Chapter Ten: A Little Bird Told Me

"I know I've asked like, a billion times, but when are you coming to visit?" Clarke fell backward onto her bed, awaiting the vague response she knew that she was going to receive.

"As soon as I settle into the new house more," her father's voice answered over the phone.

"That's what you always say. It's already been close to four months since I last saw you."

Ever since the move, Clarke and her dad had made it a habit to have at least an hour long phone call once a week to catch each other up on what's been happening on either end of the country. They used to talk everyday, but ever since the dreaded Quiz Bowl had been dumped into her lap, Clarke had been finding it harder to find time to dedicate to her dad.

The only reason she was able to make the call now was because she was all ready for her date with Finn, but he texted her saying he was running about fifteen minutes late so she had decided to give her dad a buzz. She was relieved when he had picked up after the second ring, but it just felt nice to hear his voice again.

"I know kiddo, but the house isn't even situated yet. I still have boxes piled higher than the Hoover Dam."

Clarke chuckled. "Mom always was the more organized one, huh?"

This time she heard him laugh on the other end, giving Clarke satisfaction that she was able to bring a smile to his face. "That she is. She'd of had this place looking like a palace by now."

"You should still come out, even if it is a mess out there."

"I think you should come out here. California sun and warm weather—we could go surfing or something."

"It does sound tempting," she lied, rolling over onto her stomach. For as much as she enjoyed the warm weather, the thought of prancing around in California was less than appealing. Maybe it was because she was still angry about the move, but even if it was, she didn't care. She wanted her dad back in New Jersey, living in the house on the corner that she grew up in. "Maybe during Christmas—if you're able to get your house finalized by that time."

She was clearly kidding, which was what made it funny. Her dad laughed again while Clarke bit back a smile. "So how's Jasper and your mom been?" he changed the subject.

Clarke rolled her eyes; he knew they would dwell on the topic of visitation for hours unless he dodged the bullet. "Mom's good. She's been working a couple of double shifts in attempt to to get that promotion. And Jasper signed up for a robotics thing with Monty."

"Very cool. I'm proud of your mom. And Jasper and Monty working on a robot together? Is that really the best idea when something could easily explode with those two together?" he sounded genuinely concerned which was funny enough that Clarke had to stifle a laugh.

"Well, neither of them have blown anything up yet so far this year, so that's good," she replied, still grinning.

"If you say so." Clarke could hear the smile in his tone even if they were three-thousand miles apart. "How's Wells?"

The question made Clarke stop and suddenly her blood boiled. Why was he even asking about Wells? He knew that she had dumped him; besides, Wells was the reason that her dad was in California looking for a job! She might have forgiven Wells for being her ex boyfriend, but she hadn't forgiven him for what he had done.

She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to.

"Uh, yeah, he's okay. Straight A's and whatnot probably," she said. Her tone came off as more icy than she intended. "But we don't really talk anymore except for student council."

"You're going to have to forgive him sooner or later, kiddo," he responded.

"Maybe, but I'm—"

"Clarke!" Jasper's voice called on the other side of her door followed by a fierce pounding. "Finn's waiting for you downstairs!"

In a rush, Clarke jumped up from her bed and slid into her flip-flops. "Hey, dad? My friend just got here and we're going out for dinner so can I call you back later?"

"You're not just strategically copping out of this conversation because you don't want to talk about Wells are you?"

The accusation was ridiculous because even though she despised talking about Wells, she wouldn't have made-up an excuse to not talk about him. She'd just lay it out like it was and get it over with. "No, Dad, I promise that my friend is here. Jasper is the one who came in and told me."

"I was just teasing you, squirt. Have fun and be safe. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad." She hung up and then hurried down the stairs two at a time. She expected Finn to be chilling in the living room, but instead found Jasper and Octavia playing Wii on the TV. "Where's Finn?"

"Is he in the kitchen? Does he have a pumpkin?" Jasper recited in a sing-song tone that Clarke recognized from an old cartoon he used to watch.

"Knock it off. Where is he?"

Octavia broke her gaze away from the TV. "I'm pretty sure he was waiting out on the porch for you." She turned back to the TV.

Clarke turned to the door, but paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Jasper, where's Monty?"

Jasper shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on his character. "I invited him over but he said he was busy."

Busy working on the robot that you should be helping him with, Clarke thought. She would have called him out on it right then and there, but Octavia was over and Finn was waiting and something told Clarke that the conversation with Jasper would be longer than a few minutes. She'd just reprimand him when she got home.

"I'll be back later." She stepped out on the porch. Finn was sitting on the top step, so she sat next to him. "Hey."

Suddenly he was holding a bouquet of pink roses and a shy smile adorned his face. "I was hoping you'd come out soon. I was afraid they would be all wilted by the time you finally showed."

Clarke shouldered into him softly but accepted the flowers with a smile. Her cheeks probably matched the shade of the flowers and that was a little unsettling in her opinion. "What're these for?"

Finn shrugged. "Attempt at being romantic. Did it work?"

Clarke grinned. "Maybe. I'm interested to see what else you have up your sleeve."

"I hope the night ends up being to your standards." He helped her to her feet.

Before she knew it, they were in his truck heading into down. They drove past their school and after a few other turns, Clarke recognized the route they were on as the same one they used when they had gone into the woods behind Trikru Union.

There was another few minutes full of jokes and music blaring and then Finn pulled into a decent sized pizza place. "Pizza?" Clarke asked incredulously. She tried not to sound disappointed.

"Not just any pizza place," Finn wagged his finger in her face teasingly. She was tempted to bite his hand, just to see the reaction she'd get out of him. "Give it a chance, Clarke. It's a pretty cool place."

The inside wasn't at all what she expected. The restaurant seemed to be split up into three sections; the largest region was on the far left and housed a large collection of tables and booths around the perimeter. The far right was set up with a bar, a pool table, and several flat screen TVs showcasing a variety of sports. The smallest section was in the far back and had an arcade and a play area like they have at McDonalds. The entire restaurant seemed to accomodate for every type of person, from families with small kids to teenagers on dates to the lonely men in their thirties having midlife a crisis at the bar.

"Impressed?" Finn asked with a smile so she could only figure that he had noticed her wide eyes and mouth slightly agape.

"Impressed would definitely be one way to phrase it."

"Come on," Finn grabbed her hand and led her toward the arcade. As they walked, Clarke kept an eye out for anyone she might recognize from school. She didn't expect too; most of the kids that looked around her age were completely unfamiliar and a few of them even had on Trikru or Mount Weather sweatshirts.

"Looks pretty crowded." Finn careened to the left as a kid as young as seven bolted past him quickly followed by an older girl yelling for him to come back. "Wow, that kid can run."

Clarke grinned. "You really know how to treat a girl."

Finn started toward an empty basketball game with Clarke on his heels. "Care for a game of basketball?"

"I hate basketball," she admitted.

"Well, that makes two of us. But it's the only thing that isn't occupied by a bunch of kiddos so I figured it's better than nothing." Finn fed the machine a dollar and three basketballs rolled down the chute. The time on the clock read two minutes. He sunk a basket and the timer started counting down immediately after the ball hit the rim. He picked up a second and tossed it to Clarke. "Come on, Clarke!"

"What?" she exclaimed, tossing the ball back, "no way."

Finn tossed it back, and she caught it reflexively. "Better make a shot, Clarke, we've got less than two minutes on the clock now."

"I hate you." Clarke balanced the ball in her palms, hoping to aim it at the right angle. If she was able to get enough height, then maybe she'd sink it. With a minute and ten seconds on the clock, she tossed the ball. It bounced off the rim and rolled back down the chute. "I told you I sucked."

"You hit the rim so that's at least something. I've seen guys who miss completely."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better."

Finn smiled. "Anytime, Princess."

Clarke gave an uptight smile, but Finn didn't seem to notice as he sunk another basket. The nickname didn't sound right coming from him; it wasn't that Clarke liked it when Bellamy called her princess but he had been doing it for so long that she had simply grown accustomed to it. Finn didn't have the seniority to use the nickname, no matter how much she liked him. "Just Clarke, Finn. You know I hate it when you call me princess."

Finn sobered up as the buzzer on the timer hit. "You're right. I'm sorry." He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Let me make it up to you by getting you something to drink."

She gave him a skeptical look because there was a bar in the place afterall, and she wasn't sure if they were the loose kind of establishment that gave alcohol to underage teens as long as they behaved. Finn must have picked up on her hesitation. "Not from the bar. I meant along the lines of fountain drinks."

Clarke nodded, allowing herself to relax again. She wasn't sure why she had gotten so worried for a second there; Finn wasn't that type of guy. Then again, she had only been friends with him for about two weeks and had only really been on two dates with him. If you counted making out in a radioactive-glowing forest a first date.

"Yeah, that sounds great actually," she thanked him. "Did you want me to come with you?"

Finn glanced around the arcade, probably trying to decide whether there were any guys hanging around that could be threats. Most of the people in the arcade were fourteen or younger except for the occasional parent following their kid around. "Nah, it's okay. This place is busy right now so it might take a few minutes so you might as well find a game you like and I'll join you in a few minutes. Is Coke good or…?"

"Could you get me a Dr. Pepper?"

"Of course." He kissed her on the temple. "I'll be right back." He disappeared into the restaurant.

Clarke whirled around in an arc, trying to figure out what might be appealing to her in a place like this. Arcades never really were her speed—that was always more of a Jasper and Monty thing. Clarke prefered taking walks or reading.

"Did your boyfriend drag you down here on date?" Clarke whirled around to face a tall, tan brunette with dark eyes who had come up from behind to stand next to her. She had on black skinny jeans, a red jacket, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

Clarke managed a small smile while simultaneously scrunching her eyebrows. Was Finn her boyfriend at this point? They never did make it official. "My friend thought it'd be fun for a change," she decided to say.

"Not really your thing though, huh?" The girl had a knowing smile on her face.

Clarke's smile widened slightly, more genuine than before. "How'd you guess?"

The girl slipped her hands into her back pockets casually. She glanced around the arcade before settling back on Clarke. "Just the look on your face," she grinned good naturedly, "You didn't seem to know what you were doing."

"I've never been here before. Anything worth checking out?"

"They have a pretty decent first person shooter selection, which is where I normally spend my time when I'm here."

"You come here often, then?"

The girl shrugged. "My boyfriend and I would hang out here a lot. I moved last year though, so we haven't gotten to hang out for a few months. I'm actually surprising him because my dad got a house in the area so I moved in with him so I could go to the same school as my boyfriend."

"He must be a great guy to go through all that for."

"He really is. He's really my only true family since my parents have always tended to gloss over me." The brunette suddenly stuck out her hand and Clarke shook it. "I'm Raven by the way."

"Clarke." She dropped Raven's hand. "So you just moved back, huh? Which school do you go to then?"

Raven sidestepped as an elementary aged child ran past. "I was going to Trikru but I'm starting at West Arke in a few days."

Clarke's eyes widened. "West Arke? I go there!"

Raven grinned. "Nice! Now I'll have at least two people to help me out for the first week."

Clarke settled with her back against the side of the basketball game. Raven did likewise. "I'm sure you'll like it. And if push comes to shove, I don't mind adopting you into my group of friends."

Raven chuckled gently, looking at the floor. "Thanks, Clarke."

"Clarke!" She heard Finn's voice over the boisterous crowd. A moment later she saw his long, dark hair. Another second and he was right in front of her, a look of surprised horror on his face.

Raven didn't seem to notice since her smile became the widest and brightest Clarke had seen yet. Surging forward, she wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and hugged him tight. "Finn!"

"Raven?" He uncertainly wrapped his arms around her waist, hands still carrying two tall glasses of soft drink. Instead of burying his head into her shoulder, he kept his gaze firmly set on Clarke.

It was clear that he was begging for her to wait, to hear his side of the story. But the smile was wiped from Clarke's face and suddenly she felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. He had a girlfriend! Of course with her luck the first nice guy she meets after getting over Wells would have a girlfriend.

"Oh my gosh, Finn, I've missed you so much." Raven pulled away from the hug and placed a kiss on his lips like she hadn't seen him in forever. Which she probably hadn't. Clarke felt sick to her stomach.

"I've miss you too," Finn broke the kiss, trying to focus on Raven's eyes but they kept darting back up to Clarke. She watched on with cold eyes. He finally managed to keep his eyes on Raven for more than five seconds. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise," she gushed, "but I moved in with my dad. He has a house down here down, so I'm going to school with you again!"

Finn tried to maintain an excited facade, but mostly he had this look of panic. "You're going to West Arke with me?"

"Yeah! Isn't it great?"

"Yeah. Great."

Raven's smile dimmed slightly, seeming to pick up on Finn's lack of enthusiasm for the first time. "So," she turned, suddenly realizing that Clarke was present still, "you guys know each other?"

Finn looked at a loss for words. "We're history partners," Clarke supplied. She technically wasn't lying either. "We've been working on a project and Finn thought it would be good to get out for a while."

Raven visibly relaxed, but she still didn't look overly convinced. "Well, it works out that we all got to meet then."

Clarke picked up on how the friendliness that Raven had shown her previously was replaced by distrusting caution. It seemed like a pretty clear red flag in her mind that it was time for her to go home. "Yeah. But it's about time I head home anyway. My brother is expecting me," she lied.

"Did you need a ride?" The color was finally returning to Finn's face.

Clarke shook her head stiffly. "No, it's fine. I have a ride." She turned to Raven. "It was really nice meeting you."

"Back at you," Raven responded a tad dull, an annoyed glint in her brown eyes.

Clarke exited the arcade. She was almost to the door when footsteps alighted beside her and then Finn was cutting off her retreat to the door. "Hey," he grabbed her elbow, "can we talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Finn," she replied calmly. Even though she wanted nothing more than to yell at him and tell him off, she couldn't bring herself to do so. He had been such a good friend to her, she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to completely erase him from her person. "You have a girlfriend. That's that."

"I didn't know that she was coming back." He looked broken and his eyes were pleading with her again. It almost made her want to forgive him.

"She's your girlfriend, Finn. How did you let that slip your mind?"

"She moved to Maine with her mom. We never officially broke up but I didn't think that I would ever see her again." He cupped her face in his hand. "Don't you think we deserve a shot to see if what we have is something worth saving?"

Clarke pulled away from the embrace, trying harder than ever to keep her tears back. He didn't deserve her tears. "Raven is in there waiting for you. I suggest you go in there; I'm not waiting for you and neither will she if you keep her waiting."

She shimmied around him and left him standing in the restaurant. Out in the parking lot, she spotted his truck right away and was tempted to toss a rock through the windshield. It was hard to think that it was just this morning that she had been kissing Finn at the base of the staircase at school.

It was dark out now and the temperature had dropped significantly since she left her house earlier in the afternoon. She was regretting her decision of cut-off shorts. At least she had her flannel.

The only problem at hand now was how she was going to get home.

Bellamy's character jumped over a crack in the floor.

At one point, it had been rare for Octavia to be out of the house long enough for Bellamy to get through a half hour of designated video game time without getting interrupted. Now that she was spending more time with Jasper at his house, Bellamy was able to actually improve his skills at Ps4. Not that he liked the idea of his sister being romanced by any guy, but at least he knew that Jasper knew the boundaries. And if push came to shove, Bellamy was confident with Clarke being their appointed babysitter whenever Octavia was at their house.

"Where are you?" Miller asked. His character was crouching behind a crumbling building about fifty yards from where Bellamy had his own guy camped out.

"Fifth floor of that building opposite of you. We have a pretty good vantage point too."

"Cover me."

Bellamy changed his point of few to watch for any threats that might sneak up as Miller crossed the clearing but none came. "Clear," he announced when Miller reached the base of the building.

Bellamy was about to launch their attack when his phone started ringing. Miller groaned as he paused the game. "Shut up. It might be Octavia." He slipped his phone out of his pocket. It was an unknown number. He debated to let it go to voicemail, but for some reason he felt like he recognized the digits. "Hello?"

There was a second of silence. He thought it may have been some kids pulling a prank when a familiar voice asked, "Bellamy?"

"Clarke?" he asked incredulously. Miller's eyes widened in surprise, then leaned in closer to eavesdrop. "How'd you even get my number?"

"I called Jasper who's with OctaviaOctavia gave it to me."

"Oh. What's up?"

"'What's up?'" Miller scoffed. "That's the best you could come up with?"

Bellamy shoved him away. "Clarke, what's wrong? I know you wouldn't call me unless you absolutely had to."

"I was on a date. I need to be picked up and my parents are at work and my brother doesn't have a car."

"Why don't you have Finn do it?" She was startlingly quiet on the other end. Even an idiot could pick up that something bad had went down between them. "Where are you?" She told him the address. "Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Hey, Bellamy?" The softness of her tone surprised him. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Sit tight." He slipped his phone into his back pocket and grabbed his keys off of the table. "If my mom or Octavia get home before I'm back, tell them I had to take Clarke home."

Miller threw his hands in the air. "You're not taking me with you?"

Bellamy shrugged with his signature smug half-grin. "She asked for me, Miller. I think if she wanted you there, she would have asked for 'Bellamy and Miller.'"

"She didn't even know I was here."

"Tough luck, buddy." Bellamy closed the door before Miller could make any further protests.

It took some time, but Bellamy finally found the address Clarke had given him. He was surprised that she was on the other side of the township. This was Mount Weather and Trikru turf. Even Reaper turf, come to think of it. Not a place for a Delinquent. What was Clarke doing all the way out here? If she wanted pizza, she should have gone to the place right up in town.

He spotted her right away when he pulled into the parking lot. She was sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest on a big boulder in front of the restaurant. "Clarke?" he called out the window.

Clarke peaked over her shoulder at his car. When she recognized it was him, she slid off of the rock and made a mad dash for the passenger's side. "Thank you," she said as she slipped into the seat.

Bellamy revved up the engine and pulled out on the road. It was funny, because if someone had told him he'd be giving Clarke Griffin a ride, he would have laughed in their faces until tears started overflowing. But now both Clarke and her brother had been in his car in less than a month.

Clarke was unusually quiet. It unnerved him because even when she was mad, Clarke would be going off about it. But now she was still and she was quiet. "There's a blanket in the back if you need it."

Clarke shifted slightly. "What?" she asked.

Bellamy could see her watching him from his peripherals, but he kept his eyes on the faintly lit road. "You look cold." With his free hand, he reached into the backseat and pulled out a blanket. He shoved it into her lap. "Here."

Clarke fidgeted with the blanket, trying to get comfortable. "Is this the One Direction one?" He picked up on the slight smile to her words.

"Yeah," Bellamy half-grinned, "I told you I keep it in my car."

She chucked to herself. "I guess you did."

They traveled in silence for a few more miles. "Hey," he broke the silence. Clarke gave him a sidelong glance. "I wanted to say sorry that things didn't work out with Wells." She huffed. "Did you want to talk about what happened tonight? I'm willing to listen."

"No offense," she said, "but not really. Maybe some other time."

"I get it."

Bellamy tried not to feel offended, but he still did to a certain extent. He knew he probably wasn't the first person Clarke would go to to talk about stuff like feelings, but he had offered. And she spurned him. Then again, he wouldn't like it if she started poking her nose into his business regarding Roma.

The remains of the ride was silent up until he needed Clarke to clarify the directions to her house once they entered the subdivision. "Home sweet home," he mumbled as he pulled the car to a stop in front of her house. He noticed that Octavia's car wasn't in the driveway.

Clarke tossed the blanket into the backseat. "Thanks again, Bellamy," she eased out of the car. She was halfway across the lawn when she turned around and quietly shouted, "It's nice to know I can at least count on you." Then she was in the house.

Bellamy put his car back into gear and pulled out onto the street. He wasn't sure why, but Clarke's compliment meant a lot more to him than it probably should have.

...

I've been home sick from school with a Staf infection for the last two days so that means super fast update! this is the longest one so far too, with over 4000 words lmao

the long awaited chapter! I told you things were getting complicated.

and by the way, your guys' reviews are amazing. thank you so much. if it weren't for the few of you who keep giving me feedback, i probably wouldn't have made it this far! So thank you! Not only is this chapter dedicated to you, but so is this entire story. :) thank you for being amazing

2/23/16