Chapter 3

The last game of the season was amazing. The Bulldogs beat the Ravens 24-7. Everyone rushed onto the field shouting and chanting. That night at the bonfire the cheerleaders were rallying everyone up and the footballers were making their rounds after being congratulated. The four of them found each other right away. Bellamy and Wells holding a beer in their hand and Octavia holding a shot someone passed her. Octavia was about to comment on Clarkes empty hand, but she knew that she never drank. They all walked away from the fire toward the field laying their bodies in the middle of it in a row. Bellamy and Wells on the outside and the girls tucked on the inside. "Can you believe we would ever be here, after all this time, everything had changed so much". Octavia took Clarkes hand. "Yeah, who knew we would become best friends. A shy, new girl who had never been in one place for more than a couple months". "Hey, we are all besties"! Wells shouted a little jealous. Clarke reached out patting his shoulder giving him a pouty face of fake sympathy. "Bellamy who knew you would be where you are. Football player, history buff".

Octavia interlocked her fingers with her brothers, so much had changed for them, and it started the minute they met Clarke and Wells. Their mom had gotten a job as a CNA at the local hospital, the job Clarkes mom and dad helped her get. She was able to get on her feet as a single mom and recovering alcoholic. When she saw her kids were happiest where they were, she did everything to make their new life one she could be proud of. "Let's not get all sappy now ok". Bellamy called out to the group. "This town never changes" Clarke said looking up at the stars. "Promise me we wont either, ok let's all promise. Despite plans, college, everything we stay like this. They all linked arms laying there on the ground. Silently agreeing to everything that had gone on the past years and that it would stay just like this.

Clarke looked down pulling her phone from her pocket. 2:30am. "Holy Shit guys it's almost 3 am in the morning we have to get out of here and go home". Her parents were going to kill her, ok maybe not her dad, her dad would want all the details. She noticed there were also several missed calls. She must have put her phone on silent when she was studying and forgot to take it off. She would definitely have some explaining to do. They all gathered their things, and headed home. Dropping off Octavia and Bellamy first before Wells dropped Clarke off at her front door. Clarke had no intention of climbing back up that tree this late. She reached for her house key and unlocked the door being as quiet as she could. She slipped of her shoes and threw her jacket on the couch. She winced as each stair creaked as she made her way up to her room. Trying not to pass out from exhaustion on the way there. She passed by her parents' room. The door was open, which was odd because she knew they always slept with it closed. Thinking this time, they would be up waiting for her she peeked in, no one was home. Whew she thought. Must have been another hospital emergency. She was used to that though; she should probably check the kitchen to see if her mom left her a note. She usually did. She headed back down sleepy eyed, looking over the counter space. Nothing there. They couldn't have been in that much of a hurry she thought. She picked her phone out of her pocket. Dialing the hospital number. The operator answered.

"Thank you for calling The MW hospital central how may I direct your call". "Hi yes, it's Clarke Griffin calling for Abby Griffin she is a Doctor over at the hospital, probably in surgery. I'm just calling to see…." The lady on the line cut her off. They obviously knew who her mom and she was. There wasn't a need to explain herself. "I'll connect you". Her mom must not be in surgery after all. After one or two dials she heard a familiar sound. "Abby Griffin, surgery". Here we go she thought. "Hey mom, sorry I didn't mean to worry you guys. I was out with…" "Clarke?" Her mom asked on the other end. "yeah mom, I was saying that". "Clarke are you home?" her mom interrupted her again. "Yes, mom that is what I was trying to tell you, is dad not with you he should have told you. I know I was supposed to be studying but...". "Clarke sweetie." He mom's voice was broken on the other end. "Mom…." Clarke felt a chill come over her in the house. Her mom was not an emotional person. She was always composed. "Clarke. I know you went out tonight, your father he…. he told me where you were. I tried to call you…why didn't you pick up…. dammit". Ok now something was off her mom never spoke to her like that. "Mom did something happen to one of your patients, do you need me to call dad and come find you"? There was a moment pause. Her mom cleared her throat. "Clarke when you were out, it got too late your dad and I were worried. He knew you were at the game, so he volunteered to go pick you up." This time it was Clarke who interrupted. "Mom where is dad". Her mother was silent on the other end. "MOM WHERE IS DAD" Clarke could feel the pressure in her chest. The knot in her throat as her head threw conclusions into her mind. She had to keep a level head. She waited for her mom to answer her. "Clarke there were people, kids, drinking at the game. Your father was in the parking lot across from the field. One of the drivers must have been intoxicated, he…. he didn't see your father".

Clarke dropped herself onto their kitchen floor, feeling the hard tile crack against her knees. Her breathing heavy and she felt like she swallowed shards of glass. "Clarke your father was hit, and he was alone for a while until another group of kids found him. They called an ambulance, but it was too late he had already passed." "Clarke sweetie I did everything I could, by the time I got to the hospital he was gone, long before." The phone dropped from her hand hitting the tile. She could hear distant muffling's of her mother on the phone calling to her. At first it was like she was daydreaming staring out into her dark kitchen, no focus, just trying to breathe through thin air. That's how it felt. Her feelings had choked the breath from her. Her father was gone. As the thought hit her mind over and over, she came to. Tears welling up in her eyes. The thought that she was out there on the field with noise in the background, not paying attention to the fact that her father was dying across the way. If she had just stayed home, if she had done what she wanted to in the first place her father would still be alive. There to wake her in the morning with smells coming from the kitchen. His famous French toast and strawberry compote.

That was never going to happen again. Her chest heaved in long deep breaths the first thing she did was scream. Out into the open she cried out. All her pain she was feeling, all her guilt, all her anger. It echoed in her empty home. Her phone had gone quiet, she was thinking her mother was probably headed home soon. After finishing things up she was sure she was going to rush home and check on her daughter. She just sat there crying. She laid her body onto the cold floor gathering her knees in her arms. "Dad, Whyyyyyy"! She screamed again. The last thing she remembers was crying herself to sleep on the kitchen floor.

By the time she opened her eyes she was still laying in the kitchen. She lifted herself off the floor, her eyes swollen. It was a Thursday, she had her chem final. That wasn't going to happen. She didn't want to be near that school, ever again. That's the way she felt, that's the way she wanted to feel. Closed off from the world because today no one would understand her. She headed up the stair way another set of tears beginning. "Mom" why hadn't her mom come to her last night. She looked in her parents' room, still no one there. She knocked on the closed bathroom door. Choking out another "Mom". Opening it to discover it was empty.

She didn't understand, maybe she was still at the hospital with… she couldn't even think about seeing her fathers' body. She instead headed for her room. Closed the door. Grabbed her dad's old sweatshirt he gave her from her dresser. Wrapping herself in it, she curled up in a ball on her bed. She cried and cried for hours. She couldn't believe that everything was so perfect just the day before and now she felt like her entire world was shattered.

Clarke sat up hours later, she must have fallen asleep again. She looked around her room, then at her clock. 2:15. She had been out for a while. She walked over the wall where she had a picture hanging of her father and her out at the beach. Whatever came to her next she welcomed the feeling. She grabbed the picture and smashed it. she took her hands running them over the top of her dresser pushing everything to the ground. She spotted a globe that her father had gotten her when they were on vacation. He told her "the world is yours, make it what you want it to be". Whatever feeling she had that day was gone. He always pushed her to follow her passion. She threw the globe at the wall smashing it. Why, why couldn't she just stay levelheaded for just a second last night, why had she allowed herself to think selfishly and fall into plans with her friends. Nothing made sense. She dropped to the floor, everything was either broken or thrown around. She cried on her floor, letting her tears fall to the carpet below her. In the distance she heard footsteps, from her door she heard a light tap. It was her mom, she walked into her daughter's room and looked around at everything. She kneeled down by her rubbing her back, her face looking equally strained from tears and sadness. Clarke turned into her mom. Just staying there with her in that moment, she was all she had.

This was a tough chapter to write because I connected the most with it. The death of it all was a real event for me. Twisted a little to pertain to the story. I hope you all enjoyed and keep reading. As always BE KIND