Apologies for the short chapter, but I wanted to get this up before I headed to work, which I'm now late for. Hope yall enjoy. Thanks Purple-Jaxie for reviewing :) You're the best. The song for this chapter is Tove lo - Out Of Mind

BARRY'S POV:

I woke with a start. My eyes went to the clock by my bed. Shit. If Iris' loud and annoying music didn't wake me up then I'd still be sleeping. Running around the city and saving lives kind of made a man tired.

When I caught sight of Iris dancing around her room to Taylor Swift I couldn't help but chuckle. She was too cute for her own good. Ever the good girl with a little bite to her bark. When I practically kidnapped her after I finished my workout I know she considered knocking me out. I'd probably let her. She deserved to get more than a few licks in on me after the way I treated her in the last ten years.

Of course she had to be in the center of danger last night when I saved her from getting run over by that car that had no business being in the road. And of course I said her name. I was pretty smart when it came to science and math, but that didn't seem to translate over when it came to girls. In my defense, Iris West wasn't just some girl. She'd never be just some girl.

My phone buzzed on my way down the stairs.

"Morning, champ." My dad greeted, leaning on the counter.

I grinned at him. "Hey, I thought you had a big surgery today." I ignored the call.

"It was rushed through the night. I'm just getting in." He took a bite of a cream cheese bagel.

Of course. He was never home, but what else was new. I grew accustomed to his absence over the years and at this point him being here when I got him really didn't make a difference.

"Well," He started for the stairs. "I'm going to hit the sack. Good luck today, son."

"Thanks." I said without really meaning it.

My dad hardly ever came to my games, he was too busy. I stopped expecting him to. When I first picked soccer up it was to let go some of my anger about losing my mom and it worked, but then I thought if I could impress my dad he'd talk to me about what he was feeling, he'd be proud of me and we could be a family again.

I'm still waiting for that day.

My phone buzzed again on my way out the door. "Linda," I internally groaned. "Hey, babe."

"Barry, you really have some groveling to do after standing me up last night."

Guilt sprouted. "I know, babe. I lost track of time."

"And you couldn't call me instead of letting me look like an idiot at the restaurant for almost two hours?"

I couldn't exactly tell her I was busy running around the city saving people, which was really starting to put a strain on our relationship. She was no Iris West, but she was my first friend after I lost my mom. She was there for me when Iris wasn't and that meant a lot to me. I didn't know if us moving forward into a relationship was the best move, but I thought I owed her more. She'd been there when no one else had. And it's not like she's bad to look at.

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. Okay?"

"It's not going to be that easy."

I grinned. "I know. I'm on my way out the door. I'll see you soon. Bye."

She hung up.

I started my truck. My eyes went to the West house. I hated to admit that I missed it, missed being in their presence. I missed Iris. What do you do with something you want but can't have, you play with it. Not that it made how I treated her okay over the years, but she hurt me, so I lashed out.

I backed out of the driveway.

"Barry,"

I looked up to see Joe flagging me down. I parked on the side of the street. "Hey, Joe. What's up?"

He looked anxious. "I'm running late and Iris' car is in the shop. Would you mind taking her to school and driving her home?"

Joe being Joe, I couldn't say no. He'd been there when my dad hadn't. He'd always catch me when I tried to run away and let me sleep on his couch when I refused to go home. Iris didn't know about those times and I made Joe promise not to tell her. So I nodded.

"Not a problem."

Iris descended her driveway with an already pissed off look on her pouty lips. Like an angry kitten. "Dad, I told you I could walk."

He gave her a look. "Barry already said he'd take you."

She wouldn't meet my eyes. "Well, he doesn't have to."

"Nonsense, Flower. I'd be happy to take you."

Joe wasn't oblivious to our drift, so he knew asking me to do this would be a challenge and a half, but I was up to it.

She gave me a displeased grin before walking over to the passenger side. She buckled up without a glance my way.

I waved bye to Joe and we pulled off for school.

Iris was like the chocolate cake from Matilda and I was on a paleo diet. No matter how hard I tried to put her out of my mind she weaseled her way back in. She was the distractions of all distractions, the cravings of all cravings. More than often I'd find myself staring at her in the halls when I knew she wasn't looking. I'd have to make a cruel joke to my teammates. I knew I had to trash talk her so they'd leave her alone. Mostly I did because if I could convince myself she wasn't who I wanted her to be then I could get past what we used to be. It was either tease Iris West or fall for her.

Today her red short sleeved blouse showed off her creamy mocha skin, long lean legs folded across the other in her jean shorts. I had a jacket in the back that I wanted to drape over her too distracting legs.

"You don't have to drive me home." She muttered, looking out the window.

"And let you walk home looking like that? Joe would kill me."

She snapped her dark gaze to mine. "What's wrong with what I have on?"

"Nothing if you were going for a high-class hooker, you hit it on the head."

She surprised me by punching my arm. Hard. "Screw you, Barry."

I grinned. "Not that I wouldn't, Flower, but I know you're still in virgin territory and I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole."

She looked surprised that I knew. It wasn't hard to guess. There wasn't anything wrong with her, she was just determined and practically had a no boys minefield around her. Part of me liked that she was innocent. Well, my dick liked that she was innocent. It was arousing. She was arousing and she had no idea.

"You can be a real ass most of the time."

I cut my eye at her. "Don't act like you don't like it, Flower." I pulled on her brown straightened hair.

She flushed and smacked my hand away like yesterday. "Would you stop touching my hair and stop calling me that."

"And stop getting under your skin? No thanks." My eyes ran over her body so quickly she couldn't have noticed. "Besides if I didn't tease you we wouldn't ever talk."

She gave a mock smile that still stirred something in me. "Coincidentally, we don't have anything to talk about." She bit her lip as if to hold back something.

My eyes focused on those glossed lips that I wanted to bite myself. "You biting your lip is distracting, Iris."

Her eyes flashed to mine for a split second before going to the window. The attraction was there on her part, I could see it. It was definitely there last night when she practically eye raped me when I was The Flash. I really messed up when I said her name. She was a smart girl, but I didn't think she'd put that together. The Flash saying her name and I weren't a quick leap in anybody's eyes but Cisco's.

"If I was a hooker at least I'd have more money." She muttered as if I wasn't supposed to hear her.

I knew she worked at Jitters, a coffee shop downtown. Joe and her weren't struggling, but they weren't as well off as we were.

"Hey, I didn't mean that. You look really nice."

She scoffed as if my compliment didn't mean anything. "Coming from you that means the world, Allen."

Well, you couldn't say I didn't try.

"You know if you got that stick from your ass you might actually get the attention you want from guys." I slammed. She pissed me off as much as she distracted me.

Her pouty lips in a perfect O as she glared at me. I couldn't say I hadn't imagined her like that before. "At least I'm not a man whore."

The rumors around the school were that I had made my way through the student body twice. That was absurd. There were a few girls that I slept with that expected something more after they gave it up so easily. They spread the rumors. It didn't bother be any, but I knew Iris thought it to be true.

"You upset I haven't tried to sleep with you?"

Her jaw hardened and I braced for another punch, but it didn't come. She just turned forward and fumed in silence.

Great. I hated this between us. It was both our faults but there was no going back.

I parked the truck and she hopped out before I could apologize. I watched her head inside the school, knowing she was heading for the library. Linda was standing with her friends by another team mates car. I was about to head over when Cisco stepped in front of me.

"Dude, we have a problem."

"Yeah," We always had a problem.

"No seriously. There's a photo of you in the suit going around out there," He whispered. "And you're with Iris."

My attention snapped toward him. "Can you make out our faces?"

"Not yours, but hers is almost clear as day."

"What does that mean? No one really knows about me, really believes in me. Can't you take it down with your mad hacker skills?" I tried to make light of the situation.

We headed for the school.

"I tried, but it's out there." He insisted.

I huffed. "So what am I supposed to do about it?"

He shrugged. "You'll just have to keep a close eye on her."

Any closer and she'd report me for stalking.

"Fine. Just keep working on that photo."

He nodded as he headed for the student lounge. "On it."

I caught a glimpse of her as she entered the library. As if she could feel my gaze she turned. I took in her long legs and that red top really needed to cover more. She rolled her eyes before disappearing.

"This outta be easy."