All In

A Startling Discovery

She doesn't remember much about the moments leading up to the discovery. Honestly, she doesn't remember much about anything that's happened over the last week. It's all a big blur of people and things wrapped up in a flurry of emotions. She can't even remember the last time she felt so scared. It all happened so fast. In the course of a short three minutes, her life was over.

Her hands shake as she stares down at the small plastic stick. The pink plus sign seems to be taunting her as her eyes fill with tears. She squeezes her eyes shut tight and wills for it to disappear. When she opens them again and sees that despite her efforts it still remains, she lets a scared, quiet sob escape her lips. She stays that way, huddled in the bathroom stall until the school bell rings, signaling the end of fifth period.

Sniffling in as deep a breath as she can manage, Clarke quickly wraps the stick up in toilet paper and shoves it down low into her book bag. With trembling fingers, she unlocks the stall door and steps out into the tile-covered room and heads straight for the sinks.

She barely finishes rinsing the soap off her hands when the bathroom door swings open. She freezes and says nothing as the young girl drops her bag onto the ground and runs to the nearest stall. Clarke doesn't wait for a second longer before wiping her hands on her jeans and rushing out the door into the sea of students on their way to their final class of the day.

Pressing herself up against the wall, she waits for a break in the group and then jumps in, eager to try and forget for just a moment how her life is over.

***

The sound of knuckles knocking on the front door stirs Bellamy from his long-overdue nap. Grumbling at being awoken earlier than he'd like, he pushes himself up from the comfort of his couch and, rubbing at his sleep-deprived eyes, trudges across the room to the front door.

Now, it's safe to say that the last thing Bellamy Blake expected to see on his front porch at two in the morning, was a sniffling Clarke Griffin. He eyes her curiously, making sure to take a mental note of the state she's in. She's soaked from head to toe; which, given the weather the last few days, isn't that big of a surprise. What is a surprise, however, is that he can clearly tell that she had been crying. Her eyes are red and puffy and the light mascara she normally wears is streaked down her cheeks.

"Hey, Clarke. Uh, Octavia's not here. She stayed over at Harper's tonight even though it's a school night."

Clarke sniffles. "Yeah. I know. I was actually just hoping I could stay here tonight? I understand if you don't want me to but I can't go back home right now and I really don't feel like sleeping in my car."

Bellamy scratches at the back of his neck while taking a quick glance at the mess of a room behind him. He wants to tell her no. He wants to apologize and say that it isn't a good time because he hasn't had a chance to clean the house yet. When he turns back to her though, that's not what comes out.

"Come on in."

She smiles at him; a small, thankful smile that falls from her face almost instantaneously when she crosses the threshold into the house. She keeps her head down and fidgets with the worn edge of her sweater while she waits for Bellamy to secure the deadbolt on the door.

When he turns to her, they lock eyes instantly and he can't help but notice the way her bright blue eyes seem to have faded to something almost gray like. It's strange to see her like this; so vulnerable and broken. Something has changed, and he'll never admit it, but he's scared to know what.

Time stretches on in uncomfortable silence as they stand together in the middle of the room, neither of them willing to start the conversation. It isn't until he hears her sniffle that he glances up to find her shivering and in tears. He doesn't even think twice before he closes the distance between them and pulls her close, wrapping her in his arms. He holds her like that, not saying a word, just holding her close to him; afraid of what might happen if he were to let go.