Flatline (CLEXA AU)

Chapter 6: Safe

WARNING: Mention of drug use and domestic violence.

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The cold air brushed against Clarke's face as she stepped out of the apartment building, making her wonder if maybe Lexa had been right and she should've taken a cab, instead of pursuing the idea of walking all the way to Emori's flat.

Nevertheless, she convinced herself that it was not that bad after all and she put the wireless earphones in her ears before she started walking.

Spending the day with Lexa had felt unexpectedly good, something she never knew she needed, convinced that the 1st of February would always be the one day of the year she would be spending in her room, completely by herself, isolated from the rest of the world and buried in the memories of her best friend.

While the day did start off exactly like that, the afternoon turned out to be quite the opposite and Clarke had actually enjoyed Lexa's company more than she would like to admit.

A smile cropped up on her lips as she remembered the brunette falling asleep next to her on the couch, soft locks falling down her shoulders with a few strands rebelliously escaping to cover her face in a manner that Clarke was only able to see Lexa's plump lips and part of her nose.

The first notes of 'I miss you' by Aaliyah interrupted Clarke's thoughts and she was instantly transported to the memory of being in Costia's bedroom, giving comfort to her best friend who was crying in her arms because her sister had broken the One in a Million CD album on purpose, due to some stupid fight. They were only 10 years old at the time and Clarke remembered thinking how much she loved her friend's passion, not only for music, but for life in general.

Costia always seemed to be ahead of time, with a very defined taste in pretty much everything at such an early age and all the other kids would follow her around everywhere, ever since kindergarten, wishing to become her friends. Clarke felt honoured to be the one that Costia had chosen to befriend, ever since she invited her to the party her parents had organized for her 6th birthday and they had been inseparable ever since.

Clarke had thought of her friend as the most original person she had ever met, even in elementary school when everyone was listening to mainstream pop music and whatever was played on the radio, Costia had gotten herself into contemporary R&B, listening to artists that were yet to be fully recognized, Aaliyah being one of them. It was only a few months before the artist's death that Costia introduced Clarke to her music and she liked her style instantly, joining her friend in the adoration she felt for the singer.

In the middle of Try again, which was the next song of the playlist, the blonde's mind was suddenly occupied by the memory of a New Year's Eve, when she, Octavia and Lincoln sneaked into Costia's house shortly after midnight, climbing through her bedroom window, because she had been grounded yet again and was not allowed to celebrate the beginning of 2008 with her friends. Clarke rememberd it like it was yesterday, the way Costia's face lit up when she saw her favourite people in the world, who had left the party at Clarke's house early just to come see her and wish her a Happy New Year.

Thinking back, Clarke realized that while she had never been grounded in her entire adolescent life, it actually seemed to be a common practise in Costia's household. Of course, she knew that it had been somewhat justified most of the times, since her friend was not keen on following the rules, so to speak; often skipping class, smoking cigarettes in 7th grade and constantly lying to her parents about her whereabouts, especially if she was hanging out with her boyfriend. Even though their relationship consisted mostly of just holding hands and kissing, her parents were not thrilled about it, so she had to hide it for the whole two years that they were dating. Clarke sometimes wondered if a lot of the things that Costia did was only her way of pissing them off or maybe it was how she tried to get their attention, instead of the large amount of pocket money they were always willing to give her. It wasn't that they didn't love their daughter, but it was definitely a house that Clarke wouldn't want to live in.