Hours later Grace, Jace, Ben and Becca all got off of the plane. Becca asked why they didn't get in trouble for Jace having a weapon on the plane.
"I have no idea why. Maybe some perky flight attendant let it slide or something," Grace replied. Becca nodded thoughtfully in agreement.
"What are we talking about?" Jace asked coming up behind them. They ignored him.
"Or maybe they thought he was too cute to be a terrorist," Becca mused.
Ben had to add his two cents. "Or maybe they were all too afraid to do anything. Or maybe they were in a trance. You know how they get when it comes to him," he said, nodding toward Jace.
"True…" Becca agreed.
Jace had confusion written all over his face. "Know how who is?" he asked.
Grace patted him on the back. "Nothing, honey," she said.
Becca nodded. "Listen to Grace. She's a smart girl," Becca told him as the group came up on the luggage belt. Ben looked around.
"Where is our luggage?" he asked impatiently.
"It's supposed to come out of that portal thingy after we summon it," Jace said pointing.
Becca snorted and unsuccessfully tried not to laugh. She excused herself and ran for the bathroom so as not to get on Jace's bad side again.
Jace looked after her laughing and retreating figure with another confused expression on his face. "What'd I say?" he asked Ben, who was able to control his laughter.
"Uh…nothing. Let's just watch for our bags," he said with a straight face while watching the "portal."
"Let's hope they hurry, I want to get to the bungalows. This is going to be so much fun!" Grace said, bouncing on her toes in anticipation.
Finally Becca walked out of the bathroom and make her way to her friends.
"Hey here she comes." Jace said, pointing in her direction.
Becca saw Jace looking at her and then made the mistake of looking at the conveyor belt and lost it again. She covered her mouth and ran back into the bathroom.
"Is she sick or something?" Jace asked, seeing her odd behavior.
"Uh, yeah that's it. She's not feeling well," Ben said, then quickly changed the subject. "Here comes our luggage."
Their luggage was easy to spot. Jace's had a GAC logo on it, Becca's was pink and black, Grace's was peachy hue, and Ben's was beige with black trim.
Jace and Ben grabbed the bags then they looked around for Becca, realizing she was still in the bathroom.
They all walked toward it to wait for Becca to emerge. Jace looked at her with partial concern when she finally did.
"You okay? Are you still sick?" he asked.
Becca furrowed her brow. "Sick?" Becca asked.
"Yeah, you know how you weren't feeling well?" Ben said with emphasis.
"Oh, right. Yes I'm fine," Becca said, cating on and linking her arm with Ben's as they all walked to the car rental. Grace had a bemused look on her face and she smirked at Becca.
"What? It was funny and you know it," Becca said.
"Yeah, but I try not to laugh at him all the time, and with great restraint let me tell you. He's never flown before," Grace said quietly, trying to not let Jace hear.
"I don't laugh at him all the time. And he's the one who laughed at me last night at the pizza parlor," she pointed out, then added, "and I was crying!"
By now they were getting into a car and driving to the bungalows.
"Yes, and it was mean of him to laugh. But you have to admit that what the waiter said was kind of funny. I mean, really. How did he even come up with that?" she said. Becca looked at her indignantly. Grace quickly added, "BUT it was completely untrue."
"I wasn't laughing and neither was Ben."
"Oh, come on. He was just being a jerk. You're a bigger person," Grace said.
"It still hurt." Becca frowned. "Think of how Philip called you his little housewife."
Grace sighs and hugs her friend. "I know. I did threaten to stab him afterward. Actually, I did stab him."
Becca grinned. "And that was AWESOME!" she said enthusiastically. "My best friend: she kicks ass."
"And don't you forget it," Grace replied with a laugh.
Finally they reach the bungalows.
"Wow! This is great!" Becca exclaimed, getting out of the car.
Jace smiled proudly. "See what did I tell you? This was a great idea."
Ben nodded.
"Probably the best you've ever had," Ben said.
Becca face-palmed. "Really Ben?"
"Thank—hey!" Jace said, stopping himself to glare at Ben.
"Jace, that's not how he meant it," Grace explained.
"Ben, you have to be careful how you word things around Jace. He can take it the wrong way," Becca told him.
"I took that in the right way thank you very much," Jace said then strode cockily to the lobby to get the keys to the bungalows.
"See what you do?" Grace said, narrowing her eyes at Ben.
"I didn't mean to! I meant the best idea he ever had for the four of us. And by the way, it's the first time we've all done a vacation together..." Ben said, trailing off. "You do the math."
"But I suck at math," Becca whined, confused.
"It's a figure of speech," Grace explained.
"Oh," Becca said, still not understanding. "Anything related to math makes my brain choke." She walked in the direction Jace had taken thinking the conversation was taking a turn to math.
"Um, I'm not sure what you meant just then. I get that this is our first time having a vacation together, but what does that have to do with Jace's attitude?" Grace asked.
Ben sighed. "Not his attitude. It was his best idea for the four of us and this is the first thing we've all done together so it was a compliment. Besides, I don't see a difference in his attitude," Ben said.
"Smartass," Grace insulted then walked away leaving Ben with four bags of luggage to carry and only two hands. When she enters the lobby she finds Jace and Becca in a heated argument.
"Jace, quit flirting!" Becca scolded. The guy behind the counter eyed Jace warily.
"For the last time, Becca, I'm not gay," Jace said, moving his arms animatedly.
"Well, you flirt with everyone, Jace."
"Bitch," he said for the millionth time.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Becca shouted.
"No," Jace replied like a petulant child.
Grace looked up to the sky. "Why me?" she moaned.
Becca stormed out of the lobby and back to Ben.
Grace steps up to the counter with a sigh. "Please excuse them. They have friend issues. I promise they actually like each other."
Becca ran into Ben—or rather a pile of bags on top of Ben—on her way out the door.
"A little help, please?" he gasped with strain. Becca pulled two bags off him and he sighed with relief. "Thanks, Love."
"No problem," she said, still pissed off at Jace. Ben froze.
"What did I do?" he asked, praying that it wasn't too serious and that he wasn't in "couch" or "floor" trouble.
"YOU didn't do anything," Becca said. Ben relaxed.
"Oh. Jace?" he guessed, already knowing the answer.
"Yep," she replied.
Ben rolled his eyes even though he was relieved that Jace was the one she was mad at and not him.
"Look you all seem very weird and very young to have rented a bungalow let alone two bungalows, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave," said the dude behind the lobby counter.
"What? I paid for those bungalows! Look up my name, dipstick, It should be under Herondale; Jace Herondale," Jace said, pounding his fist on the counter for emphasis. The dude looked insulted. However, knowing Jace, he felt that he was the one insulted because the guy wouldn't hand over the keys to the bungalows he had paid for.
"Unless you can give me proof that you are not a terrorist or illegal, I will not allow you into our resort," the dude said with his nose in the air.
"Oh! Well why didn't you say so?" Grace said, handing him all their passports.
He took them to scrutinize. "These look legit, but you all still seem...off to me—like you're hiding something. I took two years of Criminal Intelligence in college, you know," he said.
"Listen, we all just got done fighting some dude that was from year 1910 back in our hometown and I almost lost my girlfriend to this psychopath who wanted to take her back to his time and make her his own personal housewife. Ben here," he says nodding to him, "is half cat, or what does he call it...Mai. My girlfriend and I are Shadowhunters who save the mundanes of this world from demonic terror. Ben's girlfriend is also Mai like he is, but has an extra power—a wicked power to annoy you within the first fifteen minutes of meeting her," Jace said, fixing the guy with an evil glare.
"I would say that you're insane, but you showed no signs of lying," he said, amazed.
Becca glared at Jace, wishing that looks could kill.
"Yes, and you must know that that's a first for me. So be grateful and give us our rooms or I will have to hurt you," Jace informed the guy.
Ben and Becca take a step back.
"Jaaace," Grace says, worried.
Becca rolls her eyes. "I would listen to him, dude. He can be crazy if he wants to be," she says, bored.
Jace rolls up the sleeves of his plaid button down shirt to reveal a dagger strapped to his inner forearm. The guy instantly seems panicked. Jace smiles a slow, deathly grin.
"That's right. So, can I have the keys to our rooms or not?" Jace threatens.
The hotel guy just hands over the keys eyes without further objection.
"Thank you," Jace says and turns to Becca to give her the keys. She swivels on her heel and walks out of the lobby.
Ben gives the bellhop an apologetic smile and takes the keys.
Grace sighs. "What did you do now?" she asked her boyfriend.
"I don't know," Jace said.
"You two really need to get along better. I'll ask her real quick before we separate to unpack at our different bungalows what is the matter now," she said, quickly following her best friend out of the lobby.
Ben and Jace grab the bags and share a look. "Women," they say simultaneously shaking their heads.
"Becca!" Grace shouted, spotting her friend. "What did he do now?"
"He called me a bitch again when all I was trying to do was make him aware that he flirts with everyone. Guys included," Becca said, watching the waves crash against the beach in front of the bungalows.
"Oh, you know him. That's his way of saying that he cares for you even though you annoy him," Grace said, taking the matter lightly.
"Uh-huh," Becca said disbelievingly.
"It was embarrassing for him. That's probably why he got mad," Grace tried.
"Well it's not like I shouted it across the room," Becca countered with a huff.
"Becca, you stated it out loud," Grace said.
"No, I didn't," Becca argued.
Grace gave her a pointed look.
"Well….I didn't say it loudly."
"But you didn't whisper it either." Grace clapped her hands together. "Well, now that is settled, I'll have a talk with him about the name calling."
"Thank you," Becca said gratefully. "And tell him I'm sorry."
"Umm, are you guys done now?" Ben asked as he and Jace walked up to the girls. "This bag is really heavy. What did you do? Pack your entire apartment?" Ben directed at Becca who shot him a look.
"Don't even go there right now." she warned as they started walking toward their bungalow.
Grace giggled and started walking with Jace to theirs next door.