Hi All,

First fanfiction I've ever written, so fingers crossed it's not a disaster. I will warn you now that I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update; it'll depend on how much procrastination I can get away with each week. But I do have a full plotline in my head so I'm giving myself a pat on the back for that. I'm usually pretty good with grammar, but I'm not perfect, so I apologize for mistakes (this was not beta'd). Thanks for reading, and as I'm sure you've never heard before, reviews are welcome!

Happy Reading,
DracoTerrae

PS
Bellarke for life!

"Octavia?" Clarke said into her phone, her voice cracking slightly.

"What is it, Clarke?! What's the matter?" Octavia, Clarke's best friend and college roommate answered, panicked at what could make Clarke sound on the verge of tears.

"So, you know how I've been avoiding telling my mom about dropping out of Med School?"

"Yeah…" Octavia prompted, worried.

"Well, she found out. They returned her tuition check…she's pissed. Madder than I thought…" Clarke took a deep breath, trying to gain control over her voice which was shaky with emotions. "She said…she said that if I'm not going to follow her wishes and become a doctor and 'make something of yourself instead of wasting away your life with a paintbrush'" Octavia could just imagine Abby Griffin's voice screaming at her only daughter after getting the check in the mail, not caring that her daughter had been killing herself at undergrad and the first year at Med School, hating every minute of it. Clark continued, "She said that she's cutting me off. No money, nothing, and to not even think of trying to come home until I am back at school." Clarke let a sob escape.

"Give me five minutes. Grabbing my keys as we speak. I'll be at your place as soon as I can." Octavia told her friend, slipping on a pair of flip-flops. "Where is my goddamn purse?" she muttered.

"That's the thing, O. She cut me off. She's not paying for my apartment anymore. She's even called my landlord who says I have to be out by the end of the weekend. They didn't even give me a chance to see if I could swing the rent on my own. Not that I probably could, but I don't know what I'm going to do, where I'm going to go…"

Octavia stopped her struggle to reach her purse which had gotten shoved far under her bed, "You're going to stay with me of course," she told her friend matter-of-factly. "Raven moved in with Wick a couple weeks ago and I've been putting off making an ad for another roommate. And I don't know who I would rather come live with me, it'll be just like we're back at Augie."

"Are you sure, O?" Clarke asked tentatively.

"One hundred percent. I'm on my way now. We can pack you up and have you at my place by the end of the day."

Several hours later Clarke, Octavia, and Raven (who had been recruited as soon as she got off work) were sitting on the balcony of Clarke's ex-apartment looking at the skyline of the city and passing around a bottle of rosé. Through the screen door was a spacious one bedroom apartment, it was on the top floor of high end apartment building in the richest part of the city, complete with cherry hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, not to mention the Jacuzzi spa bath; the living room now filled with cardboard boxes that held all of Clarke's possessions.

"I'm going to miss this view." Clarke sighed, taking a sip from the bottle.

"I'm going to miss that good looking front desk assistant." Octavia replied with a giggle.

Raven smiled teasingly, "He's probably going to miss seeing the girl who stuck her tongue down his throat last New Year's proclaiming everyone deserves a New Year kiss. I mean, I barely get a nod of acknowledgement when I visit Clarke, but you get a smile and flowers."

"Oh, god! Are you never going to let me live that down? I had just broken up with Atom and I only ever got flowers that one time!" Octavia exclaimed, lightly slapping the thin, dark haired girl on the arm.

Clarke laughed at her two best friends, two dark beauties who made her stand in stark contrast. While their tan and olive faces were framed with long, dark hair, her pale one was outlined with a shining gold. "Well, maybe she can bat her eyes at him tonight and we can get some help moving these boxes. I really don't want to lug them all down to my car." Clarke paused, "Oh god, what if she takes away my car too!"

"She wouldn't do that; it was a gift for your sweet sixteen from her and your dad." Octavia assured her.

"Plus the title and everything is in your name now anyway," Raven added, ever the practical one, especially when it was anything remotely related to cars or engines. She was currently working at her boyfriend Kyle Wick's auto-body and mechanic shop, as well as on a degree in aerospace engineering.

"Maybe can call the boys and guilt trip them into helping with the boxes. I think Jasper said his shift at The Drop Ship doesn't start until nine." Octavia pulled out her phone and searched her contacts, "Hey Jasper," she said after a few rings, "So, Clarke has a big favor to ask you and we'll love you forever if you help out…yes, we already do love you…I understand that you're about to cream Monty in your video game, but we need his help too…so, long story short, Clarke is moving in with me and we need to get her stuff to my apartment…we'll explain when you guys get here…okay fine…yeah, I'll tell her, see you in a bit!" She hung up the phone. "Jasper and Monty will be here in twenty. They said they'll only help if you supply pizza and beer for the post-move."

Clarke laughed, "Yeah. That I can do. At least my mom can't get me fired. Though, I bet she would if she could. Somehow I don't think me working at an art conservation center really fits in with her 'my daughter, the doctor' scheme."

"Oh yeah! I've been meaning to ask how that's going!" Raven exclaimed.

"You've been a little caught up in the move in together honeymoon." Clarke said, winking at her friend. "But it's going well. I love it! Especially, getting to look at all the old paintings and bringing them back to their former glory. Not to mention, my boss said they'll pay for me to get a degree in art history and art conservation when classes start next fall."

"Looks like you don't need your mom's money anyway." Octavia said with a smile.

Clarke smiled and went off on a tangent about a piece she was working on the other day for the city's art museum, her two friends nodding along; they were used to Clarke's art rants by now.

Before long there was a knock on the door and two boys were admitted, one was tall and skinny sporting a mop of brown hair and a goofy grin, the other, of clear Asian descent, was laughing at something the first had just said.

"Jasper, Monty!" Octavia said, "And Miller!" she added as she say a third man enter the apartment. "Glad you got roped into this, too. Some real muscles." Miller had been in the army with Octavia's brother Bellamy, as well as their sort-of-friend, Murphy.

"Hey," the other two guys said in unison with an offended tone.

"I think they grabbed me more for my truck than anything," Miller offered with a chagrined smile.

"Well, good thinking. Let's get this show on the road," Clarke said as she grabbed the first box.

Within the next two hours and between Clarke's, Raven's, and Miller's vehicles, all of Clarke's belongings were now taking residence in a new living room. "Well, all I've got to do is return my keys, get a new set from you, and I guess onwards and upwards," The last bit ending in a question. Clarke sighed leaning on her best friend.

"Don't forget the pizza," called Jasper.

"And beer!" Monty added.