#i was like Fighting to stay awake during chem today it didn’t go well

[imperpetuallylost]

LEA

LOU

[onceuponanolicity]

Oliver gets to meet Goth Felicity for the first time. 

one of the two chapters I promised you for this week. 

(If you follow Comfort Is... I put it on hiatus. I am already overwhelmed with the other two stories I am working on and with RL. I promise I will be coming back to it. I already have the next three chapters somewhat mapped out to match the three prompts that I have missed thus far.)

                                                                                                 Felicity was enjoying her junior year of high school, despite the hectic pace it lent to her. Mainly because, after a discussion with her counselor at the beginning of the school year, she discovered she only had to take three required classes the following year and she could graduate, possibly early. And MIT was ready to accept her the second she was ready. So life, in spite of the steady stream of hard school work, was exciting.

           In fact, with no Oliver Queen or boyfriend drama, things were actually going at a slow and steady pace that she was enjoying for the first time since she entered high school. It allowed her a level of concentration that she hadn’t had before. Plus, Felicity found that without all the parties that Tommy and Oliver threw, she had spare time for extracurricular activities. So, Felicity joined a computer group that formed with a bunch of kids who all looked to get into the technology field once they graduated. Felicity had tried to get Sara to join with her, but her friend was more involved in dating and she found a niche in a club of her own, planning out the high school yearbook.

           Felicity never really noticed the changes to her own self, but she did notice that her mom was giving her more and more of a hard time. A lot of it had to do with her change in wardrobe. Color leeched it way out of her life. Yet, her wardrobe choices became harder and louder. A Gothic Felicity now faced the world on a daily basis, stronger and more confident than ever. She felt empowered and ready to not just face the real world but the digital one as well.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           A rough hand shook Oliver awake. It was not his normal routine and he shot up from the bed. Looking around, he discovered a very angry male hovering over him. “Huh?”

           The guy’s fist shot out and slammed across Oliver’s face. Searing pain shot through Oliver’s head as his neck snapped off to the side. Fuck! That hurt.

           “You son of a bitch. That’s my girlfriend,” the guy growled at him while pointing to a female form that Oliver only just took notice of by his side.

           “Really?” Oliver mumbled around his aching jaw. His hand reached up to touch it. Yep. It was going to swell. “She didn’t say.”

           The woman beside him stirred to life. Her deep brown eyes blinked several times before they focused on what was going on near her. “Ronald? What are you doing here?”

           She shot to her feet pulling the covers along with her, leaving Oliver naked and exposed. Not that he cared. He had nothing to be ashamed about. His eyes flicked over to her boyfriend with the impressive punch. They only thing that guy had going for him was his right hook.

           “Finding you. You missed Chem Lab.”

           “I always hated Chem Lab,” Oliver murmured to no one in particular since neither one seemed to care that he was still there.

           Shoving his way off the bed, Oliver skimmed around the couple who were still fighting. He needed to pee. The gallon of beer he consumed the night before caught up to him. Though not as much as when he had gone over to the Merlyn Mansion during Thanksgiving break for Tommy’s party. That naked pool party had been the best. First the girls had been naked and plentiful and second the pool had been filled with beer. Nope. Tommy would never be able to top that one.

           “Aren’t you cold?” Oliver’s roommate asked when Oliver finally came out of the bathroom.

           Oliver glanced around the room. The couple were gone and so apparently were part of his one thousand count Egyptian cotton sheets. “No. You keep this place like eighty degrees.”

           The guy only shrugged and went back to the book he had been reading. Oliver dismissed him and went over to his luggage. He needed to get dressed and he refused to put the beer stained clothes from the night before back on. Oliver knew he should have left some out before he slammed everything in his luggage the day before.

           His roommate looked up at him as he got dressed. “You know you could stick around until the Christmas break. I know they kicked you out and all, but the room’s paid for another week.”

           “I’m fine,” Oliver assured him. “I already have a ticket to get home today.” Oliver kicked the clothes that were by his bed. “You mind tossing these?”

           “Aren’t those designer jeans?”

           “Yeah. So?”

           His roommate hopped down from where he sat. “You mind if I keep them?”

           Oliver laughed. “No. Go ahead. The sheets too, if you don’t mind the fact that half of them are missing.”

           “Cool.”

           Oliver reached out and shook the kid’s hand. “Nice knowing you. Good luck.”

           The kid only nodded and waved as Oliver collected his things. He was ready to go. Yale had not been the place for him. His parent’s money had not made up for the fact that Oliver barely attended a class. Oliver had other interests. Mostly fucking his way through the female population and partying until he passed out. If both happened, Oliver considered it a win.

           No woman had been exempt from his charm. Oliver had found his way into the beds of sorority sisters, PA’s, fellow students, visiting students, and professors alike. Each and every one of them had been fair game. It might not have been the smartest decision he made to sleep with the Dean’s daughter, but then Oliver could not remember making a decision for the past three months sober.

           The Dean did not seem to care that he was Oliver Queen, son of one of the richest men in the country. Heir to an empire that developed weapons for the United States Government. Not that Oliver would be able to explain, or to tell anyone, about any of it. He had never paid attention to any of the meetings his father dragged him to.

           During Thanksgiving break, Oliver had been surprised when Laurel had showed up at the Queen Mansion. She had said that she had thought about it and that maybe he was right. That they should have seen other people when they were at college, but that she was ready to resume their relationship, if he was. Despite the pitfalls of long-distance relationships, she was convinced that the two of them could make it work. So, Oliver agreed, but what Laurel did not know would not hurt her. It was not like he cheated on her for real. None the people he saw mattered more than for that moment of instant gratification.

           But now he was heading home. Things had to change. He had to change. Mainly because he had to explain to his family why he was kicked out of Yale. But there were other changes to be made. Oliver would have to buckle down and get serious about Laurel again. That’s what last night was about. His last hurrah.

           Starling City was to be his prison until he was able to escape again and be himself. At home there were pitfalls that he could fall into. One of them the responsibility of being Robert Queen’s son. The other being Laurel’s boyfriend. And the last was the scariest of all. Oliver had to face the one thing all the partying was meant to erase. The memory of Felicity. Felicity who lived in Starling City. Felicity who was bound to show up at Sara’s party, which he promised to host again. Felicity with the soft brown hair and the sparkling blue eyes who would haunt his dreams when he was stupid enough to go to bed sober.

           Oliver had not heard one word about her since he left. He had not dared ask either. It was safer for his peace of mind. The last thing he needed to hear was how Felicity moved on without him with some cool kid from high school who planned to take her to the Prom, who could be her first sexual experience, who got to hold her hand and kiss her lips on a nightly basis.

           No. He was not ready to go home, but the plane had other places to go and insisted on being on schedule. Boarding, Oliver hoped like hell things at home would go a lot easier than his sobering mind conjured up.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           If Oliver knew how much his father was going to blow up at the news that Yale would not be taking him back, Oliver might have taken his roommate up on the extra week stay. But more than his father’s anger, it was the look of disappointment on his mother’s face that cut Oliver to the bone.

           It was one of those looks that finally drove Oliver out of the house a day later. Tommy was not home yet, so going to the Merlyn Mansion was not an option. That left Oliver at loose ends, until a planned formed in his mind.

           It was with that in mind that Oliver found himself outside the door of the Lance household with his hand raised to knock on the door. Oliver was surprised to find the door opening right as it was about to land. A smile hit his face. Sara must have seen him come up the driveway.

           Only instead of Sara, Oliver was greeted with a short girl with jet black hair. She was dressed in chunky, heavy black boots which were a complete contradiction to the black fishnets that covered the slim legs that resided in them. Oliver’s eyes skimmed upwards. He noticed the girl had on a black knee length denim skirt and a black tank top under a black crop top that hung off one shoulder. A heavy winter coat hung in her hands. One that she was definitely going to need once she was fully outdoors. The look was completed with that jet black hair that was cut into a sharp angled bob around a face that seemed to be powdered white with sharp black lines around blue eyes while black lips thinned as those eyes met his.

           “Problem?” the Gothic girl in front of him grumbled.

           “No.” Oliver held out his hands. “I was looking for Sara.”

           “Sara! Oliver’s here,” she called out before she stepped around him, waving him inside. “Go ahead. She should be down in a minute.”

           Oliver squinted his eyes at the girl. Her voice and eyes seemed awfully familiar, but he couldn’t place someone, anyone, who looked like she did. “Do I know you?”

           She shrugged, causing the shirt to drop lower on her shoulder. “Not anymore.” The girl pointed to a small car that pulled up into the driveway behind his own. “Gotta go.”

           He watched her pick up a bag that he had not noticed her bring out and pulled it up onto her shoulder. She walked away from him and jumped into the passenger side of the green car.

           “Ollie?”

           Turning, Oliver saw Sara leaning against the door. “Hey.” Oliver jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Who’s that?”

           Sara leaned past him and smiled. “Felicity?”

           Oliver stood there incredulous. “That was Felicity?” Oliver choked out. “Felicity Smoak?”

           “Yeah. Didn’t you say hi?” Sara looked up at him confused before shaking her head. “You coming in or not? Luckily Mom isn’t here yet or she’d start yelling about the door being open so long.”

           “Sure.” Oliver shook his head as he entered still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the girl he saw was the one he had been half in love with. “What have you been up to?”

           “Not much.” Sara flopped down on the loveseat in her parents’ living room. “Surprised you and Felicity both showed up on my door the same day.”

           “Why would you be surprised to see Felicity? I thought the two of you were friends.” Oliver sat on one of the chairs leaning forward. Things were becoming weirder and more confusing by the moment.

           “We are.” Sara’s eyes drew in. “We were.” She nodded. “Yeah, we’re still friends but Felicity, she’s got this new group she hangs out with. So, I don’t see her as much as we used to. Though, soon I guess I won’t be seeing her at all.”

           “Why not?”

           “This summer she’s heading up to MIT for the summer session.” Sara pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it. “She won’t be back until a week before senior year. And then she’s going to be doing high school and college classes her senior year.”

           “Wow.” Despite the major wardrobe and style change, apparently, Felicity had her shit more together than he did.

           “You’re wondering what happened to her, aren’t you?” Sara said with a laugh. “I think she found herself. She’s happier. I might not see as much, but it’s nice to see her finally find her niche.”

           “She didn’t look happy,” Oliver somewhat grumbled.

           That caused Sara to laugh more and Oliver wondered what he said that had been so funny. “That’s just her Goth thing. If you’d been here fifteen minutes earlier you would have seen the two of us on the floor laughing hysterically about what happened the other day at school.”

           “Speaking of school,” Oliver said desperately trying to catch onto a different conversation topic. “How’s it going?”

           “Not too bad. I have a mid-term on Monday and Tuesday. Mom’s had me buried in books studying for the last week whenever I have a free moment.” Sara picked up pillow next to her and tossed it at him. “How about you? How’s Yale?”

           “They kicked me out and asked me not to come back. Politely.” Oliver snickered at how politely they asked. “Though I could tell that wasn’t how they would have preferred it.”

           “Ow!” Sara grimaced. “I guess your parents didn’t take that well.” Sara’s face puckered into a frown. “My parents would kill me. Sad part is Dad could probably find a way to cover it up with his police buddies. The killing me part not the college dropout part.”

           Oliver picked up the pillow and chucked it back at her. “They love you too much to kill you.”

           Sara humphed. “I doubt that.”

           “Oliver.” Dinah Lance walked into the room, looking like she just got home from work. “When did you get back?”

           “I flew back yesterday.” Oliver rose from the chair hugging Mrs. Lance as she approached. “I wanted to come over and check in on Shortie over here.”

           Sara stuck her tongue out at him. Mrs. Lance sat next to her, rubbing her leg through the blanket. “Did you ask Oliver if he wanted anything to drink?”

           “Why? He knows the way to the kitchen as well as I do.” Sara turned her head and rolled her eyes. Oliver hid his smile behind his hand as he sat there across from the two Lance women.

           “Sara Lance,” Dinah scolded. “Where are your manners?” She rose and turned to Oliver. “Did you want anything, Oliver? A drink or a snack while you’re here?”

           Oliver held up a hand and shook his head. “I’m good. Thanks. Raisa will kill me if I ruin dinner. She was so excited I was back that she insisted on making my favorite dinner tonight.”

           Dinah nodded with a soft smile. “I understand. If you change your mind,” Mrs. Lance turned and graced Sara with a stern stare, “Sara will be more than happy to get you something.”

           With that she left the room. Sara grabbed the pillow Oliver threw at her and pressed it to her mouth and proceeded to scream. Oliver tried hard not to find it adorable but it was.

           “Stop laughing, Ollie,” Sara reprimanded pulling the pillow from her face.

           “I’m not laughing,” he defended as he tried to hide the humor from his voice. Swallowing hard, Oliver straightened his face. “See? Not laughing.”

           “You’re a horrible liar, Ollie.”

           Oliver burst out laughing. He missed this. Maybe Starling City was just what he needed.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

            Felicity was out with her friend Seth from Computer Club the two nights later. They tended to hang out together on the nights when his real father came to visit. Seth and his dad did not get along on the best of days, mostly because Seth tended to receive the brunt of his father’s anger when he tried to protect his mother from being hit. Seth now realized his mom let him back in over and over and decided to just avoid the situation all together.

            “What’s up with the paparazzi parade?” Seth asked Felicity as they walked down street.

            Glancing across the road, Felicity saw what Seth was talking about. Paparazzi waited with their cameras at ready outside one of the fancier restaurants. It wasn’t a neighborhood Felicity hung around but Seth’s half-sister worked as a barista at the coffee shop nearby. She had promised to drive the two of them home after they caught an indie movie at the nearby theater. It was the only theater that played it.

           Suddenly, the group converged on whoever they sought. Even across the expanse of the road, Felicity could hear the paparazzi hazing the person as they snapped their pictures. A car pulled up close to all the ruckus and a driver jumped out to try to get the person into the car.

           It was right as they began to enter the car that Felicity realized that it was Oliver and Laurel. Felicity barely made a sound, so there was no way he could hear it over that space and with all the shouts, but he turned right then and their eyes locked. It sent a shiver down Felicity’s spine. There was no reason in all of that chaos that he should notice her. Yet, he had. It was like he honed in on her the moment she made the sound deep in her throat.

           “You okay, Felicity?” Seth asked as he settled a hand on her shoulder.

           “Yeah.” Felicity shook the experience off as the car drove away. “Let’s go.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           Felicity dreaded Sara’s party. Not because it was Sara’s party but because once again it was at the Queen Mansion. That meant that Felicity was going to have to run into Oliver. It was pretty much a given. Only this time she had no one to hide behind. And her getup wasn’t going to be as surprising. Not that she came in her full Goth look. Her mom had refused to let Felicity go if she insisted on painting her face and wearing all black.

           That’s why she stood there, behind a group of other kids who arrived at the same time. She hoped to blend in enough for no one to take notice of her. Felicity had decided on a plain white t-shirt with her black jeans and chunky black Army boots. Her black hair hung at a jaunty angle around her shoulders. For a moment, Felicity wondered why she had cut it. Longer it would have made a nice veil of protection.

           Sara stood there at the door greeting everyone. She seemed to be the only person there. That allowed Felicity to relax slightly. Sara she could handle.

           “Felicity,” Sara cried out when she saw her. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

           “Happy seventeenth,” Felicity told her friend as she hugged her.

           Sara pulled back a crazy expression on her face. “Wow. I’m going to be seventeen in two days. That’s crazy.” Sara hugged her again and shut the door. “Well, come in. Ollie’s mom set up a huge party from the leftover stuff they had from their Christmas party last night.”

           “Sounds fun.”

           Pulling her arm through her friend’s, Sara guided Felicity into the game room. “We’re having games this year. So be prepared.” Sara winked at her. “Pin the tie on the hunk. I already got Tommy to volunteer. Then there is a Charles Dickens Haunted Christmas Trail upstairs. And finally, we are going to do spin the bottle.”

           “No.” Felicity waved her hands. “I am not doing spin the bottle.”

           “C’mon. It’s going to be fun. And it will only be for two minutes.” Sara sent her a sideways look. “Nothing good happens in two minutes. Tommy wanted five to ten.”

           “Tommy would take a half hour if you let him,” Felicity said with snark.

           “Oh, you know that is true.” Sara and Felicity laughed. “Oh my God! Now you have me wondering what he would do if he ended up with one of us.”

           “Die of embarrassment?” Tommy said as he joined in their little group. “Best way to get me to back off my five to ten minute rule. Thanks for that, Sara. Ruin everything.”

           “Whatever,” Sara said with a roll of her eyes. “You just thought you could get laid.”

           “Not really.” Tommy glanced across the room at an adorable brunette who shyly smiled and waved at him by Laurel’s side. He raised his hand back at her. “I’m good.”

           Sara let out a low whistle. “You bring her home from college?”

           “Nope. Met her at Oliver’s Christmas party.”

           Felicity studied the girl. She didn’t seem like Tommy’s type. Not the looks part that was definitely Tommy’s type, considering she looked like she could be more Laurel’s sister than Sara was. But her personality seemed shy. Not at all attention grabbing. “She seems nice.”

           “She is nice,” Tommy agreed.

           “Why do you sound bored already?” Sara asked with a sideways glance in his direction.

           “Because she’s everything I should want. But she’s not.”

           “She’s not Laurel,” Felicity noted to Sara.

           “You’re still hung up on Laurel?” Sara huffed. “You’re so much smarter than that. I would’ve thought that after you went to college you could have outgrown her.”

           Tommy blushed. “You know. I think I hear Ollie calling me.”

           The girls watched Tommy hurry away. Felicity leaned into Sara’s shoulder. “I didn’t hear Oliver, did you?”

           “Nope.” The two burst out into giggles. Felicity settled down first, but it was Sara who spoke. “Let’s go have fun.”

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           The cake and ice cream had already been polished off and Sara had opened the last of her presents, when she stood up and clapped her hands. “Okay. Who is ready for some games?”

           “That’s no fun,” one kid whined. “There’s no beer. Yo, Oliver. Where’s the beer?”

           “No, beer this time, guys,” Sara told them. “My parents would kill me. So, don’t blame Oliver.”

           “Lame,” some girl complained from next to Felicity. “The game better be good.”  

           “Strip poker?” Sara’s new boyfriend suggested as he came to stand by her side.

           “Too many people, baby. Maybe next time.”

           Tommy groaned. “Don’t invite me. I don’t think there’s enough eye drops for me to wash my eyes out from seeing you naked.”

           Sara frowned and reached behind her for the sparkly pillow someone had given her before she threw it full force at Tommy’s head. “Jerk.”  

          Tommy ducked in time, but came up frowning. “What? You’re my friend. That’s like saying that you’d be inviting Felicity and Thea.” Tommy made a gagging noise. “They’re like a little sister to me. No one wants to see their little sister naked.”

           “Who said I’d be the one naked, Merlyn?” Felicity threw at him. Then she thought about what she said. “Eww. He’s right. I don’t want to see him naked either.”  

          “See?” Tommy gestured to Felicity.

           “Okay,” Sara said with a laugh and a pat of her hand on her boyfriend’s chest. “Strip poker is definitely out.”

           “Where does that leave us?” one kid asked from the back.

           Sara grinned at the group and twirled around so that she could retrieve a large empty soda bottle. “Spin the bottle.”

           A bunch of people groaned, but a few others cheered. Felicity was definitely on the side of the groans. She had no wish to go around kissing people she didn’t know and lately Felicity didn’t know over half of Sara’s other friends.

           The group gathered around in a large circle. There were about twenty people in all. Sara stood in the middle of them all and placed the bottle down. “So, here’s the rules. We are going to spin the bottle in order starting with me. Whoever you land on you have to go into that closet over there,” Sara indicated the closet just to the side of the game room, “and kiss for two minutes.”

           “Even if it’s a person of the same sex?” Sara’s boyfriend bemoaned.

           “Okay. It has to be a person of the opposite sex,” Sara conceded.

           “Hey, I’m fine if it’s two girls,” one guy chimed up and there was a bunch of male noise that followed until Sara quieted them down.

           “No. Opposite sex. Everyone plays.”

           “I’d rather not,” Laurel piped up trying to stand up from the circle. “Ollie and I will just watch.”

           Sara and Laurel exchanged heated looks before Oliver stepped in. “Laurel, we’ll be fine. Let’s just play. It’s your sister’s birthday.”

           Laurel pointed over at Felicity. “What about her? She’s underage. Most of the guys here will get in trouble if they have to go near her. What if she cries rape?”

           “In two minutes, Laurel?” Tommy said. “Please. I’d break down the door before that happened. You just are too afraid to see Oliver kiss anyone else that isn’t you.”

           “What if I am?”

           Tommy glanced around the room. “Well, then you’re screwed because he’s already been there done that.”

           Felicity heard Oliver groan as Laurel looked around and realized exactly what that meant. “You kissed Felicity? When?”

           “It was platonic,” Felicity lied. “Just like it would be if we had to go in the closet. Right, Oliver?”

           For the first time that night, their eyes met. The blueness in his eyes promised that if their lips touched again that it would be anything but platonic. “Sure. Platonic.”

           “Fine.” Laurel tromped back to her seat, pulling Oliver along with her. However, Oliver’s eyes still remained trapped to Felicity’s. It wasn’t until Laurel reached around and directed his face to her own that the contact broke. Instead Felicity had no choice but to watch Laurel stake her claim over the man next to her in front of everyone there.

           Sara cleared her throat. “Okay. So, I’m going first.”

           The bottle spun and spun. A few of the guys were joking around about what they’d do to the birthday girl if the bottle landed on them, earning them a glare from her boyfriend. Finally, it landed on Laurel. Sara rose to give the bottle another spin when Oliver stood up.

           “I’m close enough. C’mon, kiddo. I owe you a couple of birthday smacks.”

           “They better be on the lips, Queen,” Sara said as he began to lead her toward the closet.

           Sara turned and nodded to Alan, her boyfriend. “Why don’t you go next?”

           “Uh-uh. I’m timing this.” He jumped up and set his watch. “You have two minutes from the time the door closes.”            

           Oliver couldn’t believe he agreed to this. With a sigh he closed the door behind him and Sara. He blinked in the darkness and reached for the light. “We need to turn on the light.”  

           “Ollie?”

           “Yeah?” He looked down at her after finding the light switch and flicking it on.

           “Kiss me. It’s my birthday.”

           Oliver couldn’t believe that she actually asked him that. She knew that he was involved with her sister and beyond that she seemed more than aware of his feelings toward her best friend. He swallowed back the lump that formed in his throat. “Sure.”

           He saw her begin to lean toward him, her lips loosening in anticipation of a kiss. Instead, Oliver grasped the back of her head and began to lean in to kiss her cheek. Only Sara diverted her head at the last second and his lips and hers collided. Shit!

           Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed forward. “Ollie.”

           “Sara, I…” Oliver pulled her arms off of him and stared down at her. “I don’t think of you like that.”

           “I just thought… I mean it’s my birthday and I’ve had a crush on you for years. But you finally weren’t fawning over Felicity, so…” Sara looked sad, defeated and young.

           “I wish…”

           “Two minutes,” Alan’s voice interrupted.

           Oliver shook his head. “I wish I felt that way, Sara, but I don’t.” He let out a small laugh. “Sad part is it might be a whole less complicated that way.”

           “I know. It’s just for once I thought maybe…”

           Oliver leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Maybe in another life. Mine’s complicated enough.”

           Sara stared up at him as pounding commenced on the door. “You really do love her, don’t you?” She shook her head. “You don’t have to answer that. I’m pretty sure you’ve been in love with her for years.” Sara slammed a finger into his chest. “She’s going to MIT. If you screw any of that up for her, I’ll kill you slowly.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll learn how just to do it.”

           “Got it,” Oliver told her with his hands up defensively. “Now we better go before your boyfriend takes a swing at me. I’ve had enough of that recently.” He reached up and rubbed at his still bruised chin.

           “Right.” Sara reached for the door and pulled it open with a huge grin on her face that she did not have a second ago. “Best game ever. Whoever gets Ollie is going to get lucky.”

           Female cheers resonated around the room. Oliver only groaned as his eyes met the furious stare from Laurel. Sitting down again, Oliver hoped the night would speed up. He only somewhat got his wish.

           He and Laurel were seated halfway around the circle from where Sara, her boyfriend, Felicity, and Tommy sat. A few times the bottle landed on Tommy and there were cheers of excitement from everyone but the girl who sat at his side who he picked up the night before at Oliver’s family’s Christmas party. But Tommy, being the showman he was, took it all in aplomb.

           Finally, it was Oliver’s turn. He rose to his feet, avoiding, as he had all night, Felicity’s inquisitive eyes. Spinning the bottle, Oliver hoped for his sake that it would land on Laurel. However, it refused. It instead landed on Tommy’s date who sat right next to the girl he had been trying not to look at. His eyes met hers and he saw the relief that was in them as she realized the bottle had landed on the person next to her.

           Tommy’s date slowly rose from where she sat. She looked back at Tommy unsure. Tommy only smiled at her. “It’s fine. Two minutes. That’s it.”

           The girl nodded and accepted Oliver’s hand as he tugged her into the closet. She barely pecked him on the cheek and let him do the same to her. Just as they had the night before when her family introduced her to him. Platonic. This was how it was done. Oliver assured himself that should the occasion arise he could, and would, be able to follow through on this with Felicity. So, long as he didn’t touch her otherwise.

           The two minutes went quickly. Oliver was relieved when he sat back down. Then Laurel rose to take her own spin. He could see her trying to calculate how hard she would have to spin it to land on him. Much to her chagrin, the bottle decided to be stubborn. It barely turned at all and ended up landing straight at Tommy.

           Oliver wondered what would happen. He knew now how his friend felt now about Laurel. Laurel, on the other hand, probably still had no clue. Sucking in his lips, Oliver watched with interested eyes as his two longest friends made their way into the closet.

           When they emerged, Laurel looked shell-shocked, even as she tried to cover it up. Tommy’s face was hardened. He seemed ready to rip someone’s head off. So, things had not gone well. Oliver rose to help Laurel back down to her seat. “You okay?”

           “Yeah. Fine,” she said softly. Oliver watched her exchange a glance with Tommy from under her eyelashes. At the contact, Tommy tried his best to smother a grin that began to form. Tommy must have laid one on her and Laurel reacted but freaked out because she did. Oliver wondered what would have happened if Laurel had chosen Tommy from the beginning.

           It was those thoughts that got him through the rest of the game. Only one other girl landed on him. One of the newer cheerleaders. Oliver went and kissed her as he should but felt absolutely nothing. He had more of a response while he was drunk at college. It made him wonder what the difference was now. There was only one logical answer he could come up with. Felicity. She was back in his life and now nothing compared to her. Again.

           Oliver just wished for the game to be over at this point. The only people who were left to spin was Tommy’s new girl and Felicity. Laurel glared in the girl’s direction when she managed to spin and land on Tommy.

           Laurel nudged him. “Did you see that? That wasn’t fair.”

           It seemed completely fair. The bottle had spun around the circle twice before it landed almost exactly where it had started. But fairness, wasn’t a thing that Oliver understood. If it was he wouldn’t be so on the edge as Felicity rose from her spot to go to the bottle that sat dead center of the group. Oliver had no idea what he wanted. The last thing he wanted was for that bottle to land on any of the guys there. Yet, he couldn’t handle that bottle coming in his direction either. Tommy. That bottle needed to land on Tommy. That was the best option.

           “Come on, Felicity,” Sara encouraged. “Spin it.”

           Felicity reached down and spun the bottle. It was the fastest spin anyone in the group had been able to accomplish. It circled round and round. Not one person could have taken a logical guess as to where it was going to land. But, it did begin to slow. As it did, everything in the room silenced in Oliver’s head. There was nothing there but that bottle. His whole world was focused on that piece of plastic. Then it stopped and Oliver didn’t have to worry about sound because the entire room silenced all on its own.

           It pointed directly at him as if he stopped it himself. Oliver’s eyes raised up to meet Felicity’s. She stood there with her hands to her purple lips as if in prayer. A prayer that he didn’t think was answered by the startled look on her face.

           Rising, Oliver tried to keep things light. “Saving the best for last.”

           Only once Oliver reached his feet to grab a hold of Felicity, Oliver was met with Tommy. “Merlyn, get out of my way. It’s just a game.”

           “Remember that. A game. One that neither one of you needs to lose,” Tommy said in a low voice so that only Oliver could hear him.

           Oliver shook his head and walked around his best friend to take Felicity’s hand. It was cold and sweaty. He tried to rub it with his own to warm it up. “It’s okay, Felicity. Two minutes is nothing.”

           “I can hack the entire state’s school system in less time than that.”

           “Really?” Oliver looked over at her surprised. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

           She shook her head as he closed the door behind them. “No. I did it in seventy-eight seconds. I have a really good computer, remember?”

           “Felicity.” Oliver wrapped a hand around her cheek. “I didn’t recognize you when I saw you at Sara’s.”

           “Kind of the point, huh?”

           Oliver fingered her hair. “You cut it. I liked it better long, Though this is cute.”

           “It’s black,” she said with a confused look on her face.

           “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m kind of digging the Goth look. But just on you.” Oliver smiled down at her.

           “Whatever.”

           “I am. Let me prove it to you.” Oliver leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

           “Two minutes,” Tommy called out from the other side of the door.

           Felicity blinked up at Oliver as he stepped back. “Two minutes.”

           “I heard,” she told him. Her eyes searched his. He didn’t know what she looked for but apparently she found it because the next thing he knew she leaned up on the toes of her boots and pressed her lips back to his.

           Oliver wanted to kiss her back. He really did, but he was afraid of what might happen if he allowed himself the luxury. Instead, he pushed her back down. “Don’t do that, Felicity. I don’t deserve it.”

           With that Oliver turned, opened the door to the closet, shoving his best friend out of the way, and made his way out of his own house. He did not care where he was going. He just knew he could no longer be there.

OQFSOQFSOQFS

           Oliver stumbled into his bedroom around four that morning drunk. He had the driver come pick him up from the local dive bar he had found his way to. Toeing off his shoes, Oliver swayed and knocked down the small table that was nearby. He shushed it but it crashed down anyway.

           “Ollie?”

           “Felicity?” Oliver blinked at the shadowy figure that rose from his bed stretching.

           “I hope you don’t mind I used your shower and a grabbed one of your shirts.”

           Oliver swallowed hard. Did he mind? Hell no. Though he would have much better preferred she end up in his bed naked, but a t-shirt he could handle even in his drunken state. Oliver sniffed and realized he smelled like he had drowned in a barrel of beer. “I think I might need one.”

           “Want me to help?”

           No. Yes. Oliver shook his head. If she touched him this would be over before it began. “I’m good. You stay there.”

           Oliver pulled his shirt over his head, ripping it in the process. He didn’t care one bit. He had tons of other shirts. There was only this one opportunity with her. Oliver reached for the button of his jeans and felt her hands meet his. They smoothed his hands to the sides while she did it for him. He felt her tug the tight fabric down and Oliver groaned as his eyes closed.

           Felicity’s small hand wrapped around him, sliding up and down his length. A small, wet tongue ran over his tip and Oliver almost exploded. He hadn’t done that in years. Gripping her hair he shoved forward into her mouth.

           It was then the fantasy ended. The strands of hair in his hands were too long to be the girl that he thought it was. Felicity had cut hers into a bob that made the strands rest above her slim shoulders. This woman’s hair hung all the way down her back.

           Opening his eyes, Oliver concentrated really hard and found Laurel on her knees in front of him. Her eyes were on him and he shuddered. Not in passion as she would like to believe but in revulsion. She was not who he wanted. “Laurel?”

           “Come to bed,” Laurel said as she rose up and pressed her lips to his.

           “No.” Oliver stepped back from her. “I still need a shower.”

           “I can take one with you,” Laurel offered.

           Oliver stalked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of pajama pants. “That’s okay. You stay. I’m going to get a shower and crash in another room.”

           “But Ollie…”

           Oliver didn’t stick around to hear the rest of her statement. He was too disgusted with himself. There was no way that he was even going to consider sleeping with Laurel when all his body craved was the girl he could not have. The one that he had thought he had finally purged until his lips had touched hers again.

           But it was going to have to take more than an empty room for Oliver to forget. He was going to need space. A lot of space. Another college to take him back out of Starling City. Oliver resolved that tomorrow he’d have to speak to his father again. Maybe they could see together if Oliver could be accepted in another college by the end of Christmas break.

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