A/N: Title stolen from the new Fosters spin-off show on Freeform. Chapter titles come from Welles' song 'Seventeen'
good Trouble
Part I: When I was young I was far-out
The crunch of gravel underneath rubber tires filled her ears as Felicity steered her car around the massive marble fountain at the head of the long private driveway. She tried not to gape at its lavishness as she parked her old, beat-up Volkswagen Beetle behind a shiny black Mercedes.
Already, Felicity was second-guessing her decision to come to Tommy's party. Oliver probably hadn't even been serious when he had invited her, likely assuming she wouldn't come anyway, but Curtis had talked her into going. "After all," he had said, "Oliver did invite you, whether he was serious or not, and you have had a crush on him since freshman year"; it was an opportunity that she really couldn't pass up.
When they had been assigned as lab partners in Biology this year, Felicity had indulged herself in letting her imagination run wild with possibilities. Maybe Oliver would finally notice her and it would be like some teen movie where the rich, popular guy fell in love with the penniless, geeky girl.
While she had allowed herself to fantasize, she hadn't honestly thought that it could actually happen. Oliver Queen was Starling High School's most sought after bachelor – attractive, athletic, smart, and rich. He ticked all of the boxes for most girls, and most girls were definitely aware of that fact.
He could have any girl he wanted, so why would he ever want Felicity? Felicity certainly knew her self-worth; she wasn't lacking in self-esteem, by any means. She knew she was smarter than most of her peers, with an aptitude for computer science; she had a good sense of humor, and was for the most part confident and brave. However, to guys like Oliver, that wasn't enough. Guys like Oliver valued looks, popularity, and money above all else.
"You're already here," she mumbled to herself, "you might as well go in."
Standing from the car, she smoothed out the wrinkles on her light-wash denim shorts and gave herself one last glance-over in her side-view mirror. She looked pretty good. She had opted for contacts over glasses and had even put on some mascara and a shiny pink lip gloss. It was more effort than what she did for school, but still casual; still her. She tightened her standard practical ponytail and took a deep breath, turning toward the mansion.
Felicity let herself in after a quick, perfunctory knock (she figured no one would answer, but still felt it necessary to be polite). Following the sound of loud chatter and music, she made her way through the Merlyn mansion, struggling to keep her gawking to a minimum. The hallway led directly to the kitchen, and fortunately, Oliver was there, leaning against the massive marble-topped kitchen island in the midst of conversation with Tommy.
She stood in the entryway, waiting for Oliver to glance her way. When he finally did, Felicity caught his eye and smiled, waving nervously at him. Surprise washed over Oliver's face, and her smile immediately faltered. Eyebrow raised and smile slightly forced, he nodded once to acknowledge her presence and then turned back to Tommy, laughing at whatever his friend was saying.
Shit. She knew it! He never expected her to actually show up, and now she looked like a complete and utter idiot.
Panicking slightly, she scanned the room for familiar faces and found none. Well, no, the faces were all familiar. She knew of most of the people here, but she did not exactly run in the same social circles as any of them. They definitely wouldn't know her. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Felicity concluded that coming here had been a huge mistake. Oliver didn't want her here. He had only invited her to be polite. She shook her head at how stupid she was, pulled out her phone, and quickly tapped out a text to her best friend.
To Curtis (10:15 p.m.)
I'm going to kill you.
From Curtis (10:15 p.m.)
That bad?
She wondered if it would be obvious if she just left, if Oliver would even notice her absence. It would be humiliating to have to explain why she left almost as soon as she had arrived. She stood awkwardly against the kitchen wall, painfully aware of how alone and out-of-place she felt, and began to calculate how long she should stay to avoid that potentially awkward conversation in Bio on Monday.
To Curtis (10:16 p.m.)
I'll tell you about it later
She scrolled through Instagram to pass some time and make herself look occupied as she internally warred with herself about what she should do. Embarrassingly, she felt the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes. How could she have been so stupid?
She'd think of some sort of explanation for bolting. Staying now would be much more excruciating than an uncomfortable conversation during class on Monday. And there was always the chance he wouldn't even ask her about it anyway.
She turned to leave, but it was at that exact moment that Sara Lance came barreling into the room, effectively blocking Felicity's exit.
"Comin' through," she announced loudly with a smile plastered to her face as she wove around the kitchen, hauling a case of beer in each hand. When she made it to the refrigerator, she shoved one case inside onto a low shelf and then settled the other onto the floor against the wall.
Sara grabbed an already chilled beer from the shelf above where she had stashed the case and straightened up, turning to face the rest of the room. A group of girls who were settled into a breakfast nook in front of a large bay window called greetings to her with smiles and waves. She smiled 'hello' in return as her eyes passed over them and settled on Felicity, still awkwardly hunched in the corner by the doorway. Their eyes met, as Sara had drawn Felicity's attention when she came bursting into the room moments before and Felicity had yet to turn away. Even though she quickly averted her eyes back to her phone, she didn't miss the slow smirk that had crept across Sara's face.
She stepped past Oliver and Tommy, patting Oliver on the arm and nodding 'hello' to them on her way to the lonely blonde.
"Ahh, who's this?" Sara asked with a nod toward Felicity, loud enough to be addressing the entire room, but her eyes locked with Felicity's. It was unclear to Felicity, to whom exactly the question was directed.
Over Sara's shoulder, Felicity saw Oliver glance at them. She hesitated, wondering if Oliver would finally properly acknowledge her presence (the result of his invitation!) and introduce her to Sara. When he didn't, instead leaving the room with Tommy, Felicity's blue eyes returned to Sara's.
She smiled nervously at her, hoping the other girl wouldn't call her out for crashing their party. "Oh, um. I'm Felicity." She paused wondering if that was enough, and then decided to clarify, "Smoak. Felicity Smoak. We go to school together; actually we have Lit together third period. With Mr. Berlanti. Well obviously you know that. Oh! You're probably wondering why I'm here. I'm not crashing or anything; I was invited. Oliver Queen invited me. You see, we're lab partners in Bio this year, and so he must have felt sorry for me and gave me a pity invite or something."
Felicity rambled, unable to stop herself even as she watched Sara's smirk morph into a curious grin, head tilting slightly to the side as she observed Felicity with sparkling eyes. She pursed her lips at the mention of Oliver's invitation, and then her expression changed to one of sympathetic understanding, as she broke eye contact with Felicity to look at the now vacant space Oliver and Tommy had occupied moments before.
When Felicity finished, she inhaled deeply, feeling slightly out of breath. Sara squinted at her, grin still in place as she said, "You're cute." She nodded toward the fridge. "You wanna beer?"
Felicity blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment, unsure if she should take it as such, or interpret it as a condescending evaluation of her unfortunate tendency to ramble in awkward situations. Sara had said it so matter-of-factly, though, that Felicity believed she was sincere.
"Sure," she replied and followed the other girl over to the fridge.
"Sara! There you are!" Appearing in the doorway, Nyssa al Ghul practically flung herself at Sara, her arms wrapping loosely around the shorter girl's shoulders as she smacked a loud kiss to her cheek. "Ollie told me you were here."
Slight color rose in Sara's cheeks. She smiled slightly, maybe a little embarrassed, and gave the taller girl a squeeze around the waist in return.
"Heya, Nyssa," she greeted, pulling away. She passed the extra beer to Felicity, who was watching the exchange with a curious smile. "Do you know Felicity?"
Nyssa smiled, leaning slightly toward Felicity. "Oh, yes, of course!" her response was a bit exaggerated and her accent unusually strong, and Felicity guessed she was already a little tipsy. "We had Geometry together last year, didn't we? I've never seen you at one of Tommy's parties before, though."
Sara handed Nyssa her beer and then turned to fetch a third for herself. She replied with a suggestive smile, "Ollie invited her."
Nyssa smirked and nodded knowingly. "So, you're Oliver's new conquest. I suppose we'll be seeing you around more often then, yeah?"
Felicity shrugged and scrunched her nose a bit in distaste at being referred to as someone's conquest. "Well, considering he's ignored me since I got here, I wouldn't bet on it. I think he may have just invited me, because he felt sorry for me. I should actually probably just go."
"Oh no!" Sara whined, giving her best pout. "Please stay! These parties get so repetitive; same people, same drama. It'll be nice to have someone new to talk to. Come on," she said, grasping Felicity's forearm lightly, "I'll introduce you to people. It'll be fun, I promise!"
Felicity sighed, making a face. As Sara had just confirmed, these parties were comprised of a usual crowd. Everyone would know she didn't belong there. But, for some reason, Sara Lance wanted her stay, wanted to spend time with her, and Felicity had always been somewhat intrigued by Sara Lance.
Sara was Trouble (yes, with a capital 'T'). She'd been caught (on numerous occasions) making out in the locker room. She'd been suspended for having alcohol in her water bottle and drinking it during class. She talked back to teachers, had been in several fist-fights, and smoked pot. Sara was cool and edgy and Felicity really wanted her to like her.
"Okayyy," Felicity relented in a playful mock-whine, but the smile on her face gave her away. She allowed herself to be tugged along behind a self-satisfied, victorious Sara who led her through the extravagant rooms of the Merlyn mansion.
They finally emerged through a sliding glass door onto an enormous back porch, lights strung up overhead making the area well lit and bathing the porch in dreamy glow. Sara led her to a corner and plopped down cross-legged on the wooden floor. Felicity followed suit, making sure to leave some space between their knees.
"It feels so nice out," Sara commented with a content smile, eyes falling closed. "I'm going to miss summer." It was early September and the weather was still warm, still felt like summer, but Felicity knew that they'd only have a few more weeks until the coolness of fall arrived.
Felicity hummed in agreement. "I'll miss summer for sure, but I'm also looking forward to being able to wear sweaters and boots and drink hot chocolate. Oh, and Halloween!"
Sara chuckled and her eyes opened slowly. "Oh my god. You're so basic." Her tone was teasing, so Felicity didn't take offense.
"Hey!" she replied with a laugh.
Sara raised her eyebrow. "Next you'll tell me you can't wait for pumpkin spice-favored everything."
Felicity shrugged and said with a smirk, "There's a reason it's popular, you know."
"Mmhmm. Thought so." Sara joked smugly.
Felicity playfully rolled her eyes. Skeptically, she asked, "You don't like pumpkin spice?" At Sara's shrug, she continued. "There is a coffee shop downtown that makes the best pumpkin spice cookies. They'd convert even the greatest of haters."
"It's not that I don't like it; I've never really had an interest in trying it. On principle." Sara confessed.
Felicity laughed, nearly choking on her beer. "So you've been depriving yourself of something delicious just because other people like it?!"
Sara laughed too and admitted, "I don't know why, but it makes me want to rebel against it." She hummed thoughtfully. "Tell you what," she bumped her shoulder against Felicity's and sent a dimpled smile her way. "If you hang out with me tonight, I'll try something pumpkin spice flavored. You get to choose what it is."
Felicity chuckled softly, feeling a bit flustered. Sara Lance wanted to hang out with her tonight and make plans for the future? She didn't really understand why Sara was taking such an interest in her. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she averted her eyes from Sara's to stare at her purple-painted toenails. "Okay," she agreed softly, meeting Sara's eyes again for a moment, "deal."
"There you are!" Nyssa exclaimed, lowering herself to sit on Sara's other side. Iris West, her boyfriend Barry Allen, and Amaya Jiwe had followed Nyssa out and sat with them, completing a small circle. Felicity was feeling more relaxed now that Sara had taken her under her wing, and her beer was half-way finished, helping to calm her nerves. She also knew Amaya and Barry pretty well from STEM club, which made conversation with them easy.
"Have you guys started on your bridges yet?" Barry asked Felicity and Amaya. STEM club's first big event of the school year was a bridge building competition. The goal was to design the bridge that could hold the most weight before breaking.
"I've got a design drawn up," Amaya replied with a small nod, "I just need to buy my supplies and start putting it together."
Barry and Amaya turned to Felicity to hear her response. "Same," she said. "I need to stock up on balsa wood."
"We should all go shopping together," Barry suggested. "We could even work on them together; keep each other company, and that way we'd have each other if we need advice or help."
"That's a great idea!" Amaya enthused. "Felicity?"
"That would be great, actually," Felicity easily agreed with a smile. It felt nice to be included. Amaya handed Felicity her phone so that she could input her number.
"Great!" Amaya exclaimed with a smile, taking her phone back once Felicity finished. "I'll start a group text tomorrow to work out the plans."
Nyssa cleared her throat impatiently. "Alright, nerds. It's the weekend! Can we not talk about school?"
The trio laughed good-naturedly at Nyssa's teasing. "Nerds? Us?" Barry asked in mock-indignation, eyes wide.
Iris smiled, squeezing his arm. "Cute nerds," she amended. In her periphery, Felicity saw Sara nod her head in agreement. She couldn't explain why she felt warm all of the sudden. Must have been the alcohol.
Barry pretended to ponder for a moment before relenting with a huge smile. "Okay. I'll take it."
As Nyssa launched into a story about an out-of-control frat party that her older sister had attended last weekend, Felicity let her attention wonder to the other people spread out across the vast porch. Her gaze landed on Oliver again, Tommy still at his side, but now they were also joined by Nate Heywood and Mick Rory. She couldn't help but wonder why Oliver had invited her in the first place. He'd seemed somewhat interested in her in Bio, casually flirting and laughing appreciatively when she'd make an unintentionally suggestive comment. She knew he had hooked up with a lot of girls, so maybe flirtation was so second-nature to him he didn't even realize he was doing it with her; maybe he just interacted with everyone that way.
She felt Sara's shoulder bump against hers, breaking her train of thought. Sara followed her gaze and leaned in to say, "If he invited you, he wanted you to come. Ollie doesn't give pity invites."
Felicity was surprised that Sara was referencing the comment she had made earlier in the midst of her awkward introductory ramble. She knew most people tended to tune her out or were distracted with thinking of ways to politely interrupt her when she got on a roll like that. It wasn't usual for someone to truly listen for the sake of hearing what she had to say.
Felicity hummed in response, sending a shy smile Sara's way. They both watched as the boys all started to laugh and glance their way. Felicity wondered what they were talking about; if they were talking about her. Oliver sure hadn't seem interested in her yet tonight, except for maybe getting a laugh at her expense. Tommy nudged him playfully and nodded his head toward the group Sara and Felicity had formed. Oliver nudged him back, but then jogged their way.
"Kings Cup!" He announced excitedly as his eyes skimmed over everyone in Felicity's little circle. They landed on her last and lingered. "Anyone who wants to play grab a fresh drink and meet back out here."
"I'm in!" Sara jumped to her feet. Turning, she extended a hand to Felicity. "Felicity?"
Felicity recognized the tentatively hopeful tone in the other girl's voice. Sara was really going out of her way to make sure Felicity didn't feel excluded; it was nice that she was being so friendly, but it was also sort of confusing.
"Um, sure!" Felicity tried to sound excited, but truth be told, she was nervous. She wasn't much of a drinker, and she was nervous that she might embarrass herself in front of Oliver and all these people she didn't really know.
Sara pulled her to her feet.
"Hey, um, where's the bathroom?" Felicity asked as she dropped Sara's hand.
"Just down the hall, first door on the left," Sara directed as the two entered back into the house from the sliding glass doors. "I'll grab you a beer. Whaddya want?"
"Oh!" Felicity said surprised. She didn't really know anything about the different types of beer. "Uh, I'll just have whatever you're having; I'm not picky."
Sara grinned. "Okay. See you back out there."
By the time Felicity returned from the bathroom, a large circle had begun to form on the back porch. Unfortunately, Sara was already sandwiched between Tommy and Barry, so Felicity took a seat in between Iris, who was on Barry's other side, and Amaya. Sara leaned across the circle to hand Felicity her new drink.
"Thanks," she said as their fingers brushed.
Sara pulled her hand away. She smiled and replied, "No problem."
"Alright!" Oliver said. "I think everyone who wanted to play is here." The group of them all turned their attention to Oliver, quieting down.
"Kings Cup is an easy game, but there are different rules for each card and sometimes people play it differently, so I thought I'd go over the rules just to make sure everyone is on the same page." As Oliver was speaking, Tommy placed a red solo cup in the center of the circle and spread a deck of cards facedown around it.
"We'll go around the circle and everyone will take a turn drawing a card. Each card has a different action. Ace is 'waterfall'. Everyone starts chugging their drink until the person who drew the card stops. Then the person next to them can stop whenever they want, and so on. Two means 'you'. If you draw a two you get to choose someone to drink. Three is 'me'. If you draw a three, you drink. Four is 'floor'; everyone has to hit their hand onto the floor, and the last person in the circle to do so has to drink. Five is 'guys'; all the guys drink. Six is 'chicks'; all the girls drink. Seven is 'heaven'; everyone has to put a hand up in the air, and the last person drinks. Eight is 'mate'. If you draw an eight, you choose someone in the circle to be your drinking partner. This means that every time you have to drink, so do they, and every time they have to drink, so do you. Nine is 'bust a rhyme'. The person who draws a nine starts off by saying a word and then we go around the circle and everyone has to say a word that rhymes with the original word. If you repeat a word that has already been said or can't think of a new word, you have to drink. Ten is 'categories'. If you draw a ten, you name a category, and we go around the circle and everyone has to name something in that category. The person who can't think of something in that category has to drink. Jack is 'never have I ever'. Everyone starts with three fingers up. The person who drew the card starts by saying something they have never done. If you have done it, you put a finger down. The first person to put all three fingers down has to drink. Queen is 'question master'. You must answer the question master's questions with another question. If you don't, you drink. The question master keeps the title until another queen is drawn and a new question master is crowned. And finally, the king. If you draw a king, you pour some of your drink into the center cup. You then get to make a rule that everyone must follow until the next king is drawn. If you break the rule, you have to drink. The game ends when the last king is drawn and that person has to chug the contents of the center cup."
Felicity wiggled a little in her seat. It sounded like a lot to remember.
"Don't worry," Amaya whispered to her. "You'll get the hang of it quickly, and it's really fun."
Felicity smiled at her gratefully.
Oliver drew first. "Five. Guys drink up."
Dig was next. "Three is me." He took a swig of his own beer.
"King," Lyla announced. She poured some of her drink into the center cup. "My rule is that you have to say 'in bed' at the end of anything you say!"
Everyone laughed. A few people shouted things like, "Good one!" Felicity began to relax. This seemed like it would be fun.
Tommy drew next. "Seven. Heaven in bed," he said with a small laugh.
Everyone's arms flew into the air, except for Felicity, who was slightly slower, trying to remember what 'heaven' meant.
Sara pointed at her and screeched, "Felicity, drink!" She paused and quickly added, "in bed!"
Felicity felt her cheeks color slightly at being the slowest. "Oh, fuck." Her eyes widened, and she slapped her hand across her mouth, surprised by what she had said. She didn't usually cuss. "In bed!" she squeaked out behind her hand, not wanting to have to drink double.
Everyone was nearly howling with laughter. Felicity removed her hand, smiling. It felt good to make everyone laugh. She quickly took a swig of her beer, and her eyes met Oliver's across the circle. He was looking at her with a small, amused smile on his lips. She blushed again and quickly looked away.
The game continued like that for a few more rounds. It really didn't take long before everyone was very drunk, quickly finishing their beers with how often the game made everyone drink.
Sara was definitely one of the more creative players, drawing a few of the really fun cards.
She had been the one to draw the second king, thus getting to make up a new rule to replace the one about adding the phrase 'in bed' to the end of all sentences.
"Hmmmm," she teased with a mischievous half-smirk, eyes sparkling as she poured some of her beer into the center cup. "My new rule is that anyone who draws a face card or an ace has to lose a piece of clothing."
Everyone broke out into either cheers or groans, and Sara couldn't help but laugh and shrug her shoulders. "What? I want to see some skin!" she defended.
Felicity was just thankful she had opted to wear a camisole under her top.
"Of course," Barry said laying his newly drawn card face up on the floor, revealing an ace.
"Take it offff!" Sara practically howled. Barry blushed, but crossed his arms and tugged his shirt up and over his head.
Iris smacked his bare stomach lightly. "Okay, now start the waterfall."
After the chugging of the waterfall, Iris drew her next card and frowned at Sara. "Jack," she announced, slipping off a sock.
"Lame," Sara called.
Iris pointedly ignored her. "Never have I ever." Everyone held up three fingers. "Okay, um. Never have I ever puked from drinking too much."
Oliver, Dig, Tommy, Sara, Nate, and Nyssa all put a finger down.
Felicity continued the game. There truly was a lot that she hadn't done that she suspected many of the others here had. She decided to go with something safe and said, "Never have I ever been suspended from school."
Tommy and Sara put a second finger down.
Amaya went next. Smirking at Sara, she said, "Never have I ever kissed a girl."
Sara rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Oh, come on!" Both she and Tommy put their last fingers down. Sara clinked her beer to Tommy's and said to him, "Cheers!"
Felicity drew next. "Two." The alcohol was making her courageous, and she had noticed that Oliver had been glancing her way a lot during the game. She pointed across the circle and him and said, "You, Oliver."
Oliver smiled and easily took a swig.
When it was Sara's turn again, she drew another card. "Queen. Question master." She stood up, tugging her black muscle tank up and over her head. She was left in a strappy black bralette. Felicity's eyes were drawn to her toned abs. "Does anyone need a new drink?"
"I do!" Both Amaya and Felicity chimed in. Felicity forced herself to look at Sara's face instead of her stomach.
Sara smirked deviously as she began to saunter into the kitchen. Turning back over her shoulder she called, "Well you'd better finish those off," referring to their mostly empty bottles, "because you didn't answer my question with a question!"
"Damn!" Felicity exclaimed good-naturedly, finishing off the rest of her bottle while Amaya did the same. She could feel her buzz coursing through her, definitely more drunk than she had ever been before, and a glance around the circle confirmed that everyone else was in a similar state. She made a promise to herself that this next beer would be her last.
Sara returned with three beers and took her place in the circle again. She handed one to Felicity and asked, "Is Miller okay?"
Felicity opened her mouth to answer that it was, but almost immediately clamped her lips shut. She squinted apprehensively at Sara, whose face was the perfect picture of wide-eyed innocence. "Does it seem like I'm picky about which beers I drink?" Felicity responded with a haughty smirk. "Boom!"
Sara cackled. "Look at you catching on!"
On his next turn, Tommy drew the third king. Tugging his own shirt off, he poured a good portion of his beer into the center cup. "Okay, my rule is that mates have to kiss each other before they drink. With tongue."
"Ohhh, good one; I like it!" Sara said with laugh as she reached for her next card.
Sara drew a ten, which was categories. "Sex positions. And go!"
"Missionary," Barry responded, earning a few groans. "What, it was the first one that popped into my head."
"Of course it was," Dig needled. Barry rolled his eyes.
"Doggy-style," said Iris.
Felicity blushed, "Um, reverse cowgirl?"
Everyone laughed at how Felicity had posed her response as a shy question, clearly embarrassed. She heard Sara whisper to Tommy, "She's cute, isn't she?" which only made her blush harder.
When the attention turned to Amaya, she just drank.
Everyone grew progressively more drunk. When it was Nyssa's next turn she drew an eight. "Sara's my mate!"
"Yes!" Tommy exclaimed. "Girl-on-girl. Don't forget my rule."
Sara rolled her eyes at Tommy, but then faced Nyssa across the circle sending her a sexy smile. Felicity watched the exchange and felt her stomach flip. How was Sara so effortlessly sexy? Even with alcohol flowing through her system, she managed to exude confidence and sensuality. Felicity had always been fascinated by people like that. She, herself, had only ever been referred to as cute or charming; never sexy, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how to be.
Oliver drew next. He smirked and announced, "Six: chicks."
All the girls around the circle drank except for Sara and Nyssa.
"C'mere, mate," Sara said, making the come-hither gesture with her pointer finger. She leaned forward across the circle, and Felicity watched as Nyssa met her halfway. Felicity had never seen two girls kiss in real life, and now that it was happening right in front of her, she found she couldn't tear her eyes away. Sara's dark eyelashes fluttering closed; her pouty lips pressing into Nyssa's; her fingers tangling into Nyssa's dark locks as the tip of Sara's tongue slipped inside her mouth; Sara's soft sigh as they parted. Deep in her belly, Felicity felt a surprising warmth build. She could feel the blush spreading lightly across her cheeks. Sara's lips had looked so soft as Nyssa's pressed against them.
Damn, she was drunk.
Felicity found it hard to concentrate on the rest of the game. She kept replaying Sara and Nyssa's kiss in her mind. Due to her distraction, she had to drink on a few more rounds, and her beer was already nearly empty.
Oliver drew an eight. His eyes traveled around the circle before locking with hers. While he still hadn't talked to her much, Felicity had noticed his increasing attention to her throughout the game. Maybe because he was drunk, or maybe because she was now more comfortable with his friends, or maybe because his friends seemed to like her. She wasn't sure what had caused it, but when he said her name with soft smile on his face, as cheesy at it sounds, she felt butterflies take flight in her stomach.
For some reason, her eyes darted to Sara, who winked exaggeratedly at her.
Dig drew a seven next, and everyone's hands shot up in the air. As she watched Barry take a drink for being the slowest, Felicity began to feel nervous. She hadn't kissed anyone since she and Cooper had broken up at the end of Freshman year. What if she had forgotten how? What if Oliver could tell she was out of practice? Or, worse, thought she was a bad kisser?
Lyla drew next, taking over Sara's role as question master. Felicity noticed that there weren't that many cards left. Tommy drew a three and took a drink. Sara drew a nine.
She thought for a minute and then said, "Beer."
The group went around rhyming words with beer: deer, clear, near, rear, cheer, tear, smear.
When it got to Dig he sputtered for a moment before mumbling, "Fuck," and drinking, causing everyone to laugh.
When Barry drew the final king on his next turn, Felicity wasn't sure if she felt disappointed or relieved that she hadn't got to kiss Oliver. Probably a little mix of both. Barry chugged the nasty mixture of various beers like a champ.
The group began to disperse, Oliver staring at her for a minute before getting up himself and heading back into the house.
"Shit," Sara said as she stared at her phone. Felicity glanced at her curiously. Sara explained, "My dad. He said he's on his way to pick me up. Fucking Laurel must have told him we were drinking."
Felicity hiccupped, making Sara smile. "Laurel's your sister?"
"Yeah and Ollie's ex. They dated all last year; just broke up a few weeks ago, before school started back."
Felicity nodded in acknowledgment. She felt so sleepy all of the sudden. She unlocked her phone and saw that it was nearly one a.m. She knew that she didn't want to stay if Sara was leaving, so she clicked on her uber app.
Sara was watching her. She placed her hand on top of Felicity's phone. "My dad can give you a ride if you want. That way you don't have to spend any money on an uber or risk getting a creep driver."
"He won't be mad that we've been drinking?"
Sara chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure we'll get a lecture in the car, but no, he won't be too mad."
Felicity nodded.
"Come on. Let's wait for him out front." Sara helped Felicity up. Rather than going back through the house, Sara led Felicity down the porch steps and around to the front of the house. They sat with their backs pressed against the ornate fountain Felicity had noticed when she had arrived earlier.
Sara turned her head to look at Felicity's profile in the moonlight. She said softly, "You're so pretty. Oliver definitely likes you. He'd be an idiot not to."
Felicity smiled softly and stared at her lap, letting Sara's words wash over her. She hoped it was true. Maybe coming to the party tonight hadn't been such a huge mistake after all. Maybe it had been her chance to win him over. Maybe she had won him over.
A car pulled up the driveway and stopped in front of them. They both clambered into the backseat, and Sara said with a relieved sigh, "Thank you for not bringing the squad car." Officer Lance chuckled.
Felicity's eyes about bulged from her head. "Your dad's a cop?" she whispered, but in her drunken state it came out much louder than she intended. Quentin chuckled.
"Daddy, this is Felicity. I told her we could give her a ride home." Sara explained
"Of course. Just tell me your address."
After Felicity told him where she lived, Quentin began his lecture on underage drinking and drunk driving. Felicity was glad that he didn't seem angry at them; he seemed happy that they were being safe by riding home with him instead of attempting to drive.
When she arrived home, Felicity let herself into the tiny apartment she and her mom shared. She stumbled blindly through the dark living room and down the hall to her bedroom. Quickly, she changed into pajama pants and a tank top, got her phone charging on her nightstand, and went about her nightly bathroom routine.
Climbing into bed, she had never felt so tired. She'd also never been quite this drunk before. Her mom wouldn't be home for another hour and a half at least from her bartending shift.
Her phone buzzed twice on the table next to her. She smiled sleepily as she read the messages.
From unknown (1:32 a.m.)
Even tho u didnt get to kiss Ollie I hope u still had fun tonight. Im glad u came!
From unknown (1:32 a.m.)
This is Sara btw :)
Felicity quickly tapped out a reply.
To Sara (1:33 a.m.)
I did have fun! I'm glad I came too!
From Sara (1:33 a.m.)
Good :)
Even though Felicity's eyelids felt so heavy, she had this odd desire to keep the conversation with Sara going. Felicity felt inexplicably drawn to her. With the alcohol in her system making her bold, she typed out a new message.
To Sara (1:35 a.m.)
How'd you get my number?
From Sara (1:35 a.m.)
Got it from Amaya
From Sara (1:35 a.m.)
Cant keep my eyes open. Talk to u later. Goodnight Felicity :)
Felicity's stomach fluttered. Sara had texted Amaya for her contact info. She couldn't believe that someone as cool as Sara Lance wanted to be friends with her.
To Sara (1:35 a.m.)
'Night, Sara :)
As Felicity slipped into sleep that night, she wondered what it would have been like to have Sara choose her as her mate in Kings Cup; how soft her lips would feel pressed against Felicity's.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear any thoughts or constructive criticism. This fic could stand alone, but I have some ideas for future chapters if anyone is interested! (not sure if anyone even still reads smoaking canary)
Enjoy!
-H.M :)
