I'm Fine (An Arrow Fanfiction)

Chapter Sixteen

Oliver rushed to his room to change into an suit and tie. He looked into the mirror in the bathroom, practicing his professionally removed expression. It was tougher to pull off when his head was pounding and his eyelashes felt as though they had weights on them, but he knew that he had to pull it together or it would be all over Starling City's media that Oliver Queen was sick.

Though he had gotten used to the lack of privacy, it had always made him angry when there was something like health or relationships that was in magazines or TV. For one thing, Oliver didn't want the whole city to know when he or his family had a cold. Hell, he didn't even want to admit it to his friends. And another: who cares?

Oliver winced as his breath caught and he attempted to conceal a thick cough. He decided to grab a few tissues before rushing to the room where the party was being held. As he walked in, Thea caught sight of him.

"Hey, Ollie," she said, walking over and reaching up to give him a light hug.

"Hey, Thea," he replied with a half-smile.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Um, yeah. I'm great."

"Mmhmm," Thea said with sarcastic agreement. "So if you're feeling so 'great,' then why do you sound like a dying-"

"Thea, please, gimme a break. I've got a head-cold, it's not like I have pneumonia." And after a second of silence, he asked, "Do I really sound that bad?"

"Pretty much. Just stand there and look pretty, you'll be fine."

"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically. "Good thing I don't have to speak today." Oliver took a deep breath, but it caught, forcing him to cough again. Thea rested her hand on his shoulder blade, glancing around, hoping no-one noticed him. She knew how much he disliked when it was publicly known that he wasn't feeling well.

"Do you need a cough drop? I have a few in my purse," she trailed off, searching her purse for one.

Oliver swallowed painfully. "Thanks," he said, popping the candy into his mouth.

"No problem. I hope you feel better, Ollie," she said, pulling backwards and turning back to the man she had been talking to.

As she backed away, Oliver noticed her very showy dress. It had a v-neck that went down to nearly the bottom of her ribs. Though he'd been back for quite a while, he was not quite used to his little sister being so grown up. He especially didn't like when she dressed that way. In his mind, she was still kind of the sweet and innocent fourteen-year-old he had left over five years ago.

"Hey, Oliver!" He spun around to face his friend, Tommy.

"Tommy!" He said giving him a handshake. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Yeah, and I thought you weren't gonna make it."

"Oh, you know I'm always late," Oliver said, sniffing.

"You got that right, it started over an hour ago."

Just then, Laurel came over and put her hand on Tommy's arm. "Oh, hi, Oliver."

"Hello, Laurel." Oliver bit his lip as he saw Laurel's familiar fingers wrap around his best friend's bicep. It still felt wrong that it was Tommy rather than himself who was with Laurel. It felt almost unnatural to see her with someone else; it would take time to get used to. But he was also happy for his friends. He knew that he couldn't go back, yet he still hadn't quite let her go.

There was another woman . . . but that was unthinkable.

"How are you?" Oliver questioned politely.

"I'm good," she replied, pulling her long, wavy hair over her shoulder.

"How about you, Oliver? Your voice sounds a little off," Tommy noted.

"Yeah, are you sick, Ollie?"

Oliver flinched at the name. Laurel shouldn't call him that anymore. The name on her lips brought back memories he would rather not call to mind.

"I'm fine, guys," he said, but as if to point out his lie, his nose started to itch. "Just a second," he managed, turning to his left and sneezing into one of the tissues he had in his pocket. "Sorry," he muttered. He rubbed his nose, trying to relieve the tickle.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Tommy asked, suspiciously.

"It's just allergies." The second he finished speaking, he sneezed again, this time into his elbow.

"It's not allergy season," Tommy retorted.

"Tommy," Oliver complained. "I'm okay, really."

"Why don't you just admit that you have a cold? It's not the end of the world."

"Tommy!" Laurel chastised. "Give him a break."

"I agree with Laurel." Oliver sniffed and coughed a little. "Give me a break." He coughed again and his voice went out. "I'll be right back back," he managed to choke and headed for the restroom, leaving Tommy and Laurel to stay and worry.