It was Tuesday, and Laurel was watching the clock. Tonight was pizza night with her girls. She'd been volunteering as a Big Sister for three months now. As soon as she got off work, she'd be picking a carload of teenagers and treating them to dinner.
Her phone chimed, and she picked it up to see a text from Cin, one of the girls. "OK if my little brother comes 2?"
She grinned as she texted back "of course! see you soon" before putting her phone away.
When she looked up, her coworker, Oliver, was standing over her desk, an amused look on his face. "It's about time, Lance," he teased.
Her smile turned to confusion. "What's about time?"
"Don't play games; you've met someone!" He chuckled at her shocked reaction. "It's obvious... you smile constantly, you can't wait to get out of here, and let's not forget the constant texting."
She laughed. "I'm not seeing anyone, honest! I've been volunteering. The texts are from the girls I mentor, my Little Sisters." She turned her computer screen to show him her desktop background. It was a group photo from last month's outing, when she took the girls to play laser tag.
Oliver studied the photo. "That is really sweet of you. It must eat up a lot of time, though."
"It's nice," she shrugged. "They're great kids. Helping them is really satisfying." She quirked an eyebrow. "You should try it!"
He held up his hands in an exaggerated motion of surrender. "No thank you. I'm not exactly a kid person." He thought for a moment. "I'd be glad to support you, though."
She nodded, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Well… there is a fundraising banquet coming up."
"Absolutely, count me in! Would I be sponsoring a table?"
"Not exactly. The supporter who gets the most donations in their name gets a pie in the face. I'll be sure to email everyone and let them know where to send a check." Laurel beamed.
Oliver pretended to be upset, but his eyes still crinkled at the edges. "The things I do for you."
At four o'clock, Laurel shut down her computer and hurried to her car. She stopped by her apartment just long enough to change out of her office clothes. Instead, she opted for some comfortable jeans, a sweater, and her favorite pair of sneakers. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail, and headed out again.
She pulled up to the school a few minutes early. The girls would be done with theater practice at 4:30, so she had a little time to spare. Usually she would wait for them outside, but since the school day was technically over, she didn't have to go through the office or get a visitor's badge. She shut off the engine and made her way inside.
As she walked, she texted Sara. "Got here early, where are you?"
The response came almost immediately. "Wait in the lobby. Be right there." Sara showed up moments later, and gave Felicity a hug. "Rehearsal is almost done. Want to come see?"
"Of course I do!" She followed as Sara led the way to the auditorium. "Will your teachers mind if I interrupt?
"Nah, they're cool. I'll introduce you." Sara rattled on non-stop as they walked. "Thea has to leave, but Nyssa said she'll come with us."
When they got to the auditorium, Laurel hung back by the doorway, taking in everything while Sara ran ahead. A few students were scattered throughout the seats, working on homework or listening to iPods. She spotted Cin in the front row with some other kids she didn't know. Thea sat on the edge of the stage talking to them, her legs dangling. Her face lit up when she spotted Laurel. She waved excitedly and hopped down to run over.
"Did I say you could leave the stage, Miss Merlin?" The commanding voice startled Laurel a little, but Thea rolled her eyes and slouched. The teacher who had shouted made his way over, noticing Laurel for the first time.
Thea spoke first. "Mr. Diggle," she complained, "I was just coming to say hi." He gave her a long-suffering gaze, and Thea gave Laurel a quick hug before turning to run back to the stage.
He turned back Laurel, and she held out her hand. "Laurel Lance. Sorry if I'm distracting them, I could wait outside."
His expression softened as she shook her hand. "No, it's fine. Doesn't take much to distract some of these kids." He smiled. "So how do you know Thea?"
Cin appeared behind him. "She's our Big Sister," the girl explained.
Diggle narrowed his eyes. "You don't have a sister."
"I volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters," Laurel explained.
Cin interrupted before Diggle could respond. "Hey Laurel, this is my brother." She pulled a gangly young boy by his arm. "Roy, this is Laurel."
The boy's eyes grew wide. "Hi there." An awkward smile spread across his face. "Do you go here?"
His sister smacked him across the shoulder. "Shut up, Roy. She might look like one of us, but she's totally old."
Diggle's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"
Cin grimaced, and looked sideways at Laurel. "Sorry."
Laurel just laughed. "It's fine." She looked at Roy. "I just finished college. I am totally old."
Diggle chuckled, shaking his head. "Back to your places, let's finish rehearsal please." The two ran off, and Diggle gave Laurel an apologetic smile. "You're welcome to stay and watch."
As soon as the teacher walked away, Sara was back at Laurel's side. "Oh, but I wanted to introduce you," she groaned. "Mr. Diggle is the best. Anyway, come on, there's someone else you have to meet."
Laurel found herself being dragged up the center aisle. "Are you sure this is alright? I don't want to interrupt."
"It's fine, we're mostly done anyway." They entered a small room at the back of the auditorium. More bodies were packed in the tiny space than were probably allowed by fire regulations. "Ms Smoak," Sara called out. She dragged Laurel along, shoving people out of the way until they reached a slim blonde woman perched on a stool in front of a control board covered with switches. She turned as they came up behind her. "Ms Smoak, this is Laurel, my Big Sister."
The woman had thick headphones over her ears, and she quickly pulled them down to rest across the back of her neck. "Hello."
Laurel suddenly wished she had dressed nicer. This woman looked sharp in a patterned blouse, dark blue skirt, and cute matching heels. Laurel felt like a slob in comparison.
Ms. Smoak looked a bit distracted, her eyes wide. "Wait, did you say… sister?"
Laurel started to clarify, but Sara interrupted. "She's a Big Sister, like the volunteer place, you know?"
"Oh, gotcha." She smiled at Laurel. "That's a really great thing, that you would do that. It's great." Then she laughed self-consciously.
"Yeah, it's fun," Laurel said. She felt herself grinning stupidly.
Sara spoke up again. "She's taking us for pizza after this."
The woman's eyes sparkled, and she played with her necklace. "Pizza, huh? I like pizza, can I come?"
Laurel's stomach was doing somersaults. "No, sorry, it's just for the kids." Instantly she regretted the words. Rude, she scolded herself. She opened her mouth to take it back.
Diggle's voice boomed from the stage. "Everybody in your places, NOW. I'm not letting you go until you finish this scene!"
The kids scrambled out of the tiny room, and Laurel found herself swept up with them. She grabbed Sara's arm as the girl rushed by. "I'm just gonna wait in my car." Laurel hurried out of building, feeling a bit thrown by the whole experience.
Soon, teenagers were piling into her little car, shoving bookbags between their feet. Nyssa sat in the passenger seat, and Roy was forced into the middle of the back seat between Sara and his sister Cin. Someone plugged their ipod into her radio as she put the car into drive. Everyone was talking loudly as she pulled away from the school. Laurel's mind wandered away from the conversation.
A giggle from the backseat caught her attention. She glanced in the rearview mirror to see Sara covering her face with both hands. "What?" Laurel demanded.
Sara and Cin shared a look, then Cin spoke up. "Our teacher has a crush on you." The girls tittered with laughter.
Roy made a disgusted face. "Mr. Diggle? Gross. He's married anyway."
His sister elbowed him in the side. "Not Mr. Diggle, stupid."
Laurel frowned in the mirror at them. "Who are you talking about?"
Sara scrunched up her shoulders with a cheesy grin. "Ms. Smoak. She asked about you."
"Whatever," Laurel laughed it off. "Don't tease me."
Cin and Sara giggled again. Nyssa turned around to face them. "Guys, Ms. Smoak is old. Stop that."
A new song came on, and they all rode in comfortable silence for a while. Soon the girls in the back found a new topic. Laurel glanced at Nyssa, who was flipping through a notebook. "How old is Ms. Smoak," she asked cautiously.
Nyssa didn't even look up. "Oh, she's really old, like... twenty-seven I think."
Laurel tried to keep her expression steady. "You know I'm twenty-two, right?" Nyssa turned to stare at her in shock. Cin and Sara turned to each other, eyes wide. A plan was already forming in their minds.