Chapter 33 — mad woman
Zoey lets out an annoyed breath as she crossed Met U's campus, heading to the library. A few months had passed since Oliver had unceremoniously dumped her. Austin had to convince Zoey not to file for divorce.
"Look a break isn't a permanent end," Austin tells her. Zoey shoots him a disbelieving look. "I'm just saying. Don't do anything too rash or permanent right now. You're angry. You're hurt. Give it a few months and Oliver will realize that he's a dumbass and come crawling back."
"Feels pretty fucking permanent," Zoey mutters to herself. There had been no contact from Oliver. He hadn't responded to her invitations to Thanksgiving or Christmas. She had spent what would have been their fifth wedding anniversary alone on a beach in Bora Bora. Max and Austin had stopped talking about their wedding plans in front of her.
She had thrown herself into focusing on work and school. She still wore her engagement and wedding rings mostly to avoid questions. Part of her knew that their marriage wouldn't last. She knew that she had made mistakes, but she figured they had moved past them. Zoey couldn't figure out why Oliver was convinced that the best way to protect her was to not be with her.
An arrow whizzing by her head causes Zoey to snap out of her thoughts. The arrow was embedded in a tree. She turns to see a dark figure standing on top of a building. The bow was in his hand. Anger fills her. She stares at the figure for a moment, then continues on her journey to the library. If Oliver was trying to get her attention, she wasn't going to let him have it. No, he was going to have to talk to her in person.
Zoey doesn't see the archer on the roof ready another arrow and shoots it. It hits her in the shoulder and she falls to the ground. She scrambles to get behind a tree. It's then that she hears a murmur. She looks up to see a few Met U students standing in front of her. A few had their phones out; the lights flashing as photos are taken. She closes her eyes and rests her head against the tree; hoping that someone had managed to call 911.
Zoey throws the copy of the Daily Planet onto the empty chair next to her bed. There on the front page was a photo of her, with the arrow in her shoulder sitting against the tree. Her left arm was in a sling and she felt nothing but immense pain. She grabs the remote off the table and turns on the TV. There's a soft knock on the door and she glances to see Oliver. "I'm fine," she tells him, turning her gaze back to the TV.
Oliver frowns. "You sure, Zo?"
Zoey bristles. He was the only one who called her Zo. Always had been. And at that moment, she hated it. "I'm fine," she repeats. She wants to yell at him. Wants to remind him that he was the one who left her; that he thought he was protecting her and yet she still ended up in a hospital bed when he wasn't in her life. "I'm just really tired."
Oliver rubs her leg and walks out of the room. He leans against the wall next to the door of her room. "Hey." He turns to see Chloe. "You okay? You don't look so great, which for you is not exactly easy," Chloe says.
"Zo is beyond pissed at me. She won't even talk to me," Oliver confesses. He had been leaning on Chloe throughout everything. "You have a suspect?"
"Yeah. Uh, he was dressed up like you, actually."
"What?"
"Yeah. The arrow Zoey was shot with went in under her shoulder. It didn't do any damage, but the doctor said that if it had just been a centimeter to the right or the left, her artery would have been ceviche."
"She would have died in minutes."
"Lucky for her, the guy wasn't exactly William Tell."
Oliver shakes his head. "No, no, this guy makes William Tell look like a summer camp archery coach. We're not dealing with just some random shot here, Chloe. That's a target specifically designed to take down your enemy without killing them. Shooter's not an amateur. This guy's a crack marksman. Not many people in the world could hit that shot. Where's this arrow?"
"Police are running some tests on it. It's pretty low tech compared to your titanium missiles."
A contemplative look appears on Oliver's face before he ducks back into Zoey's room with Chloe on his heels. "Zo, I—"
"I'm fine," Zoey snaps. "I just want to be left alone to watch trashy daytime TV and eat my damn chocolate pudding." Oliver moves closer to her and gently grasps her face. "What in the actual fuck are you doing?"
Oliver ignores her. It was barely visible. On her left cheek was a small cut. "Zoey, I need you to tell me everything you remember from last night," he demands. His thumb lightly touches the cut.
Zoey glares. "Some idiot dressed up like Green Arrow shot two arrows at me last night. He managed to hit me the one time."
Oliver quickly walks out of the room, leaving a confused Zoey and Chloe standing there. Zoey stares at her old friend, waiting. She hadn't been surprised to not hear from any of her long-time friends. She figured that they would take Oliver's side. Chloe clears her throat. "I'm gonna head out," she awkwardly says. "Get well, Zoey." Chloe quickly makes her way out of the room, leaving a confused Zoey sitting in the bed.
Oliver raises an eyebrow at the unfamiliar blonde standing in the doorway of the brownstone. With Vordigan dealt with, he decided it would be a good idea to visit with Zoey. He knew that she had checked out of the Four Seasons and had moved back into the brownstone. He read every message she sent; he listen to every voicemail she left. He thought that pushing her away would protect her. And it had. Until Vordigan decided to go after people he cared about. "I'm looking for Zoey," he says to the blonde who just stared at him.
The blonde ducks back into the house and Oliver quickly follows, worried about Zoey. But she was sitting on the couch, her left arm in a sling. The blonde grabs a coat and bag. "I'll talk to you later," she tells Zoey before running out of the house.
Oliver turns to Zoey. "Who was that," he questions, sitting down on the couch next to her. He doesn't miss the bottle of wine or the two empty wine glasses on the coffee table. "Are you drinking?"
"Alexis is my friend. And yes, I was having a glass of wine with her. We were watching Private Practice," Zoey replies. She stares at him, waiting.
"Maybe you need to find another friend, Zo. One that doesn't encourage you to drink," Oliver tells her.
Zoey rolls her eyes. "Look, if you've come here to criticize the way I live my life, then you can leave. In case you haven't noticed, you dumped me and took all the friends in the breakup."
"Look, Zo—"
"Stop calling me that," Zoey snaps, standing up. "Just stop. And-and-and just go file for divorce already. Let's just be done with whatever this now and be done with each other."
"Is that what you want?"
"I want to be with you, Oliver. But I'm not going sit here on the sidelines, waiting for you when you don't want to come back. For the record, this not being with me because you want to protect me is such bullshit. And you know it."
"I came here to tell you I want us to be friends, Zoey. I want to be in your life." Oliver moves closer to her. He places a hand on her cheek. "I need you in mine."
Zoey stares up at him. She wants to argue with him; to tell him that he doesn't get to come in and out of her life when it's convenient for him. Except, she can't. And she hates herself for it. "Okay," she whispers. Oliver pulls her into a tight embrace.
Over the next few months, they settle into an easy friendship. They do lunch together multiple times a week, but never dinner. It doesn't take long, however, for Zoey to see that Oliver is hiding something from her. But she doesn't push him to tell her anything; she figured that he would tell her in his own time. Zoey steps off the elevator and into the loft. She raises an eyebrow seeing the duffle bag by the elevator. "Did Uncle Max already talk to you," she asks.
Oliver shoots her a confused look, grabbing his jacket from the couch. "Talk to me about what?"
"He has the flu and he can't go to the Wayne Foundation Gala tomorrow night," Zoey explains, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest. "So, he asked me to go instead."
"Shit," Oliver mutters. "I already have plans. Look let me see—"
"No, it's fine," Zoey quickly interrupts, moving towards the elevator. "Um, I-I-I have to go. I'll, uh, I'll see you around." She steps into the elevator and punches the button to head down. She shifts, then outs a relieved breath when the doors closed.
Bruce walks into the library to find Zoey standing by the window. He had been surprised to see her at the annual gala. He had been even more surprised to find that she was alone. He could also feel that something was off. The normal banter that they had developed over the years was gone. Bruce pours himself a glass of scotch before moving to stand next to her. "I'm surprised you're here," he says, looking out the window at the dark grounds of Wayne Manor.
"Uncle Max has the flu," Zoey softly explains. She had spent a minimal amount of time at the gala before slipping away. "How have things been?"
"Some old stuff. You?"
"Fine."
"Bullshit." Zoey turns to stare at him. She didn't think he would pick up on anything, but they had known each other for so long that he could read her like a book. Bruce stares back at her, waiting to talk about what was bothering her. She grabs the Scotch out of his hand and quickly throws it back.
Zoey turns her gaze back outside. "Oliver dumped me. Well, he said he wanted a break from me. He is seeing someone else. And now, I'm just trying to figure out how in the hell I'm going to get him to sell his shares."
"Just ask. He'll sell them."
"You sound way more confident than I feel."
Bruce shrugs, walking over to the bar. "Did he actually say he wanted a break?"
Zoey sits on the windowsill. "He did."
Bruce holds out a glass of Scotch. "Have you filed for divorce?"
"No. Austin won't let me. He says that Oliver will pull his head out of his ass and things will go back to normal. He tells me to not make any rash decisions."
"Sounds like you need a new lawyer."
"Austin's been my lawyer since my parents died."
"And he's refusing to work in your interests. So, fire him. Get someone who will."
Zoey raises an eyebrow. "And what is that you want?"
"You," Bruce answers, before pulling her into a kiss.
Oliver walks into the basement bullpen of the Daily Planet. He had started to worry since he hadn't heard from Zoey for a few days. He was worried that Lois or Clark had spilled the beans about his relationship with Chloe. Granted, he didn't think that either of them would say anything. But he was still worried. "Oliver," Lois brightly greets. "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I was looking for Zoey. Have you seen her," Oliver asks.
"Malibu Barbie has been surprisingly absent this week," Lois answers. "But I'm sure she's enjoying doing body shots off of male models in Cancun."
Oliver frowns. "Zoey doesn't drink."
Lois shrugs. "Look, I don't know what Malibu Barbie does or doesn't do, Oliver. I just know that I haven't seen her this week."
"Well, if she shows up, can you let me know? And don't say anything about Chloe and I. Zoey doesn't know. I'd rather she hear it from me." Lois mimes zipping her lips. "Thanks."
Oliver turns to walk away. Lois grabs his arm. "If I see her, I'll let you know, Oliver. But it is Spring Break. And she is single. So, where would a newly single Zoey go to jump back into the lovely world of dating?"
Oliver stares at Lois for a moment, then leaves. He knew exactly where or more likely who Zoey would go to. And he couldn't help but kick himself. He should've gone to Gotham with her; to the annual Wayne Foundation Gala. He should've pushed his weekend away with Chloe back a week.
"Tess," Zoey greets, walking into her office in the Daily Planet. She had spent the past week in Princeton, enjoying being away from Metropolis and spending time with Bruce. She had also been working on what she was going to do about Oliver. She was torn between waiting for Oliver to figure out what he wanted or just pulling the plug. "Let me save you some time. No, I'm still not interested in merging."
"Oliver learned about your trust not long after coming back from the island," Tess tells her. "He knew about it before you got married."
Zoey stares at her. "Look, if you think this is going to make me want to go into business—"
"Oliver is also dating Chloe."
It feels as if a bucket of ice water is poured all over her. While Zoey could sense that Oliver was moving on, she never thought it would be with someone she at one time considered a friend. Zoey shifts in her chair. "Why are you telling me this," she quietly asks.
"Because I thought you should know."
Oliver sighs watching as Chloe walks out of Watchtower. He wasn't thrilled with her going out into the field after his experience with Checkmate. Being arrested by the federal government and then escaping from them wasn't something he liked the idea of. "Oliver." He turns to see Zoey standing in the entrance of Watchtower.
"Zo, what are you doing here," Oliver questions. "How do you know that this place exists?"
"It's nice to finally see what Chloe spent on stolen money," Zoey says, looking around. She doesn't miss the expensive equipment that filled the penthouse.
"Zo—"
"Don't call me that." Zoey reaches her bag and pulls out a folder. She slams it to his chest. "These are divorce papers. You are going to sign them. You are going to sell me your shares in Queen Industries. Then you are going to publicly renounce any and all responsibility you have to Queen Industries."
"Zoey—"
"You lied to me for years."
"Zoey, I don't know what you're talking about. And I'm not selling my shares."
"You knew about my trust years before I did. And you didn't say a word to me about it." Oliver tenses. Part of him hoped that she would never find out that he did know about the trust that held the Queen Industries shares. And part of him was relieved that she did find out. "So, you're going to sign the divorce papers and you're going to sell me your shares."
Oliver shakes his head. "Zoey, this isn't you."
"It is now." She moves closer to him. "Because I am done with you. And all the pain you have caused me. I am done covering for you." Zoey starts to walk out of Watchtower. She stops at the door and turns back to him. "Just so you know, my new lawyer has friends who work at the SEC."
"Hi," Chloe says, walking up to where Oliver was sitting at the computers in Watchtower. She knew that he helped Clark with her rescue from Checkmate and Amanda Waller. He smiles back at her, but he didn't like what he was going to have to do. "Thanks for keeping my seat warm at Watchtower."
"Well, you're welcome," Oliver replies. "Don't get used to it."
"Oh, but your timing is so good. I mean, if you hadn't flipped that Castle's electric switch when you did, I would have been…But you know, I kind of liked being out in the field, knowing I had a warm bed to come to."
"That's very, very funny. It scared the life out of me."
"You better be careful, Ollie. I'm gonna start to think that you're falling for me."
Oliver smiles. Truth was he was falling for her. He enjoyed being with her. He finally felt like he could be himself around someone. Then his smile falls, remembering Zoey's visit. "Zo stopped by," he tells her.
"How does she even about this place," Chloe asks.
Oliver shrugs. "I don't know. My guess is her new lawyer found it. Austin says that Samantha Wheeler is a shark. Which is probably exactly why Zo hired her. She brought by divorce papers and she wants me to sell her my shares in Queen Industries."
"Why would she want to buy your company? It's your company."
"It hasn't been my company in a long time."
Oliver launches into an explanation about everything. His father selling half the shares to Shannon, the trust Shannon had created for Zoey and the stipulations that came with it. He tells her about discovering everything his father did not long after returning from the island. About Zoey learning about the trust on her eighteenth birthday and proposing to him. And he tells her why he had said yes to Zoey in the first place.
Chloe sits down on the couch. "So, why is Zoey doing all of this now? Why not months ago?"
"I'm guessing that she found out that I knew."
"And if you don't sell your shares?"
"She'll go to the SEC. Which would lead to an investigation and would potentially lead to you. Look, I'll give her a couple of days to cool down, then I'll talk to her. She…This isn't the Zoey I know."
"Or maybe she's changed, Oliver. Maybe without any of us realizing it, Zoey has become exactly like Lex and Tess."
Oliver remains quiet. He didn't think Zoey was anything like Lex or Tess. He felt that she was angry and hurt. That she felt humiliated and used. But a small part of him wonders if maybe he had something to do with how cold she was slowly becoming.
Every time you call me crazy
I get more crazy
What about that?
And when you say I seem angry, I get more angry
And there's nothing like a mad woman
What a shame she went mad
No one likes a mad woman
You made her like that
And you'll poke that bear 'til her claws come out
And you find something to wrap your noose around
And there's nothing like a mad woman