Arrow In My Wild Heart

Poisoned Club

That night, Oliver picked me up at eight and we met Tommy at Poison. Tommy greeted me with open arms, glad I could hang out with them tonight. It was just like old times. Club music pounded loudly through the building as the bouncer removed the red rope to let us in. Tommy laughed, holding his arms out wide in triumph. "Oh my, this is gonna be killer," Tommy said, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "If Max Fuller sees me here, I agree," Oliver replied as we crossed into the club. "If you want to run a business, you've got to take a few risks," I pointed out to Oliver. My arm was linked with his and Tommy linked with my other arm. "I don't see your name on the list," I heard the bouncer say after we entered the club. "Mr. Queen," Oliver's body guard, Diggle, called out to him. "Oh!" Oliver said, spinning around to face the bouncer. "I have never seen this guy before in my life. Ever," Oliver told the bouncer who nodded in reply. Diggle glared at Oliver before we ditched him at the entrance. It really was just like old times.

We moved through the club to find everyone was dancing to the music. "Is that Laurel?" I asked, finding my sister's familiar face at the bar. "No way," Tommy said with a wide smile before heading over to her. Oliver and I followed with slight reluctance. I knew that Laurel would probably snap at me later about this. "Whoa! Doesn't you going out and having fun violate some king of law, you know, like the ones that are carved in a stone tablet?" Tommy asked her teasingly. She gave me a disapproving look before looking at Tommy with annoyance. "That's cute, Tommy," she told him sarcastically. "Thanks," Tommy replied. "I can see you two are up to your old hunting patterns. Did you drag Melanie along to help you find the easy ones?" she asked them with a glare. "Nope. Just seeing what passes for fun in Starling City after five years," Oliver replied with a small nod. "Ah. Well, I'm sure you'll find that it just hasn't been the same without you," Laurel snapped at him, flashing a fake smile.

"Big brother!" I heard Thea's familiar voice call out. A second later, she stood beside Oliver with a drunken smile on her face. Oliver sucked in his lips in faintly concealed anger. "Oh! I am so wasted right now," Thea told him, putting her hands on his shoulders to stop from swaying as badly as she was. "There is – there is two of you," she told him, pointing at the two Olivers she saw. "I thought you were grounded," Oliver said as Tommy, Laurel, and I turned towards the bar. "I am. And thank you – thank you for that, by the way," Thea said sarcastically. "You're done for the night," Oliver told her, his voice turning as serious as a heart attack. "Oh, what are you gonna do? Tell mom?" Thea asked him, knowing that telling her mother would do nothing.

"Thea! You are hanging with the wrong people," Oliver snapped at her. "You're one to talk. How much do you know about your own so-called friends over here?" Thea asked him. Her words made all of us turn around in confusion. Something bad was about to happen, I could tell. Laurel's face dropped and Tommy looked guilty. "Oh, Thea, maybe you shouldn't –" Tommy started to speak, only to have her cut him off. "Tommy... I think your BFF has a right to know," she told him with a nod. "Thea, let's go," Oliver insisted, trying to keep his cool right now. I saw the strain on his face. "Well, I guess they never told you that they've been screwing while you were gone," Thea told him tactlessly. Laurel looked down in guilt and Tommy glanced over at her while my mouth hung open. I couldn't believe that Thea knew, much less had the balls to tell Oliver. But she had changed in the last five years too.

"Look, man, I –" Tommy started, trying to explain himself. "Tommy..." Oliver said, cutting him off. "It's okay," Oliver told him, making my jaw drop closer to the floor and Tommy's face contort into surprise. "You and me, we're done for the night," Oliver snapped at Thea, gesturing between her and himself. He grabbed her arm and started to pull her away when she snatched her arm away from him. "Take your hands off of me. You're not my father. And you're barely my brother," she snapped at him before disappearing into the crowd. Oliver's eyes were distant as he let his sister's words sink in, guilt in his eyes.