Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Since I've finished my first week back at school, I figured I'd finally post the chapter about the gang's first day back at school.

Enjoy!

*January 4, 2021*

Running a hand over the small swell of her belly as she relaxes on the couch in the living room of her house, Clarke can't help the smile that tugs at her lips. While she'd initially been terrified at the thought of being a teenage, single mother, things have turned around for her in the months since. She's still a little scared that she's going to be terrible, but her genuine excitement at what the future holds mostly overpowers her fears. Because although she's going to be a teenage mother, she won't be doing it alone, not by a long shot. And she's beyond grateful for that.

The only thing she's really worried about now is all the attention she'll be getting at school. Yes, everyone has already been talking about her on occasion, given that her pregnancy got out way before she wanted it to. But now that she's actually showing…it means that there will most likely be a lot more talk going around school about her. She'll just have to power through it and not let any of it affect her too badly.

Checking the time on her phone, Clarke stands and grabs her backpack on her way to the front door. She slides into her shoes, hikes one strap of the bag onto her shoulder, and then makes her way out of the house and down the sidewalk toward the Blake's front door.

She uses her key to let herself inside, toeing off her shoes and setting her bag down next to them right inside the door as she nudges it closed. She heads straight for the kitchen as she slides the keys into her coat pocket, her stomach rumbling the closer she gets.

"Morning," she greets the family as she steps into the room, making a beeline for the table and sitting in the empty seat next to Octavia.

The young girl grins at her. "Hey, Clarke. You're not usually here already."

Clarke smiles back. "I know. But I was bored and figured I'd save you and Bellamy the trouble of coming to get me."

"You know it's no trouble," Bellamy tells her from his place in front of the stove. "Do you want some breakfast? Or have you already eaten?"

"I would love some. Thanks."

He just smiles and then turns his attention back to the stove.

Letting out a small breath, Clarke leans back in her chair and turns her head toward Octavia. "So, O, are you ready to get back to school?"

Octavia frowns. "No. I don't want vacation to be over."

Bellamy chuckles. "You say that every time you have a break from school."

"Because it's true. I like vacation. Who doesn't like vacations from school?"

"Clarke doesn't. She's a nerd."

Clarke scoffs playfully, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, excuse me for enjoying learning."

"Hey, I enjoy learning too," Bellamy responds, turning around fully to face her. "But I also really enjoy getting a break from learning to spend time with people I love. Like you."

Clarke smiles brightly at Bellamy's words. "Well, I love you too, so the feeling about vacation is mutual. Except I always enjoy learning, so that's where we differ, you and I."

"Indeed it is," Bellamy says, carrying a plate over and setting it down in front of her. "Now hurry up and eat so we can get going."

Clarke immediately digs into her breakfast, grateful that she's able to keep it all down for once. She never knows when Little Bean will decide to make her lose whatever's in her stomach, so she takes it as a small victory whenever she can keep even the smallest portion of food down.

Once the three of them have finished their breakfast, they gather their belongings and then head to Bellamy's car, calling out goodbyes toward Aurora's sewing room on their way. Naturally, Octavia takes her sweet time to get outside.

It's a relatively calm ride like it is every morning. They drop Octavia off at her school and then continue to the high school.

Leaning back in her seat, her elbow resting on the window and her head resting in her hand, Clarke stares out at the scenery. It all blurs together as it passes by the window.

"Clarke."

She turns quickly toward Bellamy. "Hm?"

He smiles. "I asked what's going on in your head right now."

"Oh." She shifts a little in her seat. "Uh, nothing."

"Come on, Clarke. Talk to me."

She sighs heavily, turning more in her seat to face him. "I'm just worried. I'm showing now, so people are probably going to be talking more than they were before."

"So let them talk. If they have anything bad to say, they'll have to answer to me. Probably Murphy too. Maybe Nate. Steve is a potential ally there too. And most likely Drew and—"

"So basically the entirety of every sports team you're on?" Clarke asks with a raised brow.

Bellamy shrugs. "They all know how much you mean to me, and they each love you in their own ways too. I'm sure they'd have no problem defending you if it came down to it."

She smiles. "That's sweet. But I don't want any of them getting in trouble for getting into fights. Especially not on my account."

"Alright. Well, I will do my best to hold them off, but I make no promises that I won't defend you myself."

Clarke sighs. "Bellamy…"

"Hey, I'm just telling you how it is. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't defend my girlfriend and our child?"

Clarke's heart swells at hearing Bellamy refer to the baby as theirs, the smile returning to her face. "Well, I guess if you're defending my honor to earn boyfriend brownie points..."

Bellamy smiles. "See, I knew you'd understand."

The smile remains on Clarke's face throughout the rest of the drive. Something about hearing Bellamy call the baby 'theirs', even though they'd already decided during Christmas that he'll be taking on that fatherly role in the baby's life, makes her a little bit more excited about all of this. Even if she is still a little worried about how she's going to balance being a mom with her last two years of high school.

Eventually, they arrive at the school and begin the short walk from the car to the building, chatting idly as they step through the doors and move through the hallway toward the lunchroom. As they go, Clarke can't help but notice the extra barrier in the hall that Bellamy manages to find for her as they work their way through the seemingly endless crowd of teenagers. And with the way his eyes keep darting down to her stomach every so often, she doesn't even have to wonder why.

She wants to tell him that she'll be okay if she gets bumped into, and so will Little Bean. But he's too cute like this so she keeps her mouth shut for the time being. If it becomes too over-the-top then she'll say something. But right now it's pretty harmless.

When they reach their usual table, Clarke smiles at the few of their friends already sitting there, immediately moving toward the empty seat next to Harper.

"First school day of the new year," she reminds her friends as she sits, dropping her backpack onto the table. "How's everyone's morning been so far?"

Murphy glares at her from across the table. "How the hell are you so chipper right now?"

Clarke shrugs. "I don't know. I just am."

"Well stop."

"Not a chance. I'm feeling great today. I haven't thrown up once since waking up and was able to keep my breakfast down, so I'm going to be riding this feeling for as long as I possibly can."

"As you should," Harper says with a nod. "How much longer do you have again?"

Clarke takes a deep breath, shifting a little in her seat to lean better against Bellamy. "Well, I just entered my second-trimester last week, so I've still got a little ways to go. I think I'm fifteen weeks now, and my OB said that I'm due just after school gets out."

Harper nods along. "Right, I think I remember you saying that. When do you get to find out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Hopefully in a few weeks," Clarke says, a smile tugging at her lips at the thought, absentmindedly running a hand over her belly. "We have an appointment closer to the end of the month, so fingers crossed that we'll get to find out."

"Are you going to have a reveal party?" Harper asks.

Clarke tilts her head, her brows furrowing slightly. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. I think I've been so occupied trying to get ready in other ways that a reveal party never even occurred to me. If I do something, it'll just be all of you and maybe a couple of others. I don't think I'd want something huge or extravagant."

Before anyone can say anything else, the warning bell rings, pulling them all out of their conversations, some of them—mainly Murphy—grumbling about not wanting to go to class. Other students around them are standing and shuffling around to get to their first class of the day. Everyone's moving a little slower than usual, though, given that it's the first day back after winter vacation. Naturally, they're all going to be a little reluctant to do any real work.

.

.

.

Clarke's first few classes go relatively well. Since her stomach is more prominent—she got too warm halfway through first period and had to take off her sweater—everyone is staring more than they were before. If her pregnancy hadn't already gotten out, then anyone looking at her might just think she was a little bloated or ate too much for breakfast. But, unfortunately, that is not the case.

She does her best to ignore it all, though, knowing that there are still people whispering about her and her unborn child. It won't do her any good to dwell on what they're saying, it doesn't have to affect her if she doesn't let it.

She just focuses the best she can on her classes and makes sure that she takes as extensive notes as she can, as well as writing down all the due dates for upcoming assignments and projects. Her GPA can't afford for her to forget things because of "pregnancy brain", so she's sure to be extra thorough with everything.

By the time lunch rolls around, she's beyond grateful. Thankfully she'd had a couple of snacks in her bag to tide her over, but now she desperately needs an actual meal. Even if the lunch provided by the school isn't the healthiest, it's better than nothing at all.

She makes a beeline for the nearest line as soon as she enters the cafeteria, her stomach rumbling as she waits for the students in front of her to move forward so she can get her food. She briefly considers asking the few ahead of her if she can skip because she's pregnant, but she knows they wouldn't react the same way Bellamy would. So she just holds her tongue and waits her turn.

Once she has her meal, Clarke makes her way back through the main part of the cafeteria toward the same table as always.

"Clarke Griffin?"

She turns at the call, smiling when she sees the teen approaching her. "Hi. Yes, that's me." Her brows furrow slightly as she looks at the girl in front of her, taking in her features. "You look kind of familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

The girl shakes her head. "I don't believe so. But you do know my mother. You're in her history class."

Clarke's eyes go wide. "You're Indra's daughter. Gaia, right?"

The girl nods. "Yes. I…I hope this isn't too presumptuous of me, but my mother may have mentioned that if I were to become friends with anyone here, it should be people like you and your friends."

Clarke blinks. "Oh. Do you go here now?"

"Yes. Today's my first day. It's kind of a long story that I don't feel like getting into right now."

Clarke shakes her head. "Not a problem. And it's not presumptuous at all. We're really not that exclusive of a friend group, and we've all got other friends too, it's just that we've all been hanging out together since elementary school. But you are more than welcome to come and sit with us. It wouldn't be the first time we've invited a new kid to have lunch with us."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Come on." She gestures with her head through the cafeteria and then turns to make her way toward the table. "Just a quick warning," she says over her shoulder as they walk, "some of my friends can be a little…much. Just so you're somewhat prepared to meet them."

"I appreciate the warning."

Approaching the table, Clarke sets her tray down and takes up her seat next to Bellamy, patting the empty seat on her other side for Gaia. "Hey, everyone, hope you don't mind an extra body joining us. This is Gaia."

"Wait, aren't you Indra's kid?" Murphy pipes up.

Gaia nods. "Yes. I hope that it doesn't prevent you all from speaking freely around me, though. I promise I'm not a snitch."

"Murphy wouldn't care either way," Clarke tells her with a quiet laugh. "Speaking of which, since you're new here, I suppose introductions are in order. John Murphy is the school's resident asshole, so don't take it personally if he says something rude to you, he's rude to everyone. Nate Miller, actual teddy bear and one of the best football players we've got. Harper McIntyre, literal angel and one of the greatest people you'll ever meet. Monty Green, also one of the greatest people whose best friend Jasper has the other lunch. Maya Vie, new to the school but easily one of the nicest people here. And then there's Bellamy Blake, an amazing triple athlete as well as my best friend."

Gaia nods along. "Right. Well, that was very succinct, thank you. I'll do my best to remember all of that."

Clarke waves her off. "Don't stress. No one's expecting you to remember everything right away."

"That's good to know. I'm glad we've met, Clarke. You and your friends seem like very nice people."

Clarke smiles. "We do our best. Some are a little nicer than others," she says with a pointed glare in Murphy's direction to which he just flips her off. She looks back at Gaia. "Harper's for sure the bubbliest, but Bellamy's pretty much everyone's rock."

"Right. And how long have you and Bellamy been an item?"

Clarke immediately freezes, Bellamy's body stiffening beside her, her eyes going wide. Mere seconds later everyone at the table bursts into fits of laughter.

Gaia's eyebrows furrow. "I don't understand. What's so funny?"

"They aren't dating," Nate responds. "Even though everyone in this school thinks that they should, they're just friends. Have been since they were kids."

"I made the same mistake at the beginning of the year when I first met them too," Maya pipes in.

Gaia blinks. "Oh, my apologies. I just assumed from how close you're sitting, and that you seem to be expecting a child."

"They always sit that close," Harper interjects. "And the baby isn't Bellamy's. It's Clarke's ex-boyfriend's kid."

"Oh. Well then, I truly apologize for making assumptions. And congratulations on your child."

Clarke smiles at the young girl. "Thank you. And uh, you were right about one thing that you said."

"I was?"

Clarke nods. "Yes." She grabs Bellamy's hand in hers, setting their linked hands on top of the table. "Bellamy and I are dating." She watches as everyone just stares at them, it's clear that none of them know what to do or say at this point.

"Hang on," Murphy is the first to speak up, leaning forward in his seat, "you two are together now? When exactly were you thinking about telling any of us about this?"

Bellamy shrugs. "We wanted to see who would figure it out first. Most of you have known us long enough that we thought one of you would notice a difference."

"We actually had a little bet between ourselves going on as to who would figure it out first," Clarke adds. "I honestly thought that it would be one of you, especially Nate, Murphy, or Harper. I never thought a new person to the group would be the first to point it out."

"Honestly," Murphy speaks up, "I did notice some slight changes between you two when we were at that stupid party you made us all go to. But I didn't bring it up because I assumed you weren't together. Just like whenever someone else asks if you are, I figured the answer would be no."

Nate turns to him with a raised brow. "And you just decided to keep this thought to yourself?"

Murphy scoffs. "Obviously. Because if I told any of you, you'd think I'd have gone crazy. And if I was wrong, you'd never let me live it down." He grins and leans forward. "However, you all owe me money because I won this bet as well."

Everyone grumbles and then pulls out their wallets to pass Murphy the cash that they owe him.

Clarke lets out a sigh and shakes her head. "Of course you had a bet about us getting together."

Murphy counts through his cash silently. "We've been over this, Clarke. We've got bets about a lot of things involving you and Bellamy. And if I'd told you about this particular bet, you would have gotten together sooner or later just so I wouldn't win."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"When did you two get together?" Harper asks.

"Christmas Day," Clarke answers with a smile, her free hand resting on her belly. "He handmade a crib for the baby and gave it to me that night. Then I told him that this baby is basically his too because he's loved it just as much as I have from day one. Then we confessed our feelings for each other and sealed it with a kiss."

"Why do you have to go and do things like that, Bellamy?" Nate pipes up.

Bellamy's brows furrow. "What do you mean?"

"You handmade her a damn baby crib," Murphy interjects. "When you go and do things like that, it makes all other boyfriends in the world look bad. I mean, not me because the idea of being someone's boyfriend is disgusting to me, but all the others, yes. You're making them look bad."

Bellamy just shrugs. "Sorry?"

Clarke snickers. "No, you aren't."

He smiles down at her. "No, I'm not. I would do anything for you and this baby, anything in the world. You know that."

"Yes, I do." She smiles back at him, leaning up to kiss him.

"Well, this is just perfect," Murphy's voice interrupts the moment. "Now they're going to be all over each other more than they already were."

"Oh, you'll survive," Nate retorts. "It's not like we haven't seen them all over each other before."

"Yeah, but now they're going to be kissing all the time."

"Just let them be happy," Harper cuts in. "Shouldn't we be glad that they've finally admitted their feelings for each other and have now put the rest of us out of our misery of having to see them hopelessly pine after each other?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

Bellamy blinks, glancing at their friends. "You guys know we're still sitting right here, right?"

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!