Hello :)

I know it's shorter than usual, but it's still almost 7000 words and it's basically a lot of angst and a set-up for the coming chapters-I'm going to start apologizing or the future ones now. I've planned them out and I'm sorry in advance.

sooo...enjoy :)

The next Monday, I went to school with peace of mind and a resolution.

After my birthday, along with the rest of the weekend, went by without any word from Sebastian, I was pissed and I was determined.

I wouldn't be fooled by any apologies or I love you's. I would walk right up to him and brush off any explanations or arguments. I was going to end this.

When Jon pulled into the parking lot, I sat there for a moment before turning to him, putting my hand on his arm to keep him from opening the door. He looked at me worriedly and in took a deep breath.

"I'm going to break up with Sebastian today."

I couldn't read the expression on his face as he froze, his eyes on mine.

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly. I looked down, feeling guilty already. I nodded anyway. He would understand someday why I had to do this, why I had to tear the three of us apart.

I heard him let out a breath as he nodded. "Okay. If that's what you think needs to happen, then I'm behind you on it one hundred percent." I smiled and he gave me a weak one back before pushing open his door and stepping out.

I took another calming breath before following him. He put his arm on my shoulders as we walked towards the lawn and I tossed mine around his waist, thankful for his silent support.

When we came upon our normal group, Sebastian was nowhere to be found but Jace stood with Isabelle and Alec, Magnus talking animatedly to the brothers while Maia and Isabelle carried on their own conversation.

I smiled at Jace and he smiled back, shooting me a wink.

I squeezed my arm around Jon's waist and he dropped his arm from my shoulders so I could move closer to Isabelle and Jace while he talked with Alec and Magnus.

I beamed at Jace and almost reached out to take his hand right there in front of everyone before thinking better of it. I hadn't broken up with Seb yet. I could wait another ten minutes to hold Jace's hand.

Isabelle looked at me with a raised brow, her dark eyes twinkling with amusement. "What got you all happy today?"

"I'm finally fixing some things in my life," I said happily. Jace looked at me with a raised brow and I looked down for a second, digging the toe of my sneaker into the grass.

"I'm breaking up with Seb," I said quietly. I looked back up at Jace to see his face carefully blank. I frowned. I'd thought he would be happy.

"You're not...happy?" I asked slowly, confused by his lack of reaction.

Jace looked at me in surprise. "Of course I am. I just figured you wouldn't want me to act like I was. I didn't want to upset you." Isabelle coughed on a laugh.

"You two are both stupid," she pointed out, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Just be happy already."

Jace gave her a sharp look and she just shrugged with a small smile. "I ship you guys. So be happy or I'll make you be happy."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "We're working on it, Izzy, okay? Life isn't like a book. Things don't work just because the author wants them to."

The girl shrugged again. "No, they work out because you want them to. So work things out and you're happy. Simple as that."

I raised my brows at her, but she didn't say anything else. I rolled my eyes, stepped forward, and tossed my arms around Jace's shoulders. He seemed startled for a minute before hugging me back. Isabelle made a cooing noise, clasping her hands together.

I was just about to pull away, laughing under my breath at Isabelle's reaction, when a hand clapped down on my shoulder.

I jumped, pulling out of Jace's arms and spinning around. I tensed up when I saw a pair of familiar dark eyes.

"Seb," I said, my voice trembling.

A reassuring weight fell on my shoulder as Jace took a tiny, protective step closer to me.

"Clarissa," Sebastian greeted harshly. I winced at his cold tone, instinctually wanting to run and hide behind my brother, or even Jace, who stood close behind me, his hand on my shoulder supportively.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" He hissed, more of an order than a question.

I took a deep breath before nodding. We needed to end things, and I would prefer not to do it on front of the entire school body.

"Like hell," Jace snarled, his hand not releasing my shoulder as I tried to step away. His angry tone drew the others' attention and my brother was by my side in an instant. "She's not going anywhere with you," Jace finished more calmly.

Jon looked a bit surprised by Jace's conviction, but he stood by him anyway, as though Jace was his best friend and not Sebastian.

"What's going on?" He asked warily. Seb threw his arms up in exasperation.

"I just wanted to talk to my girlfriend," he snapped.

Jace coughed into his fist and my breath froze in my lungs when it sounded suspiciously like 'ex'. Sebastian didn't seem to notice, thankfully, just held out a hand for my to take. I brushed Jace's hand from my shoulder and took Seb's.

As he led me through the crowded front lawn towards the school, a sense of familiarity settled over me. How many times had Seb and I made this walk?

How many times had he pulled me into the school before classes started to either snap at me or try-and repeatedly fail-to get me to follow him into the janitor's closet? Too many.

An angry fire built in my stomach and I clenched my free hand into a fist as he pulled me through the doors. Did he have any respect for me at all?

I put on the breaks as he tried to pull me alongside him into a single-stall bathroom.

"No," I snapped quietly, not wanting to draw attention. He leveled angry, burning eyes on me and I shrunk back slightly before letting him tug me through the doorway.

The door closed behind us and I yanked my hand from his, stepping away from him as he clicked the lock on the door.

"This is a handicapped bathroom," I pointed out angrily.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't have any handicapped people in our school, Clarissa. We're not hurting anybody."

I shifted my weight nervously. I hadn't wanted to create a scene in front of everyone, but I didn't feel safe alone with Sebastian in a space as tiny as this one.

"Where were you?" I finally snapped, honing my eyes in one his as I gathered up my nerves. "I know you were invited to the party. Jon told me he invited you. So why weren't you there? Why did you completely blow me off on my birthday? Especially when you know how much birthdays mean to me."

It was the tip of the iceberg, I knew. A misleading front. It would seem as though all I was upset about was my birthday, but the more we argued the angrier I knew I would become. And the angrier I was, the more likely I was to say and do what I needed to.

"I was taking some time to calm down," he snapped. "After you took off with your little boy toy, I was just a bit pissed."

My jaw dropped open and I snapped it shut, glaring at him. "You arrogant asshole. The only reason I took off with Jace was because I didn't want to be alone with you!" I was seething at this point and didn't stop to think about the consequences until Sebastian was standing in front of me, his hand clenched on my wrist painfully.

"Oh, so you won't fuck your boyfriend of seven months, but you'll call that pompous bastard to do it!"

I tried to rip my arm away from him, feeling my wrist burning, but his grip was like iron and all I succeeded in doing was making him tighten his grip.

"I didn't have sex with him," I hissed furiously. "Just because he got me away from you when I wanted nothing to do with you doesn't mean I'm screwing him. It just means that he's a decent human being who cares about me enough to drop everything and drive over." He scoffed, his eyes going to the ceiling as if praying for patience.

Keep on praying, jackass. You've never had any patience. Even divine intervention couldn't fix all your issues.

"So you're telling me you haven't seen Jace more than you've seen me lately?"

I glared at him indignantly. "That's not my fault. You're the one that flew off to Paris with hardly any warning and you're the one that keeps blowing me off when you throw your pathetic little temper tantrums!"

"Well maybe if you could keep your fucking pants on, I wouldn't lose my temper so much!" Finally, I snapped, tearing my wrist from his grip. It hurt, but I shoved it to the back of my mind.

"And you expect me to believe that you're one hundred percent faithful?" I knew saying that was almost like admitting to what I'd done.

As much as I didn't want him to know I had cheated on him, I couldn't help but think that maybe he would agree to breaking up more easily if he knew. Best to give him a vague statement and let him decide what to do with it. Sebastian looked at me as though I'd just smacked him across the face.

If only I had. It would've been so much more pleasurable to give him a taste of his own medicine. I probably would, too, if I wasn't afraid of him dishing it right back.

"What are you talking about?"

I blew out a deep breath, preparing to make my wild accusation. If he could make them, so could I.

"Your little trip to Paris last week. We were on the phone, remember? Before you called me a whore?" My tone became bitter and I had to forced my mind back on track. "I heard a girl laughing in the background. It was late for you. Who was that, Seb?" I feigned indifference, looking down at my nails and secretly examining the darkening bruise on my left wrist. I hadn't thought to wear long sleeves today. I'd have to grab a hoodie from Jon's car.

"That-that was my cousin, Clarissa!" He sputtered, looking furious. "I told you I was going to Paris to visit family!"

I decided to keep up with this. I didn't have a reason, really. I believe him. I believed it was his cousin. Who else would it be? But a little voice creeping into the back of my mind pushed me to continue this line of questioning.

"If you were just visiting family, why didn't you even bring up the idea of bringing me with you? You know how much I'd love to travel-especially to Paris."

"You've got to be kidding," Sebastian fired back, throwing his arms up in the air. "You're seriously getting this pissy because I didn't take you on a family vacation in another country?" He put emphasis on the word family, and I twisted my mouth to the side.

He'd been part of our family functions since he moved here when he was little, yet I barely knew any of his family. Why was I not even allowed to meet anyone but his close family like Aline and Jia. And still, I'd only met them through school.

"No. I'm upset because you treat me like a second-class citizen. It's like I'm just supposed to be here for you when you want me to be and just fade away when you don't. But that's not fair to me, Seb. And then, when I try to act like a normal human being and talk to friends you scream at me for it. You hit me just because you weren't getting your way. And I'm supposed to just go with that? No thanks. I'd rather screw my own brother at this point than be with you any longer."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. In a split second, I felt my back collide with the tiled wall behind me, the cold seeping through my shirt once the burning ache of forming bruises faded.

Both of my wrists were pinned to the wall and I flinched when Sebastian leaned close, his eyes blazing more dangerously than I'd ever seen them. I was absolutely terrified. I was sure, had he had a knife in his hands in that second, he would have driven it straight through my chest without an ounce of remorse.

My breaths were short as my lungs seemed to stiffen up, unable to inflate properly. My whole body felt taut, like the strings on my brother's guitar. But I could feel my legs trembling as the bell echoed shrilly around the now silent room.

Sebastian said nothing for the longest time, just glowering at me with all the vile hatred he had in him.

"If you ever say anything like that again, I'll make fucking sure that you know your place. You're to be by my side, as my girlfriend. You aren't to talk to Jace," he spat the name. "Or Alec, or even that bitch Isabelle. Hell, don't even talk to Magnus. Do you understand me?"

Even as I trembled, I felt my lips curl in indignation.

"Jace is my friend. I'm not going to just not talk to-"

I was on the floor in a moment, a hand cupping my cheek in astonishment. I kept my eyes on the floor even as they began to flood with tears.

"I thought you said you were sorry. Last time, you-you said you didn't mean to-"

"It's your fault! If you didn't give me a reason to hit you, I wouldn't. Don't you get that?" He grabbed my chin violently, twisting my head so that I was forced to look into his eyes. "You won't talk to him, do you understand me?"

His eyes, black as night, dared me to defy him again. They promised a worse punishment than just a slap on the cheek.

I'd never been terrified into pure silence before, but I was now. I had never been so afraid that every word I knew escaped me and my vocal chords failed at forming any kind of sound. When his hand tightened on my jaw, I nodded frantically.

He smiled suddenly, releasing me. "Good." He pressed a kiss to my cheek before standing, none of the dark violence lingering in his eyes. I watched him as he walked to the door. "I'll see you before art, okay?" I nodded again, the only movement I could accomplish.

Then he slipped from the bathroom, the door banging shut behind him.

Once he was gone, I felt less paralyzed than I had when he was near me. I pulled my legs up to my chest, my back pressed against the wall. I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my head into them, tears flooding down my cheeks and making my vision fade. All I could see were shades of pink from the tiles on the walls.

After a while, I heard a knock at the door before it began to creak open. I vaguely recognized the girl who started to step in. She was a senior. Charlotte, I believe her name was. She was dating Henry Fairchild, our town's closest thing to a Boo Radley.

"Clary?" She asked hesitantly. I immediately stood, my legs wobbly beneath me. I wiped at my eyes, trying futilely to hide the evidence of my crying. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I muttered, my voice sounding awful. "Sorry, I'll be out in a second."

Her tiny hand caught my shoulder as I stepped over to the sink. Her kind eyes skipped over my face and I averted my eyes from hers.

"Did something happen?"

I smiled shakily, shrugging. "Just high school drama," I joked quietly.

Charlotte still looked concerned, her eyes a bit stormy as she fretted. Charlotte was good friends with Will's girlfriend, Tessa. The two were just alike. They were always caring for others and helping them out. I could only wish that I was as selfless and inherently kind as them. I turned away from her and stepped over to the mirror, splashing cool water on my face.

"Hey, I bet if you went to see my mom she would let you lie down for a bit. Or we could both just skip class the rest of the period and you could talk it out with me," she offered kindly. I smiled thankfully at her in the mirror but shook my head.

"Thank you, but I don't think hiding will help." Mostly because Sebastian wouldn't have to look hard to find me in the nurse's office.

Hiding did sound good, though.

I couldn't talk to any of the Lightwoods or even Magnus, without the fear that Sebastian would do something even worse than he already had. But I knew that they wouldn't understand why I wasn't talking to them. Or maybe Jace would. Maybe he would understand that I just have to stay away until I can find a way to get out of the position I was in. He had to.

I put my hand to the locket dangling from my neck, twisting it on the chain while Charlotte continued to speak soothingly.

Jace would understand. He would know that not speaking to him was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was what I had to do.

I'd given him the locket. He knew that I was his.

With this in mind, I thanked Charlotte and apologized once more before leaving the bathroom. I went to my locker and grabbed the books I needed before walking to English. I knew I would probably get a lecture from the teacher for not having a pass, but I wasn't in the mood to care.

The door was shut when I reached it and I pushed it open, walking in and crossing the room to reach my seat.

"Miss Morgenstern," the teacher called sharply. "Where have you been?"

"The bathroom," I responded without looking at her. I took my seat and slung my bag over the back of it before finally looking up at her, ignoring Isabelle's incredulous look.

Clary Morgenstern had never been a troublemaker in class. But I couldn't bring myself to care right now. Usually, I avoided starting anything for fear of my mom's reaction, but she was much less of a concern to me right now. I could only be completely terrified by one person at a time and that position had recently been filled by my boyfriend of seven months.

"And why, may I ask, why you were in the bathroom for half of the period?" I looked at her tiredly, resting my cheek on my hand as she made her way down the aisle to my seat.

"You could ask, I'm not sure you, or any of the boys in the room, want to hear the response." When you're out of options, always go with the period talk. It usually worked better on male teachers, but women would be deterred by it as well. Actually, the only person it didn't work on seemed to be my brother.

Mrs. Blackthorn's face was priceless as she turned around and walked back to the front of the room. The other kids in the class were snickering, some of the boys giving me a wary look. I just looked down at my notebook, copying the notes on Romeo's use of symbolism in Romeo and Juliet.

At the end of the period, I bolted from the room, ripping my arm out of Isabelle's grasp when she tried to keep me from taking off.

The terror that spilt into my heart when she grabbed me only encouraged me to escape more quickly. It reminded me of Sebastian. Everything reminded me of Sebastian lately. Everything scared me.

I went straight to Spanish, dreading the forty minutes I would have to spend breaking my own heart. Ignoring Jace would do just that.

The room began to fill up and I kept my head down, face shielded by my hair as I sketched a random picture into my sketchbook.

I heard a chair scrape out next to me and squeezed my eyes shut as a gentle hand rested on my arm.

"Clary?" I bit my lip as the unfairness of it all hit me. Why did I have to do this? Why did I have to hurt Jace and myself just to protect everyone? Why had I ever gotten involved with Sebastian?

I felt the tears pool in my eyes and finally picked my head up, focusing on the lamp on Mr. Whitelaw's desk. I stared at the top of it, where the light flooded out, and didn't blink until I was sure I had the tears under control.

"Clary, what's wrong?" Jace asked, his voice brimming with concern. Out of the corner of my eye on my side that Jace wasn't on, I saw a hand flash towards me.

I immediately jumped to my feet, my chair scraping back along the tiled floors. My heart pounded in my chest and I look to the owner of the hand with wide eyes. It was Aline. She looked at me in shock.

"Clary...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you..." She trailed off in confusion and I saw Jace look up at me keenly, his expression going flat.

"It's...it's okay," I choked out, sitting back down with a shaky smile. "I'm just a little jumpy today."

Aline nodded, waving a little awkwardly before taking her seat.

It was only second period and I'd already made two scenes today.

Jace continued to try and talk to me throughout class, and I just wished that he would stop. I knew that he had a pretty good idea of what had gone on this morning. He had seen me disappear with Sebastian, he'd no doubt heard that I had shown up to English late and bad-tempered, and he'd just seen my jump a mile because a friend had tried to greet me. He was too smart to not put it all together.

All I wanted was for all this to end. I wanted to fall into Jace's arms and know that I was finally safe.

When the bell rang, I was stuck in a daze and hadn't gotten my things together to bolt. When I left the class, Jace was by my side instead of being way behind me where I wanted him.

"Clary, just talk to me!" He cried, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me to face him. For a second, I saw black eyes and dark hair and I sucked in a fearful breath before I acknowledged Jace's light features.

"Clary, why are you acting like this?" He asked, sounding hurt. I clutched my books to my chest and looked at the ground, about to turn and leave when a hand was suddenly on my waist. I was pulled into Sebastian's side as he glared at Jace.

Jace scowled right back and I looked away again, seeing a couple students stop to stare at us.

"Have you not gotten the point yet, Lightwood? Clary doesn't like you. She's got me. The only reason she's been talking to you and your pathetic family is out of pity. Why would she need you when she's got me?" Jace scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Verlac. How about you let her speak for herself for once?"

Sebastian's hand tightened warningly on my waist and I fought not to flinch, mentally adding that to my surplus or bruises from today.

My eyes flickered to Jace's for only a split second before they went to the ground again.

"I'm with Seb, Jace," I whispered as the hand on my hip became too painful I ignore. I shifted closer I Sebastian to try and make him lessen his grip. Thankfully, it worked.

Jace's eyes were hard as he took us in. "Because you're so goddamn in love, right? You just love him so much? Then why don't you say it?"

I looked at him, feeling a cold betrayal rush over me. Didn't he undestand? I was just doing what I had to. Why was he making this even more painful for me?

"I love him," I choked out, allowing Sebastian to pull me even closer.

Jace's jaw clenched and he looked at me in fury.

"Fine then. Hope you two are happy together. Clearly, nothing can beat your undying love," Jace said sarcastically. He looked right at me when he put emphasis on the word 'beat'. His angry words felt like a slap to the face. And trust me, I know what that feels like.

Before I could respond in any way, Jace had spun on his heel and taken off down the hall.

I hadn't even had a chance to comprehend the pain in my chest when Sebastian pulled me to him and kissed me passionately. I responded half-heartedly for a couple seconds before pulling away. "Good girl," Sebastian whispered to me. "Now we can finally move on."

He pulled me gingerly into his chest and I turned my head to the side. When I did, I saw Isabelle watching us with fury in her eyes, her hands on her hips. I caught her eye and she glowered at me before turning her back and storming away.

I shut my eyes tightly as Sebastian put his arm around my shoulders, speaking calmly as he led the way to art.

After class, Sebastian kissed me firmly before heading off to his class. I made my way to history with a strange ache in my chest.

As soon as I stepped into the room, Jace's eyes landed on me hostilely.

As soon as he looked at me, I felt my eyes began to sting. Ignoring Mr. Starkweather's indignant shout, I wheeled around and left the room like it was on fire.

I raced out of the school, not bothering to retrieve my books from my locker. As I started across the lawn to the parking lot, I heard my name being called. I stopped hesitantly and looked over my shoulder.

I groaned at the sight of Raphael and Zeke. I turned and kept walking, ignoring their taunts.

Eventually, Raphael ran ahead to stop right in front of me. I glowered at him before trying to step around him, only for him to copy my movement and block my path. Zeke was right behind me, keeping me from turning around. "What do you want?" I asked tiredly. Raphael smirked.

"Well, I could think of a few things I want from you," he said with a wink. I let out a noise of disgust, shoving him out of my way as he skimmed his eyes up and down my body.

"You may want it, but you'll never get it," I snapped, continuing on my way. A hand grabbed my arm and I winced at the pain it brought. Raphael's fingers had landed right on a bruise.

"Don't be so quick to decide, now," he teased, tugging me close. I scowled and started trying to tug away while he leered down at me.

"Let me go," I ordered. Raphael chuckled.

"Where's your brother now, Morgenstern?" Zeke teased, yanking on a part of my hair. I winced at the sharp tug, slapping his hand away.

Raphael laughed along with his friend and I felt even more helpless than I had before during science. Nobody was around to defend me now. And there were two of them. Standing up to just Raphael in a room full of people was one thing. Standing up to Raphael and Zeke with nobody within hearing or sight range was nerve-racking.

"What're you gonna do without your big brother here to protect you?" I tried once again to free my arm, but he just yanked me forward so that I fell into his chest.

"Her brother may not be here, but I am. Leave her alone." I looked over to the voice, thinking that Jace had finally understood my actions and come to my rescue.

Instead, I got his brother. Alec Lightwood came down the steps to the school, looking at Raphael and Zeke angrily.

"Damn, she's screwing you too? Whore gets around!" Zeke said with mock astonishment. I glowered at him as Raphael finally released my arm. Alec grimaced at Zeke's words before stepping over to us and grabbing my upper arm gently, pulling me over to him and away from Raphael and Zeke.

"How about you guys you screw each other if you're so desperate for a lay. Leave Clary out of it," Alec snapped before nudging me back towards the school. I let him, although I was silently wondering when he would let me out of his sight so I could go home.

All I wanted was to be alone and safe. Of course, I wouldn't be safe at home either. But at least my own room could give me some semblance of normalcy.

"So, why were you trying to take off?" Alec asked, his voice quiet and hesitant. I smiled the tiniest bit, realizing that he didn't do this small talk thing a lot.

"Let's just chalk it up to a bad day," I said, looking at the floor tiles as we passed over them.

"Well, you're entitled to them when you're dating the biggest asshole in the school." I sighed, shaking my head slightly.

"You don't understand," I said softly.

Alec snorted in amusement. "No, I really don't. Why would you date him? You can't really like him. He's a douche."

My lips turned up in an unwilling smile, but I didn't respond. I wasn't sure wether history had ended or not, but I knew it would be harder to get out without Jon knowing if I made it to lunch. He saw me too much of the day during and after lunch to not notice that I wasn't there. I had to leave soon.

"So..." Alec started a bit awkwardly, startling me from my thoughts. "How long have you known Magnus?"

I looked at him curiously, temporarily using him to distract me from my problems. "All my life," I said. "His parents and mine worked together for a while."

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I could talk to him for you if you want. He's already told me that he's interested in you."

The boy's head snapped up to look at me, his eyes shining happily. "Really?" I nodded and he actually smiled a bit.

"Why don't you go up to him at lunch and ask for his number? Wait-aren't you at lunch now?" Alec nodded. "Go! Go talk to him!"

I pushed him until he took off, thanking me before heading into the cafeteria.

I turned around, relieved to be out of anyone's eyesight.

That relief died in an instant when I turned around to see Sebastian leaning against the lockers, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Seb," I said, fighting for nonchalance. I failed.

"Were you about to leave?" He asked calmly, his eyes impassive.

I shifted uncomfortably. His lack of emotion unnerved me. I couldn't see any resemblance to any feelings or thoughts he may have. "I didn't feel good. I was going to go home but-"

"But you found another Lightwood to screw along the way," he finished for me, his anger finally showing through.

I shook my head quickly as he started to stalk towards me. "No, it's not like that-I completely forgot, I swear! I didn't mean to talk to him, I just forgot and-"

He cut me off, getting a tight grip on my wrist. He began to yank me along behind him and I stumbled as I tried to keep up with his fast pace. My legs were a lot shorter than his were, and I nearly tripped as we went down the front steps.

Raphael and Zeke were still hanging around when we crossed the lawn, but they didn't bother me again, most likely because I was with Sebastian. They just watched us in amusement as I was tugged along behind Sebastian like a child.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked as I saw his car come into sight. He looked at me sharply, yanking his keys out and unlocking the Explorer.

"Home. Wasn't that where you wanted to go?" He threw himself into the drivers seat and I sat more slowly into the passenger's.

He was peeling out of the parking lot before I could even get my seatbelt on.

I was reminded, as we sped down the road, why I'd always avoided driving anywhere with Sebastian. He was a terrifying driver. He sped and cut people off and missed stop signs the whole time, and it had always been a fear of mine that something would happen while in the car with him. But when he drove angrily, that fear was amplified tenfold.

At one point, I actually pleaded with him to slow down, but was silenced by the furious look he shot me, taking his eyes off the road to do so.

I briefly thought of texting someone to let them know where we were, but then I remembered that we were supposed to be in school. Of course, after a minute, I realized that I should probably let Jon know where I was precisely because I should be in school. He would get worried if I wasn't anywhere to be found at lunch or gym.

I pulled my phone out and opened up my messages, only for my phone to be snatched from my hands. Sebastian shoved it into the console, closing it back up before returning his attention to the road.

Suddenly, I became worried about where he was really taking me. It looked like the way to our house, but he could turn at any moment and change the course to take me wherever he wanted. I should have never gotten into the car with him.

When we finally did pull into my driveway, I let out a relieved breath. He hadn't taken me out into the woods to kill me. I was okay, at least for a little while.

Sebastian cut the engine off and threw open his door without bothering to look at me, just storming up to the front door and stepping inside. I quickly slipped a hand into the console and took my phone out, shoving it into my bag, before following him warily into the house.

I thought about sending Jon a text to let him know I was at the house, but I didn't want to risk Sebastian taking my phone again.

I cautiously shut the door behind me, seeing Sebastian step into the living room. He spun to face me when I entered the room, his jaw clenched.

"Why the hell can't you just do one thing I ask? For even an hour? You finally booted Jace and now you're screwing around with his brother?!"

I sucked in a breath. "Sebastian, it's not like that. He was just getting me away from Raphael and Z-"

"Bullshit, Clarissa! Do you really think those morons would still be chasing you after I warned them away from you?"

I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. "Apparently, they aren't afraid of you," I snapped back.

Sebastian stormed up to me, his hand cracking across my face for the second time that day.

I stumbled, but didn't fall this time. He hadn't hit me as hard as he had the first two times. It still hurt inside, like another slash across my heart. At this point, I was surprised it was still in one piece, still pumping blood through my body. Surely, with a pain so real, there had to be physical damage.

"Why do you keep doing that?" I choked out, fighting back more tears. I didn't want to cry again. I'd cried enough lately.

"You make me do it," Sebastian snapped. "You drive me to hurting you like this! It's your fault!" He threw his hands into the air carelessly and a pure rage, like of never felt before, came over me.

I lunged forward, pulling my hand back. I was determined to make him feel what I'd felt three times now. Before my hand could make contact with his cheek, Sebastian had clamped his hand around my wrist and pulled me to him roughly, making me stumble and nearly fall.

A strong hand was wrapped around my neck before I could even comprehend what had happened. I looked up at Sebastian fearfully as he just held his hand there. He didn't squeeze, didn't try to cut my air off. He just held his hand on my neck, tight enough to serve as a warning.

"When are you going to start listening to me?" I just looked at him in terror. I didn't want to move or say anything for fear that the fingers around my throat would tighten.

Sebastian leaned closer to me, just as I heard a scratching sound coming from the kitchen.

I turned my eyes to CJ as he scrambled over to us, barking like crazy and running circles around us. I saw Sebastian's eyes go to CJ in annoyance. "That's the mutt that the blonde bastard got you?" Apparently, Jon had informed Seb about my birthday present.

"A better present than the 'nothing' you got me," I finally snapped. Sebastian seemed to growl under his breath before CJ's barking seemed to become too much for him.

I shouted in anger as he flung a foot out, digging a booted toe into my puppy's ribs. CJ yelped loudly and scrambled away, hiding under the sofa.

"Sebastian!" I cried, furious despite the hand around my throat.

"If you ever step out of line again, you'll come home to find that mutt strung up from the ceiling fan with it's head cracked open," he growled, his face mere centimeters from mine. His words froze all my muscles. He wouldn't hurt CJ. He couldn't. What had he done wrong?

Finally, he released me, shoving me to the ground like I was nothing more than a toy he could discard at will. I cried out as Sebastian walked away, nearly stepping on my fingers.

"And that goes for Jace, too, if I ever see you with him again."

I continued to lie on the ground after he left, slamming the door behind him. I lied there long enough that CJ eventually left his hiding place and came over to me, sniffing around.

I sat up and cradled him to my chest, feeling incredibly guilty. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. That seemed to be a repeating trend in my life lately.

If it wasn't for me, nobody I cared about would've been hurt by any of this. Sebastian was right. This was all my fault.

Hope you enjoyed! And, once again, I apologize for the actions of various characters in this chapter and the future ones. I promise it will get better! It just has to get worse before it does.

Dony my forget to review if you liked it ;)

❤️Cassidy