CHAPTER TWO

CC JITTERS

Barry looked at the time as he sat on his chair by the waiting for the waitress to arrive with his order. He adjusted his coat for warmth and comfort. It was early December and the weather was already more chilly than ever before. It was already snowing outside, and with a few weeks left till Christmas, the place was more lively than it usually was during the rest of the year. Christmas songs being played everywhere, families having Christmas shopping, the harmonic snowflakes falling from the sky...it was just beautiful.

As Barry waited in line, his mind went back on what had happened to him over the past few weeks.

He had left the hospital two days after Ralph had left him. He was, least to say, happy to have gotten out of the place. The doctors had been cold and hostile towards him during his stay there and he felt lonely in the cold room of the hospital with its cold bed. The only good side during his time in the hospital had come from the nurse who had been kind to him and was now his friend.

Claire.

She had been so kind to him, comforting him during the days when he had been in pain from his friend and his girlfriend deserting him. She had also offered Barry her advice on what he should do after leaving the hospital. She had given him his number to call from time to time and if he ever needed someone to talk to, she was there for him.

After he had left the hospital, he had gone his empty-souled apartment, that had all traces of Patty erased from existence. He had packed his things with a heavy heart with memories of his time with Patty and Ralph, who had been his best friend, heavily weighing his mind. After packing his clothes, bidding his landlord a sad farewell, he had taken a long trip back to Central City, a city where he had grown up in. His parents had wanted him to live with them but Barry had objected to the idea, telling them that the media and some angry Gotham fans might attack them if he was with them.

Due to the wealth he had obtained as a soccer player, he was able to rent a three bedroom high class apartment. After a staying in Central City for three weeks, he had received a letter, a letter from the board of directors of Galaxy FC, his boyhood club in Central City. It was an offer to join the club after they had been promoted to the First Division of the MLS. Barry had been surprised and ecstatic and had immediately called the club, arranging for a meeting on Monday to make some negotiations.

That was why he was here, waiting in line for his turn to take his order and then, head straight to the club.

He stared at his watch again.

8:33am.

His meeting was at eleven, meaning that he still had over two hours left. He wondered how on earth he was going to make negotiations with the club considering the fact that he did not have an agent.

"Um, hi." a nervous voice said, breaking him away from his thoughts.

He looked up to meet a blonde-haired woman in glasses.

"Um, are you Barry Allen? The soccer player?" she asked nervously.

Barry stared at her a bit nervously, wondering whether it was an angry Gotham Knights fan who was angry about the loss in the final. He mentally kicked himself for not wearing sunglasses to hide his identity considering he was now one of the most hated players in the American world of soccer.

"Yes." Barry answered the stranger, a bit of nervousness evident in his voice. He was afraid that the woman might cause a scene in this place and will ruin his chances of a quiet breakfast.

"Great," the woman said excitedly much to Barry's surprise. "I'm your biggest fan and I wanted to know if you could give me your autograph?" She asked, handing him a pen and a notebook.

Barry released a breath he didn't know he was holding and took the notebook and pen.

"Sorry for the game." he apologized as he signed her notebook. He was still blaming himself for the final and so he always apologized whenever he met one of his fans came to him.

"It's okay." the stranger said. "We all make mistakes. Even big ones. It's not like yours was a big mistake, which I'm not implying it was but it just had to come off at the worst moment, not that it was a worst moment..." she trailed off as she looked at him. "I'm rambling, am I?"

Barry gave her a smile. "It's okay." he said, handing her the notebook and pen. "I understand what you meant and believe me, it was a big mistake."

"It might be a mistake but it wasn't your fault." she said as she took the notebook and pen. She stared at the signature, proud that she had gotten the autograph of her favourite player. "Thank you for the autograph, Mr Allen."

"You're welcome, Miss..."

"Smoak. Felicity Smoak. I don't smoke if that's what you're thinking." she added with a smile.

Barry shook his head. "I'm not." he said with a smile. Then after a few seconds of thinking, he gestured to the empty seat in front of him. "Care to join me for breakfast?"

Felicity looked at him in astonishment. "Me? You want me to eat with you?" she asked, almost fainting from hearing him ask her the question.

"Why not?" Barry said. "I wouldn't mind the company." He didn't know why he was ofering her to eat with him or what came overcame him to do so, but then, he had already done it and there was no going back. Perharps, he could make a friend. He rarely had those, and those that he had either left him or were people he rarely talked to.

Felicity nodded her head and sat down on the empty chair opposite to him. "This is going down as one of the best moments of my life." she said, a swarm of excitement fluttering in her.

A few seconds later, a waitress appeared with Barry's order. "Here's your order, sir."

"Thank you." Barry replied before gesturing his hand to Felicity and saying, "My friend here would like the best you havein your menu for morning breakfast."

The waitress nodded her head and smiled. "Alright, sir." she turned to Felicity and said, "Miss, your breakfast will arrive shortly. Just sit down and relax."

"Thanks." Felicity said appreciatively.

"Don't mention it." the waitress said before leaving Felicity and Barry at the table.

"So, what are you doing now?" Felicity asked curiously, still finding it hard to believe that she was sitting and eating with a famous soccer star.

"Well, I'm on my way to Galaxy FC." Barry told her before taking a bite off his doughnut.

"You're going to play for Galaxy FC?" Felicity asked, surprise and excitement in her voice.

"After negotiations, of course. But I know that I would be playing for he club. Meaning that you are soon going to see me in the colours of Central City's Galaxy All Stars."

"Wow. Can't wait to see you in the club. Oh, maybe they'll give you back your number 10." Felicity said excitedly.

Barry smiled. When he had played for Galaxy All Stars as a teenager, he had worn the number 10 for the club. It had been a surprise to many of the fans at the time considering Barry was just a young boy at the time and also, a defensive right-back. In football, the number 10 was usually worn by either forwards or midfielders. But Barry had performed so well for the club that the fans were very grateful to have Barry wear the number 10 jersey for the team. With goals and assists in five years along with winning eight trophies, two with the academy and four with the senior level, Barry had established himself as a Galaxy legend before leaving the club to join Star City's Arrows at 19 years scoring seventy-two goals and providing eighty assists at the senior level. Barry smiled as he recalled how good things had been for him back then. He hoped it would turn back the same during his time here.

"Um, Mr Allen?" Felicity called out, breaking him away from his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"It's just that you seemed to be here but far away." Felicity said.

Barry smiled. "Yeah, I was just thinking of my time in Galaxy FC before I left the club." he said.

Felicity nodded her head. "You were phenomenal, Mr Allen. You were the best in the MLS. I don't think I had ever seen a player play in the MLS like you did."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The waitress arrived to serve Felicity her breakfast.

"Here you go, ma'am." she said as she placed the food in front of Felicity. "This is the best breakfst dish in the menu and I know you are really going to love it."

"Thank you." Felicity said with a smile looking at the food in front of her. "I hope I can eat all this."

"I'm sure you would." the waitress said to her. Then turning to Barry, she gave him a book and pen. "Do you mind giving me your autograph, Mr Allen? My kids are huge fans of yours and it would mean the world to them if you gave them your autograph."

Barry, now more surprised than ever at the fact that he still had fans despite his terrible performance in the final, readily took the waitress' notebook and signed her an autograph.

"Do you want to share a selfie with me?" he asked with a smile after signing the autograph.

The waitress, shocked that he was willing to have a picture with her, took out a phone in excitement and standing by him, they took a selfie.

"Thank you so much, Mr Allen." the waitress said, a happy smile on her face.

"You're welcome, ma'am." Barry said with a smile.

The waitress, still dumbfounded at the Barry Allen taking a picture with her, made her way to the counter. Barry, who's smile still remained on his face, turned his attention back to Felicity.

"Sorry about that," he apologised, "it's just that after my performance in the finals, I thought that I was the most hated person in America."

Felicity shook her head as she cleaned her mouth with the napkin. "You are not the most hated person in America, Mr Allen." she said. Then taking her phone, she opened to her facebook homepage. "See here. This is the group I'm in. After the final, everyone was wondering how you were doing. They didn't talk about your performance in the last minutes. They talked about your performance in the game. You gave three assists to Dick Grayson. Three. You literally created all the chances in the match for Gotham Knights."

She handed Barry her phone to look at. Barry scrolled and saw all the posts from his fans who were wishing him a quick recovery. They had also been talking about how his awesome performance had been overshadowed by the last minutes of the game. He scrolled again and saw a group called, 'Barry Allen's Fangirls'.

So she's a fan girl, he said mentally.

The posts were talking about how he was the best in the world and how he would come back and win more trophies.

He handed Felicity her phone and began to think. His fans still cared for him. He still wasn't hated.

"Thank you, Felicity" he told her.

"You're welcome, Mr Allen." she said with a smile. "And just so you now, your career isn't over yet. You can still make the best of it by taking down each and every challenge that comes your way."

They both went back to eating their food, spending the rest of the time talking about Barry's career. Minutes later after they had finished eating, the waitress arrived to present the bill and collect their trays.

"That would be $95.83, Mr Allen." she told Barry with a smile.

Barry took out his wallet and handed her $300.00. "Keep the change." he said with a smile.

The waitress stared at the money in shock before looking back at Barry. "Thank you so much, Mr Allen." she said in appreciation. "My kids will be so happy."

"It's always a pleasure, ma'am." he said politely. The waitress thanked him again before taking their empty plates to the kitchen.

"So, where are you off to?" Barry asked, taking his coat from the chair and putting it on.

Felicity took her newspaper and put it in her bag. "Actually, I'm looking for a job." she said, walking by his side as they made their way to the entrance. "I used to work in an accounting company but they shut down. So for the past three months, I've been looking for a job and so far, I've found none."

Barry opened the door for her to walk through. The moment they got out, they were met with the cold air of winter. Felicity fell into the warmth of her coat as she tried to escape from the harsh cold wind.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find one." Barry told her.

"Yeah, me too. Because I really have rent to pay and I think I am running my landlord's patience." Felicity told him.

Barry smiled as the made their way on the sidewalk and towards the bus stop. When they had gotten there, Barry turned to face Felicity

"It's been a good having breakfast with you, Felicity." he said to her.

"Me too, Mr Allen."

"Please, it's Barry." he said. "I think that if we are going to be friends, it would be best if we called each other by our first names."

"You want to be my friend?" Felicity asked in surprise. She had never expected to be friends with him when she had greeted him earlier. She had not even expected to share a meal with him and now he wanted them to be friends? This was the best day ever.

"Yeah," Barry said, answering her questions. "Honestly, I don't know what came over me when I asked you to have breakfast with me. Maybe, it might be because I don't have much friends and I want some more. But whatever the case, I'll be glad if you could be my friend."

Felicity looked at him with a smile. She outstretched her hand to him. "I'll be glad to be your friend, Barry."

Barry smiled and took her hand. "Pleasure's mine."

Felicity smiled before taking her hand to write in her notebook. She tore a piece of paper and handed it to him. "This is my number. Call me whenever you're free." she said.

"Thanks." Barry said, taking the paper before quickly dialling it on his phone and saving it. He turned to her after he was done and asked, "The weather is a bit chilly today. Do you mind if I gave you a ride?"

Felicity smiled before nodding her head. Barry returned the smile and took her hand and led her to his car. His time in Central City was already better than he had imagined.

GALAXY FC FOOTBALL GROUNDS

Dear Barry Allen,

AN OFFER TO JOIN CENTRAL CITY'S GALAXY FC

It has come to our knowledge that as of Monday 19th November, it was officially announced by the Gotham Knights that your contract has been terminated. We understand the troubles you are going through and for that, we would like to offer you a solution for your troubles.

We are hereby offering you an opportunity to join your boyhood club, Galaxy FC. The club think that you would be a perfect addition to the squad, and would help to make the club a competetive side with the experience you carry. It would also help to benefit you in regaining the form which, according to the media, you have lost.

Galaxy FC, is willing to help you make it back to the top, where you truly belong. In case you are wondering why we are willing to give you a chance, we would like you to know that we believe that you can change, not only the team, but the club and the city as well. This is a decision that was made not only by the board, but also by the head coach, Joseph West, and the representative fans of Galaxy FC.

We will understand if you can't accept the offer but please, we are asking you to consider it for the next two to four weeks. Whatever decision you make, we are willing to accept it. But we are asking you again, to consider the offer we have given to you.

Thank you for taking your time to read this letter, we hope that you will accept our offer to come back and join our club, Galaxy FC. We would also like to wish you a quick recovery.

Thank you.

The Board of Directors of Galaxy FC.

Barry stared at the letter, reading it over and over again for probably the umpteenth time in the past one week. He had been at his apartment working out when he had received his mail. He had to read the letter over and over again about five times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. A team still wanted him despite his performance in the finals. He had jumped in excitement and rang the club to arrange for his meeting.

And that is why he was here, sitting on a couch at the reception waiting for his name to be called.

He looked around as he waited patiently for the receptionist to mention his name. The reception was almost empty which was no surprise considering the fact that the season was over and there was still left with a few weeks to Christmas. The whether outside was cold but inside was warm from the heat of the radiator.

It had been eight years since he had been in this place, a place that was once his home as a young rookie soccer player. The place had not changed and still look very much the same with the only difference being the new furniture.

His mind went back on the good times that he had spent during his time here. The friends he had made, the trophies he had won and his relationship with the fans. Everything had been perfect over here before he left to join Star City's Arrows FC in a club record and MLS breaking transfer fee. Life had also been great at Star City with Barry also scoring sixty goals and providing hundred assists in just four seasons.

Barry smiled as he remised all those good times when he had been phenomenal, but would he be able to go back to who he had been? Or was his career going to be curtains?

His mind went back to what Felicity had told him earlier at Jitters.

"Your career isn't over yet. You can still make the best of it."

But could he really make the best out of it?

"Mr Allen." the receptionist called out, breaking him away from his thoughts. He got up from the couch, taking his coat along with him and walking to the receptionist. "Coach West is waiting for you in his office."

"Thank you." he said.

"You're welcome." the receptionist replied. "Do you need any help going to his office?"

"Nah, I think I got it." he answered. He knew this place like the back of his hand despite the fact that he had not been here for over seven years.

The receptionist smiled at him. "Alright, then." she said before going back to her work.

Coach Joe West sorted the papers on his desk with a tired expression on his face. He needed to have everything done as soon a possible so that he could spend time with his family for Christmas.

At the moment, he needed to tidy up his desk for his meeting with Barry Allen. The receptionist had called some minutes ago to inform him that Barry Allen was waiting for him, prompting him to stop his work to sort thin out before the player arrived.

Joe was interested in Barry because he knew what he could do. Joe had been Barry's coach at the academy and later at the senior team. Barry had been an integral part of Joe's success in Galaxy FC as a coach and manager. With his dazzling performance and speed feet along with Joe's great tactical mind and ability as a coach, they had both dominated the MLS, winning eight trophies in five years. They even won numerous individual awards together for the club. After winning their last double for the club, Barry and Joe had departed ways with Barry heading to Starling City's Arrows while Joe joined England's Leicester City in Europe as head coach and manager.

Seven years later, Galaxy FC had been relegated to the Second Division and Joe, who had helped Leicester City of England win a shocking domestic treble in the English Premier League with Leicester City, had been called to reshape the club and send them back to the first division. Joe had returned after saying a sad farewell to the Leicester fans and helped the out of form squad to vin the Second Division and secure a place in the First Division.

And that was why he needed Barry to be in his team. When Galaxy FC had been relegated, almost all of their first team players, twenty-two of them, had left the club to join other clubs which had left Joe with no other choice but to promote most of their academy players to the first team. The youngsters had not disappointed him and had been crucial to their win in the Second Division. But they didn't have MLS experience, and it would be naive to assume that inexperienced youngsters could win the league. Already, Ronnie Raymond, the club's captain, had accepted a transfer offer to join La Liga giants Barcelona leaving the team without a leader at the moment. And Barry, who had great experience in the MLS as well as being a great leader was a necessity to the club.

Barry might have had a terrible season which had rendered him blacklisted to most clubs in MLS, but Joe knew who Barry was and what he could do. And Barry would not fail him.

Knock, knock.

A knock on the door interrupted him from his thoughts.

"Come in." Joe said, already suspecting who it was. The door opened revealing his one and only special guest, Barry Allen.

"Good morning, Coach." Barry said with a smile, walking towards the older man. He extended his hand to Joe with the intention to greet him, but Joe had other ways.

"Come on, Bear," Joe said with a smile, "aren't we past handshakes already?"

Barry chuckled as Joe opened his arms before he gave him a hug. "How are you doing, Joe?"

"Great, Bear. You still haven't grown much with that your baby face, huh?"

Barry laughed. "I don't have a baby face, Joe."

"Really? 'Cause I don't think you've gotten any wrinkles yet."

"Joe, I'm not forty."

"Yeah, yeah. How are Henry and Nora?" he asked. Henry and Nora were good friends of Joe. They had known each all the way back in high school, with Henry and Joe being best friends. Even after graduating from high school, they still remained best friends with Joe following his dream of soccer and had playing Celtic FC in Scotland, Ajax in Netherlands and AC Milan in Italy, while Henry went into medicine and became a doctor.

"Great, Joe." Barry said with a smile. "How is Iris by the way?"

"She's great, Barry. She works here as the club's journalist by the way."

"That' great, Joe. I'm really happy for her."

"Well, she would be more happy if she got your interview for the club but first, we need to talk about your stay in the club." he went aound the desk and sat on his chair and gestured for Barry to sit on the one opposite to him. "The club has changed a lot since you've left so I need to take things through with you."

"No problem, Joe." Barry said, taking his seat.

"So at the moment, we have twenty-two players in the senior team." Joe continued. "There used to be twenty-five players last season at the Division Two but three of them, have accepted transfer offers to join other clubs, all these three were the only players who had MLS experience. This means that if you join the club, you would be the only senior player in the squad."

"What do you mean by 'I would be the only senior player?'" Barry asked a bit confused.

"Last two seasons, twenty-two of the senior players left the team to other clubs when we got relegated to Division Two, and that left three senior players; Ronnie Raymond, Carter Hall and Henry Skale. So we had to promote our academy players to the first team to play and whe we won the Division Two, the last senior players also left as well."

Barry nodded his head as he listened to Joe. If the team was only full of youngsters, that meant that they were all inexperienced. They might be full of energy but lack of experience might cause them to lose games.

"Who's the oldest youngster?" Barry asked Joe.

"Wally. He turns nineteen next month." Joe answered.

Barry raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew Wally, Joe's son, and he knew how good he was. But the fact that Wally was the oldest and would be the first player to turn nineteen, that meant that the squad members were really young.

"Do you mind if I could have a tour around the place?" Barry asked Joe out of the blue.

Joe nodded his head. "No problem, Bear."

The first place that they visited was the club's stadium, Star Labs. The moment they came out of the tunnel and onto the pitch, memories of the place came back in Barry's. From his first professional debut to his last game for the club, various memories made its way to his mind. The more he remisced those memories, the more Barry remembered how much he had misse this place.

"It's seems almost a lifetime since I was last here." Barry told Joe as he stared at the empty seats, picturing the fans cheering for the club.

"That's because it has been, Bear." Joe told him. "Eight years and three clubs is a long way from Galaxy FC."

Barry nodded his head as he walked towards the end of the pitch towards the goal post. He remembered how he had scored a volley on his debut when he was sixteen. The Galaxy Fans had gone wild when he had scored the goal, the goal of the boy who would soon leave as a legend. But come back as a disgrace.

He sighed as what he had done in the finals flashed in his mind. It was going to take ages before he would recover from that game. His face fell down as he remembered just how the Gotham fans were sad and angry. Was he going to repeat the same thing over here?

"Barry? Is everything okay?" Joe asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

Barry nodded his head. "Yeah, just thinking if how much I missed this place." Barry lied.

"Alright." Joe said, believing Barry's lie. "You want to see the gym and training grounds?"

Barry nodded his head. As they headed towards the stadium tunnel, his mind kept on pondering on his last game for Gotham FC, wondering if that was how he was going to turn up playing for Galaxy FC.

The training grounds was still the same way just as Barry remembered only that it was covered with snow. Two smaller soccer pitches for training sessions and drills. Because it was getting close to Christmas and the season was over, there was nobody on the grounds doing training. Barry fell into the warmth of his coat as the cold wind blew. It reminded him that Christmas was getting closer and closer than ever and he still hadn't bought presents for his family and friends.

Friends.

Did he even have any?

Ralph and Patty were his friends. They were the only friends that he actually made during his career as a soccer player. Yes he had other friends. Like Oliver, Laurel, Diggle, Bruce and Dick. But they were all in different states in different parts of the country. Ralph and Patty were no longer were his friends. Especially after abandoning him at his lowest point of his life. Barry wondered if he would ever have friends in Central City.

But he had made a friend. Felicity Smoak.

The thought of he and Felicity being friends suddenly jolted his mind. He quickly took out his phone and took a picture of the training grounds and sent it to her. If Barry wanted to keep a close relationship with his new friend, he had to make a move. Felicity might be shy considering the fact that Barry was famous and if he didn't make that move, their friendship might be a bit shaky. Also, there was Claire, the nurse who he had made friends with at Gotham. She too needed to know that Barry was taking another step in his new life away from Gotham.

"What are you doing, Bear?" Joe asked curiously as Barry took pictures of grounds.

"Taking pics, Joe." Barry answered. "I thought some friends of mine would like to know of my new team."

Joe nodded his head. "Alright. Wanna head to the gym?"

"Sure."

Barry took one last look at the grounds, his thoughts on how his life was going to be over here, before he followed Joe.

Barry and Joe walked side by side in the cold wind as they headed to the car park, chatting about some of the good times that they had spent back in the days. Barry had finished his tour around the club's grounds and Joe was seeing him off to his car.

"So why did the senior players leave the club?" Barry asked Joe.

Joe sighed. "Money. No passion for the club. No desire for it. Thirst for more fame." he answered.

Barry nodded silently. "Must have been hard, huh?"

"You have no idea, Bear." Joe said in a hallow tone. "Everyone was gutted. Especially when they learnt that Ronnie was leaving as well, that was the biggest blow."

Ronnie had been the team's captain and the light when the club had been at its darkest moment. He had been the major souce of inspiration when the team were fighting for wins in the Division Two. If it had not been for his charisma and leadership, the club would have been nowhere in the race for MLS place.

"Right now the club needs a leader." Joe continued. "They need someone to inspire them to victories and trophies and wins. They need someone who would stand up when the club is in crisis. They need someone who would be their light in the dark. They need someone like you, Barry. They need you to lead them.

"I need you to know what you are going to meet here, Bear. Galaxy FC isn't the same as you left it eight years ago. The passion that players held for the club is almost gone. Now most of them don't even understand the term dedication. They don't even know what it means to sacrifice for the club.

"I know that you are planning of spending a short time here. But I want you to help me reform this squad into a team that are willing to give their all for the club, Bear. I need you to help me teach them what dediction is. I need you to help them learn what tit means to be a soccer player. Are you up for it?"

Barry was silent as he listened to Joe's words and pondered on them. Joe was asking him to lead the team not only to victories, but also to gain passion for the team. Joe knew that this was going to be difficult especially with the situation that Barry was in. But was he up for it? Was he up for this new challenge?

Barry turned to face Joe. "I'm up for it, Joe." he told the older man. "I'm reay to take on this new challenge."

Joe smiled and put his hand on Barry's shoulder in appreciation. "Thanks, Barry. I owe you one."

"You don't need to thank me, Joe. And you don't owe me anything." Barry told him. "Giving me an opportunity to join this club at this moment of my career is more than I could ask for."

Joe smiled and hugged Barry. "Thanks anyway, Barry."

"You're welcome, Joe."

THE DEO CLUB

Barry stared at the entrance of the club that he hadn't been to in years. He was here to spend the night away from his lonely apartment. After his tour with Joe, he had gone to pay his parents a visit. They had been happy for him when he had informed them about his new club, especially his mother. They had even decided to celebrate it with lunch at a five star restaurant. After their meal, his parents had told him that they were going to spend the Christmas holidays in Florida because they needed time to be together.

That had been hours ago. Now, he was staring at the club that he used too hang out in with his former senior players during his late teens. After every home game, Barry and some of his teammates would hang around this club. Due to the fact that he was the face of Central City's Galaxy FC, the owners had given him a free permit to enter the bar whenever he felt like it. He remembered how he used to go home with a different girl every night after leaving this place to his apartment and have sex till the next day. Then Barry would collect their numbers and call them at the end of the season for a pool party at his penthouse apartment.

Barry sighed as he remembered how young and wild he used to be back then. How he didn't care about relationships and commitment. How much he loved being the playboy and the life of sleeping with different women on different nights. But after a long chat with Joe, he had resolved to change his ways after the man had convinced him to change his ways. It was why he had left Central City, because it was becoming too difficult to change his ways. And it had been easier t change away from Central, especially after he had met Patty at Star City.

Patty.

His heart ached as the name rang in his mind. The name of the woman that he had once thought to be a gift from God and his way to happiness. He wondered if he would ever move on after the heartbreak and would ever love someone like he loved her again.

The music from the club broke him from his thoughts to the real world. He gave a deep breath before he entered into the place.

The moment he entered, he was met with the familiar scent of alcohol and intoxicated wine that he used smell every time he came here. It was a great and odd feeling when he walked on the porcelain tiles of the club. It was great in the sense that it felt good to be back home again, and it was odd in the sense that he was here alone with no friends. Hopefully, the latter would become a thing of the past.

He made his way to the bar where he saw the familiar face of the bartender and owner he hadn't seen in a long time.

"I thought you'll be going to Mars, J'onn. Or has Earth become your permanent base because of the unlimited life source?" he joked.

The bartender smiled as he turned to face to Barry. "I think Earth has become my favourite place because of humans like you." J'onn said, playing along with Barry's joke. "The sweet taste of your blood is the best kind of food in all the galaxies."

"Yeesh. Sounds like someone is hungry."

"Not hungry, Barry. Starving."

"You know we sound like a gay couple?"

"Not me, Allen. You do."

"Seriously?"

"What can I say, Barry? You are a sight for sore eyes."

Barry smiled and gave J'onn a handshake. "What's up, J'onn?"

"Great as always, Barry." J'onn said, smiling back at him. "How's life?"

"Life is great, J'onn." Barry said as he sat on the bar stool. "You'll get to see more of me in the next season."

"That's great." J'onn said sincerely as he prepared Barry's drink. "You want a Flash special?"

"That stuff is still there?" Barry asked in surprise.

"Yep. It still is." J'onn answered as he poured a martini in the drink. "It's still the club's most sold drink, Barry. Everyone loves it."

"Well, looks like I'll need it."

J'onn smiled as he finished making the drink and handed it to Barry. "Here is your drink, Barry. It's on the house."

"Thanks, J'onn." Barry said as he took the drink from the bartender. "Looks like I don't need my permit, huh?"

J'onn chuckled. "Yeah. Looks like you don't need it." he said.

"I'm actually surprised that I wasn't caught for preage clubbing and drinking." Barry said before sipping his drink.

"That's because the police where quiet about it." J'onn said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. The police figured that as a bonus for helping the team and club, they could grant you permit to this place and drink as you wish only if you behaved yourself."

"And that I did." Barry said with a smile. "So what happened since I left?"

J'onn sighed as he took a glass and filled it with beer. "Nothing much. Except that your teammates left along the line and there were no Galaxy players visiting the club for sometime. And most of the girls you used to take to your apartment are still here."

"Really?" Barry asked as his eyes peaked with interest.

"Yep." J'onn answered as he took a sip of his beer. "So what about you, Barry? How was life after Galaxy FC?"

"You follow the tabs, J'onn. Surely you should know what happened to me." Barry said before taking another sip off his drink.

"I want to hear it from your perspective." J'onn said.

Barry sighed before telling J'onn all that had happened to him. From his time at Star City and Arrows FC, meeting Patty, their relationship, his move to Blue Valley Stars, to his time with Gotham Knights and his career downfall and Patty cheating on him with Ralph and running off with him while Barry had been at the hospital.

"Sorry, Barry." J'onn said sincerely after hearing Barry relate his tale about Patty and Ralph betraying and deserting him.

"It's alright, J'onn." Barry told the bartender and onwer. "I've gotten over it and ready to take the next step of my life."

"Really?" J'onn asked him. "Because I can see from your eyes that it still hurts you. What they both did still hurts you a lot."

Barry was silent at J'onn's statement. The man was not wrong; Barry was still hurt from what Patty and Ralph had done to him and it wasn't something that he could easily forget.

"I'm still hurt, J'onn." Barry finally said to the bartender. "I'm still hurt for what they did to me. And that's why I'm here. To forget the hurt...the pain...the suffering...I just want to forget it all."

J'onn smiled sadly as he listened to Barry. He understood what Barry was going through because he too had once experienced something similar twenty years ago when his girlfriend had cheated on him with his best friend. It was something that he had found it difficult to get over with but he managed to do so five years later when he had met Mary.

"Listen, Barry." J'onn said, drawing his attention, "I know that what you are going through. Believe me, I do. I once experienced something similar years ago, and it was not easy to get over with."

Barry looked at him, a bit surprised at his statement. "How did you get over it?" he asked curiously.

"Well, one thing that helped me get over it was the help I got from friends." he answered. "I told them everything about it and they helped me to get over it. I talked to friends who were not just going to say 'sorry' or 'You'll get over it'. I talked to friends who would listen to what I was saying and who will do their best to understand my feelings, Barry. And I suggest you do the same."

Barry nodded his head after had he listened to J'onn's advice in silence. "Thanks, J'onn." he said.

"You're welcome, Barry."

BARRY'S APARTMENT

Barry closed the door behind him, locked it and tossed the keys on the table. He removed his coat and hanged it on the stand before making his way to the living room and sat on the sofa. He was exhausted. The day had been overwhelming and extremely tiring. He wondered if it would be like this the coming days. Hopefully, not.

He felt a buzz from his phone as it alerted him of a new text message. He took it out and stared at the screen.

Four new messages from four chats.

He opened his phone to check who the messages were coming from. The first one was from Joe, telling him of the scheduled time for his meeting with the board to finalize his transfer and the time of his interview with Iris.

The second one was from Claire, who was telling him how happpy he was about the next step of his life. She had added that Barry get a personal trainer to help him improve his health and to get a health consultant to constantly check on his health. He replied to her text by telling her how grateful he was and how he would get a trainer as soon as possible.

The third was from his younger sister, Allegra, who was coming to stay with him for the holidays since their parents were travelling to Florida to spend their Christmas there. Barry rubbed his forehead worriedly. Trouble was going to set place soon and was going to create chaos. He needed to get ready.

The last was from Felicity, who had sent him a message telling him how happy he was for him. She added by asking if they could meet tomorrow at Jitters for breakfast again. Barry replied with a yes before putting the phone on charge and heading towards his room. He took a quick shower and went to bed. He immediately shut his eyes in exhaustion, too tired to even think about his day and what had happened.

So that's it for chapter two. Barry has met Felicity and has already visited his new club.The next chapter will go further on Barry's new life and will introduce us to Caitlin and Kara, so don't miss it.Keep your reviews going and tell me what you think of it so far.Have a great time.