Chapter 38
Return To Ollyville
Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you see here. Note that this is approximately two weeks later after we last saw Oliver and friends in their corner of the world. And if you aren't laughing by the end of this, something's not right with ya! With that said, here's this. "Live in the now 8-Bit!" Delirious to Player Uno.
In the two weeks since he'd been back home from the Ward, Oliver was slowly being driven up the wall by well made intentions from his family. If it wasn't Raisa hovering from time to time and reminding him about some random thing, it was his mother who was pretty much over compensating when she fussed over him, plus occasionally dragging him to the office or elsewhere so that they could have some sort of mother/son bonding thing going on. How she thought it would work in the office was something that was still beyond him. The Diggle men had found it all funny as well, especially when Thea had tricked Oliver into drinking apple juice when she claimed it was something else. While she was still hesitant around him after learning of why he'd been forced to do what he did concerning Tommy in Hong Kong, she didn't let it stop her from harrassing him with apples. Like the time she put a bunch of apples in his bed, the freak out over that had her laughing hard and as well as making her wish she had a camera too so that Tommy would get a laugh as well.
Things between Oliver and Tommy were definitely still not of the good just yet and the returned son was really starting to miss his best friend and knew that he was going to have to do something soon to get their friendship back on track. Communication between him and Laurel was still as dead as a door nail, though he wasn't entirely surprised by it considering the circumstances. But at least the four therapy sessions he'd attended in the last two weeks were going nicely so that was a plus at least. He'd even gotten the Diggles to take him to the Foundry so that he could retrieve Yao Fei's bow since he had a custom one he could use now that was also there. When he was asked about why he had it there, he merely told them he had decided to come there to use the area as target practice awhile back. He was glad they had bought that too as it had been the best thing he'd been able to think up. He also used that same exact excuse when his mom and later Thea asked him about it. The three women of the household had all also gone and applied a huge amount of guilt on him for wanting to move out.
The end result was him giving up on the idea, at least for awhile. Not that he voiced the last part, but the three women were very pleased their combined guilt attack on him was a success. Now if only he could get his mom to quit fluffing up the pillows so much in the effort to make him more comfortable and he'd be happy. But now, on this lovely Friday, Oliver found himself waking up that afternoon with a bad feeling in his stomach that had him frowning quite a bit. Getting up and grabbing his bow and quiver full of feather styled arrows as something in his gut told him he was going to need it, he left his room and walked around as quietly as he could in the hallway. Eventually coming up to Thea's door, that bad feeling seemed to intensify much to his growing annoyance. Deciding to press his ear against the door, the first and only thing he could really hear was music. But it wasn't the type of music a teen girl would likely be listening too. Oh no, this was the kind he was very familiar with as it was often more used for strip clubs or perhaps in a room with a girl who was looking to do some seducing.
Frowning even more, he listened on for a little bit more as he thought on what to do. If that little pervert is in there doing things with MY sister, he's gonna wish he'd never been born. He thought darkly to himself as he finally decided on a course of action.
Backing up and readying himself for what he was about to do as he knew doing it barefoot wasn't exactly the greatest idea ever. He surged forward and kicked hard at the door, sending it flying open, rushing inside as he pulled out an arrow to nock on his bow while ignoring the slight pain in his foot and leg. The first thing he saw that made his blood boil was the sight of his baby sister of all things on her bed, sitting on top of Shane while she was thankfully wearing pants but unfortunately for him she wasn't wearing a shirt but was wearing a bra. His forced entry startled the two as they'd been quite busy getting rather close to one another despite the fact Thea had no plans to go all the way with him despite his own best efforts to the contrary. Oh I am so dead! Shane thought worriedly as he stared wide eyed at his girlfriend's brother who was looking a bit murderous.
"Ollie! What the Hell!? Get out of here!" Thea yelled out while covering herself in embarrassment. The sight of him with that arrow ready to be fired worried her but she knew there was no way he'd actually do it. Right?
Oliver glared at his sister for that. "Like Hell I will! Get off him right the Hell now! And you, you little pervert, you got five seconds to clear out before I put this in you." The archer growled out angrily, causing Shane to gulp.
Thea gaped at him in shock before shrieking angrily at him to just leave and mind his own business. Shane though was getting ready to clear the Hell out before the obviously unbalanced nut job actually hit him with an arrow! Seeing that his demand wasn't being met, he let loose the arrow, only for it to narrowly miss Shane much to his annoyance. But it did hit the headboard a few inches away from the pervert's shoulder. Screaming like a little girl, Shane threw Thea off him who thankfully hadn't fallen off the bed and hauled ass out of the room. Clad only in a pair of boxers. Incensed, Thea let loose a blood curdling scream. "OLLIEEEEEE!"
Downstairs
Walter and Moira had decided to have lunch at the mansion in the dining room and so far it'd been rather peaceful for the two and it was a vastly enjoyable moment. Though Walter had been intending to speak to Moira about telling her son of their relationship as he knew the longer it went on, the more unpleasant the situation could possibly be when the boy found out. But the sudden scream of young Oliver's shortened name startled the two quite a bit. Frowning to himself at having his moment and the peace interrupted, he got up to go and investigate the situation. "I shall see what the problem is Moira." He informed her and she gave him a nod to show her understanding, though she knew she should go with him to see what the issue is.
Quickly making his way out of the dining room and into the foyer where a set of stairs could be found to go to the upper area of the mansion, he was soon baffled by the sight of Thea's boyfriend Shane screaming in fear while running about in his boxers as he rushed down the steps. The sight of an arrow finding its way into the wall just as the boy passed it alarmed him. But the fact the young man was in his boxers meant the older man was going to have to take the boy to task before evidently being a pervert. "OLLIE! STOP FIRING ARROWS AT MY BOYFRIEND!" Thea screamed out angrily as Walter quickly moved out of the way of the oncoming Shane.
Then to his complete surprise as Moira rushed in to see what the heck was going on just in time to see her son land on the floor, Oliver had launched himself over the railing and landed on his feet in a crouching position. The sight of Thea running down the steps in a pair of pants and her bra was not something either of the two adults liked seeing either as it only confirmed Walter's belief about her young suitor being a pervert. Rising up, Oliver quickly nocked another arrow as everyone watched in wide eyed surprise at the scene in front of them. He fired it, only for it to miss and hit the side of the door as Shane fled in terror to the outside world. The archer rushed over to the opened doors and called out to the boy. "AND DON'T EVER LET ME SEE YOU AROUND HERE OR AROUND MY SISTER AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME!?" He roared out angrily, much to Walter's approval, though he would have certainly gone with less… Interesting measures where the boy was concerned.
"Oliver!" Moira called out, shocked by his behavior, though she was unsure who to be angry with more. Him or her daughter for doing things she had no business to be doing!
He turned to look at her with anger seen on his face as he tried to ignore the pain in both his leg and shoulder for having used archery when going after the little punk. That was likely going to mean more issues for him where his shoulder was concerned, but he'd deal as best as he could. Thea angrily stomped over to her idiotic of an interfering brother and slapped the mess out of him. "You could have killed him!" She shouted out, and was not happy to see her brother be so unphased by it all.
"Nope, wasn't gonna kill him at all. Maim on the other hand? That's what I was gonna do. Unfortunately my aim was off thanks to my shoulder." Oliver helpfully informed her and the two adults with anger in his voice at seeing what his sister had been up too, something the punk obviously had put her up to doing as well.
Hmm, had he actually harmed the boy we would likely have problems crop up. And knowing young Oliver's luck, Detective Lance would show up for it all. Walter thought to himself while Moira couldn't think or say anything as she was just too stunned by what she'd seen.
Thea was having none of it when Raisa finally rushed to the scene, only to stop dead in her tracks at what was going on. "I don't care what you were going to do! You could have gotten me on the bed too! I could lose him now and it'd be all your fault!" The young girl yelled out, wanting to make him see the error of his ways. Which, yeah, totally not happening.
"Good, he was a damned pervert anyway. And as for me getting you? Nah, my aim might be impaired but its not THAT impaired." Thea screamed loudly to show her displeasure at his response as she threw her hands up in the air as tears were starting to build up and then rushed the steps to back to her room. Part of her wished she had something to throw at her asshole of a brother! But oh would she get him back if it was the last thing she'd do!
Poor Raisa was just so confused by what had happened. The fact an arrow was sticking into the wall where the doors were wasn't something she liked either. Walter hesitantly took a step towards the young man who still looked quite angry as he watched his sister run off to her room to vent her frustrations. Clearing his throat to successfully gain the young man's attention, he started to speak. "While the methed employed in dealing with young Shane was a bit… Unconventional and likely very painful. I applaud your effort in protecting your sister's dignity." He informed Oliver as he gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking back to the dining room to finish his lunch.
Looking back to where Moira was, he asked her if she was coming back with him to eat. His words shook her out of her stupor and she decided to leave things be for now as she followed the British man to finish eating. Though she was clearly shaken by what had transpired as she knew Malcolm's enforcer was also something an archery enthusiast. She did hope though that things with Shane wouldn't be too much of an issue. As it is, she was sure if his parents were informed of what he'd be doing, he would be in a fair amount of trouble.
Oliver looked in Raisa's direction as he tried to calm himself. "Hey uhh Raisa? We have any ice packs?" He was definitely gonna need it for his shoulder, not to mention he was gonna need something to take for the pain and that was something he could easily take care of thanks to the meds he had.
Shaking out of her own confused shock, she looked towards him and informed him that they did. But also told him he had better go put his tools away as it was not polite to have that in the kitchen. Grumbling to himself, he complied with her request and rushed up to stash his gear in his room, but not before making sure he grabbed each arrow he'd fired off while making sure to grab a pain killer to take when he got to the kitchen. Rushing back down, he quickly got to the kitchen to see Raisa at work putting together his ice pack. Quickly downing the pain killer with some water, he gratefully accepted the ice pack from Raisa and noticed she had that look on her face that meant she was about to lecture him over proper respect for the house. Which made him want to groan a little as those lectures could get lengthy.
Later That Evening At Big Belly Burger
After a lecture from Raisa, Thea's refusal to speak with him even though he could understand it, and his mom's bewildered state of shock, Oliver eventually found himself getting restless to the point he wound up calling the Diggles to see if they would be at least willing enough to get him out of the hosue for a bit. Thankfully John was actually willing himself since he didn't have much to do at the time. And so, Oliver found himself at Big Belly Burger for the past few hours ever since and generally enjoying the mix of friendly and family atmosphere the place had to it. He'd also played a really long game of Uno with Andy and Carly's son A.J. that certainly kept the both of them occupied. Something Carly was grateful about since it kept her son from being too bored at having to stay there for so long due to him being too young to stay at home by himself and his dad usually on a job while she worked. "I know I've said it already, but thank you again for agreeing to get me out of the house." Oliver told John with a grateful smile.
John nodded at him. "No problem man, I know how it feels when it comes to being restless in your own home. Imagine the Ward experience hasn't done you any favors as well." Oliver could only agree with that assessment, and while he wasn't exactly happy over John and Andy keeping certain information about Thea from him, he did understand why however as it wouldn't have done him any good while he was in the Ward.
When John learned about what he did to Thea's boyfriend, he couldn't help but laugh his butt off and wish he'd been there to see it. Hell maybe even join in! He knew Andy was going to get a good laugh from that too when he heard it and couldn't wait to tell him about it. Before more could be said, Carly's voice could be heard asking her brother in law if he would get the trash out to the dumpster. The army man got up to where she was, and Oliver, not having anything better to do decided to follow him. Carly smiled at both men when she saw them. Even though she knew that John could handle it himself, having an extra hand with the trash bucket would make it all that much quicker to deal with. "Thanks boys!" She happily told them and they both gave her a nod.
"Hey, anything for my favorite sister in law." John said jokingly, earning him a laugh from the woman.
"You hooked me up with food, so this is the least I could do." Oliver added in as he and John grabbed the handles on each side of the trash can and went on their way as Carly rolled her eyes good naturedly at them.
Once they got that taken care of, John informed Carly that he and Oliver were going to go for a walk around the area for awhile and would return soon. With a firm word to be careful from the mother, the two were off, enjoying the slight breeze of the evening despite the heat that could also be felt around them. Neither had much to say until a scream from near by caught their attention. "You wanna check that out?" Oliver asked, intending to do it either way even with his shoulder the way it is.
John, never one to let things like that go if he could help it, nodded in approval of doing it. "Calling the cops now would be useless as whoever's getting attacked would be likely too badly hurt by the time they got here. And I'm not willing to put up with that." Diggle said strongly and Oliver gave a nod of approval of his own.
Quickly walking into the alleyway that the scream had originated from, the two men could see several guys harrassing a young lady. Oliver was of the opinion that obviously these guys had never been taught how to respect a girl when she says no. "Now I don't think the girl wants you bothering her, so why not back off and go elsewhere?" The archer suggested with a hint of warning in his voice that they might want to listen.
Diggle was giving the punks a glare that was actually managing to intimidate at least one of the punks. "Hah! I don't think so guy!" One of them called out with an annoying laugh.
"And why is that?" Diggle asked questionally.
The spokesman of the bunch gave them a little smile along with another laugh as the two felt something rather unpleasant hit the back of their heads causing them to be knocked out. The ones responsible turned out to be two teenagers in wheel chairs with cooking pans in their hands, they also had proud smiles on their faces too for what they'd done. "Yeah! We got some playmates!" Called out the girl who'd been originally believed to be a target for harrassment and perhaps worse called out excitedly as the others did high fives and the like.
Twenty Minutes Later…
Oliver awoke with a groan and the urge to gag a bit, wondering what the Hell had happened to him and why it made his head hurt so damn much. The smell wasn't helping things either and he figured that it was likely used to get him to wake up faster. It was something he hoped he'd never smell again cause of how horrible it was. Trying to shake off how he was feeling to get a look at his surroundings wasn't going as well as he'd hoped either. Hearing another groan made him realize that he wasn't alone. John maybe? Definitely doesn't sound like a girl…
He was also starting to realize that he couldn't quite seem to move either, which was annoying the crap out of him quite a bit. Someone started slapping him in order to get him to wake up a bit more. "Hey, come on now, wake up already, we got things to do and stuff."
Oh, how terribly sorry I am to keep you waiting! What with the groggyness and all! He thought with a mixture of sarcasm and scathing.
"Ugh… What happened?" Came the groggy voice of John Diggle.
"Other then getting knocked out? Not much." Oliver grumpily replied as his vision finally started to clear up for him.
Taking in what he was seeing, he realized that the area they were in only had a few sources of light and they showed that he and his friend were apparently in some run down building. And apparently with them were a bunch of people in wheelchairs and dressed similarly. The Hell? Is this some wheelchair convention!? Came the incredulous thought.
"What? Is that girl alright?" John asked as he himself tried to get his bearings.
Said girl came into view for Oliver, making him feel a bit angry for having been suckered into what was obviously a trap. "Oh I'm alright big guy! Its just that it was my turn to be the bait this time is all and stuff." Her answer made the poor army man a bit confused and it made the girl wonder if perhaps he was just hit harder then what his friend was.
Diggle shook his head, trying to clear out the cobwebs, but regretting the action after making his headache feel worse. "Bait? What do you mean you were the bait this time?"
"Duh! We do dis kinda thang to mess wit' folk like you or to get a new recruit!" One of the wheelchair bound watchers helpfully informed the two men.
Oliver was confused, wondering why the Hell a bunch of wheelchair bound and evidently not so wheelchair bound people would do this kind of thing. It couldn't be that safe for those in a chair either! Before more could be said however, a clapping could be heard, along with the sound of a whirring noise that had both of the guys looking in the direction it was coming from. Diggle was just glad to be able to see properly as he pretty much had the same thoughts as Oliver did. "Well, well, well… If it isn't my old school mate. The Dashing Prince Charming known as Oliver Queen. Although these days you look more like a street rat in bad need of a shave." Oliver frowned as the voice sounded vaguely familiar to him while Diggle looked at him wondering what he might know.
The sight of a somewhat pudgy in the stomach young man with curly brunette hair and freckles on his face soon came into view thanks to the light and Oliver's eyes widened as he recognized the guy. He could be seen wearing blue jeans, yellow sneakers, a blue t-shirt, and a red sleeveless jacket. Something that everyone else seemed to have too for that matter. "Bobby Bonson!?" He asked in shock and wondering just what in the world he had to do with these guys. He also had a slight feeling in his gut that certain actions he did regarding Bobby back in the day were about to come back to bite him in the ass.
Bobby gave a slight chuckle at seeing the punk tormentor of his high school days look so shocked at seeing him. "Yeah Queen, its me. Pity your bitch ass pal Tommy ain't here with ya." He told the archer with a sneer on his face.
Yup, karma's come to bite me in the ass. Oliver thought to himself with a sigh. God why did he have to be such an ass back in the day!? All he needed now was a bunch of the girls he slept with to come out of the woodwork to add to the whole fun. And with his luck, he just jinxed himself for thinking that!
"So… You two not friends I take it?" John asked as he watched the whole thing play out in front of him.
Bobby scoffed at the vet. "Hell no, this asshat here used to be a tormentor of mine cause of this damn wheelchair I'm stuck in! Always stealing a girl from me, never letting me pass until I said 'please', other garbage I'm not gonna get into, but last but not least… HE SOMEHOW CAUSED ME TO GO FLYING DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS!" He roared out angrily, making both Oliver and John wince at the volume of his tone thanks to their headaches.
The incident he was referring too was something Bobby had long believed Oliver to have been responsible for despite the proof he had been elsewhere at the time of the accident. No matter what anyone said or did he wouldn't believe it. The wheelchair bound young man had been incredibly lucky as Hell that he didn't go flying out of the chair when it went down those steps and the fact it went on rolling after making it down the final step was another stroke of luck in everyone's view. And it had all started when a mop bucket had crashed into the back of his regular old wheelchair as he had been coming through the area when it had come flying at him. Oliver sighed agitatedly as he had no desire to be brought down into another argument over this problem. One that he thought that the therapist Bobby had been rumored to be seeing had handled, but either it hadn't worked or he somehow relapsed into that belief. "As I've said REPEATEDLY, I had NOTHING to do with that and its not my fault you refuse to believe it." The Queen Scion snapped out at the man and getting a scoff in return which clearly implied a word of what he said wasn't believed while Diggle had looked his way with a frown on his face before his eyes widened in shock.
Diggle had come to realize that his charge and friend was wearing a yellow floral patterned sundress, which made him very worried that he was wearing the same, and sure enough when he got a look at himself he was in a similar outfit. "Aw Hell no, I don't do freaky." He informed everyone with a tone that meant he was dead serious and anyone who tried it wouldn't like what he did to them. And when they got out of this mess, he was going to deck Oliver in the face for dumbass mistakes from the past now looking to bite him in the ass by association.
Oliver looked at him with a confused look on his face as everyone else snickered at them. It was then he noticed the dress the man was in and slowly looking down at himself, he realized that to his horror he was wearing the same thing! "The Hell is this!?" He demanded to know, as while he might have had some quirks here and there, he wasn't a weirdo who liked to wear dresses. Much to the displeasure of that Polish girl from a few years back that he and Sara met.
Bobby clapped his hands before rubbing them in an excited manner. "That my friends is our way of initiating new recruits! What better way to do so then public humiliation?" He asked while spreading out his arms and getting nods of approval from his group.
Diggle was incredulous of the whole situation and before he could stop himself, he started to speak up. "You… Make people wear this crap in order to bring them in? Is Kool-Aid not a requirement for cults anymore?" His question is something Oliver really wanted to have answered!
"Hey! Don't knock da WheelBound Gang!" A tan skinned skinny guy said with hair flying everywhere that was held up by a bandanna and some stubble on his chin. He was about to strike Diggle for his insult but a word from Bobby stopped him. An interesting thing to know, is that despite an eyewitness account here and there, a vast majority in the Glades and even somewhat in the rest of the city thought that the group didn't even really exist. Something Bobby actually liked as it made him and his crew less of a target to chase after by the cops or whoever else.
"Pfft… Whateva yo, youse lucky da boss stopped me from clobberin' yo ass!" The skinny man exclaimed and Diggle rolled his eyes at him.
"If you say so kid, I've faced worse then you in Afghanistan." He replied, making the man angrier but was held back from doing anything by Bobby once again.
As for Oliver in all this, he had a hard time taking Bobby seriously after learning his little gang are known as the 'WheelBound Gang' and it made him wonder just who thought that stupidity up. It was obvious that a few of them weren't in wheelchairs and it had him thinking that maybe they helped drive those who actually were in chairs around when it was needed. The archer was also really wishing he had something sharp to cut through the ropes that had his arms tied up from behind. Not to mention that it was causing issues for him where his shoulder was concerned. God how he looked forward to not having to deal with that problem anymore once it was fully healed. Course at this rate, it might take longer after this.
"Alright Bobby, you've had your fun and gotten your payback. Now just let us go and we can forget all about this." Did he really think that would work? No, not really but he wanted to try anyway.
The group leader got a crazed looking smile on his face and rolled over some more to be closer to Oliver and leaned in a little before doing anything else. "Yeeeaaah…. No, I don't think so Ollie boy. Ya see, payback's a bitch and she's my mistress in this instance! Be glad I didn't have the fellas give you and your friend over there a touch up to make your pretty little faces even prettier." The girl the two unfortunate individuals had believed to be in need of a rescue had actually pouted over not being able to do that.
As it is, she had a few ideas on how to make Bobby's rich guy really stand out thanks to a few tricks she knew. The other guy would have been a challenge but she knew she would have pulled it off! She didn't go to Beauty School for four years for nothing after all! "So here's the deal, you two are gonna get chased by a few of my fellas here for an hour or two. Also you'll be shot at, with bb guns. And you can't hit any of them. Cause who'd willingly hit a guy or girl in a wheelchair anyway? That's some bad karma right there!"
Oliver and Diggle looked at him like he had officially joined Crazy Town and was well on his way to a straight jacket with some insane crap like that! "I think that trip down the stairs messed you up in the head man." Diggle muttered aloud and got a glare from one of the followers for his words, not that he really cared cause that was hardly intimidating in the least.
Two members in their respective chairs came up behind the two and undid their bindings. The two got up and rubbed their wrists as the bindings had been rather tight. "I refuse to do this Bobby, its a high level of stupid and you know it. I'm not about to apologize either for something I didn't do either." Oliver angrily told the man and got a slap in the face from the girl who got them in this mess.
What is with me and girls hitting me lately!? He thought despondently to himself while seeing that the girl had a big smile on her face for what she'd did. He hated the thought of hitting a girl, but she was starting to push her luck with him.
"Well now, have fun boys!" Said Bobby before he started to laugh like a nut job.
The two unfortunate individuals took off while completely forgetting about the sundresses they had on in their haste to get out and as far from the area as possible. Bobby looked around the room with a smile on his face. "Well? Go and get em!" He ordered with a laugh, and soon everyone there cheered and took off in their wheelchairs, even skinny man was in on it. Though the girl decided to stay behind and have a little private time with the boss. Something she knew he wouldn't refuse her on.
Meanwhile, with Oliver and John…
The two were running as fast as they were able too, though Diggle was feeling somewhat limited due to the sundress but he was doing his best anyway. Coming up to a four way street, the two made a split second decision to split up. The path Diggle took would take him back to Big Belly Burger and away from this horrible nightmare. The forty members of the WheelBound Gang who were after them and firing off bb shots at them that stung a little split off to chase after their potential recruits. Diggle, despite the years he'd been away from Starling, still had a pretty good idea of where things were in the area. But the fact was those of the WheelBound Gang chasing him knew the area too just like he did. As he ran, he went past a blonde girl with black rimmed glasses who was coming out of a tech store that sold second hand parts as she'd been in the mood to put together a computer and try and make it be all sorts of kickass. Seeing a black man in a yellow sundress quite frankly shocked the ever loving heck out of her. "Sweet Google! I can't tell if the Glades is getting even more dangerous or just really weird!" She muttered to herself as she walked across the street to her car.
It was then that the members of the WheelBound Gang came rolling by, though they were few in number since the plan was to have the majority of them chase after their boss' most hated foe. But the blonde girl, having helped quite a few of them out whether in person or on the phone caused the small group to stop their pursuit. "Whoa! Hey Smoaky! Don'tcha know its a bad idea to be out this late?" One of them asked concernedly, all thoughts of chasing the big black guy gone from his mind.
The girl jumped a bit as she hadn't quite been expecting them since she was busy fumbling about in her large purse in an effort to find her keys. "Jeeze! Don't do that! I hate when someone just does that! That could give someone like me a heart attack with the whole sudden show up and talk thing when nobody knows you're there! Its like surprise hugging from behind, but that's not as scary but still a little bit. But, you know, more pleasant. And of course I know its a bad idea to be out here this late, but I really needed these second hand parts! And oh sweet Google I need to stop myself! Seriously, why doesn't anyone stop me!?" She started counting in her head as the group looked on amused at her rambling rant. They all knew why most liked to not stop her as it was just too damned amusing!
Even Bobby had come to find amusement in it the few rare times he needed IT help. The boys and two girls with the crew watched over her and even made small talk until she left the area, content that all was good, they went back to their hang out intent on doing whatever came to mind.
With Oliver
The archer had to admit to himself that this was the longest time he'd spent running in awhile, but even he could tell the lack of training was starting to catch up to him. But he hoped like crazy it'd at least be enough to get him the heck out of the area and away from Bobby's bunch of bozos. Honestly, who creates a gang based around those in wheelchairs! It was about as absurd as Slade's hypocritical remarks about not being able to trust anyone but yet falling for Shado! Hell, even Mirakuru was more believable then this crap! He continued forward past a building known to quite a few as CNRI, a building that always fought for the little guy in court even if the case wasn't won. Where one Dinah Laurel Lance had started working at in recent times and was already becoming known as the kind of lawyer who didn't back down from anything. And tonight she was one of the last few to leave for the night and alongside her was Tommy Merlyn and her good friend Joanna 'Jo' de la Vega.
The three took in the sight of one man running like his life depended on it in a yellow sundress of all things but it looked like he had other clothes on as well. But for Laurel, she was especially shocked due to the fact she had realized it was Oliver! Eyes widened in shock, she turned to Tommy and saw that he must have realized the same thing. Joanna, despite her own shock, walked in front of the two to see that they were far more shocked then she had been. "Uhh, you two okay?" She asked worriedly.
That seemed to snap them out of their state of shock as the two looked at her. "Uh… Yeah, just… Just fine." Tommy said though the girl could tell that was a load of crap.
"Do we REALLY want to know why Ollie is running like his life is depending on it in a dress of all things?" Laurel asked him, though of the opinion that this just might be one of those things best left alone. It also made her wonder if it was enough to warrant putting him in the Ward again.
Before Tommy or even Joanna could respond to that after she realized that apparently the two knew the weirdo, a bunch of wheelchair bound people, including Skinny Man came flying by hooting and hollering while a few of them waved their bb guns up in the air. The eyes of the three widened in surprise and shock at the sight. "They… They do exist!" Joanna managed to get out, making the other two wonder what she meant by that.
Well… At least we know why Ollie is running… Tommy thought to himself and a part of him wanted to go help him out, but the part that still felt betrayed and angered over the whole kidnapping fiasco in Hong Kong wanted him to ignore it and let Ollie handle it on his own.
As for Oliver, he finally had to stop and take a breather as he doubled over to do it. "Ugh… I need… To… Start running… More." He panted out as getting tired out like this would not be a good thing when he eventually started wearing the hood again.
Taking note of the yellow sundress, he frowned before grabbing at the top and pulling it off as he stood up to his full height despite how tired he was. Freeing himself finally of the dress, he balled it up and threw it in a nearby trash can and leaned up against a wall to have more of a breather before moving on. However, to his unfortunate luck, a bb bounced off his back and making him aware he had company coming. "YEAH! WE COMIN' FOR YO ASS FOO'!" Came the shouted promise of one particular individual, making Oliver groan in annoyance over it all.
Weighing his options, he decided then and there to try and fight the nutjobs off and maybe make another escape in the process. Looking back and seeing Skinny Man running right at him, he made a fist and prepared to strike. And as soon as Skinny Man got close to him, he wound up flipping over from the impact of Oliver's fist and on to his stomach with an audible 'oof!' from the man. The other members were simply too stunned by what they saw, but it soon gave way to anger at seeing one of their own get downed like that by a potential newbie. They started firing off bb's at him and thinking quickly as well as thanking whoever, he grabbed a fallen piece of cardboard and put it in front of his face to block off the annoying projectiles. I know I'm gonna get more bad karma for this, but I'm gonna have to fight these morons if I want to get out of here. He thought resignedly and was glad there was no Paparazzi around to witness what he was about to do.
Pressing forward, he quickly grabbed the closet bb gun that he could see while manuerving as best he could to see it and yanked it out of the hands of what looked to be a teenager. The kid nearly went out of the chair too but was rocked backwards painfully when he was hit solidly in the nose. Oliver winced, not only from the pain in his hand, but at the fact that karma was likely going to bite him in the ass for that. The other members of the group got pretty angry at seeing one of their own get hit like that. "Hey! That's not cool man!" One of them yelled out unhappily.
Oliver looked at her with a look that said he clearly didn't give a crap what she thought of his actions, something that only served to anger her. "What's not cool is you idiots chasing me around." He knew his insult would likely get them riled up but he didn't care anymore. If he had too, he'd put them all down right here and now!
And before he knew it, three of the group were out of their chairs and charging at him as the others tended to the one who's nose he'd hit pretty hard. Glaring at the three coming at him, he charged at them as well and soon it was a vicious fight between three on one and despite his lack of training due to other issues, he was proving to be the better fighter and had a feeling the three were going to be spending some time in the hospital. It'd probably get them and the rest out for his blood but he'd deal with it as best as he could. The cheers of the others had died out while they alternated on checking to see if their friend was okay and watching the fight. After downing the last of the three fighters, he turned a glare towards the others but to his dis-satisfaction didn't seem to deter them any.
"You gonna pay for that!" The girl who'd spoken previously told him very angrily.
"Good luck with that, cause I'll be sure to have the last laugh. Now, you can all run off back to your little hidey hole like good little idiots. Or I can start hurting all of you and worry about the guilt later. What's it gonna be?" Neither of those options were something they liked and it led to a stare off between him and the group.
Skinny Man had yet to get back up and it was possible he was knocked out after landing hard like he did. Oliver suddenly had an idea and hoped it would work. Though he knew if Slade was around, he'd likely hit him upside the head for the sheer idiocy, but hey, it didn't hurt to try. "Hey! Look!" He exclaimed while pointing his finger in a random direction.
Much to his immense happiness, the group fell for it and he took off into a nearby alley like a bat out of Hell. "There's nothing there!" The girl who'd spoken previously pointed out annoyed. She then looked to where Oliver used to be and screamed out her frustration at not seeing him. Something that drew in the attention of the others who added in their own groans of frustration.
"The boss is not gonna be happy about this!" A member in his early twenties muttered aloud and getting agreements.
"Yeah well… We'll deal with that later, right now let's make some calls and get our guys out of here." The screamer told them and they all quickly got to it as best as they were able too.
It'd taken a cab and him thanking whoever yet again that the idiots in red hadn't stolen anything from him that he finally managed to get home and anyone could tell he was exhausted. He also made sure to fire off a text to Diggle to let the man know he was okay. Though he got told they were going to have a long talk the next time they saw one another. He would have groaned at that but his exhaustion was simply too much at the time for it. Making his way inside to his home, Walter happened to be the first to see him and had he not been so tired he would have questioned why the man was there so late, but alas he didn't and a certain secret remained a secret.
"Good Lord son, what happened!?" The man asked in alarm. Oliver looked up at him and the older man could see how worn out the boy was.
"I… Really don't wanna talk about it right now." He muttered tiredly, and Walter nodded his understanding.
"Right, get some rest son as you clearly need it." Sage advice given, Oliver heeded the words and gave a man a nod before trudging slowly up the stairs, glad as Hell this whole damn night was over with.
Walter was unsure if he should say anything to Moira or wait til a more appropriate time when he, Moira, and Oliver were in the same room together to inquire about it. As whatever happened tonight appeared to have been quite the event if the young man's current state was anything to go by. Hmm.. Yes I think the second option is best, I've little doubt young Oliver would like having his mother questioning him now while in the state he's in. He knew though that Moira likely would not be pleased but he was positive he could handle that.
The Following Monday…
Oliver could be seen looking very much like a couch potato as he rested his feet on the table in front of him and was not bothering to sit up properly as channels were changed as he tried somewhat to find something to watch. Thea had yet to say a word to him and then to top it off, Walter, during a visit brought up his appearance from Friday night when his mom was in the same room. And boy had it been a ton of fun explaining that and attempting to reassure his mother that both he and John Diggle were okay. A door could suddenly be heard getting slammed closed and it made him wonder who was that angry to do that and risk gaining the ire of both Raisa and his mother.
"OLLIEEEE! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" The voice of his beloved sister roared out and he raised his eyebrows at that and guessed that things with Shane hadn't gone well, which was just fine with him. And the only reason he'd even knew about it is thanks to a little eavesdropping he'd done earlier in the day.
Had he not put his attention back on the tv, he would have noticed Thea seeing where he was and the evil smirk she got. "Ohhh Ollie…" She called out, drawing his attention to her.
And the one thing that instantly caught his eye was several Roman Candles in one hand, several Roman Candles that were lit at that and she was pointing it right at him! "Its not much, but it'll do for now." She informed him with that evil smirk of hers still in place.
Oliver quickly found himself having to dodge everything that came from the candles as she laughed her head off at the sight. The laughter turned into a shriek when the candles ran out and he took to chasing after her. Raisa, who'd heard the commotion soon appeared in the front room and was not pleased by the sight of the Roman Candles on the floor and the smokey atmosphere of the room. Thea wound up grounded for that stunt for about a week and was told she was lucky a fire hadn't happened. Andy and John had to get involved to ensure she came home as part of her grounding. The smug grin her brother gave her anytime they saw one another ensured a great plan was forming in her head on how to get him back.
She may have lost Shane for good, but she wasn't about to lose the war with her brother! As the saying goes Ollie, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! And I am scorned! Shane would get his too for not being more willing to fight for her but that would take a little time as she needed to focus on her brother first.
Author's Notes: And there we have it folks! Hope you all enjoyed a certain cameo in this chapter and generally over all enjoyed the chapter itself! And happy 4th of July everyone! Up next, July 4th has arrived and with it, the fight of the year between a Queen and a Merlyn! Plus Thea starts the day off with a bang! Same Wrecks channel, same Wrecks time (next weekend most likely)! R and R!