Chapter 12: Then: Beauty and the Beast Chapter Text

Then: October 10th 2006

3:12 pm

"I'm going to look stupid" Clarke flopped down onto the couch dramatically in front of Bellamy.

He looked up from the book he was reading. Clarke read upside down that it said "The Odyssey". She smirked, he was such a nerd.

"You're a nerd" And she was happy to let him know.

He rolled his eyes. "For your information this is a classic. Just wait. One day someone will try to talk to you about it and you'll look stupid for not knowing anything."

Clarke gave him a look. He was a nerd. At sixteen his hair had become slightly long allowing his curls to flow more freely around his tanned skin. His brown eyes were hidden behind a pair of reading glasses which somehow made his freckles more obvious.

Yet nobody at their school thought of him as a nerd. He was a junior and not only was he one of the best players on the school's basketball team but he was also smart, which Clarke found obnoxious at times. Plus even she couldn't deny that he was cute. All the girls in both his grade and Clarke's loved him.

She didn't know why but it was beginning to really irritate her. Like there were plenty of people in the school, why did they all have to go after Bellamy.

It wasn't that she was jealous. She was a sophomore but she had had people ask her out. In fact she happened to be going to the homecoming dance two days from then with a very pretty girl.

But still when she walked down the hallway at school and saw some girl leaning up against a locker and Bellamy with that big goofy grin on his face she couldn't help but feel a clench in her stomach and a knot in her throat.

She never said anything to him about it, though. She figured he'd probably tell her that she was just mad he was getting all the attention. He was popular and she was jealous.

That was probably it.

"Not reading that book isn't what's going to make me look stupid in the near future" She said a-matter-of-factly. She let out another dramatic huff and this time he closed the book and put it next to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm so glad you asked" She said turning over onto her stomach, still sprawled out on the couch. "So Niylah asked me to homecoming."

"Okay?" He raised his eyebrows. "And?"

"Um hello she's in your grade, which means she has been to the homecoming dance before! I haven't! Freshmen weren't exactly welcome so nobody in my grade went last year. I can't dance Bellamy." She kept her eyes wide to show him the urgency of the situation.

He rolled his eyes. "It's not that hard Clarke. You literally stand there and sway back and forth." He picked his book back up.

"That is not true Bellamy! What if were like really close, then should I put my head on her shoulder? What if I step on her feet? Oh my god what if I trip and take ten people down with me."

He looked over the page. "If you take down ten people then I will personally escort you home, buy you Chinese food, and listen to you whine about it all night. You're being preposterous."

"Preposterous? Who uses words like that Bellamy. What did you read the dictionary?"

"I have a word of the day calendar."

"Oh for…" She took a breath "The point is I don't want to look like I've never slow danced with anyone before. I want at least appear like I know what I'm doing."

He huffed before finally putting his book down. "Fine I will teach you how to dance."

"Yay thank you!" She squealed hopping up onto her knees. She smiled sweetly but he just rolled his eyes back. She thought she saw a smirk on his face though.

The moved aside the coffee table to make space in the middle of the living room. He stood there looking awkward as she ran to grab the CD player out of her room. She put it on the end table and opened it to see what was inside. She grinned widely as she set the number and pressed play.

Tale as old as time

"Oh hell no" He gave her a look.

"Octavia left the soundtrack in the CD player." She shrugged "She was in that beauty and the beast play at her school remember? She listened to the soundtrack for like a month. You'll live. Plus you can't go wrong with Disney."

True as it can be

"Whatever…" He muttered.

She ignored him as she walked over placing her hands awkwardly on his shoulders. She looked unsure but he nodded at her in reassurance. He moved his hands down to her waist pulling her in slightly.

She felt suddenly nervous. She bit her lip hoping he wouldn't notice from their closeness how her heart had begun to speed up. Then again it was her first slow dance. What could he expect?

"Okay now you just kind of move with the music…" He stuttered a little as she moved slightly closer.

Barely even friends

Then somebody bends

Unexpectedly

"Okay then do I put my head like on your chest?"

"You can if you want" He shrugged slightly. "I guess it's different for everyone."

She moved closer and put her head on him. His heart was racing just as fast as hers. She told herself that it was awkward because they were friends. Most friends don't slow dance like this.

Attempting to shut her mind off she closed her eyes and swayed to the music. Bellamy didn't say anything either but she felt his head lean down on hers at some point.

It was almost calming. Maybe it was silly. They were standing in her living room swaying to a Disney music after all. But somehow it didn't feel like that. It was like they were in their own little bubble completely away from the real world. She liked it.

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the beast

The door slammed closed and they both jumped apart a little too fast. He was teaching her to dance after all. They had nothing to be embarrassed about. It was two friends dancing. That was it.

"What are you guys doing?" Octavia asked suspiciously as she squinted her eyes to focus in on them. "Because from here it looked like you were dancing." She raised her eyebrows. "With each other. Slowly. Romantically."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. "I was showing her how to dance for homecoming on Friday."

"Then why is your face red." Octavia asked pointedly.

Bellamy glared at her. "It's not Octavia!"

"Looks pretty red to me."

"It's not! Go do your homework."

"I don't have any."

"That's a lie. Every middle schooler has homework."

"Not me. I did it on the bus."

"Octavia!"

"If you want me to leave so you guys can dance some more just say so." She put on a fake sweet smile. "I wouldn't want to ruin your date."

"It's not a date!" Bellamy bellowed but Octavia just swung back and forth on her toes with a giant smirk covering her face.

"Actually I have homework I forgot about…" Clarke said awkwardly trying to put an end to the conversation. She wasn't sure she ever felt so uncomfortable in the presence of the Blake's in her life. Then again she wasn't exactly sure what had just happened in her 'dance lesson'. She felt funny. And her heart was beating really fast.

Maybe she was getting sick.

"I'm sure you do" Octavia smirked as Clarke hurried up the stairs towards her bedroom. As soon as she was out of ear shot she looked over at Bellamy. "What's the matter Bell? Do you like her or something?"

He ignored her as he flopped back down onto his chair and opened back up his book, his face still beat red.