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No one throws a party like Tommy Merlyn throws a party, and she’s reclined to say that. It doesn’t matter if he’s home for the summer with nothing to do, or starting his first semester at Stanford the next week, he’ll find a reason to throw a party. She’s in her last year of high school, the first week already going by smoothly, and already she’s started the committee of welcoming in the new freshman that are going to attend Wayne Preparatory.
Suffice to say, because she is Dinah Laurel Lance, she gets stuff done.
So when Tommy called her from Stanford and asked if she threw the first ‘Welcome Back to School’ bash yet, she shakes her head no and tells him so into the phone. He replies that he’s disappointed and he didn’t leave his title to her for nothing. He demands she throw a party and she retorts back that she’s not having it in her little family town home.
He offers up his empty mansion and he’ll take care of the rest. All she has to do is put her name to it. Reluctantly, she resigns and that’s how she found herself in this mess of a rowdy party. It’s Tommy’s house, but she still cares if things get damaged when people are around, so she’s going back and forth, trying to get people to put down that priceless Ming vase that Mr. Merlyn has in his office and close that door. He might not be around much, but Mr. Merlyn is more than scary enough as it is.
Still, she’s having a good time, drinking a few glasses of beer here and there and steadying herself, sure. Laurel wants to have a keen eye open to spot anything of course; but she’s still resigned to having fun, having a few dances with her friends, and laughing with her sister Sara about this moment.
As a part of the committee, she opened the party up to freshman. She told herself it was because she wanted them to see what they were getting themselves into, wanting them to fit in better and transition into high school smoothly, but it was a ploy by her own sister (a freshman too) to get her and her friends to come. Laurel can’t ever say no to Sara and relented then.
So she’s eyeing the group that her sister brought with her and recognizes some of them. Most of them have been friends with each other since first grade and she’s thankful that her sister is able to keep friends like that. She recognizes Barry Allen, Felicity Smoak, Caitlin Snow, and Cisco Ramon in the ranks and she gives them all a wave and a smile before leaving them alone to mingle with everyone else.
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It’s not long after that situation that mostly everyone made it out to the pool deck and the backyard to be able to get some air. Laurel’s already wanted to keep the pool deck closed because she didn’t really want to deal with accidental swimming, but what’s one 17 year old girl to a mass of teenagers? As long as no one’s drowning or pees in the pool, everything will be okay. She’s still making rounds as she goes, red solo cup in her hand that she hasn’t put down since she’s gotten it (and she told her sister to do the same) and only stops in the kitchen to see the chefs if the food is alright.
She doesn’t expect to see one of her sister’s friends in here by himself.
“Cisco”, she offers out to the 14 year old on the stool, hand going to his back in order to be able to steady herself and catch her breath. “You doing okay? What’s going on?”
He shrugs his shoulders and turns in his seat, and that’s when she lets out a laugh at his graphic t-shirt. Cisco’s always has the best ones and she tells him so every single time he comes over to study with Sara. “Caitlin had a little bit too much to drink”, he tells her and then points his thumb to the chef. “So we’re getting her food to sober her up and settle her stomach. Which is weird, because she was talking to this guy and put down her drink. It’s only her first one.”
And a small twinge of guilt passes through her before she hands him a key from her pocket. “Third floor, first door on your right. It’s a guest room--I kinda locked all of the doors up there just in case. You get her in that room and you guys keep her safe, alright? Tell her to drink lots of water--and if anything, call me, alright?”
There’s a wide smile on his lips when he takes the key, brown eyes looking at her with adoration and he nods while the chef hands him a plate of food. “Thanks Laurel”, he tells her and she, being a little tipsy and a bit mischievous in nature, gives him a wink and touches his nose with her index finger. “Go on, go help your friend.”
And he leaves quickly to do so while she drops her cup into the trash and picks up a bottle of water.
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Two hours later, Laurel’s sober enough to start cleaning up and say goodbye to a couple of people that managed to leave early, but it’s when she heads back out to the pool deck that she notices a crowd that shouldn’t be there.
“Help! He’s drowning”, is all that she hears before she drops the bag of trash on the side of the deck and runs towards the crowd. It’s stupid that no one’s jumped in to save him, probably because they’re too drunk to function, and she’s the one that ends up leaping into Tommy Merlyn’s pool and pulling drowning guy out.
Drowning guy happens to be Cisco Ramon.
“Cisco”, she says as she lays him down onto the deck, face up, and she remembers what health class taught her to do. She tilts his head up slightly, and starts chest compression. Her hair’s all wild, wet and she’s yelling for someone to call for assistance before she bends down to his face.
Her lips touch his and though she tells herself that she’s breathing for him, stupid drunken idiots start catcalling and she growls out. It’s a long five seconds before Cisco starts coughing up water and she’s letting out a small, excited laugh out of joy that he’s okay and she’s helped him. “Oh my god”, she says then, wrapping her arms around his head while he tires sitting up and laying him against her chest. “What the hell happened, Cisco?”
“I don’t remember. I was talking to the guy who drugged Caitlin and the next thing I knew, you’re kissing me.”
She lets out a small scoff, catching everyone’s eyes in the room, and yelling at them to get out. The party was officially over and she can’t deal with any more life or death situations at this point. The only people that say are she, Sara, Barry, Felicity, and Caitlin--who all are sleeping soundly in that guest room she gave them earlier.
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She’s still cleaning up, well, helping the wait staff clean up, when Cisco comes down from the stairs on the side. Laurel’s still dressed in that same dress she had on at the party, but at least it’s dry enough to move in. She knows it’s ruined, as well as her make up and her hair’s a mess; but it’s nothing compared to the look of sorrow on Cisco’s face when he looks at her.
“What’s wrong”, she asks of him and he shrugs his shoulders. “I kind of”, she hears him speak, remorse in his tone of voice and she can’t help but think that he looks like a forlorn puppy, something that she just wants to wrap her arms around and tell that everything’s going to be fine no matter what the issue is. But she gives him a small smile, a sign of encouragement for him to continue, but it’s what comes out of his mouth that shocks her the most.
“I’m sorry that I ruined your party, Laurel.”
She sighs, dropping the bag she has in her hands and sits down on the ottoman in the room. She motions with one finger for him to sit down beside her, patting the seat before moving her hand for him to do so. “You didn’t ruin my party”, she tells him, her tone of voice light. “Caitlin being drugged should have been a sign for me to start kicking people out who were stupid, but I was too drunk at the time. What a way to kick you guys into high school, huh?”
They laugh, a chuckle out of him and a small giggle out of her before she bumps his shoulder playfully. “It’s none of your faults, alright? And really, it’s not really a party until someone almost dies--that’s what Tommy used to tell me and I never really got it until now.”
It’s an easy silence they fall to now, she shifting her bag in her hands and he just looking at the floor. It’s contemplative, like he wants to ask her something again, and she lays a hand on his back to rub it gently. “So”, he starts on and she gives him another smile. “You think mouth to mouth resuscitation counts as a first kiss?”
That’s when Laurel stops her movements and turns her head to face Cisco fully. Immediately, a wave of emotions wash over her, and soon she could feel herself slowly rolling down a hill of feelings. At first, she’s amused that Cisco would think of it as such, but then she looks at him, really looks at him, and finds herself smiling, not out of amusement, but out of adoration.
Cisco Ramon is an adorable little thing and she’s glad she’s taken the time to realize it now.
“No”, she tells him softly, a small eyebrow of a raise and a hint of flirtation to her tone of voice. “I don’t think it counts. Your first kiss should be memorable, and mouth to mouth resuscitation is memorable, but I think you should be at least conscious during it”, she continues on and he half smiles while she bumps his shoulder again.
“Damn”, he starts out. “I was really hoping to tell the guys that my first kiss was with the Laurel Lance.”
Laurel scrunches her face, wondering how in the world would a kiss from her would seem so special, but it’s the look on his face that answers it for her. Hers soften, of course, but she brings her free hand back to his chin to tilt his face towards her. “Well,” she starts out. “I don’t want you to be seen as a liar.”
That’s when she just does it, barely touches her lips to his for a moment before giving him a proper kiss. It lasts all of five seconds, but both of their eyes close to put the moment to memory, and the mirrored smiles on both them are a perfect ending to a night of excitement.