After a long and exhausting Saturday shift, Clarke wasn't sure if she wanted to sleep for 18 hours straight or collapse on the couch with a giant glass of wine and some mindless television. Instead, because of some poor planning (on her part), she was on her way to the group's favorite dive bar, and she was bringing along some new friends.
After she, Maya, and Harper got out of Harper's car, they regrouped on the sidewalk and headed down the block toward Drop Ship. They'd barely gotten inside when they saw Jasper enthusiastically waving them over to a large table, where Bellamy, Jasper, Monty, and…much to Clarke's surprise…Miller and Bryan were already sitting.
"Clarke…who are your friends?" Jasper asked, his eyes drawn to Maya, and it probably would have seemed creepy coming from anyone but a lovable computer nerd; but, in this case, it was just kind of adorably cringeworthy.
"This is Maya," Clarke said, pointing out the petite brunette. "And this is Harper," she continued, introducing the taller blonde. "They're both nurses at the hospital and they make 12 hour shifts a little less painful."
Clarke turned toward the table. "This is Jasper, Monty, Bellamy, Miller…and I'm fairly sure you've met the one over there," she said, nodding to Bryan, who gave her a shy smile in return before greeting Maya and Harper.
"Sit, sit," Clarke told the girls. "I'm sure Jasper will be happy to run up to the bar for you," she said, smirking at her friend, who currently looked like the wolf from that old cartoon whose eyes would pop out of his head when a pretty girl walked by.
Jasper did just that, jumping up and getting the girls' orders before Clarke could even blink. Of course, he completely forgot to ask her if she wanted anything.
Monty just shook his head, chuckling as he got up without a word, giving Clarke the seat next to Bellamy.
"Thanks," she whispered as she passed him.
Bellamy looked at her in amusement as she sat next to him. "Jasper is…" he paused, searching for a description. "He reminds me of Jim Carrey from The Mask right now."
Clarke laughed. "I was going with that old cartoon wolf, but yeah, same basic premise: eyes popping out and tongue lolling on the table."
Bellamy chuckled, shaking his head. "Seriously, did you take on a job as cupid or what?" he asked, glancing first at Jasper, who was openly staring at Maya from the bar, and then at Miller, who was currently engaged in what looked like an intimate conversation with Bryan.
"Yeah, I meant to ask you…when did that happen?" Clarke asked quietly, nodding her head toward the two men.
Bellamy shrugged. "Apparently they found each other on Facebook after Game Night and they've been…talking? Miller invited him tonight."
She smiled. "Good."
"I hope so," he said sincerely. "Plus…when's the last time Miller got on Facebook willingly? He must like him."
Clarke chuckled. "When's the last time you got on Facebook willingly?"
He made a very attractive face before reluctantly admitting, "I've gotten on more lately than I ever have."
"Why?"
He shrugged, taking a drink of his beer. "It feels like the only way I can keep up with Octavia."
Clarke frowned. "I thought you two talked a lot?"
"We do, but It's just not the same."
She rubbed his arm. "Sorry, Bell."
He shrugged again, taking another drink.
Clarke glanced around, seeing that Miller and Bryan were still occupied, Monty was saying something that both Harper and Maya seemed to find charming and/or funny, and Jasper was still waiting in line at the bar.
"Hey, where's Raven? She wouldn't miss Drop Ship."
Bellamy smirked, tilting his head toward a high top on the other side of the bar.
Clarke's eyes widened when she saw Raven, who looked her usual gorgeous, feisty self…apparently involved in some sort of heated debate with a taller man with blonde hair.
The two were practically shouting at each other, their conversation more and more animated as time went on. Raven's ponytail whipped back and forth as she vehemently shook her head no, then the man turned partially away, running a frustrated hand over his face before turning back to Raven.
Clarke turned to look at Bellamy. "What the hell is that?! Should we go help her?"
Bellamy just shook his head.
"But…" Clarke gestured at the pair across the room.
"Just wait."
Clarke raised an eyebrow, but did as he suggested.
Raven stepped closer, pointing her finger and then jabbing it into the man's chest. He responded by wrapping his arm around her back and pulling her into a kiss. Raven held stock still for a split second, then wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back forcefully.
Clarke was fairly sure her mouth was hanging open, given the sudden turn of events. She turned back to Bellamy. "...oh."
He nodded.
"Have they…"
"They've been doing that since I got here like 10 minutes ago. Give 'em a minute. They'll go back to fighting again."
"What the hell?"
He shrugged. "According to Monty, he works with Raven. Apparently, they bitch about each other all the time and can barely stand to be in the same room together…but then…" he gestured toward them with his beer bottle.
"Huh."
Just then, Jasper came back, carrying a beer, which he handed to Harper, and something pink and in a fancy glass, which he handed to Maya.
"Thanks for getting our drinks, Jas," Clarke said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," he answered, completely oblivious as he sat down next to Maya.
Bellamy snorted, turning sideways in his chair to get up. "I'll get yours," he said, leaning in close to her ear as he went to stand up. "You want something pink?" he asked sarcastically, since he knew exactly what her answer would be.
"God, no," Clarke scoffed, thinking about the day she'd had. "Bourbon."
Bellamy smiled. "That's my girl," he said, squeezing her shoulder as he walked past.
Clarke felt a shiver work its way through her…both at his touch and his choice of words, which she was sure were perfectly harmless, although she had to reminder herself of that.
Forcing a bit of a smile, she joined in the conversation around her, making sure Harper and Maya were having a good time and getting acquainted with everyone. She even managed to draw Miller and Bryan out of their bubble long enough to join in with the group.
Within a few minutes, Bellamy was sliding back into his seat, sliding a glass of amber liquid in front of her and setting a fresh beer down at his own seat.
"You not joining me?" Clarke asked.
He gave her what could most accurately be described as a side-eye. "One of us has to be able to drive home."
Clarke smirked, acknowledging the truth of his statement as she took a generous swallow. "My hero," she said, intending to make him smile. Instead, he got a little fidgety, smiling half-heartedly and taking another swig of his beer.
Bellamy got drawn into a conversation with Miller and Bryan, while Clarke got drawn into one with Harper and Monty. Their groups seemed to be meshing well together, and Clarke gave a contented but tired smile as she leaned back in her chair.
"You okay?" Bellamy asked quietly.
She nodded. "Yeah, today just kicked my ass. I kind of wanted to go home and crash, but I'd already told Raven I'd be here…and I invited Harper and Maya yesterday, so…" She glanced up, seeing that Raven was finally walking toward their table, looking none too pleased as her tall blonde companion followed. "Speaking of Raven…"
The entire table quieted, except for Jasper, who was very animatedly relaying some story to Maya. Raven paused beside the table, arms crossed and death glare in place.
If the grunt and look of outrage from Jasper was any indication, Monty had just kicked him under the table, trying to get him to shut up.
Raven still didn't say a word.
Stepping up beside her, the man smiled at the group. "Since someone's forgotten their manners, I guess I'll introduce myself. Kyle Wick. Raven and I work together."
Raven glared at him, but then reluctantly went around the table, introducing everyone by their first names.
Wick gave a polite nod to everyone as they were introduced.
Clarke was staring at him oddly, her face scrunched up.
"Everything okay?" Bellamy asked.
"Yeah, I just…" She could swear he was familiar to her in some way, but she wasn't sure that she recognized his face. Unless it was his name…
"Wick! Kyle Wick!" she said excitedly, a decibel or two higher than she intended.
The entire table paused, looking at Clarke oddly.
"Yes?" Wick asked, slightly befuddled.
"Did you intern at Rothenberg & Associates Engineering like…" she paused, thinking back. "…eight years ago?"
"Yeah…how did you…" Now he paused, eyes studying her face. "Wait…holy shit, you're Clarke Griffin, aren't you?!"
She nodded, smiling. "Now how did you know that?"
"Your dad had a picture of you on his desk."
She nodded.
Everyone was looking back and forth between the two of them, until Raven finally asked, "What's going on? You two know each other?"
"Not…really? I don't think we ever met, but Wick interned at my dad's engineering firm when he was in college, and my dad sort of took him under his wing. Used to come home all the time talking about this kid…" Clarke chuckled, shaking her head as she remembered.
"What about me?!" Wick asked.
"He said you were the cockiest little shit he'd ever seen."
Raven snorted.
"But he always finished that sentence by saying that you had more talent than most of the senior engineers at his firm."
Raven rolled her eyes while Wick beamed.
"He was always trying to figure out how to channel all that overconfidence into something amazing," Clarke finished.
Wick hung his head a little bashfully before again perking up. "You though…God, I heard so much about you. 'Clarke just got inducted into the National Honor Society' and 'Clarke is set to graduate from high school a semester early' and 'Clarke got the highest SAT scores in her school.' He was so proud of you." He paused, looking slightly mesmerized. "I just can't believe it. Jake Griffin's little girl…and in a bar, no less."
Clarke laughed, but she also had to blink away a tear or two. "I'm not so little anymore."
"Yeah, I can see that." He glanced at Monty, "sorry, can I…" he asked, gesturing to the seat beside Clarke.
Monty laughed, getting up and moving for the second time. "Sure."
Wick walked around the table, taking the now empty seat beside her. "I'm sorry, is it weird if I want to hug you right now?"
Clarke smiled, since she'd been thinking exactly the same thing. Running into this man who'd known her father seemed so nostalgic somehow. And even though they'd never met in person, they both felt like they knew each other from all of Jake's stories. She shook her head, leaning over to hug him.
When they pulled back, Wick was looking over her shoulder. "Hey, man. Are you the boyfriend?" he asked, holding out his hand.
Clarke raised her eyebrows, turning slightly in her chair to look at Bellamy, who'd accepted Wick's handshake most likely out of habit.
Bellamy was frowning. "What? No. We're…no."
"Oh. Okay." Wick shrugged. "I just assumed…" He shrugged again, clearly unbothered, moving back to sit in his seat more comfortably, his body still turned toward Clarke. "Listen, I'm really sorry I didn't make it to the funeral. That's always bothered me."
Clarke shook her head. "It's okay."
"I would have gone if I'd known. Jake was…he was the best mentor I ever could've asked for. Taught me so damn much. I really wanted to work with him when I graduated, but God, the boss was an ass sometimes. I ended up taking a job at another firm right after graduation and they had me working out of town when your dad…passed. I didn't hear about it until I got back a few months later."
"Really, it's okay. He would have understood."
He smiled sadly. "So, what about you? You were going to go be a doctor, right?"
"Yup. Graduated from Med School and started my internship at the hospital a few months ago."
They continued on in that vein for quite a while, taking about their jobs and reminiscing about Jake Griffin.
At some point, Bellamy got up, coming back a few minutes later and setting another drink in front of her, which was impressive, given that she hadn't even realized her old one was empty.
She gave him a grateful smile, mouthing 'Thank you' before turning back to Wick.
At some point after that, Miller, Bryan, Harper, Monty and Bellamy all went over to play pool. Raven got up, making quite a bit of noise as she did so, and reluctantly followed them to the pool table.
Wick chuckled. "You think maybe she's pissed?"
Clarke grimaced, "I didn't realize…"
He waved her off. "It's fine. She's just used to spending all her time arguing with me. Maybe this will be good for me."
Clarke glanced over at her friend, who was currently glaring daggers into the back of Wick's head. "Yeaaah, somehow I don't think so."
"I don't think your…'not-boyfriend' is too happy with me either right now," he said, smirking.
Surprised, Clarke's gaze flew to Bellamy, who was leaning against the wall, holding a cue stick and watching Miller take his shot. He didn't look angry…if Clarke didn't know any better, she'd say he looked sad.
Remembering her conversation with him earlier about Octavia, Clarke assumed he was just missing his sister.
Pulling out her phone, she sent Octavia a text.
Clarke: hey, you home?
It only took a few seconds for Octavia to reply.
Octavia: yup. what's up?
Clarke glanced up at Wick. "Sorry, I'll just be two seconds."
"You're fine," he said, taking a swig of his beer.
Clarke: I think Bell needs some sibling time. He seems a little…sad?
Octavia: (crying emoji) I wondered if he was doing alright. His texts lately seem a little blunt, even for him.
Clarke: Have you guys been keeping in touch?
Octavia: Yeah, but between his new job, my new job at the karate studio, and Lincoln's weird hours, we don't get to talk all that much, at least not on the phone. And the old man still won't try Skyping.
Clarke smiled, a plan already forming in her head.
Clarke: That's it! He needs to see you. I'll use my account to call you. Be by your computer in 30?
Octavia: (thumbs up emoji)
Clarke turned back to Wick. "This has been so great. I don't think I knew how much I needed to talk about him, ya know?"
Wick smiled, patting her arm where it rested on the table. "I know. He really was a great man, Clarke. I wouldn't be the engineer I am today if it weren't for him. Anytime you want to swap Jake stories, you let me know. I'll always be up for that."
"Thanks, Wick," she said, squeezing his shoulder as she got up and walked past him.
He walked with her to the pool table, where Raven promptly turned on her heel and marched off.
Wick laughed, shrugging his shoulders in a 'What can you do?' gesture and then went after her.
Clarke chuckled, making her way to Bellamy, who was still leaning against the wall.
She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Hey. You doing alright?"
He nodded, his eyes still on the pool table. "You?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "I'm actually doing pretty good right now."
He nodded again.
Clarke was again struck by how despondent he seemed, which reminded her of her plan. "Hey, I'm still pretty tired. Do you mind if we leave early?"
He finally glanced at her. "Sure. I'm not really in the mood for all this anyway."
She nodded, watching as he set the cue stick back in its holder and then started saying goodbye to their friends. Motioning for Harper and Maya to join her, she asked them if they were okay getting home on their own.
Both said they'd be fine, but they planned on staying a little longer if no one objected. Unsurprisingly, no one did.
"You ready?" Bellamy asked, coming up beside her.
She nodded, following him toward the door. "Bye, guys!" she called.
When they got outside in the chilly night air and started walking down the street to Bellamy's truck, Clarke curled her hand around his bicep, again bumping into him. "Seriously. Are you alright? This seems like more than missing Octavia."
"I'm fine. I just…" He slowed down, turning to look at her. "I'm glad you found someone to talk to."
"I guess I just didn't realize how much I needed to talk to someone that knew him. The only person I really have left in that department is my mom, and that's a touchy subject with us, for obvious reasons…so it was really nice to just…reminisce with someone else who really respected him too, ya know? It's like…It's been so long since I've seen him and a lot of my memories almost don't seem real because I don't have someone to validate them every once in a while." She shook her head. "That probably doesn't make any sense."
"It makes perfect sense, Clarke. I'm just sorry none of us could do that for you."
Clarke stopped abruptly, turning to face him. She looked up at him, trying to figure out if what was going through her head could possibly be true. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. "God, you're an idiot."
He snorted against her hair. "Thanks?"
"You can't fix everything, Bell. You know that, right?"
"I know," he sighed, his breath fanning her curls. "I just never realized before that all of us were missing from such an important part of your life."
Clarke moved back a little, looking up at him. "My dad would have loved you guys."
Bellamy raised an eyebrow.
"He would have! He was so laid back…it's funny, cause he was pretty much the opposite of my mom." Clarke tugged on his arm, getting him moving in the direction of his truck again. "He and Jasper and Monty would have geeked out for days over comic books and video games and whatever other nerdy stuff they could come up with. He and Raven would have been epic, like…'drawing designs for the next self-contained space colony on bar napkins' epic. He and Miller probably would have bonded over sports, although my dad was a huge Man U fan, and Miller likes Man City, so they could have argued about that for eternity." Clarke smiled, imagining her dad actually doing all those things with her best friends.
Bellamy snuck a glance down at her as they walked. "And what would he have bonded with me over? Was he also a secret carpenter?"
Clarke laughed. "No. But you and Octavia…you wouldn't have needed a common interest. He would have treated you like family because of what you mean to me."
Bellamy slid his arm around her back, pulling her into a side hug as they continued walking, his truck just a few parking spaces away. "I guess we would have had one thing in common, anyway."