A/N:
Guys… I'm so fucking sorry. Midterms came and really laid into me. If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't wait to get back to writing this story. For now, this is a bit of a middle step to bigger plot developments coming. For your wait, I will be updating another chapter sooner rather than later.
Thanks for your on-going patience!
Chapter 11: A Happy Middle.
"Rae, seriously you have to get up and shower." Octavia called for the third time, leaning against the girl's bedroom door. Clarke sat in the hallway across from Octavia and threw her hands up in the air, defeated. When they had gotten home from the road, Raven had taken a turn for the worst and spent the night sulking by herself. The girls thought she'd be fine but now realized that Raven was good at hiding her emotions when she needed to, and now she finally let her mask slip.
"We can smell you from here, let's go. We have to do the follow up MRI and we can get it done here in Polis. Your appointment is in 40 minutes. Please, let's not miss this one." Octavia whined.
"We'll buy you all the beer you want." Clarke bargained.
They waited and heard the crutches hit the ground on the other side of the door and the handle turn. Raven emerged in old worn grey track pants and a massive high school volleyball sweatshirt. "I- I can't really get into the shower because the tub is too high and you guys weren't here." Raven almost whispered.
Clarke and Octavia scrambled to their feet. "We'll help you."
Raven simply nodded and headed towards the bathroom. Clarke nodded after her, silently motioning that Octavia should take the lead on that one and the girl obliged. Clarke slumped down the wall once again and picked up the coffee cup; gross, acidic and instant. She had been spoiled so far with Starbucks but this morning she could not work up the courage to go in because Lexa usually worked all day Sundays.
Clarke fingered through her phone, looking at the last conversation between her and Lexa , sighing. Certainly she was upset, and embarrassed. She put herself out there on a whim and got knocked down. She shouldn't have been surprised; for Lexa the team came first and so did Anya. That was the reality of the situation.
A knocking at the door brought Clarke to her feet as she started towards the entrance and swung it open with no regard for her half dressed, messy haired state. It was a lazy day for the dorm girls.
"Hi, is ugh- Raven here?" The dirty blonde guy said from the door. He stood awkwardly holding a mixed wild flower bouquet from the grocery store. Clarke recognized him from that night at The DropShip.
"Um, she's just in the shower with Octavia… Well not like in in there you know. She just needs help. Because of her leg. Anyways, you can come in." Clarke said crossing her arms over her braless t-shirt clad chest.
The guy looked as skittish as a mouse, ready to flee at any time and it made Clarke chuckle. She led him into the living room and sat down, turning on the TV to avoid awkward silence.
"I don't know if you remember but I'm Wick… I'm from her classes." He explained. Clarke made small talk until the bathroom door opened and Raven's voice filled the hall.
"I'm just sayin' Octavia. If you wanted to grab my tits, you could have asked. No need to pretend like I was falling." Raven teased.
Octavia groaned audibly. "You WERE falling and you would have broken your other leg-."
Clarke interrupted their banter. " Guys, Raven has company."
Raven crutched the few feet down the hall with her towel still around her body. Clarke noticed Wick's eyes instantly avert as he blushed. He stood quickly, wiping one sweaty palm on his jeans. "Hi Raven."
"Wick, what are you doing here?"
"I got you flowers, and I heard about your knee and haven't seen you in class so I just wanted to…check on you?" He muttered as if he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing now.
Raven tried to hide her smirk, but it failed and she chuckled. "That's really nice Wick. I'm going to get changed, but then were heading to my appointment."
"Do you need a ride? I also brought a bottle of whiskey in case you didn't like flowers… it's in my car as a contingency gift." He spilled.
Clarke and Octavia exchange an amused look. "We'd love a ride."
"and I love whiskey." Raven smiled mischievously.
"Wait till after your appointment at least." Octavia rolled her eyes.
With Raven safe in the hands of Wick and Octavia, Clarke was left to her own devices and sought to dedicate her open Sunday to working on her ball handling and mid- range jump shot that proved to be horrendous in this past game. Campus was quiet with a cool damp October chill and falling leaves. Clarke opted to take a long way to the gym, enjoying the outdoors and the "License to Chill" Spotify playlist booming new music into her ears.
The time alone felt like her soul was realigning and the worries relaxed form her muscles, it was the perfect mindset to enter to workout in. In fact, Clarke felt that she was in such a good mood she could warm up with light interval running on the treadmill in the likely deserted weight room. However, she was wrong; the weight room was quiet but not deserted, as Lexa occupied the far corner with the squatting racks.
Clarke fought the immediate urge to flee, and instead hoped on the treadmill that faced the mirror. In the reflection Clarke could see Lexa lifting. She wore a black cutoff with burgundy Nike basketball shorts, and a curved black baseball cap with a loose bun of brown hair sticking through the back. Clarke's treadmill interval began speeding up as she watched the captain shake out her legs and step under the squat bar. Lexa readied herself, perfected her stance and stood, the muscles in her arms and shoulders tensing slightly and she adjusted, took a step away from the rack and began squatting with the bar on her shoulders. Clarke's treadmill picked up from a jog to a run as she strained to focus on her steps and not on Lexa's ass as she squatted. She must have been on her last rep when Clarke's toe caught the treadmill and tripped her, causing her to catch herself on the handle before it was obvious what had happened. She turned off the treadmill and got off. She sent one more look over her shoulder at Lexa who took a drink from her water bottle and closed her eyes, bouncing her head to her music.
Clarke headed downstairs and took a basketball to the court. She set up cones and dribbled between them and through her legs for a while before moving on. The music played in her ears and she form shot from the middle of the key, warming up her arm motions. She couldn't hear anyone approach, but felt a vibration on the floor from someone else dribbling near her. She turned around and Lexa stood, this time without her hat and headphones, raising a questioning eyebrow to her.
"Hey, ugh. What are you doing here?" Clarke asked as if she had just seen the girl for the first time and had definitely not been staring at her ass 30 minutes ago.
Lexa did not offer her warm smile that Clarke was beginning to be accustomed to. "I book it off after road trips just to have a day to myself."
Clarke nodded and moved to the corner of the free throw line and pulled up a shot that bounced off the rim.
"Working on the jumper?"
Clarke nodded once again, chasing after her rebound. She wasn't sure what the boundaries with Lexa were anymore. "Yeah I couldn't hit shit in the game."
"Want some tips?"
Clarke tucked the ball under her arm and weighed her options. She concluded that Lexa was in fact, her captain and the best shooter in the league. Not utilizing her tips would be ridiculous.
"Of course."
Lexa helped Clarke adjust her stance, ensuring that the blonde's toes were pointed towards the rim and not to the left as she so typically did. She also moved her arm making Clarke hold her follow-through for longer, creating a higher arch on her shot. Soon with minor adjustments the ball started soaring into the net from various spots on the floor. Throughout the process, Lexa avoided being particular warm towards the blonde, treating it as a coaching experience solely, despite how difficult it was for her.
"So who taught you all these shooting tricks?" Clarke stated, grabbing her water bottle and unlacing her shoes on the court.
"Titus for some, Anya for some."
"So they're the reason for you being a superstar from the three?"
Lexa laughed, a genuine laugh. Clarke couldn't help but to smile in response. "Ah, I'm just so comfortable out there. I can see everything from the three."
"Like all your hopes and dreams?" Clarke teased Lexa's serious tone earning a playful shove from the captain.
Lexa's smile fell fast and Clarke knew something bad was going to happen.
"Clarke, I know this mess is my fault. For that I'm sorry. I wish I wasn't so all over the place and I understand why you wouldn't want to be, but I do still want to be friends…. I don't like this tension." Lexa almost whispered.
Did she just pull the "we can still be friends card?" Clarke wanted to be angry, and for a second she was, but it vanished quickly. Seeing Lexa soften turned the blonde to melted butter.
"Yeah, it's better than you hating me again. That was exhausting" Clarke smirked.
Clarke opened her dorm room door and was immediately greeted with Wick, Octavia and Raven taking shots from the bottle of whiskey. "Appointment go well?"
Raven made a face at the taste and shook her head. "No, that's why we're drinking." Raven followed with another shot.
"-Tech thinks she'll need surgery, but MRI's are being fast-tracked to your mom by tomorrow morning" Octavia said solemnly.
Clarke nodded slowly; she figured as much but did not want to be the one to tell Raven. She had a lot of homework, and readings to do before tomorrow, but instead, sat down next to Wick and poured herself a shot.
Wick raised his eyebrows. "What are you drinking about Clarke?"
"Lexa"
Raven and Octavia nodded in understanding, Wick looked to Raven confused. "Remember that hot brunette that Clarke was dancing with at Dropship?"
Wick nodded.
"That's Lexa."
"Is she your girlfriend?" Wick asked. Clarke appreciated his nonchalance that he wasn't fazed by the idea, and she didn't have to "come out" for this conversation to be had.
"God, No. She's our captain. She and I are…. We're friends." Clarke stumbled.
"Would you date her?"
"No. It's a bad situation, but like ….I don't know… maybe? I don't really know her outside of this Polis bubble of basketball and drunken dances. I know she likes really strong coffee and being a little spoon." Clarke reflected.
"Woah, wait. Lexa… is a little spoon. How do you know that?" Raven laughed hard.
Clarke dismissed it and took another shot.
"Well, if you don't want to date her, what do you want?" Wick asked innocently.
It was a question Clarke had in the back of her mind, but couldn't figure out an answer; instead she washed it back with another shot.
Within the hour, the group settled into the living room with the intention of watching a horror movie but instead, they channel didn't change past "Say Yes To The Dress". Clarke spent most of the episode watching Wick and Raven interact, while Raven pretended like she hated everything, she was clearly enjoying herself with Wick. Octavia on the other hand, had her phone glued to her face, not bothering to look up from her screen. She stayed locked in with a mischievous grin, Clarke deduced that it meant either she was talking to Lincoln, or watching food videos on instagram. When a knock at the door rung through and Octavia jumped towards the door, her suspicions were confirmed.
"Did you booty call Lincoln?" Raven called, Octavia shot a grin over her shoulder as she reached the door handle; although, as she opened the door her face dropped.
"What is he doing here?" She spat.
You two need to talk" Lincoln replied, opening the door wider to reveal a similarly perturbed Bellamy.
"Trust me, I don't want to be here either." He replied.
"You trapped me!" Octavia accused. Clarke stood and walked towards the door.
"No, Lincoln is right, you guys need to get over this. It's your longest fight in history." Clarke intervened.
The Blake siblings huffed in unison. Clarke and Lincoln instructed them to sit at the kitchen table and the blonde immediately began mediating discussion.
"Let's lay out universal understandings shall we?" Clarke started. She noticed Raven and Wick turn around on the couch to watch them from the living room.
"This is like 'Keeping Up With The Blakes.' I love reality TV." Raven commented.
Clarke laughed but the rest of the table rolled their eyes. "Okay, Bellamy, Lincoln you guys have to play together and to do that you have to get along. Second, Bellamy, Octavia you guys are super close siblings so I'm sure even though you don't want to admit it, you hate not speaking. Lastly, Octavia and Lincoln are going to fuck eventually."
"Hey! Clarke, what the fuck? I don't want to hear that shit." Bellamy cursed at the last point, as Octavia and Lincoln blushed.
"Now, lets get to the blow up. Octavia, please tell Bellamy why you're upset." Clarke continued.
Octavia proceeded to explain that she was in fact an adult and capable of making her own decisions and able to make adult choices. Bellamy listened, stifling interjections continuously but remained silent, obeying Clarke's commands. When she finished Bellamy explained his side, that Lincoln was his teammate and there's a code associated with that and it applies to younger siblings, at this, Lincoln interjected that it wasn't that specific and got hushed by Clarke.
Clarke moved on from Bellamy. "Okay, and Lincoln?"
Lincoln looked surprised that he was called on. "I um- I just like Octavia, and dude you're one of my closest friends. I want this to be okay." He looked between the siblings.
Octavia visibly melted while Bellamy rolled his eyes.
The conversation continued and amplified into infrequent yelling and cursing before Clarke could finally get them to admit that their relationship as siblings was more important and this argument, and Bellamy reluctantly agreed after much prodding to back off after issuing stern warnings to Lincoln.
"Also- Linc, try to not fuck on his bed. That would be weird." Raven commented with a laugh. Clarke had forgotten her and Wick were even over there still.
"Raven, why must you…. Why are you like this?" Bellamy sneered defeated.
Clarke laid in bed, doing her nightly social media rounds through tumblr, facebook, twitter and instagram before repeatedly finding herself drawn back to Lexa's accounts. Certainly, Lexa was not a social media butterfly, but her posts when they did occur were interesting. She reposted political and social justice articles to her facebook, or intellectually prompted memes. Her photos on facebook were scarce, her current profile picture being of her and Anya from behind as they laughed together on top of a cliff with a stunning background. Her instagram lacked selfies and seemed as though Lexa had missed out on what being a young adult female truly meant. She posted aesthetically pleasing pictures of food, coffee, mountains of homework and empty basketball courts. Clarke was 187 weeks back when a notification popped onto the top of her screen like she had been caught. The message was form Lexa.
[Lexa]:
Important friend question: How would you feel about me if I were voting Trump?
Clarke laughed at the randomness of the text. She concluded that Lexa was putting forth an effort in being "friends" as discussed earlier that day, and quickly responded.
[Clarke]:
First, Hello Lexa. Second, I would be rather mind blown to be honest. We couldn't be associated though. I'd have to cut all ties. This is theoretical right?
[Lexa]:
Hello Clarke. Yes, it was theoretical; I was just ensuring you are of sound judgment.
[Clarke]:
Before what? We're in this too deep for you to back out now, even if I was voting for Trump.
[Lexa]:
What?! How are we in too deep? We established our friendship formally this afternoon, that is not too soon to back out. You are making your friendship sound a lot like Azkaban.
[Clarke]: Easy there Potter. I'm just sayin' …I'm probably the only one on the team that knows you're a little spoon, Captain. ;)
Clarke paused before hitting send, unsure if it would be crossing a boundary to even mention the events that transpired on the road. Since she herself couldn't forget it, she did not really want Lexa to put it out of her mind either, so the blonde hit send.
[Lexa]: … Alright. I'll give you that one, Clarke.
Clarke smiled into her phone. Maybe, maybe we can't be "friends".
They stayed up for 3 hours longer discussing everything from movies, sports, politics and art. Despite their mutual tiredness, neither wanted to put an end to their discussion.
