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THE POLICE ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER the protest started, forming lines of their men armed with shields, guns with rubber bullets and tear gas. A few of the protesters that had once been by the girl's side were in handcuffs, now being shoved into the back of police cruisers for their arrest. But the more that the police used their forces, the rowdier the crowd got in retaliation.
Clara walked with the crowd down the street, Theo following right behind her just as he said he would, his combat boots clanking on the asphalt. The brunette held her F12 sign high up in the air, chanting and screaming every single chance she got. The presence of the police and her father being a Chief suddenly didn't matter -- Clara was fighting for peoples rights, which was reason enough for her to be here.
The girl glanced towards the sidewalk, looking at those who were covering their eyes in pain from the tear gas that had been thrown on another block. "Tank," Clara called to him. "Do you have anything that can help them?" She pointed towards the people, stopping in the middle of the mob. People bumped into her left and right, but she stayed put.
Theo nodded, the Go Pro attached to his helmet shaking a bit. "Let's head over."
The two teenagers weaved their way through to the sidewalk.
Clara had a brief knowledge of how to help those who had been teargassed. Make your presence known, first of all. Protesters who couldn't see are less likely to trust strangers in case they are the police. Open their eyelid slowly, and spray water from the inside of the eye to the outside. It would rid their eyes of the teargas and ease their pain.
She leaned down to the first woman. Her pink colored hair stuck to her forehead due to sweat, tears streaming down her face. "Hi, we're here to help you. Hand me that bottle in your belt," Clara ordered, looking at Theo.
As soon as Theo handed her the bottle Clara needed, she got to work. "I need you to lean your head back, ma'am." The woman listened, allowing Clara to open one eye and flush it out. She continued with the next one. "Your eyes will still be irritated but you should be able to see in just a few minutes," the brunette explained.
"Thank you," the pink haired woman croaked. "What are your names?"
"My friend here is Tank and I'm--"
"Cash, her name is Cash," Theo interuppted sharply, throwing her a look. Clara knew that under the mask he was frowning at her. "Let's move on, we have more people to get to. Have a good day, ma'am, stay safe out here."
He grabbed her arm quickly, pulling Clara up and bringing her down the sidewalk.
"Cash? That's the name you chose for me?" The girl questioned, struggling to keep up with his quick pace.
"You were about to give your name to a stranger."
"A trustful one."
"Undercover cops are everywhere in these streets, tear gassed or not. In any circumstance, you do not give up your name," Theo explained, anger clear in his voice. "Look, I'm not trying to be mean, Princess. You getting arrested is the last thing we want here. She might've been a good person, who knows? But until you are sure that your identity is not in danger, say your name all you want. Scream it, if you'd like."
Clara sighed, the heat from her breath reflecting back on her face due to her plastic mask. When attending protests — and she expected to come to more with Theo in the future if he wanted to — do not say her own name. It was Cash now. "That's fine. We should help the others and I need to head back home after that. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's okay."
•••
AFTER THE TWO HELPED THEIR fellow protesters flush the teargas out of their eyes, they walked back to Theo's car and started to drive back. It had only been three hours, which seemed crazy to Clara. In three hours countless people had gotten hurt by the police, and hundreds of protesters had already crowded the streets. It opened her eyes to the realization that these people worked harder than the media commonly showed.
Theo had taken off his suit and helmet now -- returning back to the boy she had known previously. He still had the same black hair and the same facial expressions, yet it still felt odd to see him that way. Helping people and protesting for others rights.
Clara had automatically assumed he was a bad person based on how his parents told everyone else, but he turned out to be the exact opposite. Theo was smart and undeniably selfless — in terms, not what the brunette had thought he would be.
"So, how was your first protest?" Theo asked her out of the blue.
"Better than I expected it to be."
The black haired boy nodded, continuing to focus on the road. In about fifteen minutes they were in their neighborhood, and Theo was pulling onto the side of the asphalt not far from her house. The brunette opened the car door, about to go out. "Princess—" He stopped mid sentence, which didn't go unnoticed.
Clara whipped back, looking at the boy with her eyebrows furrowed. "Yes?"
Theo looked back with surprise, a smirk on his lips. He gripped her wrist to pull her forward into the car, his mouth hovering right above her neck. His hot breath sent shivers down Clara's spine. "We could have fun together, you and I."
"Theo—"
With her free hand, she pushed so very lightly on his chest. Why was he being like this?
"Clara," he hushed. "I want this from you. But all you have to do is say no and I will stop."
"Then I say no." Clara put some distance between them, looking at him apologetically. "I'm— I'm not interested in a relationship, Theo. I— I should go back to my house now. Bye."
"I'm not interested in one, either." That stung a bit, and Clara didn't know why. "Friends with benefits is a thing, you know."
"No, there is no way—"
"Think about it."
"I'm leaving now! I, um, I'll think about it."
Clara knew she definitely wasn't going to.
She knew she should have expected something like this from a boy like Theo. Every girl at school had told her about how he was always a player, sometimes settling for one girl but moving onto the next like it was nothing. Theo was a respectable boy, but not in that type of way.
The brunette wasn't searching for a friend with benefits, either.
He was attractive, yes. Was his offer tempting? Yes. But that type of relationship he wanted from her wasn't what Clara wanted for herself. Sneaking around and meaninglessly hooking up with a friend just didn't sit right with her.
"Adiós, Princess." Theo winked at her. "Come find me if you change your mind."
Jesus Christ.
Once she had hopped out of the car, the girl slammed the door in his face, and practically ran down the street to her home. No lights were on, which was a relief. The brunette took the spare key and entered through the back door, walking up the steps quietly to her room.
Clara fixed her window, and then laid on her bed to calm her beating heart and fast breathing.
What the hell was she going to do?
NOTE Next chapter might include a lil something but I ain't gonna spoil it—
