Author Note: I am an idiot, and nearly missed a golden opportunity with the matchmaker kids. As of Feb 16th, those names in part 1 have been replaced with canon characters.
Laurel had mostly forgotten about her awkward visit to the school auditorium. She'd been plenty busy, between work, her Little Sisters, and now spending time with her mom, who was in town for a few days. She'd been so busy, she'd almost forgotten that her birthday was coming up.
"Wake up, honey!" Her mom was shaking her awake.
Laurel had fallen asleep on her dad's couch. Last night, the three of them had stayed up late, catching up. Since it was the weekend, she'd decided to take up his offer to crash there instead of driving home. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Where's dad?"
"He left for work hours ago! Get up, I'll take you out for lunch."
She flopped back down. "Ugh, no. I don't have any clean clothes, and I haven't showered."
"You look fine," her mother insisted. "But if you're that bothered, let's get takeout. Come on, my treat."
Before she knew it, they were in line at the Chinese buffet her mother had spotted. Laurel was praying they could get in and out before she saw anyone she knew.
"That will be ready in ten minutes," the girl behind the register told them with a smile. "You can wait over there."
Laurel chose the seat furthest from the door, and tried to blend in with the wallpaper. Soon she heard a commotion, and glanced over toward the register. A large group of teenagers were filing in, several of whom she recognized. Sara spotted her at the same time, and waved. Laurel waved back, wondering what they were all doing together, out for lunch on a Saturday. Her heart jumped into her chest as she saw Ms. Smoak in the group. Laurel hunched down, mortified, but the other woman didn't seem to have noticed her.
Her mother glanced over. "Who are they?"
"Some of the kids I volunteer with. And that's one of their teachers."
Narrowing her eyes, she leaned closer. "The one who likes you?"
Laurel felt her face get hot. "Be quiet."
"Hmm." Her mother studied the group, a smile pulling at her lips. "She's pretty. Responsible, obviously. Good with kids, that's a plus."
"Mom, please," Laurel begged.
The group went on inside the restaurant to be seated, and Laurel relaxed just a bit. She felt a tiny bit better when she saw that Ms. Smoak was dressed down as well. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt, bike pants, and running shoes. Laurel bit back a smile. Ms. Smoak looked adorable.
Soon their order was ready, and Laurel followed her mother up to the register. Thea peeked around the partition and waved. "Hey," she whispered loudly.
Laurel smiled. "What are you guys up to? Get over here." She got her mother's attention. "Mom, this is Thea." Her mother smiled warmly as the girl came to stand beside them.
Thea was her usual bubbly self. "Hi Laurel's mom. We did a car wash this morning, to get money for costumes for the play. But nobody came, so Ms. Smoak said she'd buy us lunch. What are you doing here?"
Her mother answered for her. "Tomorrow is Laurel's birthday, so I'm treating her."
Thea's eyes grew wide. "Your birthday! We have to do something! Hang on." She disappeared around the partition again.
Laurel's mother put her wallet back in her purse. "What is she up to?"
"No idea," she answered. "We should be afraid."
The girl came back, practically buzzing with excitement. She handed Laurel a napkin. "Give me your phone number."
She took a pen from the counter. "Why? I thought you had my number."
"Not for me, for Ms. Smoak."
Laurel froze. "What for?"
"So she can take you out for your birthday, duh!"
"Uh, Thea?" Laurel's heart was in her throat. "Did she ask for my number, or was this your idea?"
Thea put a hand on her hip. "Of course she wants your number. You guys are just stupid and need my help."
Laurel looked to her mother for help, but got an amused shrug in response. "Fine," she grabbed the napkin. "It's a nice try, Thea, but she's not going to call me." She paused for a second, then wrote down the number for her dad's apartment, since that's where she would be for the rest of the weekend.
Thea took the napkin with a smug grin. "You'll see."
Once then had their takeout, Laurel convinced her mother to take her by her apartment for a change of clothes. They spread the food across the coffee table, and chatted while they ate. Then Laurel got a shower, dried her hair, and grabbed some things to take to her dad's. Her mother insisted on a quick trip to the grocery store next.
When they finally got back to her dad's place, it was late in the afternoon. Laurel's mother unloaded the groceries. "Honey, there's a message on the machine, would you check it?"
Distracted, Laurel pushed the button, and started to walk away. The machine beeped and began to play back the message. "Hi, um… my name is Felicity, I might have the wrong number…" Laurel stopped in her tracks. The woman's voice sounded very familiar, but the name did not ring any bells. "I'm actually calling for Laurel. If you could please tell her that I called, and uh… if she could call me back, that would be nice. If she wants to. Sorry if this is a mistake. Um… thanks." The recording beeped at the end, and Laurel stared at the machine in confusion.
"Was that the teacher from earlier?" her mother wondered.
Laurel was still in shock. "Her name is Felicity?"
"Pretty name. Are you going to call her back?"
Her eyes grew wide. "I will. Yes. I'm going to."
"What are you waiting for?" Her mother handed her the receiver.
"Aren't you supposed to wait or something? How long should I wait?"
"She didn't wait long to call you."
Laurel frowned. Her mother was right. "Alright then." She took the phone, and retreated to the other room. She paced, trying to remember how to breathe, as she found the number in the caller ID and pushed the button to dial. It rang twice.
"Hello?"
Laurel's stomach flipped. "Hi, is this…" she almost said Ms. Smoak, "Felicity?"
"Yes, hi."
"This is Laurel."
"Hi." Felicity's smile was practically audible. "I wasn't sure if I would hear from you."
"Really? Why?" Laurel suddenly felt anxious.
Felicity giggled nervously. "Honestly… I was afraid you gave Thea a fake number."
"What! Why would you think that?"
"The message," she explained. Then she made her voice deeper as she imitated the recording. "You have reached Sergeant Lance of the Starling City P.D."
Laurel's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, I am so sorry." She put her hand over her eyes. "That's my dad. I'm staying at his apartment while my mom is in town. I didn't even think!"
"No, it's fine, really. I'm just relieved that you called." She paused. "So… Thea told me you don't have a date for your birthday."
"She is unbelievable," Laurel grinned. Then she thought of something. "Wait, you thought I gave you a wrong number on purpose, and you left a message anyway?"
Felicity laughed. "I know, it's crazy. I had to give it a shot, though."
"Crazy." She couldn't stop smiling. "And kind of sweet."
When they finally hung up, three hours had passed.