Hello everyone! I apologize immensely for the long wait. My family surprised me with a lovely vacation to welcome summer. So I thank you all for waiting patiently. Please continue to review/favorite :) Enjoy! (And a happy Fourth of July to you all, as well)

School Supply Day came to a close around five o'clock when the doors to the school were locked up. Around that same time, Bruce Wayne strolled into the church and wrote a nice neat check for Megan. Barbara and Dick then skated through and picked up the remaining boxes of desserts with sloppy grins on their faces. Everyone had a full day of registering and hunting down supplies, and that sure worked up an appetite. Wally could smell the tantalizing aroma of his uncle's barbecue from the opposite end of town.

Barry Allen unhatched the lock of his picket fence and took the cover off his swimming pool. It didn't take long for people to take the hint. Backyard barbecues were a big deal in Happy Harbor. Everyone would grab something from their pantry and bring it on over to whoever's house it was at. This time, Barry and his wife Iris were the lucky hosts. Everyone knows Barry can grill a mean burger, so it definitely won't be a disappointment.

By the time Wally and his parent's arrived, the barbecue had already collected a crowd. Oliver stood by the grill, doing his best to assist in any way he could. Dinah, Iris, and Diana Prince—the principal at Happy Harbor High—were lounging by the pool. Kaldur and his good friend Tula sat with their feet in the water. Megan and her uncle were in an in depth conversation with Zatanna and her father. As soon as she noticed Wally, Megan excused herself from the conversation and began striding towards him.

"Hey," She said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Hey there. I see you're sporting the two piece wonder under there, huh?" Wally responded, running his fingers along the visible straps to her swimsuit. Megan giggled, brushing his fingers off.

"Stop it, you."

"All right, all right. But I can't wait to see it later," He sing-songed. Megan blushed.

"H-Hey Dick!" She suddenly called, waving at Dick. He skated through the open gate, a Tupperware container full of potato salad in hand.

"Long time no see Megs." Dick gave her a friendly nod of the head as he placed the container on the folding table that Iris placed out.

"Did you get your schedule?" Wally asked once Dick returned to them.

"Oh yeah. We've all gotta compare at some point. You guys wanna meet at the spot in the woods to check 'em out?" Megan and Wally nodded in agreement. "Great. I'll let everyone know." To nobody's surprise, Dick found himself skating in the direction of Zatanna first. Her face lit up once she saw him approaching. Wally shook his head.

"Who would've thought that any member of the female species would be attracted to Grayson?"

"He's cute, Wally. In that boyish way," Megan said with a slight giggle. Wally stared almost completely bewildered at his girlfriend.

"Hey!" Zatanna suddenly cried out. "You showed up!" Heads seemed to turn every time Artemis entered any given area. And the barbecue was no exception. Zatanna walked over towards her and slipped an arm around her shoulders, escorting her through the gate. "We were just talking about meeting at our signature spot in the woods behind Barry's house to compare schedules. Join us!"

"Zatanna!" Wally hissed. She looked up, a confused look on her face. "Come here."

"And you're being incredibly rude because..?" She asked as she approached.

"Wally be nice," Megan said under her breath.

"Why are you inviting her to our spot?" He asked in a low tone. "She's new in town, we don't even know her!" Zatanna rolled her eyes.

"My God, West. Chill out. What's your deal? It's not like we're inducting her into a sacred cult. I'm inviting her to sit on your uncle's shitty old pickup truck and look at pieces of paper." Dick skated up next to Megan with Kaldur trailing behind him.

"What's going on?"

"Your boyfriend's throwing a fit because I invited Artemis to come and compare schedules," Zatanna muttered. Dick laughed.

"If it is not an issue, I invited Tula too," Kaldur told them. "But she declined, stating that she wishes to go home early to rest." Wally sighed.

"Listen," Artemis interjected, stepping forward. "I don't have to come with."

"No Art—"Zatanna started.

"Don't worry Zee," Artemis said. "I don't go where I'm not wanted." She began to walk away, but Megan grabbed her arm.

"Stay," She insisted. There was an odd moment where a defensive look spread over Artemis' face when she felt Megan's slender fingers tighten around her bicep. But as quickly as that look came, it vanished. Giving one of her nervous laughs, Artemis nodded.

"If you guys are sure."

"Hell yeah we're sure," Zatanna told her, a giant grin on her face. "And just in time, here comes our loveable Conrad Kent." Conner walked through the gate, followed by a cheery Clark and his girlfriend Lois Lane.

"I brought dessert," Clark announced, motioning to the apple pie in Lois' hands.

"Thatta boy, Kent," Ollie cheered. "I haven't had good apple pie since Dinah took charge of desserts."

"You shut your whore mouth, Oliver Queen!" Dinah called. Conner noticed the tiny huddle and sheepishly joined in.

"Conner!" Dick cried, slapping him on the back. "We're gonna compare schedules at the truck once everyone gets here. We're waiting on Babs—she's probably in the bathroom or something," Zatanna giggled. But as if on cue, Barbara roller bladed through the entrance and rammed her hands straight into Dick's back.

"Way to ditch me back at the manor, asshole." Once Dick recovered from his stumble, he smirked.

"Hey, Bruce didn't want the potato salad to get mushy."

"Potato salad's always mushy!" She protested loudly.

"Get a room you two," Wally grumbled. "Are we gonna do this schedule thing or what?" The group agreed and they began the trudge into the woods. Zatanna began complain about the amount of mosquitos in the woods this evening not six seconds into their trip, and Dick made a cheesy line about her being too sweet. This resulted in a 'The Most Cheesiest Pick Up Line' contest.

"Is your daddy a baker?" Wally asked, attempting a smolder towards Megan. "Because you've got some nice buns." Dick, who was walking behind Megan whistled loudly.

"That's the oldest one in the book!" Conner remarked with a chuckle.

"Do I hear a challenger?" Barbara shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth in a mock announcer voice. Conner grinned.

"All right, all right." He turned towards Megan. "Are you lost ma'am?" He asked as earnest as possible. Megan giggled and shook her head. "Well…heaven's such a long way from here." This resulted in several 'OH!'s and also a few obnoxious barking sounds.

"I bet I can smoke you all," Artemis spoke up.

"And another opponent enters the ring!" Barbara yelled. Artemis positioned herself in front of Wally, a sly smile on her face.

"Did you by chance sit in sugar?" She moved around so she could get a look. "Because you have a sweet ass." Zatanna stuck her fingers in her mouth and let out a catcall.

"Ow ow!" Barbara whooped. Even Megan was laughing along with them all.

"Hey hey hey!" Dick objected. Everyone quieted. "I thought we all agreed that I had the best ass around here." Artemis ducked her head to get a look.

"Not bad if I do say so myself," She gave an approving nod. "Wally was just a vulnerable target. Look how red he is." Conner snorted.

"If Raquel was with us, she would win this pickup line challenge by far," Kaldur inferred. "She always tells me that corny pick-up lines are like a hobby to her."

"Who's Raquel?" Artemis asked.

"You'll meet her once school starts. She spends summers in South Dakota with some family," Megan explained.

"Mhm—Kaldur would know a thing or two about our little Rocket, wouldn't he?" Zatanna jeered, waggling her eyebrows.

"It seems, Zatanna, that you're always insisting that everyone is in some sort of romance," Artemis observed with a light laugh. "My kinda gal. And just to make others uncomfortable. Always the added bonus."

"Miss Crock," Zatanna slipped her arm around Artemis' waist. "This is the start of a beautiful friendship." Wally couldn't have been more grateful to see his uncle's old truck. Artemis making friends inside his tight knit group of friends was enough to make his stomach churn.

"Okay, so someone explain to me what's so special about this truck?" Artemis asked.

"Literally nothing," Conner deadpanned.

"Well I think it's pretty special," Barbara commented, sitting down on a log next to the truck. "No one else knows about it but us. And Barry of course."

"Well I'm sure people saw us venture into the woods," Artemis countered.

"Maybe it's not that special," Barbara replied, laughing.

"Well I suggest we get down to business, folks," Dick commanded, pulling his schedule out of his back pocket. Dick and Barbara were the two youngest of the group—Barbara being about a month or so older. This year they're heading into their sophomore year, so it wasn't likely they'd have many classes with Kaldur or Conner. Kaldur and Conner were seniors this year. That left Zatanna, Megan, Artemis and Wally as the juniors.

"Let me see yours, Grayson," Zatanna called. Dick skated over towards her and sat down next to her in the back of the trunk. "You're gonna get beat up in weight lifting, you know," She mumbled as her eyes scanned the paper.

"I can handle them," Dick replied, flexing obnoxiously.

"Lunch is all we have. That's lame." At Happy Harbor High (otherwise known as H cubed), everyone has lunch together. There's a very small amount of students—not enough to separate into different lunch hours.

"Dick and I have every class together. Besides weight lifting. I took Intro to Women's Studies," Barbara said.

"Hey!" Artemis remarked. "I'm taking Intro to Women's Studies. When do you have it?"

"Ninth period," She responded from memory.

"Sweet. Me too." Barbara grinned. Zatanna hopped down from the truck and strode towards Artemis.

"Let me see that schedule." Artemis handed her the paper with a smile. "We have physics together. Oh! And Psychology."

"Nice," Artemis commented. Before Wally knew it, everyone was surrounding Artemis, practically shoving their schedules in her face. She reacted wonderfully of course, smiling and laughing as if she was some celebrity.

"And what about you Kid Flash?" Artemis called to him. The circle around her sort of dismantled into pairs off to the side. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," She asked in a low voice. Wally stared at her for a few seconds. For the barbecue, Artemis pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, letting a few strands hang in her face. She had the same clothes from before on, but she slipped on a brown quarter sleeved jacket. Wally couldn't help but wonder if maybe Artemis had a swim suit on underneath, like Megan. A small part of him really hoped she did. "Hello? Wally?" His guilty thoughts were interrupted by Artemis snapping her fingers in his face.

"What? Sorry…sorry. Uh, here." Wally handed her the crumpled up piece of paper and waited while she went over it. He continued to glance over at Megan. Her eyes seemed to light up while she spoke to Conner. Not only that, but Conner's face looked like it had a smidge of emotion whenever he was around Megan. Wally really should be upset by that. But for some reason, he couldn't find himself angry.

"Well, you are a lucky boy," Artemis announced. "We've got every class together—except for five. So really we only have four classes. What kind of freak takes a running class?"

"A freak that's trying to get in shape for Cross Country season," Wally told her with a small smirk. Artemis laughed, shaking her head.

"Whatever." Artemis turned around and made her way towards Barbara and Zatanna. Wally couldn't help but watch her walk away. It was something about those jeans. Artemis noticed Wally watching.

"Perv," She mouthed. Wally turned around, a confused look on his faced. He then pointed to Kaldur, and shrugged. Artemis couldn't help but giggle before turning back to her conversation. Letting out a sigh, Wally knew that Megan must've been watching. And that was almost clear cut flirtation. At least, for Wally it was. But as he looked at Megan, all her attention was on Conner. Wally couldn't help but wonder if that was how it was supposed to be.

Summer's always nice while it lasts, but it always goes by in a flash. The days were numbered for the kids in Happy Harbor, and there was a certain sadness in the air for everyone. Tan lines were fading, beach balls and tiki torches were put on clearance, and more importantly, bags were being packed—in more ways than one.

"How much time until the bus arrives?"

"Five minutes." Tula's knuckles were practically turning white as she gripped the handle of her suitcase for dear life. Kaldur carried her other suitcase, his face wrinkled in despair. Tula attends a boarding school every school year in Atlanta, Georgia. It was always hard to see her go, but no one took it harder than Kaldur. It's been clear for a very long time that he's got it bad for her. He invited Wally to come along for moral support. But all that meant was standing behind the two awkwardly while they gave each other a weepy goodbye.

"It's early," Kaldur mumbled as the bus pulled up in front of them.

"Kaldur," Tula whispered. Wally took a couple more steps back. But to his surprise, all she did was embrace Kaldur in a hug. "I'll see you next June."

"Indeed. It is already marked on my calendar." Tula laughed, still wrapped around him.

"I'll miss you."

"And you as well." Kaldur helped her onto the bus and made sure she was settled. He gave her one last hug, and reluctantly stepped off. As the bus took off, Tula waved out the window. Wally returned the wave, smiling softly. Not even two minutes after the bus was out of sight, a car sped down the interstate and turned into the town. Wally elbowed Kaldur. "Raquel is home."

"I envy you, Kal," Wally said with a laugh. The two stepped in Wally's car and drove back into town. The first thing they saw as they entered the neighborhood was a squealing Zatanna.

"Raquel!" She shrilled as she sprinted into Raquel's yard.

"Zee!" Raquel responded, dropping the bag she was carrying. Zatanna ran straight up to her and hugged her so tight, Wally thought Raquel may have died for a few seconds. "Wally West you get your ass outta that car and you come and hug me too!"

"Caught," Wally whispered. Kaldur gave him a sympathetic smile before he opened the passenger door.

"You are never allowed to leave again, you got it?" Zatanna told her.

"Got it." Raquel spotted Kaldur in an instant. "How do I look?" She asked Zee in a low tone.

"Hot as hell. The usual." Raquel adjusted the straps to her red tank top and ran her fingers through her short brunette hair.

"You're not doing all that prepping for me, are you?" Wally called.

"Oh, Wally," Raquel rolled her eyes and ran over to the two of them. "Kaldur. How've ya been?"

"Well Raquel, and you?"

"Same old same old. Missed everyone like crazy. How about we get together today? School doesn't start for another week. Just let me unpack and we can—"

"Apologies, but I have to spend some time in the pool today. Arthur will be most disappointed if I do not," Kaldur replied. Raquel's face fell.

"Well how about we go swimming then?" Zatanna suggested. "The lake's been calling my name all summer. You can meet Artemis!"

"Artemis?"

"She just moved here. You're gonna love her." Suddenly, the lake sounded like a great idea. It was unfortunate Artemis neglected to bring a swimsuit to the barbecue, so this could serve as an interesting opportunity for Wally.

"I'm in. Come on Kaldur. You can swim laps or some shit," Wally told him. Kaldur sighed.

"I suppose."

"Yes!" Raquel and Zatanna cheered at the same time.

"I'll call Artemis. Everyone meet at the lake in two hours. 'Kay?" Zee asked. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Last one in has to kiss Roy Harper!" Zatanna shouted as she cannonballed off the deck. Everyone else followed, shrieking at how cold the water was. It was Artemis who was last. She stood at the edge of the deck wearing a white Queen t-shirt that passed her naval and jean shorts. "Artemis, come on!"

"I don't know…maybe I'll just sit this one out guys."

"No way!" Dick hollered. While she was facing the other way, Wally climbed out of the lake and quietly snuck up behind her.

"Gotcha!" He yelled, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up. Artemis screamed, kicking her legs wildly. "We're going in!"

"Wally! I'm gonna kill you!" She howled, flailing her arms. But before she could do that, Wally jumped in, his arms still around her. He got a mouth full of wet blonde hair as they sunk deeper. When the two of them surfaced, they were greeted by cheers. Except for Megan. It took Wally a second to realize his arms were still around Artemis. Giving Megan a nervous grin, he unlatched. "You're lucky I had my bathing suit on underneath!" Artemis yelled, as she slipped her shirt off. Wally tried his hardest not to let his jaw drop. Artemis wore a strapless bright green bikini top that…well…complimented her nicely. Her eyes stared right into Wally's as she reached down and tore off her shorts. When she was done, she flung both articles of clothing back at the shore. "Count me in!" Artemis suddenly called. It took Wally a moment to realize that everyone else had begun to organize a race across the lake.

"Wally! What about you?" Barbara asked.

"Uh, yeah sure," He responded, still feeling a bit fuzzy.

"Take your positions!" Dick shouted, striking a feminine pose back on the land, waving something in the air.

"That's my top, Dick!" Artemis yelled.

"I'll cherish it forever." Wally rolled his eyes as he took his spot next to Conner. "On your marks…get set…go!" Everyone took off. "We've got Kaldur'ahm taking the lead with Wally West close behind! Artemis Crock and Conner Kent are fighting for that third place spot! Megan Morse looking good in fourth. Barbara Gordon, Zatanna Zatara, and Raquel Ervin are seemingly walking in the water. Good effort ladies, good effort." The race didn't last long, considering it was nearly impossible for someone without training in swimming to reach the other side. Wally stopped about halfway while Artemis passed him for at least three more feet. Megan stopped right where Wally was and placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Conner almost reached the other side, but stopped about five feet away.

"How about we play a new game?" Raquel asked. "We lay on the shore and sunbathe and watch Kal swim." Zatanna whooped in agreement.

"Yeah yeah," Wally quipped. "And after that how about the ladies put on a little fashion show for us, huh?" He winked in Megan's direction.

"Wally don't be gross," Megan responded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sorry babe," He called. They ended up going with Raquel's idea. Barbara and Raquel spread out their beach towels while Zatanna and Artemis played volleyball back and forth in the water with a beach ball. Conner continued to race Kaldur, he was the only one who was any competition. Wally laid his head on Megan's lap while she ran her fingers through his hair.

"This is so nice," She murmured. "So peaceful. I'm just not ready to go back into the stressful load school brings. And that means less time with you."

"Hey, now. We made it work last year, you know?"

"I know. But this year already seems different."

"How so?" Wally asked, his mind racing to Artemis.

"You know." The two sat in silence were a while. Part of Wally wanted to just end it now. He Megan had a good run, and the last thing he needed was to end up hurting her. He without a doubt cared for her. Megan was still beautiful and wonderful in his eyes, but things change. But as Wally caught a glimpse of Artemis whistling obnoxiously at Conner and Kaldur, he wasn't sure he was ready for that much change. She always seemed so arrogant, like she owned the place. Take her first day here for example. She pulled right up and left her car in the middle of the road. Not only that, she just had to make some sort of sexual comment about almost every guy here. Wally knew that he was to blame for that too, but that was beside the matter. He had Megan. Sweet, innocent Megan. She put others before herself and was devoted to Wally. That's exactly what he needed right now. But now Artemis was becoming closer to all his friends. This only made it more difficult for him to fend off his confusing attraction.

"Listen Megs," He sat up, cupping her face in his hands gently. "Summers not over yet. And as for us," Wally leaned in and kissed her softly and passionately. "You're my girlfriend. Don't forget that." Megan smiled at him. But he was confident it wasn't his imagination when he caught her gaze shifting towards Conner ever few seconds.

Okay please forgive me for the Cheesy Pick Up Line contest. None of those are mine, either. I'm not that creative. Hope you liked it!