JAIDA JONES did a double take when she saw the pale redhead stood by the lockers holding a large cardboard box. It had been so long since she'd seen her that she half-thought she was dreaming. But Jaida pinched herself and the girl remained, and so Jaida approached her old friend with a sudden nervousness that she couldn't describe.
"Clary?" she called, and Clary turned. "Clary Fray?"
Clary looked both different and the same. Her hair was still bright red, her face still spattered with freckles, her eyes still green as cut bottle glass. There was even a smudge of charcoal on her left hand. But Jaida had always been good at reading people without being too nosy, and something about Clary seemed off, other. As if she'd become someone completely different in the shell of Clarissa Fray.
"Jaida?" Clary asked. She summoned up a wan smile. "It's been so long."
"Yeah," Jaida scuffed the linoleum floor with her Doc Martens, suddenly feeling very awkward. "You haven't been in school for forever. And then Simon had all that time off, too. Are you okay? Are you two still…"
Jaida trailed off, unsure of what to finish her sentence with. She was late for class, but then Clary hadn't been in school for weeks. She'd live.
"Yeah, me and Simon are still close," Clary answered. She seemed stuck in her own head, which wasn't unusual for Clary, but there was still something imperceptibly changed. "I'm, uh, just getting my stuff. My mom's homeschooling me now."
"Oh," Jaida said. It did make sense. Clary's mother was a painter, and from what she'd heard, of ill health. Maybe Clary wanted to stay home to look after her. "Simon's still staying in school, though, right?"
Clary laughed hollowly. "Uh-huh," she confirmed. Her eyes seemed to be looking at anything but Jaida. "He's still in the band, too. He has a concert coming up. You should come."
"Maybe," Jaida echoed. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she couldn't. Clary had always been so private, had always been so mysterious. They'd been friends, but only class friends. Not close enough for Clary to say whatever was clearly bugging her. Clary reached for a textbook and the sleeve of her denim jacket rode up, showcasing silvery scars up and down her forearm. "Clary, we're...friends, right? You can tell me stuff. Even if we haven't talked in forever, I didn't forget about you."
Something akin to guilt flashed across Clary's features. "Thanks, Jaida," she said softly, "I appreciate it, I do. But I'm in a good place right now. I really am."
"Okay," Jaida nodded, not believing her. "You need some help with that?"
She gestured to the box in Clary's arms. Clary shook her head. "My boyfriend's gonna come back with me to get the rest." Boyfriend. Jaida had always thought that Clary and Simon would end up together. Apparently not. "It's sweet of you to offer, though. Shouldn't you be in class?"
"I have study hall," Jaida lied. She looked at Clary again. "Look, I- I know it's really none of my business, but are you sure you're alright? You seem different than you were before. I don't know how to describe it."
There was finality written all across Clary's face, and Jaida had a sinking feeling that she was probably never going to see Clary again. Maybe she was pregnant. Maybe she was moving to Europe. Maybe she was in a cult. Either way, Clary Fray was much changed. Jaida hadn't changed with her. Jaida barely knew her at all.
"I'm fine," Clary said. "I think I just grew up. Hey, I'd better go. My friend Maia's giving me a ride, and she gets pretty impatient. I'll see you at Simon's concert?"
"Yeah," Jaida lied. Clary offered her a funny little half smile and walked away, her vibrant hair flying out behind her. Jaida's chest felt very tight.
In the end, she didn't go. Jaida Jones knew where she belonged. And she knew that it was no longer in the world of Clary Fray.