Clarke was sprawled across the floor of her space in the warehouse, trying for the life of her to put together the huge Ikea shelf she'd finally gotten. It had taken far too long to get a hold of it. She'd driven the hour drive to the nearest Ikea on Sunday with the intention of returning with her shelf, but the one she found on display, which was perfect, had been out of stock. She'd driven back up to it on Thursday, finally picking up the huge box and needing help from an employee to get it into the back of her car.

She hadn't had time to bring it back to the warehouse until today, Friday, because of work. Now, she was quite glad that she had no Friday classes, because it seemed that putting the shelf together was going to take a long ass time.

When she heard the shuffling of someone walking past her room, she stopped and dropped what she was doing, hopping to her feet. "Finn? That you?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm alone, don't worry," he called, his voice getting quieter as he made his way back to his shop. Clarke hurried out of her space and headed toward his.

"Wait up, Finn, I need to talk to you." Finn didn't stop, though, so Clarke finally caught him once he'd entered his area.

Finn coughed awkwardly. "The middle school in town is putting on a play and they need sets built, so I've gotta get my stuff and head over there. What's up?"

"Speaking of underage people," Clarke muttered, furrowing her eyebrows, "were you aware that the girl you almost slept with on Friday, Lexa, is seventeen?"

Finn's eyes widened. "What? Seriously? No, I had no idea, I thought she was at least eighteen..."

"You thought wrong, and you need to start asking girls that if there's a chance you might get arrested for hooking up with them," Clarke chided, crossing her arms.

"Wait, how do you know that?"

"She left her wallet at the counter at The Bean on Wednesday. I peeked," Clarke admitted, dropping her hands to her sides now.

"Didn't she know that I'm over eighteen?"

Clarke nodded. "She knew, but you're the one who would be held responsible either way if something had happened and someone had found out. So just... next time you're about to hook up with someone who are aren't sure is in college, could you just ask them? None of us want you to end up in jail, even though you are kind of a prick."

"Gee, thanks," Finn said, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, sure, I won't get arrested. Anyway, I gotta get to work if I'm gonna finish the sets today and tomorrow. They need them done by Monday, when school starts for them."

"They're lucky you're fast and cheap then," Clarke stated, snickering. "See you later." She turned and quickly made her way back to her room. She set back up next to the shelf, or rather the pieces of it that were strewn about.

She was finally starting to get a feel for how it was supposed to be put together when Octavia suddenly popped her head into the room. "You know whose Mercedes is outside?"

"None of us own a Mercedes," Clarke said, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

"Precisely why I'm asking." Octavia looked pointedly at the blonde and asked, "You gonna go out or should I?"

"I'll go," Clarke muttered, setting down the screwdriver she'd been using and getting up. Brushing her hands off on her pants, she left the room and headed back toward the entrance of the warehouse. After her space was set up, she wanted to start making the entrance at least look sort of nice. It was currently the most abandoned looking part of the whole thing. On the bright side, she supposed that it might make the rest of the warehouse seem pretty damn impressive.

The Mercedes that was parked a few feet from her car made her eyebrows knit together in confusion. She didn't recognize the car at all, or the license plate, and as she got closer, she realized that she couldn't see through the tinted window either. Letting out a frustrated breath, she went up to the driver's window and tapped on it.

As it rolled down, her eyes widened as she saw Lexa. "Can I help you?" Clarke asked, somewhat harshly, and she noticed that Lexa hardly flinched.

"I came to apologize –"

Clarke let out a groan, turning around and starting back toward the entrance of the warehouse. She heard the door of the car open and then close, and feet tracking through the dirt clearing behind her.

"Not to you, but to Finn! Since I'm assuming you told him that I'm..."

"Seventeen?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, well," Clarke started, walking into the warehouse and not expecting the brunette to follow her, "he's not here. Left about fifteen minutes ago. Looks like you're out of luck." As she made her way into and through Octavia's space, she became aware of the sound of feet following her, padding across the concrete, and Clarke stopped spinning around. "Did you hear me when I said that he's not here?"

"Yes."

"So what are you still doing here?"

"Why are you so mad at me?" Lexa demanded, crossing her arms. "I didn't do anything to you, and I didn't even have sex with Finn."

"Because I happened to stop it from happening," Clarke huffed. "Also, I don't know you, and you don't know me, and I'm really just trying to figure out why you're in my warehouse."

"Our warehouse," Octavia corrected, from where she was apparently seated at her desk across the room. "And what's this about Finn? Oh, you're the girl from Saturday. Nice hair."

"She's the seventeen year old girl from Saturday," Clarke corrected, crossing her arms.

Octavia smirked. "Wow, nice. You fooled Finn, that's pretty funny actually."

"Octavia!"

Lexa just glanced between the two of them, and then she took a step back. "Fine, I'll leave." Clarke watched as she walked back through Octavia's area and through the entrance, right out the front door. She didn't move or say anything until she heard the Mercedes start up and drive away.

"So that's weird," Octavia stated, breaking the silence.

"She came into The Bean on Wednesday and I saw her ID with her age," Clarke muttered, shaking her head. "And it's not funny, O. Finn could've been arrested if they'd had sex."

"Well they didn't, so just forget about it, Clarke," Octavia pressed. "It's not worth it to stress. Now, do you want help with your shelf over there?"

"You're not busy?"

"Nah."

"That would be much appreciated then."

"So, where you been all day?" Anya asked, looking up from her book to where Lexa was sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceiling. "And when the fuck did you dye your hair?"

"Wednesday," Lexa answered, sighing. "You like?"

"Looks fine, I guess. What did your mom think?"

"I've been avoiding her," Lexa admitted, her eyes flickering closed. "So she hasn't seen it yet."

"Wait, have you not gone home?"

"No, I have," Lexa insisted, shaking her head. "I just run straight up to my room and leave really early in the morning, and I only eat while she's gone or asleep."

"That's a lot of effort to hide some purple hair," Anya said slowly, and Lexa glanced curiously over at her. "Unless you're doing something else you don't want your mom to know about... like sleeping with overage guys?"

"I haven't slept with any overage guys, thank you very much," Lexa snapped, sitting up and leaning against the headboard of the bed.

"So how come I saw your car driving back from that sketchy warehouse again?"

Lexa crossed her arms over her chest. "Yesterday? I went to apologize to them, because the friend of that guy I almost slept with found out that I'm seventeen and she got pissed."

"Rightly so."

"Can't you give me a break, Anya?"

"Whatever."

Lexa sighed, looking back up at the ceiling. "I only went back yesterday, anyway."

"Alright, I thought you wanted to drop it?"

Lexa went silent again, her gaze dropping down onto her best friend. "Okay, well, I'm going to The Bean."

"It's like nine at night, Lexa," Anya objected instantly, her words sharp as Lexa got off of the bed and grabbed her phone. "Lexa!"

"See you at school on Monday," Lexa muttered, shoving her phone into her pocket and checking that her wallet was in the other as she exited Anya's room. Anya's parents were out, so no one was there to question her scowl as she stormed out of the house. It was only two streets down from Lexa's, but she turned the direction that would bring her to The Bean. She didn't really care that it was probably too late for coffee.

Lexa was relieved to see that Clarke wasn't working that night when she walked into The Bean. Some other college age girl was, and she gave Lexa her black coffee without a word, with an additional little muffin that the brunette had decided to get as well. She settled into the corner of the shop, aware that it would be closing at ten, and nibbled on the muffin in between sips of her coffee. She didn't go on her phone, rather she stared at a spot on the wall and tried to clear her mind. There were only two other people sitting down, both at one table together and talking quietly. Lexa was glad that she didn't recognize them.

When the door to the coffee shop opened, Lexa's gaze involuntarily drifted over to the woman who had just entered. Immediately, she identified the woman as Clarke. She wasn't wearing her work outfit, though, and Lexa confirmed that she was here only to buy a drink as she greeted the barista quietly and produced her wallet from her back pocket.

Lexa watched her, aware that her heart rate was slightly increased. She couldn't explain why the girl triggered that reaction in her. No boy had ever done that to her just by her looking at them. Biting down on her lower lip, she did her best to look away from the blonde. Her gaze drifted back with every attempt.

When Clarke received her coffee and turned around, blue eyes settled on Lexa. The younger girl's eyes widened and she glanced down at her coffee, hoping that Clarke would ignore her and leave. She got no such luck, though, as a shadow was soon looming over her.

But when she looked up at Clarke, the girl didn't appear so threatening. "You like coming to get coffee late at night or something?"

"I'm avoiding someone," Lexa admitted, watching carefully as Clarke seated herself across from Lexa at the little table. "How about you? I thought you worked nights?"

"You've seen me here once."

"And it was the first time I'd ever come here at night."

Clarke hummed quietly. "I have a late night tonight. I'm finishing my workshop, in the warehouse. Octavia tried to help me yesterday, but we only finished half of the shit that needed to be done. And I got too held up today to actually get any of it done."

"Oh."

"Are you out of high school?"

"No," Lexa answered quietly, though she knew that Clarke probably already figured as much. Few people in town graduated when they were seventeen. "I start my senior year on Monday."

"Exciting," Clarke said sarcastically, sipping her coffee as Lexa watched her intently. "You stare a lot, did you know that?"

"Yes."

Clarke smirked, and Lexa felt her body relax a little as the blonde showed a sign that she wasn't royally pissed off.

"I'm sorry for coming to the warehouse yesterday," Lexa said quietly, looking down at her now half empty cup of coffee. "It was stupid."

"It's whatever."

"What... what's it for?" Lexa's green eyes were looking up again, at Clarke's suddenly slightly happier expression.

"It's for... us, me and my friends. It's a place for us. We each get a room," Clarke explained. "Mine's for my art."

"That's cool."

"Yeah, except we've had the place for a month and I only just got any of it set up this week. I'm too damn nice to my fucking friends," Clarke muttered, taking down a long gulp of her coffee.

Lexa's eyes flashed between Clarke's, and her heart pounded as she debated whether or not to ask the question that was bubbling up inside of her. Before she could decide, her body was forcing it out anyway. "Do you need any help? I mean... do you want any?"

Clarke looked surprised, and also extremely confused and unsure. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed, and Lexa felt like she was suspicious of Lexa. "Why do you want to help me?"

"I told you. I'm avoiding someone. Plus, unlike you about me, I don't hate you."

The blonde smirked a little. "I don't hate you. I met you literally a week ago."

"They say it takes twenty additional interactions to reverse a first impression," Lexa commented, her lips turning up into a smirk of her own.

"Then maybe I just don't hate you a lot," Clarke stated, sounding amused. She took a drink from her coffee cup and then nodded toward Lexa. "Nice hair, by the way. Doesn't really fit you, though."

Lexa narrowed her eyes. "You don't know me."

"You're a good girl," Clarke stated, and Lexa reeled back slightly at the abruptness of the statement. "You're going through a rebellious phase."

"No, I'm not," Lexa denied immediately, her voice dropping as she practically growled.

"You're a good girl," Clarke repeated. Amusement was evident in her expression, and Lexa realized that she was enjoying getting a rise out of the brunette. Setting her jaw, Lexa allowed only her eyes to follow Clarke's movements. The blonde ran a hand through her hair as she turned and started for the exit of The Bean. Lexa finally turned her head to watch her leave, but then Clarke looked over her shoulder. "You coming, cutie?"

Lexa flushed, hopping up from her seat and following Clarke. "Don't call me that." Clarke glanced at her again, looking slightly surprised.

"Alright."

"What'd you look at me like that for?"

"I'm sure whatever Finn called you to get you to follow him into a creepy warehouse was way worse than cutie, so I'm just wondering why on earth someone as smart as you almost slept with him." Lexa didn't know what to say, and her jaw just dropped a little as she realized that Clarke had basically been trying to analyze her this whole time. "Must be the rebellious phase thing."

"I'm not –"

Clarke's laughter cut Lexa's words off, and the brunette found herself suddenly amazed at the sound. Entranced. "Relax, Lexa. You're going to have to be a little calmer if I'm going to let you help me set up my art room without you breaking some shit or something."

Lexa pursed her lips, fighting a smile that suddenly wanted to force its way onto her face. She found herself following Clarke to the car that she recognized as hers, and she forced herself to remain calm as she climbed into its passenger seat.