The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of football, alcohol, visits to CVS, and pregnancy scares, and all Bellamy really wanted to do was sleep off his hangover and mentally and emotionally recharge.
Instead, he was leaning lazily against the wall in Miller and Murphy's dorm, snacking on some chips and watching them bicker like brothers over their video game.
Their dorm felt a lot more like a teenage boy's room than Bellamy's did, with the sports calendars and band posters interspersed with pinup girls lining the walls. They'd hung a U of M logo blanket over the window, so what little light that did filter through was a hazy maroon color. Along the edge of a ceiling hung an LED rope light that added a glowing blue hue to the room. Bellamy wondered how they ever got any homework done with the confusing combination of mixed light, which made him feel like he was looking through a pair of 3-D goggles.
The answer was obvious: they didn't.
"Aww, c'mon! I didn't even see that guy there!" Miller said, exasperated, as his character exploded into a puff of smoke.
"It was lag," Murphy said flatly.
"Was not! I just got this console, there's no lag."
"Well, then you just suck."
"Shut up," Miller muttered, tossing his controller onto the bed as Murphy continued playing.
"You're up, Boss." Miller nodded at Bellamy while he snatched the chips away from him.
Bellamy groaned, "I told you already, man. I dunno how to play,"
Miller scoffed, noisily crunching on his snack. "That's the point. You'll be terrible, so it'll be fun to watch Murphy get all pissed when you die instantly."
"I'll only get pissed because I always carry the team," Murphy objected, his eyes wide as he mashed the buttons on the controller, muttering curses under his breath as he shot at the opposing team.
"You wish. You wouldn't even have unlocked multiplayer mode without me!" Miller shot back.
The continued arguing while Miller showed Bellamy the controls, explaining all about how to pull up a scope and drop into a crouch, but Bellamy wasn't paying too close of attention.
He hadn't played video games since he was in high school, and it looked nothing like this. It had been Grand Theft Auto on his friend's PlayStation 2. The graphics had been terribly grainy and choppy, and they had to look up cheat codes on the library computers and write them down in the back of their geometry notebooks.
This game that Miller had was so realistic, it barely looked like a game. It was almost gruesome how accurate all of the weapons looked and it turned Bellamy off. If he was going to spend time playing games, he'd rather drive around in a pixelated red BMW 3 Cabrio and try to outrun fake police officers.
Murphy's character died and he let out a stream of profanity, far too invested in the game in Bellamy's opinion. It sort of highlighted the divide between Bellamy and his new friends, that they were more trivial than he was, but that was probably a good thing. They hadn't been forced to grow up as fast as he had, and they actually got to enjoying being teenagers.
"Get down here," Murphy said, reaching back and whacking Bellamy in the leg.
Bellamy sat and listened to him spew a bunch of directions while fiddling with the knobs on his controller. His thumbs were too long to rest comfortably on the joysticks, so they were bent at an odd angle. He got distracted when his phone chimed, turning to look over his shoulder.
"You've got to jump out!" Murphy yelled, jambing a button on Bellamy's controller, drawing him back to the game.
Miller snickered. "See? I told you this would be fun."
Bellamy struggled to get his character to run while Murphy had already killed two other people, all the while grumbling under his breath. It didn't make Bellamy feel badly, because he couldn't care less whether or not he excelled at this game. All it did for him was cement the fact that he'd rather be asleep right now.
"Dude, you really suck at this. You're even worse than Miller."
Miller slapped Murphy in the back of the head, but Murphy only laughed. Bellamy's phone chimed again, but he didn't dare reach around to grab it from the bed behind him. Instead, he picked a gun that Murphy had dropped at his feet and attempted to run after his teammate.
After a third notification sound, Bellamy grew uneasy. A fourth, and he was concerned.
"What are you doing!" Murphy cried as Bellamy set down the controller and reached around to snag his phone.
"Gotta see who's texting me."
"Wait three minutes!" Murphy pushed the controller back into Bellamy's hands as the television seemed to explode with gunshots. "Get behind cover, Bellamy! Ah, all your health is draining!"
Overwhelmed, he tried to get his character to limp into the open doorway, but it was too late; the little soldier wisped away as a tendril of red smoke. "Whoops," he muttered, unconcerned.
Murphy started ranting, the sound of the television still several notches too loud, making Bellamy feel like he really was in the middle of a battlefield. Even the sounds of the game were spookily accurate; the crunch of the character's footsteps, the echoing of gunshots in the distance. The screen even shook when something exploded nearby.
It wasn't until Murphy died too, and the sound faded, that they could hear the desperate pounding at the door. Bellamy shot to his feet, pent up anxiety flooding over as he yanked the door open so abruptly it was a wonder it didn't fly off its hinges.
Clarke all but fell into his arms.
"Clarke?" He asked, at the same time she breathed, "Bellamy."
"What are you doing here? What's wrong?" He held her by the forearms, ducking to look into her face.
Clarke struggled to take a breath, pulling away. Bellamy glanced over his shoulder to where Miller and Murphy were staring at them like a pair of meerkats. Bellamy walked into the hall and closed the door behind them, ushering Clarke out of their nosy gazes.
"Clarke? Tell me what's wrong," Bellamy urged.
"Raven," Clarke managed before taking a shaky breath. "I need to go find her, but I don't know how to get there," she said, the question in her eyes.
Bellamy nodded. "Where is she?"
"St. Thomas. She went to go find Finn."
Bellamy frowned. "Why?"
Clarke shook her head, dropping her eyes. "I just- how far is it?"
"Uh, like five miles probably. Did Raven walk there?"
Clarke shook her head. "No, she's got that rattletrap Jeep, remember?"
Bellamy didn't remember, but he agreed anyway. "Yeah, uh, I don't have a car, but-"
"Is everything alright?" Miller opened the door. He at least looked concerned while Murphy just stood with his arms crossed, frowning.
"Yeah…" Clarke stepped away from Bellamy. "Do you have a car?"
Miller blinked. "I have a van..."
"Could I maybe borrow it? I just need to go over to St. Thomas University," Clarke pleaded.
Miller looked up at Bellamy, then back at Clarke. "Sure. That's not too far. Want me to drive you over there?"
"No, no. We're good. Bellamy'll drive," Clarke said quickly, nodding her appreciation as she followed him back into the room. "Thank you so much. I owe you a huge favor, Miller."
"It's no problem," he said. Bellamy stayed in the hall, apprehensive but willing to help Clarke. She didn't seem like the type of person to ask for favors very often, so it must have been terribly important to find Raven. He had to find out what was going on.
"Thank you!" Clarke said emphatically, catching the keys Miller tossed her.
"It's the silver Honda Odyssey, the one with the rusted wheel wells."
"Got it." Clarke clutched the keys to her chest, all but running out into the hallway.
Miller gave Bellamy a curious look, and he shook his head.
"You got a license?"
"Yep." He did have a license, but perhaps the better question to have asked was, 'Was his license valid? That was up for debate…
"Okay man," Miller said as Clarke paused at the end of the hall, waiting for Bellamy. "Is she alright?"
"I hope so," Bellamy said, jogging after bouncing blond curls that disappeared around the corner.
He didn't catch up to Clarke until she was halfway down the row of student parking, scanning the vehicles for the van that Miller described. Bellamy found it first and pointed it out, unlocking it as the tail lights flashed. Clarke hurried into the passenger seat while Bellamy slid behind the wheel. He waited until he had adjusted the seat to accommodate his longer legs before he questioned Clarke.
"So, I hate to make you retell it, but I have to know what's going on, Princess."
"I know, I was getting there," Clarke said softly. Bellamy eased the van out of the parking stall, marvelling at how clean Miller kept the vehicle. The windows practically sparkled in the sunlight and there was not one speck of dirt on the floor mats. It was probably his prized possession, after his PlayStation, of course.
"It never ends with me," Clarke said darkly as they pulled out onto the street.
Bellamy had no response, so he pretended to adjust the mirrors.
"Raven, well, I guess she went through the trash, and confronted me with the tests."
"What? Why the hell would she do that?" Bellamy said in disbelief.
"I- I think she was trying to get me to confess," Clarke murmured.
Bellamy spared a glance at her, but she was looking out the window. "Confess to what?"
"She asked me if it was you, you know, if you were the reason I thought I was pregnant, but I said no. And then… Oh Bellamy, I couldn't say it. She asked if it was Finn, and I just froze. I should have told her then, I know I should have, but I-"
"Shh, Clarke," Bellamy tried to soothe her as he pulled up at a red light. "Now she's going to confront Finn because she thinks that he cheated on her with you?"
Clarke nodded. "I should have stopped her...what's he going to do to her?"
Bellamy accelerated away from the intersection too abruptly and the engine protested.
"Clarke, don't say that. If you couldn't say it, you couldn't say it and that's that."
"I should have been able to!" Clarke cried. Bellamy cringed. They drove several blocks in quiet before Bellamy spoke up again, needing to know what they were about to walk into.
"Do you think Finn would hurt Raven? I mean, is he violent?"
"I don't know," Clarke said dejectedly. "He isn't not violent."
That was unsettling to say the least. Bellamy had never really met Finn, except for the brief moment in passing in the frat house. If Bellamy had known then, that Finn was the reason Clarke was in the state she was in, it would not have been a pretty sight. He clutched the steering wheel so tight his fingers started to ache as they neared the St. Thomas campus. Bellamy didn't know if he could see that bastard now without beating the shit out of him.
"Do you have any clue where Raven is?" Bellamy asked, slowing the van.
"No."
Bellamy inwardly sighed. "Let's start looking for her Jeep then. What color is it?"
"Black. It's got tons of bumper stickers on the tire thingy on the back."
Bellamy turned into a lot and started perusing the rows of vehicles. Clarke impatiently pressed her forehead to the passenger window.
"I wish I knew where she was. I mean, what kind of friend am I? I can't even be honest with her, and now she's probably in trouble because of me," Clarke snarled to herself. It was probably just a manifestation of her current frustration, but It still made Bellamy want to reach out and shake Clarke's shoulders so she would stop thinking such foolish things. She was a great friend to Raven, because all along, she had been trying to protect her. Maybe her actions were not always the optimal ones, but she had her heart in the right place.
Clarke slumped back into her seat after no luck in the first lot. "What about over there?" she pointed. "Those look like residence halls."
Bellamy eased the car across the road and into the adjacent lot, restarting their scanning. They snaked through two rows without luck, but suddenly, Clarke's eyes weren't on the cars.
"There she is!" Clarke cried, leaning across the dash as Bellamy pressed the accelerator, definitely breaking the 10 MPH posted speed limit.
He eased the car along the curb to where a hunched girl was walking quickly, her head down. Bellamy didn't even recognise Raven at first, and was amazed that Clarke had.
Raven didn't seem to notice the conspicuous van tailing her until Clarke opened the door and stepped out of the still moving vehicle.
"Christ, Clarke!" Bellamy stamped on the brake pedal as Clarke found her feet, ignoring him.
"Raven!" She cried, her voice much stronger than it had been a few minutes ago.
Raven didn't turn, but Clarke jogged towards her, calling her name. Bellamy anxiously followed them, the passenger door of the van still hanging open. He wanted to get out and go with Clarke, but he couldn't very well leave the stupid van right there in the middle of the parking lot.
Clarke caught up to Raven and grabbed her shoulder. Bellamy stopped the car twenty feet behind them when they paused. Nothing happened for a moment, then Raven whirled around and smacked Clarke straight across the face.
Bellamy blinked in disbelief as Clarke staggered a few steps backwards, but held her ground, holding out her hands to Raven. Raven stood up tall, shifting her dark hair away from her face, and Bellamy could see bright red blood like a warning beacon on her tan face. She snarled at Clarke before covering her face with her hands, collapsing in on herself.
Bellamy didn't even have a chance to take his seatbelt off to go to Clarke's aid before Clarke was clutching a trembling Raven, wrapping her up and hugging her to her chest, smoothing one hand down her hair.
Clarke held her roommate as Raven dissolved into her. The twisted irony of the situation was not lost on Bellamy. It was Raven who should be comforting Clarke, not the other way around.
After a minute or two, Clarke turned around, meeting Bellamy's eyes. She gave him a soft smile and nodded at him. Bellamy pulled the van up to the curb before slowly getting out and walking over to the girls, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
For a moment, all he could hear was Raven's muffled sniffling and Clarke's soothing murmurs. It was an interesting change of pace to watch Clarke in the supporting role instead of the supported. Bellamy marveled at her heart, that she would stand there and help Raven after the girl just struck her, for nothing. Speaking of that, Bellamy grazed his fingers along Clarke's cheekbone, which was tender and inflamed. Clarke grimaced but she just looked sad, not angry or revengeful.
"Want to head home, Raven?" Clarke asked gently, disentangling her arms from the girl. Raven slowly righted herself, bringing her hand to her face as she did so.
Even with her hair partially obscuring her face, Bellamy could see the river of blood still running crimson from Raven's nose, painting her lips and chin like a horribly telling canvas, recounting how her conversation with Finn had gone.
"How'd I know you'd be here too, Blake?" Raven teased with dry humor, her voice thick.
Bellamy smiled and shrugged, his eyes drawn to the already forming black eye adorning Raven's face as well. He struggled to suppress his growing rage as he helped her to the van.
"What about my Jeep?" Raven asked.
"I'll walk down and pick it up later," Bellamy offered and Raven nodded.
Clarke pinched the bridge of Raven's nose and Bellamy rummaged through the glove box, coming up empty handed on his search for napkins.
"There's a gas station on the next block," Raven said, her voice nasally as Clarke still firmly held her nostrils shut.
Bellamy nodded, sparing one more glance back at Clarke and Raven in the backseat. Clarke's brows were drawn as she inspected Raven no-nonsensically, methodically cataloging her injuries. Her Oregon Ducks crewneck was bloodstained and her cheekbone was already bruising. She looked pretty badass, to be honest.
It was safe to say she sort of amazed Bellamy.
He drove the car carefully forward, double checking the surroundings before he shifted into gear
"Sorry I hit you," Raven croaked.
"Don't worry about it. I probably deserved it," Clarke chuckled.
"You definitely didn't," Raven said, and Bellamy silently agreed.
Clarke took a moment before she responded. "I should have told you from the beginning."
"Probably. But I understand. I get it now, why Finn would have cheated on me. He's really changed since coming to college. He got a job at that sleazy bar downtown, The Eligus. He's been hanging out with his asshole boss a lot, McCreary. I think the guy is some kind of drug distributor or something."
Bellamy stiffened as he pulled into the farthest parking stall from the gas station, not wanting to attract any unwanted observers. They were tucked in the corner by a tall wooden fence covered in creeping vines.
"Is that what Finn told you, Raven?"
"Yeah, he told me about the McCreary guy. I think his girlfriend cooks the stuff or something. Real lowlifes, and Finn fell in with the wrong crowd." Raven's voice was thick from the blood running down the back of her throat, and her head was tilted forward to stave the bleeding, so she couldn't see Clarke's face.
Bellamy glanced back as she went ashen faced, except the raised bruise on her cheekbone. She met his eyes with a heavy look, and Bellamy tightened his hands into fists, so utterly infuriated at the audacity of Finn.
"What?" Raven asked, lifting her head. Clarke didn't try to stop her, and the blood started to flow in earnest again, snaking onto Clarke's pale skin in a scarlet river. Raven glanced between Bellamy and Clarke, growing agaited the longer they stayed silent. Clarke's eyes were fixed firmly on the droplets of blood landing on the impeccably clean floor mats. Drip. Drip. Drip.
"What aren't you telling me? Clarke?"
Clarke swallowed and her long lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she raised her head and looked into Raven's eyes.
In a firm, even voice that made Bellamy simultaneously freeze and ignite with rage, she said, "Finn raped me. He drugged me and then he raped me."
The words left Clarke's lips and the first thing she felt was an overwhelming sense of relief. It was like a weight lifted from her shoulders and she was unburdened the second she admitted to the assault.
Even as misunderstanding flashed in Raven's dark eyes and her blood ran cerise rivlets down Clarke's forearm, while Bellamy sat in the driver's seat, wound tighter than a ten day clock, relief came washing over Clarke like a tidal wave.
"Go get the napkins, Bellamy," Clarke quietly commanded, breaking the heavy stillness inside the van. "I'd hate to have this blood dry on Miller's floor mats."
No one moved for a second. Clarke had to look away from Raven to spur Bellamy into action.
"Right," he murmured. The slamming of the door as Bellamy left seemed to snap Raven out of her shock.
"He…" Her gaze darkened as she looked at Clarke. It was like watching the pieces of a puzzle fall into place in Raven's mind as she thought about things. Clarke waited patiently, feeling like she had all the time in the world now.
"Oh God…" Raven whispered. "When he said- oh my God. Clarke, I- I don't know what to say. I can't believe it. Shit, I'm such an idiot. I knew something was going on with you, and I didn't even ask. I just teased you about Bellamy-" Raven's face fell with shame.
"It's not your fault, Raven," Clarke said.
"The pregnancy tests!" she cried. "They were all negative, right?"
Clarke nodded.
"Thank God. I can't even believe- actually, you know what? I can believe it. Finn had changed so much, I was too blind to see it. I am so sorry, Clarke."
The more Raven talked, the more her nose bled. Thankfully, Bellamy was jogging back across the parking lot. Clarke gave Raven a soft smile and slid open the heavy back door of the van.
"Here." Bellamy handed over a large wad of brown napkins and a bottle of water, fretting by the door as Clarke thanked him and started to wipe the blood from Raven's face. Together, they cleaned themselves and the floor of Miller's van from blood and plugged Raven's nose with twisted napkins. Clarke's sweatshirt was beyond help from a couple of paper napkins, probably destined for the trash. Oh well.
"He didn't hurt you anywhere else, did he?" Clarke asked, frowning at Raven's darkening eye.
She shook her head, then looped her arms around Clarke, hugging her close.
"Thank you, Clarke. And I am so, so sorry."
"You're welcome."
"Clarke?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
Clarke smiled and pulled back. "I love you, too, Raven."
Raven sniffled, but her nostrils were plugged, and wiped at her eyes. "Thank you too, Bellamy, for driving the getaway car."
"Of course."
"And for taking care of Clarke. Oh God, I'm so sorry I teased you two." Raven hid her face in the crook of her elbow.
"You didn't know, Raven." Clarke said, turning to Bellamy. He smiled at her, his expression still soft even though she could see the storm brewing behind his dark irises. Clarke reached out and he hugged her, burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. It felt so good to have him right there, squeezing her so tight it almost hurt her ribs.
"Unless maybe I need to tease you?" Raven hinted, prodding Clarke in the side.
"Piss off." Clarke pulled free of Bellamy and stuck her tongue out at her friend. Raven only smirked, looking like a goof with the napkins jammed up her nose. "We'd better get home and get some ice on your eye."
"Yours too," Bellamy added to Clarke.
"Yeah, sorry about that, too," Raven cringed.
"It happens," Clarke shrugged, stepping out of the back seat and extending her leg, which had been folded under her at an awkward angle.
As she shook out her limb, a car came screeching into the convenience store's lot, practically on two wheels as it whipped off the road. Clarke was frozen as it came barreling towards them, showing little sign of slowing down until the very last second, when the driver slammed on the brakes and the hideous squeal of rubber on cement echoed throughout the lot.
Engine still running, and the driver's side door swung open. Raven cursed and clamored out of the van and Bellamy took a protective step in front of Clarke. She didn't need to see the driver to know who it was.
"What are you doing here, Finn?" Raven spat. Clarke put a hand on Bellamy's back as his hands balled into fists, stepping around him so she could see the offender.
His shaggy hair hung around his face like an unkempt dog and his face was unshaven. He looked pretty worse for the wear as he leaned over the car door, using it like a shield as he glared at all three of them before settling on Raven.
"C'mon babe. I didn't mean what I said. Come back with me, we need to work this out," he said.
Raven glared daggers at him. "Like hell I will," she snarled. "Why'd you lie to me?"
Finn pretended to look taken aback. "Lie to you? About what? I've never lied to you in my life."
Raven snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. Clarke felt the air crackle with energy, like there was a lightning storm rolling in. Bellamy was practically vibrating beneath her hand with pent up aggression, and it honestly frightened Clarke how dark his expression had become.
"Oh, don't do this, Raven!" Finn whined, leaning over the door of his car like it was restraining him from reaching out to the girl. Raven's glare only hardened.
"Don't make like out like you're the victim! I wasn't thinking straight, I didn't even mean to hit you, babe."
It was Bellamy's turn to scoff then. Finn's eyes were on him like a magnet, sizing him up.
"Who the fuck are you?" Finn said arrogantly, seemingly unintimidated by Bellamy. Clarke couldn't see how, as she was almost scared of the man beside her, even though she knew he would never hurt her. "Oh wait! I recognise you! You're that dude from the party!" Finn nodded exaggeratedly like he was meeting an old friend.
"That'd be me," Bellamy said stiffly.
"And Clarke, don't think I can't see you hiding back there!" Finn called out, leaning out over the door to glimpse Clarke. Even though having his eyes on her made her skin crawl, Clarke didn't retreat. Instead she mirrored Raven's icy glare. Together they stood as a unified front and Finn faltered, his arrogance slipping.
"Tough crowd, huh? Anyway, I got shit to do, so come on Raven, let's go."
"Fat chance," Raven muttered.
"Oh?" Finn cocked a brow. "What's gotten into you? I thought you said you'd forgive me if I told you the truth?"
"Yeah, I did say that. But you didn't keep your end of the bargain."
"Didn't I?" Finn scratched his chin. "I was open and honest about the affair I had with your friend Clarke there."
Clarke tried not to shiver.
Raven laughed sardonically. "Yeah, I don't think it's called an affair if only one of the participants is willing."
Finn frowned. "Are you accusing me of something?"
"What if I was?"
Clarke felt like she could hardly breath and Bellamy tensed up like a tiger about to pounce.
This confrontation was about to spin out of control and Clarke didn't know if she had the power to stop it.
"You should ask Clarke," Finn said snidely, locking eyes with her. Clarke couldn't look away as all the memories came rushing in. "Ask her to tell you about how she practically begged me to-"
"Shut the fuck up," Bellamy interrupted, his voice as cold and heavy as ice. He didn't have to yell to command attention, the sheer ferocity of his voice was enough to stop Finn dead in his tracks.
"Excuse me?"
"You and I both know what you did to Clarke that night. We both know she wanted no part in that."
Finn seemed to consider that. "See, I seem to have a different memory of that night. I remember Clarke cornering me in that bedroom, already half undressed, asking me to-"
Finn shut his mouth real fast when Bellamy strode across the cement, one arm drawn back, ready to knock his lights out.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, big man," Finn said lightly. Something about his tone made Bellamy pause a foot from him and Clarke's blood run cold.
"And why's that?"
Finn's response was to pull a glinting pistol from his waistband, tossing it from hand to hand as if it were a tennis ball, testing its weight. The gleam in his eye was sickening as he turned a smug expression on Bellamy.
The sunlight sparkled on the muzzle of the weapon, taunting them.
Clarke's heart was racing so fast she wouldn't have been surprised if it exploded in her chest. The situation had escalated, now to a potentially lethal level. Never had Clarke seen a handgun in real life before, much less been on the wrong end of the barrel.
Her legs strained to run to Bellamy, but liquid fear kept her rooted to the spot, watching Finn fiddle with the trigger guard.
Bellamy lowered his arm, but didn't retreat.
Time seemed to slow to a standstill as they stared at each other.
"Where did you get that, Finn?" Raven finally asked.
"Unimportant," Finn dismissed her question with a wave of the gun. He held it so easily, so carelessly. The worst person to have a gun in their hand was someone who didn't respect or understand the power of the weapon. Finn clearly didn't, and although he seemed to be putting on a show with how comfortably he was handling the weapon, Clarke wondered if he'd ever even fired it.
"Now, Bellamy, you're going to step back, and Raven, you're going to come with me," he said.
"Like hell she is," Bellamy said.
"Oh? Would you rather Clarke came back with me?" Finn teased. "We can see just how she feels about me behind closed doors," he leered, looking directly at Clarke. Bellamy stepped between them, breaking the connection.
"No one is going with you, Finn, so get back into your car, and go back to wherever the hell you came from."
"Hmm, I think I like my idea better. Let's go Raven!" Finn yelled, Clarke spared a glance at Raven, who was standing rigidly beside her, Raven flickered a glance at Clarke and gave her a tight lipped smile before stepping towards Finn's car.
He grinned with satisfaction. The gun he was tossing around clearly gave him the upperhand, but that was his only leverage.
As Raven neared Finn, Bellamy reached out a hand and grabbed her, tugging her back behind him. Clarke's stomach leapt into her throat as Finn tisked, scowling.
"Shouldn't've done that, big man," he said disapprovingly. "Must I treat you like a child? Hand over what's mine by the count of three and I won't have any reason to use this." He shook the handgun.
Clarke could only see Bellamy's ridgid back, but he showed no sign of moving, clutching Raven's forearm so tightly it must have hurt her.
"One."
Clarke couldn't breath.
"Two."
Finn clicked the safety off the gun, settling the backstrap against the heel of his hand and slipping his pointer finger under the trigger guard. The rest of his fingers curled around the grip like the twisted talons of a hawk.
Clarke broke free of the fear grounding her.
"No, don't shoot him!" she cried, lurching forward to grab onto Bellamy.
Finn snorted. "Get out of the way Clarke, or I'll shoot both of you."
Clarke defiantly glared at him as Raven twisted free of Bellamy's grasp.
"Enough of this! Just keep yourselves safe!" She urged Bellamy and Clarke. "I'll just go with him."
"That's right, Raven. You know you'd be lost without me," he cooed disgustingly.
Clarke linked her arm through Bellamy's. He was so tense he felt like a wall of solid brick. Raven swallowed once and stepped past Bellamy. Finn opened the rear door without turning his back on Bellamy. Clarke was terrified on behalf of Raven. What would Finn do to her once she was alone? The possibilities were unthinkable.
"In ya go!" He said brightly, putting a hand on Raven's back to guide her into the car, as if she couldn't do it alone.
The gun discharged with a resounding boom that shook Clarke to her core.
For a fraction of a second that felt like years, the air froze. No one moved. No one breathed. The silence following the reverberation of the shot was what Clarke imagined outer space sounded like; so impossibly quiet, she could hear the blood pulsing through her own veins.
Then, Raven's strangled cry shattered the silence like a pane of glass and she crumpled to the ground, blood spouting from her lower back.
Finn leapt away from her, the gun falling from his hand and clattering on the ground. He stared at it like it had betrayed him, all his previous bravado gone. His entire persona had shifted in an instant, and he looked like a scared child.
Bellamy took no time to process the situation. He leapt forward, kicking the gun out of Finn's reach and tackling him to the ground. Finn was too stunned to react as his head struck the cement with a sickening crack that pulled Clarke from her bubble.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Bellamy growled, pinning Finn to the ground with a hand on either shoulder. He pressed his knees into Finn's arms, rendering him immobil.
Raven gave another gasping cry and Clarke went to her, cradling her away from where she was slumped against the car.
"He didn't tell me it was loaded!"
"What?"
"He never even showed me how to use it! I mean, he just gave it to me! I had no idea what I was doing!"
"That much was obvious!" Bellamy yelled over the rising sound of sirens. Someone from the convenience store must have called the police.
"He said to just flash it around! Show it off and no one would mess with me! I thought it was empty." Finn's high-pitched voice bordered on hysterical as he struggled under Bellamy's superior strength.
"Raven?" Clarke lowered her friend to the ground, trying to get her to lay still so as to not cause more damage. "Raven? Look at me!" Clarke commanded, trying to cushion Raven's head from the unforgiving asphalt as she writhed around, groaning and gasping. The bullet had gone into the center of her lower back. There were countless important organs and vessels and nerves running through the area, not to mention the spine. If the bullet hit her spine…
"Gah!" Raven howled and Clarke tried to soothe her, but how do you comfort someone who just got shot?
Then, the unmistakable, stomach-turning sound of a fist landing a blow was accompanying Raven's agonized moans, like some sort of repulsive orchestra.
"Bellamy!" Clarke shrieked as he pounded his fists into Finn's face. The boy was clearly already unconscious and blood poured from his nose and mouth. "Bellamy!"
He couldn't hear her though, whether because of the wail of the approaching sirens or because of the haze of red clouding his vision, Clarke didn't know. She was so wildly out of her element, so overwhelmed. How had this gotten so out of control? When had it shifted from a disagreement to lethal confrontation?
"Bellamy! Stop!" Clarke screamed. He was going to kill Finn if he didn't stop.
Raven moaned, gripping at Clarke when she tried to leave her side to go pull Bellamy off.
It felt like Clarke was watching the whole world from underwater. Every sound was amplified and every action was slowed. Police cars poured into the lot, screeching to a halt the same way Finn had done.
Clarke watched in horror as two officers hauled Bellamy off of Finn, slamming him against the side of the patrol car. They restrained him with handcuffs and it was only then that Bellamy seemed to realize what he had done. His mouth dropped open and his body slackened, slouching against the gleaming black vehicle. He stopped resisting the officers as they forced him into the back of the car, and he disappeared from Clarke's view behind the tinted glass.
That wasn't the man she knew though. He had been overcome by something… something so unlike himself it chilled Clarke almost as much as Finn had.
Now Finn lay, motionless, as a pool of blood swelled around him, staining the cement.
Raven's writhing and crying was diminishing as Clarke returned her attention to her friend. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open in an O, but her gaze wasn't here. She was looking to some far off place, hopefully somewhere where the pain of reality was lessened.
"Raven? Look at me!" Clarke pleaded, cupping her face. "The ambulance is here! It's okay Raven. It's okay…"
Raven's grip was still so tight on Clarke's arm that her fingernails were drawing blood, but Clarke couldn't feel any pain. She was numbed by the last few minutes. It felt hard to believe that everything had just transpired had happened in the span of a few minutes. It felt like it added years to Clarke's life.
"Ma'am, what happened here?" An officer helped Clarke to her feet as paramedics surrounded Raven. Their hands stayed clasped together though, Raven' grip was as solid as iron.
"I-" Clarke started, shaking her head. She found herself glancing over her shoulder to the squad car that contained Bellamy. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he would be looking at her. It calmed her a little bit, so she stared at the inky black window and the myriad of reflected red and blue lights it held.
"Miss?" the officer said, "I'm Officer Emerson, what's your name?"
"Clarke Griffin," she managed, taking a steadying breath.
"Alright, Miss Griffin. Are you injured?" Officer Emerson turned a critical eye on her. Clarke glanced down at herself. She had a large bloodstain on her shoulder, and both of her arms had spatters and trails of deep crimson on them.
"No, I don't think any of it's mine," Clarke clarified.
"Okay. Who is this?" He nodded to Raven as a paramedic fitted a C-collar around her neck.
"Raven Reyes. She's my roommate."
"Are you in college?"
"Yes, at the University of Minnesota."
"Okay. That's good. What are you studying?" Officer Emerson asked and he scribbled something down, half listening to Clarke's reply.
"I'm pre-med."
"Nice. Alright. Do you know who that is?" He gestured to Finn, who was also being worked on by another pair of paramedics. Clarke cringed at his mutilated face, even if she hated him, he was in rough shape after what Bellamy did to him…
"Finn," Clarke said, seeking out Bellamy in the car again. Raven's nail dug into Clarke's wrist once again as she cried out when they fit a cervical collar around her neck.
"Do you know his last name?"
Clarke frowned, racking her brain. She honestly didn't, so she shook her head.
"And the guy who was beatin' on him? Do you know who he is?"
"Yes. That's Bellamy Blake." Clarke nodded.
"And what's your relation to him?"
"Uh, he's my friend." That almost didn't seem like a big enough word to encompass everything that Bellamy was to her.
Emerson nodded again before turning his head to the side to speak into his hand-held radio, spouting off a series of codes that made Clarke's mind spin.
"10-4, we'll be there shortly," Emerson finished, turning back to Clarke. He seemed like he was good at his job; clear and concise, focused on the task at hand and not distracted by the carnage laying at his feet. He had a job to do and he was going to do it well.
"Miss Griffin, we'd like to speak with you back at the station about-"
Raven cried out, interrupting Officer Emerson and drawing Clarke's attention back to her. The paramedics slid a stabilizing board beneath her, jostling her roughly.
Clarke wanted to lash out at them, but her words dried up in her throat as she crouched at Raven's side, running a clammy hand down her face, smoothing her black hair back.
"We need to get her on the gurney. Radio in, tell them we've got a GSW to the lumbar region, with partial paralysis of the left leg from the hip down, and possible internal bleeding."
"What? Paralysis?" Clarke gaped at the man as he barked the order at a younger woman, who nodded curtly and hurried to the cab of the ambulance.
The paramedic ignored Clarke, instead he clamped Raven's resistant arm down under one knee, swabbed the back of her hand, and expertly inserted an intravenous catheter into her vein. He had the needle taped in place two seconds later, all without a drop of blood spilled.
The fact that Clarke took pause from her crazy surroundings long enough to be in awe of his skills was testament to how good he was.
The other paramedic returned and together, they hoisted Raven onto a gurney. Clarke remained right at her side, feeling utterly useless as Raven writhed on the cot, still struggling as they secured safety belts around her chest and legs, mindful of her injury.
"It's okay, Raven. We're going to the hospital, it'll be fine," Clarke said, unconvinced of her own words, as they raised the gurney up so they could slide it into the back of the ambulance.
"Miss Griffin," Officer Emerson interrupted. "We need to take you to the station, so we can get a better understanding about what happened here, alright?"
Clarke turned a glare on him. "I need to go with Raven. Can't this wait?"
"No, the sooner we get your testament the sooner we-"
"That can wait, Emerson." The male paramedic took up Clarke's defense. "You have the suspect in custody-"
"Suspect?" Clarke cried, alarmed. "Bellamy isn't the suspect! Finn's the one that shot Raven!"
"We need to get moving. She can talk later, right now, this girl needs immediate medical attention."
The paramedics loaded Raven into the ambulance and Clarke clamored in after her, looking back at the fuming officer. He looked royally pissed, but he stood silently, working his jaw as the ambulance door swung shut. Clarke snuck one more regretful glance back at the squad car that contained Bellamy. Hopefully he would be alright, and as soon as Raven was safe, she could help get this mess sorted. Bellamy wasn't the criminal, but he was the one on the way to the police station.
AN_
Hi. :) I hope that lived up to everyone's expectations, but that it was also unexpected. The truth finally came out! I struggled for awhile on deciding how to write this chapter, but in the end I am satisfied with it. That being said, this marks the climax of the story. It's not finished as I am posting this chapter, but I think there will be between 40-42 chapters total. Thank for everyone who has read this far, it means the world to me.
Not much else to say, just have a great weekend! Oh, and the NFL season started today. Sadly, the Gophers won't be playing this fall, but the are talking about a possible spring season. I'm still holding out hope of making it to a game at some point.
Thanks for reading,
-Birch66724