Chapter Fifteen: Mr Steal Your Girl
"Are you coming out or do we have to come in?"
The doorknob rattled and Clarke jumped slightly, forgetting that the door was securely locked. "Don't come in!" she hissed back through the wooden door.
"Then you come out!" Harper's pushy voice answered once again from the other side.
Clarke groaned, sizing up her reflection in the mirror. She was currently wearing what had to have been at least the twentieth dress that Harper had given to her to try on; it was a cherry red bodycon dress that was strapless from the front but with a complicated backing that left most of her back exposed.
Originally she hadn't really planned on going to the dance—she had no one to go with anyway. When Harper had caught wind of this (through Jasper, curse the little bugger) she showed up on Clarke's doorstep and forced her to go to the mall under the pretense that "Harper needed a dress."
Only once they met up with Fox in the dress department of JCPenney's did their true intentions become clear—they were going to buy Clarke a dress even if they had to wrestle her into one.
"I don't like this one," she stated bluntly, a frown forming as she stared at her reflection a little closer. She didn't like how much cleavage was showing nor how tightly pressed the fabric was against her body.
"That's what you said about the last six," Fox's voice complained this time. "At least come out and show us what you look like with it on!"
"No way!" Clarke began the process of stripping the dress until she was standing in her bra and panties. After she slipped back into her jogging shorts and t-shirt, she put the dress back on the hanger and stepped out of the dressing room.
Harper and Fox were sitting on a grey sofa, their backs to each other. Fox had a sparkly pink dress resting across her lap which Clarke assumed was the dress her friend had decided on buying. Harper jumped to her feet, giving an exasperated eyeroll as she stalked up to her friend.
"And what was wrong with this one?" she asked, snagging the hanger from Clarke to admire it again.
Clarke raised her eyebrows in the slightest look of annoyance. "It was too tight and was showing off more skin than I want."
Harper grunted, biting the tip of her pinky finger. "You would have looked so good in this though…" she murmured under her breath.
Now it was Clarke's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh please. It made me look like a psychotic prostitute. Besides, I don't even want to go. There's no point wasting money on a dress when I'm not going to wear it anyway."
Harper looked like she had gotten punched in the gut. Then she got this hardened look in her eyes that made Clarke a tad nervous. "Geez, Clarke! We've been planning this stupid dance for two months and now you're going to miss it?"
Clarke shrugged, hoping that she was pulling off the puppy dog eyes that Jasper was always using. "Well, I don't have a date and what's the use—"
"—then go with Bellamy," Fox interrupted. Clarke pivoted to face her friend; there's no way she heard that correctly was there? Did she really just suggest Bellamy as a date option? Fox cocked her head to one side and continued, "You guys are friends now aren't you?"
Clarke could tell that that her nose was twitching, but whether it was out of anger or embarrassment she wasn't sure. After all...Bellamy? "Sure we're friends, if you could say that," she said after a few moments of smoldering. Harper had a smug grin on her face that Clarke wanted to slap right off. "But just because we aren't trying to strangle each other doesn't mean that I want him to be my date to the dance!"
"You guys would look so—" Fox began.
"—finish that sentence, and I'll walk straight out of here. Won't buy a dress, and definitely won't go to that dance," Clarke finished threateningly. She felt kind of bad about it, but she was over this topic. She didn't like Bellamy like that and never would.
"Okay, fine," Harper dropped the subject and her smile disappeared simultaneously. "But honestly, you don't need a date to go, you know. We're all just going to be hanging out in groups anyway." She set the dress down on the sofa and crossed her arms. "So could you pleeease find a dress that you like and then I'll pay for it if it means you going to the dance with us!"
Clarke sighed to herself, averting her eyes from her friend.
Couldn't they take the hint and realize she just wasn't over Finn yet? He was going to be there with Raven, having a merry ol' time while she would have to stand off to the side while she stuffed her face with whatever finger foods were set out. And why bother with that if she could be eating popcorn and watching Marvel movies with Jasper and Monty all…
Wait. Jasper and Monty were going to the dance! That would mean she'd be home alone with just her mom and Marcus!
Clarke groaned. She really didn't want to be alone no matter how much she didn't want to go to the stupid dance and see stupid Finn and Raven getting all cuddly….
"Fine," she grumbled. Based off the way Harper's cheeks inflated with air while her eyes sparkled, Clarke got the impression that she was trying not to jump up and down and scream in excitement. "I'll go find one and then I'll bring it back to show you."
"You don't want us to come with you?" Fox asked, narrowing her eyes skeptically.
Harper put one hand firmly on her hip. "You better not be skipping out on us because so help me I will buy the ugliest dress I can find, wrestle you into it, and force you to—"
"—Calm down," the blonde snapped with an exasperated grin. "I'm not going to bail. I just want to think while I do it." She turned and headed deeper into the department store, pretty sure that she heard Harper mutter "Ya weirdo" after her.
If she was being forced into getting a dress, Clarke already knew she wanted it to be navy blue. The last time she had to wear a dress was for a wedding on her dad's side of the family and he had insisted that navy blue brought out the color of her eyes the best. This time she wanted navy blue for her father, not because she wanted her eyes to stand out.
If it was her choice, she would just fade into the background so that her observations would go unnoticed.
Then a familiar face jumped out at her from near the other set of women's change rooms. At first she wasn't sure if she was just hallucinating but as she moved closer, she could tell it was definitely him. "Lincoln?"
Said boy was leaning up against the doorframe that led into the change room, but he kept his distance from any of the doors even though his eyes were intently set on one door in particular. When he heard his name, he cautiously spun around to find the owner of the voice but smiled when he recognized Clarke. "Clarke Griffin! Haven't seen you in forever!"
Clarke laughed, accepting the hug that he initiated. "I know! Do you know if you got into Columbia yet?"
Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head. "Not yet. You?"
"Nothing. But they should be sending letters out soon."
Clarke and Lincoln had met the summer of Sophomore year when then both took internships as secretaries at the same doctor's office. Initially the two had started out as rivals considering TriKru Union and West Arke were sworn enemies, but by the end of the summer the two had bonded through their interest in medicine and love for drawing. They ended up working together again the summer of Junior year, but they hadn't seen each other since the middle of August.
Clarke nodded toward the dressing room. "Waiting on someone?"
Lincoln cracked a rare smile—two in one day, must be a record, she thought. "Yeah," he said, "she's trying on some stuff. TriKru's Homecoming is today."
"Oh yeah? So's West Arke's!"
"Is that why you're here too, then? Picking out a dress for later?"
Clarke rolled her eyes, a flame of annoyance resurfacing in her stomach. "Yeah. I really don't want too, but my friends are forcing me to go."
Lincoln cocked his head to one side. "Really? Why don't you want to go?"
Clarke stared at him blankly for a second. Should she tell him? He was her friend but then again, they weren't super close. "It's a long story," she decided finally. "But I'm looking for something navy blue. Seen anything worth my time?"
"No, I haven't," he paused, eyebrows forming a line. Then he pulled a dress the perfect shade of navy blue from the discard rack. "Some girls earlier were trying stuff on and this was a reject. It's the only navy blue one that I've seen."
Even though she hated to admit it, Clarke was impressed by the dress and was actually eager to try it on. If Harper or Fox could see the dopey grin on her face right now, she'd never be able to live it down. "Thanks, Lincoln," she said, regaining her composure though the ghost of a smile remained, "it's perfect. I'd better go meet back up with my friends before they think I ditched them."
"Okay," Lincoln nodded. Just as Clarke turned to leave, he touched her elbow softly. "Hey, Clarke," Clarke glanced at him as he released her arm, "don't be a stranger, okay?"
She smiled. "Sure thing."
Clarke, excited to show off a dress that she actually liked, sped walked down the aisle ways completely unaware that Octavia heard every word from the dressing room.
…
Bellamy was hot.
No, not that kind of hot. Between the crappy air conditioning, the hundreds of people dancing around, and the intense lighting system, Bellamy felt like he was suffocating. It didn't help that he was wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt on top of it.
How did he get himself roped into going to this stupid dance again?
He should have just said no to the bet. Who cared if Miller had put him on the spot in front of the entire class? He should have stifled his pride so he wouldn't have to go to a stupid dance. Not to mention he bumped into Roma on the way in with her new boyfriend making things about a hundred times more awkward.
"Dude, what are you doing over here?" Murphy came up alongside his friend. His hair was pushed back and his forehead was glossy, but over all he looked like he was having a good time. "I haven't seen you move from this corner since we got here."
Bellamy shrugged. "I didn't really want to come in the first place. And Roma is here."
Murphy rolled his eyes. "So what? You already had the awkward confrontation and now it's over. Move on. Don't dwell on something as stupid as that."
"That was...actually insightful, Murphy."
"I'm not as stupid as everyone seems to think." He smirked. "By the way, have you seen Monroe anywhere?"
Bellamy reached for a mini-hotdog thing from the table. "Pretty sure I saw her and Miller together. Why?"
"No reason. I just haven't seen her yet."
"Oh John!" Bellamy recognized Emori in the crowd of dancers, waving a beckoning hand in his and Murphy's direction. Her black sleeveless dress matched Murphy's black button down.
"I think your girlfriend is summoning you," Bellamy commented dryly.
"No shit. See ya later, man." And then Murphy shuffled off with Emori, leaving Bellamy alone again.
He was considering on just leaving when he was joined by Wells, Sterling, and Finn. Even though he didn't particularly like Wells, he was grateful for the company. He could care less about the other two, especially Finn.
"You guy weren't feeling this dance either, then?" he quipped as the other three settled around him.
Sterling shrugged. "Fox hasn't shown up yet."
"Raven is in the bathroom," Finn said, picking at some chips on the table.
"Clarke isn't here yet," Wells murmured quietly. Bellamy snorted at that but didn't say anything. He had a feeling it was a slim to no chance that Clarke would even acknowledge the boy's presence but he decided he had whatever was coming to him.
The other boys started talking sports and other crap that Bellamy has no interest in, so he began zoning out. He was thinking about his cozy bed and how much more comfortable a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt would be than the stupid outfit he was wearing now when a voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"You look just as pumped about being here as I do," Clarke said flatly. For the first time, Bellamy noticed that Sterling was gone and Harper was chatting it up with Finn and Wells, though Wells kept glancing at Clarke the way he always does.
He narrowed his eyes at her and then sighed. "I'd honestly rather be at home, but somehow my idiot friends dragged me here."
Clarke snorted. "I guess we have something else in common, then."
She crossed her arms over her chest and Bellamy got a good look at her for the first time since she appeared beside him. Her hair was done up in a braided up-do with a ribbon that matched the color of her dress. Silver, lacy embroidered swirls decorated the corset. He'd have to admit, she did clean up nice for being such an uptight bitch all the time…
"Hey, Clarke," Wells stepped between Bellamy and Clarke, effectively making Bellamy want to punch him in his perfect teeth. Didn't he see that the princess was busy talking to him right now? "I was wondering if you wanted to dance? With me? Maybe?"
This is it, Bellamy thought as a smug smirk took over his face. Wells was going to fall flat on his face when she told him no.
"Uh, sure, I guess," she said, taking his hand.
Bellamy tried to keep his jaw from dropping. He didn't hear that right, did he? Clarke approved of Wells being in close proximity of her? There was no way...but the proof was evident as she walked off with him into the crowd of people.
Apparently he wasn't the only one surprised, because Bellamy caught Finn watching them just as curiously even when Raven came back.
Something told him the night wasn't going to end on a positive note for those two.
…
Raven brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder as she made her way from the bathroom.
Maybe she should have worn her hair up afterall. All of her hair was sticking to the back of her neck and shoulder blades from sweat. Couldn't they turn the air on in this place or were they purposefully trying to suffocate them?
She promised herself that she'd have to take a look at the system in her spare time because there was no way she would spend time in a school that had a faulty ventilation system.
She stopped short as she re-entered the gym; she found Finn almost instantly, but he was in the far right corner with Bellamy, Wells, Harper….and Clarke. Not that she meant for it to happen, but rage suddenly swelled in Raven's stomach and she was ready to bust some heads.
Why was he always looking to her like a lost puppy? What did she have that made her so special while Raven didn't?
She calmed down considerably when Clarke walked off with Wells. At least now Finn wouldn't ask her to dance or anything...he wouldn't do that, right?
Raven darted through the crowd towards her boyfriend and Bellamy who had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Hey Spacewalker," she greeted Finn with a kiss. His eyes barely focused on her, still looking out past Bellamy. She tugged on his collar forcefully so that he was looking down at her. "What's so interesting?"
Finn cleared his throat, forcing a weak smile. "It's just weird that Clarke went off with Wells, don't you think?"
Raven fought back an eyeroll. "Uh, no? Yes? I don't know this school's gossip." He opened his mouth to begin the story from the top but Raven silenced him with her mouth. "I don't want to know," she whispered heatedly. "All I want is you."
Finn seemed to weaken at that a little bit, which satisfied her. At least she still had some effect on him.
"Let's dance, Spacewalker." She led him by his tie, earning a raised eyebrow from Bellamy as they walked past him.
She made sure that they kept a distance from where Wells was spinning a very happy looking Clarke. The last thing Raven needed was for Finn to drift over to them, though she had to admit it was kind of interesting to see the blonde look so carefree opposed to the frown she usually wore.
Raven was pleased when Finn finally seemed to focus on her and only her. He spun her, held her close, kissed her nose and forehead. Her anxiety about the whole thing started to diminish. Then Finn turned around and saw Clarke slow dancing with Bellamy and suddenly his mood seemed to darken.
The two looked slightly awkward, like they had been forced to do it. Then Clarke whispered something and Bellamy's face erupted in a grin. Finn's fist clenched.
"You love her," Raven said, dropping her hand to her side from where it had been laced around his bicep. She didn't have to talk too loudly to be heard over the music since it was Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. Finn whirled around, looking perplexed. "Don't you?"
Tears threatened her as he stared her down. "What?" he asked, taking her hands into his again, "How could you ask something like that? I love you."
The first tear rolled down her cheek and she mentally scolded herself for not being strong enough to hide them. She didn't want him to see her cry. "But...not the way you love Clarke, right?"
"Love Clarke?" he exclaimed. He used the back of his hand to wipe her tears away. At one point, he would have just cupped her face and kissed her to make it better; at one time, it didn't take words to make her understand. "Raven, I've only known her for a few months. How could I be in love with her?"
"The way you look at her gives you away," she whispered, pulling her hand away from his to wipe her own face. She looked at the floor. "You've always been a walking book, Finn. Don't try to lie to me."
"I've never been a walking book."
"I've always known what you were thinking and that's what matters." She inhaled deeply, then looked up at him. Her make-up was probably all smeared down her cheeks now. Great. "It's over, Finn."
He looked like he just got stabbed in the stomach. "What? No. Raven, I—"
"—I'm sorry," she sniffled, regaining strength in her voice as she stared him down, "but this isn't going to work anymore. We'll always be family, okay? But you're never going to be there for me the way I'd need you to be."
Raven turned and fled, hoping he would chase after her or call her name. But there was nothing.
…
"Don't you think it's kind of funny how Bellamy wore a navy blue shirt that matches Clarke's dress completely by accident?" Monty asked. He and Jasper were sitting up on the bleachers watching out over the entire dance.
Jasper shrugged. "I really don't care. It was a complete fluke. It's not like they like each other or anything."
Monty yawned, nodding in agreement. He was still tired from the robotics tournament the night before. He would have rather skipped the dance in favor of a movie night and getting to bed early, but Jasper had dragged him here anyway. And to make matters worse, they hadn't done anything since arriving except stay up in the bleachers scanning the crowd for Octavia.
Almost two hours Monty sat with his best friend, waiting for a girl that he had a sneaking suspicion wouldn't show up. If she wasn't here in the first hour, then she wasn't coming. But Jasper didn't seem to think that way.
"She should be here soon," Jasper murmured, face in his hands as he watched the crowd.
Monty sighed. "That's what you've been saying this whole time. She's not coming, Jasper."
Jasper glared at Monty. "She will be here, dude."
"Did you ever actually ask her to come with you to the dance?"
"Well, no...but I just assumed that—"
"Wait, so are you guys actually officially going out?"
Jasper's face burned bright red. "No, not exactly. She kissed me that one time and she held my hand a couple of times, but that's it."
Monty groaned in exasperation. "Then she's still on the market, Jasper! Just because Clarke and Bellamy keep saying you two are together doesn't make it official! You and Octavia have to decide that!"
"And we will!" Jasper shot back defensively.
Monty rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude," he said, standing up.
Jasper's eyes widened. "You're leaving me?"
"Yep," Monty answered shortly, "I'm going to go dance with Clarke before Finn tries swooping in again."
And with that, Monty clomped down the steps and slipped his hand into Clarke's and pulled her along with him just as Finn was about to. Clarke laughed, looking pleased by his presence. Score.
From off to the side, he heard Bellamy say "Mr. Steal Your Girl, huh?" to Finn who looked annoyed.
Monty grinned.
...
took long enough for me to update, eh?
7/26/16
