Within Seconds // Barry Allen

Things You Can't Outrun

Parker, in simple terms, wallowed. By being indecisive about her feelings towards Barry, she was starting small feuds between her friends. It frustrated her to no end. 

She spent the entire weekend shoveling ice cream into her mouth. She watched soppy love stories, desperate for one of them to send her a sign about what to do. At long last, Parker wished her Prince Charming would just pop up and tell her they were meant to be. She wanted love to be that easy. 

Parker tried avoiding Iris for as long as possible. She didn't want to bother her friend, especially when she knew Eddie and Iris were going to be together the whole weekend. Droning on about her problems seemed petty. 

The feeling remained, until Parker ordered pizza and they delivered the wrong order to her house, prompting her to wait another hour while the place made the pizza she originally ordered. That crossed the line. She broke down and called Iris. 

"Did you honestly call me to cry about pizza?" asked Iris. 

"Well, yes, but I also called about Barry."

"Eddie, get away from me this instant, it's time for girl talk!" screamed Iris. "Talk, Parker, talk like you've never talked before!"

So, she did. Parker went onto explain the Barry dilemma. 

"But what if Barry's your Prince Charming? Love doesn't come to you with every relationship. You learn through trial and error. There's going to be heart break," Iris told her.

Parker groaned. "Forget boys. I'm getting an animal. Animals won't break my heart."

"Don't turn into that cat lady. Look, I have faith in this. Maybe it'll be rocky and bumpy at the beginning, but I think it's worth a chance. You never know unless you try."

"I know you're right, but I don't wanna agree," she sighed.

Iris laughed. "Park, listen, I can talk to him, if you want me to. Pry his eyes open, give him an informational course for women."

"He ran to you, Iris. I don't know if it's better for me to ask about it, or you," said Parker.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Eddie's being incredibly needy right now. I have to go, but, listen, if you need me, I'll blow off Eddie, okay?"

"Really?" 

"Probably not. Depends on the situation. Love you, bye!"

××××

Monday. Everyone hates Mondays. The period to rest is over; the preparation for the new week begins. 

Parker shuffled along the usual route to S.T.A.R. Labs. She was clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a grey pullover with 'Keystone' boldly shining across the chest. Her mood showed in the steep decline from what she normally wore.

Girls didn't turn her way to gaze after her outfit; boys didn't give her a second glance. She fell into the crowd, completely unnoticed. She probably came off as a careless youngster. In that time, that pretty much summed her up.

Parker was wiggling through the doors of the S.T.A.R. Labs lobby when her phone rang. It was an unknown number. 

"Hello?" asked Parker cautiously. 

"Hey, Parker, it's Eddie."

"Eddie who?"

"Uh... Thawne."