my contribution to clexmas22
[Read on AO3]
My contribution to Clexmas this year, a growing up together Clexa story told through the lens of 9 Christmases/Christmas Eves over the course of 18 years. Completed one shot :)Â
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Kindergarten
Clarkeâs sweater is itchy. She fidgets with the neckline of it as she sits at her desk, feet that donât reach the ground swinging idly back and forth beneath her. She canât stop looking at the clock; practically all she can think about is the class Christmas party that they get to have after lunch. Her mom sent her to school this morning with a tray of snowball cookies and she knows that the rest of her classmates brought food, too, but what sheâs most excited about is whatâs tucked away in her cubby at the back of the room. There, she has a present for her best friend, Lexa, that sheâs just dying to give to her.
Her teacher catches her glancing at the clock and then at her cubby for the umpteenth time and approaches, taking a peek at the drawing theyâre supposed to be working on, Christmas cards for their parents. âThis is excellent, Clarke,â she says. âYour parents will love it.â
âMy daddy says he saves all of my drawings âcause Iâm gonna be in a moozeem one day,â Clarke tells her proudly. Her eyes flick to the clock again, and her teacher smiles knowingly.
âHave you ever heard the saying â a watched pot never boils â, Clarke?â
Clarke shakes her head, momentarily distracted from her fixation on the time and impending party by the odd question. âIt means that time passes slower when youâre waiting for something and itâs all you can think about,â the teacher explains. âSo if you keep looking at the clock, itâs going to take even longer until you get to leave for lunch and the Christmas party.â
âI canât help it,â Clarke says. âI have a present to give to Lexa. Sheâs gonna love it.â
âThatâs exciting. Iâm sure she will,â her teacher says. The woman looks across the room to where Lexa is sitting. She's in a white long sleeve turtle neck and a long plaid skirt and her feet do touch the ground in her chair because she's so tall even though she's scrawny. A blue colored pencil is gripped tightly in her hands as she draws, a look of concentration on her face. Clarke and Lexa had their seats separated only a few weeks into the school year due to their inability to stay quiet and focused during their lessons if they were sat next to each other. The two had only just met at the beginning of the year but their friendship bloomed immediately and voraciously to the point that theyâre now nearly inseparable whenever given the chance.
âDo you know what I think might make the time pass a little faster?â the teacher asks. Clarke shakes her head, still fidgeting in her seat and plucking at the collar of her itchy Christmas sweater. She follows the teacherâs gaze over to Lexa and then looks back to her, curious. âHow about I let you go sit with Lexa,â the teacher proposes.
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