Reality Check : : Barry Allen/The Flash

14

"Just a large latte thanks." I say to the girl at the register. She nods and types it into the machine, then I pay and she tells me to take a seat anywhere I'd like to.

I wheel myself over to the same spot I was in the other day and pull out Cara's laptop to start researching as I wait for my coffee. Robin is beside me, watching. The first thing I search up is my parents' death. I know it's morbid and I don't really want to be doing this, but something in that memory made me curious.

"Here's your latte." A big takeaway cup is placed next to the laptop just as I click on the first link Google gave me. "Do you mind if I sit?"

I look up and realise it's Iris. I keep forgetting that she still works here. I nod, not really wanting to talk but knowing that Cara is super polite and would never say no.

"How are you?" I ask, speaking quietly as if I lack confidence in social situations.

"I'm great. Listen, I actually really wanted to talk to you." Iris has that smile she only gets when she thinks she knows something that nobody else does. I've seen it countless times when she's talking about the Flash.

"Yeah?"

"Well first off, I just wanted to apologise for the way I acted with you and Barry the other day; you were only expressing your opinion and I shouldn't have expected you to agree with me." Iris says. I smile slightly.

"It's okay; I shouldn't have said your idea was insane." I apologise as well, and she smiles.

"I'm glad we cleared that up. The thing I actually wanted to talk to you about was this." She slides a book over to me. "I thought you looked familiar, and your name definitely rang a bell, so I looked you up and found out that we used to go to school together. Carmichael Elementary."

What? Seriously? Alternate me went to school with Barry Allen and Iris West? Oh god. Contain the feels. Contain the feels.

Iris grabs the book and turns it to a marked page, pointing to a group photo where little versions of Cara, Iris and Barry are all clearly visible.

"Wow. I barely remember that." I say, examining the picture closely. The truth is, I don't remember it at all because that's not me.

Soon enough, a series of images flash through my mind quickly, and suddenly I remember a lot more things that have never happened to me.

"We used to play hide and seek together all the time." Iris is grinning from ear to ear, and now I know exactly what she's talking about.

"Yeah, and Barry would always hide in the library or the boys' toilets." I chuckle. It's weird feeling like I've known someone for so many years and yet being acutely aware that I only met them a little over a week ago.

"He never grew out of that." Iris laughs. "I wanna show this to Barry too, but he's been busy all day. I think he's taking a walk with his girlfriend from Starling. Felicia Smoak or something."

"It's Felicity." I correct without thinking. Iris raises an eyebrow at me.

"You know her?" She asks. Think fast, Elise.

"Only by reputation. She works with that Oliver Queen guy at Queen Consolidated." I say hastily. Iris nods, apparently unaware that I'm hiding a lot from her. Yep, she's dense.