Chapter Text
“C-Griff.” Clarke Griffin looks up from her phone when she hears her best friend, Raven Reyes, calling out her instagram handle across the cafeteria. Raven drops into the seat beside her, with a grin on her face.
“What can I do for you Reyes-of-sunshine?” She asks, pushing her tray over so Raven can take a slice of pizza.
“Please, please, tell Bree that Bellamy Blake is bad news.” Raven says, gesturing at a blonde girl that Clarke doesn’t really know.
“I never said he was good news.” Bree says, rolling her eyes and swinging a chair around to sit next to Raven. “I just said he was hot.”
“I don’t know anything about him.” Clarke shrugs, unlocking her phone again and checking her new Facebook notification. It’s Jasper - as usual, tagging her in a weird meme he’d found.
“Well, I do.” Raven says, lowering her voice and leaning in. Other than Clarke’s best friend, Raven Reyes is a total gossip and literal genius. It’s a combination Clarke wouldn’t have guessed was a thing, but Raven rocks it. “He’s a senior, obviously. He’s just moved here from like Chicago because his mum died and he’s living with his grandma or something. And he’s turning nineteen in March.”
“How do you know?” Bree asks in awe. Clarke just rolls her eyes, she's used to this.
“He’s in my AP stats class.” Raven grins.
“None of that means he’s bad news.” Clarke tells them, still not looking up from her phone. “Don’t be a gossip, Rae-Rae.”
“I heard he got arrested which is why he moved here.” Raven adds conspiratorially. Probably saving that part of her story for last on purpose.
“Oh my god, what for?” Bree whispers back, leaning in closer.
“Don’t go starting rumours, Raven.” Clarke warns. The last thing she wants is to be involved in another dramatic and completely false story.
“It’s just what I heard.” Raven shrugs, leaning in to take another slice of pizza of Clarke’s tray.
*
Of course, Clarke knows of Bellamy Blake’s existence broadly, but she’s never really paid him much attention. She knows he started at Arkadia High this year, is in two of her classes, that he’s kind of private and that he’s become friends with Miller (who Clarke likes) and Murphy (who she’s impartial to). But it’s the first week of their senior year and she’s honestly has had more important things to worry about. Like catching up with her friends and discussing their summer.
However, in the weeks following the conversation with Raven and Bree, she notices him around more and more. On the first Friday of semester she gets a milkshake with Raven on the way home and he’s working behind the counter of their favourite coffee shop. He’s jogging at the park where she’s sitting on a bench drawing. He has the locker three down from hers and apparently has the same free period. On the days she walks home, she often finds herself walking behind him, so they must live fairly close.
She can’t even say she’s surprised when two weeks later Bellamy is allocated her lab partner in their AP Bio class. Her life is just like that. She’s not upset either, it’s already obvious that Bellamy is a good student. He won’t let Clarke do all the work.
“Hey.” She says, dropping her books onto the desk beside him. He glances up at her, pushing his books aside.
“Hi.” He says. It’s the first real interaction they’ve had and while it’s not much to go on, it’s not exactly warm. Clarke’s a big believer of first impressions and he hasn’t made a good one. But whatever, they’re lab partners. They don’t need to be best friends. They just need to be civil.
“So I figure as well as class we only have to meet once or twice a week?” Clarke says, looking down at the assignment list. It’s not a huge workload. They could probably get it done without having to work at home.
“I have to work.” Bellamy says, shrugging his shoulders. “It has to be during school time.”
“We have the same free period. I thought that would work.” Clarke suggests, trying to keep herself from reacting to his nonchalance. They don’t have to get on, she reminds herself.
“Stalking me now, princess?” He smirks. Clarke bristles at the way he almost spits the nickname and she can immediately tell he’s heard the rumours (that while might have some truth, do not define her). Clarke knows that she and Bellamy come from different backgrounds, but that does not mean he has a right to judge her on hers, like so many of the students at Arkadia High do. And he’s friends with Miller. She thought he’d be better than that.
“I happen to have noticed we’re in the library at the same time, arsehole.” Clarke snaps and maybe it’s not the most mature way to deal with this, but Bellamy is fucking grinning and that just makes her madder.
“The princess of Arkadia noticing the peasants.” Bellamy nods solemnly.
“You know what, fuck you.” Clarke mutters, opening her textbook with more force than necessary and unlocking her phone under the desk.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He grins, opening his own book and starting on the chapter they’ve been asked to read. She’s tempted to kick him. But she's better than that. Just.
Clarke
Bellamy Blake is an arsehole. Add it to the list of facts you know about him.
Reyes of Sunshine
Hot, arsehole that got arrested and works at a coffee shop.
That’s a good brand
If not a little confusing
Clarke is about to type a response when there is a pointed cough from behind. She looks up to see their biology teacher holding his hand out. Clarke groans aloud and hands over her phone. He’s going to read her message out. He always does.
“Since Miss Griffin thinks she has more important things to read than the chapter we’re supposed to be focussing on, I think it’s important that I catch you all up on the topic of conversation.” Pike drawls. Clarke swears the only reason he got into teaching was to torture his students. “‘Bellamy Blake is an arsehole. Add it to the list of facts you know about him.’ Clarke, that’s hardly an appropriate thing to say about your lab partner. Reyes of Sunshine – I’m assuming that’s Raven Reyes – however, has said ‘hot, arsehole that got arrested and works at a coffee shop. That’s a good brand. If not a little confusing.’ Not really a riveting conversation, Miss Griffin. Not worth wasting your class time with. Read the chapter and you can have your phone back after class.”
Falling into a hole in the ground is currently sounding more appealing than meeting any of her classmates eyes right now. She can feel Bellamy smirking at her and Jasper’s sympathetic glances. Pike has to be breaking some kind of privacy law reading messages aloud like that.
“Think I’m hot, princess?” Bellamy whispers when the giggles from the rest of the class have finally subsided.
“In case you missed it, my friend thinks you’re hot. Not me.” Clarke says through gritted teeth. It’s a lie. Objectively speaking, Bellamy is hot. All broad shoulders, tan skin and freckles. He’s probably got too much gel in his hair, but that just makes Clarke wonder what it looks like without it. However, now she knows he has a shitty personality so it doesn’t matter what he looks like. Looks can only get you so far.
“I’ll be in the library on Tuesday so we can work on this,” Bellamy says, shaking the assignment sheet in her face, seconds after the bell has signalled the end of the day. “Looking forward to working with you.”
Clarke storms up to Pike’s desk to reclaim her phone, not dignifying Bellamy’s words with a response. By the time she’s turned around to leave Bellamy has already left. Which is good. Now she doesn’t have to talk to him again.
“Griffin,”
“Reyes,” Clarke calls back, without turning around.
“Why didn’t you reply before? You can’t just withhold information from me,” Raven says, jogging to catch up with her.
“Pike took my phone and read my messages. So Blake knows you think he’s hot,” Clarke mutters, slinging her backpack off her shoulder and opening her locker. “Are you staying at mine tonight?”
“Worse things have happened,” Raven shrugs, helping herself to the chocolate Clarke has stashed in her locker. “And yeah, I am.”
*
Raven spends most weekends with Clarke because Abby loves her and Raven and her own mother don’t get on. It works for Clarke because it means most of the time Abby isn’t on Clarke’s back about grades or college or why she isn’t playing hockey this year. And for some reason she trusts Raven to not let Clarke drink when the occasionally do go to parties. So it’s a win-win situation.
It’s too early in the year for them to have much homework, so they spend the weekend hanging out by the pool, soaking up the last sun of the year. And talking about Bellamy Blake. Mostly because Clarke has decided to hate him and partly because Bree is still really interested in him. It means both Raven and Clarke are into searching through his social media profiles and making offhand comments about how much Clarke dislikes him and how hot Raven thinks he is.
*
The following Monday is one of the worst days in Clarke’s entire schooling career. She forgets her textbook for her AP literature class, she drops her tray of food in the cafeteria, her compulsory gym class leaves her with a pretty badly twisted ankle, she has a run-in with Dax and his friends and before she can go home and wash the day off her, she has to spend an hour with Bellamy Blake.
“Bad day, Princess?” He asks with a grin, when she slams her books onto the desk beside him.
“Just – don’t,” She says, hating how defeated she sounds and opening her book, waiting for Pike to start the class. Normally she’d say something snarky in response, but she really just wants to go home and ice her ankle and maybe watch a sad movie. She definitely doesn’t want to deal with Bellamy Blake. So she’s more than a little bit surprised and a lot relieved when he doesn’t snap back.
She manages to fume her way through the rest of the class without incident until finally the bell signalling the end of the day rings. She shoves her books in her bag, throws it over her shoulder and is hobbling towards the door before anyone else is out of their desks. She just wants to get home. There's definitely a bubble bath calling her name. And maybe a sulky box of chocolates. She’s halfway down the hall when Bellamy catches up to her. She sighs dramatically and tries to limp away with as much dignity as she can muster. It’s not much. But she keeps her head high.
“What did you do to yourself?” Bellamy asks, carrying his books rather than putting them in his bag. Almost as though he had rushed after her.
“Gym,” she shrugs, hoisting her bag higher onto her shoulder. She’d decided to walk to school, rather than drive and she’s currently regretting the choice more and more with each step she takes. Especially with Bellamy looking at her with sympathy. She can handle a lot, but not his sympathy. Not today.
“And you’re planning to walk on it?” Bellamy asks, glancing down at her ankle. She can tell it’s swollen, a little bruised and the sandals she’s wearing offer no support.
“I don’t really have a choice,” Clarke mutters. They’re standing in the car park now and Bellamy has dropped his pace to match hers.
“Mummy and Daddy don’t have a horse and carriage waiting to pick you up?” He asks. If it were anyone else, the blow wouldn’t land. She’d take it as friendly teasing. She’d laugh it off and tell them that she’d wanted to walk this morning and now her ankle is an inconvenience. But she’s upset already and he’s done nothing but judge her, from the moment he met her.
“Fuck you," she spits, trying to pick up her pace to walk away from him. But it hurts and she can’t help but groan. She almost wants to cry, but she’s not giving him the satisfaction.
“Wait, Clarke,” Bellamy calls. She doesn’t stop because it’s the first time he’s said her name and not princess, but she does stop, turning to face him. “I have a car. Let me give you a lift?”
“No," she says stubbornly and because the world is against her, she stumbles on her ankle.
“Don’t be dramatic. You’re on my way home,” Bellamy says, with a roll of his eyes.
“I don’t need your charity," she says, even though the thought of not having to walk home is tempting her.
“Clearly. But you’ll make it worse walking on it,” she sighs because she is dramatic and he is right. So she follows him across the car park and slides into his car.
“What’s your address?” He asks, when they’re at the street they usually go their separate ways on. He smirks when she tells him the street she lives on and she only just manages to bite down her reply.
“Thanks,” Clarke says, trying to keep the contempt out of her voice when he pulls into her driveway.
“Any time, princess," he says, as she climbs out of the car. She slams the door with more force than strictly necessary and tries to hobble away with the remainder of her dignity still in tact. She can’t help the faint smile that appears on her lips when she realises Bellamy doesn’t pull away from the house until she’s unlocking the door. It’s a nice gesture.
*
By six o'clock Clarke’s feeling mostly better. The smell of her favourite bubble bath is lingering on her skin and she has a bag of peas strapped to her ankle, she’s wearing her comfiest pyjamas and doesn’t have any homework she needs to be working on. She’s scrolling through a series of web comics she’d found before school went back and hadn’t had chance to revisit when her phone chimes the Wonder Woman theme music.
“Hey Rae,” Clarke answers, slotting her phone between her shoulder and her ear and leaning back on her bed.
“Are you holding out on me, Griffin?” Raven asks, without a greeting.
“Am I what now?” Clarke asks, eyebrows’ shooting up despite the fact Raven wasn’t around to witness it.
“I heard that you got into the car with Bellamy Blake this afternoon,” Raven says, matter of factly. Clarke will never understand the uncanny ability Raven has to find things out. “As your best friend, I’m offended you haven’t told me this. It’s been at least two hours since you’ve been home. Is he still with you?”
“How do you even find these things out?” Clarke sighs. It’s just like Raven to jump to that kind of conclusion.
“Miller told Monty, who told Harper, who told Bree, who told me,” Raven recites. “Well, what’s happening?”
“Of course. Even Miller is a gossip,” Clarke snorts. “I twisted my ankle in gym today, he gave me a lift home.”
“Oh good. Bree was kind of mad because she called dibs on Bellamy,” Raven tells her.
“Oh my god, Raven,” Clarke groans, sitting up in exasperation. “You can’t call dibs on people. How would you feel if someone called dibs on you and suddenly you became off limits to the rest of the school?”
“This is why I like you, Griffin. You put things into perspective,” Raven says. “Anyway, I like you better, so if you want to bang Bellamy, you go ahead and bang Bellamy.”
“Just to clarify, Bellamy Blake is still an arsehole and I still don’t want to bang him,” Clarke says, giggling a little. The conversation with Raven is as ridiculous as their fascination with him.
“He probably wants to bang you. I’ve heard things,” Raven says conspiratorially.
“Bullshit.”
“I have,” Raven exclaims, voice an octave higher than it was before.
"From who?” Clarke asks, this time believing her. Raven only sounds like that when someone doesn’t believe her gossip.
“Murphy told me he asks about you.”
“Gross,” Clarke says, ignoring the weird backflip her stomach does at her words. “And why are you talking to Murphy?”
“We’re friends. He’s on my bus,” Raven tells her and Clarke can imagine her shrugging her shoulders. Clarke smiles closing her laptop and settling back into her bed, to gossip with Raven. They talk about Bellamy more than she cares to admit, but only because Raven is curious. Apparently, Bellamy is a mystery and no one knows anything about him.
*
By the time Clarke wakes the next morning the swelling in her ankle has started to go down and it doesn’t hurt so much to stand on it. She still manages to convince her dad to drive her to school and arranges a lift home with David Miller, her neighbour, who isn't allowed to pick his son up because he drives a police cruiser.
Jasper and Monty meet her in the car park and laugh at her incompetence but help her towards the only class she shares with them both and Raven.
“How’s your ankle, Griffin?” Raven asks, dropping into the desk beside Clarke.
“Swollen and ugly,” Clarke mutters, lifting her converse clad foot to show the bruising. Raven snickers a little, but hands Clarke a coffee that she must have picked up this morning from their favourite coffee shop. The one Bellamy works at.
“Loverboy made that,” Raven says as Clarke takes her first sip.
“He makes a good coffee,” Clarke says, rolling her eyes and not thinking about the fact Bellamy is working before school and what that means.
“Who’s lover boy?” Jasper asks, turning around in his chair and smirking. Clarke and Raven have been friends with Jasper and Monty since their sophomore year when Clarke and Raven had started at Arkadia High. Jasper and Monty had taken them under their wings and shown them the ropes of the new school. It led to a very close friendship, even if they drove Clarke crazy with their weird schemes and ideas.
“Bellamy Blake,” Raven whispers, causing Monty to spin in his chair.
“So Miller wasn’t making shit up?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. “He likes the drama as much as Raven.”
“Fuck off, Monty,” Raven says, rolling her eyes. “She reckons she hates him, but he drove her home yesterday.”
“He’s just my lab partner,” Clarke mutters as their English teacher walks in and immediately silences the classroom.
By lunchtime, it’s Raven’s turn to sulk. She’s been given what she claims is an unfair amount of homework for the first week at school and she got into a fight with Roma.
“Do you want to ditch last period and egg her house?” Raven asks, only half joking.
“Yeah, as much as been arrested sounds like a great time, I have to meet Bellamy to work on our stupid bio assignment.”
“Whatever, have fun with your bad boy,” Raven winks.
“You’ve got to stop giving him creepy nicknames,” Clarke mutters, dropping her head onto the table. Raven winks again and Clarke only bothers to glare at her. She’s not looking forward to spending the afternoon with Bellamy. Especially since she knows he asked about her and he actually did something nice for her yesterday. It’s a different impression than he gave her that first day. He’s still a jerk, but she’s got a feeling its part of an act.
She’s proven right when she arrives at the library to find him waiting with another coffee, from his café. How wrong could she really be about Bellamy Blake?
“Hey, Princess,” He greets, pushing the cup towards her. Not that wrong.
“Let’s just get this over with,” She mutters, pulling her books out of her bag and trying to bite back the smile threatening to break on her face.
“Whatever the hell you want,” He smirks and she suppresses a groan.
But despite this, by the time the hour is up, they’ve managed to argue about just about every part of their assignment, but also make a good plan. She grudgingly admits that he has good points and he actually ends up agreeing with her on the setup. And not that she’d ever admit it, but arguing with Bellamy is actually kind of fun.