Over the course of the next week, things gradually fell back into some semblance of normalcy. Clarke went to her scheduled classes at their scheduled times, ate lunch in the dining hall, and went to sleep at a reasonable hour. For the first time since her college experience began, she felt like she was actually a college student. The oppressive weight of Finn's assault had somewhat lifted in telling her friends, and she was able to walk around easier. She had even taken Bellamy's advice and gone to talk to a school provided counselor. The appointment was awkward, but it had been cathartic to talk through her assault with someone who was not directly related to the incident.
News of a shooting of a University of Minnesota student had spread across the campus, and it didn't take people long to figure out that the victim was Raven once they returned back to their dorm. Flowers and small gifts and food frequently showed up at their door, which Raven always opened with an impatient smile. Clarke knew Raven wanted nothing more than to put the whole thing behind her and move on, and the constant reminders and sympathy shoved in her face weren't helping. They couldn't complain about the supply of free snacks and chocolate however, and Harper loved placing the vases of flowers all around their dorms on any available surface. The dorm looked and smelled like a garden.
Clarke had spoken with her mother every day that week, finally telling her about what had happened once Abby had come up for air from her work long enough to see the news about the shooting. The conversation had been hard, with Abby wanting to come visit Clarke, or for Clarke to come home for a few weeks. Clarke quickly shut down both options, convincing her mom that Abby couldn't leave the hospital, and that Clarke couldn't get too behind on her classwork. Abby apologized profusely that she hadn't been more consistent with calling to check up on her daughter, and then scolded Clarke for not calling her either.
Abby also filled Clarke in on the Wells situation. Dr. Jaha was going to be a professor at the University, overseeing clinicals for the upper level medical students. Wells was transfering schools in order to stay near his father, because he didn't have any other family and apparently had had a hard time making friends at Oregon State University, where he had originally attended. He was set to move in sometime this weekend. Abby had reminded Clarke to talk to Wells every time they spoke, but Clarke had yet to do it. She was rather busy after all…
Clarke wasn't the only one who was busy, either. Everyone had all consequently missed some amount of school and were playing catchup, so the group hadn't seen much of each other. Clarke had eaten lunch with the guys one day, and of course saw Harper and Octavia every morning and evening, but other than that, there was little interaction.
Clarke missed Bellamy, but she wasn't too upset about not seeing him every day like she was used to. For one, she didn't want to wear out her welcome, so to speak. For another, she didn't know where they stood with each other now. After they had kissed up at Bell Tower… Clarke was confused. Bellamy was still the most important person in her world right now, and she would be lying if she said she didn't want to kiss him again, but a nagging uncertainty kept her from reaching out to him.
They had texted back and forth most days, but it was pretty shallow stuff, about homework or Octavia. Neither of them had broached the topic of the blurred lines of their not-so-platonic relationship.
Clarke knew it was just because Bellamy wasn't going to pressure her, but her condescending inner voice made her feel like it was because Bellamy thought of their kiss as a mistake, although his words that afternoon told of anything but that.
It took a lot of energy to think about, so Clarke chose to push it to the back of her mind and focus on her school work, of which there were copious amounts. But once all her work was done and she was lying in bed, about to fall asleep, thoughts of Bellamy would creep in. His warm hands cupping her face, her fingers tangled in his hair, the way his lips felt on hers… it almost made Clarke reach for her phone and text him, or get up out of bed and go downstairs to his dorm.
But she didn't. She pushed the thoughts down, rolled over, and went to sleep.
Only now, the intrusive thoughts weren't only coming at night. The memory of Bellamy's hand running down her back had popped into her head the second she lost focus on her calculus assignment.
Clarke tapped her pencil against her desk and took a deep breath. It was late afternoon on Friday and golden autumn light streamed through the window. Raven was sitting at her desk as well, her braced leg propped up on her laundry basket. If Clarke ignored her obvious injury, she looked just like she used to; her dark hair swept back in a sleek ponytail, eyes narrowed in focus, fingers typing furiously on her laptop. It was easy to pretend that nothing had changed. If only.
A knock came from the door, startling Clarke. Raven grumbled, leaning back in her chair.
"Another well-wisher?" Clarke asked.
Raven rubbed at her eyes, muttering something as she dragged her leg off of the basket and used her desk to pull herself into a standing position.
Her leg had shown no signs of returning to functionality, and yesterday's doctor's appointment only confirmed what they had already suspected. No change. Clarke knew that Raven was trying not to let it get her down, but it was hard. If Raven was one thing though, it was persistent.
Raven had abandoned her crutches at the appointment yesterday, as she could move around just fine without them. She had gotten a different, more flexible brace and she could 'walk' on it. Her gait was stilted and she had an obvious, heavy limp, but she could walk without leaning on anything. Clarke hoped for her sake that the limp would dissipate as Raven's surgical site healed more.
Raven made her way to the door and opened it with a, "Hello?"
"Hi, you're Raven, right?"
"Yep, that's me. The one who got shot. And yes, I accept your condolences, and yes, I am doing just fine, thank you."
Clarke smirked at Raven's dry greeting.
"Oh- uh, okay," the visitor stuttered, confused.
Clarke turned around in her chair to see this guy. He didn't look like one of the typical people who had been coming to the door the past few days. He carried no bouquet of flowers or stuffed animals. Instead, he had a couple of textbooks under one arm and a backpack over the other. A typical student.
Raven, clearly noting the same things Clarke had, said, "Do you need something?"
The guy shifted his textbooks, glancing at Raven's leg before quickly averting his eyes. "I'm Miles Shaw." He held out his hand which Raven shook. He seemed to have expected that to ring a bell with Raven, but when it didn't he added, "Professor Sinclair sent me?"
"Professor Sinclair? From mechanical?"
"That's the one. You're in one hundred, right?"
"Yeah," Raven said, turning to look at Clarke. Clarke shrugged. "What, um, why did he send you?"
"For tutoring. He heard about your uh, situation and thought you could use someone to help bring you up to speed with where the rest of the class is at."
Raven shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm good."
"Wait! I have to at least proctor your test. Sinclair needs it by Monday." Miles put his hand to stop Raven as she started to close the door.
"Oh, okay. Sorry."
"No, it's fine. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I thought you knew I was coming. Professor Sinclair told me he talked to you about it."
"No, I don't think so." Raven moved aside to let Miles into the room. "I did talk to him, but he never said anything about a Miles."
"Please, call me Shaw. Everyone does."
"Okay. Just let me submit this stupid paper and then I can take your test," Raven said, limping back to her desk. Clarke watched Shaw take in the room, with the windowsill adorned with flowers and the dozen teddy bears in a pile on the floor beside Raven's bed.
"I can go," Clarke offered, already standing.
"No, it's fine!" Shaw said quickly, glancing at Raven, who was again typing furiously. "So long as you're quiet, and don't give her the answers to Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics: Real World Applications we'll be just fine."
"Trust me, I couldn't even if I wanted to," Clarke chuckled. "You're on your own, Raven."
"Eh, shouldn't even be in the one hundred level course, but I forgot to take the competency test to go up a level."
"Really? I had a really hard time in Sinclair's Mechanics 100," Shaw said. He was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
Clarke watched the way the guy listened to Raven as they started talking about some engineering class. She found out that Shaw was a junior, he was majoring in aerospace engineering with the hopes to one day design planes or even rockets. Clarke almost laughed out loud at the way Raven's eyes lit up when he said that. He was assisting in Sinclair's class as an internship project, but he just got stuck running errands and grading papers instead of learning much about mechanical engineering.
The two of them spent almost fifteen minutes chatting before the test got underway. Clarke switched to sitting on her bed so Shaw could have her chair and desk while Raven took the test. Everytime Clarke glanced up, Shaw's eyes were on Raven, and Clarke knew he wasn't just ensuring that Raven maintained academic honesty.
Clarke smiled to herself, hopeful that at the least, Raven would make a new friend. She had been pretty isolated to just Clarke, Harper, and Octavia, having spent last week in the hospital, and then the better part of this week bound to the room for mobility reasons. It wasn't exactly easy to meet new friends when you couldn't walk. And the people that came to the door didn't count; they only wanted to ask questions about Raven's injury or the shooting, not get to know her. Raven learned that the hard way, and had stopped inviting anyone into the room quite promptly.
Clarke finished up her calculus assignment and set her books aside, yawning despite it being barely five o'clock. Raven was still concentrating on her test, while Shaw rocked back in the chair absently, fiddling with something that he had pulled out of his backpack. It was a little awkward to see this guy just sitting at Clarke's desk, so she stood up and gathered her laptop and notebooks into her backpack before letting herself out of the room as quietly as possible. Shaw gave Clarke a little wave and she smiled at him, hoping that after Raven finished the test, the two of them would start talking again, They seemed to have a lot in common.
Now that she stood alone in the hallway, Clarke was unsure what to do. Originally, she left with the intention to head to the library to start working on her chemistry lab report, but the thought of it made her want to die. The library seemed impossibly far away, even though it was barely a block from Frontier Hall, and chemistry made Clarke want to tear her hair out sometimes. Especially writing up a lab report that her professor was sure to not read because he would be receiving over two hundred of them. What a drag.
As Clarke slowly walked down the hall, her phone started ringing in her back pocket. Pulling it out, the screen flashed: unrecognized caller. Clarke answered it anyway, more to stall the inevitable than anything.
"Hello?"
"Clarke? Is that you?"
Yes, who is calling?" Clarke asked.
"It's me, Wells! I was beginning to think you had changed your number. Every time I called it dropped to voicemail." His voice sounded a bit different, older maybe, more mature.
"Oh, Wells! Hi, I was going to call you," Clarke lied. "When are you moving in?"
"I don't know for sure, I have to go down to the housing office."
"You're already here?"
"Yeah, we got in this morning. I'm at my dad's new apartment right now."
Clarke leaned against the wall next to the stairwell, clutching her phone to her ear. This conversation was awkward and made Clarke feel immensely guilty that she hadn't reached out to Wells prior to his arrival like she had promised she would do.
"Really?" Clarke reached for something to say. "Where is he living?"
"The Marshall Apartments," Wells chuckled. "I don't know why he decided to live here, it's student housing. He actually met one of his students in the elevator when we first got here."
Clarke laughed. "Oh no, that's embarrassing."
"Yeah, the worst part is that Dad didn't even tell him he was the new professor. That's going to be awkward on Monday."
"Yeah, for sure."
"Uh huh. Pretty sure Dad is the only person under the age of twenty-five in the whole building. But oh well."
"Maybe he'll have to make some work friends," Clarke suggested.
"Yeah, I hope so."
The conversation lulled, but Clarke didn't have anything to say. Thankfully, Wells picked up the slack.
"Anyway Clarke, I was calling you to see if you wanted to do something tonight? My dad is at some meeting with the University and I don't really want to sit in his apartment alone all night. I thought we could catch up. It's been a long time since we really talked."
"Yeah, for sure!" Clarke said quickly, whether out of guilt or genuine interest in seeing him, she didn't know. "I don't have any plans tonight. What were you thinking?"
"I dunno. You tell me. We could grab some dinner or you could show me around campus? I sort of enrolled here without exploring it much."
"Sure. That sounds good."
"Okay. You're in Frontier, right?"
"Yes."
"Alright I'll walk over. Meet me in the entry?"
"Sure thing. See you soon."
"I'm looking forward to it, Clarke," Wells said before ending the call.
Clarke removed her phone from her ear and held it with both hands. Then she added Wells' number back to her contacts list. She didn't remember ever deleting his number, but it wasn't there any more. Perhaps she just hadn't transferred it over when she had gotten a new phone last year. She hadn't really talked to him since they were sixteen, so what would have been the point of keeping it?
There had been a time when they had talked every day. Wells had been Clarke's best friend for a long time. Since their parents were colleagues and they were both only children, they had gotten stuck together at their parents' work related parties and events, even in the doctor's lounge at the hospital at times. Over time they became best friends; throughout elementary school and middle school they had been inseparable.
Then Clarke's dad died, and their relationship evolved. Clarke became withdrawn and somehow Wells drew her back out. Then, when they were fifteen, Wells asked Clarke to be his girlfriend, and, not knowing how to respond, Clarke said yes, although her feelings towards her childhood friends remained -mostly- platonic.
Clarke was deep in remembrance when she heard her name called.
"Clarke?"
"Hmm?" Clarke blinked and shook her head, coming back to the present.
"Hey! What are you thinkin' about Princess?" Bellamy had appeared without Clarke's notice.
Clarke smiled at the sight of him, which had been rare the last several days. "You," she joked.
Bellamy flashed a cocky grin and took Clarke's hand, spinning her around as if dancing with her.
"What are you doing?" Clarke laughed, pressing her cheek to Bellamy's chest as he pulled her in.
"Saying hi. Hi."
"You're crazy," Clarke said, stepping back. She had only seen Bellamy once during the whole week, and then it had been with Jasper, Miller, and Murphy, so the two of them hadn't talked about anything personal.
That meant their little kiss and reunion on Bell Tower was hanging over their heads, undiscussed and confusing for Clarke.
"No. Not really."
Clarke rolled her eyes. "What are you doing up here? Coming to see Octavia?" She half hoped he would say he was coming to see her.
Bellamy didn't disappoint. "No. I wanted to see you, Clarke. I haven't seen you all week, and I finally finished off the rest of my assignments, so I'm all yours now."
That made Clarke's chest flutter. Oh god. She decided to keep up the playful conversation in order to avoid the inevitable, deeper conversation.
"I'm afraid I'm not nearly as exciting as late algebra assignments."
Bellamy tried to make a contemplative frown, but his amusement refused to be suppressed. "Hmm, Clarke Griffin or the quadratic equation? That's a real tough one."
Clarke laughed, shaking her head. Bellamy was too cute.
"But seriously, want to do something tonight?"
Clarke opened her mouth to say yes, but then remembered Wells. Somehow Bellamy made her forget about her plans with him in a matter of minutes.
"Yes, but I can't. Not tonight."
Bellamy's face twisted into a frown. "Do you have too much work to do? Or do you have plans?"
Clarke fidgeted with her phone. "I just made plans. Well, I didn't make them, I got invited."
"By who? Octavia?"
"No. Remember last week? When my mom called me and told me that my old friend was transferring to the U?"
"Yes, what about him?" Bellamy's eyes narrowed further and Clarke noticed.
"He just got here today and asked if I'd show him around, so he can get to know the campus a bit better before he starts classes on Monday."
Bellamy grunted, looking displeased.
"I'm sorry Bellamy. But hey!" Clarke got an idea. "Why don't you come along? Wells needs to meet some more people. Maybe you two could be friends?"
"Yeah, maybe," Bellamy agreed tentatively. "What kind of name is Wells?"
"What kind of name is Bellamy?" Clarke countered, glad the slight tension had diffused.
"Fair enough," Bellamy conceded. "Where are you meeting him?
"He said he'd meet more outside Frontier," Clarke explained, heading for the door to the stairwell.
"Oh. Is he going to live on campus?"
"I think so. We really haven't talked much. I kept meaning to call him but I just kept putting it off."
Bellamy followed Clarke down the stairs, their footsteps echoing. Clarke realized what a stroke of genius this actually was. Bellamy would keep it from being awkward like it would have been if it were just Clarke and Wells. And, this way, Clarke would still get to spend time with Bellamy while fulfilling her obligation to Wells.
"So, what's the deal with this guy?" Bellamy asked, holding the door open for Clarke when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"What do you mean?" Clarke asked.
"Didn't you say he used to be your boyfriend?"
Clarke didn't miss the sharp edge to Bellamy's tone. "Yes."
Bellamy tensely opened the front door and led them outside. The sun was still shining, but the air was nippy. Fall in Minnesota was much cooler than it had been in Oregon.
"So like, when did you date?"
Clarke realized then that the edge to Bellamy's tone was jealousy. She tried to suppress a grin and the thought of it. Bellamy. Jealous. And at a boyfriend from high school to whom Clarke hadn't spoken to in nearly two years.
"Sophomore year," Clarke answered, keeping her answers purposely short to draw out Bellamy suspicions. Perhaps it was mean, but it was enjoyable.
"Sophomore year…" Bellamy repeated, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Clarke watched his face as he squinted into the sun, waiting for him to look at her.
He finally did. "What?"
Clarke couldn't help but smirk. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
Bellamy huffed, then whined, "Claaarke."
She giggled. "Are you jealous?"
"No!" Bellamy said quickly. "I am not."
"Oh?" Clarke played coy, loving every second of this. It felt nice to have the confirmation that Bellamy did in fact care for her. Of course she knew he did, but to be present with evidence was reassuring and pleasant.
"What would I have to be jealous of? Some dork from Oregon?"
"Bellamy!" Clarke laughed out loud. Bellamy wrapped an arm around around her shoulders, pulling her backwards into his chest and rocking side to side.
"Everyone from Oregon is a dork," he teased.
"Not true!" Clarke had to protest. She loved how Bellamy was holding her. His face was so close to hers, and even though they weren't facing one another, she was reminded of their kiss and of how much she wanted to do it again.
"You're the biggest dork of them all," Bellamy went on. "You spent all week studying. Could even spare an hour to come see your best friend."
"What do you mean? I live with Raven. I saw her everyday."
Bellamy released her and stepped back, feigning hurt. He turned his mouth down into an overexaggerated pout and crossed his arms.
"Oooh, you mean you? Jeez, why didn't you say so?" Clarke said.
Bellamy grinned. There was only so much of this game they could play. "I know you were busy, I'm just joking Princess."
"Yeah yeah. But to be fair I did want to see you. I just had so much work to catch up on, and then when I finally did have time, I felt bad leaving Raven alone." Plus, I didn't want to have a serious conversation with you yet, Clarke added to herself.
"I know. I don't blame you. But you're all caught up now, and Raven is doing a lot better, right?"
Clarke shrugged. It was hard to tell. Raven was so strong willed, she wouldn't have let Clarke know even if she was struggling. It was a good thing, in that Raven was strong enough to get through her injury and subsequent breakup, but Clarke worried what shoving down her feelings was doing to Raven.
"This weekend we have to-" Bellamy's words were cut off.
"Clarke? Is that you?" Wells appeared up the sidewalk, shading his eyes from the sun with one hand. He was wearing a button down shirt and jeans, squinting as he walked towards them.
"Wells!" Clarke called back, walking to meet him halfway. He looked taller than he had last time Clarke had seen him, which was really only about five months ago at their high school graduation. Even though they hadn't regularly associated after the break up, they had still seen each other in passing.
"Wow, it's so good to see you," Wells gushed, finally reaching Clarke and sweeping her up in a hug before she even got a chance to look at his face. "I'm so sorry I didn't make the effort to keep in touch, Clarke. I've really missed you."
"It's okay," Clarke said breathily, a bit taken aback by Wells' very warm greeting. His embrace was tight and definitely more intimate than just a friendly hello hug. As Clarke struggled a bit to pull back, she immediately turned to see Bellamy's reaction, glad he hadn't been close enough to hear Wells' words.
Clearly, seeing Wells' close embrace had been enough to make his eyes narrow. Bellamy walked up with a set jaw, eyeing Clarke's old friend with suspicion.
Before he had the chance to say anything, Clarke jumped in. "Wells, this is my- this is Bellamy," she stumbled over her words, hoping neither guy noticed. "Bellamy, Wells."
"Hey man," Wells shook Bellamy's hand, either oblivious to the hostility in his eyes or choosing to ignore it. Knowing Wells, he was probably just ignoring it.
"Hey," Bellamy said in return, looking at Clarke with a raised brow. Apparently Wells wasn't exactly how Bellamy had imagined him.
"Nice to meet you," Wells said, ever pleasant. That was one thing that had always irked Clarke about Wells. He always held a sort of refined air about him, always polite, always behaving as expected. It made him look good to new people, but the closer you got to him, the more it seemed to be an irritation. Why was he always so perfect?
"You too."
"I didn't know you were going to bring anyone along, Clarke, but it's just the same. It's nice to meet some more people here. I don't know anyone yet."
"That's what I was thinking!" Clarke hurried to say. "I have a bunch more friends that I'd be happy to introduce you to another time."
"A bunch? Wow, really seems like you're fitting in here. I always knew you'd do better in college than high school."
Clarke shrugged, trying not to let heat rise to her cheeks as Wells stared intently at her.
"Aww Princess. Didn't you have any friends in high school?" Bellamy teased.
Clarke scoffed, socking him in the arm. "Of course I did!"
"Just a few. But a few close friends are worth twenty acquaintances," Wells said, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning at Bellamy.
A tension mounted in the space after Wells' words. "Let's not talk about how lonely I was in high school. C'mon, let's walk around campus."
Clarke started walking without waiting for a response, wondering if perhaps inviting Bellamy along wasn't such a good idea.
Her thought was confirmed within the next few moments when the sidewalk narrowed so that the three of them could no longer walk in a row, so someone had to lag behind. Since Clarke had started talking to Wells about his residence hall assignment, Bellamy dropped back.
"Yeah, I wasn't sure I wanted to be in the superblock at first, and I was going to stay over on West Bank, but the housing office told me I wasn't allowed to make requests since I was a mid-term transfer."
"Really? You couldn't even say your preference?"
"No! They told me they had an opening in Sanford and an opening in Centennial. That was it."
"Oh gosh no wonder they had an opening in Sanford, no one wants to be way up there. Unless you just want to party in Dinkytown every night."
"Dinkytown? What's that?"
Bellamy scoffed from behind them. "You don't even know what Dinkytown is? Figures."
"Bellamy!" Clarke scolded. "Dinkytown is like a neighborhood. It's on the edge of campus, where all the frat houses are and the cheap bars and trashy apartments. People really only go there to party."
"Oh. I didn't even know that. Makes me even more glad I picked Centennial. I always thought the superblock was where the parties happened," Wells chuckled.
"Sometimes," Clarke explained, tensing up at the talk about parties. "The superblock is almost exclusively freshman though, and it's right on campus. People don't get too wild. The real parties are at the fraternities in Dinkytown."
"By real parties Clarke means the ones full of assholes that get busted and guys that get arrested," Bellamy said, coming up beside Clarke as they crossed a street and sliding his hand into hers. Clarke appreciated the gesture, but she was actually doing alright despite the topic of conversation. Bellamy's hand was warm though, and her fingers were getting chilled as the sun set, so she didn't drop his hand, nor did she miss the flash of hurt on Wells' face.
Wells quickly looked away and started listing off the buildings he had classes in, which were mostly on the West Bank, considering that Wells was double majoring in business and finance, and the Carlson School of Business resided on the other side of the river that ran through campus.
On the way to the Washington Avenue Bridge which connected the two banks, they walked down Scholar Row, which showed notable alumni from the university and their discoveries, and they wandered through The Mall. The Mall was a favorite place of Clarke's; with the grassy expanses that always held outdoor studiers, or club meetings, or guys playing frisbee or SpikeBall. Huge trees lined The Mall, and the surrounding buildings were tall and brick and gothic looking.
"Wow, I don't think I ever realized how huge this campus is," Wells said, craning his neck to look around.
"Yeah. To be completely honest, I haven't even been everywhere. I've only been to the West Bank once or twice, since all my classes are on the East Bank. I don't have any reason to go over there."
"What about you, Bellamy? What are you studying?" Wells asked ariely.
"Uh, this and that," Bellamy said with a shrug. "I'm sort of undecided right now, but I'm kind of leaning towards education."
'Really?" Clarke interjected. She hadn't heard him say that before.
"Yeah," Bellamy said, looking down at her with a fond smile. "I like the idea of being a teacher."
Clarke smiled back at him. She liked that idea too.
"Hmm, the School of Education is pretty competitive. Have you applied yet?" Wells questioned narrowly.
"Nope," Bellamy said, looking unbothered. He lightly swung his arm, taking Clarke's along with him as he still held her hand, his fingers interlaced with hers.
They continued in silence towards the bridge, reaching it shortly.
The bridge was impressive and Clarke liked it. It spanned nearly a quarter mile across, seventy feet above the Mississippi River. On top, there was a covered section as well as an uncovered section. It was a nice break to get out of the wind.
Beneath the bridge, the Metro train rode, taking students from one bank to the other.
"Oh, look at all these," Wells exclaimed as they entered the covered section.
Along each of the walls, the various student clubs, organizations and sports teams each had a panel, about four feet wide and three feet high where they could paint and advertise their club. There were hundreds of them spanning the whole way. The artistic aspect of it drew Clarke's attention and the three of them walked quietly along the length of the bridge, looking at all the panels. Some were more tastefully done than others, with paintings depicting lacrosse sticks or a pair of latin dancers, while others were just hastily drawn in acronyms.
Clarke appreciated the beauty in it, because it was student art, as well as the fact that it was an inclusive display that anyone could be involved in.
"You should make one of these," Bellamy said.
"What? No, I'm pretty sure you have to be the president of the club to do one," Clarke dismissed Bellamy, even though she liked the suggestion. She'd by lying if she said she wasn't imagining how to design her own panel.
"Maybe. I dunno. I bet someone would hire you to do theirs for them." Bellamy snickered as he pointed to one with a white background with a stick figure draw on it. It only had a single word on it, like a command: RECYCLE.
Clark snorted. "Inspiring."
"Is there one for the Lettuce Club?" Wells asked.
"That what-now?"
"The Lettuce Club? You haven't heard of that?"
Clarke shook her head.
"I have," Bellamy said, almost begrudgingly.
"What is it?" Clarke asked Bellamy.
Wells jumped in to explain instead. "There is this club, the Lettuce Club, the only meets once a semester. They don't really have a purpose as far as I can tell, but they all get together and have a competition; whoever can eat an entire head of lettuce the fastest is elected the President, and they have to arrange next semester's meeting and provide the lettuce."
"What?" Clarke laughed. "That might be the dumbest thing I ever heard!"
"I know!" Wells laughed with her. "I think it's kinda cool though, you know? Who would think of something so silly?"
"I don't know! Maybe you should join."
"No way!" Wells said, at the same time as Bellamy said, "I probably ought to."
Apparently, they had both thought Clarke was talking to them. The boys shared a look. In the dimming light, it was hard to see what their expressions were, but Bellamy's hand tightened on Clarke's.
Clarke resisted him a little, pulling her hand back. Bellamy looked at her, immediately releasing her hand and looking concerned.
"I'm fine," she answered his unspoken question. "Hey, let's get some food now, I'm hungry."
"Sounds good to me!" Wells agreed.
They ended up at a rowdy bar and grille on the West Bank. To be honest, Clarke should have known better than to go out to eat anywhere that served alcohol on a Friday night, but oh well. They are here now and the close heat of the bar was welcome coming in from an hour out in the chilly fall air.
Clarke hovered close to Bellamy as they got their table, even though he looked a little dejected that she had pulled away from him. She couldn't explain it now, not will Wells so close, but his obvious jealousy made her uncomfortable. It had been cute, but only for a second.
"Will you order a drink for me, Clarke? I gotta run to the bathroom," Bellamy said, placing his jacket over the back of a chair. Clarke nodded and watched him walk away, shuffling sideways through the packed bar.
Left alone with Wells for the first time in over two years, she slid into her seat, smiling at him. All told, she felt a bit guilty for not wanting to do this alone with him.
Wells returned her smile and folded his hands on the table in front of him. He looked like he should be behind a mahogany desk in some important office rather than sitting in a college bar.
"Thanks for agreeing to meet me, Clarke. It really is good to see you."
"Of course. I'm glad you asked."
"I thought we'd be able to do a bit more catching up, but meeting some of your friends is all good too." Wells' tone hinted at disapproval, and the way he said the word friend sounded wistful, as if he hoped that was all Bellamy was to Clarke.
"I'm sorry. We will have to have a different night to do that. Bellamy walked in right as you called and I just thought I'd ask him along. I hadn't seen him all week and I just figured you wouldn't mind," Clarke explained.
Wells nodded. "Tell me about Bellamy. Is he always so cold?"
Clarke, a bit taken aback by the question, stuttered her answer. "C-cold? I wouldn't describe him as cold. He's quite… sweet, usually."
"Hmm." Wells leaned back in his seat, appraising. Clarke just stared at him. It seemed Bellamy wasn't the only jealous person in Clarke's company tonight.
Unable to hold her tongue any longer, she spoke out. "Look, Wells… I'm sorry how I left things, but that was two years ago. I know you didn't want to end our relationship, and I know I really hurt your feelings, but I just couldn't handle it then. I thought you understood, but you seem like you're still upset about it."
"I'm not upset about that, Clarke. Like you said, it was two years ago!" Wells' voice had an edge to it, contradicting his normally calm disposition. "What I am upset about, however, is the fact that you felt the need to flaunt your boyfriend in my face the second you saw me again."
"What?" Clarke snapped. "That's what you think I'm doing? Wells, c'mon. Does that seem like something I would do?"
Wells, recomposed now, said cooly, "I don't know Clarke. You basically haven't said a word to me in two years, how should I know what you're like now?"
That hurt. "I regret what I did, Wells. Is that what you want me to say? I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings, then or now," Clarke said, then added, "Besides, Bellamy isn't my boyfriend."
"You walked around holding hands with every boy you know now? Because I'd like to get on that list." Wells raised a brow and smirked, and Clarke knew their argument was over. Wells had never had the heart to stay mad at her for very long.
Clarke laughed. "No, not typically. Bellamy is special, though."
"I hope so. Because, you, Clarke, are special." Wells' words had the intensity of intimacy, but Clarke just smiled as if he had complimented her shirt.
"Thanks, Wells. I hope I didn't disappoint you."
"What do you mean?"
Clarke struggled to speak her mind. "I don't know if you thought that by transferring to Minnesota, we'd somehow-" Clarke shrugged. "-find our way back together or something."
Wells blinked and she knew that had been his idea, but the words out of his mouth denied it. "I didn't, but a guy can dream."
Clarke smiled and was spared having to find a response when a waitress came to their table. She ordered her typical ice water, and Coke for Bellamy, and remembered Wells' order from years past, an iced tea.
"You remembered?"
"Of course. We were only friends for our whole lives."
His smile was genuine and nostalgic, and Clarke found herself glad to have Wells back in her life. He was a good friend, he always had been, and always would be, even when she wasn't.
AN_
Oh, jealous Bellamy! I have to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Wells, but I wanted to included him in this story, if only for a small part. So here he is, in all his Clarke-obsessed glory. :)
Anyway, I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe, and (if you celebrate) that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. It would mean the world to me if you left your thoughts on this chapter as we are nearing the end of this story.
Thanks for reading!
-Birch66724
