Chapter Text
Clarke suppresses the weird bubbly feeling in her stomach, like she's just mainlined expensive champagne she's going to have to pay for sooner or later.
Octavia casts her a strange glance as they walk together down the lit footpath towards their dorms on the other side of campus.
"You ok?" O asks.
"Awesome. Super great. Top of my game. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?" Clarke responds, realising that while she meant to deter her roommate from the subject, that was probably overkill to the point where Octavia will be interested again.
They nod at Fox as they pass the security guard sitting in her booth, surveying the grounds, and she nods back at them. Clarke has more school pride when she feels safe walking around after dark than she ever does at football games or mooting competitions.
"Well," O says, once a brief moment has passed, "it's been a while since you hit me with three synonyms for the exact same thing. You've been weird since we left Raven's."
Clarke shrugs. Play it cool, O would never let it go if she knew. "Just stressed about all the study I didn't get done while you were beating me."
Octavia grins. "Well, young apprentice, one of the three ingredients to greatness is humility. I am passing to you a powerful skill."
"What are the other two things?" Clarke unlocks their door and stumbles over something in the dark while she practically assaults the wall trying to find the light switch.
"Um... Feminism and knowing how much pasta you need to cook for just one person. Though let's be real, that last one is basically a super power."
Clarke makes a small sound of agreement, flopping down onto her bed. She honestly can't be stuffed to do any work tonight, a decision she will definitely regret tomorrow. Oh well, she thinks, college is made of seventeen minute naps and bad choices.
She lets herself stare off into the dark for a moment.
"Yo, Clarke, you still with me?"
"What? Yep. I'm listening. You were saying you're going to watch the Bad Blood video and then go to sleep."
She definitely was not thinking about Lexa, and the way her skin felt warm underneath Clarke's fingers when she steadied her. She has efficiently suppressed the memory of the brief eye contact they shared and how Clarke would've sworn up and down in that moment that blue-green was the only colour in the whole world.
"I think we could totally do a super hero thing for the Side Notes. Raven could defs rig us up some fire and falling beams and things. Mostly I just wanna dress in badass leather and punch stuff, but this seems like a socially acceptable way to do it," Octavia muses, pulling off her boots and flopping back onto her bed.
"You know you can wear leather any time, right? As long as you wear it with confidence and poise," Clarke reminds her.
"Very true," O agrees. There is the vague buzz of a text coming in. A few seconds later (it takes a moment for Octavia to overcome the sudden brightness and actually read the message), she pipes up, "Raven says that Lexa told her auditions are canceled. Our first rehearsal is tomorrow at that mini indoor stadium thing."
"Awesome," Clarke breathes sarcastically, because she'd actually appreciate a few days between now and when she next has to see Lexa, thanks. It would help to get her blood pressure back down and make sure she doesn't die of exposure.
Lexa taps her foot nervously on the cold concrete floor. She's here even earlier than Anya, which is unusual. Mind you, it's also unusual to have a rehearsal before Initiation Night, but her co-captain is more determined than ever to win. Maybe she wants to rattle the cage on the new recruits, or perhaps solidify their loyalty before the alcohol and music sets in. Lexa has never really cared much about the "absolutely no Trebleshooters" rule, because it has absolutely 0 effect on her. At this point, she wishes there was a "no fellow Side Notes" rule, too, to stop her mind wandering off to places it shouldn't be, places with Clarke and not much else.
After ten minutes of Lexa staring at the foldable chairs and trying to blank her mind, Anya shows up, dragging her whiteboard that features the most detailed battle plan surely ever developed by an acapella group.
"Hey," Anya greets somewhat gruffly, as is her usual style. She's very efficient with her words, a trait that Lexa has always admired. "Newbies here yet?"
Lexa shakes her head. "I sent out an email last night. They should be here in about a quarter of an hour. Raven may or may not show up late and/or make a dramatic entrance, given that freaking out freshman and questionable pyrotechnics are two of her favourite hobbies."
Anya nods in approval. There has always been a strange, solemn understanding between those two. Basically, Anya understands she'll never have any way of reigning in Raven, and Raven knows to toe the line but not pole vault across it.
And to be honest, the real problem won't be Raven Reyes today. It'll be Clarke. Or rather, Lexa. Lexa and Clarke.
Except they're not an 'and'. It's Lexa's stupid, one sided half-crush that is looking dangerously like its about to become a ton of bricks which will hit her at a very inconvenient time.
"They're here," Anya announces moments later.
Lexa looks up to see Octavia striding into the room like she's walking into battle, and Clarke a step behind her, looking tired (beautiful) and a little amused.
"Hey," Clarke says one she's standing in front of them, sounding a touch sleepy in a way that makes Lexa's stomach flip so she's barely able to nod back at Clarke curtly. Maybe she can ice Clarke out, encourage her to avoid Lexa, because Lexa knows she sure as hell doesn't have it in her to be the one who stays away.
Octavia is casting a curious look between the two other girls, and Lexa takes this as her cue to stride away abruptly, putting some distance between herself and trouble.
Over the next ten minutes or so, the other girls filter in, a few joining in the quiet conversation the first arrivals have got going. Harper, Lexa remembers from the activities fair. Then... Maia.
No Charlotte, this year, she notes, but she's not entirely surprised. A very small part of her half-expects Costia to run into the room late, though of course she never does.
But that's ok.
"All right," Anya begins in that commanding voice she has which could make the President listen to her in a crowd of diplomats and billionaires. Lexa has picked up the talent from her, which is kind of perfect for being a lawyer. "So... Shall we introduce ourselves? Then we'll get into a warm up, and I'll take you through the set for this round. Tonight is Initiation, so if you're still sure you want to participate by 9pm tonight, we'll see you in the empty pool by the Wells Building."
Let the record show that Clarke tries to pay attention to each of the girls as they introduce themselves. She really does.
One of them is a Harper something. She seems nice. She doesn't exactly burn herself into Clarke's mind, but she suspects that's at least in part because Lexa beat her to it.
It's hard to stop her gaze from wandering over to the co-captain, to the way her hair falls and languishes on her shoulders, how her gaze seems both cold and warm at the same time, and the vague tilt of her lips.
Whenever Clarke accidentally makes eye contact with her, the other girl will frown and look more disapproving than she would've thought possible from someone who isn't a parent. That's discouraging (she's not done anything to make Lexa dislike her so), but she's dangerously attractive, so Clarke is willing to make the sacrifice and look at Lexa like she's in an art gallery.
She glares at Clarke to try and balance out the effect of shamelessly staring at her when the other girl is turned away. She's not sure if it's working.
All in all, Lexa learns exactly zero from their introduction session, except that God, Clarke is beautiful and wow, she has a voice to match. Basically, the entire ninety minutes boils down to her being seriously gay, with an hour and a half of Clarke burned into her brain and what is essentially memory static for everyone else.
Raven never shows, but that's to be expected this early in the morning.
She manages to get it together and pay attention as Anya wraps up the meeting, reminding all the girls once again to be at the pool by the Wells Building.
Ah, yes. Initiation Night. Alcohol, music and Clarke. What could possibly go wrong?