For the second time that hour, Raven found herself ready to kill someone. It was bad enough she had been coerced into taking crutches to summer camp, but she had already been patronized by two different boys in the one and a half hours she'd been there. She was aware she may look "fragile" to the simple-minded 15 year old boys around her, but she was anything but. She would accept having to deal with this injury the rest of her life, she didn't need the pity too.
"I think I can handle carrying my own dinner, thank you very much," she replied to the boy next to her. She'd been making her way over to her Cabin's table when he so rudely stepped in front of her and "offered to help". She knew what he was really after. Either to show off to all the girls around or make her feel stupid. Well, she wasn't going to let either thing happen. She shoved past him on her way by.
"I didn't think you couldn't," he mumbled as he dejectedly walked back to his own table.
"Rae, what was that about? What did he say?" Clarke inquired the second Raven sat down, having seen the whole thing. "Was he making fun of your leg? Do you need me to 'talk' to him for you?" She was now glaring at the back of the boy's head and looked ready to pounce as soon as Raven said the word.
"I'm fine Clarke, he was just being a jerk." Raven poked at her salad with more intensity than required. Clarke gave her a skeptical look.
"Oh yeah, you're completely fine…" She rolled her eyes as she started in on her own dinner. Raven rolled her own eyes, knowing the only way her friend was going to let this go would be if she gave in and explained what happened in more detail.
"I just wish people would stop thinking I can't do anything just because of my leg. I wish I'd never let you talk me into using crutches while I'm here." She dropped her fork and picked up her pizza instead.
"We're in the middle of the woods with uneven ground and that stupid wooden, swinging bridge that goes over the creek! There are so many things that could knock you over and the crutches can help prevent that. I've told you this!"
"I know you have. I know and I understand. I just…," she paused, trying to figure out how to phrase what she was feeling. "I just don't like how vulnerable it makes me look."
Clarke put her hand on Raven's shoulder in a comforting manner. "The people that really matter would never think you're vulnerable. Trust me." They share a small smile before digging back in to their dinner. Raven glances back up to the boy from earlier. He's talking to John Murphy and Monty Green over at the Cabin 2 table. She hasn't seen him around in the 7 years she's been coming to Camp Arkadia. Has he never been here before, or has he just been coming a different week than her? Why does she care? She doesn't. She shouldn't. He patronized her, she shouldn't care about him. She looks away and focuses on talking to Emori, who's sitting across from her and Clarke. She misses the look he sends back her way. Clarke doesn't.
The girls saw the boy again the next day. "Of course he's in our challenge course class. How could we ever think otherwise!" Raven said dramatically, plopping down on the log bench next to Clarke. Two of them had their first class of the day with each other, and, apparently, the jerk from the day before(neither of them had learned his name quite yet, not wanting to ask their friends to risk them having the wrong idea).
"Alright, I'm gonna make sure everyone is here," Bellamy said, walking over to the 13 teens sitting on the log. He was holding a clipboard and looking more professional than he had the right to. "Just say 'here' when I say your name." This was Bellamy Blake's third year as a staff member at Camp Arkadia, his first as a challenge course instructor, and it was also the third year of Clarke's big crush on him.
Yes, he was a staff member and yes, he was 3 years older than her, 18 to her 15, but she couldn't help it! Raven couldn't wait to see how this year would go with him being their instructor. She intended to get some good material for jabs at her friend to get back for the ones she made last night about her and "the-jerk-that-they-don't-know-the-name-of-yet". Clarke deliberately looked away from Bellamy at all times, Raven giving her a suggestive look everytime she caught the blonde's eye. They went through role as normal, the girl's ear perking up when an unfamiliar name was said.
"Miles Shaw?" Bellamy announced, looking up to identify the camper the name belonged to. Mystery Jerk raised his hand.
"Here. I prefer to go by Zeke, if that's okay." He put his hand down and Bellamy wrote down the nickname. Zeke. Miles "Zeke" Shaw. Raven mulled over the name, trying to remember it. Miles Shaw would rue the day he patronized Raven Reyes. She didn't take the act lightly, and would be sure he knew that by the end of the week.
"Alright, it looks like we're all here so let's start by doing some icebreakers, then we can move on to the cargo net!" Bellamy said, motioning for everyone to follow him to the center of the clearing in front of them. The cargo net was set up to their left, by the climbing wall. Those two things made up one side of the structure they were currently in the middle of. The whole thing was about 150 feet high with 3 giant, steel poles in each corner. There was the Log Walk on the north side about 125 feet up, the Beast to the west about 135 feet up (a beam that was slanted and attached to the top beam by cables so it moved) and the Leap of Faith to the east (a pole that went about 100 feet up that you jump off of to a trapeze bar about 8-10 feet away). There were beams that connected each of the big poles that helped strap in harness for safety. The Zipline is another pole a bit more north, that has a zipline connected to the top of the main lodge (where meals take place and staff live upstairs), that is about 175 feet off the ground.
Almost all of their friend group takes Challenge Course. Raven and Clarke first class, Murphy and Emori second class, and Monty and Harper third. They'd actually all met when they first started going to the camp at 8 years old when they were all in the same challenge course class. It was a special class to them all.
After playing a couple name games to solidify they know who everyone is, they move on to the cargo net. They rotate through who gets to wear the few harnesses and helmets Challenge Course is allowed to use. Raven has only one goal when it's her turn: show these assholes her leg doesn't slow her down(too much). She sets a new camp record.
She doesn't actually talk to Zeke again until the fifth class, five and a half hours later. They have model rocketry together. The universe officially hates her. The good news is Clarke's fifth class is art which is in the same building; the old lodge, located across the grass (where the flagpole is, right above the beach) from the main lodge. The bad news is Clarke gets WAY too focused when she's drawing for Raven to get her attention for help. Well, shit.
The class began the same way as them all: role call, a name game then an overview of the class. The instructor, a man Raven had never met before, set the bags with their rocket supplies on the table in the middle. "Grab a kit for yourself and pick a surrounding table to work at." He motioned to the five foldable tables around him. Raven guessed there must have been more kids in the fourth period class for him to have that many tables as there were only three kids in her class: Zeke, Wick and her.
"Hey, Raven. Do you need any help carrying your supplies to your table?" Raven took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from ripping him a new one. She turned around, her knuckles turning white while gripping the bag with her supplies.
"My arms still work last time I checked, so no. As I've said before, I don't need your help. Now, are you going to keep blocking my path or are you going to let me get to my table so I can work?" She glared at him as she said every word. After only a few seconds he moved to the side so she could move past. She rolled her eyes as she made her way across the room to the table furthest from the one he'd chosen. Wick watched the whole encounter with wide eyes, sheepishly looking away when Raven glared at him too. She'd had it with the boys here. Except Murphy. And Monty. They were fine, but the statement still stands. She'd have to ask them what Shaw's deal was later.
The next 4 days passed the same way. Everyday he would ask once or twice if she needed help with anything and she'd have to hold back the urge to rain down hell on him. She didn't need his mockery and reminder of how she looked to the public; a wounded animal, easy prey, helpless. He asked during classes, during dodgeball, during the freaking camp carnival Wednesday night! He wouldn't let up! Every time she shut him down, and every time he was left confused, wondering what he'd done to make her so mad. He didn't understand until Saturday night. The nightly hour of the staff playing live music and putting on skits had concluded and the movie the "video crew" had been making all week had been watched. The Saturday night party was in full swing, teenagers running around on sugar highs and staff going around "collecting their 'taxes'", which was just another way of saying going up to kids and "asking" for candy from them(nicely).
Zeke was talking to some boys from his jet skiing class when he saw Finn Collins approach Raven on the outskirts of the party. It wasn't that he was looking for her. He wasn't! He just saw her out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't hoping to catch a glimpse of her when she wasn't pissed at him. Not at all! He watched as Finn started talking to her, saw her clenching her jaw trying not to give Finn a reaction. He saw her resolve fail and her spin around, already yelling at him. He also saw Finn's satisfied smirk. That was it, the final straw. He marched over there as fast as he could, trying his best to remain calm so he wouldn't fight the greasy bastard as soon as he got over there. Finn started talking again.
"-won't be able to survive in this world like that! You may as well just give up now." That was all Zeke heard of Finn's retort, but it was more than enough to break down his restraint. He shoved Finn away from the girl, pushing him between two of the boys cabins, in the dark and way from prying eyes of staff or campers.
"You asshole! What makes you think that's an acceptable thing to say to anyone! Get the hell away from her or I'll make sure you won't be able to threaten anyone again!" He was full on snarling in Finn's face at this point and he probably would've started making good on that promise already if Raven didn't pull him back.
"Shaw, what are you doing?!" Her fury now seemed to be directed to them both.
"I'm helping you, what do it look like I'm doing?" Finn took that as his cue to leave, going back to the fire pit in the center of cabin circle as fast as his legs would carry him.
"I don't need your stupid help! You're just like Finn, thinking I'm too weak to do anything for myself!" Now she was the one snarling in someone's face and Zeke wasn't all too happy with how things had turned around. "All week you've been such a dick! Always asking if I need help, never taking the hint to leave my alone! I don't need a strong man to save me; I'm Raven Reyes and I can save myself!" Realization flashed across Zeke's face, breaking through his anger.
"Oh…" he said, taking a few steps back.
"'Oh' what?" She asked, venom in her voice.
"You thought I was being mean to you? You think I see you as weak?" His voice was softer now, and he moved forward slightly with every question. "Raven Reyes, I think you're the strongest person I've ever met. I wasn't asking you if I could help with anything because I didn't think you could handle it yourself, I asked because I wanted to actually help you, be nice to you. I'm in awe of you." She looked like the wind had been knocked out of her. She didn't move, she didn't speak; she just stared at him. "What?" He was confused again. Had he done something wrong. "If that was too forward I'm sorry, I just felt you should have some sort of ex-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by her grabbing his shirt and pulling his lips against hers, her left hand still holding her crutch.
It was over as quickly as it had started, but Raven didn't pull back far(or let go of his shirt). She looked into his dark brown eyes, trying to communicate as much emotion as she could. "Thank you. Thank you for being one of the few good guys I've ever met." He slowly leaned back in, giving her time to push him away if she wanted. She met him halfway.
Clarke jumped her the second she walked back to the rest of the camp. "What happened?"
"Hello to you too." Clarke rolled her eyes at her best friend's snark reply.
"I saw you disappear with Finn and come back with Zeke," she lowered her voice to a whisper yell, " holding hands !" She grabbed Raven by the arm and fully turned her towards her. "So, I ask again; what happened?"
"Finn was being, well, Finn and Zeke jumped in. We fought for a bit and then we kissed," she shrugged. "It's not a big deal." Clarke's eyes were wide as saucers, her jaw dropped. Raven almost laughed.
"YOU WHAT?!" She grabbed her arm again and pulled her further away from the crowd, ignoring the odd looks everyone was giving them. "Ok, details. NOW." Raven had just opened her mouth to protest when she caught a glance of three men walking towards them. She was honestly surprised it had taken this long from them to catch the staff's attention.
"Um, Clarke…" she started trying to move her friend's focus away from the topic at hand. She was certain the staff wouldn't find the story quite as enjoyable as Clarke did.
"No! Raven, do not try to change the subject! You can't just drop something like that and expect me not to respond. Now, I need all the details of what happened back there or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?" The familiar voice made Clarke freeze. Raven stifled a laugh. Clarke whipped around so fast you would think her life depended on it. Bellamy, Miller and Jackson were all standing a few feet away, looking extremely amused(and a tad bit worried). Bellamy had his trademark smirk on his face. "Do we have to tell Kane and Diyoza campers were threatening each other?" He raised his eyebrow inquisitively, he voice teasing.
"Oh come on Bellamy, let the poor girls live!" Jackson said, turning to his friend with an exasperated look on his face. Miller put his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, addressing the girls when he said, "We just came over to make sure everything was okay. There was quite a bit of commotion from over here and we were a bit… intrigued." Raven was doubtful they were intrigued and not worried, but decided not to pick that bone. They had already made enough trouble.
"We're fine. I was just telling my friend something that happened in something I was reading earlier." She gave Clarke a 'don't blow this' look. "She got a bit too excited about it." She turned back to the boys and tried to give them her most natural, innocent smile. It wasn't the best, but the boys seemed to accept it.
"Alright, if nothing's wrong over here I guess we'll rejoin the party," Miller said, giving them a side eye as he started to leave. Jackson grabbed his arm and practically pulled him away from them. Raven shot him a relieved smile and he winked back. Bellamy stayed where he was.
"You girls sure that was all it was?" He apparently wasn't fooled by her cover story. Raven was trying to think of other ways to make he believe they were fine, but before she could speak Clarke started to open her mouth. Oh no! What was she going to say? Clarke was a complete wild card with how she acted around Bellamy.
"There's something completely unrelated ," she stressed the words, but maybe a bit too much judging by the weird look on Bellamy's face. He crossed his arms then motioned with his hand for her to continue. "If you could keep an extra close eye on Finn Collins that would be great." Bellamy's eyes flashed with something that Raven identified as recognition. "You know who he is?"
"Do I ever." Bellamy dropped his arms and shook his head. "I have him in challenge course fourth class. I've had a weird feeling about him since he got here." He looked Clarke dead in the eyes, and in the most sincere voice promised her he's watch out for him. Then he turned and joined the rest of his friends. Clarke let out a shaky breath.
"Oh, you're a goner," Raven affectionately shook her head at the blonde then motioned for her to follow her back to the party.
The next day Raven and Zeke couldn't catch much time to talk. All the cabin had to rush around the next morning: getting dressed, cleaning up the cabins and doing last minute packing took up the whole hour they had before breakfast. They sadly didn't have time to talk at breakfast either, her cabin leaving the main lodge right as his entered. It wasn't until 9:30, after most of the campers had already left, that they were able to have a much needed conversation.
"So…" Zeke began as he approach her, hands in his front pockets and a sheepish expression on his face.
"So…" she said, moving a bit closer. "What do we do now?"
"Well," he said, pulling his right hand out of his pocket along with his phone, "I have this back now, so maybe we should exchange numbers? Addresses?" He optimistic smile was tainted by a sad overtone that took over his face. "I think that's our best bet if we want to stay in touch." Raven nodded solemnly.
"I guess it is." She grabbed his phone and started a new contact for herself. "There." She looked up to find him holding a folding up paper with her name written nicely in cursive on it. She opened it and took a sharp breath. "Wow, Michigan. I knew you didn't live in the same town as me but I didn't think you'd be from Michigan." She lifted her gaze from the paper back to him. "How did you even hear about this place? We're in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley!" He lets out a small chuckle at her amazement.
"My family knows Diyoza. She invited me to come this year, and I must say, I'm glad I made the trip." He grabs the hand she's not holding the paper with and starts rubbing his thumb along the back of it.
"I'm pretty glad too," she says, her smile growing from small and sweet to wide and blinding(his does too). They spend the rest of the short time they have together just talking; getting to know each other better(she finally tells him how she hurt her leg) and already planning to Skype and write to each other at least once a week. The circumstances may not have been ideal, but, god dammit, they were going to make the best of them.