Chapter Twenty-four: Just How Fast The Night Changes

The fact that they decided to hold their impromptu meeting in a Burger King parking lot seemed rather fitting to Bellamy; after all, when had anything they'd ever done been considered normal? Their school was going to be torn down, half of the student council members were always missing during meetings, the Clarke-Finn-Raven soap opera, not to mention the mini superintendent being shipped to France all of a sudden. At this point, the Burger King parking lot seemed like the least weird thing that's happened in the last three months.

Bellamy flipped his water bottle in his hand, leaning against the door of his car. Everyone was circled up and looking exhausted, borderline defeated. Raven and Finn seemed like they had made up despite the sullen looks and Monty, who had settled to Bellamy's right, informed him that Jasper was in the backseat of Clarke's car across the lot.

Clarke's face looked duller and he wished there was something he could say to cheer her up. Instead, when she walked over to stand next him, he offered her a small smile which she returned briefly.

Wells sat on the back hood of his car, his legs criss-crossed and elbows pinned on his knees to support his face. "It's all my fault," he muttered.

"What else is new," Monty murmured. Bellamy withheld a laugh; if Monty hadn't been standing right next to him, Bellamy would have missed the gibe.

Finn crossed one ankle over the other, shifting himself as he leaned against Raven's car. "Just start at the beginning."

Wells gripped his hair, then sat up straight. Clasped his hands together and inhaled deeply. "Back when Clarke was ignoring me, I felt pretty dejected."

"Naturally," Finn supplied. Clarke chewed down on her lower lip, as if ashamed. Bellamy suddenly wanted to punch Wells for guilt tripping her, accidental or not.

"My cousin," Wells continued, eyes following Clarke, "and I had been in touch pretty regularly since she had been visiting us from France for the summer. So one night we were Skyping and she suggested that I apply to go to her school with her."

"So your cousin wants you to move halfway around the world to go to school with her?" Raven said. "She doesn't have a crush on you or something weird, right?"

Wells scoffed at that. "No, she does not have a crush on me. She thought..." He paused. Bellamy slipped his cold fingertips into his back pockets. "She thought it would be a good change in scenery for me. To move on and not dwell on things."

And by things, it was pretty obvious that Wells meant Clarke.

"If this was back i before school started then how did you end up staying here for the first quarter?" Monty asked.

Wells rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I told her that it sounded interesting, so later that night we introduced the idea to my dad and her parents at dinner. My dad didn't need any convincing and he emailed the school about it within the hour. But it turned out, since it's a prestigious prep school type," a collective groan followed that, everyone being reminded of Mount Weather scum, but Wells continued, "and they were already full for the school year. My dad put me on the waiting list, but we kind of thought that was the end of it. Until —"

"Someone left the school and you were next on the waiting list," Bellamy finished. "Never thought there'd be something where the only thing the superintendent could do was get on a waiting list."

Wells shot him a dirty look. Bellamy smirked. "I thought we were past this, Bellamy," Wells said.

"Oh, come on," Bellamy laughed softly, "I'm just messing with you. You're going to be leaving soon so think of it as old time's sake."

Wells rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.

"When are you leaving?" Clarke asked. It was the first time she had spoken since they had gotten there; Bellamy had expected her voice to be soft or sad since she had been so quiet, but her tone was as firm as ever.

"My flight is Friday but my last full day in the States is Thursday."

Bellamy didn't miss the glint of satisfaction in Monty's eyes as he exhaled. He also noted Finn's gaze shift back to Clarke, the look of longing present in his eyes. Raven stopped biting her nails. "That works out!" She said. "We can have a going away party at the Thai restaurant so we can still help with the fundrai— oh my God."

Raven turned to Finn, grabbed his collar, and rattled him as she exclaimed, "Oh my God! What about the school? Wells was our connection to Jaha for the lower money, goal thing! What if he screws us over once Wells leaves?"

Finn circled Raven's wrists with his hands and detached her from his coat. Clarke crossed her arms. "Wells already filled me in; Jaha is going to keep up his end of the deal so long as we don't try to sway him into staying."

Wells opened his mouth to speak, but Raven cut him off. "You're going to France, got it?"

"I wasn't going to protest. I wouldn't do something that would jeopardize saving the school." The undertone of Wells not wanting to screw up his relationship with Clarke screamed at Bellamy to the point he wanted to cover his ears.

There was too much going on with people he didn't care for; normally he could tolerate Wells and Finn pretty well, but for some reason another moment with them right now would push him off the edge. Maybe it was the sentimental glances Wells thought he was sneaking at Clarke or Finn's gentle smile he kept flashing at her, but Bellamy wanted nothing of it.

"I'm gonna go grab a bite from inside since I didn't get to eat earlier." He started across the parking lot.

"Bellamy!" Bellamy turned at Clarke's voice to see her jogging towards him. "Hold up, I'll come with you!"

Finn shuffled a step forward, reaching out slightly before slipping his hand into his pocket. "I'll come too!"

"No," Clarke said, slowing down as she approached Bellamy, "we can take care of it. Thanks for asking."

She turned away from the group huddled in the parking lot and bowed her head to the wind as she walked faster towards the building. Bellamy picked up his pace and held the door open for her. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting when they got inside, but he was surprised when Clarke wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him.

At first, he was a little surprised, but it only took a moment for his arms to bring her in closer to him. She smelled nice, but he wasn't able to pinpoint a specific scent. Probably some sort of herbal shampoo, but whatever it was, he liked it.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

He could feel her grip on the sides of his coat loosen and tighten due to her hands fidgeting. "Yeah, I'm just...I'm just annoyed. There's so much I'm responsible for and people don't seem to understand that I get stressed out too," she mumbled.

Bellamy massaged a reassuring circle into her back. "You don't need to sacrifice so much of yourself for everyone, Clarke."

"I wish it was that simple." She shifted and pulled away from him, leaving a cold spot on his chest where she just was. "I'm sorry." She smiled, but Bellamy could tell it was forced. "Come on, let's get you something to eat. My treat."

She turned toward the menu above the counter.

Bellamy slipped his hands into his pockets.

...

Octavia moved to block but still ended up on her back from a kick to her chest.

"Sloppy form." Indra drew her arms to her sides in a resting position. "On your feet. Again."

Octavia exhaled deeply, ignoring the shooting pain in her lower back and the pounding in the rear of her head. Either Lincoln never went full force when they used to spar, or Indra was that much more intense. Octavia rolled over onto her side, pushed herself up, and got back into position.

It was Octavia's turn on the offensive, but as soon as she advanced, Indra already had Octavia back on the ground with the wind knocked out of her. "You're not focused," Indra stated, a little short of being a hiss of disappointment. "Come back when you're ready to work."

Indra stalked off to the other side of the dojo to consult with another student. Octavia growled as she got to her feet, throwing her gloves on the floor in a huff. What was wrong with her? She felt like her mind was clear, but apparently her body disagreed. Maybe it was because it had been a long day at school? Mondays were the toughest day of the week.

Octavia snarled at herself inwardly. If she was underperforming with Indra because she was still hung up on the Trig test she failed today, then she was going to kick her own ass.

Gaia was in their usual spot on the bleachers. Two other girls sitting with her didn't look overly impressed. "Hi," Octavia said numbly when she was within earshot.

"What the hell was that, Octavia?" Octavia tried to ignore Lexa's harsh glare. "That was pathetic."

Octavia wiped her face on her her arm. The urged to scream back was barely choked down. "Thanks. That was encouraging. I already know I sucked."

"You were better than that during your first week here." Anya's voice was just as cold as Lexa's expression.

For a second, Octavia wondered how she was friends with these people. She turned to Gaia who was politely ignoring the conversation by keeping her eyes on her book. "Alright, they got theirs out. What do you want to tell me, Gaia?"

Gaia didn't bother looking away from her book, but then again Octavia hadn't really expected her too anyway. "Nothing you don't know already."

Octavia rolled her shoukders, then took a swig from a water bottle that Lexa held out to her. "I was doing so great before I was asked to do the Conclave." She rolled her shoulder again. "Maybe it's because I'm not training with Lincoln as much anymore?"

Anya uttered a soulless laugh. "No." Her eyes settled in on Octavia a little too intensely for comfort. "I recognize the anxiety and doubt in your eyes; you're intimidated by Indra."

Octavia almost spit out her water. The choking fit lasted for a few seconds and when she looked up, both Lexa and Anya were sizing her up again wordlessly. Octavia almost groaned out loud. Couldn't they just be straightforward with what they were thinking instead of all these mind games?

"I'm not afraid of Indra," she said once she had recovered.

"If you are not fearful of Indra, then you don't recognize her power." Anya pushed a braid behind her ear.

Octavia capped the water bottle. "For the record, I respect Indra and am fully aware of how powerful she is. But I shouldn't have to be afraid of her to acknowledge those things. The whole point of her training me is so that I'm on par with her strength and ability."

Anya scoffed but didn't say anything. Lexa, on the other hand, reached for her gym bag and pulled out her gloves. "Come along, Octavia."

Octavia stood up, shot a slight sneer at Anya over her shoulder, and then trotted after Lexa to the mat. It took her a second to remember she had thrown her gloves on the ground earlier, but quickly retrieved them. Once Octavia was finally facing the dojo's prodigy, she had to put on a brave face

Lexa looked dangerous; her dark hair was pulled back in a few intense braids—note to self, find out where she got them done— and her tank top and yoga pants showed off her toned body. Though she didn't look it, Lexa had a sturdy build and years of training on how to use her body to manipulate an opponent. What was the most frightening though, in Octavia's opinion, was how flawless Lexa's makeup was everyday. It was like she knew she was going to kick your ass and she was going to do it in style.

Where Octavia lacked skill, she did have weight and patience, though she expected Lexa was patient as well. Maybe if Octavia managed to keep Lexa from landing a hit, she could at least practice her foot work...

"Octavia!" Octavia met Lexa's eyes, silently wondering how long she had been calling for her. Lexa looked at ease. "Punch me."

All of the planning from a minute ago was just flown out the window. "If you insist."

Octavia threw a punch, Lexa dodged easily, and then Octavia stopped. "Come at me again," Lexa instructed, "but this time stop focusing on where you're going to hit and instead think about where you're going to block and follow up with a strike."

Octavia did as she was told, moving nimbly forward. This time, though Lexa still bested her, she was able to gain a bit more ground than before. "Oh."

Lexa glanced over at Anya and Gaia watching from the sidelines. "Anya," Lexa motioned for her, "come here, please." Anya was on the mat in record time. Octavia subconsciously wondered if Lexa was aware of Anya's crush on her. "You've seen what Octavia has been doing wrong in her defense right?" Anya nodded. "Could you simulate that in a mock spar with me?"

"Of course."

Lexa turned to Octavia. "Watch Anya's movements closely because you will notice the problem. This is what you are doing and will need to improve."

"Okay."

The two girls started their spar and Octavia zeroed in on Anya's movements straight away; in her defensive she was putting so much energy into blocking that it was leaving her blind to the next set of attacks. She needed to block with less force and conserve more energy when taking blows so her focus wasn't broken.

"Very good." Lexa kind of smiled when Octavia related her findings to them. "Anya and I will take turns working with you when Indra is unable to. She was right about you Octavia Blake — you have the spirit of a fighter."

Octavia nodded firmly. Smiling in a situation like this seemed ill mannered, at least after spending several hours with these two emotionless blackbelts. She was nervous from Anya's intense stare in her direction until she bumped into Lexa and Octavia realized that Anya's eyes were fixed on something behind her.

"We've got company," she hissed.

Lexa glared. "Azgeda. What are they doing here."

Octavia glanced in the same direction to find two girls loitering by the front door, arms crossed, whispering to each other as they pushed Dum Dum suckers between their cheeks. "Who are they?"

"Competition," Lexa said, striding forward to greet them.

Anya hung back for a moment. "Ever the diplomat. Lexa insists that we treat Azgeda like the rest of the dojos that participate in the Conclave, but we all know that they're a bunch of lying cheats. Nia is their sensei but she's just as much of a snake as the rest of them."She nodded towards the two girls that Lexa was now talking to. "Those two are Ontari and Echo— Ontari is ranked second and Echo third in their dojo divisions."

Octavia noticed how much dark eye makeup the Azgeda girls wore as well. Maybe she needed to get a new look. "Whose ranked first?"

"Roan," Anya spat. "Bastard thinks he's a fucking prince because he's the son of the owner. The only thing I will grant him is that he is a formidable opponent and is deserving of his top rank unlike many in the league."

Octavia noted how Anya's gaze shifted from the two outsiders to Lexa as she said that. "You don't mean Lexa, do you?"

The venomous snarl immediately alerted Octavia she messed up. "Of course not! Lexa is the best and deserves every win she has." Her eyes narrowed. "It was you that I was referring too."

Anya started toward the benches, but Octavia grabbed her by the shoulder and whipped her around. "Listen, bitch, I may not be on the same level as you or Lexa or Indra or even those Azgeda assholes but you're my teammate and you shouldn't be shitting on me. And you better be ready for the near future where I kick your ass without breaking a sweat."

Anya smiled for the first time Octavia had known her. "Bring it, sweetie."

Octavia tilted her head and smiled back coldly. "Don't worry. Lexa will be screaming for me before she ever screams for you."

...

"When are you gonna take care of me again?"

Jasper zipped up his pants. "Next time I feel like it, okay? We both agreed to keep it professional so don't get clingy on me."

A shiver shot down through his body at the touch of her fingertip along the end of his spine. "I know," she hummed, pressing her lips along the nape of his neck. He could feel her naked upper half against his back. "You're just exceptionally talented, especially for a high schooler." She snaked her arms around his bare midsection, her teeth nipping at his ear. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to persuade you to go another round?"

Jasper sighed loudly, not even bothering to disguise the slight disgust in his voice. "Not today, but I might hit you up tomorrow if I fail that physics quiz the way I'm expecting too."

She rolled over onto her flat back, exposing her breasts to the room. A lighthearted smile was in her face. "I still get a rush every time you bring up that you're a minor." She giggled again. "I wish there were more bad boys when I was in high school."

Jasper pulled his shirt over his head. "Wanting more people to be like me means that you want more broken people. That's fucking disgusting."

Her round eyes widened. "Jasper, that's not what —"

" —yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll call you. " He slammed the door behind him without waiting for an answer.

The cool air blasted him in the face right away. The wind was strong with a few snow flurries, making it feel more like November. He propped his collar as he walked down the steps and away from the Motel 8.

His sexual escapades hadn't started out intentional, much like the prescription drugs that made his head pound and the scars that stained his body. It had been a week earlier when Jasper met up with Echo for their reoccurring transaction of weed dealing, but this time Echo had brought one of her friends. She was a petite blonde with a decent rack and nice smile. Apparently she was a college drop-out who was looking for a fuck buddy with no strings attached and Echo had thought of him.

At first Jasper was ready to turn her down, but the girl asked him to give her five minutes. He agreed after Echo said she'd toss in a few extra joints on the house, and then he got into the backseat with the drop-out. The way her mouth moved with his, hands in his hair, spit and adrenaline firing him up made his heart race. He didn't stop her when she pulled his belt loose and moved lower and lower...

The feeling of a person against his body made him warm in more ways than one; not only did it make his cold skin burn with warmth, but it also filled the gaping hole left behind in his chest. At least, that's what he thought. Later that same night, he snuck out of the house and waited down the street for her to pick him up.

She could barely restrain herself on the drive to her apartment, but they really broke loose once they were inside. She had shed her clothes faster than he had thought humanly possible, but he hadn't complained. Jasper liked the way her body moved with his as he carried her up the stairs, her tongue in his mouth and hands in every inappropriate place possible.

Jasper lost his virgnity that night without thinking twice about it.

It wasn't until hours later when he was laying in bed with a stranger's naked body cuddled beside him did he think about it. He was a seventeen year old junior who still wouldn't graduate for two years. He doubted Clarke had ever gone this far with someone and it scared him that he was breaking grounds that his sister couldn't inform him about it necessary.

But worse than that, he felt nothing as he lay there.

The emptiness that he had hoped to fill with physical pleasure was just as empty as before, if not worse, and everything seemed more hopeless than before. He was in bed with a sex addict college drop-out whose name he couldn't remember all because a blowjob earlier in the day made him think sex was the key to feeling again?

Jasper rubbed his hands together as he walked down a street that would eventually get him home. After that first night, he had considered calling it off but there was no denying the pleasure he got during the act. Even if it didn't fill the emptiness, at least it served as a temporary distraction from the pain.

They quickly developed a system where they would meet up in the motel instead of her apartment since it was closer to his house and school than her apartment was and he couldn't risk being seen in her car with him. For the last week and a half, he would tell his family that he was taking a detour through the park for fresh air on the way home but would instead meet up with the girl for a quickie after school.

Speaking of which, he was out of condoms now. He needed to pick some up on the way home. Jasper crossed the street instead of continuing straight, headed straight for the liquor store he frequently shop lifted at. It was about time he bought something again to keep them off the trail, so he slapped a bag of chips, a Cola, and his condoms on the counter.

The girl behind the counter, Maya he had learned at some point along the way, raised her eyebrow as he pulled out a twenty. "Actually paying today, then?" She asked as she entered the items in the computer.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He snarled.

Maya wrinkled her nose, slamming his things into a bag and taking the twenty. "Don't act like that. I know you shoplift, I know you shoplift only during my shifts, and I know you've been doing it for a while." She handed him his change back, but held onto the bag. "We have cameras, who do you think you're fooling?"

Jasper tried to ignore her piercing dark eyes. "Just give me my damn bag."

"I've been erasing tapes and taking a chunk out of my paycheck to cover the things you take so you don't get in least you could do is be grateful that I haven't turned you in yet."

"Thank you," he managed through grit teeth. "Could I have my bag? I won't come back."

Maya held the bag out as if to give it to him, then pulled it out of reach again. How was there no one around to see this? "My shift ends in fifteen minutes," she said. "Why don't you wait up for a few and we can go grab something to eat and talk."

Jasper snatched the bag out of her hands. "Why would I want to do that?"

He ignored her protest as he pushed the chiming doors open. The wind was sharp against his face, but leaning against the building window helped mask it a little bit. He fished around for his chip bag and popped it open.

Maybe he'd be dead from hypothermia by the time her shift ended.

...

Bellamy hadn't expected a big crowd on Thursday, but he was pleasantly surprised by the large turn out.

The Thai place was almost completely maxed out with families and groups of students from all high school levels; he did note that there were far more juniors and seniors than the freshman and sophomore classes, but that was to be expected.

He had to work until ten minutes ago, so he was the last to show up. He knew that somewhere amidst the chaos Lincoln and Octavia were bunkered down with some girls from the dojo. Bellamy wasn't overly interested in checking in on her since he wanted to reestablish trust between them, so he let them be.

Instead he figured he would eventually find the table Clarke reserved for Stu-Co if he walked long enough. Sure enough, in a large booth in the far corner was the entirety of student council with the add-ons of Monty and an unfamiliar girl.

"Bellamy! You made it!" Miller was packed in the right center of the booth with little wiggle room. "Move over, Harper. Make room for Bellamy."

Harper dropped her jaw, giving him an annoyed look. "Do you see anywhere for me to scooch?'

Monty sat up straighter. "You can scoot this way," he said, sliding slightly closer to Clarke to make room for Harper. Raven shot a pointed look at Finn who paled.

Bellamy held up his hands in a T. "Forget it, guys. I'll sit on the end." He slipped into the booth beside Clarke who was laughing. "I feel like I'm working with toddlers."

She laughed again, and Bellamy had to do a double take at how attractive she was when she laughed. "I'm glad you could make it," she said over all of the chatter. "Octavia got here not too long ago and told us you were working. Her new look is really cool."

Bellamy blinked, a confused smile replacing the genuine one. "New look?"

"Braids? Eyeliner?" She stopped when she realized he had no idea what she was talking about. "It must be really new then. I guess you'll see it when you get home."

"Bellamy!" Sterling called over the chatter. He was sitting next to the unfamiliar girl. Honestly, Bellamy had forgot that Sterling and Fox were still part of student council. "This is Wells's cousin!"

"Oh yeah?" Bellamy faked interest. Clarke turned away but he could hear her laughing again. "I'm Bellamy."

"Charlotte," she smiled back in a heavy French accent. Her auburn hair was tied back in braids. Also, not to be rude, Bellamy noted how she and Wells looked nothing alike. In fact, she was pale. He must have let his confusion show because she smiled kindly again. "My mother was Wells's mum's sister. My father is French, and I took more after his looks, oui?"

Bellamy nodded politely. One thing was solved. "Where is Wells?"

"I'm here!" Wells appeared out of seemingly nowhere. "I was just in the little boy's room." He looked at Bellamy and his expression darkened. Bellamy got an inkling suspicion that he was in Wells's spot.

Bellamy was about to give it to him for once as a final peace gesture, but Clarke said, "Wells, you can sit here. Bellamy and I were just going to go outside for some fresh air."

Wells's expression darkened further. Bellamy had to look away to genuinely keep himself from snickering out loud. "I'll come out with you," he offered.

Monty jumped in right away like a champ. "But you just got back Wells!"

Raven stashed a smirk. "Yeah, Wells," she said with a straight face, "don't abandon your cousin like this."

"But—"

"I want air too." Finn tried to get up, but Miller elbowed him and made him sit down.

"But you were just about to tell Charlotte that story." He stressed.

The utter tension went over Charlotte's oblivious head. "Yes, I'd love it if you would stay."

Wells and Finn were trapped. Clarke pushed Bellamy slightly. "We'll be right back!" She called over her shoulder.

Once they were outside in the cold, Bellamy had to question the relevance of this adventue. "You're freezing." He gestured to Clarke's leggings and stylish sweater and the overall complete lack of a coat.

"I just needed to get out of there for a bit." She hugged her arms around herself.

Bellamy shrugged his coat off and draped it over her shoulders. "First the One Direction blanket and now my coat? I think you're making me lower my defenses, Princess."

Clarke laughed shallowly, tightening the jacket around herself. "Thanks. You can have it back if you're cold."

"I want you to hold onto it until we head back inside."

Clarke nodded, gripping the edges again. He knew he probably shouldn't watch her while she admired the sky, because who does that?, but he couldn't help himself. "Its weird that you and Wells will be seeing the same stars from different parts of the world starting tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah."

Bellamy went to stick his hands in his pockets when he remembered he didn't have his coat. "Gonna miss him pretty bad, huh?"

Clarke shifted, then caught his gaze. The light of the restaurant reflected off of her hair and suddenly he was reminded of the night so many weeks ago when he picked her up in the parking lot after her date with Finn. Only something was different this time. He wondered if she felt it too, or if it was just him.

"I was thinking about that," she said, and Bellamy had to recollect the former conversation, "because even though we went through a rough patch, Wells was there for me for a long time. It would be weird for him to not be around any more. But then it struck me."

"What's that?"

"I'm not going to miss him nearly as much as I would miss you if you were leaving."

...

Guess who got inspired? More new chapters soon to come!

This doesn't need warnings does it?

12/8/17