1.5 years ago

"Come on guys! It's tradition! We've gotten ice cream every single last day of school since we were in first grade!" Clarke bellowed.

"Yeah, but it's pouring down rain outside. Can't we just do it tomorrow? What's one day going to hurt?" Raven argued.

"Come on Rae, it's just a little rain." Octavia pleaded.

"Just a little rain? We've gotten like 3 inches of rain in the last hour, that's not a little rain. Roads are flooding, buildings are burning, babies are crying!" Raven exaggerated.

"Reyes, you're the only baby that's crying. We've done this the past 10 years, we have to go out for ice cream. It's the end of junior year! We are officially seniors as of today. We need to CELEBRATE!" Clarke said practically bouncing in place. "Please." She begged pouting her lower lip out, and doing her best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh for cripes sakes! Fine, whatever, let's go. I swear though, if you guys start complaining because you get wet or something…" She trailed off, letting their imaginations take over what she would do to them.

"Well, who the hell complains about being wet?" Octavia asked with a grin.

"Ugh, get your mind out of the gutter, O." Clarke said with an eye roll. Behind her back Octavia made an inappropriate hand gesture, which made Raven giggle. Before Clarke could say anything to either of them her father walked into the room.

"Mind if I tag along? It's been a tradition of mine for the last decade too." Clarke's dad asked.

"Sure dad, will you pay?" Clarke asked with a smile that could put an angel to shame.

"Of course, honey, it would be my pleasure."

They got into Clarke's car. Her dad taking the passenger seat with a comment about her needing driving time. "The only way to become an expert at driving is by a lot of practice."

Raven hated riding in cars, for some reason they made her uneasy. She always focused on something for the duration of the ride. Today's focus was on the raindrops racing down her window. She liked to cheer certain drops on and felt proud whenever it won the race. Currently she was finding patterns in the rain, picking out funny faces. They were about a mile from the Ice Cream Shoppe. Raven's eyes focused on a face that looked like the "scream" face. Her eyes unfocused on everything, and being as lazy at she was, refused to refocus them, that is until something out her window caught her attention a minute later. When she refocused her eyes it was just in time to see the headlights headed straight for them. She didn't have time to brace herself. "Shit."

Present day

"Shit." All the air felt like it was forced from Raven's lungs. A sound that could be described as a squeak escaped her lips. She was scared and she didn't know what was going on.

"Rae, wake up." Octavia murmured in her ear, shaking her gently. Her eyes opened to see their math professor looking at her with an annoyed expression. She smiled weakly and jotted down the notes that were on the board. Math was one of the easiest subjects on the planet, so she wasn't worried about missing the information. The only thing she was worried about was whether or not she had drool on her face or desk.

When class ended Raven put her stuff in her bag and stood up. She grumbled when her brace refused to bend with her knee. It was a constant reminder of how things can change in the blink of an eye. She shook her head trying to rid the nightmare from her thoughts while hitting the hinges of the brace with the side of her fist.

"You had the nightmare again didn't you?" Octavia asked gently.

"How could you tell?"

"Well, I've only heard you make that noise a few times in my life. The first time was the day of the accident." She looked away from Raven and stared off into the distance. Her thoughts on that horrible day.

"Ms. G looked pretty pissed." Raven said, trying to pull her out of her thoughts. "It's not like she really teaches anything anyway. She's always too hungover from working at that stupid casino. You'd think someone her age would act a little more grown up." She said, offering Octavia a change of subject. "Did you see that skirt she was wearing? I mean that slit basically went to her crotch, and I think someone should tell her it's supposed to be on the side of her thigh, not between her legs." She said making a gagging face. At that moment Raven stumbled over an uneven part on the sidewalk. Octavia reached out and grabbed her before she could face plant. "Thanks, O."

"That's my job right? To make sure your clumsy ass doesn't get hurt?"

"I'm not clumsy! It's this stupid brace." Raven argued rolling her eyes.

"Raven, you've been clumsy since the day you were born. You can't use the brace as an excuse for everything." Octavia said with a sigh.

"Wanna bet?" Raven asked with faux offence. She turned to the other girl and raised her eyebrow. "I will admit though it's amazing for getting sympathy drinks. I mean, there's nothing this brace can't do. Except maybe bend when it's supposed to."

"Obviously it can't make you walk straight. I mean, do you mind? You keep running into me. I'd ask if you were drunk, but I know you're not."

"You know me, can't do anything straight." Raven said raising her eyebrow and pursing her lips seductively at Octavia.

This caused Octavia to slap her arm playfully. "Says the girl who's been single since 9th grade. What was that boy's name? Phineas? Fitzgerald?"

"Finn."

"Whatever happened between you two anyway?" She asked curiously. "I mean, one day he was around, and the next he wasn't. I don't remember seeing him after that."

"Mental breakdown. His parents sent him off somewhere. I don't remember where."

"Huh, the more you know." She looked a little preoccupied.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours? You seem a little off, O."

"It's nothing. Today just feels weird."

"Well, it's Friday, which means home cooked food at Bell's place tonight. We should go get ready."

"Yeah, about that…" She trailed off looking at the ground.

"O, we've had dinner together every Friday night since like sophomore year of High School. Ever since Bellamy moved into that dinky little place he calls an apartment. If you're thinking about cancelling, I think he'd be heartbroken."

"It's not that, it's just, well…"

"Spit it out, Monkey."

"Clarke's gonna be there." She said looking at a crack in the sidewalk.

"Oh. Maybe I should stay here then? I mean…" Raven sighed.

"No, don't even think that, like you said, Bell would be devastated if we didn't go. We, as in, not just me. It's a tradition."

"Yeah, but Clarke can't even look at me. It's been months since she's spoken to me."

"You know that's not your fault. Things have just been hard for her since the accident." Octavia was looking at the other girl now.

"Hard for her? I'm the one who lost the use of my fucking leg. She got out of the car that day with barely a scratch on her!"

"She lost her father that day, Raven. Plus, you know she feels like the accident was her fault. She can barely live with herself. Can you please just try to play nice tonight?" Octavia was close to begging.

There was a long sigh. "Fine, okay, whatever, but if she tries to avoid looking at me I'm leaving."

Octavia wrapped her arms around the other girl, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you."

They got to their dorm room and started getting ready for dinner with Bellamy. Raven had grease on her pants from working in her engineering classes earlier, so she took her brace and pants off. "How did Bell convince Clarke to come over anyway?" She asked turning towards Octavia.

Octavia, who had been busy putting her books away with her back towards Raven, turned to answer and froze. "Could you maybe put some pants on before we continue this conversation?" She asked, licking her lips. Her eyes raked across the other girl's body.

"Octavia Blake, are you checking me out?" A huge smile broke out on Raven's face. A warm feeling bloomed across her chest at the look that crossed Octavia's face. O started blushing furiously. "I mean, if you want to check me out, you're more than welcome. I know I'm breath taking."

Octavia shook her head. "I was NOT checking you out, you loser. It's just hard to concentrate when your arrogant roommate is half naked."

"O, you've known me since preschool. I'm half naked every chance I get. You were checking me out, and you were caught."

"Whatever you say, dork. Can you please put some pants on now? We're going to be late."

"You never answered my question." Raven said while pulling her pants on.

"What was the question again?" She asked embarrassed.

"How did Bellamy convince Clarke to come to dinner?"

"Oh, well she obviously has a girlfriend and she wants Bell to meet her. I don't think she realized what day it is."

"Are you talking about the fact that it's Friday, or about the fact that today marks 18 months since the accident?" Raven asked looking down at the brace in her hands.

"Both, I guess. Wait, today marks a year and a half since the accident?" She watched as Raven pulled the brace on, avoiding looking her in the eye.

"Yeah. It doesn't feel like it's been so long, does it? So, we're meeting her girlfriend?"

"Yeah, now can we go before we miss the bus?" She asked, pulling Raven's arm, dragging her out of their room.

They got to Bell's place before Clarke and her mysterious girlfriend. Bellamy was cooking dinner, while the girls stood in the kitchen with him.

"Seriously, Bell, this place is way too tiny. You should upgrade." Octavia said hopping up to sit on the counter.

"Does your ass really have to be on my counters?" He asked rolling his eyes at his sister.

"Well, if you had a kitchen big enough for three people to actually stand in, it wouldn't. Since that's not the case, yes, my ass has to be on the counter."

A knock on the door had Octavia jumping back off the counter. "I'll get it." She said racing out of the room to open the front door. "Hey Clarke!" Came her excited voice from the small entry.

"Octavia! I didn't know you'd be here! This is Lexa, my girlfriend. Lexa, this is Octavia."

Their voices were coming closer. Bellamy watched as Raven shifted a little. It was obvious she was uncomfortable. Bellamy looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Now or never, Raven. Take a deep breath, cause you're going to need it."