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Chapter Text

Senior year in high school is supposed to be the most exciting time for fresh-faced students, and if you'd asked Clarke a year ago she would have been just like every other student currently surrounding the halls talking happily and excitedly with their friends as if they hadn't seen them all summer. In fact, she was exactly like every other student a year ago. But it's hard to fit in and be excited like everyone else when you're labeled as Polis highs local slut. And it gets hard to care about the social norms of being a 17 to 18-year-old when all the damn school is obsessed with is who's the best dressed and who's having sex. So to put it simply, Clarke couldn't care less about the excitement of senior year. She couldn't care less about all the parties that are to come and the homecoming, nor about prom or graduation.

"I forgot how much these halls reek of desperation and body odor" The sound of one of her best friend's voices snapped Clarke out of her mindless thoughts, closing her locker to be met with a bored expression from none other than Octavia Blake.

"You forget that we were also just as bad as all of them last year, right O?"

"Correction Blondie, that was all you"

"It was so dumb for you guys to allow me to act like that"

It's true, last year Clarke truly was the preppy blonde. She was friends with everyone, was head of the school's comity, and was known for dating a senior at the time. Being a junior and dating a senior was seen as something special, and Clarke loved it at the time. Until she fell pregnant and he left her alone to deal with it.

"Oh please, don't go all Mom on my now"

"You know the joke stops being funny when it becomes true?" She received a smirk and an eye roll in return for her snarky comment.

"We love you for it"

"Too had the rest of the school don't share your opinion"

"Fuck the rest of the school, Griff. Little Jake is the best"

"Yeah, he is" The blonde smiled to herself at the mention of her son.

Although being labeled a slut didn't do the best for the blonde's reputation or mental state, she could never deny the love that she had for her little boy. Clarke had never planned to be a mother at the age of 17, hell she hadn't even decided whether she ever wanted kids, and falling pregnant than being left by her boyfriend alone to deal with it hasn't been the easiest situation. But whenever she looked at her baby's little innocent face she didn't feel regret. If anything, she didn't really care about what anyone else thought of her and wouldn't change the last 11 weeks she's had with her baby for anything.

"How are you holding up anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, leaving him and all that"

"I miss him" The blonde sighed. "It already sucks that I don't get to stare at his squishy face all day"

After spending all summer with Jake, Clarke was finding it difficult having to leave him in favor of actually graduating on time. She'd only been away from him for an hour and could already feel the withdrawals taking over.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it" The brunette gave her friend a gentle squeeze to her shoulder in sympathy, but the sentiment only lasted a short moment before Raven burst their little bubble.

"Incoming." The Latina said in place of greeting

"Hello to you to Rae"

"Yeah yeah, hey" The Latina waved the blonde off. "Incoming"

"Who?"

"Costia Greene and her little minions are headed this way"

"Ugh, what does that bitch want?" But Octavia's question went unanswered when the subject of their conversation approached them and directed her attention at Clarke.

"I'm surprised to see you're here"

"Care to share why you have that surprise, Costia?" The blonde rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Oh you know, seeing as you're the girl that tried to ruin Finn Collins life I thought you'd be too ashamed to show your face"

"Shame you're wrong then"

"Plan on trapping anyone else this year, Griffin?" Costia ignored Clarke's statement.

"Jury is still out on that one, but I'll let you know"

"Oh, I'm sure you won't need to. You're probably already knocked up"

"Why don't you just take your little minions and bother someone who actually cares?" Octavia snapped at the other girl, stepping into her personal space.

"Griffin keep your dog on a leash, if she keeps getting out someone might send her to the pound" And although Costia was speaking to Clarke, her eyes still traveled up and down Octavia's body in judgment as she spoke.

The rest of the girls stood with Costia snickered as though what she had said had been the most hilarious thing. Clarke truly just wanted to take ahold of her shitty hair extensions and rip them out, but she knew that the girl wasn't worth her time and she also didn't want her friends getting shit off of her for the next year all because they were friends with her. So, she took Octavia's shoulder in her hand, pulling her back away from the group of girls who stood in before them and urged her friends to walk away without saying another word.

"When did she become such a bitch?" Octavia was practically seething with anger.

"I heard Woods broke up with her during the summer, apparently she has her eye on someone else" The Latina supplied information as if they were talking about the weather.

"Well I pity the girl that she left her for"

"Lexa isn't that bad" Clarke stated.

"Oh no, I mean because of Costia. Whoever mystery girl is, she's going to get a load of shit even she looks in Lexa's direction"

"Good point"

Lexa Woods being Polis High's star quarterback left all the girls pining over her. Whenever the brunette would walk into a room it would be like every girl was in heat, like rapid dogs attempting to break out of a cage. But no girl had seemed to pull the other girl's attention to them considering she'd been dating Costia on and off since they were freshmen. Every single time the two would break up, no other girl would be able to get with even a foot near the football player without Costia practically sinking her claws in them and ripping out their throats. It was disgusting and possessive. Clarke truly did pity the girl that the brunette had left Costia for because she was in for a year of hell if she so much as attempted to accept the given attention.

//

"You know you're the talk of the school already"

"Why am I not surprised" Lexa sighed as she took a seat at her respective lunch table.

Being told that she was the new topic of conversation was at all a surprise to Lexa. Having broken up with her long-term girlfriend again, there were bound to be rumors surfacing as to why.

"You've heard what they're saying, right?" Anya, her best friend questioned.

"Nope, and I don't want to know"

"Apparently you left Costia for some mysterious girl" Her best friend ignored the glare that she threw at her for telling her anyway.

"Have they ever stopped to think that maybe I couldn't be bothered to be a possession anymore?"

"What when you guys were so in love? Never. It's not juicy enough if you just didn't want to be with her"

"In love?" The brunette scoffed. "She's a bitch, Anya"

"Oh, I think every single girl in the school knows that. I saw her cornering Griffin this morning"

"Clarke?" The mention of the blonde had her giving Anya her attention more fully.

"Mhm. I honestly thought Blake was going to take her head off" Anya spoke between bites of her food.

"What was she saying to Clarke?"

"From what I heard she was just talking shit about blondie getting pregnant" Lexa rolled her eyes.

Lexa knew what people said about the blonde, they would slut-shame her to no end and accuse her of trying to trap her ex and ruin his life. It was as if a bunch of almost 18-year-olds didn't know how getting pregnant worked and that Collins hadn't been a part of the process at all. She'd also heard rumors that Clarke had cheated, which Lexa knew wasn't true considering she'd witnessed the infidelity coming from Finns part on several occasions. But the girls of Polis high never thought that the captain of the basketball team could do any wrong. Last year Finn had been the person all the girls pined for, being a senior and a captain of a sports team gave him automatic celebrity status. Lexa knew this because as soon as she became quarterback, her popularity status shot through the roof. It was ridiculous and she really did feel for Clarke considering her circumstances.

"It's so stupid what they say about her"

"I hear you"

"And Collins is a dick for what he did"

"He was always a dick anyway. Poor girl just got the brunt of it"

Lexa hummed in agreement, staring out at the cafeteria. She watched the rest of her peers piled together in their cliques, gossiping and eating together. The brunette was so caught up in people watching that she almost missed the flash of blonde passing by her. She watched as Clarke made her way over to a respective stable in the far corner alone. Lexa knew that within a few minutes she would be joined by her two friends, but watching Clarke sit alone with her head down looking as small as ever truly did stir something unpleasant within the quarterback. It was odd to see considering up until the slut-shaming begun, Clarke was extremely chirpy. She was surrounded by a group of friends and they would more than likely always be the loudest out of any crowd. The delinquents truly were something to behold, but now seeing Clarke only ever with two people and rarely to be heard was strange. She watched on for a few moments, the sounds of other people around her were muffling out and as if the blonde sensed Lexa watching her, she looked up from where she had been poking at her food and their eyes met. Lexa knew she should have looked away, having been caught staring wasn't exactly a good look. But she couldn't, no matter how much her mind screamed at her to look away so she didn't come off as a creep, it was difficult to not get sucked in by those baby blue orbs.

There was a story to the blonde that Lexa had been wanting to know since she had seen her during the summer at the park with her son. A story that was so clearly locked away, Lexa yearned to coax it out of the cage it was kept in. She had spent a good moment during the summer watching the blonde feed the ducks, smiling as her little boy let out tiny giggles every time the ducks had caught a piece of bread that she had thrown to them. It was a beautiful site to have seen, and she wished that the rest of the school could have seen how precious it was. Maybe then they wouldn't say the things that they did about the blonde.

The brunette sent Clarke a small smile, in hopes that the blonde didn't think she was staring her out through judgment, and for a second Lexa thought she had seen a little pull to the other girl's lips in return, but as fast as it had appeared on her face it had disappeared when blue eyes flickered to beside Lexa and then looked back down to her plate. The quarterback dropped her shoulders in defeat before she caught movement beside her out of the corner of her eye. She looked across from her to see Anya looking at the object with annoyance before Lexa turned and was met with the sight of her ex seething in Clarke's direction.

"Costia" Lexa stated plainly, annoyance evident in her voice.

"Hey, you" Her ex purred at her as soon as she drew her attention away from the table in the corner. "I've been looking all over for you"

"What do you want, Costia?"

"Can't I come and see my girl?" The dark-haired girl sat down beside her, leaning into her personal space.

"I'm not your girl. I broke up with you, remember"

"Oh come on Lex, you can't have been serious about that"

"Oh, but she was" Anya stated dryly pulling a scoff from the brunette's ex.

"Nobody asked you, Foster"

"And nobody asked you to come prowling over here like a bitch in heat, yet here we are"

"Are got going to allow her to speak to me like that?" She turned back to Lexa in annoyance.

Lexa really didn't have time to play referee and the screeching sound of her ex complaining truly was giving her a headache, so she said nothing and instead decided to continue watching the blonde across the hall interacting with her friends. This of course didn't last long when Costia followed her line of sight due to her lack of an answer and practically let out a growl.

"Why the hell are you looking at that thing?" Costia shoved her, gaining her attention once again.

"Because it's better than listening to you complaining" She sighed. "And don't call her a thing"

"So she's the girl you left me for? That slut?"

"I didn't leave you for anyone, Costia. I left because you're possessive and controlling. And she's not a slut"

"She literally tried to ruin Finn's life by getting knocked up and blaming him. God knows who the actual father of the child is"

"Do you ever stop being a bitch?" Anya spat at Costia.

"Do you ever know your place?"

"If you want to keep your nose job intact I suggest you leave"

"Whatever" Costia stood to leave before resting her hand in Lexa's shoulder, leaning in to plant a kiss below her ear. "Call me later"

Lexa watched as Costia walked away with her insufferable friends before looking back over to Clarke in time to see her looking in the brunette's direction, but the moment their eyes met the blonde looked away.

//

The first week of senior year was going relatively smoothly. Apart from the whispers and stares with the occasional shitty run-in from Costia Greene and her puppets, Clarke was managing to stay pretty much under the radar. She'd kept her head down during the days, sat at the back of basically all her classes, and then headed straight home at the end of the day to relieve either one of her parents from babysitting duty.

Coming home to Jake was a blessing. Being away from him was getting harder than she thought it would be which only made her question she actually needed to graduate this year. Of course, it wasn't like she even had a choice because her parents had been pretty adamant that they weren't going to allow their daughter to fall behind and not go to college with the rest of the kids her age. But going to college while trying to bring up a child was another issue that she wasn't quite ready to tackle. So instead she focused on every day as it came instead of worrying too much about the future.

Her day had pretty much dragged on, so the fact that she was currently sat waiting for her last class of the day to start truly did help to feel like her chest was no longer constricting. Clarke sat at the back of the class alone, as usual, being the monster that tried to trap Finn Collins meant that the seat next to her was avoided like the plague in the majority of her classes. Nobody wanted to be seen caught dead with her in fear that their reputation would be tainted, and in all honesty, Clarke was completely fine with that. However, today seemed to be much different. Because today she wasn't left sitting alone for very long when the oh so beloved quarterback sauntered into the classroom seconds before the tardy bell, and planted herself right next to Clarke. The blonde watched her curiously as she began to take out her stationery and books, expecting her to say something but when the brunette didn't even look in her direction she turned her attention back to their teacher and fought the urge for the remainder of the hour to not ask Lexa what on earth she had been thinking when she took the seat next to the blonde. It was only until a project was announced that the football player finally turned and spoke to her.

"Looks like we're partners"

"What?" Her confusion only pulled a chuckle from the brunette.

Clarke hadn't been paying much attention to what her teacher had said, she merely caught the words presentation and partner.

"For the project. We're sat next to one another, aren't we?"

"Oh, yeah." The blonde cleared her throat before glancing around. She could practically feel every girl in the room seething at her. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Lexa frowned.

"Uh, have you not seen every girl practically plotting my murder as we speak?"

Lexa looked over her shoulder noting a few girls glaring at the blonde, some sending pitiful looks of disappointment and longing at the brunette before she turned back to meet blue eyes.

"Seems like that's their problem, not mine"

"And you're prepared to get your reputation tainted?"

"And why would that happen?"

"You do know who I am, right?" Clarke stated at the girl in disbelief, waiting for the cruel words to come. But they never did.

"You're Clarke. We've had Art History together for two years" She shrugged.

"Y-you noticed that?"

The bell sounded and everyone stood to pack their things in a hurry. But Clarke seemed to be moving in slow motion as she gathered her belongings, still, dumbstruck by the situation currently unfolding before her.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Lexa snapped Clarke out of her mind.

"Do what?"

"The project. Where should we meet after school?"

Clarke hadn't thought about the possibility of having to do group projects. The only people that had seemed willing to be her partner for the majority of the last year had been her two best friends, usually, Clarke would just request she do it alone or whenever she was forced to have a partner, she was left to do all the work alone anyway. Not once did she actually think anyone would want to help her like they were supposed to? And the fact that she had a small child at home didn't make it that easy to just "meet up" to work.

"Uh, I just assumed I'd be left to do it alone" The blonde shrugged. "That's what usually happens anyway"

"Well, I'm not going to do that" Lexa gave her a reassuring smile.

"Well, um" The blonde swallowed the lump in her throat. "I guess you'd have to come to my house. I mean with my son I-"

"That's okay, Clarke. I understand it not being that easy so why don't you just give me your address and I'll come over later?"

"Y-yeah, okay"

The blonde quaintly grabbed a pen and wrote her number and address on the back of Lexa's hand. The warmth from the other girl's skin sent electric pulses up her arm and she had to do everything in her power to fight the urge to not pull away. Once she finished writing it down, Lexa gave it a read-over before sending Clarke a cheeky grin that had her fighting a blush.

"Great. I'll come over at around 7? I'm assuming that's enough time for you to put your son to bed?"

"Yeah" Clarke smiled in gratitude. "Thank you"

"No worries. I'll see you at 7 Griffin"

And with that, Clarke was left watching Lexa's retreating form stunned as she left the classroom.

//

Getting home was a job in itself. By the time she had made it out of the parking lot, it was obvious that most of the girls in her grade had heard about Clarke being paired up with the quarterback. So not only did she have to fight off a swarm of slut calling but so did Octavia and Raven. Clarke had given them a ride home, saving them from having to endure the bus with a bunch of crazy students giving them shit for still being the blonde's friend. Although, even Clarke sometimes questioned why they still put up with being her friend knowing they'd get abuse for it. Nonetheless, though the young mother was grateful for her two best friends never leaving her side.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold to her home she dropped her school bag with a huff and instantly made a beeline for the living room to find her dad sat watching football reruns with little Jake in his arms. She stood for a moment, watching the scene before her. Her father sat slumped, eyes cast at the tv with her little boy resting between his arm and his chest, legs spread out before him. Her father was expertly holding the bottle to his grandson's mouth with the hand that was wrapped around his little body as they both started at the tv. Considering she had named her son after her father, it didn't surprise her in the slightest that they shared the same mannerisms.

Jake Jr was only 2 months old, so he couldn't understand a thing that was happening on the television in front of him. But her father never failed to have a full-blown one-sided conversation about what they'd be watching as if his grandson truly did understand.

"How was school, kiddo?" Her father's voice snapped her out of her observations. He hadn't even looked up from the tv to know that she was there.

"Dull as always" She sighed as she moved to retrieve her child from his arms. "How was he today?"

"He only pooped on me once today so it's progress" Her father grinned at the disgusted look on the blonde's face as she lifted her little boy to eye level.

"Did you poop on grandpa again?" She scrunched her nose at the little sparkle in his baby blue eyes before planting a soft kiss upon his nose.

"It's not like it's my first rodeo"

"There's no way I was that bad as a child"

"Nope, you were worse" Clarke scoffed at her father, truly offended.

"I'm a delight, I'll have you know"

"Of course" He sent a wink at her before gently nudging her playfully. "How's dumb and dumber?"

"Reyes almost blew up the chemistry lab today"

"Again?"

"Did you really expect any less?"

"Not in the slightest" He chuckled before turning serious for a moment as he eyed his daughter.

"What?"

"The kids at school, they're not being too hard on you are they?"

"They're fine" Clarke lied. "It's not every day you get to go to class with the girl who attempted to ruin Finn Collins life"

"He's lucky I didn't ruin his life. Abandoning you both like that"

"Dad, it's fine" She took his hand a squeezed it reassuringly. "It's not like I need him anyway"

"Look kiddo, I know your mom and I was hard on you when we learned you were pregnant but you know we're proud of you. Right?"

"I know dad. Plus, I named my firstborn after you, you should be proud" She grinned.

"You say firstborn as if you're planning on having more"

"Oh god no"

"Good, because I don't need any more grandchildren just yet. We've got to get you through college first"

She hummed in agreement staring down at the little bundle in arms. Her son clung to her shirt with one tiny hand, pressing his ear against her chest whilst he stared off at the tv. She couldn't help but run her fingers through his tiny blonde curls. Considering he was only 2 months old, it truly did seem as though time was flying by and he was getting too big already. Clarke couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving him for hours every day. Although she understood that taking a year out wasn't an option if she wanted to still have somewhat of a normal life, it didn't mean that she felt any less guilty for her parents having to take care of her child. The blonde was afraid she was missing him grow, yet it had only been a week of leaving him at home instead of being there for every waking moment.

"You're not missing much" Her dad voiced after watching her stare lovingly at her little boy. Clarke only sighed in response. "I know it feels like it but you're not. Your mom felt the same when you were born, working the hours that she does. But look how you turned out"

"I just don't want him to grow up and think I left him to go and live my life instead"

"He won't think that kiddo. He'll always know that you love him and are doing what you need to do so he can have a good life. You can't provide him with a stable life if you don't finish school"

"I guess" She paused, tracing the features of his tiny face with her finger. "Speaking of school, I've got this project for Art History so one of my classmates will be coming over at 7 if that's okay?"

"Of course it is, kid. I'll go and start dinner so you can have some time with Jake before then" He patted her leg and moved to get up before planting a soft kiss on her head. "I love you, Clarke"

"I love you too, dad"

//

She had spent a good few hours with her son between waiting for dinner to be finished and then after eating. It was now nearing 7 pm as she held him in her arms, feeding him his last bottle of the night. Leaning back against the cushions of the couch she watched as his eyes begun to droop until the latch he held on the bottle loosened from his mouth, leaving milk to dribble out of the corner. It was a sight for sore eyes, his whole body stretched out and relaxed in her arms, head leaning against her chest as little snores escaped the gap of his parted lips. Being a teen mother was never part of the plan, but witnessing her child so relaxed in slumber only reminded her further that she wouldn't change it for the world. Clarke watched him for a moment longer, stroking his soft chubby cheek with the knuckle of her finger before a knock sounded at the door. Instantly she was nervous. She had planned for Jake to already be down in his crib before Lexa arrived, having only had Raven and Octavia around her child set off an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach due to the thought of having to answer door with a small infant in her arms. But before she could panic and have her father answer the door, another knock sounded before her dad called for Clarke to answer, leaving her no choice but to brace for the utter disgust she was sure to receive once Lexa was to witness everything the school says about her, in real life.

Placing the bottle on the coffee table in front of her, she got up as softly as she could in an attempt not to disturb the sleeping baby in her arms. Much like Clarke, he was a heavy sleeper so thankfully he didn't stir due to the movement. She braced herself with a deep breath before opening the door to meet eyes with the quarterback.

"Hi, sorry I didn't have time to put him to bed before you arrived"

She expected to see the disgust and be left standing at the door alone with her child but was only met with a look of understanding and a small smile before Lexa was stepping past the threshold.

"That's okay, I don't mind"

"Y-you don't?" she stammered in shock. "It's just that only Octavia and Raven have met him and with what everyone at schools says I-"

"Clarke, it's okay. I don't share the same views as them, idiots. I don't mind waiting do you to put your baby to bed"

"Thank you" She let out a sigh of relief. "Uh, you can wait in my room while I put him down. His room is across from mine"

Lexa gave her a nod in return before following her up the stairs to the respective rooms. Clarke gestured for her to enter her bedroom before she slipped into Jakes's and soft laid him down in his crib. The blonde planted a soft kiss on his forehead before turning on the baby monitor and cameras that were set up facing the crib and the door. Once everything was set and she was sure her baby was sound asleep, she quietly exited his room and entered hers to find Lexa stood looking at the pictures that were printed and stuck to her bedroom wall.

She had a lot of pictures from before she fell pregnant. Most of them of adventures she'd taken with the delinquents, but more so recently she had replaced those of herself and Finn with ones of herself and Jake jr. She felt the slight embarrassment of having Polis High's most popular girl in school witness an image of post-birth Clarke, with her blonde hair all messy and her eyes red and puffy due to crying from the pain that was childbirth and the overwhelming feeling of holding her little boy for the first time. It was a perfect picture, a moment captured of the first time she'd laid eyes on her son. But that didn't mean she wasn't embarrassed since she looked a hot mess. Ignoring the blush creeping up her neck, she silently moved to her bedside table to turn on the monitors so that she could keep an eye on her sleeping child. The blonde could feel Lexa watching her every move, so she grabbed her notebook and pens along with her laptop and gestured for the brunette to join her on the bed.

"It's a nice picture" Lexa spoke after some time of silence.

"What is?"

"You in the hospital holding your son"

"I look a mess but thank you. Jake just makes it better"

"That's his name?" Lexa asked although Clarke didn't hear any hint of judgment in her tone.

"Yeah" She smiled to herself. "I named him after my dad. Although you could swear my dad had hit the jackpot once he found out"

Lexa chuckled in response, purely just watching Clarke in awe. Her stare made Clarke feel small, but not in a negative way, more in a way that she didn't know why she had shared such details with someone that probably didn't care.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I told you that when you're just here to work on school stuff"

"Don't apologize, it was a nice story"

Clarke sent her a small smile before turning back to her laptop and notepad. She could feel Lexa's watching her now and again before she'd go back to work on her respective piece of the presentation. They worked in mostly silence, only talking to share opinions and information of the topic at hand here and there. It was quiet for a long time before Lexa spoke again, shocking Clarke completely.

"I know what people say about you in school" The brunette stated quietly, causing Clarke to pause her typing.

The blonde's heart begun to race as she played the words through her mind. This is where Lexa was going to tell her that she agreed, where she'd let Clarke know exactly what she thought of her and that would be it. She'd be left alone to deal with the project and continue to be at the brunt of an ongoing joke between the popular. Why else would the star quarterback agree to work on a project with her? Why else would she so willingly come to her house? Of course, she wanted to see mom Clarke in action to gain ammo on the blonde. And now Clarke was feeling stupid for believing that even for a second, someone other than her friends didn't think poorly of her. So she ceased her typing altogether and closed her notepad, pausing for a moment before sitting up on her bed to brace herself for the harsh words to come.

"Look, I know you all think I tried to ruin Finn's life. Trap him. I know what everyone thinks of me. But I'd appreciate it if you'd leave those opinions and words for the school halls and not at my home. So, if you came here to gain ammo, I get it. Now you've got it, you don't have to stay"

She watched tentatively, waiting for the abuse to come anyway. But what she was met with wasn't a malicious look on the brunette's face or a disgusting squint of her green eyes. No, she was met with her brows pinched in utter confusion.

"Clarke, I'm not here to get ammo on you or whatever that means" She paused for a moment, seemingly gathering her thoughts before continuing. "I know what people say about you in school and I think it's disgusting. I don't believe you tried to trap Collins. If anything that guy was a dick and you deserved so much better than to be treated the way you were"

"What?"

"I don't judge you. I think the fact that you bringing up a kid and still finishing high school is such a badass thing to do"

"Y-you don't think I'm a slut that deserves all the abuse?"

"No" Lexa stated dryly. "I admire you"

"Don't let the rest of the student body hear you say that, they'll come after you next"

"So what? They're all idiots for treating you the way they do, Clarke"

"Try telling your girlfriend that"

"Ex-girlfriend" She said pointedly "And don't listen to Costia, she's a bitch to everyone. Why'd you think I broke up with her?"

"I heard it was for some mystery girl" The blonde shrugged. "But I never listen to rumors, I know enough myself that if it comes from someone else it probably isn't true"

"Well, no. It isn't. I left her because I was done being her possession"

"You know you'll never be able to move on unless you literally get a restraining order against her, right?" Clarke laughed, attempting to lighten the mood of the conversation.

The panic she had initially felt had long passed once she learned that Lexa didn't share the same views as the rest of the school. She still had yet to understand why the brunette was even giving her the time of day, but she didn't question it in case of jinxing the situation.

"Tell me about it" Lexa let out a huffed laugh. "She's literally a psycho"

"And it took you what, 3 years to figure that out?"

"She wasn't always like that"

"I know. I remember actually thinking of her as somewhat of a friend last year before the news of my teen pregnancy got out all thanks to Finn"

"What even happened there?"

"I'm sure your parents had the birds and bees talk with you, Woods"

"Ha. Ha." She tossed a pen at Clarke. "I meant with him outing you to the whole school"

"Oh. I told him I was pregnant and he flipped. Told me to get rid of the baby, I refused. He called me a whore and accused me of cheating on him and trying to trap him. The next thing I know I'm walking into school and the whole student body is slut-shaming me and accusing me of the same things. My parents got called into the school and that is how they found out they were going to be grandparents"

"Ouch. I'm sorry that happened to you"

"It sucked. Some of my friends stopped talking to me because it was giving them a bad rep. O and Raven stuck by me though so it could have been worse"

"I did wonder what happened to the delinquents"

"Most of them were seniors. Bellamy, Murphy, Monty, and Jasper are the only ones that didn't stop talking to me. They all left for college at the end of the year but the rest of the group stopped talking to me as soon as they left. Sometimes I talk to the boys but it's very rare, they're so busy getting fucked up at frat parties Bellamy rarely even speaks to Octavia and she's his sister"

"That's rough"

"It's fine, I've just got to get through the rest of the year and it'll all be left behind"

"Do you regret having Jake?"

"Oh god no. I'd take the abuse for the rest of my life as long as I have him to come home to at the end of every day"

"That's sweet, I like that" Lexa smiled before turning back to their project.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. Clarke only had to tend to a crying Jake twice during their study session before Lexa went home leaving the blonde feeling lighter than she had in a while. They'd exchanged a few texts once Lexa had let her know she got home safely but soon enough Clarke had fallen soundly asleep with a small smile permanently sketched to her lips.

It should have scared Clarke how good it felt to be around Lexa, but it didn't. If anything, spending that time with the brunette only made her see what the rest of the school saw.

Lexa was special.

Chapter Text

The weekend had gone smoothly, Octavia and Raven had shown up at Clarke's house early on Saturday morning. They had cooed and played with Jake for hours before dragging the two blondes out for a walk in the park nearby, stating that they had to soak up the remnants of summer before it would get too cold to take Jake to feed the ducks. Clarke couldn't have been more thankful for her two friends taking on roles of practically being Jakes's aunts. Although, Raven and Octavia still argued about who was godmother. Not that Clarke had ever expressed wanting him to have one, but she allowed them to indulge in the argument by themselves.

Lexa had been texting her a lot, sometimes about the project, sometimes about random things such as how she was thoroughly annoyed at the detective for ghosting lucifer once she saw his devil face, whatever that meant. They had discovered later that night that Lexa had forgotten her notebook on Clarke's bed, leaving the blonde with the daunting task of giving it back to the football player during school. It's not that she wanted to hide the fact that Lexa and herself had become friends. No, that wasn't it. If anything, she just didn't want to put a spotlight on herself by being seen with the quarterback, knowing that Costia was always lurking in the halls and also with Clarke's reputation, she didn't want to drag Lexa down with her. So, she had avoided it for the first few hours of school has had multiple chances to return the book, but her anxiety always got the better of her. Until lunch rolled around and she felt like she had no choice but to return it anyway. She could see Costia practically hanging off of Lexa's arm, as usual, the brunette looking uncomfortable but Clarke chose to bite the bullet and go over, not wanting to risk being accused of something as stupid as stealing Lexa's property.

Once letting her friends know, Clarke slowly got up and walked across the hall to the quarterback's table. The moment green eyes met blue, the blonde relaxed considerably and smiled, only for that smile to disappear as soon as Costia turned and addressed her.

"Well well, if it isn't fat Barbie"

The moment the words left her mouth Clarke felt a pang in her chest. It wasn't the first time one of the girls at the school had mentioned Clarke's weight after giving birth. More often than not she'd hear them muttering things to one another about it but chose to ignore it. Clarke knew she wasn't the skinniest out of her year group, she's grown into her curves and was a lot bustier than her other peers but she was nowhere near fat. Deep down she knew that, but it still didn't hurt any less having been directly called it.

"Do you ever shut the fuck up?" The girl that Clarke knew as Anya spat in Costia's direction.

Pulling at her top self consciously and crossing her arms over her stomach, she chose to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut when she realized that Lexa had yet to say anything about her ex's words. So instead she shrugged everything off and tried to not come across as small as she felt.

"Uh, Lexa? Here's your book" She barely made eye contact with the brunette when handing it over.

"Thanks, Clarke"

The blonde could see that the girl was fuming at Lexa even acknowledging Clarke but didn't pay attention to it and with a small nod she scurried off back to her table, fighting the lump in her throat that had grown considerably since she originally left her seat. Once she made it back to her table the ball of anxiety in her chest doubled inside, leaving her feeling like she had to gasp for breath.

"You okay there Griff?" The Latina asked carefully.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I just don't feel good. I'm going to go home"

"What did she say to you?"

"The usual, nothing I can't handle" She tried to give a reassuring smile to her friends. "Hey, O could I borrow your sweater? I know it's Bells but I forgot mine. You'll get it back tomorrow I swear"

"Yeah sure"

She took the offered garment and instantly pulled it over her head. Knowing that Bellamy was quite a bulky and muscly guy she knew it would fit baggy enough on her to cover up any baby weight that her shirt couldn't.

"Are you sure you're okay, Clarke?"

"I'm fine guys. See you tomorrow" She rushed off before taking her food and dumping it in the trash. She could feel eyes on her but didn't care who they were, instead, she ignored it and rushed out of the cafeteria to leave the school.

//

Lexa watched as Clarke threw her food and rushed out, she knew she should have said something to stick up for the blonde but Anya had already jumped to the chance. And before she could tell her ex to shut up Clarke was handing her back her book and scurrying away. It pissed the brunette to no end that her ex could say such a horrible thing and watching the pain in Clarke's eyes and how she attempted to shield her body from everyone was heartbreaking.

"Did you have to be such a bitch?" She spat at her ex finally shrugging off her grasp.

"What? Don't tell me you want the pudgy whore?"

"She's not fat or a whore" Lexa spat through gritted teeth. "And I never said I wanted her? Just get it through your head that I don't want you"

Lexa stood up, ripping her arm out of Costia's grip before dumping her own food into the trash and walking out of the cafeteria with Anya in tow. She'd always heard about people saying things behind Clarke's back. All the rumors and the name-calling wasn't anything new to Lexa, Clarke herself had told her as much. But she'd never actually witnessed anything directly being said to the young mother and to see the pure disgust and turmoil swarming through Clarke was setting something off in Lexa that she had stomped down a long time ago. She didn't know where the anger came from, and at the moment she didn't really care enough to find out. All she wanted to do was see if Clarke was okay. But that seemed to be futile when the sound of Octavia Blake shouting at her stopped her in her tracks.

"Woods! Rein your bitch in before I do it for you" The smaller girl came to stand in front of Lexa, practically seething.

"Excuse me?" Lexa squinted her eyes at her, stepping into her personal space.

"You heard me. If she doesn't leave Clarke alone I'm going to break that pretty little face of hers. So sort it out"

"Don't come at me with threats Blake. I already called Costia out for calling Clarke fat"

"She what?!" Raven yelled "She's so dead"

But the moment the Latina made a move to storm back into the direction they came from, a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"Get your hands off me, Foster!" She pushed Anya to move out of her grasp.

"She's not worth getting in trouble for Reyes and you know it"

"I don't care" The Latina stormed back into the cafeteria with the other three girls on her heels.

"Hey, Greene!"

Raven shouted leaving the other girl to whirl around to face her just as the Latina took a carton of milk from a nearby table and dumped it over her head, she then followed through by shoving a kids slice of pizza in her face, smearing the meaty sauce all over her with so much force that the other girl was pushed back into her chair with a gasp.

"Call my best friend fat again and next time I'll break your face"

//

After Clarke left the school in a rush she came home to find her little boy snuggled up to his grandmother. Her mom had been confused to see Clarke home so early, but once she saw the look on her face she didn't dare to ask. Abby knew of the things happening in school, she knew that kids could be horrible but her daughter was nothing but strong and independent which gave herself and her husband no choice but to allow her to figure it out on her own.

The blonde had given her mother a small greeting before she picked up her son and headed to her bedroom with him. The instant he was in her arms her anxiety had calmed just like it always did, and now hours later she found herself full of smiles as she cooed at her son who laid before she propped on a pillow. He had been grabbing at her face and hair, grinning every time she let out a shriek when his tiny little hands would yank on her locks. But she'd fake being brutally assaulted by her 2-month-old any day over spending another moment in that hell hole that was her high school.

She continued to tickle at his little tummy as he blew bubbles with his spit while smacking at her head and face. The permanent smile that had been etched onto the blonde's face didn't even falter when her mother knocked on her bedroom door softly and peered her head in. The scene in front of her brings a smile to the older Griffin's lips.

"Honey, there's a friend at the door for you" Her mother spoke softly while Clarke continued to make faces at her babbling child.

"Is it O or Raven?"

"Uh, no. I didn't ask for their name"

"I don't have any friends other than O and Rae so whoever it is you can just send them away" She spoke offhandedly and then let out a Yelp when Jake yanked at her hair again, causing her mother to laugh.

"He's getting handsy"

"I know, he's obsessed with hair"

"You were the same"

"Excuse you, I am nothing like this little devil" She blew a raspberry on his tummy, pulling out a shrieked giggle from the tiny body before his hands were back in her hair again.

"Ahh, let you go little monster" She pulled at his hands watching as he grinned at her. "You're so mean to mommy"

"Anyway, shall I just tell them you're not feeling well?"

"Who?"

"Your friend, they're at the door"

"Oh, yeah just tell them whatever"

"Okay baby. I'll make dinner soon okay?"

"Sure mom" Clarke smiled up at her mother for the first time since she entered her bedroom. "Love you"

"I love you too Kiddo"

Abby excited the bedroom and made her way back down the stairs where she returned to the young girl waiting at her front door.

"She's not feeling well enough to see anyone right now. Sorry hun"

"That's not a problem Mrs. Griffin. Can you just tell her that Lexa says she hopes she's okay?"

"Are you Lexa by any chance?" The older woman smiled.

"I am, yeah" Lexa ducked her head shyly at the woman's knowing look.

"I'll let her know"

"Thanks"

"No problem honey"

When Abby made her way back to her daughter's bedroom she had changed positions to Jake lying on her chest attempting to hold his wobbly head up, but it was more so that he was using Clarke's face for stability while dribbling all over her as her daughter laughed.

"I just want to let you know that Lexa is saying she hopes you're okay"

"Lexa?" Clarke sat up, lifting Jake with her and turning her full attention to her mother.

"Yes. She was at the door. I thought you said you didn't have any other friends"

"Oh, yeah no it's kind of new" The blonde shrugged.

"Well, she says she hopes you're okay"

"Thanks, mom"

"No problem sweetheart"

Once Clarke was alone she laid back down with Jake resting on her chest and shot off a text to Lexa who replied almost instantly.

Clarke: I'm fine. Thanks for checking :) x

Lexa: You promise?x

Clarke smiled at herself for a moment, the thought of anyone else other than her two best friends actually caring about her well-being was new to her. Her thumbs hovered over the keys while she thought of a reply. She didn't exactly want to lie and promise that she was because in truth she wasn't 100% fine. But she also didn't want to burden Lexa with any of her problems. But before Clarke could conger up a reply, Jake had gone back to practically eating her cheek causing laughter to bubble up in the blonde's chest and before she could think about it, she pulled up her front camera and snapped and sent a selfie of herself scrunching her nose up with a smile as her son slobbered all over her. Her blonde locks spread out above her head with his matching blonde curls going crazy at the back of his head from rubbing on the pillow. The moment she hit send she panicked for a second, seeing those three dots appear and disappear was causing her heart to ram against her chest. So out of panic and wanting to not seem weird, she added another message afterward.

Clarke: [Image]

Clarke: When do I get to have these kisses? Of course x

"She better think we're cute Jelly bean" The blonde spoke to her son as he stared up at her with awe.

Lexa: Those totally seem like the best kisses. Drool and all ;) x

Clarke smiled to herself at Lexa's reply, before setting her phone aside to reposition Jake back onto the pillow. She laid on her stomach in front of him handing him his little teddy bear to play with so that he didn't yank at her hair, before picking her phone back up to reply.

Clarke: I'd take these types of kisses over anyone else's, any day x

Lexa: I bet the gums give it the extra appeal ;) x

Clarke giggled to herself as she read out Lexa's bantering reply. She wasn't 100% sure what to reply, so instead, she decided to click another picture of herself with her son's socks clad feet upon her cheeks with a little pout before sending a second reply with it. Although the reply she got in return sent a flock of butterflies souring through her stomach in a constant infinity loop.

Clarke: [Image]

Clarke: Always x

Lexa: Looking good Mama bear x

It wasn't the first time someone had called her that. Octavia and Raven jokingly said it all the time, they'd even changed her name in their contacts to it. But having it come from Lexa was a whole different ball game. It set off feelings within her that she hadn't felt since she began dating Finn, and that scared her. Having been hurt so badly in the past, Clarke wasn't 100% sure she wanted to open herself up to the possibility of having feelings for someone again. Especially not now that she had Jake Jr to think about. She was also in constant fear that any person she would give the time of day, would, later on, regret it due to her reputation, and considering Lexa had such a popular one, she truly didn't want to taint that image due to her own past.

//

Being a teen single mother had its downsides. Besides the reputation that she'd now built for herself, with all the easy times that came from having her son there were also hard times. Like right at this moment, Clarke had found herself alone with Jake at the nearest grocery store trying to do a small shop for her baby. Most of the time she had either one of her parents or friends with her, but apparently, everyone was busy on a Saturday. So Clarke found herself strolling around the store with a shopping cart and Jake strapped to her chest. It wasn't easy handling an infant as well as doing errands but it also wasn't something she particularly hated. She knew that choosing to keep Jake meant that she'd sometimes have to do things alone.

Walking down the aisle she peered down at her little boy who seemed to be happy enough to watch the people around him. She watched as his little eyelids opened and closed in a slow blink, how his pacifier would come to a stop when he'd forget to suck on it for a few seconds due to being too immersed with his surroundings. Then he'd blink again and continue. It was breathtaking to see how innocent he was to the cruel world and Clarke prayed she'd have more time to protect him from all things negative. Smiling to herself she continued down the aisle to the section for infants and noticed that the diapers that she needed were a little too far out of reach, so she attempted to move as high as she could to retrieve them making sure one had was securely positioned on her sons head. Her fingertips grazed the plastic packaging and she tried with everything she had just to pinch enough of the material so that she could grasp it, but there was no use. Clarke could feel her embarrassment and frustration building, the pressure behind her eyes didn't help as she tried to hold back tears. Damn hormones. Jake had begun to get restless probably from sensing his mother's frustrations and Clarke tried to soothe him as much as possible as she tried to reach the diapers once again, but before she knew it his tiny little whimpers turned into full-fledged wails throughout the store causing her attention to instantly move to him in a rush to shush him, which also set her off balance leaving her to knock the packets of diapers onto the floor all around her. Clarke was mortified, but she also tried not to pay attention to the disapproving looks of other customers. She could see many elderly people tutting at her and shaking their heads which only caused her to feel even more embarrassed and flustered.

"Come on Jakey please calm down" The blonde pleaded with her child which only caused him to cry harder.

She thought about abandoning her cart and going home instead, but she also really needed to get Jake diapers. The onlookers continued to stare and Clarke wasn't ashamed to say she may or may not have glared at a few old men giving her disgusted looks.

"Clarke?" The blonde's head snapped up at the familiar voice to find Lexa stood with an older woman who looked significantly like her.

"Lexa" She breathed out in embarrassment. "Hi"

"Hey. Do you need some help?"

"Oh no, I-"

"Nonsense" The woman who Clarke assumed was Lexa's mother interrupted. "I'm Annette, Lexa's mom"

"Hello" The blonde shyly greeted the older woman before she winced at the sound of her baby crying louder. "I'm so sorry, he won't stop"

Clarke continued to bounce the crying baby strapped to her chest as she watched Lexa pick up the fallen packets of diapers. In a way, the blonde felt relieved for the help and was glad it was the quarterback and not anyone else from their horrid high school, but the embarrassment of the situation still weighed heavily on her as she tried to soothe her little boy, whispering shushes into his blonde little curls while stroking his cheek with her thumb as she cradled his head.

"May I?"

Annette who had been watching Clarke closely stepped forward and gestured to Jake. The blonde paused for a moment contemplating whether she was comfortable enough handing her baby to a stranger, but at this moment in time she truly did need help. So she nodded while unstrapping him from her chest and handing him over. It took a moment of coaxing but the boy's cry quietened down and turned into sniffles as he snuggled himself into the woman's chest. Clarke was both relieved and shocked that he had taken so close to a stranger.

"There we go, no more tears"

"I- Thank you"

"It's not a problem hun. I know how hard single Momhood can be, this one over here used to scream all the stores down" The older Woods gestured to Lexa, who Clarke had actually forgotten was stood there. She looked over to the brunette noticing her holding the diapers that Clarke had been trying to reach before her son's meltdown.

"I did not. I was an angel child" Lexa scoffed throwing the diapers into Clarke's cart without a second thought.

"Yeah right. Why do you think I've got greys? Cause it ain't from your sperm donor of a father, is it?"

"Mom!" Lexa gasped. "You know if you mention him he'll appear"

"He's not Voldemort, Alexandria. Don't be so dramatic"

Clarke smiled as she watched the two brunettes in front of her. She was used to being around playfulness. Her two best friends were idiots for one and her father wasn't much better, especially whenever Raven and Octavia were around. But it was nice to see it from someone new. Someone who didn't know Clarke, not really. Someone who didn't judge her. Because although her friends didn't judge her, Clarke knew that they had initially when they found out about her being pregnant. They never showed it or told her but the blonde wasn't stupid. But seeing Lexa interact with her mom, and seeing how Annette hadn't judged Clarke like the rest of the older generation truly did warm the heart of the young blonde. She let out a chuckle at their antics causing the older brunette to snap into action.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I seemed to have stolen your child" She apologized as she handed Jake back to Clarke, who was sound asleep suckling on his pacifier by the time she had strapped him back in.

"That's okay, he seemed happy enough" She smiled down at her sleeping boy, smoothing out his tufts of blonde hair.

"This is Jake" Lexa announced to her mother.

"He's beautiful" Annette smiled at Clarke bringing out so much pride.

"Thank you. I- you guys didn't have to help. Everyone else around just looked at me with daggers so thank you"

"Nonsense child, these idiots around here weren't raised right. I remember when Lexa was a baby, I had the same looks. Teen mothers don't fare well in our world"

"No" The blonde let out a bitter chuckle. "We don't"

"And your parents? They support you?"

"Yes, Ma'am. They're great"

"And Jakes's father? Why isn't he here helping you?"

"Mom-"

"No, it's okay Lex. He huh, he's not in the picture" She awkwardly smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. It happens to the best of us, that little boy doesn't need him if he isn't man enough to stick around"

"Thank you"

//

Lexa couldn't stop thinking about Clarke, which was strange considering since meeting Costia the brunette hadn't even looked in the direction of any other girl. And sure there wasn't anything actually going on between the two girls, technically they were nothing but partners for a class project, not even friends. But that didn't mean there wasn't any reason to have the blonde on her mind. After bumping into Clarke and baby Jake at the store, her mother hadn't stopped asking questions about the duo which just made it more difficult to clear her mind of sparkling blue orbs.

''So, Clarke was lovely'' Lexa rolled her eyes internally as she sat by the kitchen counter doing homework, she just hummed in agreement. ''Don't you think, kiddo?''

''You're meddling and I don't know what with yet''

''And where has that idea come from?''

''You called me kiddo, that isn't something you've called me since I was twelve and you practically forced Anya to be my friend all because you knew I thought she was cool''

''It worked, didn't it?'' The older Woods winked, nudging her daughter's shoulder with her own. ''Besides, I'm not meddling Alexandria. I just think that Clarke is lovely and deserves more love than she gets''

''Clarke is Clarke, she elevates herself. She's special''

And it was the truth, from what she'd seen from the blonde she truly did have that opinion of her, and that wasn't about to change. So she ignored the soft look that her mother was giving her and continued with her homework along with fighting thoughts of two certain blondes.