Postcard Princess

Ch. 18

Bellamy pulled into his driveway as Clarke apologized again for Raven. "It's fine," he assured her, spotting a red car.

"Hey, big brother," Octavia waved as Clarke and Bellamy entered the house. "Hey, Postcard Clarke."

"Hey, Octavia," Clarke laughed. "Lincoln, right?" She shook Lincoln's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Did you get your homework done?" Bellamy questioned his sister.

"I did, Lincoln helped with my math," she answered.

"Good," he nodded. "Well, it's getting pretty late," he hinted.

Octavia rolled her eyes but stood, walking Lincoln outside.

"Big brother does not approve," Clarke noted.

"He's nineteen, Octavia is seventeen."

"They've been together awhile I assume?"

Bellamy sighed. "A year now, as far as I know. She was sixteen, he was eighteen. He could have dated someone his own age!"

"Hm," Clarke nodded.

"Well, hey. Grab a drink, watch some t.v. or whatever. I've got to get my classwork done."

"Yeah, go on," Clarke urged. As Clarke settled onto the couch, her foot rest out, Octavia walked in and sat next to her.

Netflix was loading up. "If you go on his account, all you'll see all history crap. Documentaries and stuff," Octavia warned.

Clarke logged into the guest account. "So he is a history buff?"

"Going to be a history teacher," Octavia nodded. "Total nerd." Clarke heard the fondness in the light insult.

"Then you're hanging with two nerds," Clarke nodded. "I just finished to become an English and Lit teacher."

"Wait, so you're like staying here? Forever?" Octavia asked.

"Well, not in your house," Clarke laughed. "But yes, I'm settling in here."

"That's cool," she shrugged. "Hey, can we watch that?" Octavia asked, pointing to a movie that would absolutely be sad.

"Yeah," Clarke shrugged. "Snack first though!" Clarke and Octavia both gathered their snack, dropping them into the coffee table. They both traded and shared, digging in while the movie started.

As the credits rolled, Octavia asked to watch something funny. They wiped their eyes and noses as a comedy special started up.

"So, you and Bell?" Octavia asked.

"We just met," Clarke shrugged.

"Yeah," Octavia agreed. "Well, he'll ruin it anyways," she sighed heavily. "He'll push you away as soon as he thinks he's too attached."

"Really?" Clarke asked, lightly.

"Ever since Mom got sick."

"Octavia, people change a lot sometimes when things like that happen. He was very upset I'm sure, probably trying his best to keep things as normal as possible. Maybe he doesn't want to be attached to someone out of fear he'll lose them, too. I always run away," Clarke admitted.

"Why do you run away?" Octavia wondered.

"Well, when I lost my father, I was still very young. Eleven years old. It was just a regular old day, and then, bam! He was gone. My mother and I should have clung to one another, checked up on each other and comforted each other," she sighed. "Instead, we both just separated. She dealt with her grief alone, and so did I. I was angry a lot, then. If something didn't go my way, if she wanted to fight or argue, I would just leave. At the time, it felt better than arguing. Things got really bad when she started dating," Clarke told her, shifting a little. "I figured she would realize Dad wad it for her and that she would leave him, but instead, a year later the guy was living with us. That's when I started running farther. I wouldn't just go to a friend's house, I would leave the city, you know? The further I ran, the better I felt. I knew it was wrong, and when I graduated, I got all this money. I didn't know what to do with it, so I just got in my car, two bags packed, and I used my brand new debit card to fill up my tank.

I was going to come back after a few weeks. Then a few months. And then a year ago, I got my passport and I just kept going." Clarke cleared her throat. "But one morning, I woke up in this fancy hotel room, right on the beach. I could feel the breeze, smell the salt, and hear the waves crashing on the sand. Suddenly, I just realized that I didn't belong there. That I wasn't happy. So, I came home."

"Searching for happiness here?" Octavia asked, laying in Clarke's lap on a blue pillow.

"I don't think I'm searching any more," Clarke smiled. "I'm home, I'm going to be following my dream. I'm happier right in this moment than I've been in a long time."

"Bellamy has that effect," Octavia said, her eyes closed as Clarke played with her hair.

"He does," Clarke whispered.