Hey babes! Back with a new chapter for ya! Spring Break continues for our group, and I am also on a little break from school now, so hooray for that. :)

Enjoy!

*April 6, 2021*

"Ooh, what do you think of this?"

Clarke looks up at the dress Harper is holding out, tilting her head as she admires the fabric and the way it's cut. "It's cute. I'm sure Monty would love seeing you in it."

Harper beams. "He absolutely will. I'm trying it on."

"Good." She shifts a little in her seat. "Remind me again why we're looking for Prom dresses when they haven't even announced when Prom is yet and I'm going to look like a whale at the dance?"

"Because it's fun," Harper tells her. "And Bellamy definitely won't think you look like a whale, he's going to think you look gorgeous. Just as soon as we find you a dress."

Clarke snorts. "Yeah, like we're going to find me something in a store like this."

"Then we'll just have to look at other stores until we do."

"Or just not find me a dress at all."

"Clarke, come on."

Clarke sighs. "Harper, I appreciate what you're trying to do, honestly, but I don't know if I'm gonna go to Prom this year. Even if Bellamy asks me, I'm just…I know I'm just going to be exhausted all night and not want to be on my feet. Neither of us is going to enjoy ourselves."

"You know Bellamy isn't going to care about that. As long as you two are together at the dance, even if you sit at a table all night, he's going to have a good time."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She tilts her head as she peers around the store. "I guess it couldn't hurt to look at…a couple of dresses."

Harper grins. "Yes! Oh, this is perfect. I promise we are going to find the absolute best dress for you to wear to Prom. Even if it's not at this store, we'll find you one."

Clarke laughs quietly. "Kinda need to get asked to the dance first."

Harper scoffs lightly. "Please, we all know Bellamy's going to ask you the second he gets the chance. And it's gonna be some big, romantic gesture that makes every other promposal look incredibly lame."

Clarke smiles to herself. "He is pretty great, huh?"

Harper shrugs. "I guess if you're into that sort of thing."

"Good thing I am." She laughs again as she stands, stretching out her back as well as she can. "I'm gonna take a quick lap around the shop, get the blood flowing to my legs again. Lunch when you're done?"

Harper smiles and nods. "Yeah. What are you thinking?"

"Not sure yet. I'll see you in a few minutes." She turns and makes her way out of the section Harper's in, one hand resting on her belly while the other supports her lower back.

It's been getting more and more difficult for her to get around lately, but she does her best. It helps a bit when Bellamy's around and she can lean heavily on him, but that's not exactly an option right now since she convinced him to spend more time with some of his other friends over Spring Break. And she knows he wouldn't enjoy sitting around while she and Harper shop, though there would be very little to no complaining from him the entire time. That's just Bellamy. And she loves him for it.

"Clarke?"

Spinning around, Clarke's eyes go wide for just a moment when she finds Raven Reyes standing a few feet away near a rack of leather jackets. She quickly sobers up and plasters a polite smile on her face, wandering closer. "Raven, hi. It's been a while."

Raven nods as she turns fully. "Yeah, it has." Her eyes flick down for a moment before she looks back up. "You look great."

Clarke's smile softens as she thinks about her unborn daughter, her hand resting on the swell of her belly. "Thanks. Not too much longer to go now. It feels like the months have just been flying past."

"I'm sure it has. Are you ready?"

She lets out a heavy breath. "Sometimes it feels like we are, and other times I'm completely terrified out of my mind. I want to be a good mom."

"I'm sure you will be. You care, and that's the best foundation you can have as a parent. Just go with your gut, that's what I've always heard. Read the books for advice and whatnot, but ultimately, it's up to you to decide how to raise your baby."

"Thanks. I'll uh, I'll remember that."

Raven nods. "Glad to hear it." The brunette shifts on her feet. "So, do you know what you're having yet?"

Clarke smiles. "A girl. My boyfriend's extremely excited to get to be a girl dad. He's already had some practice with his younger sister, so I know he's going to be great."

"Well, your baby is very lucky to have you both."

"Thanks." Clarke shifts on her feet a bit. "Uh, I should get back to my friend before she wonders where I am."

Raven nods. "Right, yeah. Uh, it was good seeing you again."

Clarke offers her a small smile. "You too." She turns and starts to walk back toward where Harper is when she stops. She hesitates for only a moment before spinning back around. "Hey, Raven?" she calls out before she can stop herself.

The brunette turns slowly toward her. "Yeah?"

"My friend Harper and I were about to head out to grab a late lunch. Do you want to come with us?"

"You don't need to do that. I basically ruined your life because I inadvertently told everyone at your school you're pregnant."

"It would have gotten out sooner or later. Yeah, I would have liked to have been the one to say something, but you didn't ruin my life. How could my life be ruined when I've got a little girl I already love on the way, incredible friends and family supporting me, and an amazing boyfriend who's stepped up in ways my baby's sperm donor never could? My life's great, Raven. You didn't ruin anything, I promise." Her brows furrow slightly. "Have you spent all these months thinking you ruined my life?"

Raven shrugs. "Maybe a little. I just…I felt bad for what happened, for what I did. My life kind of sucks, and I know that's not an excuse for what I did, I'm just…I don't know. I guess I'm just waiting for things to get better."

Clarke gives her a small smile. "Well, maybe I can help you out there a little. Come have lunch with us. Please."

Raven hesitates. "You're sure your friend isn't going to be mad when she realizes who I am?"

Clarke shrugs. "She might be a little annoyed at first, but Harper's not one to hold grudges. Usually. I'm sure you two will get along in no time."

.

.

.

Clarke mentally prepares herself as she approaches Harper in the same section she'd left her in moments before. "Hey," she says with a smile as she gets closer, "so, I may have invited someone to lunch with us and I wanted to warn you about it before she gets over here."

Harper glances around the space. "Where is she?"

Clarke falls back into the chair she'd been using earlier, letting out a breath. "Finishing up what she was doing."

"Okay." Harper's brows furrow. "Wait, why did you need to warn me?"

Clarke takes a deep breath. "Because it's the girl who accidentally told everyone that I'm pregnant before I wanted people to know."

Harper's eyes go wide. "What?! Clarke."

She holds her hands up. "Hey, I know, okay? But…the last time we talked she said she didn't mean to, she was just venting to someone who she didn't think would start telling people. Plus, she was the one who was being cheated on by Finn, I was the other girl in the whole situation."

"Still. She hurt you, Clarke."

Clarke nods. "I know. And she apologized for it. I'm not asking you to start being her best friend or anything, just give her a chance, be civil, and have lunch with her. Please? For me?"

Harper's lips purse together as she remains quiet. Then she lets out a breath, her shoulders sagging. "Fine. I'm doing this for you. You're so lucky I love you."

Clarke grins. "I love you too." She pulls her friend into a hug, giving her a small, affectionate squeeze, and then releases her. Her eyes drift past her friend to find Raven slowly approaching them, offers the other girl a small smile, and then locks eyes with her friend again. "Okay, she's here. Please, be nice."

"I'll be civil."

"Thank you." Stepping around Harper, Clarke walks towards Raven. "Hey. I'm gonna be honest, I was worried you were gonna ditch."

Raven gives her half a smile. "Honestly? So was I. But…I really need new friends. Well, I need friends. And something tells me that I'd be crazy to pass up an opportunity to finally get some."

Clarke smiles. "I'm glad to hear it. Now come on, let me introduce you to one of my best friends." She grabs Raven's arm and gently drags her over to where Harper is still standing by a rack of dresses, her arms crossed in front of her and her lips pursed. "Raven, this is Harper McIntyre, we've known each other basically forever. Harper, this is Raven Reyes."

Harper eyes the other teen up and down. "Hi."

Raven gives a small wave. "Hi. Thanks for letting me crash your lunch."

Harper sighs. "Clarke's hard to say no to. Even more so when she's pregnant. The amount of things we've all done the past few months because Clarke has asked us to is frankly ridiculous."

Clarke frowns slightly. "Hey, I'm not that bad."

"No, you definitely are." She takes a deep breath and shifts on her feet. "I'm gonna go pay for my dress and then I'll meet you outside and we can figure out where to go for lunch." She spins on her heel and swiftly walks in the direction of the front counter.

Clarke watches Harper for a moment and then turns to Raven. "So, first impressions?"

Raven shrugs. "She seems nice. A bit wary, though? Which I guess I can't blame her for, since I'm assuming she knows the truth about who I am."

Clarke nods. "She does. But I promise you she's not a mean person. I mean, you definitely don't want to get on her bad side, because that's a scary place to be, but she's not going to be outright rude to you unless you give her a reason."

"Right. So what you're saying is don't do anything that will royally piss her off."

Clarke laughs quietly. "Pretty much. Now come on, the line at the checkout counter is long, and I need to get off my feet." She loops her arm through Raven's, smiles, and then tugs her toward the shop's entrance, eager to get off of her feet once again.

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!