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“Oh my god,” Lexa mutters, once her eyes have adjusted and her gaze falls on her clock, which reads 8:02 AM. For a moment, she sits still in her bed, covered with plenty of blankets and hair incredibly messy while her brain tries to click with the information she’s being shown.
“Motherfuck—” she says out loud before she’s dashing out of the bed, nearly stumbling on the way to the bathroom. She showers quickly, not even bothering to apply some shampoo since she’s already late to the exam that she’s been studying for months now. How can she be so incompetent? She must’ve had a rough sleep last night and her body decided to stay on bed for a while longer, resulting to her sleeping in. Fuck—her exams started at 8. She’s probably going to arrive there at 8:30 or something.
She steps out of the bathroom, dries her hair quickly and pulls on some random clothes from the closet. By the time the clock reads 8:12 AM, Lexa’s already dressed and ready to go. Her hair is literally a mess but she doesn’t have time to tie them into braids. Stepping out of her room, she’s greeted with the sight of her roommate Raven making toast.
“You’re going to be late,” Raven says simply.
“Yeah, thanks for bothering to wake me up,” Lexa mutters, looking around for her keys.
“And miss the chance of watching you all flustered and shit?” Raven barely looks up from her food but Lexa can see a hint of a smile. “No thanks, Lexa.”
“Fuck off,” Lexa grumbles once she finds her keys. She grabs her bag from the couch and storms out the apartment. Before the door shuts behind her, she hears Raven yelling, “You’ll still ace it though! You always do!”
Lexa isn’t so sure.
She stumbles through three flights of stairs, nearly crashing onto the ground. She runs her fingers through her hair once she’s out of the building and really, she doesn’t need her professor looking at her like she literally dragged herself out of bed (which she did.) She’s breathing erratically when she’s inside her car, putting her key in the ignition and starting the engine.
She checks her phone. It’s 8:15 AM. There’s also a text message, sent by Raven mere seconds ago.
Raven (8:15 AM): go get em
Lexa (8:15 AM): fuck you.
Lexa starts driving, her mind somewhere else. She wonders if she can get to class in five minutes tops. But that’s unlikely to happen, since her floor is on the third level of her building and she needs to find a good enough parking spot. Plus, there might be traffic coming up ahead and not to mention, the streetlights. Slamming her fists against the wheel, she curses the way the day has gone. She really needs to get to this exam—she’s been studying way too long for this and just because she slept in doesn’t give her a valid reason to miss it.
Her phone chimes and she twists around to glare at it. It’s another message from Raven, no doubt a taunting message about how she’s going to miss the test. She reaches forward to reply to it when a flash of gold catches her attention.
“Holy shit—” she says, stepping on the brakes.
It’s too late, though. She hears the resounding thud—the noise of it reverberating in her eardrums and she squeezes her eyes shut for a second before the car skids to a stop. For one horrible moment, she sits there, holding her breath but then reality hits her and oh my God—did she just hit someone? Her fingers are clutching the wheel tight and she forces them to relax, forces the rest of her body to cooperate as she slides out of her car.
There aren’t a lot of bystanders around but a small crowd of five people have formed. Lexa gives the bumper of her car a glance before hurrying to the person lying on the ground.
“Are you okay?” she says, going down on her knees. The person doesn’t look badly injured but there’s a cut above her eye and scratches along her arms. She is pretty though, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a small mole above her upper lip. For most of the part, she just looks shaken.
“Ouch,” the girl mumbles.
Lexa hesitantly places her hand on her shoulder, turning the girl’s face so that they’re looking at each other.
“How many fingers am I holding up?” she asks gently.
The girl squints at her. “I went to school—I know basic math,” she grumbles, “and you’re holding up two fingers.”
“Three, actually.”
“Ugh.” The girl rubs her eyes. “Why do I feel like I just got hit by a car?”
Lexa bites back a smile. For a moment, she’s forgotten all about her exam. “Because you just did.”
The girl blinks. “I did?” A hand shoots out to touch the cut above her eye and she winces. While she’s doing this, Lexa looks at the crowd around them and shouts that she’s got all of this covered.
“Wait, did you hit me with your car?” the girl asks, sounding perplexed.
“I did,” Lexa answers, straightforward.
The girl groans and Lexa carefully helps her up to her feet, placing her hands on either side of the girl’s waist to keep her from stumbling. They walk over to Lexa’s car and it’s probably a bad idea, since Lexa could’ve called an ambulance, but it’ll take time and the girl looks as if she’s barely holding it together.
“My name’s Clarke, by the way,” the girl says after Lexa has safely deposited her into the shotgun seat.
Lexa smiles. “Hi, Clarke,” she says softly, “I’m going to get you to the hospital now so don’t die on me, okay?”
Clarke rests her head against the window once the door clicks shut. Lexa checks her watch and visibly shrinks. It’s 8:32 AM and her exam is halfway over and she’s got a girl with a concussion sitting in her car. She’s going to miss her exam, most likely due to the fact that she hadn’t woken up at the right time and because she hit a girl with her car. It serves her right, she thinks, as she walks over to the driver’s seat.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” Clarke complains once Lexa gets the car moving again.
Lexa thinks the girl is endearingly adorable but she’s not going to say that out loud. Instead, she just hums as she drives over to the hospital, which is a few miles north from her college. She doesn’t allow herself to think of the multiple phone calls she’ll have to make in order to get a make-up test. This will definitely not score her any points from the professor.
Clarke nudges her slightly. “It’s rude not to talk to the girl you hit your car with.”
Lexa allows herself to laugh at that one. “Well, I have a lot on my mind today, Clarke.” She turns slightly, frowning when she sees Clarke wincing. “Did I hit you that bad?”
Clarke shakes her head but promptly stops the movement. “I don’t really know,” she mutters, “My brains’s really scrambled right now, like scrambled eggs. The ones I ate this morning.”
“Ah.” Lexa taps her fingers against the wheel when the light turns red. “Sorry about that. I’ll cover for any misconduct in your health insurance.”
“Why were you in such a hurry, anyway?” Clarke asks.
“I was running late for a very important exam,” Lexa answers, stiffening at the thought, “and sadly, I might’ve missed it already.”
Clarke sits up straight, running her fingers through her blonde curls and looking worried. She chews on her lower lip and slants her dazed look at Lexa, who manages to glance at her every now and then.
“What?” Lexa asks.
“You’re missing your exam because of me?” Clarke questions, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
Lexa shrugs. “I can get a make-up.” It’ll take several phone calls but she can get it.
Silence follows. Clarke slumps back in her seat and relaxes, her eyes shuttering close. Lexa isn’t normally equipped when it comes to medical help and she picks up the speed on her car, wondering what the hell she’s supposed to do when the cute girl sitting next to her currently has a concussion.
“So, shouldn’t you like not close your eyes or something?” Lexa asks, drawing Clarke back towards her.
Clarke laughs. “No, I just have to make sure that I won’t hit my head anymore. Some ice would be nice but we’re already rushing to the hospital so I really can’t be picky.” She turns towards Lexa, smiling. “Did I mention that I’m in pre-med?”
Lexa exhales. “No, you didn’t.” She turns the car to a corner, knowing that the hospital will be very close now. “That does mean that I didn’t have to drive you to the hospital?”
“And risk this concussion getting worse?” Clarke cheekily grins at her and Lexa blushes. “Nah, you did the right thing, stranger.”
“It’s Lexa.”
“Lexa.” Clarke draws the name out slowly and Lexa bites the inside of her cheek to stop her smile. “Well, Lexa, I’ll try my best to remember your name at the end of the day.”
Lexa is about to respond when she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket. She fishes it out, nodding at Clarke who raises her eyebrow, before she swipes the lock screen away and answers Raven’s persistent grinning face.
“Hello?” Lexa greets.
“So, how are exams?”
“Fuck off.” Lexa ignores Clarke stifling her laughter.
“Yeah, I kinda got the feeling that you had somehow messed it up and missed the one test that you’ve been studying for months now. Thought I’d check if you were somehow still breathing.”
“Fine, I missed the exam.”
“How?” Raven’s tone sounds entirely too smug for Lexa’s liking.
“I might’ve hit a person with a car and now said person is sitting next to me while I try to find a god-awful parking spot in this hospital,” Lexa answers coolly and she hears Raven stumbling in the phone, sputtering out words that sounds incoherent. Lexa allows herself to smile as she glances over at Clarke, who is looking at her with barely hidden affection.
Lexa’s entire body flushes before she manages to find a salvageable spot. She switches off the engine for the car, still waiting for Raven to somehow pick up her phone again.
“Wait, was that a joke or were you serious?” Raven asks.
“I’m very serious,” Lexa says, getting out of the car and waiting for Clarke to follow suit. The blonde gets out shakily before stumbling to where Lexa is standing. Lexa reaches forward and steadies her, her hand clutching at the other girl’s shirt tightly.
Clarke’s cheeks turn red. Lexa pretends not to notice.
“Wait, what’s her name?” Raven demands.
“I don’t think she really wants to give her name out to random people,” Lexa answers.
“LEXA WOODS, YOU ARE A FUCKING TEASE,” Raven says furiously just as Lexa switches the call off.
Clarke mumbles, “Where’s the emergency room?”
Lexa glances at the blonde, assessing the damage. The cut above Clarke’s eyes is bleeding slightly but the scratches on her arms don’t seem too fatal. Lexa reaches down and checks her hands, trying to find any visible bruises or cuts but Clarke winces when Lexa touches her left wrist.
“Sprained,” Clarke gasps out, sweating. She takes a step back and rubs at the spot.
Lexa frowns. “Let’s get it fixed then,” she says.
She takes off for the emergency room, slowing so that Clarke can catch up. Her phone buzzes in her hand, the screen popping up with messages from Raven, who demands for an explanation and even a snapchat. Lexa rolls her eyes as she switches her phone off. It’s quiet on the way there and Lexa can feel the gnawing guilt at the bottom of her stomach when she sees Clarke stumbling slightly at the entrance of the emergency room, wincing when she accidentally moves her sprained wrist.
Lexa’s hand shoots out but she hesitates, unsure if the gesture is welcome.
Clarke leans towards her anyway and Lexa lets her hand rest on the blonde’s arms, keeping her from stumbling.
“I don’t have the insurance to cover your funeral,” Lexa deadpans and Clarke laughs.
“It’s just a concussion; I’ll be fine in a few hours.”
Lexa chews on her lower lip and watches as a doctor appears and asks Clarke what her problem is. When Clarke says that she’s been hit by a car with moderate force, the doctor nods. Almost as if this occurs every day. Lexa finds a place to sit just as Clarke’s being dragged into the emergency room. She fiddles with her phone as she waits, before deciding that fuck it, she needs to call her roommate.
Raven picks up on the first ring. “Fucking tease, Woods,” she grumbles.
“I’m in the hospital right now,” Lexa says lightly.
“How cute is she?”
Lexa rolls her eyes even though her cheeks do flare up. “I’m here to help her out, not to hopefully ask for a number,” she snaps. “I have more dignity than that.”
Raven lets out a laugh. “Lexa, this girl better be smoking hot for you to miss your exam.”
“I hit her with my car!” Lexa’s voice rises and a few attendees turn to look at her. She sheepishly keeps her gaze fixed on the ground.
“Whatever, just bring home the bacon,” Raven drawls.
“Raven Reyes, I swear to God—”
Raven hangs up and Lexa growls at her phone.
She spends the remainder of the morning playing around with her phone, trying to beat her own high score on Trivia Crack. When she does beat it twice, she stretches her legs and walks over to the vending machine, buying some chips for lunch before heading back to her area. She doesn’t fully understand what her purpose here is anymore but she stays anyway. Chewing her so called food and texting Raven about dinner later tonight, she stays.
Clarke comes out two hours later and she nearly stumbles when she sees Lexa sitting in the waiting area.
“Hey!” the blonde says, sounding squeaky.
Lexa stands, walking over towards her and hiding her phone. “You okay?” she asks.
Clarke’s blue eyes—has Lexa ever noticed that they were blue?—searches her face.
“You didn’t really have to stay,” the blonde mumbles, rubbing the back of her neck.
“I wanted to,” Lexa says, without thinking and she quickly presses on before Clarke can dwell too much into her words, “Anyway, how are you? What did the doctor say?”
Clarke shrugs. “Nothing, really. My head’s fine. I might need to lie down for a few hours and make sure that I won’t get hit by cars anymore. Also, the doctor suggested some painkillers so I have to stop by the pharmacy.”
Lexa gives a jerky nod. “I’ll join you.”
Clarke raises a hand. “No, it’s fine, really.” She bites her lower lip and Lexa’s brain short-circuits at the image. “And don’t you have that exam to catch up to?”
“Clarke.” Lexa smiles. “It’s fine. I want to. I have to make sure you’re okay.”
A faint blush appears on Clarke’s cheeks and she ducks her head to smile at the ground. Together, they start walking to the pharmacy and along the way, Lexa asks some questions.
“So, you’re going to be a doctor?”
“Yeah, it’s what my mom wants.” There’s a hint of bitterness in the blonde’s tone and Lexa doesn’t imagine the look of frustration in her eyes.
“And you?”
Clarke looks up, eyes wide. “That obvious, huh?” she asks, a small smile hinting at her lips.
Lexa shrugs. There’s a small line in the pharmacy and they both step into it. Lexa shoves her hands into the pockets of her jeans and stares at Clarke, admiring the curve of her lips and the bright color against her cheeks. The silence is comfortable, patient and she enjoys it.
“What do you want, Clarke?” Lexa repeats.
It takes a short silence for Clarke to finally answer, “I want to be an artist.” She looks up at Lexa, almost daring her to make fun but Lexa shakes her head and allows a small smile to grace her lips.
“That’s good,” she tells Clarke, her voice earnest. “Art is important and if that’s what you really want, then why don’t you pursue it? You’re in pre-med so that means money isn’t a problem. What’s stopping you, exactly?”
Clarke toys with the hem of her shirt. “My mom,” she answers.
“Ah.” Lexa doesn’t press any further. The line has moved up so she allows Clarke to buy her necessary medication. The pharmacist, an Asian boy with thick dark hair, grins at the blonde when he sees her and Clarke waves back.
“Who’s this?” the boy asks, gesturing to Lexa.
“This is Lexa,” Clarke answers, smiling at her, “She’s a friend.”
Lexa flushes at the word.
“Hi, I’m Monty,” the pharmacist greets and Lexa gives him a nod.
“Pleased to meet you, Monty,” Lexa says.
Monty grins before turning back to Clarke. Clarke hands him a list for the painkillers and Monty goes to the back to find them. While they wait, Clarke asks some questions of her own.
“What about you, Lexa? What do you study?”
“Political Science,” Lexa answers. She grins when Clarke faces her with wide eyes. “Are you intimidated, Clarke?”
“Uhm, maybe?” The blonde laughs, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s cool. Like, seriously. I haven’t met much people who major in PolSci.” She blushes when Lexa’s grin widens. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” Lexa responds, shuffling her feet, “It’s what I want.”
Clarke smiles again. “That’s great.”
Before either of them can respond, Monty returns with Clarke’s painkillers. Clarke pays and then takes the bag. Monty wishes her a good day before giving Lexa another bright smile. Lexa has to smile back.
“He seems nice,” Lexa remarks offhandedly as they walk to the exit.
Clarke looks up from inspecting her bag. “Hmm? Monty? Yeah, he’s always nice to everybody.”
Lexa runs her fingers through her hair and hums under her breath when they get outside the hospital lobby. Clarke is still rummaging through her bag and a feeling similarly close to dread settles in Lexa’s stomach at the thought of saying goodbye, of the possibility that they might never see each other again. She forces the feeling down and sticks her hand out for Clarke to shake.
Clarke looks up, oddly confused. “What?” she asks.
“I think this is the part where we walk away from each other,” Lexa states grimly.
“Walk away?” Clarke scoffs but then her face slackens when she realizes how serious Lexa is. “Oh wait, you weren’t joking.”
“I don’t really joke that often, Clarke,” Lexa tells her.
“You are not walking away from me, Lexa—?”
“Lexa Woods.”
“Clarke Griffin.” The blonde points at the small cut above her eye. “And you hit me with your car by the way so I’m going to have to ask for something in return, besides health insurance or whatever.”
Lexa raises an eyebrow and draws her hand back. “What is it?” she asks.
“Take me out for coffee,” Clarke says, without hesitating and Lexa’s mouth drops open slightly. Before she can say anything else, the other girl presses on, “or dinner or whatever you want. Hell, you can invite me over for your place for movie night or something. Just—don’t walk away and never look back.”
Lexa searches Clarke’s face and she’s slightly embarrassed to find out that her mouth is still shamelessly wide open. She closes it and then takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She has never been this wildly attracted to a person before and not only is Clarke Griffin incredibly attractive but Lexa enjoys her company, loves it even. And she doesn’t think she can ever fully walk away from someone she really genuinely likes.
She flashes Clarke a small smile. “You’re not even remotely worried that you sound desperate right now?” she asks.
“Not really,” Clarke answers and her grin is tinged with anxiety, unabashed hope. She shrugs her shoulders. “It’d be worth it if it meant that you’d stay.”
“Okay, Clarke,” Lexa says, pulling her phone out. She ignores Raven’s persistent stream of texts and opens a new contact before giving it back to the blonde. “Give me your number and I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Coffee?” Clarke asks, blue eyes shining as she types in her digits.
“I’ll think of something.” Lexa tucks the phone away and does something brave. Normally, Lexa is a risk-free person. She doesn’t like loose ends, strings that could trip up the whole scale but looking at Clarke right now, with her blonde hair billowing with the end and her bright blue eyes, she has to make an exception. She leans forward, tips her head down and presses her lips against Clarke’s for a soft chaste kiss.
Clarke is quick to kiss her back and Lexa drags her tongue against Clarke’s bottom lip before she pulls away.
“I’ll see you soon,” Lexa tells her.
Clarke’s expression morphs into mock outrage. “You are such a tease,” she grumbles.
“At least you have something to look forward to tonight.”
“Tonight?”
Before Clarke can ask for more, Lexa is already pulling away, heading to the direction of her car. She’s grinning widely and sure, she missed an exam and is probably going to pay hell for it later but with the taste of Clarke’s lips still tingling in her mouth, it’s worth it.