Almost everyday, Selina saw Freddy. Whether at the comic book store or just around the street, they ran into one another. And each time, he never failed to make conversation with the thief.

      Hell, she learned a lot over the next couple weeks about him. He was in a group home and was a foster kid with four other foster siblings. He talked about them all so fondly and enthusiastically, Selina couldn't stop smiling as she listened.

      But she wasn't used to his random acts of kind deeds. How he helped her steal comic books, or even gave her some, buying her Philly cheesesteaks and Kit Kat's when he learned how much she liked them. Why the hell was he doing this? She didn't understand. He claimed that she was like a riddle, but Freddy Freeman was a riddle to her. And she wanted to figure him out.

      But Selina knew she was going soft. Because in her backpack was a limited edition Superman comic that wouldn't be on the shelves for another week. She managed to break into the store and steal it from the back in the middle of the night with every intention to give it to Freddy since his thirteenth birthday-she enjoyed mocking him about him being younger and shorter than her-was just in three days.

     Since when did she give presents to people? Never. Shit, she never got presents either. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember ever getting a present, not even from her mother.

      How lovely.

      Selina adjusted the strap of her backpack as she walked toward his school, standing by the gate and leaning against it. It was the second time she met up with Freddy outside the school, and she didn't mind. There were a lot of kids to pickpocket from.

      She winced slightly when she heard the annoying bell ring, rolling her eyes so hard she thought they'd be stuck in the back of her head for a second. A crowd of children left the building and Selina kept her hands shockingly in her pocket. Her green eyes were focused on the dork with a crutch.

      Selina eventually spotted Freddy with his bright blue beanie, leaving her to smile once again. "Hey loser!" She called our to him, a teasing gleam in her eyes.

      The smaller boy quickly looked over and grinned widely. He limped toward her, pushing through the crowd until he was right in front of her. "Cat! You made it!"

      She rolled her eyes, shrugging but nodded. "Of course! Now, let's get a move on it, Freeman!" Selina nudged his shoulder lightly with the back of her hand and he chuckled, limping next to her as they started walking.

      Freddy was quick to start talking, blabbing about his day and what his little sister, Darla, made for dinner the night before. But the young teenager listened, perhaps a little too much. Because she hadn't noticed two older boys go up behind them until the superhero fanatic was suddenly yanked back by his hood and slammed into the ground.

      Selina paused for a moment, her eyes going wide as she couldn't believe what had just happened. It wasn't until one of the boys pulled his leg back and kicked Freddy's side that she finally snapped out of it. She shoved the older boy, hard, glaring daggers at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

      The two boys looked startled before the one that kicked Freddy started laughing. "Aw! Will ya look at that! Looks like the little freak managed to pay someone to be his girlfriend!" The other boy started laughing and Selina nearly cracked a tooth from how hard she was clenching her jaw.

      She didn't know where this inner rage came from. She had only known Freddy for two weeks, no more than three. Yet hearing those boys hurt a disabled kid for no reason, to call him a freak, made something churn in her gut.

        The last straw was when the thief looked at Freddy and she saw his pained expression, face red with embarrassment.

      And Selina lost it.

      She punched the one who kicked Freddy as hard as she could in the face, not even thinking twice to turn around to the other boy and kicking him in the balls. He doubled over in pain and she grabbed the back of his head, and smashed it into her knee.

      They both yelled out in pain, holding their faces that were now bleeding. Selina didn't hesitate to pull out her switchblade, flicking it open as she towered over them. She was small and young...but if looks could kill, they would be six feet under.

      "If you fucking lay a hand on Freddy again, and I'll make sure they'll be a lot more broken. Maybe...maybe, your arm?" She slowly stepped on one of their arm's, digging the heel of her combat boot into their flesh as he started shouting. "And maybe something important will definitely be missing." She raised her foot and smacked it merely an inch away from the second boy's groin.

      The older boy let out a startled scream at this, leaving her to smirk dangerously before leaning in slightly and removing her feet. "Now...BEAT IT!" She hollered at them as they scrambled to their feet, shouting about how she would regret that as they ran away.

      Selina took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as she closed her switchblade and put it back into her black leather jacket. She turned to look at Freddy and had to fight down the urge to laugh since he was still on the ground, his eyes wide with amazement and jaw agape.

      "You good?" She asked him, holding her hand out to help him up as she leaned down and grabbed his crutch. He couldn't even speak, barely managing to nod before taking Selina's hand and pulling him up.

      He took the crutch from her once he was up, staring up at her with the same look in silence before he finally was able to speak. "That...was...BADASS!" He exclaimed, a loud laugh escaping his pink lips.

      She giggled, feeling almost sheepish as she pulled her hand off him once she was sure he wouldn't faint. "Eh, it's nothing." She shrugged as they finally started walking again, pulling something out of her pocket.

      "Nothing? Nothing?! You just beat the crap out of the Breyer Brothers!" Freddy exclaimed.

      "Brett and Burke? God, such awful names."

      "Wait, how did you kn—?" He paused, looking at her hands before slowly looking back at her, "...you stole their wallets."

      "They pissed me off. So this is mine now." Selina smiled deviously, pulling out their cash and tossing their wallets to the side.

      He stared at her again, awestruck, before finally muttering. "You're the bestest friend ever."

      The curly-haired teenager paused at this. Friend? Is that what she was now? She had to fight down the urge to run, rubbing the back of her neck. "I've never had a friend before." She admitted.

      He smiled at her, that soft and sweet smile. "Neither have I. I mean, my only friends are my foster siblings, that's it. But you're still my friend."

      She chuckled lightly, wanting nothing more than to run away because this was terrifying. But she didn't. She continued walking with him until they neared his house.

      Selina had never seen his house before, but it had a soft and homey feel to it, just by looking at it. "Oh, I got something for ya!" The thief said, throwing down her backpack and smirking slightly. "Close your eyes."

      Freddy raised an eyebrow but nodded, closing his eyes. She took out the Superman comic, holding it. "Hold our your hands." He did as he was told and she put the comic on his hands. "I know it's early but...happy birthday. You can open your eyes now."

      He opened his eyes and gasped loudly as he looked at the comic. "No. Way! Holy hell, this is amazing, Cat! Wait, I thought this wasn't coming out until next week?"

      Selina shrugged her shoulders casually. "I've got my ways."

      Freddy grinned at her, nearly bouncing with excitement. "Thank you! Seriously, thank you!"

      "It's no problem, really." She said with a soft smile before nudging his shoulder with her fist. "Go on home, I'm sure your family wants to see you."

      He was still grinning ear to ear, quickly throwing his arms around her and hugging her tightly before letting go and limping to the front door. He waved at her before walking inside.

      Selina sighed, a little smile on her face before turning on her heel and walking around the house. She noticed the windows and figured she could pay him a surprise visit on his birthday. Yeah, she could definitely do that.