AN: Hey, everyone! For those of you who know me, I'm starting a new story, and I'm pretty excited, so I hope you enjoy it! My beta reader for this story is the lovely BrittzandTana. If you haven't read her stories yet, you should seriously check them out because they are amazing! Be sure to drop me a review and let me know what you think of this story!
Clarke listened to the rustle of her parents unpacking boxes as she contemplated whether or not she wanted to go outside. She and her family had just gotten to their new home, and her mother had told her to go out and play while she and her father unpacked their things. But Clarke did not know what to play with, since all of her toys were still in boxes somewhere. She wished she could just go outside and play with her best friend Wells. He used to live next door, but now she was miles away from him. She and Wells were supposed to start kindergarten this year, and they had both been really excited, until her mom had announced two months ago that they would be moving at the start of the summer. Now she would be starting kindergarten all alone. Her mom had promised she could call Wells tonight, but that didn't make her feel any better. However, she decided to go outside anyway, like her mom had told her to, and see if she could find something to do.
She stepped out onto her front porch, closing the door behind her, and gazed out at her new street. That's when she noticed two kids down the street, a boy and a girl not much older than her, racing remote control cars, one red and one pink. Clarke, instantly intrigued, slowly made her way over to them, but before she could reach them, another little girl with a tangle of brown curls walked over to the older girl and tugged at her sleeve, seemingly begging for a turn to play. The older girl groaned but relented, exchanging a few more words with the younger girl before heading towards the backyard with the boy. The young brunette grabbed the remote for the pink car and was about to start playing with it when Clarke approached.
"Hi. Can I play, too?" Clarke asked.
"Sure," the other girl said, adding, "Which one do you want?"
Clarke was a bit taken aback by the question, because the other girl obviously wanted the pink one, but she was polite enough to let Clarke have it if she wanted. Even though the girl had offered, Clarke did not want to be rude, and to be honest, she would have picked the red one anyway.
"I'll have red," she said, and the brunette was obviously relieved.
"Cool," she said, handing Clarke the controller for the red car, "I'm Lexa."
"I'm Clarke," Clarke told her.
"Clarke? That's a boy name," Lexa pointed out.
"No, it's not! My mom says it can be a girl name, too," Clarke protested.
"I didn't mean it like that. I was just surprised, but I like it. Clarke," she said, trying the name out again. "It's pretty."
"Thank you," Clarke said.
Lexa turned back to her controller then and began to move her car, quickly running after it as it moved, laughing. Clarke started to make her car move as well, and she wondered why the other girl was running after the car. The two kids who were playing with them before hadn't been chasing them. As she watched Lexa run after her car, though, she looked like she was having so much fun that Clarke just had to try it out for herself. Running after her car, her blond hair flying in the wind, made her feel better than she had since her parents told her they were moving, and she actually laughed. She had never played with remote control cars before and was honestly having so much fun, she almost forgot Lexa was with her. That was, until Lexa began to chase Clarke with her car. Clarke squealed and ran, keeping her car in front of her as best as she could, while trying to stay away from the threat behind her. She ran as fast as she could up and down the street and evaded Lexa's car for a good while, but Lexa never gave up, chasing Clarke until her car finally bumped against the back of Clarke's small white shoe.
"Got you!" Lexa yelled, "You have to catch me now."
"Oh, it's on," Clarke said.
She ran down the street after Lexa, her car in front of her, both girls laughing away. She hadn't realized it at the time, but as she ran after Lexa, she never even thought of her old house once.
The girls chased each other for quite a while, but once the sun started to go down, Clarke stopped, resting her hands on her knees. Lexa's car bumped into her foot.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked.
"I'm thirsty," Clarke explained.
"Why didn't you say so?" Lexa asked, "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Clarke asked.
"To get a drink," Lexa said.
Lexa walked up to a nice-sized, two-story, white house and led the way inside. Clarke followed her down a hallway filled with pictures of Lexa and the two kids she had seen before, whom she could only assume were Lexa's brother and sister. When they reached the kitchen, Lexa pulled a stool in front of the stainless steel refrigerator, stood up on it, and opened the doors, looking back to Clarke.
"Do you want lemonade, fruit punch, or apple juice?" Lexa asked.
"I'll have fruit punch, please," Clarke said politely.
Lexa pulled a fruit punch juice box out of the fridge, opening the straw and putting it in before handing it to Clarke and grabbing an apple juice for herself. Clarke watched as she closed the fridge doors and then moved the stool over a bit so she could climb up and sit atop the counter. She patted the space next to her, and Clarke climbed up beside her.
"So where do you go to school, Clarke?" Lexa asked.
"TonDC elementary," she answered. "I'll be in kindergarten."
"Me too! We'll be in the same class!" Lexa exclaimed.
"Awesome." Clarke grinned.
"So are you part of the family that just moved in?" Lexa asked her.
"Yeah," Clarke responded.
"Was it hard? Moving?" Lexa inquired.
"Yes. I miss my old house and my best friend Wells," Clarke admitted.
"I've never really had a best friend," Lexa said.
"Really?" Clarke asked.
"Yeah. Anya, Lincoln, and I are really close. They're my best friends," Lexa explained, and Clarke assumed that Anya and Lincoln must be the brunette's siblings.
"Now, I can be your best friend, and you can be mine," Clarke declared.
"Okay!" Lexa agreed, "We'll be friends forever."
"Best friends forever," Clarke stated.
Abby Griffin collapsed onto the couch beside her husband Jake, finally having unpacked all of the boxes.
"I'm so glad that's over," Abby said, "That was a lot of work!"
"Clarke hasn't come back yet," Jake pointed out, "Maybe she's made some new friends."
"Clarke's not back?" Abby asked, suddenly worried.
She knew she'd told Clarke to go play outside for a while, so that she wouldn't be in the way while she and Jake unpacked, but she hadn't expected her to stay out long. She honestly hadn't even expected her to listen, since she had been so bummed out about moving away from Wells. Abby instantly jumped off the couch, ready to go outside and look for her daughter, when Jake grabbed her arm.
"I'm sure she's fine, Abby," he said. "She's probably just out playing with some of the kids on the block."
"No. She was really upset about moving away from Wells earlier. I doubt she's gotten over it that quickly," Abby argued.
"She's a kid," Jake said, "and it doesn't take long for kids as young as she is to get over things like this."
At that moment, the door opened, and Clarke walked in, looking tired but fine. Abby enveloped her in a hug, stroking her hair softly before pulling back and crouching at her level, looking into Clarke's blue eyes.
"Clarke, where have you been?" Abby asked.
"I was outside playing like you told me to," Clarke explained.
"All by yourself?" Abby questioned.
"With Lexa. She lives down the street, and she's gonna be in kindergarten, too!" Clarke said excitedly, before adding, "She's my new best friend."
"That's great, honey. Do you still want to talk to Wells?" Abby asked.
"No. I'm tired. I'll call him tomorrow," Clarke said, heading for the stairs.
Abby walked back over to the couch and sunk down on the beige cushions, pretending not to notice the smug look on her husband's face. Though she was glad Clarke made a new friend, she was a little taken aback by how the move didn't seem to be bothering Clarke anymore, when she had been dreading it for weeks.
"What did I tell you? She's over it already," Jake said, eyes twinkling.
Abby just laughed, nudging him in the side and shaking her head. So maybe he was right this time.
"Clarke!" The sound of Clarke's mother's voice rang down the hallway the next afternoon.
Clarke put down the Polly Pockets she was playing with and exited her room, running down the stairs to find her mother. Abby was standing at the door, and when Clarke looked past her, she saw Lexa standing outside. A smile instantly spread across Clarke's face at the sight of her new best friend, and she pushed past her mother to say hello to Lexa, who she immediately wrapped up in a hug. Lexa was taken aback at first, but then she quickly returned it. When Clarke pulled away, she turned back to her mother.
"Mom, this is Lexa," she said.
"So I heard. I'm assuming you want to go out and play, so go ahead. I'll call you when it's dinnertime," Abby said.
"Okay. Thank you," Clarke said.
Lexa grabbed her hand, pulling Clarke away from the door, and Clarke eagerly followed and walked out onto the street beside Lexa. She noticed that Lexa's siblings, Anya and Lincoln, were outside too, playing with the remote control cars that she and Lexa had played with yesterday.
"Anya and Lincoln are playing with the cars right now, so we'll have to find something else to do," Lexa informed her.
"That's fine, but why don't you have your own car?" Clarke asked.
"I could've gotten my own, but I wanted something else," Lexa explained, "something better."
"What?" Clarke asked.
"Come on. I'll show you," Lexa said, pulling Clarke towards the garage.
The garage was big enough for two cars, although it only contained one at the moment, and it was chock full of various other items: scooters, bikes, yard equipment, and even an old TV. Lexa led her to an item that was at the forefront of the clutter and easy for her to reach. It was a small motorcycle.
"You have a motorcycle?!" Clarke was in awe.
"Yep. Want to ride?" Lexa asked.
"That would be awesome! Can we ride together?" Clarke asked.
"Sure. I'll drive," Lexa agreed.
She grabbed her black leather motorcycle jacket off the shelf in front of her, putting it on before grabbing her black and red helmet as well. Realizing that there was only one, she handed it to Clarke.
"That's alright. You can have it," Clarke said.
"No. You wear it. This is your first time, and I don't want you to get hurt. Motorcycles can be dangerous," Lexa explained.
Clarke nodded and took the helmet, putting it on, as Lexa grabbed a pair of shades to wear.
"You look really cool. Like a real motorcycle rider," Clarke said.
"Thanks." Lexa beamed as she began to pull her motorcycle towards the street.
Once in the street, Lexa climbed on and gestured for Clarke to get on behind her. Clarke obliged, and Lexa grabbed Clarke's arms and wrapped them around her waist. Then, she stepped on the gas pedal, and they sped down the street. The pace wasn't too fast, but it felt really fast to Clarke, and she laughed as they rode, clutching tightly to Lexa in order to stay on. Lexa knew every street in the neighborhood, taking them all the way to where the development met the main road, and she was a great driver, slowing down a little to expertly complete the turn that would send them back the way they'd come. Clarke was having so much fun, and by the time they got back to their street, the blonde was ready to try for herself.
"Can I drive now?" Clarke asked once they stopped.
"Sure," Lexa said, climbing off so that Clarke could scoot up to the front.
Lexa climbed on the back and wrapped her arms around Clarke's waist before giving her the thumbs up, signaling that she was ready to go. Clarke had never ridden something that had a gas pedal before, so she did not know that it had alternating levels of speed. She pressed down on the pedal, shooting off down the street, but when they reached the turn, she didn't slow down, and she turned a bit too early, sending the motorcycle into someone's front yard. It immediately fell sideways, sending her and Lexa toppling to the grass.
"Are you alright?" Lexa asked, sitting up.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Good thing I was wearing my helmet, right?" Clarke said, and Lexa nodded.
"Next time, don't press the pedal so hard, so you can get used to driving before you go really fast," Lexa instructed.
"Okay," Clarke said.
They climbed back onto the motorcycle, and this time, Clarke didn't press on the gas so hard. She went slowly, so she could make the turns correctly, following Lexa's instructions on how to navigate through the neighborhood. Clarke found it really fun getting to drive, even if it was a bit scary, and she sped up a little as she felt herself getting more and more at ease. That was, until she reached the part where the neighborhood met the road.
"I can't do this," Clarke said, starting to panic as she watched the cars race by on the road in front of her.
"Yes, you can," Lexa assured her.
"No, I really can't, Lexa." Clarke's voice wobbled with fear.
"Don't worry. Just ease up on the pedal a bit. I got this," Lexa said, bringing her hands up to rest over Clarke's and moving the handlebars to complete a perfect turn before letting her hands drop back to Clarke's waist.
"Thank you, Lexa," Clarke sighed in relief.
"No problem," Lexa said.
Clarke took off down the street again, having no more problems as she guided them back to the front of Lexa's house, where they finally decided to get off the motorcycle. The sun was beginning to set, sending streaks of orange across the darkening sky. Clarke helped Lexa take the motorcycle back to the garage and then took off her helmet. She watched as Lexa put the helmet, along with her jacket and sunglasses, back up onto the shelf above the motorcycle.
"Well, I should probably get back home. My mom will want me in for dinner soon," Clarke said.
"Okay. I'll walk you to your house," Lexa said.
They set off towards Clarke's house, but as they were passing the place where Anya and Lincoln were still playing with their cars, Anya called out, "So, Lex, who is this chick who already got to ride on your motorcycle?"
"This is Clarke. She just moved in down the street, and she's my new best friend," Lexa introduced as Clarke waved at them.
"So, Clarke, how'd you get a ride? Most of the time Lexa won't even let us ride with her. She loves that motorcycle," Anya said, she and Lincoln walking over.
"She just offered, and I said yes. It was so much fun!" Clarke's eyes glowed with excitement.
"Looks like we're being replaced, An. Lexa found someone she likes more than us," Lincoln said.
"That's not true. I still love you guys," Lexa said, and Anya turned to Clarke.
"Well, if you already got a ride on Lexa's beloved motorcycle, you must be pretty cool. I'm Anya, and this is Lincoln," Anya introduced herself and her brother.
"Nice to meet you," Clarke said politely.
"Clarke! It's time for dinner!" Abby called from the door of Clarke's house.
"That's my mom," Clarke said, "I've got to go."
"That's okay, but you should come back tomorrow. Maybe we can all play something together," Anya suggested.
"I would like that," Clarke said.
"Clarke! Now!" Abby called again.
Clarke's eyes widened a little, and she quickly hugged Lexa goodbye and took off running toward her house, not wanting to get in trouble. She smiled as she ran though, knowing that she had just made two new friends.