Chapter 4
Reyes started doing her homework, if she didn't do it now she couldn't finish because her weekend was just work. The morning passed by quickly and now it was time for extra classes. She had left the astronomy lab earlier and now was in the library, she should receive the list of her students every week, but until this week nobody needed a physics tutor, it seems they just remember her when the teacher gives the test date and they want to learn months of subjects in 2 hours. She wouldn't do it by herself but her physics teacher asked her and it could be a great thing for college and some extra credits so she accepted. She just had to explain silly things to people and sometimes the students paid her a tip. It was good. Today she has just one student but it had to be out school time which she was fine with. She was convinced by the possibility of sweet payment too. So now she just used her free time without students to finish as many homeworks she could finish.
She checked her phone, she had paid her hours at the library and then made her way home. She had thirty minutes to eat something, grab everything she may need to class and walk at her student's house, at the address they emailed her. She pressed the doorbell and heard a scream inside. She waited until the door opened. Raven watched Luna just in a sports bra and no t-shirt open the door. The girl opened her mouth a few times but didn't say anything,she seemed confused by Raven's presence at the door when a wet haired Lexa ran downstairs until reaching the door.
"Hi Raven, come in" she said over her sister's shoulder who was still confused. Lexa and Raven made their way to the living room, while Luna closed the door slowly watching the pair, her frown showing how confused she was.
"So, sis, as I was saying to you I'm going to study now" Lexa said to Luna, already turning to Raven and asking if she wanted something to drink.
"I think... I think I'm going to study too, you know…keep the grades high to stay... the team" Luna said and Lexa laughed hard, Raven just watched the sisters' interaction as they all made their way to Lexa's room. Raven was distracted by the house, everything looked so expensive and so clean and bright. Lexa's room was exactly what she expected, it was huge, the walls were grey and the decorations had some books, some posters, a guitar and a messy corner. She knew Lexa was the messy type.
The team captain guided them to her desk. It was big enough for the three girls but Lexa stayed in a puff sit and Luna went to her room to grab her chair. Raven noticed as the girl went back with a shirt on, something inside her was enjoying the view though, her abs lines were visible and toned. Raven's thought ended when they sat, one Woods at each side, and Raven started explaining all the exercises. Now or then she pointed out some wrong calculation but the sisters seemed to understand the subject.
"Do you guys mind if I put music on?" Lexa asked, both girls nodded and the brunette did before she left the room saying she will get some snacks. Raven watched the curly Woods doing the third exercise, she was focused on her math, writing down numbers to finish the equation. She slides the notebook to Raven with an expectant look. Reyes quickly passed her eyes through the notes, scanning any miscalculations.
"Here, you should replace this like this" Raven said writing near her notes. She glanced at the girl who was biting her lower lip and playing with her pencil on her right hand. "You get it?" Raven held her smile at the glare Luna was giving to the notebook. It was a clearly wtf look. Luna smiled in a line shyly at her to let her know her confusion. Raven straightened her posture lightly moving forward.
The delay on Luna's brain definitely wasn't because of the math.
Slowly she explained all over again, making sure Luna was understanding, with a 'got it?' or just watching Luna nod while she talked. She wrote down everything she thought could help her visualize the question problem. Raven let a small smile grow wider as she saw Luna giggled at her stupid nerd joke.
"Now you substitute this right there" Raven said pointing and Luna did as she said she smiled when finished the question, toying with her pencil as it was a drummer stick.
"So I brought chips!" Lexa said entering the room after an eternity with a big bow with 'Lays' chips taking her seat.
They were there for an hour when Ms Woods called them to eat. Lexa seemed to understand the question better than Luna, who seemed easily distracted, or maybe she was more shy to ask for help, Reyes thought on her way downstairs.
"Hey mom, my friend is here, she will have dinner with us" Lexa said, sitting at the table. Raven smiled. The woman smiled at her and asked her to call her Regina after a warm greeting. Raven smiled friendly.
"Actually I think I'm going home already, tomorrow we finish the exercise" Raven said, not wanting to be rude. The sisters looked at her.
"Okay, hmm I will let you there" Luna said looking around for her car keys. She found it on the sofa's armrest and took it already walking to the door.
"No, you sit down, and you too, I'm not going to take no as an answer" Ms Woods said harshly but at the same time she saw her smile. She was glamorous, she had a tanned skin tone and short black hair almost touching her shoulders.
"I don't want to give you guys work, and it's late" Raven tried.
"You can stay, I did my apple pie and Clarke is coming too" Ms Woods said, already giving her a plate. She sighed hearing a sequence of 'please' from Lexa and accepted it and sat beside the brunette, across Luna, who was sitting beside her mom. The dinner went well, the food was amazing. She just watched the family interact. Ms Woods asked their daughter about school and they omitted the fight part. Instead, they talked about something Roan and Lincoln did, and answered their mother's question about how're Anya, Echo, Niylah and Gaia, and about soccer and training. She missed this, not the soccer, obviously, but someone to ask about her day.
Raven just watched Luna and Lexa annoying each other arguing for the same piece of pie, it was different being in a table like this.
It felt nostalgic.
"So Raven, what do you do in school?" Ms Woods asked and suddenly she was aware of the sisters' glare into her. It was a little bit weird, she was eating with the most popular girls in school, okay one of them is almost her sister in law but anyway. She, most of the time, didn't mind about this whole popularity thing as she hung with O, Harper, and Clarke, the last one wasn't a cheerleader but staying in the middle of a stage to hundreds of people for theater made her known. And there's Luna who she never spoke with until a week ago glaring at her. Something about her intrigued Raven.
"I'm in mechanic lab, astronomy lab and robotics…" Raven said with a smile. They could see she was proud of it. Ms Woods looked surprised by her answer.
"and a physics tutor, we were studying until now" Lexa added with a smile. The woman just squeezed her eyes at her daughter's suspect sentence, she just wanted to show her mom she was studying.
"So that's what you want to do in college?" Raven thought a bit, she wouldn't say she didn't know if she would make it. She just smiled and nodded.
"Pretty and smart" Ms Woods said, making the latina girl blush. She saw Luna choke with her apple pie extremely red on the other side of the table but her attention was interrupted by the doorbell. She saw Luna frown at Lexa, but the brunette just went to the door leaving her sister and Raven handling the table, getting back with a familiar blonde.
"Raven?" Clarke asked confused at the girl in Lexa's house, after she greeted Luna and her mother, who excused herself in a glamorous way and left the room. Luna grabbed all the plates and put them into the sink.
"What are you doing here?" Raven asks, helping the curly haired girl clean the table, trying to hide her smirk. She quickly got her phone and messaged the group chat 'guess who I found in Lexa's house' the messages that came first was Octavia and Harper screaming and saying things as 'my couple' 'go clexa'. She watched the blonde again.
"Lexa sent me a message" Luna's gaze went to Lexa as she could shoot her, but Lexa had that goofy side smile in her face.
"I did, we are going to watch our tv series" Lexa answered, not noticing the look that Raven and Clarke had. They four were basically having a full conversation just with facial expressions.
Raven checked her phone again and now the messages were 'send a picture' 'wait how do you know this' '👀' 'WERE ARE YOU RAVEN REYES' she smiled, Octavia was really crazy. She saw Lexa take Clarke's hand to leave the kitchen but Luna was quickly. She just pointed to the dishes and Lexa let a 'fuck you' leave her mouth.
Luna just mocked her sister all the way until all the dishes were clean but Clarke helped her with the task. Luna rolled her eyes watching the couple-not-couple be, making sure Lexa would pay her part of the deal. After finishing the four went upstairs.
"Did you start or project already?" Luna asked, surprised at the blonde sitting on her sister's bed.
"You didn't yet?" Clarke asked even more surprised, they engaged in a conversation about deadlines and a teacher that Raven didn't mind listening to, as she organized her stuff back in her bag. In a quick change of mood in the room she watched as Lexa put her and Luna out of it.
She looked at Clarke who also had a confused face, both of them staring at the Woods siblings arguing in that foreign language. She didn't know if they're arguing or that's just how that language sounds naturally, but if they're arguing she didn't know who's winning. They're speaking fast and Lexa just lifted her middle finger at her sister before she slams the bedroom's door.
Yeah, that sounds like Lexa lost the arguing.
Raven was so confused but Luna simply smiled at her and pointed at her room, across the hall. She opened the door and waited for the brunette to enter. Her room was very different from Lexa's. It was practically the same, just opposite and mirrored, but her walls were white and she had several plants all over the room. Her bed had an ocean blue sheet just as a lot of pillows. Some where white and some blue in various light shades. It was really cozy. She had a messy table, the same as Lexa but didn't have a chair.
"So..." Luna started as she sat on her huge bed "you could sleep in here or I can show you the guest room" Raven nodded, the rain sound in this room was louder as the huge glass window of the balcony was slightly opened.
"I prefer being here" she said before she thought about what she was saying. She didn't know Luna, besides what she posts on Instagram, but the idea of being left in a room in a strange house made her uncomfortable. Luna got up and inspected her wardrobe. She grabbed some clothes and a towel.
"The bathroom is there, maybe we could finish our assignment after all..." Luna said, biting her lower lip. Raven nodded.
Soon as Raven goes to the bathroom Luna runs to hide her package. She checked her room, her eyes wide as she tried to hide some mess. Why didn't she clean her room yesterday as she thought so?
Raven checked her phone again just to see some more messages as 'YOU BITCH ANSWER ME" 'no you're a princess'
'Clarke do you know what time it is?' and a lot of dirty emojis.
'Raven is with her crush too and no one is talking about that'.
Clarke you bitch, she thought. She sends a message warning her dad, not as he would care because he's not home, but she does anyway. When she left the room Luna was sitting on her bed with her laptop and her phone, she was in other clothes and had a smile on her face.
"Did you find the hot water?" Luna asked turning her gaze to Reyes who had a pijamas short but it was covered by an oversized t-shirt her hair was loose and she had her own clothes folded on her hands. Raven smiled and jumped into her bed, after putting her clothes on her backpack.
Luna for a second froze, her thoughts was fast but she had this really really good mantra repeatedly in her head 'do not gay panic'. Raven had the paper from English class in her hands.
"So do you have or had a pet?"
"I don't, unless Lexa counts" Luna said jokingly making Raven laugh.
"And you?"
"Yeah I had a dog, he died when I was little" Raven said trying not to get deep down to it.
"Sorry, a hobby?"
"Mechanic" Raven said fast. Luna smiled and offered the girl a snack. Luna's bed had all 'Fini' gummies and a chips package. Raven opened one of them.
"Smart and pretty" Luna quoted her mom at dinner without thinking and saw a shy smile grow on Raven's face.
"Yours?"
"Swim" Raven looked around the room and saw something she had seen already in Clarke's house.
"Favorite musi-"
"Do you paint?" Luna looked at Raven's nod direction.
"Yeah, a little bit"
"Can I see something?" Raven asked moving forward with a wide smile. Luna watched the latina blink her eyes a few times and a puppy face. She sighed, she was going to end Lexa for locking her out of her room. She really thought they all would have a nice evening watching Netflix.
"Maybe someday" that answer seems to please the latina well. They kept going until they reached question 10. The faint rain that had started thirty minutes ago had turned into a storm, the wind in the now closed window and the thunder were now a sweet background noise.
"One fear?"
"Being alone" Raven said. Luna saw when Raven looked at the window at the sound of the thunder. But now she was watching her, waiting for her answer. She thought about her fear, she knew what it was but it wasn't an easy thing to talk about.
"Wake up, as this all is a dream of mine" Luna said sincerely. Raven frowned a bit, she didn't know what she was talking about but she knew she needed confort. She moved her hand, resting it in Luna's hand and gave a squeeze with a gentle smile. She just wanted to show the girl a touchable sensation, show her she was there, this is real and tangible. Luna let a small smile, as thanks.
"I hmm…" Luna started not looking at Raven.
"You don't need to explain" Reyes said, making Luna nod. She noticed the girl trembled again.
"Your happiest memory?" Raven changed the subject, moving to the next question. She saw Luna's expression change. She had a thoughtful face and a smile was growing, Raven smiled too, knowing it was because of the memory.
"I wake up, there's this amazing smell. Lexa is sleeping, we were in my bed and when I tried to wake her she fell in the ground. We should have five or six years. She got up mad and started screaming, and I ran downstairs, she followed me, she probably would just attack me with tickles or something evil like that" Raven giggled mentally imagining how that information could be used against her. It was funny how immediately after she thought that, Raven waved her head, she had talked with the girl only an afternoon but she had this light energy that Raven was amused by.
" I stumbled and fell the last steps. I opened my arm and Lexa ran to me worried, she got me up and we all went to the hospital, I just got a few stitches and got home. Then mom made pancakes with Lexa, and we all ate in the kitchen."
"You were cut and got stitches in your happiest memory?" Raven said laughing. Luna just squeezed her eyes with an offended smile and waited for the next laugh to put a finy gummy on her mouth. Luna laughed at her face as Raven ate the candy with a very cute pissed face, Luna thought.
"Mine is my birthday before the accident, my mother was there, my father was happy and my only worry was to cut that damn chocolate cake" Raven said with a sad laugh after swallowing the candy. She had a hand in her left leg, without her leg brace, rubbing gently the stretched member in the bed, her other leg was crossed. Luna smiled sadly but didn't ask any questions.
Three more questions had passed. Raven was now side by side with Luna; they had ended almost all candies. Who would think Raven was an ant for candy? She ended the one with worm's format so quickly that Luna didn't even see. But now she knows Raven doesn't like white chocolate or caramel. Luna wasn't going to say how not like caramel was completely insane, she was really not, but suddenly they had to argue about that and Raven still thinks she's right.
Even if she ended all the 'Twix' that Luna had brought.
Luna just laughed the whole discussion but at some point understood Raven is right even when she isn't. The vibe was good, these questions made it look as if they already had intimacy to mock each other and they're really doing it.
"I still can't believe you danced on the table!" Luna laughed loudly. Raven tried to keep an angry face but she already smiled watching the girl in front of her. As the girl stopped laughing Raven pointed at a t-shirt in her opened wardrobe.
"I didn't know you're in the team" she said looking at Luna.
"Yeah, I got in this week" Luna smiled "I mean I'm happy with swimming but I think I... it is not challenging anymore, and we are in our last year so I started something new" she said. Raven nodded understanding. Luna was amazing, she had laughed in that last hour so much that her cheeks hurt. Not as she was expecting Luna to be horrible but she never had a great time making friends by herself, after she knew Octavia and Clarke when they're all eleven they became the ones doing new friends and she just got friends too because she was with them. After the accident she just didn't even try anymore.
And to make it worse she was a popular rich one, it could be terrible without subjects in common but it wasn't.
It was light and easy.
"What's your number?" Luna smiled, getting up and taking her shirt. She gave to Raven who turned it to see Woods and 9 write in big letters. Raven had a grin.
"Why? will you cheer for me?" Luna was smirking and Raven could not wonder if she was flirting with her. I mean...she wanted her to be flirting with her??
"Only if you make me one score" Raven teased and threw the shirt on Luna's face. Woods just smiled.
"But I got in the team one week ago" Luna seemed mad but she had a mock tone in her voice and a wide smile on her face.
"Sorry but then I will cheer for the captain" Raven said with a wink, Luna just glared at her noticing how her hair had fallen from the previous loose bun into her shoulders. Raven's gaze met hers and they stared at each other for a bit. A scream took both of them out of their world.
"What was that?" Raven was confused but Luna smiled nodding her head. Her mom always made it clear, let the door open if they bring people there. She remembered her mom's sentence 'i don't care if you will bring boys or girls, I want you to be happy with the partner you chose but I want that door open, no crossing limits on my house'.
"That was Lexa being dumb"
Luna laughed. A hand appeared in the door, and a knock followed it. Ms Woods put her head in after the knock and a 'come in' in between Luna's laughs. She checked on them, and asked if Raven needed anything. It was a quick conversation that ended in a 'my house is your house', she gave them good night and left.
"Mom doesn't like us to keep our doors locked when we bring girls here and Lexa just pushed us out of her room and closed it, she probably fucked their date vibe" Luna explained as she got up to put her t-shirt back in her wardrobe, Raven smiled waving her head.
"They probably were just cuddling, it seems they will marry before the first kiss" Raven said and Luna laughed. That's true. Her sister was hot and a player and had kissed a lot of girls in that school, but when it's Clarke Griffin her brain literally froze...
She looked at the direction of her clock to check the hour. When everything went black. She startled when she heard a loud gasp coming from Raven's direction. The lights were off, a blackout had happened.
"Luna!" She walked back to her bed, it wasn't difficult she knew her room very well.
"I'm here" Luna said touching Raven, she noticed how the girl relaxed after that. She sat in the bed still holding her arms. Then she remembered Reyes' fear: being alone. She searched the mess sheets for her phone and lit it up. She could see the girl with her both hands on her straight up leg and a scared look, even if Raven tried to hide. They saw Lexa appear at the door with a flashlight.
"Are you guys, okay?" The brunette asked for a check. Luna nodded quickly.
"Yeah, we were just going to sleep" Luna said, Lexa left probably already on her way to her mom's room. She always had this protection over 'her girls' as she used to refer about them.
It was late already. She cleaned her bed from the packages they ate and put the TV off from electricity. She watched as Raven put her tanned legs under Luna's blankets. Her phone flashlight was on pointing to the ceiling, illuminating the whole room.
Raven wasn't a scared person, at least she doesn't show she was. The only people that she allowed to see her like that were Clarke and Octavia. Knowing this, sometimes Octavia goes to her house especially on rainy days, just to be with her. They usually just watch movies until they sleep. However, even in warm evenings Octavia showed up on her doorbell, her usual escape from home, sometimes to Clarke's and several times to hers. It was their thing, but O wasn't there and she wasn't at home, in fact she was in completely out of her comfort place.
"You're okay? Do you want me to take you home?" Luna asked, seeing fear on those chocolate eyes.
Raven nodded fast.
"No" she answered quickly, eyes wide at that possibility of being alone, her breath uneven, as an avalanche of thoughts covered her head. Luna's eyes wide with worry as she saw the girl breathing getting heavier.
"Do you want something? I'm going to get you water " she says already moving but Raven holds her arm.
"Don't...leave" She doesn't need to say twice, Luna lay down beside the girl in silence. She couldn't distract herself at Raven's presence there or how she was holding her arm with force. Raven had her eyes closed when she heard Luna start humming a sentence, she felt her hair be brushed gently and slowly. She usually would reject the touch but she didn't, in fact she could feel herself calming down at this gesture. It wasn't awkwardly just relaxing.
Luna noticed her fingers relieved the grip and turned to see Raven sleep, her long hair fall on her face and she seemed peaceful. She watched the girl for a while frozen at her position. Afraid off any slightly move could disturb the girl peace. She doesn't know how long though, just making sure she was okay and calm before finally closing her own eyes.