Chapter Three - Intel
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Chapter Song;
Kids in the Dark - All Time Low
"Wanna tell me why we're going to some shitty little college lacrosse practice session?" The bored voice belonging to Jace came from the back of the car, causing Isabelle - who was sat in shotgun - to roll her eyes.
She looked back at him with an incredulous glare, as if the situation was obvious. "Those two are our clients, and it's our job to look after them. We can't exactly do that if we don't infiltrate them and their lives." Her tone of voice was irritated, which Jace couldn't help but smirk at. He loved annoying her, especially since she was so easy to rile up. "We go to this practice, we get the opportunity to get to know both Clary and Jonathan more, as well as hopefully seeing and meeting their friends. Now, get your filthy shoes off my brothers' car." She slapped a hand down on his boot, which he had lazily rested on the middle compartment between the front two seats. He scowled at the brown-haired girl, before reluctantly fulfilling her request by placing his foot on the floor.
Jace leaned forwards in his seat, having forgone putting on a seat belt, resting his forearms on either of the seats in front. "I thought you were just the overseer of this operation, anyway?" He directed towards Isabelle. "Clarissa is my client, and Jonathan is Alec's." He nodded his head to the silent brother whom was driving, focusing on keeping up with the Morgenstern's in front.
"Yes, you're right." Isabelle nodded hesitantly, knowing any form of compliments towards Jace would only inflate his ego. "But it is also my job in this operation to make sure you two do yours correctly." She turned her head to face the blond's peeking through the gap, raising an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with that?"
Jace raised his hands in a motion of surrender, slowly backing up before slouching in his seat once again. "No, Ma'am. Sorry for asking." He let out a sigh as he folded his arms, letting his head lazily lounge to the side as he watched the passing surroundings out the window.
"You know, you don't have to act like the tough guy all the time, Jonathan." Clary was scolding her older brother as she stepped out of his car, closing the door behind her. "Seb's a good guy. He's your best friend, for Christ's sake. There's no need to be on edge all the time when I'm with him."
Jonathan quickly stopped in his stride and turned to face Clary, his expression darker than she would have liked. She halted immediately as he held out a nagging finger towards her. "No, you listen, Clarissa. You're my little sister, and it is my job to protect you. Sebastian is my best friend, you're right, which means I know what he's like. And I know what he's capable of doing to you."
"Jonathan-" she took a step forwards, no longer scared of her brother, and wrapped a tiny hand around his still-pointing finger. "I understand that. But I'm a big girl. I'm eighteen, and I can protect myself. Just lay off him a little, okay?" She looked up at him through her lashes, purposefully pouting her lips a little and opening her eyes wider in attempts to convince him. He stared down at her with searching eyes, looking quickly between hers.
They stood like that for a few moments, before he sighed in defeat, retracting his hand from her grip. "Fine. But if he does absolutely anything to hurt you, you tell me right away. Got it?" Clary let out a short huff of frustration at her brothers insistence, but nodded nonetheless. This seemed to comfort him, since he wrapped his unoccupied arm around her and pulled her in for a warm embrace. She wrapped her own small arms around his bulkier torso, burying her face into his chest and smelling the freshness of his shirt.
"Hey, Iz. Why don't you hug me like that?" A cocky voice sounded from near them, causing the siblings to separate and look in the direction of where it came from. They saw Jace, Isabelle, and Alec all approaching them, leaving behind a fancy black car which was parked several spaces down from Jonathan's.
Isabelle scowled towards her adoptive brother, elbowing him in his side as she spoke. "Maybe because you're an arrogant jerk who doesn't deserve a hug." Jace pouted dramatically, forcing a small giggle from Clary's lips. She quickly hid her mouth with her hand in hopes that he didn't catch it, but the glint in his eyes and the appearance of a smirk on his lips proved her wrong. Her cheeks flushed a gentle pink as she looked away, clearing her throat in an attempt to regather her thoughts.
She looked up at her brother with a small smile, looping her arm through his. "Isn't coach expecting you?" She asked pointedly, wanting to leave the previous moment behind and get out of that parking lot before anything else happened. He nodded, patting her hand before the group headed towards the entrance to the pitch.
Clary could hear the trio of siblings muttering behind them as she stalked ahead with her brother, though tried her best to tune them out and focus on the ever-growing patch of green in front of her. The Pitch.
"Jonathan!" A husky voice caught her attention once they stepped onto the pitch, causing the entire group to look over to where the voice had come from. Clary had difficulty hiding the grin on her lips as she saw who it was, his black hair giving her a sense of familiarity.
Jonathan slipped his arm out of the grasp of his sister as he, too, beamed at the boy, stepping forwards to pull him into a brotherly embrace. "Verlac, surprised to see you on your feet. Thought you'd be out cold after all that drinking last night." He smirked as he pulled away, clapping Sebastian on the shoulder before dropping his arm to his side.
Sebastian rolled his eyes, a toothy grin plastered on his lips as he looked at his best friend. "You know me, always find a way to bounce back." His eyes not-so-subtly shifted to the short redhead at his side, giving her a mischievous wink. "Surprised to see you here, Clarissa. Thought lacrosse wasn't your shtick?" His words were accusatory, though his tone was more sly.
Clary shrugged, a small smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "Had nothing better to do." She shrugged truthfully, looking up into his dark eyes.
He smirked down at her for an immeasurable amount of time before Jonathan cleared his throat suggestively. "If you two are done eyefucking," he stepped to the side, displaying Alec, Jace, and Isabelle to Sebastian. "These are our new neighbours." He introduced them generally, before stating their names.
Sebastian held out his hand for each of them to shake with a polite smile, Jace being last. He simply stared at his hand, arms folded, a brooding expression folding across his brows. Seb's expression dropped, and then his hand, letting out a low whistle. "Not a handshake type of guy. Got it."
"Morgenstern, Verlac! Get your asses over here before I bench you at Saturday's game." The growling voice of the team's coach shouted for the boys across the field, his voice gravelly from the decades of smoke inhalation.
Jonathan was the first to disappear, having to put on his lacrosse gear. Seb was already suitably dressed, so didn't have to rush. As soon as her brother was out of the way, he grabbed Clary by the hips and pulled her body flush against his, smirking deviously down at her before capturing her lips with his own.
His lips were soft and warm, though his actions were rough and fiery. Clary wrapped one arm around his neck, lifting herself up onto her tip toes, the other snaking up to cup his cheek. She leaned into him as she responded enthusiastically to his kiss, welcoming his tongue inside her mouth.
Seb's hands began skirting dangerously down from her hips, creeping into the regions off her ass. Clary's hands slipped down to his chest as soon as she felt his on her ass, shoving him away forcefully breaking the kiss. Her breath was heavy and uneven, and his eyes were dark with disappointment as he looked down at her.
"Seb," she began to scold him for overstepping her very clear boundaries, before he released her from his grip and stalked towards where the rest of the team were gathering on the other side of the field. Clary pulled on the sleeves of her cardigan, adding to the fray from previous nervous outbursts, before the sudden overwhelming feeling that someone was watching her washed over her.
She spun around to her three new acquaintances, blushing with embarrassment as she came face to face with them; Alec was looking politely to the ground as he kicked a stone, Isabelle smiled at her apologetically, while Jace looked a mix between confused and furious.
"I, uh," Clary stammered, still pulling at the strands of fabric on her cardigan sleeves, looking between the three. "Sorry you had to see that. He's not- he's not usually like that." She tried to reconcile the situation with a forced smile, stepping away to lead them to the bleachers.
"You sure about that?" It was Jace who answered behind her, and she could hear the frustration in his voice. "I'm sure Jonathan wouldn't be too happy to see if that's how he treated his little sister."
"Please-" Clary turned around abruptly to face them with a raised hand, a pained expression crossing her face. She sighed, sitting down on the bleachers while wringing her hands in her lap. "Just don't say anything to Jonathan. It's not what it looked like." Jace didn't seem convinced, stepping over the bench to sit a level up from Clary, slightly to her side. Isabelle crossed in front of Clary, squeezing her knee comfortingly as she passed before sitting down, while Alec sat on the bench in front with his body turned up to them.
"So, where you guys from?" Clary offered up a change of conversation as she lowered her bag to rest against her feet, turning to the trio with a happier expression.
"New York, still." Isabelle beamed with a chipper expression, which seemed to be contagious as Clary herself felt instantly better. "We used to live in Brooklyn with our parents, but decided we needed a little more independence. NYU seemed like the perfect opportunity."
Clary nodded in understanding as she listened to the raven-haired girl, relating to the want of independence. She remembered vividly the day she moved out from her parents house - the day after she turned 18.
"Clarissa, you are being unreasonable." Her father had said, his voice disappointing and brooding. He was leaning against the door frame of her bedroom, arms folded as he watched her pack a suitcase. Clothes were flying everywhere, her room was a state, and her movements were sporadic and frantic as she danced from one side of the room to another in an organised chaos.
"What's unreasonable, father," she spat the word out as she jammed a couple of sweaters into her suitcase, not bothering with tidiness due to her anger. "Is that you think you can control me, despite the fact I am an adult now."
"Clarissa, please, you turned eighteen yesterday. Forgive me if I am not trusting of you decisions as an 'adult'."
"My name is Clary!" She practically screamed at him, turning abruptly on her heels to glare at him in the doorway. "I have asked you for years to call me Clary, and yet you disrespect my wishes and continue to call me Clarissa. I am not Clarissa Morgenstern, I am Clary Fairchild. Your ignorance to that fact is reason enough for my current actions." She was trying to speak diplomatically to her father, despite her rage. Casual talk never got anybody anywhere with Valentine Morgenstern, and she knew that.
She turned to her suitcase and pulled over the top as her father spoke, struggling to zip it up over the clothes that were threatening to spill over the top. "Clarissa, I have given you everything you have ever wanted ever since you were a child. I have treated you nothing less than a Princess, and yet this is how you treat me, in my own home."
"Nothing less than a Princess?" She scoffed as she finally finished with the zip, her head reeling. Her eyes widened in shock at his words, hands going to grab at the head at her scalp. He was delusional. "I-I have no words." She stammered, shaking her head as she crossed the bedroom once again to grab the last of her arts supplies and shoving it into a duffel bag.
"What're you going to do when you leave?" The venom was beginning to seep into his voice as he glowered at his daughter, his hands balling into fists against his chest. "Do a pathetic drawing class? Move in with your brother? He won't be able to give you what I can. He's a coward, just like your mother."
Clary dropped the suitcase to the floor and pulled up the handle, holstering the duffel bag and her casual bag across her shoulder. "Don't you dare talk about either of them like that. They are both better people than you will ever be." She made her way across the bedroom to the door, being met with his wide stance blocking the entire space. She looked up at him fire in her eyes, no trace of love in her expression. "Get out of my way."
He stared his daughter down for almost a solid minute, before eventually giving in and stepping to the side to allow her to pass. She lugged the suitcase along the floor as she walked to the stairs, struggling to carry it down them as well as the two bags on her shoulder. She knew her father was looking down at her with disgust and pity, but she also knew this was the only way she could be free of his rule.
"You'll regret this, Clarissa." He mocked from the top of the stairs once she reached the front door, making her grip the door handle tighter. He was hoping she would give up this charade and unpack her stuff, but she would never give into what he wanted.
Without uttering another word, Clary threw open the door and stalked away, leaving it wide open so that her father could see her go forever.
The next two hours passed without even a second thought, and Clary found that she was genuinely enjoying the atmosphere surrounding her as she spoke to Isabelle, and occasionally Alec. Jace barely uttered a word, the brooding expression permanently plastering his face as he scowled at the players on the field. Or rather one particular player.
"We should totally throw a party together this weekend. After the big game." Isabelle squealed delightfully, gripping Clary's arm with excitement. "I want to invite anyone. Though, I don't know a lot of people. You and Jonathan can invite all your friends! The more the merrier!"
"I don't know if-" Clary began, though was immediately interrupted by more party-planning from Isabelle.
"Do you know if there are any clubs we can hire out for the night? A professional bar would be amazing. Nobody would have to worry about money, or drinks, or hosting. We could all just enjoy ourselves!"
"A club?" Jonathan seemed to appear out of nowhere, throwing his lacrosse jersey over his shoulder as he approached. "Pandemonium down the road is fantastic. Clary's friends with the owner's son, so I'm sure she could get us in." Clary scowled at her brother at the mention of her connections, not liking it when she used people for her own gains.
The suggestion of Pandemonium seemed to lift Izzy's excitement levels even further, if that was even possible, and she jumped about in her seat with a glint in her eyes as she looked at Clary. "Could you, Clary? I would owe you my life. Please, please, please?" She fluttered her fantastically long lashes at her with puppy dog eyes, and Clary found herself giving in with much reluctance.
"Fine," she sighed with a roll of her eyes, resulting in a screaming Isabelle echoing in her ear. She flinched away with a gasp, covering her ear as she looked up at the now standing girl. She was blathering on to the rest of the group - since Sebastian had also seemed to have joined them - about her plans for the party, though Clary couldn't hear a word through being temporarily deaf in one ear.
"Why don't we discuss this more over lunch at Taki's? Jordan told me that our Law lesson was cancelled so I don't start for another three hours." Jonathan was the one to break the high-pitched excitement of Izzy, and Clary couldn't be more thankful of his timing. She scooped up her bag onto her shoulder and jumped up enthusiastically, opening her mouth to speak.
"Sounds great." Seb beat her to it, and she looked at him in disbelief. She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted him there, which was a first for Clary. Usually she loved when she and her friends hung out with Seb, but there seemed to be a distressing aura in the air between him and the new three people in there group. She swallowed her pride with a nod, before the entire group set out to leave the pitch.