The song for this chapter is Kings of Leon - Use Somebody

IRIS' POV:

I woke up with an immediate pain in my side. I curled up in my bed, the sheets tangled around my legs. My phone rang from under my pillow. Eddie's face popped up on the screen. Great.

"Hello," I answered.

"Iris, are you okay?"

"Yeah, never better." I lied. "What's up?"

He sighed. "Well, you were supposed to meet me for lunch and it's going on one in the afternoon."

My eyes looked at the time on my phone. Holy crap. I must've needed the rest. Last night was pretty eventful. The kiss popped into my mind.

"Crap. I'll meet you somewhere."

"If it's easier, I could come meet you?"

My lips pursed at the idea. "Actually, that'll be great."

"I'll bring your favorite."

"Thanks. See you in a bit."

I hung up and jumped in the shower and got dressed just in time to hear the doorbell ring.

"Hey," I opened the door.

He held a big greasy bag. "I thought we could eat on the porch." A week grin on his face.

This wasn't odd, but both really liked the cold.

"Sure." I grabbed my coat from the stand by the door.

We sat on the bench.

"I just-" We both started after an awkward silence.

He smiled. "You go first."

I shook my head. "No, you go."

He sighed. He handed me a slice of pepperoni and bacon pizza, well done.

"I've grown to care about you a lot in the two months we've been dating and I know you care about me in some capacity, but-"

"Eddie-"

"Please, let me finish."

I nodded.

"But I don't think I can do this anymore, Iris. The way you used to look at me before we started dating...that's what made me see you. You haven't looked at me that way since Barry came back into your life. He's all you see."

"You're breaking up with me because of the way I look at Barry?"

His forehead creased. "No. I'm ending this because you don't know what you want, Iris. And that's okay. But I'm not going to be you boyfriend on a cautionary basis. You don't love me, not like you love Barry. I know it. Joe knows it. You know it. And Barry knows it."

Tears sprung to my eyes, surprising me. I'd come to appreciate Eddie a lot. Yeah, he was right. I had been using him, but we still bonded in those two months. "You must think the worst of me." My head hung.

He took my hand in his and squeezed. "I don't. You are an amazingly strong, independent woman. I guess you'd have to be with Joe as a father."

I snorted a laugh. I looked at him. "Saying sorry has lost its use, but I am. I should've broken this off a long time ago, Eddie. I just..."

"Wanted someone to keep you company. I get it. I've done it myself, not proud of it, but I get it. It's not easy losing someone you care about. That's why I tried to hold onto us as long as I could, but seeing you two yesterday was the wake-up call that I needed."

"Maybe we could still be friends?" I offered a weak smile.

He nodded. "Being that I'm your dad's partner, I don't think we have much of a choice." He teased.

I laughed. "Don't sound too excited about it."

He took a bite of his pizza. "Of course, I want to be friends. I'm just not so sure Barry wants us to be friends. You are going to start seeing him, aren't you? Isn't that what you wanted to tell me?"

Honestly, I should've told him about the kiss, but there really was no need now. It would do more harm than good.

"You were right about me not knowing what I want. Being that I'm officially single, I plan to stay that way. At least, until I get my shit together."

He raised a hand in the air and bowed his head. "Amen, sister."

The thing I liked most about Eddie was that he was really goofy when he wanted to make you laugh. We'd spend hours laughing at stupid things over the months. It wasn't just us making out and passing the time. I was glad he and I could be friends. He may not be as important as Barry, but he was still apart of my life.

He held his hand out to shake.

I pulled him in for a hug. "You're going to find someone great. I know it."

"I already have. You."

I pulled away. "Huh?"

He gave me a weird look. "What?"

"Didn't you say something?"

He shook his head. "No. Not a thing."

My lips pursed. "Okay." I started back on the pizza. "Thanks for being so understanding."

He gave a tight smile.

When we finished I walked him to his car.

"I think my dad knows about us." I leaned down on his window, forgetting about my side. I refrained from crying out.

"You might be right. Either way, he invited me to your Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night." He started his car.

"Because that won't be awkward."

He laughed. "I won't make it awkward if you don't."

"You've got yourself a deal."

My spidey senses tingled. I looked around to find Barry's truck at the end of the street headed our way. He pulled into his parking lot. When he got out he looked our way before leaning against his truck with his arms folded across his chest as he waited for me.

"I guess that's my queue to leave."

I gave Eddie a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek. He turned to capture my mouth and it felt all sorts of wrong. I pulled away.

"Um, goodbye kiss." He flushed. "Sorry." He pulled off.

I stared after him for a moment before walking over to Barry's truck.

His eyes scanned my entire body, making every nerve hyper aware of his existence.

"I'm a free woman now." My thumbs in my jean pockets.

"Didn't seem that way when he kissed you."

I took in his broad chest in that navy blue sweater. My eyes trailed up to his muscular neck, to his stubbly jaw, and sexy lips that were in that pany-soaking smirk.

"You were the one that told me I couldn't look at you the way you're looking at me."

I met his eyes. "Well, I say a lot of things."

His long fingers wrapped around my belt loops and pulled me against his warm and hard body. Desire in his eyes. "Does that mean you're not swearing off boys?"

"No, I'm still doing a boy cleanse."

"Good thing I'm not a boy." He leaned down, his mouth an inch from mine. He grinned as I leaned up involuntarily. I wanted to ask him what he was waiting for, but then he said, "I'm not going to kiss you until you ask me to."

I whimpered, which made him laugh. "You evil son of bitch."

He leaned against the truck. letting me go. "You said you were on a cleanse."

I gave him the stink eye. "I hate you." I turned away to walk back to my house all hot and flustered.

"Remember, Flower. All you have to do is ask."

My middle finger stuck up in the air as I opened the door.

"What?" I demanded as I flopped down on Caitlin's bed. "You can't be serious?"

She covered her good hand over her face, the other in a cast and sling. "I know, it's totally terrible."

My eyes widened as I looked down at the sheets. "Ew. Did you wash them?"

She gave me a look. "It wasn't on the bed."

I bursted out in laughter. "You slut. Where then?"

She pointed to specific places. "The kitchen counter, the bathroom, and the window sill." She struggled not to laugh. "Oh, God. I can't stop thinking about it. I mean, believe me. I thought I was a lesbian times ten. But we'd been drinking and it sort of happened." She pouted. "Amy found us this morning and it was really bad. She moved out. I mean, Ronnie's here all the time. She saw it before I did."

I reached for her hand. "Oh, honey." I pulled her to me like she did when Barry and I had that huge fight. "Cry into the titties."

She laughed as tears trickled down my chest. "I really messed everything up."

I had to ask.

"Do you have feelings for Ronnie?"

She stilled, then looked up at me with sad eyes. "Honestly, I don't know." She laid her head back down. "Can you just stay here for a while?"

I nodded, knowing my dad would be expecting me to be at the house when he got off. Screw it. I was already grounded. I needed to be here for my friend. She was always there when I spilled my guts. Friendship came at a price and obviously pain because she was laying on my bruised side.

I wanted to tell her that I had broke up with Eddie and that The Flash kissed me, but right now wasn't about me. Another time.

"What's he like?" She asked after awhile in thought provoking silence.

"Heroic."

"Well, duh. Give me the juicy stuff. He seems to like you."

I waved it off. "I don't know about that." My mouth tingled at the memory. I closed my eyes. His hands on my body, his face against mine, the stubble rubbed against my skin roughly. My eyes flew open. Stubble. Maybe I should just ask Barry if he was The Flash. All these little clues kept pointing to him being The Flash. The static shock, the same electric charge in the air whenever they were present, the secrets, how The Flash knew my name or where I lived at, his voice. How I felt like The Flash knew me more than he was letting on.

My hand wiped at the wetness in the corner of my eye. He lied to me all this time. He's been living this double life and I didn't want to admit it that it could be true. He disappeared around the same time as The Flash and they both came back to Central City the night I was held hostage in the high school.

I blew out a breath. Now I knew why he tried to push me away, why The Flash wanted me to stop writing about him so bad. Why he couldn't help me find Barry. God, I told Barry my password was TheFlashIsHot95, he probably thinks I'm a total fangirl! My cheeks flamed. I really wanted to go see him and just ask him, but I promised Caitlin I'd stay.

When I left her apartment, I knew I was in a world of trouble because my dad called a few times and I didn't pick up. What was a few more minutes at Barry's? I let some anger fester and now I was going to open up a can of batshit crazy on his ass.

The last thing I expected to see was red and blue sirens flashing in front of his house. Heartache filled me and I didn't know where it came from. I didn't even know what happened, but it couldn't be good. I ran past the yellow tapes and crowds of people to find Barry sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around him. My dad and Eddie were standing near him as people stood in blue gloves and black police jackets scoped the house. A white sheet covered what I thought to be a body in the kitchen.

"What happened?"

Barry looked up at me with tears in his eyes and his whole demeanor crumbled. "My dad was murdered."

I went to him, still in shock. He pulled me to him. His body shook as he crushed me into a bear hug. I only ever heard him cry like this when he found out his mom died. Now he was an orphan. My eyes looked to my dad, to Eddie.

"How did this happen?"

Tears welled in my eyes as I rubbed Barry's back. His tears had went through my shirt. I didn't know how I was holding it together. My eyes went back to the white sheet. The thing about death was that it always caught you off guard. It happened to the people that meant the most to you. I know Barry and Henry didn't have the best relationship, but I think Henry getting Barry back was an eye opener. Now Barry couldn't ever have that relationship he wanted with his dad.

I leaned my head on top of his as I tried to stay calm.

After the corner took the body and everyone had shuffled out the house felt empty and void. Eddie and my dad were talking about who know's what on the porch. Barry hadn't said anything since he told me his dad was murdered. I just stayed there in his lap, not knowing what to say or do. All I could do was be there for him.

They came back inside.

"Barry," My dad said, he sat on the coffee table. "You're going to stay with us for a while. Okay?"

He nodded mechanically, his eyes swollen from crying.

There was a knock on the door. Eddie opened it to have Cisco and Linda come inside. When he saw her he practically moved me out the way and went to her. She held him tight.

It was incredibly insensitive to feel jealous right now, but that's what I felt seeing them together like that. Like a punch in the gut. She'd been there for him when I wasn't. In reality, she had a bigger claim on him than I did. They'd been friends longer, been friends through the hard stuff. They had this connection I would never know. I could see it in Cisco's eyes, too.

CISCO'S POV:

A year ago.

"Cisco, wait!" Linda called after me, but I wasn't stopping. "Please, let me explain."

I stopped in my tracks and turned on her. "Explain what? How you were kissing Drew in the boy's locker room? Barry will love that."

Her eyes hardened. "No, he's not. Because you're not going to tell him."

I scoffed. "And why not?"

"Because I know your secret."

My brow arched. "And what secret is that?"

"You're in love with me. Your best friend's girlfriend."

My eyes widened. How did she know?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She gave me a look. "Please. I see the way you look at me. I'll bet that Barry wouldn't like it either."

Sometimes I didn't know what I saw in her. She was really quite nice, really pretty. Smart. Down to earth. But other times she was cold hearted. The way she'd give Barry the cold shoulder when he didn't give her what she wanted. Now she was blackmailing me.

"You'd really do that to him? You'd ruin our friendship to keep him in the dark? Why? Obviously, you're into other people."

Some of the evil left her eyes. "I'm not proud of what you just saw. We all have our weaknesses."

"And you're using mine against me. Telling him about you is almost worth losing him as a friend."

She stepped closer. "Come on, Cisco. You don't want to see him hurt anymore than I do."

Now that we could agree on.

I huffed. "Be more careful next time. I don't want him hearing rumors."

She nodded and gave me a relieved half grin. "Thank you."

"Just so we're clear," I took a step forward. "If you really hurt Barry, you're reputation will be the last of your worries."

Her eyes widened as swallowed the lump in her throat. She walked away.