Ava followed Clementine as she weaved through a crowd of people to get to the cafeteria, their hands interlocked as to not lose each other. Clementine was really excited for Ava to be introduced to the whole group. She had met some of the kids in previous classes but couldn't really get to know anyone because classes were very fast paced.

They were greeted by James and Charlie who had gotten to the table first. "Oh hello I don't believe we've met." James stated when he noticed Ava. Clementine cut in, "Guys this is Ava an...old friend. Ava this is James and his boyfriend Charlie." James being the observant person he was noticed the hesitation. Then he noticed their interlocked hands and before he could stop himself, he commented.

"Friends?" Was all he asked while his gaze stayed on their hands. Both girls followed his gaze to their hands and immediately let go of one another when they realized what he was insinuating. "I uh yeah. We're just, just friends." James immediately flew into an apology. "I am sorry, l didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Ava was the one to speak next. "No it's fine really."

Before they could continue Louis and Marlon sat down at the table. "Hello ladies." Was how they were greeted by Louis while Marlon just waved before walking to the lunch line. Clem giggled while Ava rolled her eyes. "Oh great he's a more flirtatious Duck. Just what I need."

Clem, James, and Charlie all laughed at Ava's complaint while Louis just took a dramatic pose as if he had been stabbed in the heart. "I'm wounded. You are one harsh audience." After a little more laughing Clem and Ava got in the lunch line with Louis. There Ava was properly introduced to him.

"Louis Ava is new here and an old friend of mine. Ava you remember Louis from theater class right?" Ava nodded as they sped through the line to get their food. "Well it's nice to officially meet you Ava." Ava replied with a 'you too' as they made their way back to the table to find the group was all there except James and Charlie who could be seen at the end of the lunch line waiting their turn.

As they all sat with Ava by Clem's side and Louis on her other side. As they sat Clementine spoke. "Guys this is Ava, a friend from before I moved here, she just transfered to this school. Ava you've already met Louis. Next to him is Violet, then Minerva, Sophie, Marlon, Brody, Aasim, Ruby, Omar, and you've already met James,Charlie and Sarah and Duck."

Ava took note of all the names and faces before putting a smirk on her face. "Nice to meet you all. Forgive me if I take a while to put names to faces." Everyone said their greetings before a question was asked by Violet. "So Ava how did you meet Clem?" Both girls turned to look at each other before Ava shifted a bit in her seat.

"She used to live in my hometown Richmond, she took me in during a really bad storm. Gave me shelter, warmth, and food, saved my life if I'm being honest. After she moved here we never really talked anymore until I transferred." Ava put her hand over her shoulder that was covered by her black hoodie as a form of comfort in an attempt to forget the events that took place hours before she met Clem.

Flashback

The drug deal had been a bust. The group Ava had shown up with had scattered in all directions as the cops broke down doors with their guns raised. When they noticed everyone running they opened fire. Ava was fast but a bullet is always faster. She doesn't know where exactly she was hit but she knows her shoulder hurts like hell as she runs through alleyways. She doesn't know where to run, she can't really see in the rain that well. She does know she can't stop moving though, and she needs to get help or she'll bleed out.

She doesn't slow down as she makes twists and turns to different streets. Her shoulder has dulled in pain but now all she can feel is the cold rain mixed with the wind. It wasn't long before her wound got the better of her and she started limping along an alleyway, using the wall of an abandoned building to keep herself moving.

She fades just for a little bit while leaning against the wall. She knows she can't rest long but she also knows that she will pass out from blood loss soon. Then she sees light shine in her face. At first she thinks a cop found her and tries to move away.

When she moves back the light stops advancing. Then it slowly moves forward as if walking towards a wild animal. Ava knew she should probably run but she physically couldn't. She could barley stand on her own. She would have to face this stranger.

The light subsided enough for Ava to see the person, a girl no older than she was. Ava saw her mouth move but couldn't hear what she was saying as she realized she couldn't hold on any longer. She blinked and she was on the floor with the girl running towards her. The girl was warm as she picked Ava up. That's all Ava notices before she loses consciousness.

When she came to she noticed she was on a worn down brown couch in what seemed to be an abandoned building. She tried to take in her surroundings before attempting to get up. Bad idea. She placed her hands down to lift her up only for her shoulder to scream at her making her yelp and fall back onto the sofa. The impact also seemed to irritate the wound.

She tried to inspect it. It looked clean but not properly dressed. The irritation caused blood to flow from it again, wetting the dried blood on Ava's green shirt. "Don't move, that couch is dirty but it's not as dirty as the floor. Wouldn't want it to get infected." Ava's head snapped towards the voice as she prepared herself to run. "Hey it's ok your safe here." Ava stared at the girl with a skeptical gaze as she watched the girl pull a first aid kit from a bag. "I was going to wrap and disinfect it while you were asleep so it would hurt less but had to go get the kit from my place."

She walked towards Ava with the kit. Ava seemed to give up struggling as she let her help her sit up. "Why are you helping me?" She asked as the girl pressed a rag to the wound to stop the bleeding. "Would you rather I left you to bleed out in an alley when I could take you in?" Was her response. Ava whined when she felt a bit of added pressure on the wound. "Shit sorry."

Ava decided to change the subject. "Is it bad?" "No whatever it was went all the way through. You just need time to heal." Ava nodded as she watched the girl pour rubbing alcohol on a separate rag before she moved to press it to Ava's shoulder. She stopped half way. "Uh can you remove your shirt or I can cut it off but either way it needs to go." Ava nodded before she tried to peel it off her body but couldn't use her left arm. The girl noticed and took a pair of scissors out of the kit.

She cut the shirt open from the sleeve first as to not hurt Ava. After she cut it off she grabbed the rag again and muttered. "This is gonna hurt like hell." And it did. The burn was almost as bad as when she tried to get up earlier. It didn't last long though as the girl moved fast and efficiently. As if she had done this before.

After she was done she wrapped the wound as best she could before she began to put all of the equipment away. Ava watched as she went over to the bag she had gotten it out of and she took out a fluffy blanket, a pill bottle, and a water bottle. She walked back to Ava and wrapped her in the blanket gently before she opened the pill bottle and took out two white pills. "Here, painkillers will help with any pain. I'm out of antibiotics right now but you should be fine without them."

She placed the pills and the water bottle in Ava's good hand before she moved back to her bag. Ava did as she was told and took the pills before downing the whole water bottle, not realizing how thirsty she was until then. The girl noticed. "Be careful, if you drink that too fast you'll throw up." Ava took the advice and slowed down a bit, but she still finished the whole bottle. She placed the bottle and pills down next to her. Then she sunk into the warm blanket as the girl came back with the bag in her hand. She pulled out a small paper plate and plastic fork and a Tupperware.

She set up a plate of spaghetti from the Tupperware to the paper plate she pulled out leaving half of it in the box. She then picked the plate up and grabbed the fork from her bag as she made her way to Ava. "Here you must be hungry. Blood loss can leave you fatigued." Before Ava could protest the plate was in her hand and the fork in her other. She watched as the girl went to eat out of the Tupperware.

"Who are you?" Ava had basically whispered the question. "Clementine. But you can call me Clem. You?" "Ava." Clem nodded before she voiced what she had been wanting to say since the beginning. "I saw your brand. Your New Frontier." Ava stiffened as she stared at Clem before sighing. "So what you turn me into the authorities now?" Clem laughed a little making Ava tense a little more in anticipation.

"I wouldn't have taken you here in the first place if that was my intention." She noticed Ava relax just a little bit. "Listen my family is struggling right now. My brother is really sick and we need money. The New Frontier is the only way I can make good money to help my family." Ava had heard stories like these all the time. Joining the gang to help out the family or to get a family. She had joined after she escaped an orphanage in hopes of getting a family.

She nodded before speaking. "When it stops raining I can take you." Clem smiled a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before both went back to eating in relative silence. Once they were done Ava noticed Clem shiver before reaching down to her hand to rub what seemed to be a tattoo. It seemed to calm her down but she was still shaking slightly. "Can you come here for a second?" Clementine didn't question it as she got up to sit next to Ava on the sofa. She was pleasantly surprised when Ava placed the blanket around her shoulders as well so they could both stay warm.

Neither girl said anything as they waited out the storm. The storm thinned out to light drizzle before they decided they could go. Bad idea. They ran to the closest cover they could as the rain came down hard again. Clementine had given Ava her jacket to replace her shirt so they were both very cold. Then Clementine suggested something. "My house is the next street over we can hide out in my room till the storm is over." Not seeing any other options they booked it for Clem's house. Clem had to help Ava climb the car to get on the garage roof to her room but they made it.

Immediately Ava took off the soaking wet jacket and let it fall onto the carpeted floor. Clem did the same with her shirt then went to find another for both her and Ava. Once she found one for Ava she walked over to the girl who had sat herself on Clem's bed. She didn't hear the gentle knocks on her door over the rain. Then the door opened.

"Hey sweet pea, are you...." Lee stopped mid sentence as he took in the scene in front of him. He just silently closed the door leaving both girls in shock. "Was um that your dad?" Ava asked as she took the shirt from Clementine. Clementine nodded before going back to her dresser to get a different shirt for herself. Once she was dressed she told Ava what needed to happen.

"So he left without saying anything that's his way of saying we need to talk and knowing him he wants you there so let's go, he's probably downstairs." Ava let herself get dragged by her good hand down the stairs to a kitchen with an island that had Lee sitting waiting. They both sat in front of him silently waiting for him to start talking.

"What did I walk in on in there." He didn't phrase it as a question really. That's when both girls realized what he was talking about. Two girls shirtless, one on a bed and the other standing over her. They both blushed hard and started talking over each other, trying to explain. Lee raised his hand to stop them. "Clem you can have your girlfriend over but she stays in a separate room if she is here late. Am I understood?"

Clementine let out a squeak of embarrassment before just nodding and going along with it. "Good now..." He turned his hard gaze to Ava. She instantly tensed when she realized she was now going to be the one talking. She was scared, this man was tall and built from what she could see, he was very intimidating. Then he smiled a wide kind smile that seemed to lighten up the dim room and shift the atmosphere.

"Nice to meet you I'm Lee, Clementine's father. What's your name honey?" Ava turned to Clem with a questioning gaze, she just shrugged. Ava turned back to Lee. "Um Ava sir." "Nice to meet you Ava. I'm sorry if I scared you earlier." "Um no problem sir." "Please call me Lee." "Uh ok thank you Lee." Lee smiled wide again before he continued. "So how long have you two been together?"

Both girls were mentally screaming as they made eye contact before seemingly trying to formulate a plan with only their eyes before Ava spoke. "Not long."

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I was stuck so I changed this I was originally going to make this chapter where Clementine comes out as Poly but then I wanted to bring Ava and Clem's history to light for you guys. Also yes Lee still thinks they are together. That's why he made only one rule of Ava not being able to stay in Clem's room after dark.