a"Whoa, you weren't kidding," Lena commented, glancing down at the navigation system. "That is the middle of nowhere."
"Backing out, Miss Luthor?" Kara teased with a grin, feeling increasingly comfortable enough to be playful with her unexpected companion.
"Hell no," the brunette countered. "I just wanna get wasted where no one knows my name."
"You might wanna keep that sweater on," Kara commented. "Gucci won't suit you here. You'd be awfully out of place."
"Sweet. No problem."
As the two drove on into the night, Lena blasted her music – an eclectic playlist of hip-hop, pop, alternative rock, and metal – and for a while, they were silent. Then, Lena started to sing.
I rock that shit, but not for long
Then I go cop another one
Some people think I'm living wrong
We live this life, but not for long
So I'm gonna be what I want, what I want, what I want, yeah
I'm gonna do what I want, when I want, when I want, yeah
I'm goin' hard 'til I'm gone, 'til I'm gone, 'til I'm gone, yeah
Of course, Kara had heard the star sing on television, but it was nothing like hearing her in person. Even singing along to a hip-hop song by Post Malone, her voice was stunning. Knowing full well that this song was hardly displaying the girl's vocal power astounded Kara to no end. Her voice was perfect. A heavenly pitch, hitting notes perfectly (probably better than the original artist – no offense). It was almost unreal, like the rest of their night together. And it wasn't ending. Kara wasn't waking up.
"Is this real?" she blurted, when Lena stopped singing.
The brunette laughed hard as she pulled off the main road and onto a back street where the GPS was supposedly leading them to the bar.
"Are you that starstruck?" she asked, when she finally stopped laughing.
Kara wasn't sure, but she thought she heard a hint of disappointment in Lena's voice.
"No," Kara told her. "I'm just… having… fun. And that hasn't happened in… well… a long time."
Raising an eyebrow, Lena tried to focus on the road, but the glimpse of sadness in Kara's eyes pained her.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "If it helps… me too."
"Oh, come on. A vacation to me is a normal day for you. Surely, you—"
"Don't talk like you know my life," Lena snapped, cutting the blonde off mid-sentence. Then, softening somewhat, Lena told her, "I'm not happy, Kara. This is the happiest I've been, probably ever."
"What? Just egging some rando's car?"
"That," she replied, "and spending time with someone who doesn't see me as a piece of meat or a trophy to be won."
"Why would I see you that way?"
"Because everyone else does?"
Kara gave a solemn nod of partial understanding. She couldn't know exactly what it was like to be Lena Luthor, obviously. She was broke as fuck. She'd never know what it was like to be rich and famous. But she did understand the concept the girl was getting at. People treated her like royalty, when all she wanted was to be like everyone else.
"I know you're a fan," Lena continued, "but it's also obvious that you don't see me at just some celebrity. You're chill and down to Earth and you treat me like… like just another person. I like that. You're not caught up in my fame or money. You're just… having a good time."
"True," Kara agreed with a slight smile. "You're fun to be around. And not just because you have a sweet ride."
"You wanna drive?" Lena asked with a grin, when Kara winked at her.
Laughing fully, Kara replied, "No way. I don't have a license, and I'm not too keen on crashing your gorgeous whip."
"Whip?" Lena laughed. "You gangster now or something?"
"I dunno. That's what the kids call it. I thought it was 'hip,'" the blonde joked, grinning back at Lena.
"God, you're weird."
When Lena laughed, Kara's heart fluttered, but she ignored it as she caught sight of the dingy bar sign on the side of the road.
"Here."
Looking thrilled, Lena pulled into the tiny parking lot – in the back, away from other cars, to keep hers from the potential of getting scratched – and looked over at Kara.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
After securely locking the doors, Lena followed Kara into the bar and watched in disbelief as she ordered a root beer.
"Really? You're not gonna get a real beer?"
"I'm eighteen…" Kara answered blankly. "You said you were getting trashed. I never said I was joining you."
"I'm not gonna get trashed," Lena laughed, throwing her fake ID on the counter. "I have to drive. And I'd never want to get you hurt."
The last sentence was added casually, as though it were meaningless, but it created a small pang of emotion in Kara's gut. Lena seemed to be a genuinely good person. And the fact that she wasn't willing to drive drunk made Kara feel a little bit better about the girl's potential for reckless behavior.
"Just a Jack and Coke, please," Lena ordered from the bartender, a handsome young man with a flashy smile, surprising Kara immensely.
Lena Luthor was ordering something as simple as a Jack and Coke? As if her choice of whiskey wasn't surprising enough, this girl was ordering a cheap whiskey. Not that this place would've stocked anything fancy anyway. But still.
When the bartender handed her the drink, Lena downed it like an expert, making Kara's eyes go wide.
"Geez," the blonde mumbled with a smirk. "You got some practice?"
"Hey, shut up. I do what I want."
Kara had to laugh at this as she rolled her eyes and took a slow sip of the root beer that was placed in front of her.
"Oh, my GOD," Lena gaped, her attention suddenly torn away from her drink and over towards the tiny space in the corner where a cheap karaoke machine was hooked up to an old tube CRT television. "What is that?"
"It's karaoke?" Kara answered blankly, confused.
"No, Dorkus. The… big-ass box?"
"It's called a tube TV, Lena. It's what people had in the dark times."
The blank, deadpan expression on Kara's face made Lena blink several times.
"Old technology," Kara added, rolling her eyes. "Didn't you ever have those in school?"
"I went to a stupidly expensive boarding school with the latest and greatest and graduated early. I'm uncultured swine," Lena chuckled.
"Of course you went to a fancy school."
"Hated it," the brunette clarified, waving down the bartender and ordering another drink. Then, after downing it quickly, Lena pushed down on Kara's hand as she lifted her own drink to her lips, saying, "Let's go."
"Go where?" Kara asked dumbly.
"Uh… Karaoke? Duh, dingus."
"I dunno how you can be so sweet and so mean at the same time," the blonde laughed, playfully nudging Lena's shoulder.
Lena's smile grew into a grin when Kara nudged her, loving the teasing nature of the gesture. Finally, someone relaxed, funny, and honest.
"Yeah, I'm a jerk sometimes," she conceded. "But I'm funny. And so are you."
"Me?"
Laughing as Kara stared blankly in surprise, Lena nodded her head, replying, "Of course. Now, stop lollygagging and let's go!"
"I'm not doing—"
But before Kara could protest further, she was dragged to the corner of the bar in front of the karaoke machine.
"I'm not—" the blonde tried again.
"Fine, turd. I'll go all by myself," Lena whined, wiping a fake tear from her cheek.
"Lena—"
But the girl was already grabbing the mic from the previous singer, who was clearly belligerently drunk. As soon as the song started, Kara found her heart skipping a beat or two in anticipation of hearing Lena's voice again. When Lena started to sing, a very involuntary smile spread over her lips.
You know I know how
To make 'em stop and stare as I zone out
The club can't even handle me right now
Watchin' you watchin' me I go all out
The club can't even handle me right now
The club can't even handle me right now
As she sang, Lena bounced around the stage, but on the second chorus, when Lena sang, 'Watchin' you watching' me I go all out,' she winked at the blonde, making Kara feel as though she might faint.
By the time Lena let her arm and the mic in her hand drop to her side, the girl watching in a daze was sweating.
"Your turn," Lena announced, shoving the mic into Kara's hand.
"What? No! I'm not—"
But Lena had already shoved Kara into the corner where the karaoke machine was.
"Sing, Dorkus! Loosen up! Have some fun!"
Biting her lip, Kara reluctantly selected a song and lifted the mic near her lips with shaking hands.
I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address
In a torn-up town, no postcode envy
The first verse was a little rough, as Kara's voice was shaking, but Lena could tell that the girl's voice was beautiful – exceptionally so – and by the time she got to the chorus, the star was blown away.
When Kara finally put the mic down, adrenaline soaring through her veins, and looked at Lena shyly, the celebrity clapped loudly and let out a whistle of approval.
"Wow, kid! Nice!"
"What? Really?"
Lena nodded vigorously.
When no one else stepped up to grab the mic, everyone in the bar having their eyes on the girls near the karaoke machine, Lena asked, "Duet?"
Eyes wide, Kara quickly shook her head and blurted, "No way."
"Oh, I suck that bad?" the brunette teased, shoving Kara's shoulder. "Jerk."
"No!" the star's companion yelped. "Absolutely not! I just… I'm embarrassed. I'd ruin your—"
"Let's go. This one," Lena ordered, pointing to her song selection.
"Really?" Kara asked, forgetting her aversion to singing alongside the famous Lena Luthor.
With a grin, Lena nodded again and grabbed the second mic.
With a sigh, the blonde bit her lip and looked down at the mic before hesitantly stepping beside her companion.
Suddenly unable to even open her mouth, Kara missed the starting note of the first verse of the song, so Lena jumped in immediately, as though they hadn't missed the beat.
Listen, baby
Ain't no mountain high
Ain't no valley low
Ain't no river wide enough, baby
If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry
Cause baby there…
Taking a slow, steadying breath, Kara finally jumped in when Lena flashed her an adorable smile paired with what Kara had to admit was a surprisingly flirty wink.
Ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, babe
When they sang together, their voices blended like a magnificently crafted cake mix – sweet and perfectly balanced – and it surprised both of them how smooth and natural it sounded.
At the end of the song, Lena looked at Kara and breathlessly told her, "That was amazing. You're amazing."
The blonde's burning red cheeks tinted a darker shade before she mumbled, "Nah."
"Thank you for singing with me, Kara," the star whispered in her ear.
Then, Kara's heart stopped.
Lena's lips were on her cheek – as briefly as a passing rain shower and a soft as a hummingbird landing – gone as fast as they were there.
As though nothing had happened, Lena pulled away swiftly and turned back to the bar, then looked at Kara again, asking, "You wanna dance?"
"I can't dance," the celebrity's companion answered quickly, roughly shaking her head.
"I'll teach you then." Again, Kara shook her head, so Lena pressed, "Please? Tonight's been amazing. I just wanna have fun, with no one watching but you."
"I…"
But Lena was pulling Kara close before she could protest further. Unfortunately for Kara, this time, her modesty was well-placed. She really couldn't dance. In fact, she was so bad that Lena had to chuckle good-naturedly, which only served to make the blonde feel horrible.
"I told you," Kara snapped, her eyes welling with tears at the sound of Lena's laughter when she stepped on her foot.
"Don't," Lena said quickly, grabbing Kara's arm when she moved to pull away. "Come here."
"No."
"Listen. Slow song. This'll be easier. Just relax and follow me, okay?"
Again, Kara shook her head 'no.'
"Kara," Lena whined. "Please?"
Despite feeling horrible about being an awful dancer, Kara couldn't help but remind herself that this was, without a doubt, the best night of her life. Making herself a little uncomfortable to share that with Lena wasn't such an unfair request.
With a sigh, Kara moved closer to Lena again, this time shivering when the girl's hands slid down her sides.
The two danced for the duration of the song, with Kara luckily not stepping on the star's feet again, although her movements were somewhat clumsy.
When the next song came on, faster paced and well-suited for a club (not so much for a bar), Lena spun around, backing against Kara, making the girl blush.
"W-What—" she started to ask, but before she could finish the question, the celebrity was suddenly grinding on her in time with the music, her ass pressed firmly against Kara's crotch.
"Just relax and move with me," Lena told her, looking back over her shoulder with an encouraging smile.
Swallowing hard with a fear of looking foolish, Kara did as she was told, carefully placing her hands on Lena's hips as they moved together.
Soon, Kara was having a blast, moving in time with Lena and the music, completely forgetting about her stage fright. When the bartender announced Last Call, Lena frowned and turned to face her companion.
"Dammit," she mumbled. "It's so early."
"It's 12:45 AM."
"And?"
"And that's late."
"So early," Lena giggled, playfully pushing Kara. "Nerd."
The blonde couldn't help but smile at this.
"Oh, shit," Lena said, suddenly realizing what the time meant. "We need to get you home."
"Fuck. Yeah, I… I literally didn't even pay attention to the time. I'm in deep shit if I get caught…"
"Come on. I'll drive you home."
"I don't think you wanna bring your car to my neighborhood… It's kinda the ghetto."
"Kara," Lena sighed. "I'm not gonna drop you downtown and let you walk, and no buses are running this late."
Biting her lip, Kara nodded and mumbled, "Thanks, Lena."
"Alright. Let's bounce."
As they got in the car and Kara checked her phone, she commented, "Huh. No cell service out here."
"Who are you gonna text at this hour anyway?" Lena chuckled. "I thought it was late."
"It is," Kara huffed, crossing her arms.
Lena just smirked and pulled out of the bar's parking lot as Kara put her own address into the navigation system. When they got close to town, Kara suddenly felt her phone vibrate. Over. And over. And over again.
Eyes wide, she looked down at the screen.
"Oh, FUCK!" she cried. "Alex knows I'm gone! She's been texting me for two hours! I have sixteen missed texts. I am so fucking dead!"
Taking one look at the distressed look on Kara's face, Lena just about floored it, speeding past six cars in one go as the car pulled onto the main road.
"Lena—" Kara gaped, noting the high speed at which the star was driving.
"It's fine," Lena cut her off. "I got this."
Steadily accelerating further, Lena clocked the car at 110 miles per hour, making Kara's jaw drop.
"Holy shit. I've never driven this fast in my life!" she gasped.
Lena just laughed and replied, "I'm only going 110."
"ONLY?!"
With a mischievous grin, Lena asked, "You're buckled, right?"
"Well, yeah, but I—"
Before Kara could finish, Lena floored it, hitting 140 in seconds.
Kara remained slack-jawed for a few more minutes, until Lena took a turn, and she had to laugh at the thrill of it all.
"Awesome, right?" the celebrity prompted.
"I mean, if you wanna get pulled over."
"I just have to show 'em my license and they let me go," Lena laughed.
"Wow."
"I guess there are some perks to being famous. And young."
"And pretty."
"Oh, you think so?" the brunette teased, flashing Kara a flirtatious smile.
"I mean… I thought it was obvious to everyone."
Lena shrugged and slowed the car down as she reached the downtown area of the city, knowing it would be crawling with police at that hour.
Feeling her heart sink as they drove closer and closer to her dingy apartment in the slums, knowing the night was coming to an end, Kara directed Lena to her home.
As they pulled into her neighborhood, Kara mumbled, "Sorry."
"What for?"
"For bringing you here."
"Kara. I'm not stuck up. I'd like to think you know that by now. Aside from my cars – and hating cheaters – I'm not that judgy."
A smile tugged the corner of the blonde's lips as she looked over at Lena.
"Thanks." Then, after a pause, as they turned onto her block, Kara added, "Hey… Can I ask you something?"
"Anything. I'll be an open book with you."
"Why did you want to egg my ex's car so badly?"
"Well, at first, it was unique and funny. Then, I got committed."
"Why?"
"Because… I…"
"Yeah?"
"I hate cheaters, Kara. I really hate cheaters."
Pausing again, just long enough to carefully consider her words, Kara gently asked, "You got cheated on, didn't you?"
Lena gave a curt nod as she looked in the opposite direction and explained, "I caught my ex boyfriend fucking some random slut in the back of his S-Class Mercedes last summer." When Kara's lips parted to speak, the star added, "In my driveway."
"Holy shit," the blonde blurted. "Seriously?"
"Oh, yeah. Red handed. Pants down. Dick wet."
"Yikes. I'm really sorry… No wonder you hate Mercedes."
"Actually, they're just shitty, inferior cars," Lena said, matter-of-factly, wiping a tear from her eye.
Without thinking, Kara put her hand on top of Lena's, which was resting on the gear shift. Lena lifted her gaze, briefly looking shocked but her gaze softening when she realized that Kara wasn't going to make any further moves.
"You don't deserve that," Kara told her. "And you'll find someone better."
"Maybe."
"You will. Smart, pretty, funny girl like you? Of course you will."
"People only want me for my fame and money."
"Not everyone's like that, though," the blonde insisted. "You said yourself, I'm not like that. Maybe someone hot and charming will comment on your Insta and win your heart…"
Locking eyes, Lena looked at Kara with a piercing gaze and said, "You mean, like you?"
Wide-eyed, Kara fumbled for words and landed on, "I'm… I'm not hot. Or charming. Or winning your heart."
The star looked away and shrugged.
"Lena," Kara whispered. When the brunette looked back at her, she finished, "Thank you for an amazing night. Thank you for giving me closure with Nia."
"Glad you got closure," Lena told her with a smile. "Closure is everything."
"Did you get closure with your ex?" Kara asked. Then, realizing this was definitely prying, she blurted, "Sorry. Inappropriate question. None of my business. I should go."
When Kara's hand moved to grab the door handle, Lena grabbed her wrist.
"Wait."
"Yeah?"
"I guess I sort of got closure. I threw a brick through his car window and hit him in the face. He was too much of a coward to press charges. Still hurts though. I don't miss him, I just hate that I fell for his bullshit, you know?"
"Oh, yeah. I totally get that," Kara sighed. "I wish I'd never met Nia. Everyone says I'm stronger for it, but fuck that. I'm not stronger. I'm just in pain."
Lena nodded and squeezed Kara's hand, saying, "I get it."
Sadly, the blonde announced, "Thanks again, Lena, but I gotta get inside before Alex kills me."
"Can…" Lena started, her voice cracking. "Um… Can we hang out again?"
Raising an eyebrow, Kara asked, "Seriously?"
Lena nodded.
In response to Lena's confirming nod, the blonde told the girl, "I'd love to. This was the most fun I've ever had. Thank you."
"Stop thanking me," Lena laughed. "Go inside before your sister murders you. And… maybe text me when the fallout is over so I know you're not dead?"
Looking somewhat surprised by the request, Kara said, "I will," and gave her companion a warm smile before getting out of the car and running inside.