Life Can Be Deceiving

Chapter Two

Stepping into the hallway she turned to lock her door, thankful for the chance to shield her expression. He was just... wow. Since when did people who looked like him use a matchmaking service? And she was certain he hadn't hedged his height either, because even in four inch heels he towered over her. Had she really managed to work food poisoning into her first thirty seconds of conversation with him? She groaned internally. Way to be cool, she thought as she followed fell into step at his side.

"So, do you have a real name or are we sticking to nom de plumes for the evening?"

He paused at the end of the hall. His eye seemed to twitch slightly, as if trying to decipher something. "I'm Oliver," he said sticking his hand out.

"Chloe," she said succinctly, accepting his handshake. She stared up at him. She was supposed to be sizing him up, but she got distracted by his lively eyes and firm grip. Those eyes never swayed from hers, yet it felt like he still managed to see everything around him. She didn't realize the handshake had stopped and now she was just awkwardly holding his hand. He let go of her palm and used it to hold open the door.

The fresh air seemed to revitalize her senses and she smiled, relishing in the scent of fall. Cool breezes and crispy leaves offered an earthy welcome back to mother nature. She opened her eyes to find him observing her oddly.

She blushed a little and laughed. "I can't help it. This time of year reminds me of going back to school. The pens, the notebooks, the backpacks..."

"Oh, you were that girl," he teased. "The one always caught smelling the textbooks."

"Of course not, I quickly upgraded to a computer."

Stepping onto the curb he began to turn right, but quickly redirected his steps left. "How set are you on sushi?"

"I'm not set on anything except for going somewhere new."

"It'd be a shame to waste weather like this in a car. You up for seeing where a walk takes us?"

"As long as it's a slow walk. You're not the one in heels."

"Leisurely pace, got it." They seemed to find a steady stride as their heels clicked the sidewalk, her taking two steps for every one of his. "So, you're a reporter. Where do you work?"

"The Daily Planet."

"Ah, the hub of the city. Ever get anything interesting?"

'Not that I can write about', she thought ruefully. "Occasionally something will fall my way, but right now I'm kind of stuck covering events like City Hall meetings on Tuesday afternoons. What about you?"

"I... run my own business."

"Entrepreneur, eh?"

"Sort of a family business, actually. I inherited it from my parents."

"Inherited as in 'help, I'm stuck here' or as in you chose to take up the mantle?"

He pondered her question for a moment before answering. "I may not have felt like I had much of a choice, but nobody forced me into this life. Sometimes you expect things from your life and sometimes your life expects things from you."

"Quite a heavy statement from someone so young. So what exactly does this business entail?"

"We dabble in a bit of everything. Everything is so contingent on demand and the economy, even the time of year for a product. It's always changing."

She noted how he seemed to veil over the finer points of the operation. Perhaps he was embarrassed to reveal the details. He probably sold used cars or comic book paraphernalia, she thought to herself.

"So what section do you write under?"

"I dabble in a bit of everything. Human interest, business... wherever they need me."

"Gossip columns?"

"Ugh, no thank you. That's one ship I refuse to sail. They can find somebody else to get the skinny on pantyless celebutantes and drunk socialites."

He bit his cheek to keep from laughing. "Those are some pretty harsh words."

"Harsh maybe, but true. Reporting is about getting the truth out there. There are people in this world who can't speak for themselves or are afraid to. I want to be their voice. The voice of the people. There are a lot of truths in this world that are more important than whether Paris Hilton paints her dogs toenails. But enough about the rich and worthless- tell me something about you."

Once again he came to a complete halt and slightly shook his head at her, speechless, but smiling. Seeing a sign just past her shoulder he pointed. "How about this place? You ever been here before?"

"No, never."

"Me neither. Looks like we both get something new tonight. Although, I can't offer a no food poisoning clause here."

"Guess we're gonna have to risk it."

Sliding into a booth in the cozy pizza parlor they began to debate toppings.

"It's not a pizza without mushrooms," he declared.

She wrinkled her nose. "Pepperoni is classic, perfectly complemented by green pepper and onion."

"Mushroom with sausage is far superior," he vehemently argued.

They continued to discuss crust options and the great debate of coke vs. pepsi until the pizza arrived.

"The moment of truth has arrived," Chloe said in a dramatic tone as they each picked up a slice.

"On three," Oliver instructed. "One, two, three."

Sinking their teeth into the gooey mess Chloe let out a moan of approval. "I think I was destined to meet this pizza."

"But I was just a fluke?"

"You were an instrument of God leading me to the world's best pizza," she said wiping her mouth. "But since you brought it up, why are you on Six Degrees of Happiness?"

"Honestly?" She nodded. "I lost a bet. Blind dates have never really been my thing."

"So technically this is your punishment?" she laughed.

"Even when I'm a loser I manage to win," he said smoothly. "What about you? Why'd you start up?"

"I didn't. Some friends of mine set it up for me. I figured if I just tried it once I could get them out of my hair. I think I was actually hoping this would crash and burn so I could tell them 'told you so'."

"So did I make all your dreams come true?"

She chuckled. "It's going better than I would have expected," she admitted.

The waitress set the check down and Oliver handed her his credit card. Returning a moment later she cleared the dishes and asked if there was anything else they needed.

"Everything was wonderful," Chloe thanked her.

"We'd like to thank you for dining with us this evening Mr. Queen, ma'am. Have yourselves a great evening and come again," she said before retreating from the table.

Chloe froze as her mind processed what her ears had just heard. Slowly she lifted her eyes to his and narrowed them slightly. She could tell he knew he'd been caught. "Tell me more about that quaint family business, Mr. Queen."

"I never said anything to mislead you."

"You weren't exactly forthcoming."

"I never had any intention of hiding my identity. When you didn't know who I was right off the bat, I simply didn't jump in dropping my last name for you to trip all over. Not that you would have given your aversion to – how did you put it? Celebutantes and socialites."

"I am not prejudiced against people because of their status as a nobody or a somebody," she said riled up. "But people who get the attention of a somebody for the actions of a nobody causes me concern for the future of America."

"I didn't say you were prejudiced. I just think it would take more than a pocketbook to impress you. Besides, I liked hearing all your uncensored opinions on what's wrong with the youth of today. Like I said, I don't do blind dates. I can't remember the last time I went out with someone who didn't see me coming a mile away."

"Some investigative reporter I am," she muttered to herself.

"Okay, to be fair... after I realized you didn't know who I was... I suggested walking so you wouldn't see my car. How about this- to make up for unintended shadiness I'll give you two free pass questions of your choice- within reason."

"Do I have to think of them right now?"

"No, take your time," he grinned as they left the restaurant, walking in silence.

"I've got one," she decided. "What's the real reason the CEO of Star City's Queen Industries relocated to Metropolis?"

"I was ready to take on some new challenges and I felt like Star City would hamper my ability to do that. Next question."

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Seriously, you can ask anything you want and you pick that?" She stared back at him, waiting expectantly for the answer. "Mint Chocolate Chip."

One side of her mouth quirked up before she darted across the street, high heels and all. He quickly caught up to her at the ice cream stand and she presented him with a cone as she licked her own. "Here."

"Thank you. What'd you get?"

"Peanut Butter Swirl."

"Of course," he said aloud. What he was thinking was that she'd just eliminated all possibilities for a good night kiss.

"Hey, mine is ten times better than yours. Want to try?" she offered him the cone.

"Nothing says delicious like anaphylactic shock," he quipped. "I'm allergic to peanuts."

"Huh. Well, you wouldn't be the first date of mine to end up in the hospital."

"And you wouldn't be the first date of mine to put me in the hospital."

They shared a humorous look before cracking up in the middle of the street. They laughed the whole walk back to her place. As they grew nearer to her doorstep he couldn't help but think that this date was ending entirely soon, not to mention unexpectedly.

Her peanut butter smeared lips seemed to be taunting his every thought. Did he have an epi pen on him?

"What was that?" her voice interrupted.

"What was what?" His ears instantly alert.

From a distance they could hear arguing. "Stop it! Leave me alone!"

"Chloe, go inside and call for help."

"She needs help now, I'm not waiting," she began and moved towards the voices.

His arm shot out keeping her in place. "I'll go, but I won't endanger you. Call 911." He gently pushed her inside the apartment doors.

He ran to his car, grateful he'd parked in the dark alley next to her building. Glancing around he tried to make sure he was alone. He didn't have time for the full costume this time. Flipping open his trunk he quickly pulled out his hidden crossbow and pulled a dark green hoodie over his head. Climbing up the ladder to the roof he walked to the opposite side until he found the source of the noise.

Chloe called the police and gave them the address. Hanging up, she stepped outside and listened. She could still hear her. Screw this, there was power in numbers. She jogged along the side of the building, creeping up to the corner. A woman was fighting a tall, thin man tooth and nail for her purse. And they were alone. Oliver was nowhere in sight. She looked around to see if he was just being stealthy, but she couldn't find him.

"Bitch, just give it to me!" He slapped her hard and knocked her to the ground, but she wouldn't let go.

"Screw you," she spat at him.

Oliver pulled back the bow taking aim dead center at the man. He released it, arrow soaring through the air.

"Leave her alone!" Chloe came charging towards the man ready with her pepper spray when he fell backwards to the ground. She saw the bright green arrow sticking out of his chest and suddenly her eyes lifted to the rooftops around her. It was him! The Green Arrow that had been making all the papers recently. She was slightly deflated not to see anyone. What was she expecting? A big light in the sky in the shape of an arrow? She slowly moved towards his immobile body and kicked at his leg. His chest was rising steadily, it must have been a tranquilizer dart. Mystery boy was known for his non-lethal methods of vigilance.

"Are you okay?" she approached the banged up woman.

"I'll be alright." She sounded shook up.

"The police will be here soon. Why didn't you give him your purse? It's not worth your life."

"I know, but the thugs in this city are going to know that I'm not going down without a fight. I'm not going to just hand them what's mine. So they'd better be ready to throw down. And if they do, I'm getting all the DNA I can so I can prosecute. I'm Jenna, by the way."

"I'm Chloe. I'd say nice to meet you, but..."

Oliver;s head was spinning as he left the roof. What was she doing marching in there?! He'd told her to stay away. Had she been a few seconds earlier the arrow could have struck her instead!

As the two women waited for the cruiser to arrive Chloe's mind wandered. Did he really just leave? Of course he had. He'd probably never done something courageous a day in his life. Oh, he had charming and convincing down pat, but it was all a facade. She shook her head in disgust. And to think, she'd really been enjoying herself, wondering if he'd ask her for a second date.

"Chloe!" She turned to see Oliver jogging up the street. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay inside."

"It's a good thing I didn't, seeing as how you apparently ran away in fear."

"I tried to go the other way around the building. I couldn't get through and had to turn back."

"And that took how long? You know what, don't bother. I don't need your excuses."

"What happened to him?" he stared at the unconscious man.

"The Green Arrow."

"He was here? That was lucky, don't you think?"

"What I think? I think that if men like you weren't such spineless rats then maybe there wouldn't be a need for the Green Arrow in the first place. The only reason he exists is because every day men refuse to take up the gauntlet when needed. Jenna here is the real hero. She stood up to that scumbag even when she didn't have anything to fight with except her morals and hopes for this city."

"I didn't run away Chloe. I took a bad route and got turned around! Don't make this into a big thing."

"How clever of you to send me inside so I couldn't see which direction you ran. I remember your bio said you had a strong belief in right and wrong. Guess I just didn't realize which one you would choose. Bravo."

"Chloe--" he sputtered, trying to find a more swaying argument.

"I have to go talk to the police now and then I'm going with Jenna to the hospital. Do us both a favor- lose my number, forget my name and never contact me again. I have no room for guys like you in my life."

She stormed off leaving a dejected Oliver frozen behind her. She should have known better than to get her hopes up. Great. Now she needed more ice cream tonight.

On the positive side, she was right again.