mint-dunbar[1]

One

It was a habit of Clarke's, looking at him through his window from her own. Watching him made her sad, but it was her own fault that they hadn't spoken in over a year. She was deep in thought as she absentmindedly folded clothes, her pale green eyes locked on Liam. Mason was with him, and they both sat engrossed in a video game. 

As the round they played ended, the darker skinned boy glanced up and noticed her staring. He nudged Liam and waved at Clarke. Liam, on the other hand, just looked at her with a blank expression. Her cheeks flared red and she bet she looked like an idiot, frozen like she was. As her ex best friend vacantly stared, she hurriedly shut the gauzy curtains surrounding her window.

-

Clarke laid in bed the following morning, reliving the embarrassment of last night. She'd had a few awkward encounters like that with Liam over the past year, the worst being when her mother invited him and his family to Clarke's fifteenth birthday party.

She must've drifted off, because the next thing she knew, her brother was shaking her awake. She groaned, rolling over and shoving her head under a pillow. Clarke had been somewhat expecting this- Alex, her brother, had an early morning lacrosse practice, but that wasn't what she was dreading. Liam was going to be there, and if he made the team along with her brother, she would be forced to see him every day at school, plus cheer for him and the team at every game. That would just be awkward.

-

When Liam saw Clarke in the bleachers, he didn't look vaguely pissed off, like he usually did whenever she was near him; he looked surprised, sure, but he mostly looked sad, as if the sight of her brought back memories. Maybe he knew how she always felt around him.

It shocked her, how well he played lacrosse. He made every goal, blocked every shot. He was even better than the team captain. She couldn't move her eyes away from him as he played, but a loud whistle broke her concentration, and when her vision cleared, Liam was staring at her, too. 

Clarke quickly gathered her bag and rushed off of the bleachers. She was already embarrassed about the night before, but to be caught watching him twice made her want to crawl into a hole. God, he probably thought she was obsessed with him. 

In the hallway on the way to her homeroom, she ran into Mason. Like, literally ran into him. Her books clattered to the floor, and both of them kneeled down to pick up the textbooks. He smiled at her as he handed them over.

"Hey, Clarke," he said. "How've you been? Has Liam been civil, at least?" Ah, there it was- the dreaded mention of Liam. She chuckled, shrugging her petite shoulders. Mason didn't stop talking to her when the blue-eyed boy did, and she was grateful for that.

"I've been good, I guess. And if by civil, you mean he's ignored me at all costs, then yeah, Liam's been civil." She forced a smile. The warning bell rang, and they moved to part ways. As they walked in opposite directions, Mason shouted over his shoulder. "Text me! Maybe we can catch up soon!"

She wasn't going to text him.

-

In her first period, Clarke was late, meaning almost every seat was taken. The teacher took one look at her, pointed to the only empty seat, and started teaching. As she sat down, she heard a quiet sigh from the seat next to her; Liam sat there, hunched over his desk, peeking at her from the corner of his eye. She turned her head slightly to look at him. He was writing something, eyes now trained on his notebook, pink tinting his cheeks.

"Miss Stone! Do you mind paying attention? Or would you like to continue daydreaming in the principal's office?" It was Clarke's turn to apologize, quietly apologizing. The boy next to her snickered. It kind of made her happy to make him laugh.

-

The official lacrosse tryouts were that afternoon, and as she sat on the uncomfortable bleachers, she regretted not getting a ride home from someone else. Tumblr was far more interesting than watching her brother, Liam, and twenty other boys run around. Until she heard a sickening crack, that is. 

Clarke's head shot up; she immediately found Liam lying on the ground, writhing in pain, and surprisingly, her first instinct was to run to him.

As she scampered down the metal steps onto the soft grass, pushing her way into the circle of players around him, the coach looked at her skeptically. "Who are you?" He questioned, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish, because honestly, she didn't have a reason to be on the field. Luckily, Alex, bless his heart, stepped in. "That's my sister, Coach." The older man shrugged before addressing the players in front of him. "Does anyone know his parents or their phone numbers?"

Her brother shoved her forward (scratch that bless his heart business), and said, "Clarke does!" Coach Finstock nodded. "Okay, you go with McCall and Stilinski to the nurse." He said, but when he took a look at the Liam's (probably broken) ankle, he changed his mind. "Actually, I think you should take him to the hospital."

The two juniors who'd apparently hit him hoisted him up and half-carried him to a beat up blue jeep in the parking lot. She reluctantly got into the car with the two older boys, ignoring the stranger danger warning playing in her head. She pressed herself against the door to distance herself; thankfully, the ride was short, because there were so many stains in the backseat that she was feeling queasy. They pulled up in front of the hospital, Liam's step-dad coming out to help carry the boy in.

After the blue-eyed boy had been taken into an examination room, Clarke collapsed in a chair outside his room, attempting to make up sleep from what she'd missed that morning. Eventually, she drifted off. 

Word count: 1019 without authors note

So this is the first chapter of mint! Clarke is played by Sabrina Carpenter, the girl who plays maya on girl meets world. I'm sorry if there are any errors, I'm copying this from what I hand wrote and using a wireless keyboard is problematic lol

Don't forget to comment and vote!

-haley