-Two weeks ago -
Clarke walks hand in hand down the street with her boyfriend Finn. They just celebrated their one month anniversary and Clarke was swooning. Finn surprised her with a picnic dinner by the lake. They ate, talked, kissed and admired the stars. Clarke loved the stars. She always thought they were so beautiful and mysterious. They weren't ready for the night to end so they decided enjoy a nice walk downtown.
"Hey, how about some ice cream?" He asks her as they turn the corner.
"Ice cream sounds great"
"Awesome, let's go - " he is interrupted by the text message alert on his phone. He reads the message and Clarke can't help but notice his demeanor change.
"Everything ok?" She asks.
He hesitates, then says "Umm… yeah. I just need to go take care of something on the way to the ice cream shop. It'll only take a minute". He kisses her hand and they continue their walk.
About a block from the ice cream shop, Finn comes to a stop. They are standing by an empty alley behind a local bar and Clarke sees a man in a hood standing in the shadows. She doesn't like this, not one bit. Before she can voice her nervousness, Finn lets go of her hand.
"I'll be back in a sec." he says as he walks into the alley.
Clarke contemplates just walking away. But for some reason her feet are glued where she stands. Maybe it's fear, maybe it's curiosity but she stays put. She watches as Finn shakes the hooded man's hand and then place a small plastic bag in his pocket. Then, just as Finn begins walking back towards where she's standing, a cop car pulls up right behind her. Finn turns around to run but is stopped by the hooded man now holding a badge. The cop grabs Finn and forces him to the ground. Clarke panics as she hears another cop behind her yell "Put your hands up!" She does as she asked and all of sudden, finds herself handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police car.
-Present time-
"Ms. Griffin, you are a first time offender and I do believe you when you say you were in the wrong place at the wrong time…"
Clarke listens to the judge speak. She can't believe she's standing here waiting to be sentenced on drug charges. She can almost feel the disappointment radiating off her parents who are seated behind her.
'Fuck you, Finn' she thinks.
"Now, I can't let you go unpunished, so I'm sentencing you to 90 days of community service."
Clarke lets out a sigh of relief. That's honestly less than she thought she would get. She listens as the judge talks specifics and then she hears him pause and look straight into her eyes.
"Ms. Griffin, I'm leaving you today with some advice. You have to choose your company wisely. There's always more to people than what meets the eye. Take the time to learn about someone. Listen. Observe. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Judge Jaha."
"Very well, you're free to go. Mr. Kane will be waiting to hear from you within 24 hour to schedule your first day."
With that, he dismisses the courtroom and Clarke leaves with her parents. To say the car ride home is awkward is an understatement. No one has spoken for the last 10 minutes and Clarke is not sure if she'll able to earn her parent's trust back again.
"You're lucky, kid" she hears her father say.
"I know."
It's 3:30 p.m. on Monday and instead of hanging out with her friends or spending time in her art studio like she usually does after school, Clarke is standing outside of Arkadia Youth Recreational Center. She had heard of the AYRC before. It's a center specifically for kids who are currently in the social services/foster care system. She had actually thought about volunteering here in the past but decided to work at the hospital her mother works at instead. She wishes she was here under different circumstances, but is determined to do a good job.
"Here goes nothing" she says to herself as she walks through the doors.
After she enters the center, Clarke approaches the reception desk where a young man with funny goggles on his head sits. "May I help you?" he asks her. She reads 'Jasper' on the badge hanging around his neck.
"Uh, yeah. I'm Clarke Griffin. I'm supposed to see Mr. Kane."
"Ah, yes. The community service girl... You don't look like a drug dealer" he states.
"Thanks" Clarke replies with an eye roll.
"Mr. Kane's office is right behind you. Go ahead and go in. He's expecting you."
Clarke nods and makes her way to the door.
"Come in." She hears after knocking.
Clarke enters and briefly looks around the man's modest office. Motivational posters line the walls and she notices photos of tons of smiling children scattered about. Mr. Kane motions to the chair across from his desk and Clarke takes a seat.
"Welcome to AYRC Ms. Griffin, we're pleased to have you." He smiles and Clarke thinks he sounds genuine.
"Thank you, sir." she replies quietly.
"Right, so I read from your file that you have a background in fine art, is that correct?"
"Yes sir."
"That's great! We just finished construction on our new art room and have been looking for someone to teach the kids some basics. You seem like a good fit. What do you think?"
"That sounds good Mr. Kane." Clarke tried to contain her excitement. She was worried she'd be on janitorial duty for 90 days.
Mr. Kane smiles and looks at Clarke before he continues in a serious tone.
"Ms. Griffin, I know you're not a bad person. You just got yourself in a really unfortunate situation. But you have to know and understand that these kids live in unfortunate situations every day. It's our job to teach them. To be their friend. Be someone they can trust. It's a big responsibility. And if it's not something you can handle, I need to know now."
"I can handle it, sir. I promise." She says sincerely.
They are interrupted by a knock on the door and a moment later a girl about Clarke's age walks in. Clarke is taken aback by the girls simple beauty and stunning green eyes. The girl looks directly at her, quizzically.
"Oh good, Lexa. I'm glad you're here." Mr. Kane says.
Lexa. That's a great name, Clarke thinks.
Mr. Kane continues, "This is Clarke Griffin, the new volunteer I told you about."
Clarke stands and reaches her hand out to the girl. There's an awkward moment before Lexa takes her hand.
"Right, the new 'court-ordered' volunteer." Lexa smirks and Clarke narrows her eyes at her. iHow dare this girl! /i Clarke thinks. Mr. Kane raises his eyebrow in a silent warning at Lexa and she rolls her eyes. "Nice to meet you, Clarke." She says as she releases her hand.
"You too." Clarke replied in a friendly tone. She will kill this judgmental girl with kindness if she has to.
"Clarke, Lexa here is my assistant director. If you have any questions she'll have the answers for you. Lexa, would you show Ms. Griffin to the art room please."
"Sure thing Mr. Kane" she replied as she turns and walks out of the office without pausing to wait for Clarke. Clarke gives Mr. Kane a quick smile before turning and rushing to catch up to Lexa.
Once she finally catches up to the girl, they walk in silence for a few moments before Clarke speaks up.
"So, how long have you worked here?"
She can hear Lexa take a deep breath before she answers, "Look Princess, you're here for 90 days, there's no reason why you have to act interested in getting to know me."
Before a shocked Clarke can respond they approach a colorful door with 'Art Room' painted on the front. "Here we are." Lexa says as they walk inside. Clarke takes the room in. There are a handful of shelves with various types of supplies. A lot of it looks old and used. Then, Clarke notices a young girl, maybe 8 or 9 sitting alone in the room with tons crayons spread around her.
"That's Charlotte. She loves to color. She spends most of her time in this room." Lexa explains dryly before walking towards the young girl.
"Hey Charlotte," Clarke hears Lexa say in the friendliest tone she's heard from the girl. "This is Clarke. She's the new art room teacher."
The young girl's eyes light up and her smile is so big Clarke can't help but match the smile back. She barely walks two steps before Charlotte is standing right at her feet.
"Hi Charlotte." Clarke says as she squats down to be at eye level with the girl.
"Hi! You do art?" The girl asks excitedly.
"I do. I love art"
"Me too! Come on, let me show you what I'm coloring!" Charlotte grabs Clarke's hand and pulls her towards the table. Clarke turns her head towards the door as Lexa raises her eyebrow to her before turning and walking out.
Clarke isn't sure why Lexa has taken an instant disliking to her. But she's determined to change the green eyed beauty's mind.