Chapter Text
Andrea pouts by the pool and sips her father’s expensive scotch, glaring down at the water as she tries to think of some way out of this whole mess. Her father had been cool with her at best this morning, kissing her forehead goodbye and reminding her of his expectations— to be on the flight he’d booked and to show respect to his business associate.
He wouldn’t be home from his business trip until a few days after her flight to National City, leaving Andrea with very little opportunity to talk him out of the insane plan he’d cooked up. Andrea scowls, pouring herself another generous glass of his scotch. She’s twenty years old for Christ’s sake, not a child who needs to be sent on a three months long time-out.
“Hey.” She startles when she hears Lena’s voice behind her, the scotch sloshing dangerously and almost spilling onto her shorts. “One of the maids let me in,” Lena says, sitting down on the sun lounger opposite hers. Andrea frowns, her lips pursing as she refuses to even look at her best friend.
“Why are you here?”
“I just thought I’d drop by to say aloe .”
“Hilarious,” Andrea grumbles, dryly. She glances sideways at Lena and shoves a glass of scotch in her direction, frowning at the fitted business suit. “What are you wearing?”
“Lillian made me wear it,” Lena sighs. “I spent my morning at LuthorCorp learning all about my new role within the company. She thinks learning the ropes beneath Lex will be a much more productive way to spend my summer than partying with boys.” Lena pulls a face, “did your dad leave already?”
“Yeah, this morning.” Andrea takes another long pull from her glass and sucks her teeth, “not without another lecture on how to conduct myself in National City. He said I have to prove to him that I’m responsible enough to join Obsidian once I graduate.” She sighs, “he thinks it’ll be a good way to show the dean that I’m serious about my education. Apparently she’s still pissed.”
“I mean, you did drive your car through her plumerias,” Lena reasons, hiding her smirk behind the rim of her glass. "Drunk, I might add."
"It was four beers! And it's not my fault the designated driver decided to do body shots with those frat guys." Andrea shoots Lena a dark look.
"I got a chest hair in my mouth," Lena grumbles, her features souring. She sighs, "at least your father's donation towards the new library stopped you from being kicked out. I don't think I could handle junior year without you."
"Your concern is touching." Andrea rolls her eyes, sipping her scotch. "I have to spend my entire summer hanging out with a middle-aged woman with no life, and being worked into the ground, but at least you'll have company next year."
"That's not what I'm saying, and you know it," Lena chastises. "We're supposed to be in this together. You jump, I jump, right? Sue me if I don't want to jump alone." She sighs, "come on, it's just one summer and then you'll be back to being daddy's perfect little girl."
"I don't think so." Andrea nibbles her lip, gazing into the depths of her glass. "I've never seen him so angry before, especially not with me. I truly believe he'll stop me from joining Obsidian if this internship doesn't go well." Andrea shakes her head, "a whole summer in a strange city, and living with his friend who I've never heard of? This isn't just going away, Lena."
"I'm sure it'll be fine… wait, you've never heard of Cat Grant? She's literally one of the most successful women in America." Lena gawps at her, "how can you not know who she is? Catco magazine!"
"I prefer vogue," Andrea shrugs. She groans, “what if she’s awful ? I have to live with her for three months and she could easily be a serial killer or something!” Lena rolls her eyes at the dramatics that she should be well used to by now.
“Lillian hates her, and that’s usually a good sign. Besides, I’m sure your father wouldn’t send you to live with a murderer, no matter how tempting I’m sure it is,” Lena grins. “You’ll be fine, stop being a baby. I would kill to spend my summer miles away from my family.”
“Then come with me,” Andrea shrugs. “Unless you want to spend your summer being bossed around by your big brother.” Lena rolls her eyes, smiling wistfully.
“I think we both know that I don’t have any say in the matter,” Lena sighs. “Can you imagine how Lillian would react if I packed my bags and ran away with you for the whole summer? I mean, what in carnation!” Lena grins, clearly armed with enough flower jokes to drive Andrea completely insane before she even steps foot in the airport.
Andrea scowls across at her and tips the rest of her drink back, refusing to offer even a small smile in response. The dumb sense of humor is usually charming, enough to crack the thick ice when they first met, but Andrea is in no mood for it today.
Lena looks annoyingly pleased with herself, her green eyes shining and double dimples making their first appearance of the day— dimples that rarely show when Lena is with anyone but her.
“I just don’t get why this is the final straw,” Andrea bitterly complains. “He usually doesn’t care as long as my grades are fine.”
“This was public, though, and you left him no choice but to get involved. I guess you could say you rose to the occasion,” Lena murmurs, struggling to stifle her smirk.
“Are you done?”
“Not even close.” Lena grins and then pauses, taking pity on the moping creature sitting opposite her. “What’s the worst thing that could happen? You don’t like the job or Cat? It’s just three months and then you’re done. Just try your best,” Lena says. “Put the petal to the metal.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t. I’m your best bud. ” Lena cackles as Andrea stalks inside and she almost trips over her own feet in her haste to follow her, “come on, Andrea, I’ll make sure not a daisy goes by where I don’t think of you!” Lena dodges the pool float launched in her direction as she chases her towards the kitchen, ignoring the disgruntled mumbling from the long-suffering maid.
“Come on, if you don’t laugh about it then you’re just gonna be even more miserable about the whole thing,” Lena says, hopping up to sit on the counter as Andrea ignores her in favor of the fridge. “It’ll be fine . You just have to take it seriously and then you’ll come home with an experience that everyone else would die to have.”
“I really don’t think getting coffee for a bunch of reporters is a job that people are fighting for.” Andrea bumps the fridge closed with her hip and Lena frowns at whatever unhealthy concoction her best friend seems to be making.
“I think you’d be surprised,” Lena murmurs. “Not everyone has a job waiting for them after graduation like we do. Sam would bite your hand off if you offered her this opportunity. She’d have Ruby in a plane seat before you could even blink.”
“I know.” Andrea’s shoulders slump, her hands curling into fists as she rests them on the counter and stares down at them. “I know, but I just— I don’t want to go, Lena. It’s easy here. I have everything I need and I know everyone, my friends are here…. You are here.” Andrea sighs, rolling her neck, “it’s fine. Three month’s, right?”
“Just three tiny months,” Lena nods. “All you have to do is try your best, and I’m sure even Cat Grant will adore you and be begging you to stay.” Lena grins, her legs idly swinging as Andrea finally turns back around to face her. “You’re not going to screw this up.”
“I’m not?”
“No. You’ll be great. You’re Andrea Rojas, pain in the ass, genius extraordinaire— you’re not going to screw it up.”
---- ---- ----
Okay, so maybe she’s gonna screw this up. Andrea groans and orders another drink, actively ignoring the skeevy guy who’s been trying to gain her attention for the last hour. The giant screens in the bar are showing highlights of a game Andrea doesn’t care about to the late afternoon customers, the commentary not quite loud enough to block out her thoughts.
Three hours in National City and she’s already given up. The driver waiting for her at the airport didn’t seem too impressed about being sent away with her luggage, but a healthy tip had ensured he would drop everything off without complaint. She’d turned her cell phone off a little while ago, bored of the attempted calls from Cat Grant and well aware she’s in some kind of trouble already.
Her Father may actually kill her this time, and Andrea thinks she’d prefer that to staying here.
“Miss Rojas?” Andrea frowns, turning to face the driver she’d thought she had shaken off. “Miss Grant asked me to take you to her home, and I have explicit instructions to inform the bar staff that you’re underage.”
Andrea pushes her tongue against her teeth, her eyes narrowing as the guy behind the bar takes her drink from her and silently points towards the door. Her back teeth grind together as she grabs her purse and slips from the stool, rolling her eyes as the creepy dude from earlier winks at her.
“No more tips for you,” Andrea grumbles, pointing an irate finger at the driver.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll survive without it,” he shrugs, gesturing for Andrea to lead the way. “Miss Grant is expecting you as soon as possible, and she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Andrea frowns, but is left with little choice but to follow him out to the town car— a one way trip to her loss of freedom.
Andrea pouts in the back of the car, grateful that the driver is even less interested in conversation than she is. She glares at the passing streets before pulling her cell phone from her purse and turning it back on, sighing as it vibrates with a dozen notifications. It’s the text from Lena, though, that draws her attention first.
I’ll miss you a lily more each day.
Andrea grins and shakes her head, typing out a single worded response— dork . She sighs, missing her best friend already and hoping that Lena won’t be whisked off her feet by some lame dude-bro whilst they’re separated. She’s not sure why, but Andrea thinks that would be worse than anything else that could happen this summer.
“We’re here,” the driver calls out, a suspiciously sly smile on his features as he gazes at her via the rearview mirror. Andrea narrows her eyes, sneering at the tattletale as she slides out of the car and closes the door a little more firmly than necessary.
She glances up at the two story house and sighs, already missing the pool that her father had installed after several months of whining. This house definitely doesn’t have a pool, and it looks nothing like Andrea would expect a media mogul to own. It’s...quaint, she thinks, and the white picket fence around the neatly trimmed lawn makes her eyes roll into the back of her skull.
Andrea frowns as the front door opens, a woman standing in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest. There’s no smile, no welcoming committee, just a pissed off millionaire whose pockets are seemingly too tight to spring for a nicer house. Andrea rolls her eyes and walks up the path towards her new boss and roommate— convinced her life is over.
“I expected you several hours ago.” Cat Grant peers over her glasses, her dark eyes severe. “When I so kindly sent a driver to collect you from the airport, I meant for you to be in the car alongside your luggage.” Her features darken when Andrea only offers a shrug, the older woman finally moving aside to let Andrea inside.
“I was checking out the sights,” Andrea murmurs, swallowing an irritated sigh as she follows her new boss into the house. She’s led into a modern and tastefully decorated living room, mostly different shades of cream and beige with splashes of color coming from the crimson overstuffed couch and matching armchairs.
“How much can someone see from the inside of a bar?” Cat stops so quickly that Andrea almost bumps into her, the woman spinning around to raise a stern brow. Cat’s heels give her a small height advantage, and Andrea has to force herself to stay where she is and not take a step back— to avoid showing even an ounce of weakness.
Cat clicks her tongue, “you’re here to work. To show your father that you’ll be an obedient employee who can be trusted with his company. You’re not here to lie your way into bars and drink on my time.” Andrea opens her mouth to argue but is silenced by a raised finger, “don’t bother lying to me, I can smell it on your breath. It’s lucky there are no naked flames in here.”
Andrea scowls, her gaze slipping to gaze out at the well manicured front lawn. Several retorts sit on the tip of her tongue, not a single one appropriate, and she reminds herself that her father probably wouldn’t be thrilled if she was fired and sent home on the very first day.
“Hmm, not quite as mouthy as your professors made out,” Cat comments, smiling wryly when surprised eyes turn back to her. “I’m friends with the dean, and she wanted to be very sure that I knew what I was getting into. She’s very proud of her plumerias, I’m surprised your father’s bribe was enough to keep you at her school.”
“It was an accident.” Andrea finally speaks, surly, her arms folding across her chest. “How hard can it be to grow a few flowers? I’m sure we can afford a few seeds for her.” Andrea rolls her eyes, once again cursing her father for the cunning little plan that is sure to ruin her summer.
“She also told me that you lack discipline and any real empathy for the consequences your actions cause.” Cat cocks a brow and sighs, “it’s not hard to see just how accurate that is.” She sinks into one of the armchairs and gestures for Andrea to sit on the couch, “are you hungry? I can make you something to eat if you’d like.”
Andrea slumps onto the sofa with a sigh, “I’m fine.” Cat eyes her critically and slides her glasses into her hair, one leg elegantly crossing over the other. “I assume this is the part where you lay down the law and tell me I’m going back to Metropolis if I don’t bow to your every whim.”
“I’ve seen your grades, Andrea. I know you’re an intelligent young woman, and I would hope that you can see this is a great opportunity for your future,” Cat murmurs. “Not many people are lucky enough to be offered something like this, especially after driving drunk across school property. But,” she sighs, “I do have rules that I expect you to follow.”
“I’m twenty years old, I’m not a child,” Andrea snarks, her scowl deepening.
“Which should make your behavior even more embarrassing, no?” Cat tsks, shaking her head. “If you are to stay in my home during this internship then you will follow my rules. You will be well taken care of, Andrea, but don’t be mistaken—you will be held accountable for your actions.”
“What are you going to do? Give me a curfew and put me on the naughty step if I break it?” Andrea scoffs, a bemused grin fighting its way to her lips. “A dollar in the jar if I curse? A good spanking if you don’t like my attitude? Gimme a break.”
“It seems to me that a trip across my lap could do you some good,” Cat notes. Andrea freezes, side-eyeing Cat as she tries to work out if the woman is serious, insane, or both. “You’ve already shown yourself to be unreliable and disrespectful, more like a teenager who is rebelling against society in a racially diverse CW show than the adult you claim to be.”
“You’re serious? You’re actually serious?” Andrea gapes at her, “do you hear yourself?”
“I come across many young women like yourself in my line of work,” Cat states. “Spoiled brats who’ve never felt a stern hand across their bare behind— usually the ones who need it the most. I’m willing to work with you and help you become the respectable young lady that you should already be by now, but my help comes with those stipulations.”
Andrea scoffs, a stupid grin crossing her lips because, really, how much could a spanking actually hurt? A couple of minutes of allowing this older woman to slap her ass and then she’s done? Embarrassing, sure, but nothing Andrea can’t handle.
“Does my father know about this?”
“Your father knows of my results, not my methods,” Cat says. “You are, of course, free to fly home and find some other way to prove yourself to him. I’m sure a smart young lady such as yourself could work something out.” She means it— Cat under no illusions about Andrea’s potential and unwilling to force her into a situation she doesn’t wish to be in.
“Going home isn’t an option,” Andrea states, “and I think you know that.”
“It’s always an option,” Cat scoffs. “Your father will give in, I’m sure. He always does, right? But perhaps this is a chance for you to show him that you are more than just his daughter— that you are your own person who is more than capable of making her own way in life.”
Cat stands, “the decision is all yours, Miss Rojas, but if you wish to stay here then you are expected to follow my rules and accept the consequences for breaking them.” She holds her hand out with an expectant expression, “I assume you have a fraudulent ID?”
“I paid good money for it.” Andrea shakes her head, pulling her purse into her lap and holding it tight. She glares up at the woman who is seemingly intent on ruining her whole damn life, prepared to die on this hill if she has to. “I’ll follow your dumb rules, but I’m not giving you my ID.”
“And what if I told you that my rules explicitly forbid underage drinking?” Cat raises a brow, amused by the stubborn brat scowling up at her. “If you’d act your age for only a moment we could have a discussion about my expectations, but I’m more than happy to fight this battle all night if I have to.” Cat smiles, dangerously saccharine, “I’m much more stubborn than you are, little girl.”
Andrea grits her teeth and pulls the ID from her purse, feeling a rush of satisfaction as she slaps it harshly into the palm of Cat's outstretched hand. Cat doesn't even flinch, and actually seems a little amused by the childish action.
“Now then, was that so hard?”