from the ashes (she will rise) ➸ octaven

chapter 9

Once Indra's awake, she warns the girls not to cause trouble and then heads out to run errands, leaving the girls with the house to themselves. Lexa locks the door 5 times behind her, leaning against the window and waving goodbye.

Octavia lays upside down in the armchair, her head hanging just inches above the floor. Absentmindedly, she tosses an apple up and down with her good hand, feeling the full extent of her boredom.

"So what's on the agenda for today, tiny?" Raven strolls by, catching the apple in mid-air and tossing it to her other hand before she takes a bite. Octavia glares at her, but Raven just smiles innocently and tosses it back to her. As Raven plops down on the couch across from her, Octavia pulls herself to sit upright, her messy hair spilling back down her shoulders. She looks at the bite in the apple, rolling her eyes half heartedly before chucking it at Raven, who catches it with one hand and grins.

"I have an English project to work on," Lexa plops down on the couch beside Raven, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"You have all weekend for that," Raven shakes her head. "C'mon, guys, let's do something fun," she nudges Lexa's leg with her own. Clarke perks up from across the room.

"What do you have in mind?" she raises an eyebrow, waltzing over to lean against the back of the couch. Playfully, she ruffles Lexa's hair, making the other girl duck out of her reach.

"Depends," Raven shrugs. "What do you have in mind?"

Clarke tilts her head to the side, a mischievous smile tugging on her lips. "I guess it depends on if we're following Indra's rules or not."

Octavia lifts her head, raising an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

"It means she wants to sneak out," Lexa looks to Clarke knowingly. Clarke just smirks.

"If Indra left us money for dinner that means she'll be out long. Besides, what's the worst that could happen if she finds out? We get sent to a group home?" Clarke raises an eyebrow and then looks around them. "Oh, wait."

"Where would we sneak out to?" Raven takes another bite of the apple.

"It's the week before spring break," Clarke nods. "Which means the boardwalk will be packed. We can go to the beach... make a few friends..." she nudges Lexa's side, earning a glare from the girl. "And if we try hard enough, free alcohol."

"I don't like the sound of this," Lexa mumbles under her breath. Clarke ruffles her hair again.

"C'mon, Lex," she whines. "Live a little."

"It's Lexa," the other girl sighs, furrowing her eyebrows at looking at the other girls. "Are you guys going?"

Octavia shrugs. "I'm in."

"Why not?" Raven smirks. Lexa looks away.

"I'm not drinking..."

Clarke hops up. "But you'll go?"

"Well there's no way I'm letting you leave me here to face Indra's wrath on my own."

Punching the air in victory, Clarke's halfway up the stairs before the other three girls even know what hit them. She calls back down, urging them to hurry up and get ready. Lexa and Raven look to one another apprehensively, but Octavia hurries to follow Clarke. She's been aching to get out of the house.

"Indra's gonna have our heads," Lexa sighs, rising to her feet in defeat. Raven just shrugs, arguing that if they die, they might as well die tan and happy.

-----

Within an hour, all four girls sit at the bus stop, with Clarke leading the way for once. Lexa's leaning against the stop sign, hugging a beach ball to her chest and frowning. While she's dressed for the beach, Clarke and Octavia obviously got ready with other things in mind. Raven, on the other hand, is clad in her usual t-shirt and jeans, insisting on keeping her legs covered, even in the blistering heat.