Hey babes! Back with a new chapter for you all! One thing I wanna say, the POV switches in this chapter, the first and last sections are Clarke's POV and the two middle ones are Bellamy's. Genuinely don't know how that happened while I was writing it, but that's how it turned out and it would have been too much work to try and fix it. So there we go.

Enjoy!

*September 5, 2020*

"I got it!" Clarke shouts as she bounds down the staircase, her hair bouncing behind her. Her socks slide a little on the hardwood floor when she lands, but she manages to recover quickly and rushes to the door. She quickly glances at the time on her phone as she pulls the door open with a grin. "You know you don't have to pick me up, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Her brows furrow together tightly at seeing her boyfriend standing on the front porch. "Finn? What are you doing here?"

Finn shrugs. "You weren't answering your phone. I came by to see if you wanted to go catch a movie. Maybe grab something to eat too. But it seems like you're calling it an early night," he remarks, eyeing her pajamas. The very same ones she wears to Bellamy's every time they have their annual sleepover. They're not the exact ones she wore the first time, but they're close enough in design.

"Sort of," she tells him, shifting a little on her feet. "I'm staying over at Bellamy's tonight. It's our annual sleepover, the one I told you about. We normally have it the weekend before school starts, but he was busy with work and football all summer so we didn't get the chance which is why we're having it tonight instead."

"Oh. And you're going to be at his place? Alone?"

She shakes her head. "Not really. His mom is always there, though she usually sticks to her bedroom or sewing room. And his sister is gonna beg us at some point to let her join us. So we're not really going to be alone."

"Well, either way, I don't think I want you going over there."

Clarke raises a brow at his words, her arms instinctively crossing over her chest. "That's not up to you. You may be my boyfriend, but that doesn't mean you can tell me who I can and can't hang out with."

Finn sighs heavily, one hand running through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just don't trust him."

If it's even possible, her eyebrows furrow together tighter. How could someone not trust Bellamy? He's one of the most trustworthy people she knows. "What do you mean you don't trust him?"

"It's the way he looks at you, Clarke. You don't see it, but I do."

"Looks at me how?"

Finn shifts on his feet, his hands stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans. "All the longing glances whenever you aren't looking at him. He's into you, Clarke. And I'm not comfortable with you hanging out with him while he is. You need to set him straight, make those boundaries clear."

Clarke can't help but roll her eyes. "You don't understand, Finn. You haven't spent enough time around the two of us together and are clearly reading into something that isn't there. Bellamy was the first friend I made after I moved here and is always there for me, we've been through a lot together. There's no way in hell that he could see me as anything more than a friend. I promise you that."

Finn sighs. "Listen. I trust you, Clarke. I just don't entirely trust him. So set him straight, okay? I don't want to lose you—especially not to him."

Clarke clocks the clear distress on Finn's face and smiles softly. She can't say she entirely blames him for the way he's feeling. She and Bellamy are extremely close and people have thought they were dating before so his concerns aren't entirely baseless.

"You aren't going to lose me, Finn. Okay?" She steps a little closer to him, placing her hands on his face to get him to look at her. "Did you hear me? You are not going to lose me. Not now, not anytime soon. You're stuck with me."

Finn manages a small smile. "And you're stuck with me. I'm sorry about what I said. I'm just protective of my girlfriend."

"Well try not to be so caveman about it, okay? It's not a very good look."

Finn nods, his arms loosely encircling her waist. "I'll do my best." He leans down to slide his lips over hers, tugging her a little closer.

Clarke kisses him back happily, sliding her arms around his neck to pull him down closer so the angle is better. The last thing she wants is a sore neck while she's trying to have fun at Bellamy's place.

She smiles into the kiss, shifting even closer when Finn's hands drift underneath the hem of her pajama shirt. His fingers begin tracing circles against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine and causing a soft moan to emanate from the back of her throat. His hands slowly move down so they're resting on top of her pajama pants on the curve of her butt.

"Young man, I suggest you think twice about where your hands go next."

Quickly pulling away and turning around, Clarke's eyes widen at her stepdad standing in the hallway, his arms folded across his chest and a hard scowl on his face. The salt-and-pepper beard somehow makes it look more threatening.

She throws him a nervous smile, trying to remain as casual as possible. Maybe she can worm her way out of this one. "Hey, Marcus."

"Hello, Mr. Kane, sir," Finn says. "It's great to see you again." Marcus remains silent. Finn sucks in a sharp, nervous breath. "Okay, then. Clarke, I uh, I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah, bye." She gives him the tiniest hint of a smile and then lets her eyes drift down to the floor. She stares at the fuzziness of her socks as she listens for the door to close and Finn's car to start.

Knowing that Marcus is still standing in the hallway she looks up, fully prepared to defend herself. "Before you read me the riot act, we weren't going to do anything. I promise you, nothing was going to happen."

Marcus is silent for a moment longer and then he nods, shifting on his feet and uncrossing his arms. "Good." He slides his hands into the pockets of his sweater. "You're much too young to be doing anything of that nature. I know I'm not your real dad, but I hope after all these years of me being in your life that you consider me to be a father-type figure. I care about you very much, Clarke, and I only want you to make wise decisions. There are all kinds of consequences that come with having an intimate relationship with someone. And despite what you may think, it's possible that you're not quite ready to deal with all of the consequences yet."

Clarke offers him a small smile. Once they got over the rocky start to their relationship, Marcus has absolutely been more of a parental figure to Clarke than her own mom most of the time. It sucks to say, but her mom is hardly around enough to really be a parent. Hence why she and her mom still have such a strained relationship. It shifted dramatically when her dad died and it never healed. Thank goodness for Marcus Kane, though, always doing his best to help them mend those broken pieces.

"Thank you, Marcus," she says to him. "I do value your opinion. A lot. You're always here when I need you. I couldn't ask for a better stepdad."

He smiles back. "That means a lot to hear, Clarke, thank you." He takes a deep breath, shifting on his feet. "So, you're going over to Bellamy's tonight, correct?"

Clarke nods. "Yeah. We're probably gonna sleep in a little since tomorrow's Saturday, but I know he has to work in the afternoon, so I'll be home before then. I might go hang out with Harper and Zoe for a few hours, but we haven't fully committed to that yet."

"Okay. Just let me know if you do decide to go out."

"I will. Promise." She glances at the time on her phone, her eyes going wide. "Oh! I better get going. Is Mom working late again?"

"She is, yes."

Clarke scoffs internally. No surprise there. "Okay. If she asks where I am when she gets home, just—"

"I'll remind her that you're at Bellamy's," Marcus says with a small nod. "I know. Now go have fun."

She steps over to Marcus and rises just enough on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're the best." She moves quickly up the stairs to her room to collect everything she needs for the night, making sure to do a triple-check, and then slips into her moccasins; the perfect shoes to wear with her fuzzy socks when she's just walking down the street a few houses.

Slipping her phone charger into one of the pockets of her bag, she hoists the bag onto her shoulder, grabs her sleeping bag, and then heads back downstairs. Marcus is nowhere to be found, most likely in his office looking through proposals and various other official documents. Oh, the life of a politician—one of the most beloved politicians in their area, too.

Grabbing her house keys off their hook, she eagerly makes her way outside and down the sidewalk toward Bellamy's house. They'd both been thrilled when, the day they met, they realized they lived so close to each other. And Nate lives across the street, almost directly in the middle of their two houses. She always loved living so close to two of her best friends, being able to see them all the time without having to go too far or ask her parents for a ride.

Approaching the house that she's, collectively, probably spent more time in than her own, Clarke uses the key Bellamy gave her once upon a time to let herself in. "Hello?" she calls out as she pushes the door closed behind her and flips the lock. "Anyone home?"

"I was wondering when you'd get here."

She turns and smiles at Bellamy's approaching form, pajamas similar to what he wore at their first sleepover adorning his body—and they're doing absolutely nothing to hide the muscles he acquired over the years since he first started playing football in seventh grade.

She shakes her head a little to clear the thought away and smiles brightly at her best friend. "Hey, sorry. Finn stopped by unexpectedly."

"Everything good?"

"Everything's fine. Now, are you ready for the best sleepover ever?"

Bellamy tilts his head with an amused smile. "Isn't that what you said last year? And the year before that? And every year since our first sleepover?"

She nods. "Yes, because every year this sleepover is the best sleepover ever."

"Fair point. Lead the way." He bows low and holds his arm out in the direction of the living room.

Clarke laughs at his theatrics and walks into the living room, finding Bellamy's sleeping bag already laid out as well as the various snacks they always eat and games they always play. She sets her bag down and then quickly unrolls her sleeping bag to spread it out next to Bellamy's. She sits down on top of it, kicks her shoes off, and then smiles brightly at Bellamy already sitting on his.

It doesn't take long for them to jump into the full swing of the sleepover, the conversation flowing between them as easily as it always does as they each grab their favorite snacks.

.

.

.

"Okay," Bellamy speaks up as he enters the living room with a bowl of pretzels and a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. "Time for video games. What should we play first?" He sits next to Clarke on the couch, setting the pretzels and popcorn on the coffee table that's been pushed aside to make room for their sleeping bags.

"Mario Kart?" Clarke suggests, leaning across Bellamy to grab a few pieces of popcorn and toss them into her mouth.

Bellamy frowns. "No."

"What? Why not?"

"Because you always cheat," he responds, grabbing the stack of video games to start sorting through them for something else to play.

Clarke throws her head back and laughs. "What? How on earth do I cheat at Mario Kart? I don't think it's even possible to cheat at that game."

"You cheat by always knocking me around with your power-ups whenever I get in front of you."

"That's how the game works. Quit pouting."

"I'm not pouting," he defends himself.

Clarke snickers. "Yeah, you are." She leans across him again for some more snacks and her hair brushes against his nose. It probably would have made him sneeze if he wasn't so overwhelmed by the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo. It's a scent that he's always associated with Clarke for as long as he can remember. Whenever he gets a whiff of it anywhere else, his first thought is of Clarke.

Shaking his head a little to focus his thoughts on the task at hand, he clears his throat and shifts a little on the couch, returning his attention to the stack of games. "So, Mario Kart is out…"

"Only because you're too chicken to race against me."

Bellamy shoots her a soft glare and then looks back at the games. "We could play Just Dance?"

Clarke shakes her head. "No. You'll push me over the second I get a better score than you. You always do."

Bellamy scoffs. "Okay, that was one time, by accident. When we were ten."

"Still, I'm not risking it today."

Bellamy sighs heavily. "Fine. None of these games sound that fun right now anyways. We can play cards," he suggests. "And I could whoop your ass at Go Fish again."

Clarke turns to him with narrowed eyes. "The fact that you beat me every damn time we play is beyond frustrating."

"So...does that mean you don't want to play Go Fish?" Bellamy asks, though he already knows what her answer is going to be, his hands slowly reaching for the nearby deck of cards.

"Of course I want to play."

Bellamy smiles, sliding down onto the carpeted floor and pulling his legs under him as he dumps the cards out of their box and begins shuffling them. He does so silently, waiting for Clarke to join him on the floor so they can start their game.

She does after a moment and is already watching him with narrowed eyes, no doubt thinking about her strategy to try and beat him this time around. Honestly, he has no idea how he always beats her at Go Fish. But her reaction is always amusing.

.

.

.

"Damn it."

Bellamy fights back a laugh when Clarke hands over her four of spades, allowing him to complete another set. The fact that she just drew that card and was probably going to ask him for his fours doesn't help matters any.

"Hi."

Bellamy looks up from the cards in his hand to find his sister entering the room, dressed in her pajamas and her favorite pair of slippers. "Hey, O."

"Hi, Octavia," Clarke says, not looking away from the cards in her hand, her brows furrowing together tightly. "Do you have any fives?"

"Go Fish," he replies with an amused smile on his face.

Clarke's face falls. "Jerk," she mutters as she reaches forward to take a card from the top of the deck.

"How am I a jerk?" he asks with a small laugh, though he suspects he already knows her answer.

"Because you keep telling me to Go Fish. Your turn."

"That's how the game is played, Clarke. Do you have any sixes?"

Her eyes go wide. "How...I literally just drew a six!" she exclaims, reluctantly pulling the card from her hand and holding it out to him. "How the hell do you keep doing that? Nevermind, I don't want to know."

Bellamy chuckles as he adds the card to his hand, part of him feeling sorry that Clarke seems to be so upset by him winning the game so far. But another part of him doesn't feel sorry at all because she knows what she's getting herself into when she plays this game with him. Even if he doesn't entirely know how he keeps winning.

"Can I play?" Octavia's voice breaks through his thoughts and he looks up to find her still standing in the doorway watching their game.

"Sorry, O," he says. "This is our sleepover. Meaning it's just the two of us. No little sisters allowed."

Octavia frowns. "But it's always just the two of you hanging out together. Can't I play one game with you? Please?"

"Octavia…"

"Come on, Bellamy," Clarke speaks up. "It's not gonna hurt anything to let her play one hand with us."

Bellamy thinks it over for a moment, tossing the idea around in his head. It really couldn't hurt to let Octavia play one game with them and Clarke is clearly okay with it. He sighs heavily. "Fine. One game. After Clarke and I finish this round we'll deal you in."

Octavia grins. "Cool." She sits on the floor and immediately reaches for the bowl of popcorn.

"Whoa." He reaches out to gently grab his sister's hand. "I said you could play the game. Never said you could eat our snacks too."

"But…"

Bellamy laughs. "I'm kidding. You can eat the snacks. Just not all of them. And you need to brush your teeth again after."

Octavia simply responds with a smile, grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving it into her mouth.

"Okay, Bellamy," Clarke speaks up, shifting in her spot. "Time to get your ass beat so bad at Go Fish that you won't be able to sit for weeks."

Bellamy snorts. "This coming from the girl who has only two pairs compared to my four completed sets."

Clarke rolls her eyes. "Just shut up and ask me for my cards."

He eyes the cards in his hand, thinking carefully. "Do you have any threes?"

"Damn it."

.

.

.

Clarke can't keep the amused grin off her face as she laughs, lying on her stomach inside her sleeping bag with a piece of red licorice hanging between her teeth. "I can't believe she actually did that."

Bellamy shakes his head, chuckling quietly. "I know. She took me completely by surprise, and I was just in a towel. I'm just glad she waited until the other guys were gone. If Murphy was there I would not have heard the end of it."

"What did she even want?" Clarke asks curiously. She's only ever met Echo once or twice since she's a senior and Clarke is only a sophomore; they've never had any classes together, but she's seen the older girl at school. And she's seen her on the soccer, basketball, and softball teams. The girl is very aggressive when it comes to sports.

Bellamy sighs heavily. "She wants me to go to Homecoming with her."

Clarke's eyes go wide. "What? They haven't even announced the date and theme yet and she asked you, before school even started, to go with her? While you were changing after practice?"

Bellamy nods. "Yeah. I guess her aunt still isn't cool with her being gay, even though it's been a few years, so she figured she won't be able to get away with going with another girl to the dance."

"So she wants you to be her beard?"

"I think so. I'm supposed to pick her up and take pictures with her and then when we get to the dance, she's going to split off and spend time with the girl she likes."

Clarke blinks, grabbing a few M&Ms out of the bowl. "Wow. So are you going to help her?"

Bellamy shrugs, shifting inside his sleeping bag to get more comfortable. "I don't know. I told her I'd think about it. Because if I want to ask someone else to the dance, how are they going to feel about me technically going to the dance with another girl?"

"Well, for starters, I'm pretty sure everyone knows Echo is gay because that girl has zero reservations about making out with other girls anywhere she can." They share a quick laugh. "So, I think if you just explain the situation most girls will be pretty chill about it. And if they aren't, they clearly don't have as big of a heart as you do by going to the dance with Echo simply for show."

Bellamy's brows furrow together tightly. "How do you know I'm going to go to the dance with Echo? I haven't decided yet."

Clarke playfully rolls her eyes. "Because I know you, Bellamy. You can't resist helping someone who needs it. Or should I remind you about when we met?"

Bellamy ducks his head, a small smile on his face, then glances back up at Clarke. "You really think I should help Echo out? Be her 'beard' as you called it?"

Clarke nods. "Yeah, I think you should. Even if you don't go with someone, chances are Murphy won't have a date either so you two can hang out together. Maybe share a few slow dances too."

Bellamy just rolls his eyes. "You're hilarious, Clarke. But you're right, too. When I see Echo at school I'll tell her that I'll pick her up for the dance and put on a front for her aunt."

"Good. Let's just hope her aunt won't see through the facade and know that Echo doesn't actually want to go to the dance with a guy. Which I can't entirely blame her for, because I think most guys are a little more...relaxed when it comes to getting ready for a high school dance."

"What about Finn?" Bellamy asks her, pulling the bowl of potato chips closer to him. "Do you think he'll go to the dance with you?"

Clarke tilts her head as she thinks about her boyfriend. They didn't start dating until roughly halfway through her freshman year, so they missed the opportunity to go to homecoming together. And neither of them was old enough to go to Prom without an upperclassman asking them. "Um...I'm not sure. Hopefully he will, because I've already been thinking about what style and color dress I want to get."

He smiles softly at her. "I'm sure whatever dress you decide to get, it'll look great on you. Then again, you look great in just about anything you wear so it's not that far of a stretch."

Clarke shifts in her sleeping bag, her mind flashing back to earlier that night when Finn stopped by and told her how he felt about her friendship with Bellamy. She's done her best to push the thought as far back in her head as she possibly could all night, but now it seems it doesn't want to stay there. "Hey, Bellamy?" she speaks up, her voice a little shakier than normal.

"Yeah?"

"Um...I wanted to talk to you about something. It kind of has to do with Finn."

Bellamy's brows furrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Not really. It's just...well, Finn's under the impression that you think of me as more than a friend. I told him he was being crazy, of course, because we're just friends. He doesn't have anything to worry about."

Bellamy shakes his head. "No, he doesn't. I don't know where he got the idea, but I don't think of you that way, Clarke. You're my best friend. I would never want to ruin what we have by developing feelings for you."

"Well, I don't think it can be helped who you fall for. The only thing you have control over is what you do about it, whether you act on those feelings or not."

Bellamy nods. "Right. But I can assure you, Clarke, that my feelings for you are strictly platonic. Nothing more."

Clarke takes a slow, deep breath. "Okay. Good, that's good."

"Everything's okay, then?" Bellamy asks her, the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

She smiles back, nodding. "Yeah, everything's good."

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!