Title: The Girl With The Red Mask
Category: Arrow
Genre: Romance
Ship: Felicity/Oliver
Chapter Rating: pg-13
Overall Rating: mature
Chapter Word Count: 2,539
Summary: (au) When Felicity is seventeen years old she meets Oliver Queen, a boy who falls for the pretty dancer that shoots him down. But life is never as simple as one would like it to be. Together they live in their own little world, where neither her poverty nor the pressures of his social status effect them, until one reality makes itself known, and a simple choice marks their lives.
Part One
Starling City: 2007
-1-
Of course she heard the whispers. It was impossible not to. There were times when she wondered just why kids in high school were so damn mean and vicious to each other. Really, it just didn't make sense to her. But then again she supposed that it was hard to pinpoint the reason as to why. Felicity didn't really like the idea that most bullies were bullies because they had some sort of difficult home life, or they were attempting to hide some insecurities about themselves. That kind of thinking tended to victimize the bullies, make them seem like they weren't to blame for their actions. When in reality that wasn't really the case. The people that were picked on were the real victims. And the bullies… well, some people were just mean.
She knew almost from the get go that she'd never really manage to be a part of the cool crowd, that if it wasn't for one reason it would inevitably be for another.
"She's such a freak."
"She's not even pretty."
"I heard she's taking all AP classes this year."
"I heard she rehearses for eight hours every day."
Felicity stopped mid-stretch and rolled her eyes. Her instructor had asked her to keep the door open, stating that familiarizing oneself with the scrutiny of the public eye was something that she'd have to get used to eventually. While she had to give her credit for stating something that was very much true, she also failed to see how the scrutiny of the public eye and the vicious jabs of the popular high school crowd were synonymous with one another. Felicity wasn't naive enough to think that she wouldn't be judged for her looks or the color of her hair, but she did hold hope that along with that would come a certain appreciation for her technique. An awe for the lines of her body and the stories she told through her dance.
In high school it was all about partying and who's dating who and, "Oh my God did you look at the dance freak's hair? I bet she gets it done for ten dollars at some salon in the Glades."
She and her mother did her hair themselves she might add, and while it wasn't as fancy as the $300 blowouts some of the girls at her school got, it sure as hell worked and wasn't needlessly wasteful. A six dollar bottle of hair dye and some more or less expertly used scissors did the trick.
"Excuse me, coming through." Barry's voice wasn't hard to distinguish from the crowd. Apart from it being the only voice not spitting vicious rumors or random speculations about her, it had a certain quality to it. It was soft and gentle, with a tone more likely to praise than to cut down.
She lowered her back carefully, taking care to place her legs underneath her so that the stretch affected her quads just right, and tilted her head back. Her eyes found Barry as he closed the door behind him, and he smiled at her.
"Why are you upside down?" She asked.
"I don't think I'm the one that's upside down." He laughed as he walked over to the side of the studio, depositing his backpack and changing his shoes, trading out his worn out pair of Chuck Taylor's for his fancy new pair of dress shoes. She felt kind of bad about making him break in an entirely new pair, but the original dress shoes that he'd shown her had been damaged beyond repair. For someone with as much money as Barry - and unlike many of the other rich kids at school - he seemed to care very little about shoes and designer labels, which only served to make Felicity like him more.
Once he had his new shoes on, he walked over and stood next to Felicity, making goofy faces at her to try break her concentration. She stuck her tongue out at him, but otherwise ignored him.
"Are you sure you don't want to let me pay you for these lessons?" he asked while she slipped flats on. The heels she'd brought with her were open toed, but Felicity had learned the hard way not to wear those when she was helping out a novice. Her toes would thank her later for wearing the flats.
"Of course I'm sure, friends don't take money from other friends." She walked over to the set up the studio had, finding the song she was looking for and plugging her iPod in. When she didn't hear Barry's response she looked over, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"It's just… I looked up how much lessons at the studio you go to cost and…"
Felicity sighed. Sometimes it was very easy to forget that her friends here were incredibly wealthy, and though they never did anything to make Felicity feel like she was less due to her lack of a trust fund, it couldn't be helped when this type of conversation popped up. She was positive that none of them knew that the only reason she was able to attend her dance studio was because her instructor had taken a great liking to her and her talent. Still, as nice as Eva Trebunskaya was, Felicity was still required to do some work for her lessons. As a result, Felicity often stayed behind, helping to clean the studio and tidying up. Not a bad trade off, and Felicity was more than happy to help clean if it meant she could continue dancing there.
"Don't worry about it," she stated.
"Fine, but then I'm driving you to your studio after school this week. And buying your lunch." Before Felicity could argue with him he crossed his arms, glaring at Felicity.
She debated for a minute before she nodded. It wasn't charity he was giving her, and it wasn't like he was handing her cash money. Plus, it would be nice to not have to walk the five miles to Trebunskaya's Dance Studio
He smiled at her then, and she couldn't help but smile back. "Show me your hold," she instructed. He did, and she walked around him, straightening his back and correcting his stance. "Good," she said once she was satisfied. "Let's begin."
The rest of the week passed in much the same way, with Felicity meeting Barry every lunch hour in the school's studio for lessons. Why a high school had a state of the art dance studio when no one even bothered to use it was beyond her, but she'd grown accustomed to the wealth of the students and their parents being shown through the facilities Starling Academy boasted.
It was no secret that Barry had always been a bit uncoordinated. Unfortunately for him, his recent growth spurt - which put him at six feet tall - had left him all but nearly hopeless. It was thus a mystery to her why Barry wanted to learn how to do a proper waltz. Their school dances never amounted to anything more than jumping around and the occasional grinding. The most anyone bothered to do was swaying back and forth during a slow song, and even then they often stopped in favor of making out in the middle of the dance floor.
Felicity walked into Eva's studio with all the gusto of someone finally making it home after a long day. When she was here nobody cared how much money her mom made, where her clothes came from or the how much she'd paid for her haircut. In the studio, when the music was playing and everything else around her just melted away it was all doubt the dance. For Eva Trebunskaya, dance was art in motion, the dancers she taught the artists that would carry on and inspire the world. It was a beautiful way to look at her craft, and Felicity always did her best to make her instructor proud, to create the most beautiful art she could.
There were only a handful of dancers in the class Eva taught. It had been different at first, when she'd opened up her first studio. It had been a much smaller building with only one dance room, and the class sizes were smaller and less frequent. Every class had been taught by her, but as the studio's popularity grew other instructors had to been taken on, until the time had come to move to a new building, bigger and renovated to have three dance rooms. In fact, there were so many classes that Eva only taught the most advanced of them, popping in here and there throughout the day on other classes to help out and give a few pointers, but otherwise leaving the run off the them to her employees.
She made a beeline for studio one. It was smaller than the others, but that worked well considering that there were only eight dancers in this class. No one else had arrived yet, something Felicity was getting used to. When she walked to the studio from school she was usually the last one to arrive. But now with Barry and his trusty Honda S2000 something or other, she made it before everyone else.
Once the music of the Bajofondo Tango Club's "Montserrat" started playing through the speakers, she started moving through the studio. Felicity had warmed up plenty before her lesson with Barry today, and so she went straight to dancing. She couldn't practice the Argentine Tango properly without a partner, but she that didn't stop her from imitating a hold and moving around the floor herself, stopping here and there where she imagined she could incorporate intricate pieces of choreography. Aside from the actual dancing itself, choreographing was Felicity's second greatest passion. Should her body ever fail her, she liked to think that she could stay in the world of dance as a choreographer or instructor to new dancers, passing on the beautiful art to others just like it'd been done to her.
A pair of voices soon interrupted her thoughts, prompting her to stop and look over her shoulder. The only door to Eva's office was in the first studio, propped open as two women stepped out. The first was a stranger to her, stunningly beautiful and dressed immaculately in a black skirt and purple blouse. Her hair was absolutely flawless, and she looked so ridiculously well put together that just looking at her made Felicity feel self conscious in a way that no one at her school ever managed to make her feel. Her instructor followed behind, wearing a flowing pink dress and a carefully controlled expression.
Felicity found herself wishing that she hadn't decided to start on her own, the feeling that she'd unintentionally put herself up for critique from this random woman getting to her.
"Felicity!" She turned around then, a small smile gracing her lips. "Mrs. Queen, this is my star pupil and one of the most talented dancers I've ever taught." Eva said. Felicity felt herself blush a little at her instructor's praise, but otherwise straightened her posture and raised her chin up high.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Felicity," the woman who was obviously Mrs. Queen said. A warm smile lit up her face, and Felicity thought that maybe she'd been too quick to pass judgement on her. She reached for the hand that was offered to her, shaking it firmly. "I saw your dancing just now. Although I'm no dancer myself, even I can recognize talent when I see it." If possible Felicity blushed even harder. "Anyway, I must be going. I trust I will see you at the gala then." With a smile and small wave Mrs. Queen left, leaving behind a waft of expensive perfume.
As soon as Mrs. Queen had left, Eva returned her attention to Felicity, her expression shifting from carefully controlled to relaxed. "Was that Moira Queen?" Felicity asked. She'd never met the woman before, but had heard many things about her. The Queen family was practically royalty in Starling city, richer than even the richest of the families. Felicity had even caught a glimpse or two of Oliver Queen at her school, though he was a year older and tended to hang out with the popular crowd that oh-so loved to tear her apart.
"Indeed," Eva said, a hint of her old Russian accent slipping into her speech. "She will be hosting a gala to support students interested in the arts, and has requested we provide a show. She hopes that a showcase of talent will encourage the attendants to donate."
"All the money that's going into their gala could probably help, too."
"True," Eva admitted, grabbing hold of one of the bars lining the walls and beginning to stretch. "But the wealthy and elite always like being schmoozed before they whip out their checkbooks. If all goes as Moira Queen wants, the money donated will be much greater than the cost of the gala. And besides, it's not like they'll use the donated money for it. The Queen family has enough money to party every night until their grandchildren's grandchildren die."
As rich as they were, Felicity didn't doubt the truth of Eva's words.
"So when is the gala?" Felicity asked, her eyes already shining with the prospect of a new audience.
"A month from now," Eva smiled. "The preparations are nearly complete on her end. The eight of you in this class will perform, so you better get to choreographing my dear."
"In a group?" Felicity frowned, already thinking of the massive amount of time choreographing a group number would take. The first semester's finals were approaching, the increased studying she'd have to do already putting a strain on her busy schedule.
"As couples." Eva chuckled, no doubt privy to Felicity's qualms. "A portion of the donations will go to this studio in the form of scholarships. Just think of the talent that's waiting out there, but doesn't come because they don't think they have the money."
Felicity nodded to herself. A lot of talented dancers never came to these studios simply because of the price. She knew that Eva kept them as low as possible, but the rent and instructors were expensive, many of the teachers here depending on the classes they taught for a living. If scholarships were offered, maybe more people like Felicity would approach the studio. Little to no money, but with all the desire in the world to dance.
"Four couples, four dances?"
"Mmmmm, possibly eight dances. I think an Argentine tango and foxtrot from you and Emilio is certain to wow them." Felicity grinned. Emilio was a beautiful dancer, with an eye for choreographing jaw dropping foxtrots.
Their conversation was interrupted as the others students began filing in, each of them equally excited as Felicity to learn about the upcoming gala. Her mind already beginning to think of the night, the beautiful outfit she was sure to wear, the faces of the onlookers as she and Emilio wowed them, and the feeling of the dancing itself. The euphoria of storytelling and creating beauty with her movements. Emilio grinned at her, holding one hand out in invitation. Time to get to work.
A/N: I don't know how the idea for this story sprung into my head, and I don't know how you guys feel about it, but I kind of like it! As the ever amazing Col has pointed out to me, there is something about Emily/Felicity that seems just so graceful and dancer-esque. I have a general outline of where I want this story go, and I'm honestly really excited to get to share it with all of you. A huge thank you to Col and Latbfan and Tina for being the most amazing internet buddies ever! You guys inspire me with you amazing writing and even more incredibly personalities.
Please leave a review! I'd love to hear what you guys think. :)
-M