Arrow in My Heart // Green Arrow Fanfic

- 11. Polygraph -

I woke, not suddenly from the faux sensation of someone's hands around my neck, but slowly and naturally. Blinking my eyes at the ceiling, my lips lifted into a soft smile.

Finally. A good night's sleep.

Only the thought of a warm shower eventually coaxed me up from my crappy mattress. The crisp smell of the blue body wash helped spark my brain into activity. I put on my work clothes and poured myself a bowl of cornflakes.

I turned the TV on for the news as I ate.

"Here is a video taken only minutes ago of Oliver Queen coming to the courthouse for his trial." I almost spit my milk and cornflakes out onto the counter as the news feed switched.

Oliver had a smile on his face and even winked at the camera, but I knew it was a front.

He was stuck in a hard situation, and he was technically guilty as charged.

He had to be scared.

And that was the push my brain needed to let everything click into place.

Oliver's handwriting was too shaky to have written the cursive H, which meant he hadn't sent the flowers.

What kind of friend would I be if I trusted Helena's threats over how much Oliver cared about me?

I knew that he hadn't sent Helena to kill me. I knew that he most likely had a good reason for being the vigilante.

Not even bothering to bring my bowl to the sink, I took some Vicodin, grabbed my purse, and rushed out of the apartment.

I was not expecting to see a shirtless man. "Oh!" Extremely uncomfortable, I looked away.

"You must be our new neighbor!"

"So you're the one with The Great Gatsby?" I said in disbelief.

The man laughed. "No, that'd be my man Jason."

"That's me," said a voice from behind me. I turned to see this apparent Jason. A thin, lanky guy wearing a beanie, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt. "I'm an English major."

"An English major?" I searched for something to say. "That's...cool."

Jason laughed. "Thanks." His eyes literally twinkled as he looked me up and down, which probably made some girls melt, but I found myself annoyed.

"I need to go," I firmly stated before starting to back away from Jason and his shirtless roommate. "I'll, ummm, see you guys around."

I drove as quickly as I dared.

The courthouse parking lot was rather crowded, and I spotted multiple news vans taking up more spots than they needed to. I had to go across the street and park in the public library parking lot.

I crossed the street and scurried up the steps.

But one of the paparazzi stepped in front of me. "It's Eva Scott! Oliver Queen's date for the charity gala!" Cameras and microphones were shoved in my face, and questions bombarded me.

"Are you and Oliver Queen an item?!"

"How are you feeling about this whole situation?!"

"Is Oliver Queen really the Hood?!"

I had to master my facial expression at the last question.

Someone grabbed my upper arm, and immediately my stomach clenched in terror. But it was only Oliver's bodyguard pushing the paparazzi away and guiding me up the stairs into the courthouse.