Things you can't ignore

- 17 - Octavia -

The next day, I convinced Clarke to have lunch together but she insisted on bringing Atom with her. They've been seeing each other since the hospital. I didn't care at all him being there. I figured I would find a moment to talk to her alone. After what Bellamy told me about this dude, that Bell used to do little jobs for Atom, like transporting drugs, obtaining payments... Basically telling me Atom is a drug dealer. He used to work for him to pay for our life after our mom died. And he isn't proud of it. That's why he got so overprotective with Clarke but I also understand why he didn't tell her : she would have never believed him, probably accusing him of being jealous and possessive.

We met for pizza. I acted normal the entire lunch until Atom finally stood up and left for the bathroom. This was it. I had less than 5 minutes to explain Clarke she can't date Atom anymore. And it wasn't going to be easy.

Once he was a bit further from our table, I started.

- Listen, Clarke. I'm gonna talk a lot now. Just please don't interrupt me and listen carefully. It's gonna sound unbelievable but it's the truth. When our mom passed away, we were quite short on money with Bell. He started to work for a very bad guy, doing bad stuff. I started.

- Bad stuff?

- Basically, the guy was in drugs and Bell was the delivery boy. It paid well and it kept us alive. The point is that this guy is Atom.

- What? No! Atom is a good guy! She exclaimed.

- Did he ever told you anything about his job?

- Yeah, of course. He's in the pharmaceutical business. He sells medicines... to people... Oh gosh, hearing myself saying it made it sound oddly weird. She admitted. That explains so much! Why Bell was so weird the day after my accident. He told me he had a bad feeling about Atom, but he knew the guy! I feel so awful! She said, grabbing her head with her hands. I was so mean to him! I should have listened... I need to talk to him. Is he at work?

- No, he's at home packing for the mo... Oh crap...

- Bellamy's moving?

- Listen, Atom is about to come back. If I tell you these things in the subway, will you agree to leave now? I proposed.

- But...

- Clarke, he's in drugs... He can handle the bill. Plus, I think it's the least of our problems now.

- Yeah, you're right. Let's go... She said, standing up and grabbing her purse.

We rushed through the doors as I spotted Atom coming towards the table. He turned around and saw me pushing Clarke out of the restaurant. His look gave me chills. He was calm but full of anger, like criminals in movies.

- We gotta run now! He's behind us! I shouted to Clarke.

We ran to the subway and thankfully got a train straight away. We sat down. Clarke was out of breath but didn't lose track of the conversation.

- Now, huh... Tell me!

- He's moving to New York the day after Thanksgiving. He found a job there. He was quite hurt with all the drama between you two. He thought he had lost you forever so he took this decision.

- I'm such a terrible friend. I should have understood that us sleeping together and Atom were two different problems. He was being protective, not jealous...

- Well... I murmured.

- Well what?

- You know what? Fuck it! I just can't stand it anymore! I was in the middle of this for the last couple of years and I'm so done now! Clarke, he's in love with you!

- What? No, that can't be.

- If only you knew how many evenings, lunches, dinners we spent talking about it. It's definitely true. And he could't stand you being parted, not talking to each other that he figured it would be easier to bear in another city. With new people, new friends. That's why he's moving. I explained.

Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. I could see everything clicking in her mind, making connexions... Understanding the meanings of events. Understanding herself.

- Do you think he'll forgive me? She questioned.

- Clarke, you still have doubts about that?

***** AUTHOR'S NOTE *****

Hey Guys!!! 

We're nearly at 1K!!! Can't believe it!! 

Hope you liked this chapter!! It's nearly the end, but it's not over yet. Don't you worry :)

Thank you so much!!

xoxo

Laura