Irrevocable Invitation

Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter; stay with me, and thanks to everyone who reviewed!

PLEASE GIVE ME IDEAS FOR CHAPTER NAMES STARTING WITH J, K, P, U and V, if you get the chance. Thank you.

Enjoy,

To: Iris West

When:16th April, 3.00pm till 17th April, 3.00pm

Where: My house!

P.S Dad's don't know yet, so to make sure people want to come, so they have no choice, please reply with word of mouth as soon as possible.

Iris handed the pink, glittery slip to her father. She had already said yes to Alice, but she still needed parental permission- which she knew she would squeeze out of her father. He rubbed his bruised eyes, yawned and handed her the slip back, "That's a yes to the pizza, order ten." His words were slurred, and he blinked slowly, stumbling towards the living room, and dropping onto the couch. The family had only yesterday brought Magnolia and Bartholomew home; but that had been 24 hours of no sleep, not counting the hours of slumber lost in the nearly three-week long hospital visit.

A shrill cry made Wally stiffen up. He groaned and dragged himself out of the room, whimpering. He was so tired. And that was just about Iris' only leverage. If her parents were exhausted; which they most certainly were, they most likely wanted everyone out of their faces...the sleepover would mean almost two days of Iris-free-baby-care. The red-head doubted that anyone would pass up on an opportunity like that.

She reached her parent's room, and threw open the door. Artemis was sprawled on the bed, holding the black-haired fighter, Magnolia. It was difficult to see that someone so boisterous and strident could be female...but Mags defied all odds, and anyway, the West's were not an average family.

Artemis' gaze was fixed on the blaring TV. Iris popped up onto the bed, and slid the invitation under her mother's nose. Without looking at it, Artemis was already smiling, "Yes. Go." Her words didn't cut Iris like they would have in any other situation, and the seven-year old bounced off the bed, did a twirl and left to pack her bags independently.

Three hand baggages, two pillows and twelve plastic bags of food later, Iris was sitting on her front doorstep. She had received the invite in the post days before, but since her parents were in the hospital, she hadn't gotten a chance to show them- at one point; she had even worried that she wouldn't be able to make it to the little get together.

She tapped her foot lightly; she couldn't wait to see Alice again. Since they had moved house, and Iris had moved schools, she had been awfully lonely. It was tough, not having your polar opposite stand up for you when the going got tough. Iris shut her eyes, listening to the wind blowing through the trees. A few birds conversed to her left, and she could faintly make out the purring of a cat by the pond to her right. The voices of nature were disrupted by a loud horn- one that belonged to a modified, midnight blue jeep. Iris stood up, hauling her bags behind her. She walked slowly up to the car, keeping her distance, while holding a confident smile on her face.

The tinted window rolled down, exposing a smiling man with a buzz cut. His dazzling blue eyes were jolly faces on their own, and his grin was gleaming. He motioned to the back of the car, and rolled that window down too. Alice almost toppled out of the open window. She waved frantically, and opened the door. Iris obeyed the motion of Alice's father, Derek, and threw herself into the car. It was gonna be an awesome twenty-four hours.

The car glided across the asphalt, breezing past shops, and soon, past homes. Iris recognised Palo Alto instantly- almost the second the car drove into the all-too-familiar town she'd been brought up in. Still, she stopped herself trying to remember all the good things about the place as tears began to brim her gleaming eyes. She sniffed and looked to Alice for support. The blonde gave a reassuring smile, and placed a small, creamy hand onto Iris' shoulder. "Almost there!" Alice stated, trying to whisper. Iris nodded in excitement.

They arrived mere minutes after Alice's words. The jeep came to a halt beside a row of homes, and Derek effortlessly parked between two tightly spaced cars. He jumped out of his side, and opened the door for his daughter and Iris. Alice gave one fleeting look at her somewhat modern home. It was stark white, rose bushes in the front garden. A few wooden beams and contemporary finishes decorated the windows and door. Alice saw the house every day, but to Iris, who hadn't been there in a few months; it was like living in reminiscence.

Derek grabbed her bags, and strode into the home. Alice arched a golden brow at Iris, and then also followed suit. Iris stayed outside the home, gawking at it, trying to remember everything that she had ever done there.

She'd lost her second tooth there; it had been at her first sleepover. She remembered it slipping out of her fingers, and watching in disgust as Alice's Great Dane, Sherlock, ate it in a single go. Iris shuddered, but secretly wondered whether Sherlock had excreted it, as Dasher had excreted her mother's favourite necklace.

Iris tried to think of another warming memory. It came knocking after Iris began fishing around. She remembered coming over there, every second night, to work on homework. Alice's second father was a teacher, and he would always help them, even giving them hints to what they would do in the future schooling world, and tutoring them until they could recite the whole page of homework. She giggled, Paul was quite the teacher. She knew if she put her mind to it, she would most probably be able to remember word-for-word a page from three years ago, because of his teaching technique.

On the topic of Mr. Ives, or Paul, Alice's second father, Iris quite clearly remembered meeting him. It was after school one day, that she and Alice walked home alone. Alice had invited Iris over- it would be the first, but not the last time doing so. They arrived, cold and worn out at Alice's home. The girl had made it quite obvious she never spoke about family at school...and Iris was surprised, and she kinda guessed why. With two fathers, she most probably would have fun made of her; Iris was laughed at for the hair colour she was born with! Alice didn't judge, or sneer at Iris though...so Iris didn't at Alice either, though it did confuse her, at the time as to why Alice was in the particular situation.

Iris snapped out of her thoughts, and turned around. She looked quickly (and longingly) at her old home across the road. Its high support beams were a newly painted black, and the roof had been re-tiled. The garden was landscaped to un-recognition and perfection; her little wild flower garden was nowhere in sight, in its place were pompous crocuses, pretentious lilies, showy roses and a few lilacs. Iris upturned her nose, and balled her fists. Her father would hear about this...after she got home, that was. She almost forgot that she was in fact visiting her friend.

She quickly jogged to the front door, opening it. High ceilings, also white, and polished wood floors greeted her. She remembered sliding on them a few years ago, with only a pillow to stop her bottom from sliding across the timber. Kicking off her shoes, Iris strode though, into the largely metal kitchen. Paul slaved away, over a hot frying pan. He looked down at Iris, through his glasses which were placed on the tip of his nose. He pushed them up, smiled, and scratched his bald head. "Who are you again?" He chuckled and winked, seeing that Iris was shocked, "Don't worry Miss West; Alice is in the garden with her other guests." Iris giggled and nodded, walking in the direction of his eyes.

She strode out into the garden, feeling the mowed lawn under her bare feet. She breathed in, controlled herself, and ran (slowly) to Alice, who was sat beside a few other girls. Iris bit her lip; she didn't know a single one of them, and they all looked far prettier than her. She was dressed in a plain brown dress, a white tee under it. She had plastic, pink earrings in her eyes and had only her devilishly good looks (which composed of freckles and bright orange hair) to rely on. She put her arms behind her back, and shyly approached the small table when she realised that Alice had not yet noticed her. She stood awkwardly for a moment, listening to their conversation: It was something about Facebook. Weren't they a bit young?

When their conversation drew to a close, Iris smiled and waved, "Hi." That caught Alice's attention...but also the somewhat unwanted attention of the other three girls, who all looked at her like she was vermin. Alice stood, laughing, and offered Iris a seat. The girl politely refused. Alice quickly moved onto introducing the girls to each other, "That's Cody Martin. She goes to school with me; came as soon as you left, but she's two years above us." Iris counted on her fingers as the brown-haired girl gave a quick wave, not looking at Iris and concentrating on whatever was on her phone screen. If her calculations were correct, Cody was nearly ten...

Alice shrugged and pointed to the next girl, another blonde, though not naturally, with very long eyelashes. She was slightly brushed with makeup, and looked...flawless with it on. Iris scrunched up her nose, and Alice smiled, "This is Kaydee Fletcherman. She's a neighbour, twelve years old though." Kaydee smirked, and Iris smirked back...quite astounded when Kaydee rolled her eyes and became preoccupied with watching Cody do...whatever she was doing on her phone.

Alice shuffled her feet, smiling apologetically. She motioned to the last girl, who cocked her head to the side, letting her auburn plaits fall also. Alice opened her mouth, but the golden-brown haired girl giggled, and raised a hand, before moving it to shake hands with Iris, "I'm Ivory Hindman, three years older than you. I live across the road from here; you probably saw it, big flower garden out front, black beams, refurbi-"

Iris snarled and snatched her hand away, "Yeah...my old house. I know it." Ivory looked unimpressed, and crossed her arms. Alice looked at Iris, and then back at Ivory, before clapping her hands once, and trying to smile, "How about I ask Dad to bring us some snacks? We can watch a movie out here?" She pointed to the undercover projector, and Iris' eyes moved from said item to a white wall.

Cody scoffed, "Which one?" Ivory covered her mouth, to try and stop laughing. Alice looked crest-fallen, but decided to play it safe, "What do you mean...which one? I have lots of movies! Maybe something Disney, if that's what you mean?" Kaydee shook her head, silently laughing.

At her question, Derek strode over to the girls, placing a large plate of food onto the table; Iris recognised some of the snacks that she had brought there...honestly, she didn't want to share them with the girls. Alice glared at Ivory, who shrugged, "I suppose I meant that one." She pointed to Derek, who was returning back to the house. Now it was Iris' turn to look blasé as Alice's lip quivered and she looked away from her guests.

Iris glared at the girls, and stood up straight, "You have a problem with Alice's parents?" Kaydee got to her feet, perhaps feeling left out as she had not yet spoken. The girl stuck out her tongue at Iris, who just raised an eyebrow. Cody continued to play with her phone, "And what if we do?" She asked, smiling slightly.

Iris stepped closer to the table, and slammed her palms down onto it. A few years of hero-training, and she'd learnt how to be slightly intimidating to the bad-guys. Cody flinched, Kaydee backed away, and Ivory squeaked. All three composed themselves as Iris relaxed slightly. She put on her sweetest voice, fluttered her eyelashes and rocked on the balls of her feet, "If you have a problem, kindly don't show it. Or get out if you must. See: Derek and Paul did a way better job at raising Alice, then, for example, your parents did with you."

Ivory scoffed, raising herself to Iris' height. Alice panicked, "C'mon guys, let's stop now."

Iris shook her head, "I'm not letting these girls push you around. I don't care what they might say to me, but I'm not letting anyone humiliate you. Paul and Derek are nice anyway..."

At last, Cody put her phone down, also standing. She smiled pleasantly and put on an air of innocence, "Oh, Iris. We're not pushing Alice around at all! I, or we, just have our own opinion on the matter. Just like I, for one, have my view on you."

Iris shrugged, and balled her fists, "Yeah? And what would that be?" Alice placed a hand onto Iris' shaking shoulder, but retracted it fast, giving a warning look to the shaking speedster. Iris sucked in a deep breath: I can't vibrate here. I have to keep calm. She sighed, and backed away slightly. Cody sniggered and looked to Ivory for sustainability, before continuing her mockery, "My view? Well, even if my parents did spoil me a little, even if, as you say, they raised me wrong, at least their genetics didn't screw up with the creation of me."

Ivory snorted, "Yeah, and at least mine are rich enough to buy me real clothes." She pulled slightly on Iris' dress, "They care about me! They would never allow me to leave the house wearing rags!"

Kaydee moved close to Iris, and smiled, "So the lesson we've learnt from this?" Her smile turned into a frown, "Your parents are nothing but screwed up losers. They're probably uneducated, inbred scum. And you seemed to have picked that up too."

"ENOUGH!" Alice stomped her foot on the floor, hardly making noise, but it was too late. The words were out, and hot tears were already falling down Iris face. She punched square Kaydee in the jaw, forgetting her strength. "From what I've seen; you three only degrade others to make up for what you lack; a self-esteem, good wording and an attitude to life. You're trying to compensate for your lack of confidence, by sinking the self-confidence of others...and honestly, I don't understand why you..." She looked to Alice, "Are friends with them." With one rattled breath, Iris ran from the scene, concealing her speed until she was out of the house, down the street and out of Palo Alto.

She bolted home, and sprang into her parent's room. Her tears had dried with how fast she had run, but she wanted to cry all over again in her mother's arms. To her disappointment, Artemis was out-cold. Iris surveyed the room; Magnolia and Bartholomew were in their cots, and Wally was asleep on the floor. She let herself out of the room, and strode into her own.

She moved to her desk, and scrunched up the invitation which lay on it. Growling slightly, she turned on the TV. "Nothing is ever like you remember it." Iris jumped out of her skin, turning on her heel to face the source of the words. It just so happened to be Nightwing. She let out a relieved sigh and bit her lip, "How much did you see...at the party, I mean?"

Dick shook his head, laughing slightly, and spread his arms so she could run into them, which she did. He spun her around and held her tight; he didn't particularly think what she did was right...but he was a biased man, and believed the three other girls were in the wrong. He didn't want to hurt iris, he had to be there for her. "I saw enough to know that you shouldn't associate with them." He ran a hand through Iris' scarlet hair, in a parental fashion, to calm her down.

"That party sucked." Iris stated, pushing away from her uncle. Nightwing laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah...but don't say that in front of your mom and dad..." He knew they'd kill him for teaching Iris the term; and they ALWAYS knew it was him. After a moment of silence, Iris looked up at Dick with her big green eyes, inclining her head, "Who let you in, anyways?"

There. That took me AGES to get out of my system. I apologise for the long length of it.

The next chapter does not even have a plan to it, as many of my future chapters do, so I'm unsure on how long it will take. Please bear with me and review.

Hope you enjoyed,

-fish