The Cliche
Chapter 2: First Day as Seniors
Olicity is one of my all-time favourite OTPs.
Rated T for now, but later it will be rated M as the story progresses.
This story takes place in High School so both Oliver and Felicity will be teenagers.
I don't yet know how many chapters this story will contain, but I'm planning on at least 10.
I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or any of its characters.
2 years later
I can´t wait to chat with Mrs. Gilberts about Queen Consolidates latest computer processor. I mean the power behind that is like insane. Not insane as in cray-cray but insane as in absolutely, and totally awesome. Maybe we get to finish our conversation about the latest theories on quantum computers that I´ve been reading up on in the summer holiday. The concept is truly fascination. The concept of quantum computers, not summer holiday. Summer holiday is not exactly fascination although it does give me a much-needed break from all the airheads I´m unfortunately surrounded by on a regular basis. Maybe I should-
Felicity is jarred out of her internal ramble when the locker next to hers is slammed open.
Felicity turns towards the noise and sees her best friend Barry stuffing books into his overflowing locker. Whilst he is struggling to push everything back just enough, so he can slam the locker shut without anything falling out, Felicity takes the opportunity to observe him.
His brown hair is sticking out in every direction as always – it´s like he never heard of a brush – his uniform is rumpled like he rushed to put in on this morning and didn´t have time to fix his crooked tie. It all suggest he woke up too late this morning, which also explains why Felicity had to take the bus to school when he neglected to show up on time and drive her in his dads old, beat up, dark green, Ford.
Felicity would have waited for him but Barry being late is not a new concept. Which is the complete opposite of Felicity. She hates being late. Can´t stand it. So, she decided to take the bus just in case.
"Morning City" Barry yawns and gives her a smile, flashing his perfectly straight teeth. He has always had nice teeth she thinks. It gives him that perfect smile.
"Morning Barry. Now tell me, how is that you manage to be late on our first day as seniors in high school?" she raises her eyebrows at him and gives him an exasperated look.
He groans and tries to straighten up his tie. Not having much success and instead of making it worse. "My stupid alarm chose not to work today and on top of that I couldn´t find my keys"
Felicity can´t help but snicker. She reaches up and swats his hands away, so she can fix his tie. Barry always loses his keys. It´s just who he is, the lovable dummy she thinks.
They turn and start walking toward their first lesson of the day. English. They both hated the subject. It´s confusing. All that grammar and stupid literature. No facts, it´s all about interpretation. They both preferred AP maths, AP Physics, AP biology – Barry's favourite – and Felicity´s favourite, AP programming. He wasn´t in Felicity´s programming class since that subject didn´t really interest him. But he was one of the only people in the world – next to her programming professor Mrs. Gilbert – that encourages her obsession with technology.
"I can´t believe we are seniors," he says. "Only one more year and then we are free. I can´t wait to go to university and only study what I´m actually interested in."
"I know what you mean. High school hasn´t exactly been our friend."
"No, but so far the first day of senior year is going a lot better, than our first day as sophomores"
Felicity can just hear the mirth in his voice.
"Argh, don´t remind okay" she groans. "That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life." She drops her head in her hands and tries to stop the memorize from flooding her more, but to no avail. She can still hear all those mean kids laughing at her.
They both filter into the English classroom and find their designated seats upfront.
They may not be their favourite subject and much to Felicity´s chagrin she doesn´t always get an A. Actually, she has yet to get an A in English. It doesn´t matter how hard she works, at the end of the day she just doesn´t get it.
But that doesn´t stop her from trying. She needs to get that A by the end of senior year. She needs and absolutely wants that perfect GPA, and she is so close. She really is. She aces every class except for English and Gym.
Stupid Gym.
Why having Gym all through-out high school will always be a complete mystery to her.
Felicity is forced to postpone her internal grumbling when the teacher arrives. Mr. Geffrey is a short man, without only a few grey hairs on his head. He only ever wears these uncomfortably looking sweaters that are made of wool. How does he stand it? Doesn´t it make him itch like crazy?
Apparently not, because in the last two years that Felicity has known him, he has never ever worn anything other than them. At it´s only the same 8 sweaters he wears. Never a knew uncomfortably looking one. It´s only ever been the same 8 ones.
Mr. Geffrey claps his hands to get everyone´s attention and writes a welcome back on the blackboard. His attempt to quiet down the noise proves futile, as everyone just continues to rattle on about all their exciting summer adventures.
Despite how many times Mr. Geffrey claps his hands, the noise level stays the same until HE walks in.
Oliver Queen.
The captain of the lacrosse team, the most popular guy in the whole school, resident playboy and the most gorgeous person Felicity has ever laid her eyes on.
Not that she would ever admit that out loud. Not even to Barry.
But if you saw this guy, your jaw would drop too. His sandy blond is cut very short – which Felicity likes way better than that floppy hair he had as a sophomore – his eyes. Oh, his eyes are dark blue and have the power to suck you into his orb.
And his body.
Oliver Queen has the body of a Greek God. All that hard training for lacrosse definitely pays off.
Don´t get Felicity wrong, she absolutely loathes the guy. He is arrogant, conceded, selfish and makes her clench her hands into fists.
She hates him.
He never takes anything seriously. He treats school like it´s a joke and he sleeps around with like…. everyone. Okay everyone is a bit exaggerating, but he does it with a lot of girls.
Oliver was the gorgeous guy standing behind Todd, that caught her eye that day. Over the last two years, she learned that he literally has the power to make anyone's high school experience either great or miserable.
Lucky for Felicity, Oliver doesn´t even know she exists and even if he did she would still loathe him.
He is a total fuckboy.
All eyes were on Oliver and his partner in crime, Tommy Merlin. Those two are thick as thieves and just as cunning. They had the entire school at their feet. Even the teachers. With the exception, of Mr. Geffrey.
For some reason, Mr. Geffrey has never fallen for the two boys charm. Of course, it could be because they never take the class seriously.
The two boys sit down together, in the back of the class whilst Mr. Geffrey gives them both a pointed look. "Glad you could make it boys, now if you would please be quiet. And focus"
"Don´t fret it Mr. G" Oliver drawled. "You have our undivided attention".
This was followed by the class erupting in snickers.
"Thank you, Mr. Queen. I appreciate it."
What a douche Felicity can´t help but think. So rude. She spared him a glance to see if he indeed was paying attention. He wasn´t. He was busy texting on his phone and not even being discreet about it.
Felicity scoffs and for the rest of the lesson, focuses on the teacher. Oliver Queen didn´t even enter her thoughts once.
Starling Highs cafeteria is much like any other school cafeteria when it comes to the social aspect.
Everybody has a place. A regular table, that they always sit in, no matter what.
Barry and Felicity have a small table for themselves. In a corner, far away from all the high school drama. The table is right next to a window. This gives them a gorgeous view of the school grounds. Starling High starts in late August and the trees are a deep green. The grass is perfectly trimmed. Flowers in full bloom everywhere. You can say a lot about Starling High.
But you can´t say it isn´t a beautiful place.
And that´s where the school's similarity with any other high school, ends. The school is made of dark red bricks, that stretch over hundreds of acres. There are grey stone steps leading up to the school.
Steps Felicity has had many unfortunate accidents on when she was babbling to Berry about her favourite hobby.
Hacking.
A hobby she most definitely kept on the DL. Not because she is bad at it, in fact, she is remarkable – the word her mum would always use to describe her – but because her hobby, isn´t always exactly….legal.
There are loads of fields surrounding the school, tennis courts, loads of pools and an ice rink.
That's right.
The school has a freaking ice rink. Of course, it´s only open during the winter, but still. That´s freaking cool.
There is a huge parking lot for all the rich kid's fancy cars. We´re talking Mercedes, Maserati's, Porsches and Cadillac's. In all the colours you can possibly imagine.
Seriously.
Like these kids aren´t spoiled enough already.
Why not add a contest between them all, to see who can talk their parents into buying them the most expensive car.
Little fun fact. If you can only afford to go to this school on a scholarship you will be mocked, treated like a dirty outsider and looked down on. If there is one thing SH teaches you.
It´s if you have no money, you have no worth.
"Why am I here," Oliver Queen asks the principle in a bored tone.
"Why do you think?" the principle gives Oliver a small goading smile.
"Before I admit to anything, why don´t you just tell me?" Oliver crosses his arms over his chest and stares at Miss Green defiantly.
Miss. Green sighs, gets up, walks around her big oak desk and sits down on it in front of Oliver. She herself crosses her arms over her chest and tells Oliver. "Mr. Queen you are failing Maths, Biology, Social Studies and pretty much every subject except English and Gym"
"But I don…" Oliver starts but Miss. Green stops him with a wave of her hand.
"I don´t want to hear any excuses. These are the facts. Now what I want to do is talk to you about the solution to your problem"
"I don't have a problem" he insists. "So I´m not great at most as my subjects, but so what? It´s not like it matters. My parents are great at making my problems go away" He winks at Miss. Green with a cocky smirk.
Miss Green just give him a deadpanned look and tells him in a serious tone "Mr. Queen I have already spoken with your parents and they have agreed that this year you need to start making an effort."
Oliver sits up fast with a shocked expression. "You talked to my parents?"
"Yes. I did and before you interrupt me" she gives him a pointed look when he starts to protest. "We have already come up with terms for your senior year. Now I wouldn't have let you even become a senior if it wasn´t for your parents…. persuasiveness" she stands up straighter and gives what can only be described as an exasperated huff.
"You will attend tutoring every day after school. Lacrosse practice doesn´t start for another three weeks. If your grades have not improved enough by then you will no longer be a part of the team."
This news makes Oliver stand up, anger and dread coursing through him. "You can´t do that. I´m team captain. Coach would never allo.."
Miss Green cuts him off yet again. "I have already spoken with Coach Locke about this and he agrees. The rules are, you have to have a certain GPA to be a part of the team and judging from your results junior year. You do not qualify."
Oliver looks like he is about ready to punch everything in sight, but he remains quiet and listens to the rest of her terms"
"You will also have to pass all your January midterms to be allowed to graduate this school year, or else you will have to repeat your senior year."
When Oliver hears this all, he feels is fear. Fear that he will have to stay in high school for two more years. Fear that he will watch all his friends move on to more fun things whilst he is stuck in this stupid place. Fear that he will prove his father right, and be just as big a screwup as his father has always believed him to be.
Oliver looks up at Miss. Green and sighs in defeat. "Where do I meet this tutor?"
The school's library is without a doubt one of Felicity´s favourite places to be. For one it´s huge, so it´s easy to just disappear, and hide in one of its nooks and crannies. There are thousands of books on row after row of shelves. Big, long, gorgeous, wooden shelves. It smells like books in here. It´s always warm. Even during winter time.
Felicity usually sits by the shelves that hold her favourite books on programming and technology.
But not today. Right now, she is sitting in the tutoring section of the library, waiting for her next assignment.
Felicity has been tutoring since she started high school. It´s not the most glamorous job, but the school pays her quite well for it. Being paid by the school to tutor is rare, but so is this schools budget. Since Felicity is so smart, tutoring is easy for her. But she defiantly earns the money.
Tutoring these rich – lol what the hell is homework – kids is not easy. In fact, it´s often a pain in the ass, but she needs the money to save up for university.
Felicity is just sitting in her tutor chair. One leg folded up under the other and that one swinging slowly. Her hair up in a ponytail, with a pencil sticking through for emergencies.
She pushes her purple glasses up her nose when she hears someone approach her from behind. She turns around to see who her newest "student" is, and spots a blue-eyed, sandy-blond haired guy with a Greek god body.
As realization dawns on her, she has to fight to keep herself from banging her head repeatedly against a table.
Or a wall.
Or any hard surface.
Because this could not be happening. Life can´t be this cruel to her.
You see.
Standing in front of her, with his trademark smirk.
Is Oliver Freaking Queen.
And she is his new tutor.
