Chapter 02: Enter Clarke Griffin
"Babe! I swear it wasn't how it looked!"
This was the fourteenth call this week. I didn't know how else to tell the fucking bastard to fuck off and leave me alone.
"So…what? You just happened to trip and your dick ended up in their mouths?! Was that not you filming the entire thing?!"
I could practically hear him opening and closing his mouth like a gaping fish that was left out of the water for too long. Deciding to end this conversation once and for all, I allow myself to leave one more statement.
"It's over Finn. You can keep your hoes because this, what we were, is done. Over. Don't call me. Don't come near me ever again."
I don't even try to hear a reply before ending the call. I could feel the anger seeping through my veins as my fingers curled around the phone tightly.
Three years…three fucking years I was with that man.
Three years I invested in that relationship, fighting friends and family alike who all told me what a douche Finn Collins really was. The nerve of that guy. And now that I'm looking back, I can't believe I allowed myself to believe every lie of how he was still filming in Vancouver or when he couldn't come see me because he was sick when in actuality, he was actually sleeping around with anyone or anything that had a vagina.
I could feel the bile start to rise through my throat before swallowing it back down. Tears start to form and I hit a breaking point; my arm cocks back before quickly pushing forth and a loud bang resonates in my room just as my door opens.
"HOLY SHIT!"
Raven instantly fell on her knees with her hands above her hand, scared to death at the possibility of being hit. The fury leaves my eyes quickly as I realized just how close my aim would have been if it were a few inches to the left.
"Oh my god! Raven, I'm so sorry!"
"Jesus Christ Griffin! I come in here to get you ready for Jimmy Kimmel and the first thing I get is a phone being thrown at me?!"
The young Latina dramatically puts her hand over her heart as if she had suffered a heart attack, making me roll my eyes.
"Well if you had to listen to your cheating ex-boyfriend try to lie his way back into your arms, you'd be making some sort of explosive device to throw at him instead of a phone."
I watch the shift of emotions on her face and smirked when I heard her say, "Yeah…that's true."
Raven chuckled before taking a look at the damage of the hotel wall. Sighing briefly, she took out her own phone and started to make a call.
"Hey…yeah it's me. Look…we are going to have to tip extra for the stay…yeah…that prick called and made princess destroy her phone. Yeah…the wall next to the front door has a pretty nice-looking dent…"
The rage I once had has now dissipated and the anxiety I usually get before interviews start to seep in. While Raven was busy on the phone, I move over to the closet and find the outfit I picked out earlier, taking it out from the hangers and setting it on the bed.
Today was my first interview on TV since the scandal broke out. After screening some of the probable questions that Jimmy was going to ask me, it was inevitable that they were going to ask me about Finn so in order to distract the audience from my answers, Raven told me to go for an outfit that screamed 'sex on fire' and 'I'm okay, a little hurt, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' type of vibe.
Skin tight leather pants paired with a deep cut white flowing blouse coupled with my favorite leather jacket seemed to do the trick. The jacket was pretty much the extra needed item that screamed, 'badass even when heartbroken'. And the cherry on top was a pair of scarlet red Louboutins to complete the outfit.
As I finished dressing, Raven was just getting done with the phone.
"Alright Princess! We need to get going already. The driver's downstairs and we need to make it to the studio before traffic gets worse."
I nod as I quickly ruffled my hair and sprayed a bit of hair spray to help control my curls and let most of my hair rest over my right shoulder and then checked my makeup. Smoky eyeliner with a smidge of blended navy eye shadow to help darken my blue irises was all I needed.
Raven opened up the door as she watched me grab my clutch and silver aviators and we rushed out of my hotel room so we could make it on time at the studio.
****At the studio***
"Clarke...every time we see you on TV or in the magazines, you never cease to have a smile on your face. And it suits you because you truly are one of the sweetest people I have ever met, sweetest."
The audience applauds heavily and I can't help but smile genuinely at such a compliment.
"Now…I know you're here to promote your new movie, The Dropship, but I have to ask…not just because it's my job, but because as a fellow fan and I'm sure everyone wants to know, I'm a bit curious how you are taking all of this in. Because when the news came out, I'm pretty sure we were all very shocked but for you, it must've been an even bigger shock."
Remembering my usual acting mantra, I focus on keeping the emotions away from my face as I answer the question the way I've been practicing it.
"Um…yes it was quite a shock when I learnt of it. I obviously questioned Finn and we talked and we ended up finding out that we had only been staying together due to the idea of us being together. You know, we grew up together within the same circle and he was my friend before we became a couple and I guess at some point, we became content with what we had. I will always have love for him and support him in his future endeavors but now, only as friends."
Jimmy looked at me incredulously while the audience 'awed' at my explanation.
"So you mean to tell me, that America's sweetheart didn't try to rip him a new one?"
I laughed quickly at his wit and shook my head.
"I mean, you must've been angry…I mean, it's hard to imagine you angry but you must've been livid at least."
I roll my eyes playfully at him.
"Of course I was mad Jimmy…I mean, what kind of person would I be if I wasn't at least angry for what he did?"
The crowd goes wild when I flash them the trademark Griffin grin and the heartache that had settled in my heart, started to fade with every positive feedback I received from everyone. Knowing how limited my time was, I quickly move to change the subject.
"Now enough of that boring story, my new movie is coming out in two weeks!"
And the interview continued on and we even played a game where we (a member of the audience and I) would reenact one of the scenes from the movie in different accents, which made my day.
This is exactly why I'm doing what I do. Seeing their smiles…makes me feel alive.
***Back in the car***
"Good shit Griffin! The ratings were off the charts with that interview! Twitter is blowing up and you are the top trending top with #ClarkeTheMerciful at two hundred and fifty thousand tweets and counting."
I massage the muscles that connect my shoulders to my neck, humming softly as the ache began to wade away. While Raven spouted out more social media specs, I looked at the new phone that Raven got me during the interview and everything was backed up so it looked just like my old one. I couldn't help but stare at the lock screen. The happy and head-over-heels in love person I saw didn't reflect how I felt now. My eyes wander over to the other person. His raven locks peeked underneath a green trucker hat and his arms are wrapped around the other 'me' in the photo, grinning widely, and his smile looking eerily similar to my own.
The hollow thud came back and it gripped at my heart. All of a sudden, the photo was barely visible anymore as tears started to form. At some point, Raven had stopped talking when she noticed my lack of participation in the conversation and I knew she had that look in her face. Her hands move forward to cup my face and her thumbs firmly wipe away the tears from falling without smudging any of my makeup.
"I know it hurts Clarke…but he doesn't deserve your tears. Remember what your dad always said: Lover is never having to say you're sorry. You deserve better and it wasn't your fault that this happened. This was on him…he did this to you. He hurt you…not the other way around."
My eyes look up at her and I lean in to hug her. She truly was the best friend anyone could ever have.
"Thanks Ray-ray"
I softly whispered in her embrace. She tightened her hold around me for a sec before wiping the excess tears and giving me my bag to reapply the makeup that was messed up.
"Alright! Enough with the sappiness! O called while you were gone and we are meeting her at Polis for some well-deserved alcoholic beverages and potential one-night stands!"
That last comment made me laugh out loud. Of course she would think that…only Raven would.
"Alright then Reyes! Lead the way and let's show everyone why New York is the city that never sleeps!"
Finn may have hurt me deeply but I can't let that drown me. I need to learn how to be my own person again.
Hope you guys liked that! Now remember, this is a slow burn so its going to take a bit to get to the clexa parts but I swear i will be good to you! The next chapter is probably going to consist of multiple POVs as well as time jumps. Thanks for reading and I posted up some pics to show certain stuff on my tumblr so if you want visuals, check it out!
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