Wow! Over 200 reviews! This is really amazing, you guys! I don't know how to thank you guys enough for all the awesome reviews... It really means a lot! Maybe we could reach 250? 300? Anyway, the least I could do to thank all of you is to give you this chapter! We're already at the twentieth chapter, so that's pretty exciting. So... please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments. No one on this site does.

Chapter Twenty

Alec's parents were furious when they got home from work. They had been going on and on about how violence was not something they could tolerate, especially from him. Alec wasn't exactly sure what they meant by that, but he decided to let that comment slide. One thing Alec noticed was that his parents—especially Robert—weren't as mad compared to the time they found out about his sexuality. Which kind of hurt a bit.

Since they were still pretty upset, Alec was grounded anyway. He wasn't sure what more they could possibly do to punish him, but they had found a way. He was not allowed to hang out with any of his friends for the rest of the week. It didn't bother Alec that much, since he was already bored out of his mind anyway, but it was still a bad enough punishment.

Alec took that opportunity to fill out his application for Java Jones. He drove there immediately after his science exam, bringing Isabelle with him. She didn't seem to mind, and just waited in the car. When had walked into the shop to fill out a form, people kept looking at him funny. It took Alec a second to realized he had a black eye, and it probably looked pretty weird to everyone. The manager, who had given him the paper, had asked him about it, and Alec had managed to stutter out a reply by saying he fell and hit his face on a coffee table. He couldn't tell the manager the truth, because then he would never hire Alec. Luckily, the manager seemed to like Alec, and told him he would be calling soon to set up an interview.

When he got home, he started studying for his math exam. Magnus had told him that it really wasn't that hard, and that he and Simon could easily pass it, since they were so good with the subject. It didn't take him that long to look over his notes and make sure he understood everything, so when he was done, he was bored yet again. Alec tried to read again, and managed to actually read a few chapters of his book, but after a while he got lost in his thoughts yet again. He knew this was going to be a long week.

Finally, exams had finished. It felt like a long time for Alec, but it had only been three days since his second punishment. His black eye had gotten worse the next day after his fight with Jonathan, and it didn't look much better now. He had his gym exam last with Jace and Magnus, which was probably the easiest and simplest exam ever. Alec was a little worried that he might get a football in the face when they were demonstrating their throws, but he luckily didn't get hurt.

The only good thing that came out of his week so far was the phone call he got from the manager at Java Jones. He had called him on Thursday afternoon, and had asked for an interview in an hour. Alec cleaned himself up a bit before leaving, and he was pretty nervous when he got there. Despite all that, he thought it had gone pretty well, and the manager seemed to think so too, because he gave him the job. Alec was pretty excited, and his first shift started tomorrow afternoon. At least now, he had something to do. Something to keep him on his feet.

When Alec woke up on Friday morning, he was more excited than he thought he would be. He supposed he was just looking forward to getting out of the house, even if it was for work. At this point, Alec just wanted to do something different. And since exams were done, the students had Friday off, so Alec had time to sleep in a bit and get ready later during the morning. Even with all that extra time, Alec was ready before lunch, and once he was done eating, he still had a good hour left until he had to leave for his first shift at work.

Java Jones was pretty busy, as it always was, when Alec walked into the coffee shop. He was grateful for the sun visor they had to wear as part of the uniform, because it cast shadows over his eyes, and helped his black eye look less obvious. As for the rest of the uniform, he had to wear dark brown khakis and a lighter polo shirt, and depending if you were preparing the food or not, a green apron. The visor was green and brown. Alec walked over behind the counter, a little unsure what to do. His manager had told him he had to work at the cash register, and someone who was free would be training him.

Luckily for him, Alec spotted someone who didn't look too busy. A guy with short brown hair, which looked almost blond when it caught the light, was wiping the counters and whistling a random tune under his breath. He looked friendly enough, and around Alec's age, so he decided to walk up to him.

"Um, hello." Alec greeted timidly. The boy looked up, and his chocolate-brown eyes met Alec's blue ones. He smiled kindly.

"Hi there." His eyes studied Alec. "You're new here?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"You looked a little lost." the guy laughed. "Don't worry about it, though. Happens to all of us."

"Yeah," Alec gripped the straps of his small backpack. "Where can I put my stuff?"

"In the back." the boy pointed at the door near the counter. "How about I show you around?"

"That would be great, thanks." Alec smiled. "Um..."

"The name's Elliott." he replied, extending his hand out, and Alec shook it.

"Alec."

"Nice to meet you, Alec." Elliott's smile widened. "Follow me, and then I'll show you how things work."

It didn't take long for Elliott to show Alec how the cash register worked. It was pretty simple, considering Alec used to work at a grocery store, and would usually work at the cash. Elliott also showed him where the cleaning supplies were, for when there was some sort of emergency. There wasn't much else for Alec to know, so he immediately got to work. Elliott stayed close by, making sure he didn't mess up any of the orders or had any questions.

When Alec's shift finally ended, he felt relieved. The first day was always more exhausting than the others, in his opinion. Alec collected his things and was about to leave the shop, but someone gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Startled, Alec turned around and met Elliott's gaze.

"Oh, um... what is it?" he asked surprisingly.

"I was just curious." Elliott started. "What are your working days?"

"Every day except for Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday." Alec replied, a little curious about why he wanted to know about that.

"Me too. Same time as today?"

"Pretty much," Alec answered with a nod. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just wanted to make sure you would be here tomorrow. That way I'll still be able to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't mess up." Elliott said with a grin.

"Oh, thanks." Alec said sarcastically.

"I'm teasing." Elliott patted Alec's shoulder. "You were actually pretty good today. You're a fast learner, I have to admit. Very easy to work with."

"Thanks," he smiled slightly, actually meaning it this time. "It's not too hard."

"Well, anyway, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"For sure." Alec nodded. After saying goodbye, he exited the coffee shop, and turned around once to see that Elliott was heading towards the 'Employees Only' door, probably going to get his stuff.

When Alec got home, Isabelle was sitting on the couch, watching a movie that was playing on the television. Alec sat down beside her, not bothering to change into his regular clothes just yet. He needed a minute to relax and unwind. Although, if he wanted to do that, he shouldn't have sat down beside his sister, because she always had something to say.

"How was your first day at work?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the movie. For once, she didn't have her cellphone in hand. Maybe she was trying not to have it around too much, for Alec's sake. Not that it bothered him too much.

"Pretty good, actually. One of the employees, Elliott, showed me how everything worked, and I caught on almost instantly." Alec explained.

"That's good." At that moment, she glanced over at her brother. "Was this Elliott guy hot, at least?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "You do realize you have Simon now, right?"

"Oh, I know. But a girl can still be curious." There was a moment of silence. "So, was he?"

"I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention to him." Alec explained. "But he wasn't ugly."

"Well, why don't you look at him better next time?"

"Really, Izzy?"

"Holy crap, I'm only messing around." Isabelle said, putting her hands up in defense. "Can I not joke around and try to lighten the mood?"

"Sorry," Alec sighed, running a hand through his messy black hair. "I guess I'm a little tired."

"Because of work?"

"That's part of it." he nodded. "And my eye is bugging me."

"Use an ice pack." Isabelle said. "You know, using it only one day doesn't mean it'll magically heal."

"I know," Alec grumbled, and got up to go get an ice pack in the freezer. He wished he could talk to Magnus, or any of his friends, but he didn't have his phone. Naturally, he wasn't allowed to use Isabelle's phone, and his parents said they would keep track of her usage to make sure.

It really was a relief he was working now, because Alec thought for sure he would go stir crazy if he didn't go out to keep his mind off things. At work, he hadn't thought about any of his problems, since he had customers and other things to handle at that time. Elliott was pretty nice, too. Maybe he could keep him company, and not make his job as boring.

However, just because Alec thought that working at Java Jones was a little boring, it was definitely not empty. The coffee shop was always busy, so it kept Alec on his feet all the time, which he liked. Alec didn't mind a little challenge, even if it meant having to keep a smile on his face while people complained about their coffee, or clean up a mess that a kid had made by spilling his whole drink on the table and floor.

When he arrived at work on Saturday, Elliott was there, taking someone's order at the nearest cash register. As soon as he looked over in his direction, he smiled and nodded his head in greeting. Alec smiled back, and went to the back to drop of his things, and then walked behind the counter, ready for the day.

"Alec, do you mind taking over for me at the cash? I'll be nearby, if you need me." Elliott said, stepping aside so Alec could take his place.

"Sure," he nodded, and Elliott started to prepare the customers order, still in listening distance. Alec pulled his sun visor lower over his eyes, to hide his black eye. Yesterday, a few people had asked him about it, and most of them were curious kids. It made Alec feel totally embarrassed, having to tell them that bullshit story, which made him sound like a total klutz.

There was a moment where no people walked into the shop, and Alec was sitting there, having nothing to do but glance at the customers already in the shop, drinking their coffee or eating some donuts and muffins. In other words, Alec was pretty bored. Elliott walked up to him, letting out a small sigh and looking all around the shop.

"There's always a time where no one walks in." Elliott explained. "It'll pass."

"I guess it's nice having a break." Alec said with a shrug.

There was a moment of silence in between the two until Elliott cleared his throat, and Alec glanced at him curiously. The other employee was looking at him as if he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he should. In the end, he decided to say it anyway.

"I was wondering... how did you get that black eye?" he asked. When Alec didn't answer—he was shocked by the question—Elliott looked apologetic. "I was going to ask you yesterday, but it would have seemed rude. You know, since I just met you."

"It's fine, it doesn't bother me." Alec tried to sound nonchalant. "It's just... the reason how I got it is kind of embarrassing."

"What happened?"

"I, uh... tripped and my face hit a coffee table."

"Oh, so you're a klutz, huh?" Elliott looked like he was containing his laughter, and Alec started to flush in embarrassment. It's not like he wanted to tell him the real reason, because then Elliott would probably think he was crazy and very violent.

"Not usually. But I guess at the time... I wasn't paying attention."

"Don't worry, I can be pretty klutzy." Elliott reassured. "Once, when I was playing tennis, I smacked myself in the face while I was serving the ball."

"Really?" Alec smiled slightly, trying to imagine the scenario.

"Yeah, but I'm a lot better now. At least, I hope so."

"So, you play tennis regularly?" Alec didn't want them to fall into an uncomfortable silence, since there still wasn't anyone coming in.

"I do." Elliott nodded. "I actually play it competitively. I surf too, but that's more of a secondary thing."

"I guess you don't smack yourself in the face anymore when you play tennis?" Alec guessed.

"No," Elliott laughed. "Do you play any sports?"

"I play soccer. Not competitively, though. It's more for fun." Alec explained.

"Cool, I love watching soccer. Ever did a klutzy move while you played?" Elliott asked with a grin.

"Too many to count, but I was little." Then Alec frowned a little, thinking hard. "Well... the last time I hurt myself wasn't too long ago."

At that, Elliott couldn't help but laugh. Alec wasn't sure why he had said that out loud, but he had to admit it was worth laughing at. To be honest, he wasn't really sure why they were telling each other things like this, but Alec supposed it was to pass the time, or just get to know each other. Alec didn't know about Elliott, but he definitely didn't want to make enemies with his co-workers. Being friends with them wasn't a bad idea at all.

"You know, you're not a bad guy, Alec." Elliott said, still smiling.

"Neither are you." Alec replied, glancing at the entrance of the coffee shop, and seeing that more people were now walking in. "Break's over."

"I guess you can take over the cash again. I'll be around." his new friend said, patting Alec on the back and walking off to go do something else.

Alec let out a small sigh as he turned around to face the counter, ready to take the customer's orders. It was only his second day at work, and he was already liking it. Well, as much as he could like a job, but Elliott's presence sure helped. He knew that the two could become good friends.

The new semester had officially started when the students got back to school on Monday. The way it worked at St. Xavier's, both semesters had different classes for each student. There were eight classes in one school year, so each semester split into four classes a day. Once the first semester was done, the students would get the other four classes for the second semester. Which meant, obviously, that Alec now had new classes.

Alec had figured out that he had Spanish with Jordan and Sebastian, geography with Jace and history and French with Magnus. Unfortunately, he also had French with Camille, but he supposed that he would have to live with it. How, he wasn't sure. But he was going to pull through somehow.

Spanish was Alec's first class, so he met up with Jordan and Sebastian before heading off to find their classroom. He was glad to have found Magnus before the five-minute bell, too. He had the chance to talk to him for a bit, and he had mentioned how bored he was without him during the weekend. Magnus said he had felt the same, and that there had to be something done about his ridiculous punishment eventually. Alec couldn't agree more, although he wasn't sure when he could build up the courage to talk to his dad about it.

The worst part about having regular classes again were noticing the other students staring at Alec. First, because of his black eye, evidence of the fight he had with Jonathan last week. His eye had gotten better—it wasn't swollen anymore and the bruise was almost gone. Even when the black eye would be gone completely, Alec knew people would still be talking about the fight. He was sure the rumors had spread all ready; why they were talking, and how Alec had punched him in the first place. And of course, since it had something to do with his relationship with Magnus, people couldn't stop talking about that too. Naturally, it was getting on Alec's nerves, and he wondered why people didn't have better things to talk or gossip about.

During lunch, Alec kept noticing the stares. He had gotten used to ignoring them by now, and just concentrated on the conversation he was having with his friends. But as he glanced at Jonathan's table, he noticed that Clary's brother was looking at him with a pleased look, as if giving him that black eye had been his plan long ago. Unfortunately, the cut on Jonathan's lip had almost completely healed, so it wasn't as obvious as Alec's injury. Despite the look Jonathan was giving him, he noticed that Natasha was looking at him with a pained look, as if his black eye was hurting her too. That only made Alec more confused, and he looked away, putting his attention back on his friends.

"So, Alec. Izzy told me you started your job at Java Jones on Friday." Jace said.

"Oh, yeah." Alec smiled a little at his best friend. "It's not too bad, actually."

"Only because he's working with this hot guy named Elliott." Isabelle cut in. Simon looked at her pointedly, obviously not amused. She seemed to have noticed her boyfriend's look, because she raised her hands up in defense. "What? Alec said he was."

"I did not." Alec snapped, glaring at his sister accusingly. "I just said his name."

"Yeah, and you said he wasn't ugly. Which means you think he's good-looking." Isabelle explained, causing Alec to roll his eyes.

"That makes no sense." he said.

"Should I be worried, sweetheart?" Magnus asked, looking at Alec with an amused look on his face. Clearly he thought it was just as funny as the others, who were all trying not to laugh, except for Simon.

"No, of course not. I've only known him for two days."

"I can see it already." Jace said, spreading his arms. "Alec and Elliott, slowly falling in love as the days pass by. Their hearts ache for each other when they're more than ten feet apart."

"Shut up, Jace." Alec said. "It's not like that."

"That's what they always say at first. Then one day, when you wake up, the realization hits you like a freight train." Jace continued, and at this point everyone had started laughing. Alec clearly wasn't.

"You're hilarious." he said sarcastically, giving his best friend another glare.

"I know I am." Jace smiled. "But hearing it out loud once in a while is always reassuring."

When Alec had French class last period, he had to face new problems. He had forgotten about Camille all morning and during lunch, but after entering the classroom and seeing Camille sitting beside Magnus and talking to him with a huge grin on her face, Alec was no longer in a good mood. He nearly stomped over to the empty seat on his boyfriend's other side and slumped onto it, dropping his bag on the ground beside him with a loud thump. Camille stopped talking and looked over at him with a sour expression. Magnus smiled.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," Alec managed a small smile, and Camille rolled her eyes, which caused Alec's eye to flash with anger. "What is it?"

"I didn't say anything." she snapped, her eyes glued to the front of the classroom.

Magnus glanced at both his best friend and boyfriend, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Then, seeing the scowl on both of their faces, he glared at them both, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay, if you guys are going to act like this around each other during the entire semester, then you can just forget sitting close to me." he started. "You guys have to deal with this little problem yourselves."

"But, Magnus—" Camille started, but her friend interrupted her.

"I don't care what excuses you have." Magnus said, glancing at her. "The way you've treated Alec is not acceptable."

Alec tried not to smirk at the surprised blonde, but he couldn't help himself. He kept his mouth shut as he stared at her triumphantly. When Magnus glanced over at him, his smirk vanished. He just smiled, and Camille let out a snort of disgust. No other words were shared between the three, and when the bell rang, indicating the class had now started, none of them so much as shared a glance.

After school, Alec had to get to work. Jace offered bringing Isabelle and Max home when he had to go to work, which really helped Alec out a great deal. He thanked his best friend for the millionth time before driving off to Java Jones, making it there in less than five minutes. Of course, since he and Elliott had the same working days, he found him at the coffee shop too, in the back room for 'Employees Only' when he went to drop off his stuff.

"Hey, Alec," Elliott greeted with a wide grin. "How's it going?"

"I'm good." Alec replied, placing his stuff in his own little locker. "How about you?"

"Oh, pretty good." Elliott slammed his locker shut, adjusting the sun visor on his head. "Ready for another day at work?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Alec said, which caused the other boy to chuckle softly. Although, to be honest, he actually felt pretty exhausted.

The two didn't really have much of a chance to talk to each other. Today seemed to be pretty busy compared to the two other days Alec had worked. At least his job was keeping him busy, and that's all that really mattered.

When Alec was done working, he said goodbye to Elliott before heading out the doors of the coffee shop. Alec didn't have too much homework, since it was the first day of the second semester, but since he still had some, he did all of his homework as soon as he got home. By the time he was done, he was being called for supper. The rest of his night wasn't very eventful.

Only when was he in bed did Alec's mind go over all the events that had happened to him the past few days. When he thought about it, he wondered what had gone over him before punching Jonathan. He knew that Clary's brother liked to tease and manipulate people for his own entertainment, and what he had told Alec really struck him good. He felt a little ashamed for having fought someone, but since it was Jonathan, he didn't really feel that sympathetic.

But then, a few good things had come out of that week. He had met Elliott at Java Jones, and he was a pretty nice guy. It was way better than working with a douche like Jonathan. He hadn't really spoken to the other employees working at the same time as him—it had just been Elliott so far—but from what he could tell, none of them seemed to be mean.

Then there was the look Natasha had given him during lunch; the pained look she was wearing on her face. What was that all about? Why should she feel any sympathy towards him? She wasn't really involved in any of this, but Alec supposed since she was Jonathan's girlfriend, she must be disappointed and embarrassed in some way. The more he thought about it, the more Alec had to wrack his brain, so he just let that subject go.

Instead, Alec went back to the good. Another kind of good. The kind that made his heart pound and his palms sweaty, but in a weird and nice way. Thinking of Magnus made him feel that way, and he loved how no matter how many times he would think about him, he would always feel the same thing. Like falling for him all over again.

Tuesday, after school, something very strange happened. Natasha was waiting by the entrance of the school, looking as if she was waiting for someone. Alec walked right by her, not even noticing she was there until she called his name and ran over to him. Alec stopped, a look of confusion washing over his face. What could Jonathan's girlfriend have to say to him?

"Alec, I've been meaning to talk to you." Natasha said. "Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah," Alec replied, frowning slightly. Good thing he didn't have to go to work today.

"It's about Jonathan." she said slowly, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

"I don't really want to talk about him." Alec reached up to feel the bruises on his right eye. It really didn't look that bad anymore, but he hoped he made his point.

"It's about the fight, actually." Natasha insisted. "I'm really sorry about that. I know it was about Magnus and the situation with the picture."

"Do me a favor and tell your boyfriend to leave me alone, okay? He's been causing enough problems. I'm not sure how my parents found out, but I think he's done enough." Alec explained, crossing his arms over his chest.

"About that..." Natasha looked away, avoiding Alec's eyes. "Jonathan wanted to make sure your parents found out about the picture."

"What? Why?"

"Well, Jonathan wanted to take the chance. Either your parents wouldn't care about the picture, or they would. Obviously, they did." Natasha took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"How did they even see the picture?" Alec started to feel sick to his stomach.

"Jonathan showed it to them himself." Natasha said. "Everyone knows where your parents work. He waited for them until they were done working, then he showed it to them. Apparently, he told them he thought they should see it, because you would never tell them about it."

Alec thought about how Jonathan said he had observed him and Magnus since the beginning of the school year, figuring out about their secret relationship. And since no one seemed to know about it, Jonathan must have assumed his parents didn't know, either. And why else would Alec keep such a secret from his friends and family? He had taken the chance, figuring his parents were probably homophobic. The other possibility would just be that Alec was too scared, but the former seemed much more likely. Jonathan had planned this for a while now, and Alec was very upset knowing he hadn't seen any of it coming.

"I can't believe this..." Alec shook his head, placing a hand to his forehead.

"I swear, I didn't know anything about this until after it all happened. I didn't know Jonathan would go this far. By the time it was all set and done, it was too late." Natasha said, sounding miserable.

"What are you talking about? How is any of this your fault?" Alec looked at Jonathan's girlfriend confusingly, but after a moment of silence, everything suddenly fell into place. "Wait a minute... Natasha. Did you... take the picture?"

"I'm really sorry, Alec. I just thought Jonathan would keep it to himself. I didn't know about any of this!" Natasha said, sounding distressed. She seemed sincere, but it didn't stop Alec from being furious.

"You? You took the picture?" Alec pointed at her accusingly. "Why did you do that? You know that those kind of things are private!"

"I know, but... I was just so surprised. I had to take a picture to prove I wasn't lying." Natasha said, looking at the ground. "But I guess I didn't really need the proof if Jonathan knew about you two."

"No, but you still had no reason to." Alec balled his hands into fists. "How would you like it if I took pictures of you and Jonathan, huh? Those things aren't meant to be shared with everyone!"

"I know, I know! And I'm so, so sorry. I regret ever taking the picture after Jonathan sent it to everyone." Natasha looked up at Alec with pleading eyes. "I really am. You have to believe me."

"I don't care how sorry you are." Alec snapped. "This is partly your fault, you know. You're almost as bad as Jonathan."

"Please, listen to me! I can help you!" Natasha insisted, reaching for Alec, but he only jerked out of the way.

"No, you'll only make things worse." Alec glared at Jonathan's girlfriend. "Just stay away from me."

Before Natasha could say anything else, Alec stormed out of the school. He could hear her calling after him, but Alec really didn't want to talk to her anymore. She had said enough, and now that he knew the truth, he didn't want anything to do with her or Jonathan. Knowing that Camille probably had nothing to do with this didn't change that he still disliked her. Besides, she had even told him she wished she could have taken the picture. The whole thing just pissed Alec off.

When he got to his car, Max and Isabelle were already there. Seeing the look on their brother's face, the two siblings exchanged a worried look.

"What happened, Alec? What took you so long?" Isabelle asked.

"Natasha took the picture." Alec explained, getting into his car and slamming the door hard.

"What?" Isabelle looked shocked as she and Max both got in the car themselves.

"We were just talking. She told me she took the picture." Alec started his car, wanting to get away from the school as quickly as possible.

"Why did she do that?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now."

That was the end of their conversation. No one said anything else during the ride home. Even when they got in the house, nobody spoke. Isabelle and Max were too afraid to upset Alec if they asked about it again. It was probably better to ask another time. Besides, Alec needed time to cool down and think. And as he thought, only one thing came to mind. Punching Jonathan was probably the best thing he could have done.

Later during the day, Alec was in his room, finishing up his homework. He was finally able to clear his head and focus on school and more important stuff. Since he didn't have to work today, Alec was left with nothing to do. Going in the living room and watching television didn't seem like a bad idea, even though Alec regretted he would find something good on.

When he stepped into the living room, he found his sister already sitting on the couch, watching some random show and browsing the internet on her laptop. Alec took a seat beside her and let out a sigh, staring at the television screen. Isabelle was also eating some carrots out of a little bowl, and Alec reached over to grab one.

"Feeling better?" she asked, keeping her eyes on her laptop screen as she reached for another carrot.

"Yeah, I guess so." Alec nodded. "Sorry about earlier."

"Why are you sorry?"

"For just... not talking to you about it and pouting."

"Don't worry about that." Isabelle shrugged. There was a moment of silence as she kept munching on her carrot. "Hey, I just thought of something."

"What?"

Isabelle set her laptop on the coffee table and turned to face her brother, smiling. Alec looked at her confusingly, waiting for her to share whatever it was she had thought of. Most of the time, Isabelle's thoughts and ideas made no sense and were completely farfetched, but sometimes they were worth hearing. Alec hoped it was one of those times.

"Okay, you know how you're not allowed to use your cellphone or see Magnus anymore?" she started.

"I try to forget that sometimes." Alec rolled his eyes. "What's your point?"

"I think we forgot one little detail. Mom and dad are almost never home. And I have Magnus' number, which means I can still text or talk to him."

"Yeah...?"

"Do you see what I'm saying?" Isabelle asked hopefully.

"I see that you're stating the obvious." Alec shrugged. "Really, Izzy. Just get to the point."

Isabelle sighed. "Meaning I'm the bridge connecting you and Magnus when you're not at school. And he can still come over when mom and dad aren't here. You guys just have to be... sneaky about it."

"You make it seem like you're pretty important."

"I am." Isabelle smirked. "So what do you say? Am I a genius or what?"

"Well... I don't know. Don't you think mom and dad will suspect something is going on if Magnus keeps sneaking to our house? You know I don't like breaking the rules..." Alec said hesitantly.

"Oh, come on. How will they ever find out? As long as you keep your mouth shut about it, there shouldn't be a problem." Isabelle's smile widened. "And breaking the rules once in a while isn't bad."

"Yes it is. That's why people get punished when they do." Alec pointed out.

"Look, don't you want to spend more time with Magnus?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then you shouldn't give a shit about mom and dad's stupid rules! Your punishment is ridiculous and stupid anyway, right?" Isabelle went on.

"You're right about that, but—"

"But that's just it. Your punishment is dumb. End of story." Isabelle said. "So what do you say?"

"Well... you know what, you do have a good point. So why not?" Alec decided, smiling.

"Finally, my brother is breaking some rules!" Isabelle looked even more please than her brother, which amused Alec. He couldn't help but laugh. "I'll let Magnus know about our idea."

"Okay. Where's your cell?"

"In my room. I'll just text him later, don't worry." Isabelle reassured.

"You're pretty lazy." Alec said teasingly.

"Oh, shut up. You should just be thankful that I came up with such an awesome idea."

"Whatever," Alec shrugged, and put his attention back on the television screen. Isabelle grabbed her laptop and started browsing again, grabbing a carrot every once in a while.

The two were quiet for a few minutes, and for a while Alec was sure his sister was done talking to him. She was indulged with whatever she was doing on her laptop—Alec knew that both of his siblings wanted their own privacy—and for once there was a good show on. But for some reason Alec was wrong, because Isabelle had to have another brilliant idea.

"Know what I want to do?" she asked out of the blue.

"Stop talking?"

"Very funny," Isabelle punched her brother playfully. "I want to know what Elliott looks like."

"Not this again, Iz." Alec groaned, rolling his eyes.

"This is just for my own curiosity. Wanna help me find him? Please?" Isabelle pleaded.

"Fine, I guess. How are you going to find him?" Alec asked.

"That's where you come in." his sister grinned. "Do you know his last name?"

"No, I don't."

"Well, shit." Isabelle cursed, staring at her laptop screen as if it would give her the answer. "Looks like we'll have to find him the hard way."

Before Alec could ask, he quickly realized what his sister was doing as she logged onto Facebook. He couldn't help but face palm. If Isabelle thought she could find Elliott on Facebook, it was sure going to take a long time. Not unless they knew his last name. But maybe she could be lucky.

"It's going to take you forever. I bet there are a bunch of Elliott's on Facebook." Alec commented.

"I know, but I have to try. And you're going to help me by telling me what he looks like." she said, typing his name in the search bar.

With Alec's help, the two managed to narrow down a lot of the Elliott's on Facebook just by looking at their profile pictures. Even with the little information Alec knew about him, it helped them a great deal. At first, Alec started thinking that maybe Elliott didn't have Facebook—that would have ruined the concept of searching him on the site—but just when they were about to give up, they found him.

"That's him." Alec pointed at one of the profiles, recognizing the guy in the picture. "Elliott Hudson. Well, now I know his last name."

"Oh, he is hot." Isabelle said, looking through Elliott's pictures. "And he has abs! Holy shit, Alec, I am so jealous."

Alec leaned forward to get a better look at his pictures. There were a few of him surfing at the beach. Alec had to admit, he did have a nice body—probably because he surfed—and he definitely wasn't ugly either. There were other pictures of him playing tennis, which Alec found pretty cool.

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend..." Isabelle said, clicking around his profile, but Alec grabbed her hand before she could do anything.

"Okay, enough stalking for today. And must I remind you that you have a boyfriend already?" Alec said.

"Come on, I'm just curious." Isabelle complained, but she logged off of Facebook anyway, listening to her brother. However, she whispered under her breath, "I'll just check later."

I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm not too satisfied with it, because I had a little trouble writing it. Hopefully it's not too bad. And by the way, I put this random dude Elliott into my story for a reason. You'll see soon enough! Well, that's all there is to say for this chapter. Please review and let me know what you all thought! Bye! :)