Hi so I'm not dead

I am back with another multi chapter fic even though I said I probably was not going to write another one? oops

Anyway I hope you enjoy, this one is kinda different from the others... more raw I guess? This is my first M fic (though no smut sry m8)

This is actually based off a real place (though it is not in New York). Rolling Morris itself is fictional but the community and lake it's based off of (for the most part) is not. Jonathan is good in this. Title is from the song Colors by Halsey.

As always, thanks for Mrs. Jace Wayland-Herondale for beta-ing. I don't own TMI.. Cassandra Clare (and I guess technically Freeform) does. If I owned it I'd pay for college probably bc that's expensive and I'm slightly concerned.

Having rich folks had its perks. Vacations to Caribbean islands for Thanksgiving, nice cars, and expensive Christmas gifts were a few examples. But in the opinion of Jace Herondale, Isabelle Lightwood, Jonathan Morgenstern, and several other children of the New York upper class, the best perk was the lake houses. Several of these families had two, three, possibly even four homes. But the place to be during the summer holidays was Rolling Morris lake, a large gated community unknown to the world (or even most of the state of New York) except to the lucky bastards who could afford to live there.

The children of Rolling Morris Lake had grown up together. They saw each other every summer for days at a time, and always looked forward to being in one another's company. In their younger years, they were swimming buddies. As they got older, swimming buddies evolved into drinking buddies.

As soon as Jace saw that the Lightwood car was already in the lot of their lake house, he grinned.

He hopped out of his car and jogged over, not even bothering to peek inside his own lake house to let his mother know he had made it there safely. She probably wasn't home anyway. She usually wasn't, not since his father had been found with a bullet in his head on their dock. The memory was simply still too fresh for her, even after 5 years. Jace just tried not to think about it.

Izzy answered to his knock and grinned widely. "Hey dickhead."

He walked passed her into the Lightwood vacation home. "Hey bitch," he called over his shoulder. "Where's Alec?"

Isabelle tilted her head. "I don't know, come to think of it. He disappeared, I guess. Last I saw him he was chatting with mom's new stylist."

"Your mom fired her last one? I thought she loved Camille."

"Ew, no. Camille's such a bitch. And she has no style. I don't know how my mom held on to her so long."

"So this new stylist..," Jace started. "Is she hot?"

"You're such a whore. She's a he," Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Your mom has a male stylist?"

"Yeah, just like a lot of celebs do. I swear, gay men know fashion better than most straight women. Like Camille," Izzy laughed.

Jace laughed along with her. He had only met Camille a few times in her 3 year employment with Maryse Lightwood, but she seemed like a cold bitch.

"So how'd your grad party go?" Jace asked, changing the subject.

"Awful," Izzy rolled her eyes. "Dad's mistress made an appearance."

"What the fuck? Why?" Jace wondered.

"She 'didn't know' it was the day of my party. Personally, I think she wanted to cause drama. And she got just that," Izzy huffed. "Mom started screaming at her and then at dad and everyone bailed."

"Why was your dad's mistress even there? Or your dad, for that matter?"

"He and mom were trying to prove to me that they could still be civil enough to each other to throw me a damn graduation party. Turns out they can't. No surprise there," Izzy shrugged.

"How's the divorce going?" Jace asked.

"What do you think?" Izzy challenged.

"You'd think they'd have worked it out by now, it's been 4 years," Jace stated.

"Jace, you've known my parents since we were in diapers. You know they will still be arguing on who gets what on my wedding day. And I plan getting married when I'm 40."

Jace chuckled.

Just then, Alec walked into the room with his hair sticking up in a million directions.

"Hey Jace," he greeted, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Jace responded, clapping Alec's shoulder in return.

"Alec, what's that on your face?" Izzy asked.

Alec froze. Jace squinted. He didn't see anything on Alec's face...

"Nothing," Alec said quickly.

"Sorry, I guess I was wrong. My bad," Izzy simply responded.

"Is there gonna be a party on the docks tonight?" Alec asked. "I wanna know if I'm gonna have to clean."

"Alec, there's a party on the docks every night. Don't worry about tonight, though. I'm hosting," Jace promised.

"Jonathan, when are you leaving for Rolling Morris?" Jocelyn Garroway asked her son while she dried the dishes.

"This weekend," he responded, ducking into the fridge.

"We just ate," Clary reminded her brother.

"I'm still hungry," Jonathan argued.

Clary rolled her eyes at her brother but made no further comment.

"You sure you don't wanna come, Clare?" Jonathan asked. He always tried to make an attempt to get Clary out to the lake, but deep down Clary was pretty certain he did not care either way.

"Nah, I'm good." Clary responded. Her brother could never wrap his head around why she never wanted to go back. And it wasn't like she didn't want to, she just couldn't. She did have a genuine reason not to go back, but Clary didn't like to think about it if she could help it.

"Your dad misses you, Clary," Her mother said to her, smiling a small smile.

"Ha! Bull," Clary snorted. "I doubt he remembers he has a daughter in the first place." She turned to her brother, who was now making a sandwich. "Is he ever home when you're there?"

Jonathan eyed Clary and then his eyes to their mother, who was suddenly interested in where this conversation had turned.

"Yes, of course," he responded hesitantly. This answer seemed to satisfy Jocelyn, who turned back to drying the dishes. As soon as she turned, Jonathan shook his head at Clary and winked.

Clary rolled her eyes. Of course not.

"Everyone asks about you, though. They miss you," Jonathan told his sister as he bit into his newly made ham and pickle sandwich.

Clary huffed and walked away from the discussion. She had missed her friends too. It had been 5 years since she'd seen them in person. Of course, they all kept in touch on social media, but it just wasn't the same.

Later that evening, as Clary had started a new sketch of her pencil lying on her dresser, her mother knocked on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called.

Jocelyn closed the door and sat down on Clary's bed, something she hadn't done in quite a while.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked.

Jocelyn sighed. "Your aunt Amatis is not doing well," she started. Clary frowned. Aunt Amatis was Clary's stepfather's older sister. She had been diagnosed with stage 3 of ovarian cancer last spring, which had devastated the family. Everyone loved Amatis.

"But I thought she was doing better," Clary argued.

Jocelyn shrugged. "Cancer is tricky. It may seem like it's getting better and then... It's not. Luke and I have decided to spend as much of the summer with Amatis as possible. And while I know you love your aunt Amatis, I also am certain you do not want to spend your summer before college in a hospital everyday watching your aunt waste away before your eyes."

Clary flinched at the words. "So what are you suggesting?"

Jocelyn sighed. "Well, you don't turn 18 for another month. However I do trust you enough to stay in the house and not burn it down. I do not have that same trust in your brother." She smiled at Clary and Clary smiled back. "But this house is so dull when it is empty and I worry you may get bored returning to it every evening. Therefore, my second offer is that you go with your brother to Rolling Morris."

"I need to get a job to pay for school, so I'm going to stay here," Clary decided.

"Your father is paying for your entire education," her mother cut in. "It was a part of your father and I's deal in the divorce. It's one good thing to come out of your father's money," her mother grinned.

Clary highly doubted this was true. Valentine, her father, would find a way to fuck it up and make her life hell. It was his specialty. "How am I just hearing about this deal now?" Clary wondered out loud.

"Because we knew you wouldn't take it," Jocelyn responded. Clary nodded. That was true.

"So what are you going to do?" Clary's mom asked her daughter.

"Mom, I haven't been to that place in 5 years. It would be weird," reasoned Clary.

Jocelyn sighed in exasperation. "You can bring Simon along if you would like."

"Really?" Clary asked excitedly.

"Why not?" Jocelyn threw her hands up in the air. She looked at her daughter expectantly.

Finally, Clary gave in. "Fine. I'll go."

One would think that in half a decade, something would have changed in the appearance of some of the houses; paint peeling off a mailbox, shingles missing due to a storm, a for-sale sign in front of a once occupied home.

Nada.

Everything was the same. Primed, polished, nice. Expensive.

Fake.

"I can't believe you have a house on Rolling Morris Lake, this place is like infamous," Simon said for the millionth time while sitting in the passenger seat of Clary's car.

"Save your breath. I know you had never heard of it before last Wednesday," Clary smirked.

"No, for real. I've heard loads about the parties here. They're supposed to be insane," Simon breathed.

Clary shrugged. Jonathan, who she was following, turned left on to the next side street so she did the same. And next thing she knew, there they were.

"Damn Clary... I knew your dad was rich, but not that rich..," Simon muttered.

"Stop gawking at my dad's second vacation home," Clary snapped.

"But it's enormous," he breathed.

"Help me unpack," Clary ordered her best friend.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was already chatting with some girl who had been tanning in the lawn of her house next door. The girl was sporting a string bikini, and wore enormous sunglasses that took up half her face.

"So who's this month's boyfriend?" Clary overheard Jonathan asking the girl.

"None of your business, Morgenstern. How's being single?"

"Oh, screw you. I'll just ask Alec."

"Why do you care so much?" The girl asked, laughing a little.

"Well I wanna know if he's gonna be a buzzkill or not. You always bring your boyfriends with you to the parties, ever since you were 11."

The girl shrugged. "That's true." She took off her sunglasses and then turned her head and saw Clary and Simon beginning to carry their stuff into the Morgenstern vacation home.

"Oh my God, Clary, is that you?" The girl asked.

Clary looked up and was finally able to identify who the girl was.

"Isabelle?" She asked.

"Oh my God it is you!" She turned to Jonathan and nudged him. "You finally got her to come back!"

"I can't take all the credit, it was mostly our mom. I think she got sick of her," he said, laughing. Clary frowned.

"I'm so glad high school is over. Was your graduation as dull as mine was?" Izzy had always been fast to find a topic to discuss.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Probably more so."

"You were valedictorian!" Simon exclaimed.

"And you think that made it more exciting?" Clary asked.

Simon frowned, and then shrugged.

"And you brought your boyfriend! Well today is just filled with surprises," Isabelle grinned.

"Oh no, he's not my boyfriend," Clary said while shaking her head. "He's more like a brother."

"Ouch," Jonathan joked.

"Hi I'm Isabelle," Izzy greeted Simon, shaking his hand. "How's the friend zone treating you?"

"It was brutal sophomore year but I'm over it now," Simon grinned. "I'm Simon."

"Clary you need to come with me and say hi to everyone! I'm so glad that you're here, it's sucked being the only girl in this area."

"What about Aline?" Clary wondered.

"She hasn't been here these last few years. Jon didn't tell you?" She wondered, turning to Clary's brother.

"No, I figured she wouldn't care," Jon replied.

"I do care! We were friends. I was devastated when I discovered I had no way to continue talking to her due to her lack of social media," Clary argued. "What happened?"

"Aline told her parents she liked vaginas instead of penises and her father kicked her out of the family. It was devastating. But we've kept in touch through the occasional email—apparently she and Mormon girl are still together." Izzy shook her head.

"Mormon girl?"

"Well she's not actually Mormon but she has like 8 siblings," Izzy explained.

"That's awful," Clary said. "The being kicked of the family, I mean. I was looking forward to seeing her."

"Yeah, I miss her."

Before the pair could continue their discussion, the roar of an engine met her ears and she turned to see a car speed into the driveway of a house two doors down. The Herondale house. Clary's heart raced, with both joy and guilt. It's him.

"I see Jace got a set of wheels," Clary commented, attempting at light heartedness.

"Yeah," Izzy rolled her eyes. "Two sets. He left his motorcycle at home I think."

Clary wasn't surprised. Even when they were younger, Stephen and Celine were rarely home and tried to make up for it through very expensive gifts. While Stephen had died during her 5 year hiatus from the lake, she knew he had left his wife and son a large inheritance.

"Do you have the stuff?" Izzy called.

Jace nodded and ran over to where Isabelle and Clary were standing. Jon and Simon had begun to bring their suitcases inside the Morgenstern home, allowing Isabelle and Clary to continue talking.

"Yeah I got it," Jace said as he caught up with the two. He then proceeded to take out some lemons and limes, along with a large container of salt.

"Tequila shots?" Clary asked.

"Yup," Jace grinned. He then did a double take. "Clary?!"

Clary couldn't help but grin. Oh, how she had missed him. "In the flesh."

"Couldn't stay away, could you?" Jace teased, with only a slight hint of bitterness.

Clary rolled her eyes. "So when are we doing tequila shots?"

"Probably tonight. I'm pretty sure my mom has some tequila stored around the house."

"And if not, Meliorn can buy some for us," Izzy shrugged.

"Meliorn?" Clary questioned.

"My boyfriend," Izzy explained. "He's 25 so he can buy alcohol for us."

"Is that the only reason you're with him?" Clary joked. Izzy laughed.

"No, there's other reasons..."

"Ugh, gross, don't explain any further," Clary laughed, and Jace joined her in her laughter. Isabelle flashed the two of them a look, but quickly brought her face back to its neutral expression.

"Well I'm dying to get a swim in today, wanna join?" Isabelle asked Clary.

"Oh God, yeah. That was what I missed most about this place."

So this is sort of just testing the waters a little bit to see what you all think. I wrote this 2 months ago but never got around to publishing it because I have been really busy and also wanted to make sure I was willing to commit to the story before doing so.

As for being busy, today is quite possibly the first free day I have had in 2 weeks so when it comes to an updating schedule, I am at a loss. I swear I'll update it, just not as frequent as I (or you all) may wish. Between competing in sectionals (and hopefully state) in speech, preparing to audition for the spring musical and my school's chamber choir, relay for life, and preparing to travel to China on an 11 day tour during spring break (!) I am completely swamped.

That being said, I hope you all enjoyed! Leaving a review would be as amazing as the fact that I HAVE A DAY OFF TO WATCH NETFLIX (and Shadowhunters, of course) TODAY!

Till next time,

-hufflepuffamity