Heartbreakers

-2-

"Come on Clarke, lets go. They aren't worth it," he said, offering his hand.

Clarke heard Sabrina's voice echoing in her head. It tormented her with things she wished weren't true. Things that she told herself were lies. Things that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get out of her mind. She had tried so hard to be nice to Sabrina.

Be kind to everyone no matter what, and they'll be kind to you. It was her mantra. She repeated it and repeated until she'd convinced herself it couldn't be wrong. But how she think something that childish could ever possibly work... Clarke looked up at Sabrina's cold gaze and then hesitantly took Carter's hand. He pulled her up off the cold lockers, and they walked away. Clarke forced herself to keep looking straight. Only once they were around the corner did she stop.

"You don't have to walk me the rest of the way. You can go home," she said quietly. Her eyes left the ground only for a second, but were captured by his, as he stared directly at her. The empty school hallway was quiet. He paused.

"Do you want a ride?" He said.

Her eyes widened and her lips formed a small smile.

"Yeah."

He continued forward and out the school doors. All was silent. The only thing she could hear was the slapping of her converse on the pavement, brand new and squeaky clean. She opened the door to his car and gently got in. He put the key in the ignition and she felt the purr of the engine as it slowly revved to life. As he pulled out of the school parking lot and into the street she turned to look at him. She studied his dark hair, and his defined jaw. His seablue eyes. She had seen him before in the halls, only brief glances, never really paying attention. But now in this confined space, she saw the subtle details. The light scar above his right eyebrow, and the small birthmark on the top of his collar bone as it peaked out over the edge of his T-Shirt. She saw the tiniest dark freckles scattered on his nose. She saw every little detail.

"Thank you." She said. He turned to look at her, only for a moment.

"You're welcome."

A few moments of silence followed. Tense and awkward. He opened his mouth to speak. "So where do you live?" He asked. She furrowed her brow in confusion, then realized, he needed directions to her house...

"Oh... Um, 3478 Cecropia Lane..." He turned left heading in the direction of the suburban neighborhood, filled with large cookie-cutter houses. The car was absolutely silent, the rhythmic sound of the wheels rushing over the road filled the vehicle.

"How did you know my name?" She asked. She really was curious. She had never talked to him before. He had absolutely no reason to know who she was. He was the mysterious, brooding, and ever so popular Carter Roswell. Why would he know her of all people.

"We have Geometry together," he replied matter of factly.

Clarke knew that. Clarke was very much aware of that. He was a jock. But he was the best in the class. It was unexpected. She had never realized that he had ever noticed her. She generally wasn't noticed.

"Oh," she said softly. He paused for a moment.

"Sabrina shouldn't have done that. Shoved you like that. Said those things. She shouldn't have done any of that," he said.

"It's ok, I'm fine," she murmured. Her eyes found their way to her lap and she twiddled with the hem of her skirt.

"No. It's not. Next time... Next time you need to stand up for yourself. She only does it because she knows she can get away with it."