Disclaimer: I don't own The 100
A/N: Sorry for the long delay! The end of the semester craziness totally kicked my butt. Gotta love double majors, amirite?
I hope this chapter makes up for the wait!
Enjoy! X
"I swear to god if I see you again I'm going to kill you."
"Yeah, okay; good luck with that."
The sounds of rapid gunfire and explosions fill the basement. Uncle Gustus had taken Lexa and Aden out to lunch and then shopping to pick up some school supplies for their first day tomorrow. He had dropped them back off at home before turning around again, promising he'd be right back. Anya got home a few minutes later and the three kids (and Titus) made their way down to the finished basement.
That was easily an hour ago, and Aden and Anya's smack talk only intensified with each round they played of their video game.
Lexa leans back further into the couch as she watches Aden and Anya furiously smashing buttons on their controllers, trying to find the other first. It's amusing to Lexa to watch the pair in action; she was never good at video games – not that she ever played much – but Aden always was playing at their old house. It was nice that he was now living with someone he could actually play against.
Just then a loud explosion booms from the television, making Lexa flinch on the couch. Aden tossed his controller down while Anya throws her fists in the air. Lexa pets Titus when he sighs against her leg.
"Aw man."
"HELL YES! Take that, squirt!"
"'Squirt?' You're seriously going to call me squirt," Aden deadpans.
"Would you prefer Sergeant Short Stuff?" Anya tosses back with a smirk.
"That one is even worse."
"Well let me know when you finally hit puberty and grow a few inches," Anya reaches over and messes up Aden's hair, and Lexa smiles as she watches them pretend to fight.
Eventually she hears the garage door open and heavy footsteps. Titus picks up his head from where he was laying on Lexa's lap, his ears perking, when Uncle Gustus shouts down to them.
"Hey guys, I'm back! Aden and Lexa could you guys come up here for a second?"
"Yeah, 'course, Uncle Gus – right as this round is –"
"Over. And that's, what, seven rounds for me? And… one for you, Sergeant Short Stuff?"
Anya laughs when Aden rolls his eyes and starts walking up the stairs.
"Excuse me, Titus," Lexa says as she pokes the dog's head. He jumps off the couch and moves to lay on Anya's lap, who was already immersed in a single player game.
Lexa makes her way up the stairs to see Aden hugging a laughing Uncle Gustus.
"Thank you so, so, so, so, so much, Uncle Gus. You rock," Aden says, making their uncle only laugh harder.
"Sure, kid. It's no problem." Lexa raises an eyebrow at him, and Uncle Gustus only grins and tosses a box to her. She barely catches it, and when she sees what is on the small white box, she snaps her head back up to stare at her uncle in shock.
"Uncle Gustus… This is… This is too…"
"Appropriate? Awesome? Fantastic? What I said I was going to do?" Lexa just continues staring at him. "Go ahead, open it kid."
Aden pulls away from the hug and opens his own box.
Lexa swallows and looks down at the white box with an apple on the front. She slowly opens the box and stares at the phone.
"Although I have to warn you two that those are refurbished. So they may or may not have a few glitches here and there. I hope not, but you can never be too sure." Lexa gently takes out the phone and looks back up to her uncle.
"Thank you, Uncle Gustus. Truly."
And he only shrugs, an easy smile on his face.
"You guys are starting school tomorrow. I want you to have a phone just in case of emergencies. And, besides, what teenager doesn't have an iPhone these days," he finishes with a laugh. "But if you turn it on, I can put my number in there real quick. Then you can start messing around with it and play Flippy Bug or whatever that app is."
"I think you mean Flappy Bird," Aden informs him. "And that app is so old."
"Eh – tomato, potato," Uncle Gustus says with a wave of his hand. Lexa furrows her eyebrows at the odd expression.
They both hand over their phones when they're on and their uncle puts in his number, along with a few of the 'in case of emergency' numbers hanging on the fridge and his work number. He hands them back their new phones with a smile.
"There ya both go. Two, semi-new phones, ready to be immersed into your teenage lives."
"Thank you again, Uncle Gustus. This was very kind of you."
"Yeah, thanks again, Uncle Gus."
"No problem, kids. Now, Aden, I have to go back out and pick up some groceries – do you wanna come?"
"Sure," Aden replies with a nod.
"Cool – go over to the drawer over there and grab my magical box of magic, would you," Uncle Gustus points.
"What's so magical about it?"
"I'll be downstairs. Have fun shopping" Lexa offers with a smile. She turns to the door and hits the first step when she hears Aden.
"Uncle Gus… This is a box filled with coupons."
"Exactly."
Lexa laughs and shakes her head and she closes the basement door behind her. Anya is still sitting on the floor concentrating on her game, so Lexa silently sits back down on the sofa behind her. Titus eventually climbs up to join her.
The two girls sit in silence, both enjoying just being able to relax. Lexa fiddles with her new phone, downloading different apps and fixing some of the settings, and Anya focuses on completing the mission in her game.
Lexa locks her phone as she idly pets Titus. She looks at the dark screen and her reflection looks right back.
("What about you, Lexa? Who are you going to be?")
("… Myself… Openly… Unapologetically…")
With a deep breath, Lexa looks at Anya, determination burning in her eyes.
"Hey, Anya?"
"Yeah," comes the distracted reply.
"I'm a lesbian." Lexa holds her breath.
Anya plays for a few more seconds, killing an enemy on the screen, before quickly looking over her shoulder to Lexa.
"I thought you were a Libra?"
Anya turns back to the screen.
Lexa blinks. But then a slow smile takes over her face, because Anya is now casually leaning against Lexa's legs. And she hasn't seen her cousin in so many years, doesn't really know who she is. But she's slowly finding out.
And Lexa can't help but feel like she's finally found her real family.
So she takes another deep breath, and allows the smile to blossom.
"I'm a Sagittarius, actually."
Anya hums. "Just as long as you're not a Gemini. Because then we'd probably have a few problems."
Lexa laughs and scratches behind Titus' ear. She cheers when Anya completes the mission.
That night, Anya and Uncle Gustus work together in the kitchen to make everyone dinner. Aden sits on the counter throwing scraps of food at Titus, while Lexa sits at the kitchen table. She is amazed at how fluid Anya and Uncle Gustus work together. Their movements are effortless and they always seem to know what the other is doing, and what needs to happen next. Lexa can only imagine how many meals they have cooked together.
Their laughter and jokes continue all the way through dinner. Anya talks about her day at school, and Aden and Lexa talk about how they're excited to go tomorrow. Uncle Gustus askes them about the schedules they signed up for and if Anya had any pointers – which she gives them.
After dinner, Aden and Anya go back downstairs and Lexa insists on washing the dishes.
"Honestly, Uncle Gustus, it is the least I can do." And he just reaches over to the sink and flicks up soap bubbles at her.
"Whatever you say, kid." He moves around the kitchen, putting away left overs. "Oh, do you know if you want to buy lunch tomorrow, or pack? I bought some food today for lunches, or I could give you some cash."
Lexa pauses washing the bowl before glancing over to her uncle.
"I think I will just take a lunch tomorrow."
"Alright," Uncle Gustus nods. "Any special requests?"
"Whatever you bought is most likely fine. Thank you."
Uncle Gustus packs the lunches and Lexa continues washing in silence. When she finishes, she dries her hands on a towel before turning to look at her uncle, who is leaning against the counter.
"So – you ready for tomorrow? Excited?"
Lexa bites her lip and thinks about the mini exploration of the school today.
(She can't help but think of meeting Clarke and she prays her uncle doesn't see her blushing.)
"Yes. Yes, I am," Lexa nods.
Uncle Gustus grins and walks over to her, clasping a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm glad to hear that Lexa," she smiles up at him and fiddles with the towel in her hands. "You're going to love it at Ark High. You'll make lots of friends and learn a lot of cool stuff. And don't worry if you feel lost or like you don't fit in. It'll be a period of transition for you – and Aden. But Anya will be there, and she'll look out for you guys. Plus, that kid – what was his name, Wells? He seemed like he's a good kid. You're probably going to break his heart, the way he kept looking at you."
And Lexa blushes and is mortified while her uncle laughs loudly. He wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side, body still shaking with laughter.
"Aw, man. You should have seen your face just now."
Lexa glares, but even she has to admit that it does very little while being tucked under the large man's arm.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Well… Maybe not about you breaking his heart. He did seem a bit smitten with you."
"Uncle Gustus," Lexa whines, only succeeding in making him laugh harder.
He calms down after a minute, Lexa still snug in his side.
"And, man, who knows. Maybe you'll even find yourself a girl."
Lexa is extremely grateful her uncle can't see how red her face is.
"Uncle Gustus, please," Lexa tries to pull away. He squeezes her one last time before letting her go.
"Although I have to say, if anyone breaks your heart, I'll… Give them a stern talking to." Lexa raises her eyebrow at him, and her uncle only shrugs. "What? I'm not going to say I'll break their arms or anything like that. I don't hurt girls. I mean – I don't hurt anyone because violence is a waste of my time, but – oh you know what I mean," he tosses the towel at her. "Go, get outta here. Go use up all the data on your new phone or whatever."
"Should I go play Flippy Bug?" Lexa smirks at her uncle.
"Kid, I'm about to show you the flippy bird," and Lexa lets out a peel of shocked laughter, Uncle Gustus joining her. She shakes her head and walks back towards the basement stairs, dropping the towel on the table on her way out.
Lexa stares into her closet, trying to pick out an outfit to wear tomorrow, and Aden watches her from the top bunk.
"This was a lot easier when we just had to wear uniforms," Lexa mumbles.
"It's not that hard, you know. You just put on pants, a shirt, and then – boom – you're done."
Lexa turns around to glare at her brother.
"I can see Anya and Uncle Gustus are already rubbing off on you. Something tells me this isn't going to end well."
Aden grins at her, and she turns back to her closet. With a sigh, Lexa picks the first outfit she sees – a nice black and white stripped long sleeve shirt, and a pair of black skinny jeans – before laying them out on the desk chair. She pulls out her shoes and places them next to the desk.
"Damn, Lexa –"
"– Aden,"
"- Back at it again with the white vans," he finishes with a laugh.
Lexa just stares at him.
"… Excuse me? And those are converses."
Aden looks at her in disbelief.
"How have you never seen that video?"
"What video," Lexa asks, confusion coloring her voice.
Aden covers his face and groans. "I am so disappointed to call you my sister," he mumbles from behind his hands. Lexa frown and hits him with a pillow, making him yelp in surprise.
Lexa just rolls her eyes and walks over to the light switch.
"Are you going to get your outfit ready for tomorrow?"
"Nah," Aden shakes his head. "Like I said: pants, shirt, boom."
Lexa shakes her head before turning off the bedroom lights. She makes her way over to the bed before climbing under the covers.
"Good night, Aden," she whispers into the dark.
"Night, Lex," he softly replies. "We're going to have a good day tomorrow. This is going to be good for us. I can feel it."
And Lexa closes her eyes and snuggles down further into the bed, feels her brother shifting on the bunk above her. She thinks about coming out to Uncle Gustus and then to Anya – how they had both been completely supportive. She thinks of thoughtful gifts, of jokes, of laughter.
But, before she completely falls asleep, there's only one thing that Lexa thinks about that makes her feel content.
A beautiful forest painted by an equally beautiful girl.
But it's an ugly and loud alarm that she wakes up to.
Lexa blindly reaches over to her phone to tap the snooze button, rolling over and pulling the blankets up higher. She sighs as she lets herself drift back off.
Only to suddenly feel the bed start rocking back and forth. It becomes more aggressive the longer she ignores it.
She sighs.
"Why was I ever excited to share a room with you," she mumbles into her pillows, eyes still stubbornly closed.
She hears and feels the bed move as Aden climbs down from the top bunk. His fingers are suddenly scratching Lexa's head, and she sighs again.
"Because you love me, duh. And I'm like, totally awesome. And the best little brother," his voice floats around the room.
"And so completely modest," Lexa adds. Aden laughs.
"C'mon, Lexa-Dexa! It's the second first day of the school year. Wakey wakey eggs and bakey… Oh… I wonder if Uncle Gus made any bacon…"
Lexa waits until she hears the bedroom door open and then close again to finally crack her eyes open. She yawns and stretches, enjoying the cracks and pops of her joints. She stares blankly at the photo above her before reaching over for her phone.
She groans at the time.
"I love waking up before the rest of the world."
Lexa checks for any notifications (there are none) before rolling out of bed and getting ready for the day.
(… She ignores the butterflies in her stomach.)
Uncle Gustus, unfortunately, did not make bacon. However, he did make delicious pancakes with fresh blueberries.
Which is a win in Lexa's book.
Breakfast was spent with Aden and Uncle Gustus talking back and forth like excited children, while Lexa and Anya quietly ate their breakfasts. Lexa appreciated the fact that Anya seemed less of a morning person than her father was – or Lexa's brother. Throughout the meal they would silently exchange looks whenever Uncle Gustus or Aden did something particularly amusing.
Lexa found comfort in their silent solidarity.
However, breakfast eventually had to end.
"Alright, kids," Uncle Gustus says as he picked up their plates. "You better get going if you want to get there a little early and stop by the office. You still need your schedules, your school pin number, and your locker. At least tomorrow you'll be able to sleep in a little bit longer."
Lexa sighs with appreciation.
The three kids get up and grab their bookbags and make sure that they have everything they need for the day.
"Bye, pops," Anya says as she walks towards the garage, car keys dangling from the hand she uses to throw a peace sign up with.
"Don't get into too much trouble, Anya," Uncle Gustus replies with a grin. Aden walks over to him and gives him a quick hug.
"Bye, Uncle Gus!" He turns and runs after Anya.
Uncle Gustus turns to Lexa with a warm smile, and Lexa offers him her own small – yet content – smile. He opens his arms and she steps into his embrace. He smells like blueberries and the forest.
"You're going to have a great day today, Lexa." She closes her eyes and he rubs his hands up and down her back. It's comforting to the nerves she didn't quite feel until right this very moment. Uncle Gustus gives her another squeeze before she takes a step back.
"Thank you, Uncle Gustus," she smiles at him. He nods.
"Now get going, or you'll be late," he laughs. Lexa tugs on one of her bookbag straps and takes a deep breath. She turns and walks to the garage.
(She stops at the snoozing Titus laying in the hallway. She squats down to pet his head, the only response is a deep sigh from the dog. "Goodbye, Titus," she says. "I hope you have a good day today.")
The ride to school is quick. They listen to the radio and when Aden reclines the passenger seat until it's squishing Lexa, she gives him a wet willy.
She'll have to remember to grab the passenger seat first next time.
They park in the student parking lot on the side of the building and make their way inside. It's a cold morning, the sky is an encompassing gray and morning dew makes the grass glisten. But birds still fly overhead and the trees – although slowly becoming barren – still sway in the breeze.
Since they arrived relatively earlier, the school halls were practically empty. The office has a faint smell of coffee and Lexa refuses to believe the secretaries' cheerfulness were genuine.
(It's just too early.)
Sandy, the same woman who Lexa and Aden met yesterday, was the first one to see them enter the room. She smiles at them and makes her way around her desk to the counter.
"Good morning, Anya," her chipper voice floats through sounds of telephones and copiers.
"Morning, Mrs. Sandy," Anya monotonously replies.
"And good morning to you two; it's Lexa and Aden, correct?"
Aden smiles and Lexa nods.
"Yes, ma'am, that is correct. We are here to pick up our schedules and other things."
"Yes, of course, just a moment, dearies." Sandy turns and rifles through a stack of papers. After a few seconds, she finds what she's looking for and brings her attention back to the teenagers. "Right, so here are your respective schedules. You'll find the class, the teacher, and the room number listed. There's also a map attached at the end of the packets, just in case. Although you're here early enough, you should be able to have enough time to find your classes now." Lexa nods and looks through her schedule.
Physical Education
Pre-Calculus
AP World History
4th Lunch
Open Block
Piano Lab
AP English Literature
Of course she would have gym first thing in the morning. But at least her free period is right after lunch. That will be nice. She can spend some free time in the library or outside or playing the piano.
"Your school pin numbers you'll use for lunch as well as your locker numbers and combos are listed at the top of the page – you're both in the basement next to each other. That's where our overflow lockers are. Your homeroom numbers are also listed there, but you'll find you're not in the same one. We sort you based on grade for homerooms. The other sheets are just general information about the school, the different clubs and programs you can join, and things like that. Do you have any questions?" Sandy finishes with a kind smile.
Lexa looks to Aden who shakes his head. "No, thank you though."
Sandy nods and smiles at Anya. "I'm sure your cousin would be more than happy to help you out, anyway."
Anya places a hand on Lexa's and Aden's shoulder, turning them to walk out of the office. "Sure will, Mrs. Sandy. Thanks again."
They walk out to the hallway and Anya walks them straight. Lexa vaguely remembers this way leading to the main stairwell.
"Let's get you kiddies to your lockers, shall we?" Aden wrestles out from under Anya's grip, and Anya flicks his ear. They laugh, openly and loudly, and Lexa smiles.
"What lunches did you guys get?"
Aden looks down at his sheet before answering. "Third," making Lexa frown.
"I have fourth," she mumbles as she stares at her paper, her brows furrowed deeply.
"Don't worry," Anya cuts in, pulling Lexa back out. "I've got third. Aden can sit with me for a bit, before he finds some of his own nerdy friends. Ain't that right, Sergeant Short Stuff? You'll get to sit with the big kids." Aden just rolls his eyes while Lexa bites her lip and nods.
Anya plucks Lexa's papers from her hands. She quickly scans over the schedule before frowning.
"Damn. We don't have any classes together," she hands the papers back to Lexa, who frowns as well.
"Well that certainly is unfortunate."
Anya looks over Aden's schedule before grinning at him. "Looks like we have gym together," she says as she throws her arm around Aden's neck and pulling him closer. Aden just groans making Anya laugh.
They continue their way downstairs and the butterflies in Lexa's stomach come back with a vengeance. In order to get to her locker she has to walk through the art hallway – including the art hanging on the walls and the art studio.
She can't help but smile a little when she sees the small C.G.'s.
She also can't help but hold her breath as the three of them walk past the open door to the art studio. While Anya and Aden talk back and forth, Lexa chances a peek into the room.
It's empty.
(She can't stop the echo of disappointment from fluttering around in her chest.)
It takes them a few tries, but eventually Lexa and Aden are able to open their lockers. They put their stuff in the locker and take out a notebook and folder, since it was only their first day. The three of them then walk around the school as the building slowly fills up with students, all at varying stages of consciousness. Anya makes sure to show them where there classes, homerooms, and the best hide-away spots are.
But eventually the homeroom bell rings signaling them to part ways. They reach Aden's homeroom first and Lexa pulls him in for a quick hug.
"Good luck, Aden. Make friends. I'll be here if you need me."
Aden squeezes back before pulling away. He smiles at her, and it's light and hopeful and happy.
"Same to you, Lex. We got this."
Anya ruffles his hair once more before they walk to Lexa's homeroom. Anya pats Lexa on the back when they reach the classroom.
"You'll be fine, dude. It's public high school – don't sweat it too much."
Lexa gives her a small smile, nods, and then enters the room.
Kids are sitting around pods of tables, some in chairs some on the tables, and Lexa walks to the older woman in the front of the room.
"Excuse me," the woman looks at her and smiles.
"Let me guess – you're Alexandria Woods, the new student."
Lexa grimaces at the phrase but hopes it looks more like a smile.
"Yes, that is correct, but I like to go by Lexa."
The teacher holds out her hand and Lexa shakes it with a firm grip.
"Then it's very nice to meet you, Lexa. My name is Mrs. M. If you just want to take a seat anywhere, announcements should be coming on soon." Lexa nods and sits at an empty table in the back of the room. She doodles through the chatter and the crackling speakers with the announcements. The first period bell rings after a few minutes, and Lexa takes a deep breath before standing from the table.
She manages to push her way through the crowds and to the gym locker rooms. Lexa manages to find her gym teacher, a tiny, super-fit, and totally a soccer mom, woman. She gives Lexa her gym locker and tells her to not worry about participating today, and just for her to have a uniform by the end of the week.
Her gym class moves to the gym after everyone finishes getting changed, and it's pretty uneventful. The only interesting thing for Lexa was watching two of the girls in her class interact: they were obviously good friends with how they kept making fun of each other. One of the girls had a brace on her leg, but it didn't seem to stop her from participating – Lexa liked her determination.
The next period for Lexa was pre-calc, something she was not really looking forward to. It's not that she wasn't good at math, it's just that she wasn't perfect at math. And, well, frankly that bothered her. She can still picture her Mother's disappointed face whenever she brought home a math test that was below an A.
Lexa only gets lost once in the crowded hallways as she walks to pre-calc. The bell hasn't rang yet when she gets there, so she quickly finds an empty seat in the back. She takes out her notebook and pencil, straightening them on the desk, and waits with a hammering heart for the class to start. The bell rings and Lexa swallows back her nerves.
Just before the teacher goes to close the door, the girl from Lexa's gym class – the one with the brace – pushes through.
"Nice of you to decide to join us, Raven," the teacher rolls his eyes. Lexa assumes this happens frequently.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. S," the girl, Raven, smirks back. She makes her way to the back of the room, right to where Lexa is sitting. When she gets to her, Raven raises an eyebrow.
"Hey new girl, you're in my seat."
Lexa's eyes widen and she quickly starts to fumble to gather up her supplies, ready to move to another table. But Raven just laughs and drops down into the desk next to Lexa.
"Calm down, I'm just kidding with you. Well – that is my seat, technically, but you can sit there. Besides, this gives me a wonderful view of Sinclair," Raven smiles over to Lexa, and Lexa feels herself calming down.
Jesus, Lexa, two seconds of interaction and you already made yourself look like a fool.
"I'm Raven, by the way, in case you didn't catch that already." Raven holds out her hand for Lexa to shake. "Aren't you in my gym class?"
Lexa discreetly wipes her hand on her pants before grabbing Raven's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Raven. And yes, that is correct, I'm–"
"– Alexandria Woods."
Lexa turns back to the front of the class room and let's go of Raven's hand to raise it for the teacher.
"I actually go by Lexa, if you don't mind, sir." She is proud of the fact that her voice does not waver.
The teacher, Mr. Sinclair, raises his eyebrows and scribbles down on the clipboard in his hand.
"'Sir?' Maybe it's a good thing you're sitting next to Raven. Maybe you'll be able to teach her proper manners. Or at least how to get to class on time."
Raven lets out a loud gasp and brings a hand to her chest.
"Mr. S, I am absolutely offended you would ever insinuate anything like that about moi. I am never late," at the teacher's look of disbelief, Raven continues. "Everyone else is just always early."
Mr. Sinclair rolls his eyes and looks back to Lexa.
"Regardless, welcome to pre-calc, Lexa. My name is Mr. Sinclair, please let me know if I can help you in anyway. Right, okay class, let's start the drill…"
Lexa opens her journal to a blank page to start working on the equation on the board. However, Raven continues talking to her.
"So Woods, huh?" Lexa glances over to see Raven's smirk. "You don't happen to be related to a one Anya Woods, would you?"
Lexa nods, "yes, she is my cousin."
Raven slowly nods in return. "Totally called it," she says with pursed lips, looking over Lexa. Lexa tries to not fold into herself. "You both've got that whole I'm totally mysterious but a total babe vibe going on."
Lexa blushes and turns back to her equation.
"I am not quite sure what you mean by that, but I am going to take it as a compliment."
"Oh, it was totally meant as one," Raven answers with a chuckle.
They work on their drills in silence until Raven, once again, breaks it.
"By the way, what lunch do you have?"
Lexa stops glaring at her paper to glance over to Raven… who is sitting with her feet up on the desk without a care in the world.
Either she really does not care at all about this class, or she is just really good. Please let it be the latter… Maybe she could help tutor me…
"Um, fourth lunch," is Lexa's distracted answer. Raven grins in return.
"Sweet, that's mine, too! You should totally sit with me and my friends – if you don't already have plans, of course."
Lexa blinks and offers Raven a small smile.
"That… is very kind of you. Thank you for the offer. But unfortunately I think I'm already sitting with someone? He sort of asked me yesterday."
Raven nods in understanding. "That's cool! Just figured I'd ask. Who was it, by the way? Who asked you to sit with them? Because I know pretty much everyone in this school and I can totally give you the run down as to who to avoid and who to hang out with all the time. Of course I'm naturally in the cooler group." It's said with a smirk and Lexa is beginning to think that is just Raven's default facial expression.
"I believe his name is Wells."
And then Raven is laughing.
"Of course Wells asked you. But that's perfect – looks like you'll still be sitting with me and my friends," Raven grins at Lexa, and Lexa smiles back. "Like I said, we're pretty much the cool kids here at Ark."
"Do not forget humble," Lexa says without thinking. She's about to start seriously regretting that slip, but then Raven just smiles wider at her.
"Yeah, I like you, Woods. I think you'll fit in just fine with us. Oh, do you remember Octavia? That other hot chick in our gym class I was partners with? Well she'll be at our table as well. What class do you have next?"
Lexa pulls out the schedule from in her pocket.
"I have AP World History."
Raven nods.
"Okay, so you'll have Wells in that class. He'll probably wait for you and show you to the table like the good little boy he is. And, trust me, you're going to love everyone else."
The class moves onto the lesson for the day, but Lexa can't help but feel a weight slowly slip from her shoulders.
It's going to be good here. I believe it.
Wells is in fact in Lexa's AP World History class. He is already sitting in a seat towards the front, and when he sees her walking in the room, he waves her down with a smile.
She places her things on the desk next to him and takes a seat.
"Hey Lexa! How's your first day going so far? You haven't gotten lost too many times, have you?" Wells chuckles and Lexa smiles slightly at him.
"Hello, Wells. It is nice to see you again. My day is going well so far. Fortunately, I've been able to successfully navigate the halls and find my way around. How has your day been going?"
"Eh, it's alright. Another day, another dollar I'm not making. Art was interesting this morning, though. I'm taking the class with one of my friends, which I thought was going to be a fun time. Nope. So wrong with that. I can barely manage a stick figure and she's over there painting the next Mona Lisa."
Lexa is thankful that Wells decides to continue speaking about his morning so he doesn't catch the way Lexa seems to stop breathing for a moment.
Could he be talking about…?
Lexa isn't proud to admit it, but whenever she walked the halls or entered a new classroom, she first looks around for a certain blonde. She couldn't get Clarke out of her head all day, and so far Lexa has been disappointed she hasn't run into the other girl yet.
The school isn't even that big.
"… and he walked away with my pencil. That was my favorite pencil."
Lexa blinks to focus back on Wells. She panics slightly from not paying attention to what he was saying, but she settles on a small sympathetic face.
"I am very sorry to hear that, Wells."
The boy just shrugs and smiles at her.
"Nah, it's cool. There's plenty of pencils in the case, ya know?" He laughs at his own joke and Lexa forces a smile.
"Exactly," Lexa supplies, not really sure how to respond to him.
Luckily the bells rings and the teacher beings class. Wells turns out to have similar note taking habits as Lexa, both of them paying attention to the teacher and not talking. It's amazing to Lexa that Wells and Raven are friends considering their different studying habits.
When the bells rings signaling the end of the period, Wells looks to Lexa.
"Hey, do you still want to sit with me and my friends? You don't have to if you don't want to, but there's a seat open if you do want to." His smile is kind, and even if Lexa hadn't already said yes to both him and Raven, she probably would have said yes eventually.
"Of course, if you still don't mind me joining you." Lexa stands and hugs her journal to her chest. Wells laughs and shakes his head.
"Course not, Lexa. Everyone is going to love you, I just know it. If you want, I can walk you to your locker and show you to the table? Introduce you to everyone?"
Lexa tries not to laugh when she thinks about what Raven said last period.
"That would be lovely, thank you Wells."
He nods and leads them out of the classroom and down the hall. As they make their way to Lexa's locker, Wells points out the different classrooms and gives a quick rundown of some of the teachers. They walk down the stairs and Lexa tries to keep herself from glances at Clarke's art hanging on the walls.
(She completely fails.)
When they make it back upstairs, they make a stop at Wells' locker so he could grab his own lunch. By the time they make it there, the lunchroom is already filled with students. Wells leads them through the lines of people and the crowds around certain tables. Lexa grips the brown bag tighter in her hands.
Eventually, they walk up to a table towards the back of the room. Almost all of the seats are filled, save for three. Everyone looks up when Wells and Lexa get there, and Raven – who is sitting next to Octavia – grins up at her.
"Glad you could make it," Raven tells her. Lexa smiles and nods in return.
"Guys," Wells starts and motions towards her, "this is Lexa Woods. She's a new student here, and I told her she could join us for lunch." Lexa gives a small wave to the people looking at her, but thankfully, they all are smiling.
"Lexa, this is Raven, Octavia, Monty, Miller, Harper, Monroe, and Jasper." He points to them, and they all greet Lexa with a smile and a wave.
She takes a seat in the vacant spot next to Raven, the only one she really knows besides Wells, and the boy take the open seat across the table from her. The last open seat is next to Lexa at the very end of the table. She opens her brown bag just as Lexa speaks to her.
"So how horribly boring was AP World with our golden boy Wells here?"
Before Lexa could reply, Wells throws a balled up piece of his bag at Raven.
"At least I pay attention during class, Raven."
Raven holds up her hands.
"Listen, I don't have to pay attention in class. I could probably teach it if I wanted to."
"We can't all be super geniuses like you, Raven," a voice rings out from above Lexa, and she turns to see who joined them.
When she looks into sparkling eyes, Lexa can't help but gasp.
Clarke.
"Nice of you to finally join us mere peasants, Princess," Octavia leans over Raven to speak to Clarke. She just smiles and tilts her head.
"You're welcome, Octavia."
Lexa hasn't been able to look away.
Clarke looks at her and smiles, and it's soft and happy and Lexa feels herself begin to blush.
"Clarke, this is Lexa. She's new here," Wells introduces from the other side of the table.
"We've met," Clarke says, but she holds her hand out for Lexa to shake anyway.
Which she does. And she ignores the way her fingers shake and the way they hold the handshake for two seconds too long. But, mostly, Lexa ignores how the last thing she wanted to was let go of Clarke's soft hand.
Lexa clears her throat and fights back the blush.
"It is nice to see you again, Clarke," Lexa says softly. She swallows and tries to make her voice strong again. "I hope you have been able to make progress on your painting. I'm sure it's wonderful."
Clarke grins at her and Lexa's eyes flutter.
Jesus, Lexa, get a grip.
"I have, thank you for asking. I'll have to show it to you again. Maybe you could give me some ideas for the final finishing touches."
Lexa quickly shakes her head. "Oh, no. I am not very artistic – not like you. I'm sure I would only ruin it."
Clarke smiles again and gently lays her hand on Lexa's arm.
(Lexa tries not to die. Tries not to let her skin burst into flames.)
"Trust me. You wouldn't ruin it."
Lexa bites her lip and Clarke keeps her hand on Lexa's arm. They sit there, in the middle of a busy and loud cafeteria, smiling at each other like they're the only ones who are there.
The moment is only broken when Raven lets out a loud laugh. They both look over to see what happened, and Clarke drops her hand.
Lexa misses it immediately.
The turn to see one of the boys (Jasper, Lexa thinks) furiously wiping up his spilled drink. Lexa hears Clarke chuckling next to her, and in the midst of the bustling room, it's a nice sound to hear.
The other boy, the one sitting next to Jasper, catches Lexa's attention.
"So, Lexa, where did you move from?"
Monty? She'll have to maybe quietly ask Clarke for a reminder of everyone's names later.
The question puts the table's attention back on Lexa, and she tries not to fidget under their stares.
"Just out of the DC area. About two hours away." Monty nods.
"Anya Woods is her cousin," supplies Raven beside her. This makes everyone look at Lexa more critically.
"Yeah, I can totally see that." One of the girls, whose name Lexa forget, eventually says.
"Yeah, totally," the one next to her agrees.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" This time it comes from Jasper, who has finished cleaning up his spilled drink. He leans forward on the table and winks at her. Lexa is saved from having to answer through her surprise by Octavia leaning forward to flick Jasper on the forehead.
"Hey – what the hell, O?"
"Don't be such a creep, Jasper. God, the girl literally just sat down." Octavia sits back down and Jasper rubs the spot she flicked.
"I was just making conversation," Jasper mumbles.
"You don't have to answer that," Clarke says next to Lexa, who turns to look back at her. She is still smiling at Lexa, but it seems forced and tense. Lexa swallows and clears her throat.
"No, it's okay." She looks back at Jasper. "I just got out of a relationship, actually."
"Sucks for him," Wells adds.
Lexa's heart pounds in her chest. This is her chance, this is the perfect moment. She can just … casually come out, and everything will be okay. It's only the first day; she's sure she could find new friends. Although these kids seemed to be very nice and welcoming already, and Lexa didn't really want to say goodbye to them so soon, she didn't want to hide who she is. Not anymore. Not here.
So she takes a deep breath. And then another. And then makes eye contact with Wells.
"She, actually," she says. And it's clear and strong and Lexa feels like she's about to throw up – but she did it.
She bites the inside of her lip and waits for the negative reactions. She waits for them to tell her to leave the table. She bites her lip and holds her breath, but she doesn't look away from Wells.
But he just shrugs.
"Sorry – sucks for her then," and then he goes back to his lunch.
"Breakups are the worst," Octavia states.
"Unless you're dating a dick," Raven retorts and Clarke leans behind Lexa to give Raven a high five.
"Hell yes," the two girls laugh.
And that's the end of it. Everyone turns back to their own conversations, their laughter adding to the din of the cafeteria. No one yells at Lexa, no one scorns her, rejects her. They accept it and move on.
Lexa lets out a quiet, deep breath.
She feels someone's foot press against hers under the table, and she looks over to see Clarke smiling softly at her. It's saturated with understanding and happiness and Lexa can't help but smile back at her.
She did it. She did it and Clarke's foot is pressed against hers and there's a spark so hot it feels like its burning – but it's so nice and new and Lexa fucking did it. So she finally turns away from Clarke, their feet still touching, and opens her lunch bag.
Her brows furrow when she sees a folded up piece of paper and pulls it out. Discreetly as possible, Lexa opens the note in her lap.
Lexa –
Happy second first day of school! I hope you have an awesome day and I can't wait to hear all about it when I get home. Proud of you, kiddo. Make lots of friends!
Love,
Uncle Gus + Titus
There was even a paw print.
Lexa feels the tips of her ears burn, and she bites her lip to control the grin from taking over her face.
She hears Clarke chuckle next to her and the other girl nudges Lexa's shoulder with her own.
"What's got you all blushy and happy?"
Lexa looks at Clarke and she can feel the blush burning brighter.
"I, um. I just received a nice note, is all," Lexa waves the paper.
Clarke smiles and bites her lip.
(Lexa swoons.)
She nods to the small piece of paper, "may I?"
Lexa blinks and tears her gaze away from Clarke's smile. She forgoes talking, not trusting her voice, and nods while handing the note over to Clarke. She watches her read the note, a smile slowly growing on Clarke's face. When she's done she hands the note back to Lexa. Their fingers touch and it makes Lexa swallow.
"That was really adorable. Your uncle sounds like a cool guy. Who is Titus?"
Lexa smiles. "Titus is my uncle's dog." She bites her lip in contemplation. Lexa quickly looks around the room, searching for any nearby teachers or faculty. "Would you like to see a picture of him?"
Clarke grins and eagerly nods her head. Lexa takes out her new phone and opens her camera roll. She hasn't taken a lot of photos yet, but most of them are of Titus. She clicks on one where he is practically smiling at the camera and hands her phone to Clarke. She takes it and immediately coos at the screen.
Lexa's heart skips a beat.
How can someone be so… Adorable?
"He is so cute, oh my god. I fucking love big dogs. Oh!" Clarke smiles at Lexa over her phone, "Give me one second real quick." Lexa nods, not really sure what she's agreeing to, but she watches Clarke mess around with her phone. Eventually, she hands it back to Lexa with a grin. "There. Now we're good."
Lexa looks down to see a new chat open. The name at the top is Clarke with a star emoji next to it. The text that was sent was a simple smiling emoji.
"Now we have each other's numbers," and it's said with a wink, and Lexa is almost positive she actually almost dies this time. She has completely lost the ability to speak so she just smiles and pockets her phone again.
Lexa spends the rest of lunch listening to the conversations around her while eating her lunch. Although, she barely eats any of her food – the butterflies in her stomach taking up too much room.
It didn't help that Clarke would occasionally brush her arm against Lexa as she reaches across the table or moves to talk to someone.
And her foot never once moves away from Lexa's.
When the bell rings for the end of lunch, Clarke walks with Lexa up to the trashcans to throw away their trash. The crowd pushes them closer and Lexa suddenly doesn't mind the cramped space.
They make it out to the hallway where Clarke motions to the stairs that lead down.
"Well, I have to go work some more on my painting, but hopefully I'll see you later. And, if not, well you have my number now. Feel free to text me whenever about whatever." Clarke pauses and her smiles softens. "I mean it, Lexa."
So Lexa smiles, too.
"Of course, Clarke. The same applies for you."
"Oh, now you've done it. I'm never going to stop texting you." Clarke winks again and Lexa hopes she doesn't see her blush. "See you later, Lexa."
"Goodbye, Clarke." She watches Clarke walk down the stairs before making her way up to the library.
She spends her free period walking through the shelves, becoming acquainted with the books. Lexa finds a comfy chair in front of one of the large windows, and she relaxes and stares out over the back of the school. There are birds flying over the trees, and clouds roll lazily overhead.
It is calm and soothing.
But the period is over far too soon. Lexa makes her way to her music room for her piano class. It is an uneventful period, with Lexa sitting and playing the piano quietly. She has played for many years when she was a child, so minimal effort is needed for this class.
Really, Lexa just spends the class period thinking over her lunch with Clarke, and daydreaming about future lunches with her. She's never been that girl who become enamored with someone so quickly, but apparently there are exceptions to everything.
Clarke is special, Lexa can already tell. She has only just met the girl, but already Lexa feels like she knows her so well. Like they've met before, in another life.
Which is completely absurd and has Lexa rolling her eyes at herself.
If only Anya were here to see me now.
At the scary thought of her cousin catching her swooning like a pathetic schoolgirl, Lexa plucks herself out of her daydreams and focuses on the keys under her fingers.
The bell rings for Lexa's last class of the day. She briefly wonders how Aden's day went, hoping he has met some nice people and potential new friends. He's a sweet kid, she's sure he's well on his way to being the popular new kid.
Lexa faintly smiles as she walks into her last class, AP English Literature. It's a bright classroom with the windows shades open, and the desks are pushed together in pairs. There are a few students milling around the classroom and talking with friends and Lexa starts making her way to an open desk – only to stop short.
"Lexa!"
She looks up curiously. Lexa can feel herself freezing when she spies who called her name.
Clarke.
(Because of course it's Clarke.)
She's grinning at Lexa and waving her down to sit next to her. So Lexa walks over to join her, and if her steps are lighter than before, well, she doesn't notice.
"Hello, Clarke," Lexa greets her as she sits down. Clarke immediately turns in her seat to face Lexa.
(Lexa has to pinch her thigh to stop herself from staring.)
"Hey, Lexa! How cool is it that we get to have class together? I should have asked you at lunch what your schedule was like, but it looks like it turned out okay." Clarke smiles and Lexa blushes.
"Yes, it is very fortunate."
"So, how's the rest of your day been?" Clarke asks while spinning her pencil. Lexa watches her fingers twirl.
"Um, it's been alright. I had a free period after lunch so I –"
"You have a free period after lunch?" and Clarke looks so excited, Lexa can't even bring herself to care about the interruption.
"Yes, I spent it in the library."
Clarke looks away as she laughs and Lexa finds herself smiling.
"Of course you would," and Clarke's eyes are practically shimmering and Lexa feels so tempting to stick out her tongue at her. Which is so childish and so not Lexa.
What is this girl doing to me?
"Mockery is not a product of a strong mind, Clarke," is what she chooses to say instead.
(Clarke just continues smiling at her with this look Lexa can't quite figure out.)
"I guess you have a point there, Lexa."
(But Lexa finds she doesn't care what it means – just as long as Clarke keeps looking at her like that.)
When the teacher calls the class to attention, both girls look away shyly, Clarke settling in her seat the proper way. And when they glance back over to each other at the same moment, they both quickly look away, blushes coloring their cheeks.
After a class filled with not-so-subtle glances back and forth, the last bell of the day finally rings. Both of the girls stand up and Clarke turns to Lexa with a wide smile on her face.
"Congratulations on surviving your first day at Ark High! We seasoned students sincerely wish you the best of luck and that you enjoy your stay with us."
Lexa smirks and tips her head forward.
"Speaking as a new student to this establishment, it is with great pleasure that I can say that my time here, no matter how short, has been an utmost pleasant experience. I extend my greatest gratitude to the welcoming committee in particular. A job well done, I must say."
They smile and walk out of the classroom.
"Well then, speaking as the ambassador of the welcoming committee, a position that was most recently – as in this exact moment – decreed upon myself, I can assure you that the pleasure was all ours."
And they're jostled when they enter the crowded hallway and it's loud and stuffy, but Clarke is still grinning at her, and Lexa has to bite her lip to control her own smile. She grips her notebook closer to her chest when her arm brushes against Clarke's.
"Well my locker is coming up, so I should start pushing through the crowd now. But I really hope you had a good first day, Lexa. I'll see you tomorrow," she touches Lexa's arm with that damn smile that has butterflies in Lexa's stomach, and all Lexa can do is smile and nod back at her.
"See you tomorrow, ambassador."
They part with a smile and a laugh that seems to wrap around Lexa, carrying her all the way down to her own locker.
She spies Aden at his locker and Lexa's pace quickens. He's not paying attention so she quickly wraps him up in a hug from behind.
"Hey, A."
"Hello, L."
She backs out of the embrace and Aden turns to face her with a smile on his face.
"I don't know how your day went, but, Lex, I already love it here."
Lexa turns to put in her locker combination, but smiles at Aden's words.
"I'm so happy to hear that, Aden. I'm assuming everything went well for you? Teachers are alright? Did you make any friends? How was lunch with Anya?" She pulls out her bag and misses the eye roll from Aden.
"Relax, would you?" He smiles when Lexa glares at him. "Yes, everything was good. The teachers are awesome and I met some really cool kids. How bout you?"
Lexa bites the inside of her lip and tries to keep her features neutral.
"It went as well as I had expected it to be."
They shut their lockers and start making their way to the student parking lot.
"So, what, you didn't say one word all day and sat alone while automatically acing every quiz, test, and exam the teachers gave you?" Aden raises his hands in mock surrender at the unamused look Lexa gives him. "You did say it went as well as you expected it to be. That could mean many things in Lexa Language."
Lexa pulls on one of her bag's straps and rolls her eyes.
"The teachers seem very nice and I've made a few… friends." It's a foreign word to her, honestly. And she's not even sure if she should be using that term so early. Of course she would like to be able to someday call herself friends with Raven and Octavia and… Clarke.
(Oh, who is she kidding.)
But Aden just smiles at her and bumps into her side.
"Proud of you, big sis."
Lexa bumps back into Aden as they push through the doors leading to the parking lot.
"Whatever, little bro."
They see Anya leaning against the car and they walk over, ready to go home.
"Shotgun," Aden yells as he sprints past Lexa… who only rolls her eyes and curses herself for not saying something sooner.
But she glances across the parking lot and sees Clarke with Raven and Octavia standing around a car. She bites her lip as she watches them all laugh and joke with each other. Clarke looks up then and sees Lexa across the parking lot. Lexa is glad Clarke can't see her blushing from getting caught.
But Clarke just grins and waves, and Lexa shyly raises her own hand to wave back.
Raven sees the interaction and starts waving enthusiastically at Lexa, who waves politely back. Octavia says something to Raven which only makes Raven bend over from laughing so hard. Clarke gives Octavia the middle finger, which makes Lexa raise an eyebrow.
What was that about?
Before she could think about it anymore, a car horn scares Lexa back into reality. She turns to see Anya leaning out of the driver's side window.
"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to get home before I graduate, thank you very much."
Lexa just rolls her eyes and gets in the car.
"Little Miss. Popular already, are we?"
"Shut up, Anya," Lexa mumbles as they start pulling away.
But not before Lexa can smile at Clarke as they drive by.
"So do you kiddies think you're going to like it here at Ark?"
Lexa smiles to herself and snuggles further down into the warm car seat.
"Yes," she says, "I think I'm going to really like it here a lot."