So I meant to update last week, but my computer broke for a week, since there was a malfuntion because of hackers and I couldn't use it. But anyways, here's my best shot at this chapter.

Quick thanks to trifangirls for pointing out that I kept changing Jace's name, it should be Wayland to everyone else. If anyone notices I forgot to change it in a chapter, it would mean a lot if you told me so I can change it. I do make a lot of mistakes...

Big shoutout for my chapter beta: winter's cry, she definitely helped me with this chapter because it's so important. Everyone should so and read her stories, they always have great detail, and amazing grammar.

Here's the chapter! (I was going to put chappy, but that sounded so happy and unlike me.)

One Week Later

Clary

"Come on Clary! We're going to be late to school!" Jon yells obnoxiously.

"I think that I'll go tomorrow!"

"Too late!" With that Jon grabs my backpack, picks me up, and carries me all the way to the car. And little me can't get down.

Don't get me wrong though, I love having my brother back. He's so caring, and it feels like a dream. I'm waiting to wake up and be insulted.

"Clary, just know that at school, it's not going to be the way it was. I'm going to be there for you, but Aline isn't going to back down."

"Jon, I'm not an idiot. I know that Aline will still run the school, just with one less person staring behind her."

"And you'll have one more person to stand behind you." He says, trying to boost my limited confidence.

"Now be quiet and focus on the road, you're going to get us killed."

*one eternity later*

I hate new quarters. Since first quarter ended last week, I get a new schedule. At least that's what got me an extra week away from school. But now, I have PE.

I. HATE. PE.

There are two reasons why: 1) I am an unathletic nerd that is always the slowest. 2) I still have scars from my father, so I always have to be the last to shower. It gets really annoying when I'm always late to my next class. I would love to just apply deodorant and leave, but the whole unathletic part means that I sweat. A lot.

I guess I'll have to love it, since I have 5 minutes until PE. Yay for first period torture…

*short ten minutes time skip*

"For this quarter's PE, I will need everyone at 110%! I need everyone pushing themselves to their physical limit! I do not accept slackers in my class!"

Mr. Aldertree was my least favorite kind of PE teacher. He was louder than my brother, which fit just perfectly with his short, balding physique. His head was so shiny; it was reflecting the gym lights. He would never give me a break in this class. Yay me…

"Now run out to the track and give me half a mile!"

*yeah, I know. It's another time skip*

I can see the other girls all rushing to the showers, running to shower, removing all sweat smells, some reapplying their makeup, in under ten minutes. At least the hustle makes sure no one pays attention to me.

By the time I get to the locker room, all the hormonal, teenage girls are out of the showers. My heart is pounding as I make my way over to the showers in my smelly PE uniform. There is no one else in the showers, so I strip and put my hair into a bun. I am not going to walk around the rest of the day with wet hair. As soon as I'm about to turn on the shower, I sense movement behind me. I turn around, and it's…

"Aline!" Both of us scramble for our discarded towels to cover our injured bodies. Wait, bodies?

"Clary!" She exclaims, but then her eyes wander to my scared stomach. My eyes investigate all over her body, where there numerous bruises all over her body.

"You're abused too?" I ask, the one thing I never thought Aline could ever be. She could definitely tell I was abused, because the vile scar on my stomach was too mangled to be medical. The short nod of her head confirms everything.

"Since I was four."

"Since I was almost five." I confessed.

"Every time I wasn't the best, I got a bruise to try and motivate me." How is it that Aline has been abused longer than me? I mean she's so strong and confident, even if she didn't act the nicest.

"I never thought that this happened to you." Aline, the queen of the school. The girl who always had all the power, was just like I was. Defenseless to abuse. I honestly don't know how to feel.

So many feelings are running through my mind, ranging from disbelief to strong empathy for Aline.

"Let me explain myself. Once my mom died, my dad never took it well. He made himself obsessed with my perfection. Every project, assignment, grade, everything had to be the best. That was why I was so cruel to you."

Aline's face is just like Jon's was last week, full of sorrow and the hurt from her life. A tear slipped out of her almond eyes, but her makeup was still in place. I guess she applied it well.

"That was the reason I was so cruel to you. I couldn't be 2nd place, so I thought I could make you drop out. I had to be at the top, be the person everyone hated so no one ever had to know too much about me. I hate acting like this, like a spoiled, stuck-up brat." I'm so tempted to think that this is all fake, that I can't let my guard down. I'm took a risk a minute ago by letting Aline know that my bruises are real. But for once in my life, I trust Aline. And she trusts me.

"Aline, I understand what you did, it was a defense. If you didn't, you might have died." Could I have turned out like Aline if Valentine was still hurting me. What if he came back? No Clary, don't let yourself think about him. You need to focus on Aline right now. She's telling the truth.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this right now. I'm supposed to hate you, and want you out. " Her hands flew to her face as her entire body was overwhelmed by the tears pouring out of her eyes. "I hate what I've turned into, and I am so sorry for everything I've done." Her voice was almost unrecognizable from the tears, and her voice sounded so miserable.

Nothing like the Aline I knew.

I move over to comfort her, normally it would be awkward to comfort a girl only wearing a towel, but at the moment I could care less.

"Aline, my abuse stopped so many years ago. For you to still be going through it, how do you survive?"

"I still think my old dad is in there somewhere, and he'll die if I leave him."

"So all these years…"

"Yeah."

"Now it all makes sense, You've been suffering for so long." Aline, abused for years.

"I know that this won't make up for it, but I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for what I've done to you these years."

There was no way this could be a joke, no makeup can make those bruises. And Aline was so genuine in her words. Everything made sense, and I couldn't be mad at her for what wasn't her fault.

"Aline, what happened to you wasn't your fault in the slightest." I say, while trying my best to comfort her. "There's really nothing to forgive."

"I've been such an awful person."

"Hey, it's okay, it wasn't your fault." I'll admit, it was quite weird comforting the girl who was my mortal enemy five minutes ago. Then a sad thought struck me like a lightning bolt. "Aline have you ever had a real friend? Someone you can rely on and trust? Or even someone who you can laugh with?"

"No." She replies while quivering.

"That changes right now. Aline, from now on you can count on me." Her helpless look was now filled with hope. Aline flung her body at mine in a bone-crushing hug, making silent tears stream down my face.

"Thank you. Thank you so much Clary."

The ringing of the bell told us that we were late, but neither of us cared.

Because we had each other.

So? This chapter took me a couple hours, I really tried hard to get the emotions.