally, just up the hall, a door opened and her antagonist pulled away, a smirk on his face as he turned his back on her. "Later princess." Courtney dropped to her knees, picking up her fallen belongings with shaking hands, sniffling back the tears that wanted to fall. She didn't like this city. She didn't like this school. She missed her dad. She wanted to go home.

Chapter Text

"Hey! Are you okay over there?" Courtney barely looked up as the friendly voice called out, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. This was not how she wanted to meet anyone, not kneeling on the floor almost in tears. She might be new but she wasn't some push over, she'd just been taken by surprise. Gathering her books quickly, she clutched them to her chest, finally looking up to meet the eyes of the boy who was introducing himself. "Here, let me help you up. My name's Billy Batson, and that jerkface who just sauntered off was Danny Cassidy. He thinks he's going to be a famous actor or something someday." 

Courtney accepted his hand, letting Billy pull her to her feet. "Hey, the name's Courtney, I guess I am the new girl." She tried to quip as they shook. Retrieving her hand she carelessly tucked her bangs behind her ear, only for them to immediately fall across her face again as she pumped some bravado into her voice. "I don't let bullies like that shake me, I'll be fine."

The school was big, and she was lost, and this boy seemed a lot nicer than the other. As he discussed his next class, she scrabbled through her papers, finally producing the rumpled schedule she had crammed inside one of her text books. With a sigh of relief, sometimes life could be serendipitous, she noted her own next period allocation. "Looks like I have math next as well. Is yours with Ms. Hunt?"

"It is! This is great, there's a free desk near mine so you can sit and look on with my textbook if you don't have yours yet. Ms. Hunt doesn't really hold much with teaching, mostly she puts a textbook page number on the board and reads at her desk, unless the class gets rowdy. You're not the rowdy type, are you?" His smile was bright and his tone teasing as he met Courtney's eyes with his own big blue ones.

She smiled, grateful for Billy's sweetness, and linked her arm around his, still holding her books close with the other. Perhaps she had made a friend here... She could hope, right? She'd always made friends easily, and she seriously wanted someone to talk to beside her mom and stupid Pat. Clearly taking the path of the troublemaker was not in the cards for her, not if that Danny creep was the way. Billy asked about her move, and she ducked her head, watching him from beneath her long lashes. Courtney didn't just want to ramble on about herself, but he seemed interested. "We used to live in California. Sunshine and surfing and the whole lot. It's real different than Fawcett, and I miss the heat and the beach already."

"It is different, but pretty much everyone in Fawcett is real friendly." Courtney's eyebrows shot up and he laughed. "Danny's an exception. He spends his summers in Los Angeles with an uncle or something and thinks that makes him cooler than the rest of us. We generally try to help each other out, and when we can't there's the local hero that helps out and keeps everyone safe. He's pretty cool, and sometimes he goes up to the big City to work with like Superman and stuff." 

As they slid into their seats, Courtney bent her head closer, eyes alight with interest. "The local hero? Have you seen him? What's he like?"

"Oh he's the coolest. He's really big and strong, and super fast, and he can fly, but he also is really down to earth too. He'll stop and help grannies cross the street and stuff. He's just generally trying to be the best he can." Billy's face was flushed with excitement as he talked about this hero of Fawcett City, who seemed to be a real stand up guy, more like the flying fellow over in Metropolis than the dark vigilante that stalked the streets of Gotham. Courtney really hoped that she'd be able to meet him, in her guise as Stargirl, of course. She'd impressed heroes before, and she couldn't wait to show this new fella her stuff. 

"That sounds great, Billy. He seems real swell." With a bright smile she flipped open her text book, groaning when she saw what was in store for their day. Algebra... It was worse than one of Pat's lectures. Courtney was a distracted student at best, and algebra was pretty high on her list of least favourite subjects. As the teacher began the lesson, she scribbled a few problems down on her page before sliding a second piece of paper out and writing a note to Billy. Waiting for the teacher to settle in with her book, Courtney passed the note with a grin.

{Does this hero guy have places he normally hangs out? We should go and see if we can catch a glimpse of him sometime.}

{No, I don't think so. He just flies over the city once in a while, occasionally popping up when something's really bad}

Courtney chewed on the end of her pencil as she read over Billy's note. That was going to make encountering the costumed defender of Fawcett City a lot harder than she had hoped. She wanted to find this guy, maybe show him her stuff. She missed working with other heroes, like she had with the JSA when she'd first started out. They'd never made her feel like being a kid was a bad thing, but that might be because they were so much older than herself. Sighing she leaned back in her chair, trying to focus on the very, very boring algebra work. That lasted a whole five more minutes before she was passing Billy another note.

{I don't know if I can survive an hour of this every day. Where's that hero to save me from cruel and unusual torture?}

{I don't know right now, but I might be able to sort something out. It might take a few days, but I'll do my best. Where would you want him to meet you?}

Eyes running over the note, she was more than a little surprised, giving Billy a considering look while he focused on his schoolwork. She wondered how much of what he had stated was teenage bravado trying to impress the new girl, and how much of it was a legitimate ability to track down and make arrangements with the local hero. She passed the folded piece of paper back to Billy, feeling bold.

{I don't even know. Though I think I have to hit the library after school today to help get caught up in some of these classes. Come with?}

Catching his eye to see him nod in agreement, she turned back to the class. Unfortunately Courtney quickly grew bored and frustrated at the course work, not being the greatest at maths. Eventually she devolved to simply doodling stars and various alterations she might want to make to her costume in the margins of her paper, not really listening to what was going on in the classroom. Finally, what seemed like forever later, the bell rang indicating the interminable hour of algebra had finally drawn to an end. With a sigh of relief, she slammed her book shut and stood up.

Checking her class list, she finally had a smile. "I've got Physical Education and then lunch next, thank goodness. Another hour of listening to some old goat babble on about something boring and I might turn into a statue." she giggled. "What about you?" Since their classes didn't line up for the next bit, Billy suggested they meet up for lunch. Grinning in agreement she hurried off to change into her gym clothes. The next hour passed enjoyably, the coach that ran the girl's fitness class was impressed with her fortitude and flexibility. After kicking butt against bad guys, even with the converter belt, climbing a few ropes was nothing to her.

Soon though, they had hit the showers and Court was standing awkwardly at the entrance of the cafeteria, scanning the crowd for the friendly, dark haired Billy. Spotting him, she rushed through the line to get her tray, the gray looking meatloaf and tin cup of canned fruit not entirely inspiring her, but at least there was a small carton of milk. Being careful not to get jostled she plopped down in the seat beside her new friend, huffing out a massive sigh before poking at the limp vegetables with her plastic fork. "I know this is supposed to be nutritious, but could they at least pretend to make it appetizing?" She joked, smiling brightly at him.

"I like to pretend I'm a hero in the War, and this is the last thing I've scraped together to give me the strength to keep on towards the fight against the forces of darkness. How was phys ed?"

Laughing at Billy's joke, she drank her milk, the sealed state of the container providing her more confidence than the rest of the half-hearted meal. "Nerd. Gym was fantastic. I made it to the top of even the difficult rope, and the coach was really nice. She suggested I try out for the cheerleading squad, but I doubt my step dad will let me. He likes me to come straight home after school because he's a bossy jerk who thinks just because he married my mother that gives him some kind of authority over me." Her tone grew sour, her facial expression angry, but she quickly shook her head. "But that is depressing, what do you have after lunch?"

"English Literature and Ancient History."

Nowhere near what she had on her roster. She wiped the milk off her upper lip and grinned at him. "I've got geography and then law for the last period." She was grateful that he had accepted the change back to their original topic. She picked awkwardly at the fruit cup on her plate, tentatively putting a piece in her mouth before speaking again. "How's English literature? Any good?"

Billy grinned that lopsided grin of his, running his fingers through his hair. "I really like it. The teacher is also the librarian, and she's super passionate about the subject. Sometimes she recites Shakespeare without the book even, gesturing and pacing up and down the front of the classroom. Hey um..." He paused, looking shy. "Do you want me to show you the way to the library after class?"

Unable to resist the urge, Courtney primped her hair a bit, watching Billy from beneath lowered lashes. He was being so nice to her, and he wasn't half bad looking either. Perhaps this city wouldn't be a waste of time. "I haven't been to the library yet, though I'm sure I'll need it for at least one of my subjects. I'd love to have you show me where it is, Billy." She demurred, voice softer than necessary. He was gallant, this Billy, and Courtney graced him with her ten point cheerleader smile as he cleared both their trays and offered her a hand up. 

Tucking her arm in his, she walked along beside him. "Really what you need is a proper tour of the school. They used to set new people up with one, but they seem to have forgotten their manners lately." Courtney enjoyed the way he rested his free hand possessively on her arm as they moved down the hall. If the friendly young man wanted to warn off the bullies and boys coalescing in the hallway, who was she to argue? He was the only person she'd met since the move she could tolerate speaking to, and he was cute as well, she certainly couldn't see anything wrong with a bit of flirtation. Still, she felt a small twinge of guilt. 

The hardest part of getting close to civilians, was that she would always have to keep her other life a secret. Dang it, she was too young to be worried things like that, instead she focused on Billy's words. "Oh I'd love the tour, I have the worst sense of direction of anyone I know, I'm always getting lost. Apparently I have to do some research on Euclidean Geometry, my last school wasn't at the same place academically as yours."

"Yeah the school is really forward in academics. We have such a good library that sometimes even the college students come to use our resources. We have the largest collection of archaeological texts in the state. There was this amazing pair of local scientists that ... well..." Billy quieted, looking kind of sad. "Well they died on a dig in Egypt and willed everything to the school pretty much."

Courtney nodded as he spoke, watching the other students as they moved down the hall, arm in arm. For the first time since coming to Fawcett City she felt kind of like she belonged, at least here in the halls of the high school, with the Batson boy. "Two former students died in Egypt? How tragic... though I suppose it's fortunate for the school. Archaeology texts are hard to come by, and can be really expensive. I hope I get a chance to look at some of them, archaeology is one of the few subjects that really excite me. I like the idea of digging around in something old."

Courtney sensed something from the other teen, she just wasn't sure what it was. A fragility, but at least she had enough social graces to know not to pry. She'd do a bit of research on her own time, perhaps, and find out the story. For now, it appeared Billy wanted to discuss other things, that or he was already regretting swooping to her rescue and offering his time. It wouldn't be the first time she'd worn out her welcome for being blunt, and she really didn't want to stunt this new friendship before it even got off the ground, so to speak, secrets or not. "Well, besides all this school talk, what do you do for fun? Is there a roller rink or a bowling alley anywhere nearby?"

Chapter Text

"There's a pretty good bowling alley, but I don't get out much outside of school since I also am working at the radio station. Between that and homework I don't have a lot of free time." Billy ran a hand through his hair, but Courtney was too busy to really notice how cute he looked. Despite her lamentations about her odious (in her opinion) stepfather, she had a rather pampered life. He provided well for her mother and herself, and he really was a good guy all around.

"You have a job? Are you saving up for a new bicycle or something?" She couldn't imagine a world where a young person in school would need a job for anything other than spending money, and even that only for big ticket items. If she wanted to go out all she had to do was ask Pat or her mom and whatever she needed or wanted was provided.

"Not really, see things are pretty tight in the foster home where I'm staying, so I do what I can to bring in some extra cash to help with clothes and school supplies and stuff. Our foster parents are really the best so whatever I can do to help, I'm there. Besides, working at the radio station is a lot more fun than delivering newspapers." The spoiled young blonde's eyes went even wider as he explained about his job, and she gave Billy's hand a small squeeze. He was clearly a more responsible and driven person than she was. Her mom said she needed people like that in her life, that she was feckless and easily distracted. How could she tell her parent that it was because she spent so many nights flying around stopping criminals? She simply couldn't. Knowing her mom would like Billy made her like him more, though. As much as she rebelled against Pat, her mom was her rock. 

"Well Billy, hopefully none of that responsibility of yours rubs off on me. High school is about having fun, otherwise what's the point?!" She gave his hand a light tug, it seemed like they kept stumbling into heavy topics, and that was hardly her intention for the first day she met someone. She was going to end up giving off the impression that she was actually serious or something, and that wouldn't do. The more lighthearted and irresponsible she was in her teen life, the less likely it was that she'd be connected with her alter ego. Re-branding from the Star Spangled Kid to Stargirl had taken a lot of effort, but if anyone connected the relocation of the blonde young JSA member with the new blonde girl in class, well that wouldn't go over well.

"Don't let me be a Debbie Downer. Since I can't seem to steer this conversation to something good, why don't you take the wheel?" She let out a lighthearted laugh, hoping it didn't sound as forced as it felt. She was not good at making new friends. Poor, awkward Billy struggled, offering weather as a possible topic of conversation. The way he wrinkled up his face made her burst out into giggles. Placing one forearm on his shoulder, she pressed her forehead against it, the laughter shaking her frame as she leaned into him.

"You..." She heaved a heavy breath, laughing harder, tears dampening her sleeve where she pressed her face. "You should see your face! It's so adorable and lost." Choking she pulled away, wiping her face. "I'm sorry... it's just..." She devolved into giggles again, holding her sides. A last giggle escaped Courtney, and she wiped her face again, cheeks flushed red from the laughter and blue eyes bright and sparkly. This was the real, carefree heart of her. This was the girl who had played pranks on Wildcat and charmed Starman once upon a time. Whether she admitted it or not, she missed the old goats of the JSA.

Billy frowned again, looking pretty concerned as she struggled to get herself under control. "Are you okay, Courtney? Do you need a paper bag to breath into or something?"

"I'm fine," she managed to choke out, trying to muster some semblance of control. "You just looked so lost and confused... It was funny. I'm sorry. I'm being really rude..." She desperately tried to hold back another giggle.

Finally the serious look cleared from his face and his own, rather charming, laugh joined hers. Neither of them said anything as they straightened themselves out and continued on their way to the library. They definitely didn't say anything about the way her hand instinctively sought his as they walked, nestling in his slightly larger hand quite comfortably. The warmth and pressure of it just felt right, but then again... A twinge of guilt shot through Courtney. How could she really, honestly, date a boy from school? She couldn't tell him about what her particular extra curricular activities were, it was against the rules the old goats had drilled into her over and over. Telling civilians about your secret identity put them at risk. Every time. Billy was so sweet, but he was also a hard worker with a family that relied on him. She couldn't put that at risk. With a sigh she slid her hand out of his, and again they both pretended that they didn't notice. 

When she first put on the costume, nothing seemed like it would ever be better than being a superhero and helping people. Fighting villains. Today, though... today there was a small part of her that wished she had never put on the belt. Part of her longed for the freedom to just be a normal high school girl. Try out for the cheer leading team. Hold hands with the sweet boy who went out of his way to be nice to the new kid on her first day of school. That wasn't the life she had chosen, though, and she had a feeling that it was too late to change her mind. That uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach usually meant something big was coming her way.