Chapter Text
Part 1: The Debt
I inhaled the sweet smell of the delicious feast before me, well, a feast packed into one mouth-watering sandwich. I raised the plate containing the sandwich up to eye level and looked at the proud creation of the kitchen employees, one in particular that I bribed to make my feast-sandwich for me. She owed me one and this was the perfect favor to pull.
I suddenly felt hands on my shoulders, ending my rapt admiration at the great sandwich to see Jasper behind me, leading me to our table. I looked up at him and with wide eyes and a grin and he looked down at me and furrowed his brow.
“Don’t give me that look you just gave your sandwich, Clarke. I feel like you’re gonna eat me after you finish that…or if Raven somehow screwed up and God forbid put something in there not to your liking and your stomach still needs something to fill it.” His voice got low, raising his eyebrow at me.
“Pfft, for your sake let’s hope this sandwich IS to my liking.” I gave him a broad smile again and wiggled my eyebrows. We both laughed but only Jasper’s was short and quiet and ended with him raising his eyebrows again.
I could always give him the creeps even though the tip of my head barely reached his chin and body size-wise, I had a little more meat on my bones. Jasper makes for a really enjoyable teasing target. I looked at my feast-sandwich again and I tried not to just wolf it down right then and there, well, that’s wouldn't be very lady-like, but then who gives a shit. We were almost at our table and Jasper called out to Monty, whose eyes were glued to his laptop with books and notebooks scattered around. No doubt catching up on homework or hacking into something somewhere, just regular Monty stuff.
“Yo, Monty!” Jasper called again to catch his best friend’s attention. When he failed to pry Monty’s eyes from his laptop screen, he pushed past me and went ahead. His shoulders hit mine, pushing my arm to the side. My sandwich! The plate slid dangerously close to the edge of the tray but I raised the tray to stop the plate and I froze to keep it in its place.
“Shit! Jasper!” I shouted at his back. He turned to me and held up his hands. “Oooh, sorry Clarke!” He chuckled and turned back to our table.
Jerk. I composed myself and let out a heavy sigh. That was close, too close. I took a careful step to the left and repositioned the plate to the center of the tray where it was safe. I took a slow step forward and I could hear them laughing at me. I didn’t care how silly I looked. No one’s going to get between me and my love, my sandwich.
I eventually reached the two laughing idiots and I narrowed my eyes at Jasper and gave him my sandwich stare. He stopped laughing and nudged Monty’s side. He stopped laughing too and cleared his throat. That’ll get them to stop. I chuckled and started to set my tray down when I felt something bump into my side.
I saw it all happen in slow motion and my time with the sandwich flashed before my eyes. From the moment Raven handed it to me just a minute ago, to our wonderful walk to the table and me sniffing and admiring its delicious glory which was cut painfully short. The sound of the plate hitting the floor might as well have been the sound of my heart breaking.
The plate broke into pieces as it hit the floor and I couldn’t help letting go of the tray. My jaw dropped open when I saw bread, egg, lettuce, ham and tomatoes scattered on the floor, along with the broken pieces of the plate. My body felt heavy and I knelt on the floor. My stomach rumbled, mourning the loss of what was supposed to be my first meal in two days. Two fucking days.
The ketchup on what used to be my feast-sandwich smeared on the floor and to me it looked like a murder scene. And it was, in a way. Someone killed my sandwich and there was gonna be hell to pay.
I willed myself to stand up, in honor of my feast-sandwich, may it rest in peace, and wheeled around with all my strength and faced the perpetrator for this tragic crime.
I first saw her green eyes, wide open and staring at me. Mouth agape and then moving, speaking words of apology again and again. She held up her hands and reached for my shoulder.
“I’m sorry!” she said.
“Are you okay? Did you cut yourself?” Her hands traveled down to mine and I didn’t realize they were balled into fists until she tried to pry them open.
She hissed. "Oh, you’re hurt…”
I glanced down to my open hands and felt my body-that I didn't even now was tense-loosen up.
“Oh,” she chuckled a little, “it’s just ketchup.” She smiled at me, her eyes seemed to twinkle knowing I wasn’t hurt and I let myself stare for a second and suddenly my hands got...hot. My palms started sweating and I immediately drew my hands back from hers.
I suddenly remembered what just happened and I looked at the girl in front of me. She frowned and said, "I’m sorry, I really am…” She apologized again. Her looked past me down at the murder scene behind.
The look on her face was as if she was the one who got hurt, then her green eyes looked directly into mine and she bit her lip. I swallowed the lump in my throat that was suddenly there and straightened myself. Think biting your lip all sexy like that with those puppy dog eyes gonna make— wait what?? Whoa, since when did I think she was sexy? She murdered my feast-sandwich! Jesus, Clarke! Can’t you think straight for once? Revenge, think revenge!
I narrowed my eyes at her again for a second then looked around. There was some people staring at us, wide-eyed and waiting for what will happen next. I looked to my left, Jasper and Monty were standing from their seats with the same look as the others around me and the sandwich-murderer had.
My stomach turned. I thought it was because I was under everybody's stare until I realized there was only one I was feeling uncomfortable under. I looked everywhere except in front of me and approached our table.
Jasper and Monty couldn't decide whether to sit or stand, ending up sitting in the air instead. I reached for one of Monty’s notebooks and ripped a small piece of paper from the corner of a page. Monty motioned to protest but I didn't stop and grabbed a pen next to his laptop.
“Here.” I pushed the small piece of paper in murderer-girl’s face. “That’s the only break I have in-between classes tomorrow.”
She stepped back a little and took the small piece of paper in my hand. “Oh…okay.” As soon as her fingers touched mine, I let go of the paper and drew back my hand. Revenge Clarke, remember.
She looked from side to side at her friends-accomplices to the crime- who were just as bewildered as her. “I…uh, I don’t really…”
I raised my eyebrow at her until she finally said, “I’ll be there.”
“You better be…” I huffed. "Cuz, you owe me a sandwich.”