The warm hand in Clarke's suddenly tensed. She turned to Lexa, whose gaze was fixed firmly ahead. Clarke glanced in the direction she was looking but saw nothing. "Is everything alright?" she asked gently.

Her date blinked and quickly pulled herself out of her trance. She turned to Clarke with false confidence and an uneasy smile. "Yes, of course," she replied. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom."

Clarke nodded, and Lexa made her hasty exit. As the other girl walked away, Clarke watched her retreating back. Black and red straps crossed over the warm skin and toned muscles. There was no denying Lexa was beautiful, but it was the person inside that Clarke wanted. The girl was a mystery; kissing Clarke one day then running away the next.

"Is she okay?" Niylah asked. "She seems pretty on edge."

Looking at the way Niylah and Zoe seemed to click easily, it was hard not to get jealous. "She's had a rough life," Clarke explained. "She just needs a bit of love and patience."

Niylah gave her a sympathetic smile. "Oh hun', you've got it bad."

Clarke sighed. Niylah was right. She hadn't known Lexa for long, but she already felt a deep attachment to the other girl. It was so strong that Clarke had to wonder if there were other forces at play; fate perhaps. Could the universe really be pushing them together? Clarke had never put much faith into things like that, but now she was starting to wonder.

"It'll be okay," Zoe assured her. "I know you, Clarke, and I know she'll come around."

"I'm not so sure," Clarke admitted. "I mean, she obviously likes me, but am I really... good enough?"

Silence hung heavy in the air between them, although other chatter continued on. Niylah and Zoe meant well, but they could never really understand. The other girl had witnessed a murder and faced severe violence for speaking up. No good deed goes unpunished, Clarke thought to herself. It wasn't as if her own life had been perfect, but it was good. Why would Lexa open up for someone like her? She could never understand either.

"No," Niylah said suddenly, startling Clarke. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you talk like this."

"I... what?" Clarke stuttered in confusion, meeting Niylah's steely eyes.

Before she could continue, Niylah interrupted. "Clarke Griffin, you are one of the best people I know. Of course you're 'good enough'. Now get off your ass and go chase her."

Clarke smiled softly at her friend. She was fierce and confident, but she was also smart, always knowing how to read Clarke. If Niylah was offering her courage, then it meant the other girl truly believed in her. "I will," she replied, standing up.

As she made her way to the restroom, Clarke's nervous thoughts raced around. She wasn't sure that following Lexa was the right thing. Maybe she did need the space. Clarke was about to turn back around when she heard scuffling from the bathroom, snapping her out of her hesitation. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.

As expected, Lexa was there, but she wasn't alone. The brunette girl's back pressed into the ceramic sink as another towered over her. Clarke's breath caught in her throat. It was Ontari. The light flickered in her eyes as she turned towards Clarke. "What the hell?" Clarke objected, already walking to them.

Ontari backed off with a scowl. "So, the little dyke has friends now? Do you even know what that bitch did? She killed my mother!"

"I don't think so," Clarke replied, stepping between the two. Her muscles tensed as she considered the possibility of fighting Ontari right there. She decided against it, feeling it would hinder her plans to get the other girl kicked out. Still, she stood her ground and refused to let the taller bully intimidate her.

Warm fingers pulled at her wrist. "Clarke, please... let's just go."

Until then, Clarke hadn't realized that her hands had curled into fists. She relaxed her hand, and Lexa intertwined their fingers. For a second, Clarke forgot all about the threat in front of her. She could feel Lexa's speeding pulse as she clutched at Clarke's hand. Clarke squeezed tighter, accepting the other girl's trust.

"Precious," Ontari commented dryly. "I guess you don't care that other girl you got killed anymore. What was her name again? Costia?"

The bones of her nose crunched as Clarke's fist collided against her face. She cried out and stumbled backwards, blood gushing from her nose. "You bitch!" Ontari shouted. "I'm going to report you for this! You'll be lucky if they don't kick you out!"

Dazed, Clarke looked from the warm blood on her knuckles to Lexa. The other girl had pulled herself entirely out of Clarke's grasp and looked as if she had been struck. Fresh tears leaked from those haunted, green eyes. For a brief second, their eyes met, then Lexa was gone.

Clarke snapped herself back to reality and ran after her, but Lexa was good at disappearing and already escaped through the crowded restaurant. All she could hear was her own blood screaming in her head as her eyes darted across the room. Nothing was fine right now, but Clarke knew she could fix it if she could just find Lexa.

She ran back to her table, nearly scaring Niylah and Zoe out of their skins. "What the hell?" Niylah exclaimed, looking Clarke up and down. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Clarke replied, fumbling with her wallet. "I just- I just need to go."

Her brain was moving too fast worrying about Lexa for her to count bills, but she knew she was leaving Niylah with plenty. "You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" Niylah responded. "Oh my God, Clarke, is that blood?"

"I'll explain everything later," Clarke promised. "But right now, I really need to go." She shoved her wallet back into her bag and took off without giving Niylah the chance to get another word in, thanking God that she had worn flats. Chasing Lexa in her heels would be impossible.

In some corner of her consciousness, she felt bad for bailing on Niylah and Zoe, but Lexa was her top priority. She didn't rest, even as her lungs and legs started to burn as she raced across the campus. When she finally reached the building, she paused at the door, panting hard. Her fingers fumbled with her ID, but she managed to get the door open after a few seconds. Once inside, she picked up her run again until she got to her dorm's door. She grabbed at the knob and pushed, but the wooden door wouldn't budge. "Lexa?" Clarke called out. "I don't have my key. Can you let me in?"

Only silence greeted her as she waited anxiously outside her own door. "Please, Lexa," she begged. Clarke pressed her ear against the door, listening for movement. All she heard was a soft sob that pierced her heart. Hopelessly, she collapsed at the door. Her whole body felt too heavy to keep standing, and her knees were far too weak after her sprint there. Tears streamed from her own eyes, but she didn't have the energy to wipe them away. She leaned back against the door, her only lifeline now that Lexa was behind it. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

As the night wind chilled her, Clarke shivered and curled up against the door. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. Her head was too messy to think, so Clarke simply closed her red eyes and resigned herself to wait until Lexa opened up.