pt.2
The One With the Plans
-o-
It takes Artemis one embarrassingly long week to get a grip.
Once the initial shock of Shiny New Wally wears off, it becomes easier to go about her day without having thoughts. By the end of the week, she can hold an entire conversation with him and not get distracted by his eyes, or his smile, or the woosh (she still slips up on that one about 40% of the time, but no one is perfect and she's never claimed to be). She even manages to insult his ego from time to time, just like the old days.
All is right with the world once more. At least it is in Artemis's world.
"And then he said-! He said-!" Megan's words dissolve into hiccups before she covers her red face with her hands and cries.
Artemis carefully stretches across the arm of the couch to grab a near-empty box of tissues from a nearby shelf. Megan showing up at her house unannounced in the middle of the night isn't unusual in the slightest. Megan showing up on a school night crying with ruined makeup, red eyes, and mismatched socks definitely is. Paula had almost had a heart attack when she opened the door to such a startling sight. She woke Artemis up with a single shout and led Megan to the living room before she rushed to the kitchen to make some tea (and escape teenage tears, but Artemis lets that slide).
"Megan, breathe," Artemis instructs, rubbing gentle circles across Megan's back. She offers up the tissue box before she asks, "What exactly did he say next?"
"He said, 'I feel like I'm dating a stranger and I don't know if I can d-do it anymore.' And then he went back inside!"
Megan tears a tissue out of the box and blows her nose loudly. Artemis looks to the doorway leading to the kitchen and tries to remember if she finished all the rocky road over the weekend. They'll definitely be needing it soon.
"He broke up with me! And I think he means it. I really do." Megan takes a short breath before turning to face Artemis. "He didn't even turn around, not even a little bit. They always turn around if they're not sure."
"Okay," Artemis says slowly, searching her brain for something to say that won't send Megan into another fit of tears, "two things. One, he never actually said he wanted to break up."
"It was implied."
"Maybe it wasn't," Artemis suggests. "He was upset. Conner isn't exactly the 'King of Clear Decision Making' when he's mad."
"I know that," Megan says, looking at her with big, sad eyes and a wobbly pout, "but he didn't turn around. And they always- but he didn't-"
"This isn't one of your daytime dramas, Megan," Artemis says gently, handing her the last tissue in the box. "They don't always turn around."
Megan wipes at her eyes with the tissue, shakily sighing, "I know. It'd be so much easier if they did though. What's the second thing?"
Artemis makes a show of throwing the empty tissue box into the trash to buy some much needed thinking time.
One con about having a best friend who is a way nicer sister-figure than your actual sister is having to come up with softer ways to tell them things they don't want to hear. Whenever Artemis has to tell Jade bad news, she doesn't waste energy trying to spare Jade's feelings. In fact, on the rare occasions Jade actually gets caught breaking the rules, Artemis finds satisfaction in being the first to let her know exactly how her plans were thwarted. Nine times out of ten Jade gets away with being Jade and when she doesn't, she knows exactly how to cover her ass and get around whatever half-enforced punishment their mother doles out. That's why saying 'Mom knows you shaved the neighbor's cat, and guess what, you're grounded' and 'Mrs. Reese saw you sneaking out through her yard last night and called Mom, have fun with that' isn't a big deal with Jade. She doesn't care. Nothing fazes her.
With Megan, Artemis has to be choosier with her words.
"Okay, two," Artemis drawls out slowly, "he's not exactly the only one in the wrong here."
Megan's eyes suddenly get a whole lot sharper. "What?"
"He said some hurtful stuff and that's not cool, but what happened at the lighthouse Saturday wasn't okay either," Artemis says levelly. "Kara got hurt and she only tried out because you told Conner the team nixed the whole hazing thing after what happened last year. She's his cousin- of course he's going to be upset."
"That is not my- I thought we went over this." Megan's cheeks turn red and she huffs. "Mareena and Karen didn't tell me about bringing back the ice bucket. I thought we were going to start a new tradition, a nicer one, but by the time I found out what they set up inside, Kara and Stephanie were already getting iced. Kara was on her bike before any of us could stop her. I didn't even know she was hurt until Conner called me, and he didn't exactly give me a chance to explain before he hung up. And when I went to apologize to Kara on Sunday, he said she was at Stephanie's house and shut the door in my face."
"Wait, you went to his house the next day?" Artemis asks.
"Yeah, and when I went to Stephanie's, she said Kara hadn't talked to her all day. So he lied!" Megan pouts.
"That's weird," Artemis thinks aloud. "Conner's always been the one to tell it like it is. Why would he lie?"
Megan nods quickly. "Exactly!"
"Unless..." Artemis begins carefully but stops herself.
"Unless what?"
Artemis asks, "Maybe Kara didn't want to see you?"
Megan is quiet for a long moment before releasing a small 'oh'.
"Maybe she needs more time. I'm sure she hasn't tried to talk to you at school."
Megan sinks deeper into the old couch and her eyes begin to water again. "No one is trying to talk at school. Mareena and Karen are mad at me for not being on board and at each other for dropping the bucket on Kara. Stephanie is avoiding us. Raquel's pissed at all of us for even stepping foot in the lighthouse. Wendy and Bette feel bad about Kara but they're too wrapped up in elections to do anything about it. I'm surprised you haven't noticed how awkward lunch has been. The whole team is in shambles and no one has apologized to anyone yet. I mean, I tried, but Conner. And then he wouldn't talk to me about it until today. And even then, he refuses to hear me out. He just thinks I care more about the team than Kara or him, and that's not right. It's like yelling at a brick wall... and I don't want to yell anymore."
Artemis waits a beat before asking, "Should I beat him up? Make him talk?"
Megan looks at her with incredulous eyes. "Artemis-"
"I could do it, you know. I have connections," she says, half-serious, even though her only real 'connection' for something like that is Roy and he'd probably prefer if she didn't ask him for a ride to Conner's house at three in the morning on a school night. Whatever. He owes her one (way more than one if she claims reparations for the mental scarring she received hiding his tryst with her sister from her mom over the summer). "I could go right now. You want to go? Let's go."
"Artemis, that's crazy talk-" Megan wipes at her nose with the remnants of the last tissue, failing to hide the tiny smile on her face.
"I know what you're thinking," Artemis interrupts her, placing her hands on Megan's shoulders. "He's a tank. He has the height and weight advantage. But have a little faith, Megan. I have skills. I'm a freakin' ninja. He wouldn't know what hit him."
In a real fight (one which would never happen), Conner would crush her like a bug and she knows it, but if the thought of her swift, hypothetical victory pulls a laugh out of Megan, then she'll have more than fulfilled her best friend-duties for the night. She doesn't have a real solution- yet- but a tiny distraction is something she can definitely do for now.
Megan stares into her oh-so-serious eyes for all of three seconds before cracking a smile. She laughs shortly and drags Artemis into a quick, tight hug.
"What do I do now?" she asks after releasing the blonde. "I know I messed up, but it's not like I can go back and change what happened."
Artemis catches sight of her mother's shadow in the kitchen doorway, slowly stands, and says, "Right now? You drink some tea- and text Michelle. Tell her you're here so she doesn't flip out when she wakes up and you're not home."
Absolute fear replaces the sadness in Megan's eyes and she makes a dive for the cell phone in her bag. Once worries about Megan's most responsible sister are quelled, the girls move into the kitchen, thank Paula for the tea, and make Conner-less plans for school and the upcoming party.
-o-
They walk into school the next morning feeling more like super spies than students. Every corner, every hallway becomes an obstacle. Artemis stays glued to Megan's side as they take every precaution to avoid running into Conner or his friends. It takes them an extra seven minutes and three hallways to get to Carr's class without incident. They're forced to cut through the band room, much to the annoyance of Mr. Rathaway, to get to Biology after Artemis spots Wally heading their way with a well-meaning, but unwanted determined glint in his eye.
Nope.
After guiding Megan safely through the doorway of her third period class, Artemis spins around and marches towards the other redhead who has been tailing them all morning. As soon as he knows he's been spotted, he turns around and starts walking away with his hands in his pockets. Artemis has no issues catching up to him and pulling his arm to make him face her.
"You've gotta stop being weird. I have enough of that going on," she says firmly, releasing his arm in order to cross her own. "What do you want?"
Roy's shoulders shift uncomfortably before he meets her eyes and sighs, "Well..."
Crap. She knows that look. The first time she saw that look was over the summer, when he practically begged her not to tell Oliver about what he shouldn't have been doing (with her sister) in the fancy, yellow car he shouldn't have been driving. Artemis immediately regrets running after him. She should have known better.
"Oh, god, what is it this time?" she asks. For a moment, she contemplates walking away before things get weird(er), but the last time she left Roy to his own devices for an issue with her sister, he ended up breaking into her neighbor's balcony and getting bit by their dog.
Roy sticks his hands deeper into his pockets as he says, "I know I said last time was the last time, but I need you to call Jade and-"
"I am not calling her," Artemis interrupts him, tightening the straps of her backpack. She takes note of the emptying hallway and prepares to speed walk to math class.
"Artemis-" he starts to whine, and that's her cue to start walking.
"Nope. I am done being your middleman, Roy," she says, passing him. He follows her. "Why don't you call her yourself?"
"You know she likes to play her games," he grumbles, and though that's really enough to explain why he's been following her around all morning, it doesn't do much to help his case.
"Don't I ever," Artemis agrees, right as the first bell rings. "You're going to be late. Hall's going to hate you."
"As if he hasn't the last three years. Just find out if she's coming home this weekend or not, okay?"
"Fine," she groans, walking faster as she catches Mr. Langstrom start closing the door, "but you-"
"Owe you one. I know." Roy smiles and yanks on the end of her backpack strap before taking off at a jog in the opposite direction. "Thanks, Blondie."
He won't be thanking her when she shows him up at practice next week.
-o-
By the time history class rolls around, Artemis has established three things. The first is that Conner never came to school, meaning their sneaking around all morning did nothing but get both her and Megan on the shitlist of no less than three teachers. The next is that being a neutral party sitting at a lunch table with a bunch of cheerleaders who will not directly talk to each other absolutely sucks. The last thing is that Wally West thinks he knows all the answers to life's problems and won't hesitate to help a friend in need of the aforementioned answers.
He deliberately kicks the back of her shoe. She knows it's deliberate because he does it not once, not twice, but three times, with the tip of his shoe digging into her once clean, white shoe. Just before he can kick her a fourth time, she lifts the back of her foot and digs her heel on top of his toes. Artemis smiles and keeps taking notes while he holds back a hiss of pain. When he pulls his foot out from underneath, her heel doesn't hit the floor like she expects. Instead, it lands on something thin and slippery. Her pen stills.
He didn't.
She slides her foot forward, pulling the scrap of paper under her shoe into view.
He did, Artemis rolls her eyes and casually drops her pen off the side of her desk. When she retrieves the pencil, she brings the tiny note up with it. After quickly glancing at Ms. Lance, Artemis opens the ripped edge of paper and tucks it into her notebook, just above her notes.
'Can we talk after school?'
No, mind your own business, I've got this handled is what she wants to say, but before she can put her pen to paper, a bright flashing light and ear piercing siren go off in the room. Over the siren, Ms. Lance tells them to leave their things and follow her to the football field.
Artemis sighs and crumbles up the paper as she rises with the rest of the class.
Fire drills at Happy Harbor High are most aptly described as feats of organized chaos. The halls fill to the brim with students trying to stay with their classes (and those trying to pull fast ones over their teachers by joining another class). By the time everyone reaches the football field, there are at least six people mixed in with classes they shouldn't be, eight kids getting yelled at to stay in their lines, and one class with a sub who thought it was a technical issue with the alarms who didn't come outside at all.
"I guess we can talk now instead," Wally says, after Ms. Lance tells them to sit down on the field and wait for the rest of the school to get their act together.
"I guess," Artemis says, stretching her legs out over the cool grass. The feeling of the sun on her skin counters the chill that sets in this time of year.
"Conner came to my house last night." Wally plucks a piece of grass and rips it into small strips as he talks. "He said Megan took off towards your place after they... talked. I assume I wasn't the only one to get woken up today."
"You assume correctly," she says.
"So what'd she say?" he too casually asks.
Artemis sends him a level stare.
He shrugs. "It was worth a shot. Conner hasn't missed a day of school since fifth grade, so he's taking it harder than I thought."
Artemis weaves her fingers in the unkempt patch of grass near her side. "It sucks."
"Yeah," Wally sighs dramatically. "It's not like any of it was on purpose."
Artemis purses her lips before nodding. "It's complicated."
Wally picks out another blade of grass before looking at her. "You know... if we could just-"
"Oh, no," she says, aiming to put an end to his bright idea. "We're not getting into that. Got it?"
"No, I don't got it." Wally shakes his head. There's a slight woosh. She wishes she didn't notice. "They don't need to be upset. If we could just get Megan, Conner, and Kara in the same place, they could all talk it out. Get the truth. Clear the air."
Artemis stays quiet as she crosses her legs and stares at the lone cloud in the sky. He's right, and she knows it because that had been her plan on a smaller scale. The issues weren't limited to Megan, Conner, and Kara. Mareena, Karen, and the rest of the team were part of the mess. Artemis look back at Wally and he sits up straighter.
"Am I wrong?" he asks.
"Yes," she answers, already regretting where this is going, "but not for the reason you think."
"Explain, Wise One."
"They're not the only ones who need to talk. My friends are in-fighting over it. I was already planning to intervene tomorrow, but I think I just thought of a way to expand that intervention."
"And that is?"
"It might be better if you don't know all the details. You'd just have to get Conner and Kara to go to Megan's party Saturday."
"What?" Wally asks loudly. "The party? Do you seriously think Conner's going to want to be anywhere near that?"
"It'll sort itself out by then if all goes well tomorrow. And it will, because I'm not letting them start practice until they get over themselves."
"I don't know, Artemis," he sighs slowly.
"Oh, when you say get them together, it's a perfect plan, but when I say it, it's 'I don't know, Artemis'?" She rolls her eyes.
"I'm just saying- getting Conner to go is going to be harder than a Herculean task."
Artemis fakes looking at her non-existent watch. "Then you'd better start today. The party starts at six o'clock sharp."
"Party, you say?" An eavesdropping weasel speaks up from the next line over.
Artemis doesn't have to turn around to know who it is. She only turns around to send him a warning.
"No. No party. And even if there were a party, you wouldn't be invited," she clips icily.
Cameron rolls his eyes and scoots out of his line to get closer. He plops his feet in between Artemis and Wally.
"If you're talking about the Morse party, then I'm so there."
"No, you're not."
"Half the school is going."
"And you're in the half that isn't," Artemis says, throwing a clump of grass at his face. "Beat it, Cameron."
"Only for you, Crock," Cameron goads, moving his hand in a motion that better be simulating a shakeweight unless he wants to get a face full of fist.
Before Artemis can raise her fist, Wally puts a hand on her arm.
"Don't. He's not worth the detention," he whispers, nodding towards Mr. Gardner as the man makes his way through their now distinctly uneven lines to force some semblance of order.
Cameron is forced to scoot back to his line, but Artemis mouths a quick 'fuck you' to him as soon as the teacher passes.
The rage inside her dies down as she turns back to Wally. Her eyes flicker to the hand that's still on her arm and she blames the warmth in her cheeks on the sun. It's too bright.
She pulls her arm away to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "So, are you in?"
"I'm in," Wally nods. "I can't stand seeing one of my best buds like that."
"Me either."
When the all clear is given, Ms. Lance has them stand and wait for most of the other students to get back to their classes to avoid another hallway traffic jam (and losing anymore students).
Cameron turns around to give Artemis one last smirk before standing up to leave with his class.
Artemis crosses her arms and releases an angry sigh.
"It's alright," Wally quietly assures her, leaning over so only she can hear. "I tied his shoelaces together while you were talking."
Watching Cameron faceplant into the grass is the saving grace of an otherwise terrible day.