West Ark High

Not Quite A Crushing Defeat

Even though Jasper knew he hadn't mentioned anything about his schedule, he was still unsurprised when he and Monty found Clarke waiting for them outside of their classroom after sixth period. She had an uncanny ability of finding things out if she put her mind to it.

It almost unnerved him that she had cared about his schedule enough to find out what his last period was. He hoped that she wasn't going to start meddling in his personal affairs now that she didn't have a boyfriend to occupy her time; that would put a strain on his efforts at wooing Octavia.

"Clarke." Jasper swung his bag as he and Monty met up with her on the side of the hall. "What's up?"

Her expression was tense, like she had witnessed the brutal murder of a baby bird or something. "Nothing."

"You sure?" Jasper frowned. "You look like you just saw a ghost." Clarke's eyes dimmed a shade darker and it clicked. "You saw Wells didn't you?"

She huffed in exasperation, an annoyed smile taking over her face. "Not only did I see him, but I couldn't not see him! It's like he rigged our classes so that we'd be stuck together!"

"That many classes, huh?" Monty looked to Clarke and she nodded limply.

Seeing Clarke look so miserable was something that Jasper wasn't used to, and quite frankly, he hoped that he would never have too. In all of the years that they had known each other, Clarke had always been pretty level-headed in situations that would have made Jasper lose his cool.

The time he accidentally lost his snake in the house? Clarke was calm and collected, putting a plan together on how to find the reptile before their parents got home.

The time Jasper nearly crashed them into a lamp post when she was teaching him how to drive? She held his hand until his heart stopped racing and told him that they were fine. She told him that he was going to get the hang of it soon.

It was hard to picture a time when Clarke was fizzed out because it was just a part of her nature to be the person to put the pieces back together when things got messy. That's why Jasper felt his heart cringe every time he caught Clarke's broken gaze. The entire situation with Wells getting her dad fired and then moving across the country had taken a large toll on his stepsister, and Jasper hated it.

He hated seeing her so out of control of her own emotions, so helpless. He hated it even more that there wasn't anything he could do to help her. All she wanted was her dad back, and unfortunately, that was out of Jasper's power.

"We were thinking of hitting the Wendy's to chow down before the game," Monty was chatting away to Clarke, and Jasper had to ask himself if he had always missed the look of admiration in his best friend's eyes every time he spoke to Clarke.

Regardless of Monty's bubbly attitude, Clarke continued with her sullen expression. "Yeah. That sounds good."

The disinterest in her tone made Jasper feel a bit guilty. He knew she had almost zero interest in sports, and yet she made an effort to attend most of his games. "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Clarke. I know sports aren't really your thing."

Clarke whipped her head in Jasper's direction. "Of course I want to come." Her tone was a bit harsh, obviously offended, but for the first time since the last moving truck left for San Diego, Jasper saw a trace of fire in Clarke's eyes.

And if her being slightly mad at him was what helped return that fire, Jasper was willing to take one for the team.

The three weaved their way down to the main doors of the school. A rush of crisp, warm air greeted them as soon as they stepped outside, mixing with the noxious fumes of exhaust blossoming from the parking lot as students tried to get as far away from the school as humanly possible.