Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
Enjoy!
Bounding down the stairs, Clarke pushes her hair out of her face as she moves into the kitchen, her shoulder bag bouncing against her side. She digs through the cupboards in search of the right snacks to restock her bag since Monty and Jasper basically cleared her out this entire week. Even though they're going to be at a game with a concession stand, it never hurts to have a few extra snacks on hand for them.
A quick knock at the front door draws her attention and she glances over her shoulder. "Marcus, could you get that?" she calls into the living room where she knows her stepdad is. If he's not in his home office working or his office in town working, then he's in the living room. "It's probably Octavia." She turns back to the cupboards, shoves the last of the snacks she needs into her bag, and then makes her way out to the front hall.
She smiles when she sees the young girl dressed up to help show her support for the football team. "Hey, O."
Octavia smiles back. "Hi. Do you think Bell will like my outfit? He didn't get to see it before he left."
Clarke pulls the young girl into a quick hug. "I think he's going to love it. Especially because it's you that's wearing it."
"And because we made it," Octavia reminds her.
Clarke smiles at the recent memory of the two of them sitting down to make a shirt that's near-identical to Clarke's. "Well, you're the one who designed it, so that's why he's going to love it." There's a quick beep from her phone and she looks down to find a new text from Finn, letting her know that he's outside waiting with his car running. She types back a quick reply and looks at Octavia as she slides the phone into her bag. "Finn's outside. Are you ready to go?"
Octavia frowns. "He didn't come to the door."
Clarke's brows furrow tightly. "What?"
Octavia lets out a huff of air. "In all the movies, the boyfriends always come to the door to pick up their girlfriends. Finn didn't come to the door."
Clarke waves her off. "It's fine. We already talked about it and I told him to just wait outside for me. It's easier."
"Bellamy would come to the door."
Clarke sighs, resting a hand on Octavia's shoulder to guide her toward the front door. "I know he would. But we're not talking about your brother right now. Bye, Marcus!" she calls over her shoulder, pulling the door open. "Going to the game now."
"Have fun! And let me know if you'll be out any later."
Once outside, with the door closed tightly and locked behind her, Clarke smiles when she spots Finn's truck sitting against the curb, the engine still running. She ushers Octavia into the cab and then climbs in, tugging the door closed. She'd much prefer to have Octavia sitting in a proper backseat, but they're doing the best with what they have.
"Hey, baby," Finn greets her once she's fully inside the truck.
"Hey." She easily straps herself in and makes sure Octavia is settled comfortably. "You ready for the game tonight?"
Finn shrugs, letting out a breath. "I guess so." He shifts the car into drive and pulls out onto the street.
Clarke sighs. "Come on, Finn. Are you really going to be like that the entire night?"
"Like what?"
"Like you don't want to go."
"Well, I don't. Not really. I don't even go to my own school's football games."
"Yet you're going to one for mine."
He glances over at her. "Only because you asked me to."
She smiles sweetly at him. "I know. And that's one of the reasons why I love you so much."
He smiles back. "I love you too."
"Well, I'm glad we can still agree on that." She leans back in her seat and lifts her feet onto the dashboard, tossing Octavia a goofy face to make her laugh. It does the trick, easing a bit of the tension that was in the air.
Until Finn sighs heavily.
"Clarke, how many times have I asked you to keep your feet off the dash?"
"Oh, right, sorry. " She pulls her feet down and sits up a bit straighter in her seat. "Habit."
"Let me guess, you always put your feet on the dash in Bellamy's car, and he lets you."
Octavia scoffs. "Of course he does."
Clarke glances down at the girl. "Not now, O." She looks back up at her boyfriend. "Why do I get the feeling that there's a lot more to that sentence than what you said?"
"There isn't."
"Finn."
He lets out another heavy sigh. "You're just going to get mad at me for saying it. Again."
"How do you know unless you say it?"
"Do you really want me to say it?"
She glances down at Octavia again, watching the girl look between her and Finn, listening with rapt attention. "No," she says, focusing back on her boyfriend. "I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to have that discussion again. Especially not right now. I already told you the truth about that situation, and you're still choosing to see something that's not there."
"See, I didn't even have to say it and you're mad at me."
She throws her hands up. "I'm not mad at you, Finn. But I thought this conversation was done. I promise you that what I told you is the truth. Nothing is happening there. And nothing will ever happen there. It's completely innocent."
Finn nods. "Good. Because you're my girlfriend, and I don't need some other guy trying to get with you just because he knows everything about you."
"He doesn't know everything about me," Clarke tries to protest. He gives her a look. She sighs, nodding. "Okay, so he knows basically everything about me. But that's only because we've known each other practically forever."
"Yeah, I know. It just...it makes me a little worried, okay?"
"I know it does." She reaches across behind Octavia to rest a hand on Finn's shoulder, gently rubbing it and giving him a smile. "But I meant what I said. You have nothing to worry about. Even if he wasn't being completely honest, I was. I don't feel anything for him like that. So if you can't trust him, then can you trust me?"
Finn's quiet for a moment and then sighs, nodding and giving her a small smile. "Yeah, I can trust you."
"I'm glad to hear it. I'd kiss you right now if the kid wasn't in the way."
He turns his head to look at her, his smile shifting. "Guess I'll just have to cash it in later, then."
"Yeah, I guess you will."
She leans back comfortably in her seat for the rest of the drive, letting her hand fall from Finn's shoulder so her arm is draped around Octavia's shoulder. She pulls the girl a little closer into a side hug, digging her phone out and pulling up YouTube to keep Octavia entertained until they get to the game. It's not a long drive, but she knows first-hand that young kids don't always have the best attention spans or ability to keep themselves busy. Thankfully, watching random YouTube videos does the trick, and Octavia's laughter fills the truck for the remainder of the drive.
As soon as they're in the lot and the car is parked, Octavia is clambering over her to try and get out, tossing her phone at her in the process.
Clarke laughs, gently wrapping an arm around the young girl to keep her from accidentally hitting something vital. "Hang on, O. Can I get out first before you knee me in the stomach?"
Octavia sits back, letting out a huff of air. "Fine."
"Thank you." She pushes the door open and climbs out, steps aside to let Octavia out, and then shuts the door after her. "You seem very ready and excited to watch the game."
Octavia grins, bouncing a little on her feet. "I am."
"Good, that's what I like to hear."
"Clarke?"
"Yeah?"
Octavia shifts on her feet, her smile fading. "Um...in the car...were you and Finn talking about Bell?"
Clarke's breath catches. She forgot for a moment how perceptive kids can be. "Uh, why would you think that?"
Octavia shrugs. "You didn't want to talk about it with me in the car. And I know how close you and Bell are. Is everything okay?"
Clarke smiles. "Everything's fine. I promise. Just a little misunderstanding, that's all." She takes a deep breath. "Alright, you ready? Harper should be waiting for us at the gate." She grabs Octavia's hand so she doesn't accidentally lose the younger girl on the way and starts walking. She glances over her shoulder to see Finn jogging a little to catch up with them.
"Clarke!"
She smiles wide when she catches sight of Harper waving to catch her attention. "Hey, Harper," she says with a wave back.
"Hi, Harper!" Octavia greets excitedly as they get closer.
Harper smiles down at her. "Hey, O. Your shirt looks great."
Octavia grins. "Thanks. Clarke helped me make it."
"Well, I'm not surprised by that. You two ready for the game?"
Clarke smiles and nods. "We certainly are. Where are Jasper and Monty?"
Harper laughs. "Where else? Raiding the concession stand before we find seats."
Clarke laughs with her and nods. "Of course they are. Are we waiting for them to go find our seats, or are we texting them once we find seats?"
"Honestly, it might be better if we go in and find seats first, I don't know how much longer they're going to be."
Clarke nods. "Right, that's smart. Let's go, then," she says, heading toward the ticket booth.
Harper grabs her hand to stop her. "I actually already got you guys tickets, you can just pay me back later." She hands their tickets over and then makes her way through the gate, heading toward the stands.
Clarke looks back at Finn and gestures with her head for him to follow, already moving toward the entrance. She holds out the tickets for the man at the gate and then moves inside, easily spotting Harper near the bottom of the stadium steps, talking with Monty and Jasper.
"Well, looks like you two are ready for the game," she says to the two boys, eyeing the array of snacks they're somehow managing to balance in their arms.
Jasper grins. "Isn't it great?"
Clarke chuckles. "Yeah, it's great, Jas."
"Clarke?" Octavia speaks up, gently tugging on her hand. "Can I go get some snacks too? Before the game starts?"
"We gotta find some seats first," Clarke tells the younger girl. "Then I'll go with you and we can get some snacks."
Octavia deflates just a little. "Okay."
"I can take her to grab some snacks while you and Finn find seats," Harper offers with a sweet smile. "If that's okay."
Clarke looks down at Octavia. "What do you think, O? Wanna go with Harper to get some snacks?"
Octavia smiles and nods. "Yes, please."
"It's fine with me," Clarke says, looking back at Harper. "I told her that she can get pretty much whatever she wants with the money she has. But uh...don't let her go too overboard, I guess? I don't need Bellamy giving me a hard time because she gets sick later tonight or anything."
Harper nods, taking Octavia's hand when Clarke lets go. "Got it. I'll get some snacks for us to share too. Just text me where you're at when you find a place." She gives Monty a quick kiss on the cheek and then walks away toward the concession stand with Octavia.
"Alright, let's go find some seats," Clarke says to the others, letting out a breath. She grabs Finn's hand and slowly starts moving, shooting Monty and Jasper a slightly worried look. "Are you two gonna be able to get up the steps with all that food in your arms? Because I don't need you griping the whole night about how you got hurt or crushed some of your food."
"We'll be fine, Clarke," Monty assures her, going to take a step forward and almost tripping over himself if it wasn't for Finn reaching out to catch his arm.
Clarke groans internally. Sometimes those two really test her patience without even trying. She gently tugs on Finn's hand to pull him toward the stadium stairs, moving up a few rows so they aren't sitting directly near the bottom. She moves up a little higher than she'd probably normally like to sit so that Jasper can have his opportunity to cheer from a higher spot. Though, how the higher up he sits makes any difference to his cheering, she still has no idea.
Finding a good spot to sit, she and Finn help Jasper and Monty navigate into the correct spots and then sit down in front of them. She quickly shoots Harper a text to let her know where they're sitting, and then sets her bag at her feet, glad that there aren't any gross sticky spills on the concrete that could potentially stain her bag. Looking out at the field there's not a lot happening yet, but by the looks of things, the game should be starting very soon.
"You sure you don't want any face paint?" Clarke asks Finn a moment later, turning a little toward him. They'd discussed it already over the phone before he picked her up, but it couldn't hurt to try again.
Finn sighs. "Yes, I'm sure. I don't go to your school, so it's a little harder for me to get into the cheering and whatnot."
"Yeah, I know. I just figured you could put a little on to blend in with everyone else."
The edges of his lips quirk up. "This is really that important to you?"
She shrugs. "A little."
He sighs, a tiny smile on his face. "Okay, I'll wear some. Just don't go overboard, okay?"
She grins. "I promise." She digs around in her bag and pulls out the face paint she brought along in case she needs to retouch up her own paint later in the evening. Turning more in her seat to face Finn better, she opens the case and applies a minimal amount of paint to his face so he can at least look like he's cheering for the team.
Just as she's finishing up, Harper and Octavia arrive, each of them carrying an armful of snacks, though Octavia has a few more than Harper does. Octavia sits down next to her while Harper climbs up to sit by Monty.
"Wow, looks like you've got a good supply of snacks there," Clarke remarks.
Octavia smiles. "Yeah. Bell never lets me have this much."
Clarke laughs to herself, knowing that Bellamy would probably have a heart attack if he saw how much junk food Octavia bought. "Well then maybe we should take a picture to show him after the game."
Octavia grins and nods. "Yeah. Let's do that. Hold on." She shifts in her seat, most likely getting more comfortable, and then readjusts the food in her arms. "Okay, I'm ready."
Pulling her phone out of her bag, Clarke snaps a quick photo of Octavia beaming while holding all of her snacks. "Oh, that's perfect. Bellamy's gonna love that for sure."
"Octavia, here's your hot dog," Harper says, holding out a foil-wrapped hotdog. She looks at Clarke. "She said she didn't have dinner, so I figured you and Bellamy would both appreciate her eating something somewhat resembling actual food before all the candy."
Clarke smiles. "I do appreciate that, Harper, thanks. I didn't even think about that." She grabs the hotdog and looks at Octavia, stopping her from unwrapping a bag of candy. "O, eat your hotdog first. Then you can dig into the candy."
Octavia sighs heavily. "Fine." She manages to stack all the snacks next to her and then grabs the hotdog, unwrapping the foil.
"Oh, here's some ketchup and mustard." Harper hands down a few packets of each condiment, followed by another foil-wrapped hotdog. "And Clarke, I got you a hotdog as well."
Clarke smiles up at her friend as she takes the hotdog. "I love you." She gladly unwraps the hotdog and begins to eat, not bothering with condiments so she doesn't accidentally get any on her clothes. She doesn't want to deal with that tonight.
She shares a smile with Octavia while they eat their hot dogs. Then she leans a little closer to snap a few quick selfies with her to document the moment. But then, of course, Jasper realizes what they're doing and jumps in to photobomb their selfies. So their whole group proceeds to kill time until the game starts with goofy photos. She even manages to get Finn to take a few group selfies with them.
Soon enough, the game starts, their school's team being announced as they run out onto the field.
Clarke and Octavia both jump up and cheer excitedly once they catch sight of Bellamy's jersey number, cupping their hands around their mouths to increase the sound. Even though Bellamy can't hear them above the crowd, they still love to do it.
"I know you told me how into football games you get, but I didn't realize it would be this much."
She turns to Finn with a smile, giving him a small shrug. "I've been going to games since I was fifth grade when Bellamy joined flag football in sixth. I definitely didn't used to be this intense."
"Well, it's a cute look on you," he tells her with his usual smile.
"Thank you." She kisses him on the cheek. "Now be quiet, the game should be starting any second." She turns her attention back to the field, bouncing a little on her feet as she waits anxiously for the game to commence. She's got a good feeling about this one.
.
.
.
When halftime rolls around, Clarke seizes the opportunity to use the restroom, taking Octavia with her so the younger girl can use it as well. She doesn't personally know any of the seniors who are on Homecoming Court this year, so she doesn't feel the need to stick around and see who is crowned Homecoming Queen. Harper will just text her to let her know the results, or tell her when she gets back.
Bellamy texts her during halftime, clearly back in the locker room to rest and get ready for the second half of the game. He asks her the standard questions; how she's enjoying the game, if Octavia's having a good time, how much Monty and Jasper have already gorged themselves on junk food.
She laughs quietly to herself as she texts him back, letting him know that everything is going well, Octavia's having a great time, and Monty and Jasper are teetering on the edge of over-eating.
When they finish up in the bathroom, they head back out to their seats, catching the tail-end of the Homecoming Court's moment on the edge of the field. They settle back on the stadium seats as the girls are being escorted away and the field starts being prepped for the second half of the game.
"You didn't text me," Clarke says to Harper. "Who won?"
"Gina. Bellamy had a thing for her last year, right?"
Clarke nods. "It didn't last very long. He asked her out, but she turned him down. She was really sweet about it, though, so at least there's that."
"I've always liked her. Even though I don't know her that well."
"I've talked to her a few times through ASB stuff, she's really nice. She deserves to be Homecoming Queen."
"Definitely. And I'm still surprised Echo wasn't on Homecoming Court. She's pretty popular, even if she's a bit rougher around the edges."
Clarke shrugs. "People could be waiting to nominate her for Prom Court."
"Possibly. Would you vote for her if she made it to Prom Court and you were a senior?"
Clarke tilts her head as she thinks about the question. She doesn't know Echo all that well. But she seems like a decent enough person, even though her people skills aren't the best. Apparently, they're good enough if she's able to be as popular as she is. Though, most of that is probably because she's been a three-sport athlete since she was in the sixth grade.
"I don't know if I'd vote for her," Clarke answers her friend's question. "I think it would depend on who else was on the Court with her. If she was the best option, then yeah, I'd probably vote for her. What about you?"
"Not sure."
"Well, hopefully by the time we're seniors, it'll be much easier to vote for both Homecoming and Prom Court."
They drift into a comfortable silence while they wait for the second half of the game to start, the chatter from the people around them filling the space.
Clarke leans against Finn while they wait, casting a quick glance to make sure Octavia's still doing okay. The ten-year-old is watching the field carefully as the cheerleaders go through another routine before the second half starts. If Octavia wasn't so interested in martial arts, Clarke could see her becoming a cheerleader. But that might be considered too girly in Octavia's eyes. She is only ten, though, so her views could change as she gets older.
Once the cheerleaders finish their routine for the spectators, the game gets back underway. And their school is leading, thankfully. They'd finished pretty strong in the first half, but anything is possible in the second. They could continue to dominate, or they could get completely overtaken by the other team, now that they've all had time to rest and restrategize.
Clarke watches with rapt attention throughout the remainder of the game, cheering loudly with the rest of the fans whenever their team makes a good play or gets a touchdown. She and Octavia bounce on their feet and scream until it feels like they're going to lose their voices. They're both living in the moment, riding the high of the excitement of watching the game.
"Hey, how much longer until the game is over?"
Clarke glances over at Finn, her brows furrowing together. "What?"
"How much longer until the game's over? I have somewhere important to be after this."
"Relax, it's almost done." She turns her attention back to the field in time to see the ball flying through the air across the heads of the players. It's caught by one of their players who tucks it in tight against his side and starts booking it down the field toward the end zone. "Let's go!" she cheers, her hands cupped around her mouth.
"Let's go!" Octavia repeats, bouncing up and down on her feet.
Clarke smiles down at her and then looks back to the field. She glances at the scoreboard to see the clock's time running down. There are mere seconds left of the game, and the team's final chance to get one more touchdown.
She wrings her hands together in anticipation, watching the last seconds unfold. The player holding the ball makes a beeline straight for the endzone, relying on his teammates to keep the opposing team off his back.
Right as the clock hits zero, the player with the ball dives into the endzone, extending his arms out and down, aiming to get the ball to touch the grass before his body does.
The entire stadium erupts into cheers when he lands, celebrating their win. Even if it doesn't count as a touchdown, they were already ahead enough to have won the game without another touchdown. An extra touchdown would just be the icing on the cake.
"We won!" Clarke beams, turning to Octavia and pulling her into a hug.
Octavia hugs her tightly and then leans back. "Can we go down to the field now and see Bell?"
"Of course." She turns toward Finn. "I'm gonna take Octavia down to go see Bellamy. Do you want to come with us or just meet us at your car?"
"Can't she go down there by herself?" he asks, his mind clearly occupied with something else.
Clarke frowns. "She's ten, Finn. And my responsibility for the night."
"You had Harper take her to get snacks earlier."
"Because Harper offered. And I trust her. But I'm not gonna pawn Octavia off on her now that the game's over. We're only gonna be down there for a couple of minutes."
Finn lets out a huff of air. "Fine. I'll just...I guess I'll just come with you, then."
She doesn't say anything more to him, instead turning back to Octavia. "Alright, O, you ready to go see your brother?"
Octavia grins and nods. "Yeah. I'm gonna give him the biggest hug I can."
"Well, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. And you can show him your outfit too. Come on." She grabs Octavia's hand and holds tightly to it as they make their way down the stadium steps with the rest of the spectators heading onto the field.
"You guys looking for Bellamy?"
She looks up and smiles at Nate standing next to them, his helmet off and sweat covering his skin. "Yeah. Have you seen him?"
"Thirty-yard line." He gestures with his head in the right direction, since there are two thirty-yard lines.
"Great, thanks." She turns and continues her way through the crowd, pulling Octavia along behind her, smiling at and congratulating a few of the other players as she passes them. As soon as she pushes through enough people she spots her best friend talking to a few other students from their school.
Octavia must see Bellamy at the same time she does because the ten-year-old proceeds to shake free of Clarke's grasp and dart across the ground toward her brother. "Bell!"
Bellamy turns at the shout and the widest grin Clarke's ever seen takes up his face. Well, she's seen that grin before, whenever he's looking at his sister. And it's beyond sweet. "Hey, O," he greets his sister, wrapping her in a hug and spinning around. He sets her back on the ground and rests his hands on her shoulder. "I take it you had fun watching the game?"
"So much fun, Bell. And we won!"
Bellamy laughs. "We certainly did. And hey, nice shirt."
"Do you like it?" Octavia asks, bouncing a little on her feet as she tugs at the hem of her t-shirt.
Bellamy nods. "I love it. It's very well done."
"Thanks. Clarke helped me make it."
He looks up at her then and the look on his face makes her heart flutter. She just chalks it up to still being out of breath from all the cheering she did in the stands. That's definitely what it is.
"You helped her make this?"
She shrugs, approaching them slowly. "It was no big deal. We had fun making it. And look, we're matching." She and Octavia strike similar poses to show off their matching shirts to Bellamy.
He laughs again and nods. "I can see that. I love it. My two favorite girls are matching to show me their undying love and support."
Clarke rolls her eyes. "Don't go getting so full of yourself. We're supporting the whole team, not just you."
"Yeah, but mostly me. Right?"
She just laughs and pats his shoulder. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"Clarke!"
She turns around to see Finn approaching, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. "Hey. What's up?"
"Are we gonna go soon?" he asks her. "I told you I've got somewhere I need to be."
She frowns. "You knew we were coming to the game, though. I know you don't go to a lot of football games, but I think it's pretty common knowledge that they don't always end when they're supposed to."
"This is more of a last-minute thing. But it's important."
She sighs. "Fine. Go head up to the car, we'll meet you there in a minute."
He raises a brow. "We?"
She nods slowly. "Me and Octavia. We're taking her home too. And don't even start, she lives three houses down from me. You don't even have to make an extra stop, you can just drop us at my place and I'll walk her home."
Finn stays silent, nodding and then turning around to make his way off the field.
"Everything okay with you two?"
Clarke turns back toward Bellamy, finding him looking at her with a face full of concern. She waves him off. "It's fine. Nothing you need to worry about. We have to go now, though."
"Do we have to?" Octavia asks, her lips turning down.
Clarke smiles apologetically at her. "Yeah, we do. Finn's gotta be somewhere and he's our ride. You can tell Bellamy all about how much fun you had after he gets home. He's still too stinky to leave yet, he needs to shower first."
Octavia tilts her head in thought, looking at Bellamy with a curious gaze. She crinkles her nose and steps back. "Yeah, go shower, Bell."
Bellamy laughs, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. I'm glad you both came, though."
Clarke gives him a look. "Of course we did. Now go shower and change. Octavia will see you tonight and I'll see you tomorrow."
Bellamy nods. "Yes, the homecoming dance. Remind me of the plans?"
Clarke sighs. "I'll text you when I'm in the car. Goodnight, Bellamy."
He smiles. "Goodnight, Clarke."
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!