Canary Cry

Chapter six: School'd

Chapter six: School'd

STAR CITY

August 3, 06:00 PDT

"Kate! Breakfast!" Dinah called from over the stove, fumbling with scrambled eggs and toast after a morning training session. Her hair damp from the shower she had snuck in before Kate locked herself in the bathroom. Dinah didn't particularly want to dive into what incidence created that faucet of behavior in Kate but knew they would have to at some point.

The summoned girl appeared in a tank top and lounge shorts, hopping up to the counter and taking the plate Dinah slid to her with a proud smile. The woman didn't cook all that often for herself before taking in Kate so the fact that she didn't burn the eggs again made her happy. Kate didn't really mind when they were burned though, she used to eat out of dumpsters so it would suffice to say her palette isn't all that refined. And the fact that Dinah made her anything to begin with is enough of a reason for her to scarf whatever is put in front of her down.

Dinah watched Kate eat with a small smile, offering the girl seconds when she cleared her plate. The girl accepting when pushed slightly by Dinah. The two enjoying the peaceful silence, only the sound of Kate's utensils scraping against her plate and Dinah's nails tapping against her coffee mug filling the space.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Kate froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, a spark of fear in her eyes as she glanced at Dinah. "Nothing bad, just a question and some news." The woman clarified when she realized how her words had been taken.

"Okay..." Kate trailed off. Sitting her fork down, appetite lost to anxiety.

"So, you remember when we talked about some schools here and other places for you to start this next term. We got word back from a couple." Dinah set her mug down in front of her and leaned forward on her elbows at the edge of the table. Kate swallowed harshly and nodded, mouth turned down in a frown.

"I know you wanted to stay local instead of zeta tubing to another city-"

"Because the time-zone difference between here and the Cave is already bad enough." Kate chimed in, earning a warning look from Dinah and quieting the girl again.

"Starlight Prep said they'd take you." Kate, while she knew the school's reputation didn't know how she felt about it. It was a school for the wealthy, for the top one percent of Star City. It was a school that Oliver had gone to for high school. It was a school that people would know who she was, at least the rumors of her existence.

Pictures of one of her outings with Oliver and Dinah made into some magazine publications a couple months back, none with her face, and most of them got quashed by Oliver but a few still made it to print. The next step in the once famous Bachelor's relationship with the little flower shop owner and psychologist a big thing in the press and high society circles.

Kate was fully aware that the only reason the school was taking her was because Oliver was paying her tuition. Which put a weight on her shoulders to be a good representation of him and to be a good student – something she had never been before. It was also a place where she would be surrounded with people from a completely different world. She wasn't going to fit in. She knew that. And if she managed to make any friends most of them would probably only want to be friends because of her connection to Oliver.

In short, it wasn't her first choice. But it's what Dinah and Oliver wanted, and they put their foot down about Kate going back to her old school. Their arguments being it would be filled with people from her past, which wasn't ideal but it was familiar territory, and that she didn't really go to school much when she was supposedly in attendance. Which wasn't Kate's fault, they didn't want to hear it though.