Chapter Twenty-One:
Author's note: Primary School is from Years 1-6 in Australia and approximately from ages 6-11.
Another two days passed, spent catching up and adjusting to being back in Starling City. The swelling in Slade's eye had gone and he was thankful that it hadn't turned into a black eye. It had been peaceful in the Queen Mansion until the mention of school was brought up when Thea's report card arrived. She had failed or barely scraped through all her subjects. Slade and Oliver were currently reading through it together while Walter was admonishing Thea in true parental fashion.
"Ollie got worse than that every year and no one ever cared," Thea told Walter. Slade raised an eyebrow at Oliver who nodded sheepishly. Slade sighed and looked up.
"We can improve this together," Slade told her.
"Like a team?" Thea answered back sarcastically. Slade nodded, ignoring the sarcasm.
"Exactly, between all of us here, we should be able to get you through everything. I am very good at geography, mathematics and physical education myself," Slade told her.
"I always kicked arse in English and History," Sara offered.
"I can speak Japanese and Chinese, and excel at biology and mathematics," Shado added. They all looked at Oliver then, waiting to see what he would add to the team.
"I did very well in my History SAT, I actually got more than Laurel did, and I am average or just above average with English and French," Oliver told them proudly.
"I remember that, Laurel sulked for like a week straight when the results came out," Sara remembered with a grin.
"Okay, well I am doing Chinese as my language, so Shado can help me with that, and you're right between everyone all my subjects are covered." Thea admitted.
"I don't expect perfect grades Thea, and I know how hard this past year has been, but now with us all back together hopefully we can move forward and look to the future," Walter said with a smile. Thea nodded in return.
"So speaking of the future, what will you be doing now you are home Oliver," Moira asked as she walked into the room. Oliver froze and answered her honestly.
"I haven't given it any thought at all, my main goal for the past year was to get off Lian Yu, never really thought beyond that," Oliver told her.
"I would like you to think about joining Queen Consolidated," Moira said. Oliver immediately winced, and Lance looked at him in sympathy. He knew from when Laurel and Oliver were just friends in primary school, Oliver's parents had already planned his future out for him.
"I was actually thinking about that Moira," Walter began. Oliver looked towards his stepfather.
"I was thinking two days a week, Oliver could accompany me, and Slade too if he wished and learnt about business from me. Shado could return to pre-med under a Queen Consolidated scholarship I can arrange, and Sara can be given a scholarship to pay for her expenses while doing her training to become a Police Officer." Walter explained his plan. Oliver thought on it, two days a week and he would be with Walter and Slade, it was worth giving it a go.
"Do you think I could join in?" Tommy asked.
"Of course," Walter said. Oliver looked to Slade who nodded.
"Count me and Slade in too, thank you Walter," Oliver said.
"Where will I be going to school?" Joe asked. Thea slung an arm around his shoulders.
"You are coming with me, my school does all the years so we won't be separated at all until I graduate high school," Thea told him.
"Will they let them interact because of the age gap?" Slade asked.
"Does the school need a new building?" Oliver queried. Ignoring the looks from the others he focused on Thea as she thought about the school.
"I think they were looking at putting solar panels up and a water tank," Thea responded.
"Done, we can call them later" Oliver told her. Thea smiled and nodded.
"Why does it sound like you have done this before?" Lance asked.
"Because we have, when Thea first started she was bullied a lot. Teachers were useless and so were certain others, so Tommy and I went to the principal and offered to use some of the money in our trust funds to build a new library for the school if they let us go sit with her during lunch and recess until the bullying stopped. He agreed of course, so I'll pay for the solar panels and water tank if Thea can spend her breaks with Joe until he settles in and have a clause in there for him to be able to go to her if he needs anything for the rest of their school years," Oliver explained.
"Just how big are your trust funds?" Shado asked. Oliver shrugged and looked at Tommy who shrugged in response, and the both of them looked at Thea who shrugged too. Slade snorted at them.
"Do you have enough money to get me a Lego set to play with?" Joe asked.
"How much longer are the holidays?" Oliver asked Thea.
"Two weeks," Thea answered.
"We are going to have to face the world sooner or later, so how about tomorrow we go shopping. Get us some clothes that fit and you some toys and games," Oliver said.
"You want me to check if our usual bodyguards are available?" Tommy asked.
"Yes please, and ask if they know anyone else, I think about ten in total will do," Oliver said.
"Why do we need bodyguards?" Slade asked.
"Because, first there are going to be hundreds of reporters that are going to swarm us the second we leave these walls. Second, we can't retaliate at all, no matter what they do or say. Third, these guys have been pushing the reporters away from us since we were kids, Tommy and I trust them. Fourth, they don't care that Joe and Thea are kids, or about our health, they will push, shout, threaten, swear, basically do anything to try and get a story out of us. And we can't let them. We have to ignore them and go about our business," Oliver explained then looked at Tommy.
"See if Luke and Sam want a full time job when you call them," Oliver asked.
"Joe?" Tommy queried, Oliver nodded in response.
"Seriously?" Slade asked looking slightly perplexed, Oliver turned to Thea.
"Can you bring up the footage of just after Tommy's mum died, when the two of us were leaving after the funeral finished?" Oliver asked. Thea nodded and grabbed her laptop from the lounge room where she left it and searched for the video. She turned the laptop around and the group crowded around so they could see the screen. Oliver, Tommy and Lance held back, as all three of them still clearly remembered that day.
The video began playing, showing Oliver and Tommy standing next to the fresh grave of his mother and then walking off towards the car, within five steps the two of them were suddenly surrounded by at least 20 reporters and camera crew. The group watched in disbelief as the reporters shouted question after question at them, shoving the mics in their faces and shoving and grabbing the younger Tommy and Oliver to get them into the camera frame better. It was stopped when Lance, who had attended with Laurel as they were all friends even then and had met Mrs. Merlyn several times for play dates and school assemblies, pushed two reporters aside to get to the boys, with Tommy still in tears from the service and Oliver not looking much better and shielded them as he got them to their waiting car at the end of the video.
It was silent for a moment as they looked at the dark screen.
"Shit," Slade said quietly.
"Tommy and I are used to it, Thea mostly. But this is going to be very new and frightening especially for Joe. And we have no clue how this is going to go for us either, and I suspect it won't be well. So the extra bodyguards until we adapt to this, are going to be necessary," Oliver said.
"And you said it is going to be worse than this when we leave tomorrow?" Shado asked.
"Definitely, the press have been given no details apart from Walter's short statement saying that Oliver has been found alive and well. They are going to be out for blood to get the scoop of the year," Tommy told them.
"Which means you need to be on your best behaviour Slade," Oliver teased and Slade cocked an eyebrow in response causing everyone to laugh lightening the mood.