Five days had passed since the "bet" and Oliver had not yet found the perfect date for the dance and it wasn't for the lack of trying, it was just that none of the girls he knew was the right one. For her part, Zee had not yet been asked by anyone (well a guy from the Robotics Club had but that didn't count) and she was starting to worry.
They had two days left.
On the other hand, Kara Danvers had been avoiding Jimmy Olsen whom she had overheard that he was going to ask her out. Not that she minded to refuse an invitation it was just that Olsen was just too "cute" for her usual refusal, also they were not friends so she couldn't talk to him like she would have done with the boys in Smallville.
Kara was listening to music sat on the main stairs of the school, classes had finished but she had to wait for the dance's committee, when Oliver passed by. The blonde boy had greeted her waving his hand and she waved back thinking that he would enter the school.
But instead he sat by her side and she said quite annoyed "What are you doing?"
"Trying to talk to a friend" He simply said.
"We are not exactly friends Queen"
"Titles, titles" He shrugged it off and he added "I may need your help"
"For what?" She asked curiously.
"Look, I made a bet with Zee..." He started to explain.
"Oh, yeah, I heard that" She rolled her eyes "Idiots"
He shook his head "Did she told you?"
"No, I literally heard that" She laughed a little and he didn't understand "Kryptonian hearing"
"Oh" He nodded "So..."
"So, why do you need my help?" The kryptonian interrupted "I don't know anyone who would be willing to go with you"
Oliver rolled his eyes and said "I know that Kara, you don't exactly have many friends"
"Thanks for pointing my lack of friends" She said sarcastically "If you finished, I have to go"
The archer put his hands over his face and groaned, Kara took it as her chance to get away so she stood up and entered the school.
Oliver entered the school a bit later and went to cut another set of decorations, he didn't want to talk to Zee or to Morty as he was in deep thought.
"Have you found a date yet, Ollie?" Morty asked.
"I have been busy" He simply said.
"So, I'll win" Zee said.
"I haven't heard of anyone who asked you out Zee" He responded.
"Not that you know of" She said haughtily.
"Of course" He rolled his eyes and then he asked his actor friend "And you Morty?"
"I don't have one yet" He said "I was thinking about asking Selina Kyle"
That surprised the other two but they didn't comment about it and resumed on their cutting more hearts. It was already late when Kara joined them and said "We have finished the stage and since I have more detention, Barbie said that I should help you"
Morty passed her a bunch of pink and red papers and a scissor, he said "Enjoy"
"Why do they need so many?" Kara said looking at it in disgust.
"We don't know; we don't care" Oliver said
"We are just trying to avoid Saturday detention" Zee added.
"Jess will throw a fit when she sees so many paper" Kara muttered.
The other three shrugged and kept on their silent work, at seven Barbie finally gave them their freedom.
Zee left on her limousine as her father had decided to pick her up that day. Morty called his mother and was waiting for her while Oliver was calling an Uber. For her part, Kara was waiting for everyone to leave so she could fly home.
She was about to go the side of the school when she heard Oliver say "Please go to the dance with me"
Kara tried to ignore him and didn't turn her back but the archer said "I know you heard, Danvers"
She stiffened and tried to find a way to reject him without being too rude but instead she said "Doing that would be helping you against Zee, why would I do that?"
"I don't know; I didn't think I would get this far without you hitting me" He said shrugging.
"You should be really desperate if you are asking for my help" She said turning towards him and crossed her arms.
Oliver grimaced and walked towards her and admitted "I don't know many girls that would go with me that I like and the ones I like they already have a date, then the ones I'm friends-friends with have dates too except Zee...and you"
"You aren't friends with Zee" She scoffed.
"She is a friend that I hate" He said raising his chin and putting his hands on his hips.
Kara snorted and said "I'll consider your...proposal"
"Good" He said and walked away.
Kara took flight and Oliver got in his Uber.
"What have I done? She will refuse and Zee will win" He thought grimacing "This is so humiliating; this is the end of Oliver Queen"
Kara was having dinner with her mother and Kal asked how she was doing in school, how her friends were and if she was going to the dance. She had to admit that even if Kal was annoying sometimes and somewhat of a jerk, he did care for her...even if it was just a bit.
"I don't know" She said annoyed "I don't do dances"
"Has someone invited you?" Her mom asked "I already have a dress picked up for you"
"Yeah, has someone asked you to go?" Kal asked with great curiosity but then dragged onto a story about him "I remember my first dance...I went with Lana Lang, of course dances in Smallville were a lot smaller "He laughed a little "Not that you know about it little cousin"
"I do know about how things are in Smallville High" She said a bit angry "I just didn't want to go...just like now"
"Hmmm" He said "Or you just don't want to admit that no one wanted to invite you"
Kara felt her blood boil and almost yelled "Someone did invite me, thank you for waiting for my answer, and I told him yes that I'll go with him" Then she left for her room and realized that she didn't have Oliver's number.
Then she texted Babs who did have the number of everyone in their Super Hero Club (as she had called it), the bat didn't really ask for what she needed the archer's number for and passed it without much as an OK.
She texted her answer which read "Ok, I'll go with you, as friends-Kara"
The kryptonian waited a few minutes for his answer and he responded with a "Great, of course we would go as friends"
Kara then let the situation sink in and groaned against her pillow, then she decided to call the only one of her friends who could be truly awake at that hour.
Babs.
"Hi Kara" She said with all the energy that was characteristic of her.
"Hey"
"Not to be rude, but why are you calling me?"
"Oliver asked me to go to the dance with him" Then she moved her cellphone away from her ear ad Babs screamed in surprise.
"How? What? Why? When?" The redhead asked rapidly "Tell me more"
"Well..." She started to explain all the situation while Babs hummed and answer in all the correct moments.
"And why did you accept?"
"Kal may have annoyed me to the point I said that I accepted, also mom said that she had already picked up a dress"
"Hmmm...I don't really see the problem" Babs said "You are going as friends, it's not a date-date...most of us are going as friends with the guys"
"It would have been better if we went as a group"
"Yeah, but having a date is the point of this kind of events"
"You humans have strange traditions"
"Yeah, though you don't know many of them yet"
Babs started to describe some traditions that other countries had and Kara just hummed her responses until she had enough and interrupted her friend: "I have been meaning to ask, with whom are you going?"
"With Barry, as friends, you know"
Kara wanted to say that the speedster had a small crush on her but hummed and answer, they talked for a quarter an hour more before they hung up and the blonde kryptonian groaned once more against her pillow.
The next morning Jessica and Hal were returning from their early training session with Kilowog, who was becoming more accepting of their fighting techniques and was dropping hints about they had to go to Oa to finish their training.
That seemed to bother Hal but he just went to his locker and Jessica followed him.
"Hey" She said.
"Hey" He said with a faint smile.
"Are you okay?" The female Green Lantern asked with concern.
"I'm fine" The male Green Lantern responded "It's just that I'm a bit tired after our session with Kilowog...after school I have football practice..."
"You are really busy lately" She commented "Aren't you overexerting a little bit?"
"Maybe..." He said "But the new coach wants to have the perfect team for the season"
"Hmmm"
"Don't worry I'll be okay" He said while bopping her cheek.
"Are you hanging at Sweet Justice later?" She asked shooing his finger away.
"Maybe..." He started to say with a noncommittal tone but then he said "Or, we can hang out there "
"That's a good idea" Jessica said brightly "It's six o'clock good for you?"
"Yeah, I'll pick you up from your house at six" He said putting a hand on her shoulder before leaving to his first class.
They were so invested on their conversation that they didn't noticed that a very angry Carol Ferris was behind them along with her friends Selina Kyle and Pam Isley.
"What does he even see on her?!" The Star Sapphire asked furiously "She is ugly, annoying, lost cause seeker, two-faced w**** ..." She looked at her friends waiting for them to continue.
"Sorry dear, but you have to admit that she is not ugly" Selina said "And they always seem to be together"
"Also, she may be really annoying and she likes to pick up on lost causes but some people seem to find her company enjoyable" Pam said and then added with a sly smile "Even the dumb jock"
"Especially the dumb jock" Selina said smirking.
"I hate her!" Carol yelled and then she added a bit sad "If she wasn't in the picture I would have already won him back"
Selina wanted to say what everyone knew, that the Quarterback didn't love her, but she refrained and instead she said "You have to get rid of her subtly"
"I can help" The redhead said.
"I have a lot of planning to do then" Carol smirked "Maybe-"
"Whatever" The cat-like girl said "Let's ditch classes and find new jewelry for Saturday"
Carol couldn't deny that it was a good idea and it would help her clear her head to plan something to keep that man-stealing b**** from her Hal Jordan. Also more jewelry is always good, even if you are rich.
Later
Against her best judgment Jessica was waiting for her friend in her house, usually she would have told him to wait for her at Sweet Justice but for some reason she wanted him to come for her.
Hal arrived five minutes late in his mother's car, it was a vintage one, and he waved her hi while saying "No comments please"
"Questions?" She asked entering the car and sitting in the co-pilot seat "Or I can't ask how you managed to get Mrs. Jordan to give you "driving privileges"?
"I did chores around the house during the last few months" He said shrugging "Also Jim, my younger brother, wants me to drop him at his soccer classes instead of mom for whatever reason he invented"
"Hmmm" She said.
"Also I need the car to pick you up on Saturday" The brown haired boy said.
"Oh, how gentlemanly" The Latina said half-jokingly half-surprised.
"Hey! I may come as a jerk sometimes but I can be nice"
"I know" She said "Sometimes"
They kept a lighthearted banter while he drove to their favorite place in Metropolis. When they entered the parlor they saw most of their friends: Carter was with his girlfriend Shiera (whom they had not met formally), Garth was with Karen and Barry, Kara was with her cousin Clark and another woman, and finally Zee was with Diana and Babs.
They waved to their friends and for a moment they considered to join the girls but instead decided to sit on a table by the corner and catch up a little with each other's lives.
Once again they didn't notice that Carol was looking at them with great rage in her eyes.
Diana had been spending her afternoon with Zee and Babs. They were talking about the upcoming dance, though she didn't really understand why they considered it so important.
"Why do you people give it so much importance?" She asked them after hearing a long chat about dresses and dates.
"Well, I don't know if you remember your lesson of " how to be a normal teenage girl" but one of the lessons was romance" The bat started to say "I thought the Greeks liked love"
"Romance is important, and Saint Valentine is tomorrow" Zee said "Tomorrow you will see a lot of new couples and love is going to be in the air"
"And many broken hearts"
"And the dance is only going to be another chance to form new couples and to make some people realize that they are more than friends" The magician smiled sweetly at Babs.
"For the last time, Barry and I are just friends" She said groaning and told Diana "Unlike Steve and you"
"Steve" The amazon said dreamily.
"See, Steve Trevor is her kryptonite" Babs whispered to her purple haired friend.
Then they heard a pair annoyed voices "Kryptonite is kryptonite, kryptonite is from the planet Krypton!"
"Wow, Kara can get along with her cousin" Zee commented and then said "Anyways, even if you don't understand the Holiday...just try to enjoy your time with Steve"
"Steve" She said again dreamily.
"So, Zee...do you have a date?" Babs asked ignoring Diana's dream moment.
The magician's eye trembled "Not yet but don't tell anyone"
"Why did you reject that guy...Robert...from the robotic club"
"I simply don't like him" She said "If no-one asks me tomorrow, I will have to use my last resort"
"Which is?" Diana asked out of her Steve dreamland.
"A friend"
"A friend or a friend?"
"He is a friend that I hate"
"Oliver?"
Zee rolled her eyes and said "No, a... an old friend"
Babs put on a face that she only used when she was getting suspicious but she then decided to chance the topic to school's gossip.
"Who do you think that will get together tomorrow?" She asked.
"It's not good to gossip Barbara" Diana stated.
"Yeah, yeah" The girl said dismissively "But sometimes is...entertaining"
"And it helps us to be normal teenagers" Zee added giving her muffin a bite "You know...having some connection to the rest of the school"
That made Diana ponder on her friends' lives before of her arrival, like the strangeness that Tatsu irradiated the other day when they talked about this holiday. She couldn't relate to some things they said, she was so much older than them and she would still be young by Amazon standards by the time they went to the Hades.
So instead of drifting of in her thoughts she decided to try and join them in their conversation and enjoy her time with them.
Please leave a review or PM if you have a suggestion or a comment:)