Hangman Walking

English was awesome! Magnus helped me work on our final project for the book assignment, and we finished almost an entire week early. We were going to ditch lunch together but Woolsey sent him a text about work so he had to bail. I was sad but I had had three amazing days in a row that it wasn't too bad. Our friendship was growing and I was higher than a kite about it. So instead I walked with Jace and Clary like usual. Jace was staring at me like I was a stranger and wanted to question me like an interrogator.

"Is there something on me face?" I asked rubbing at my cheeks until it hurt. Jace's honey-gold eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer to me. My personal bubble was severely being popped.

"What happened to you last night?" He asked his eyes still narrowed. Clary was too preoccupied with her phone, typing away with a strangely serious expression, to be bothered with Jace and I.

"I crashed at Magnus' house." I answered raising a brow.

"Without calling home. That's so-o unlike you. And what's with these clothes. You stand out like a sore thumb." He gestured to my borrowed clothes from Magnus.

"I'll admit they're not what I usually wear but I didn't have any spare clothes." I said looking down at the bright blue shirt and the tight maroon pants. They were definitely Magnus' and didn't suit me at all, but I was still happy that he lent them to me. "And you should have seen the first set of clothes he gave me. It was like Cupid threw up." I laughed, but Jace didn't.

"What's going on Alec?" He demanded as we neared the cafeteria.

"What do you mean?" I asked playing dumb. I just had to make it to the cafeteria then I could count on Izzy to save me from talking to Jace. She would want to know about last night and I could easily tell everyone that, but I couldn't tell Jace what he wanted to know. Not yet.

"What's been up with you lately? Are those stuck up models changing you and turning you into one of us?" He gasped startled.

I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes. "No, oh god no." I answered as we stepped inside the lunch room. I looked towards our usual table still laughing and was shocked not to see Izzy there with Simon.

"Then what?" Jace inquired annoyed.

I ignored him as I took my seat. "Where's Izzy?" I asked Simon who was poking at his orange jello that wiggled and jiggled.

He looked at me over his glasses, "She went off with Maia and Jordan. They're talking about you." He answered straightforwardly.

"What? Why?" I gasped dropping my jaw.

Simon shrugged.

"They're probably talking about your strange behavior lately. I'm sure it's those damn models fault, you should quit." Jace stated plopping into his chair.

"I can't." I answered automatically.

"And why not?" Jace raised a brow.

"Be-cause," I stalled trying to come up with a reason that wouldn't really be a lie. I suck at lying. "Because the show is so close, that would be so rude and I put so much work into it. It would be worthless to give up now." I said honestly.

"He's right." Clary said joining in as she shoved her phone angrily into her jeans. Her forehead was puckered in frustration and she was glaring at the table. "This show is gonna be huge and if certain people found out Alec bailed his future could be totally screwed up. The designer -from what I've heard- is crazy powerful and can forever keep Alec from getting the job he wanted or even influence what college he wound up in."

She was right Magnus does have that kind of power and money. I never thought of any of those possibilities, but he could do all of them if I pissed him off. Shit things just became twice as complicated.

"She's right. He really does have that kind of power." I sighed lowering my head and rubbing the back of my neck.

"Scary." Simon said stabbing his jello with a fork and leaving it there.

"You have no idea." I muttered.

"ALEC!" Sang my sister as she sprung up behind me and smothered me in a hug.

"I-I-Iz-z...z" I choked as the oxygen was being starved from my brain.

"Izzy his face is turning purple." Jace said calmly.

"Oops." She giggled releasing me. I coughed and gasped for the sweet tangy filthy cafeteria air that stank of grease and BO. It was like Heaven after being stuck in Hell.

"What was that?" Simon asked raising a brow at my sister, who just smiled taking her seat between us.

"Just happy to see he's still alive." She said looking right at me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked slowly.

Jace chuckled while Izzy said, "We thought you would have thrown yourself off a building or stepped in front of a speeding car to avoid confronting mom tonight."

I groaned and banged my head on the table. "I. Forgot. About. Her."

"Will that be rope or cord, hangman?" Jace joked and I only banged my head against the table again. My forehead began to sting, but that was only a fraction of what my mother was going to do to me when I got home tonight.

"Goddamnit!" Clary hissed getting to her feet.

"What?" Jace asked, but Clary was already storming out of the cafeteria. "Hey!" He called chasing after her. Well that got him off my case.

"More family issues?" Izzy asked looking to Simon who was staring after his friend.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Her mother has more skeletons than I thought and artist should."

"Gross." Izzy said wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Not real ones." I told her and she just gave me a look that said "No duh, dumbass."

Simon looked back to us his face blank of any expression. "So Alec how do you expect to make it through the Maryse apocalypse?"

I slumped in my chair and threw an arm over my face, "With lots of ass-kissing and flowers and a giant box of chocolates that spell out 'I love my mommy.'" I replied only partly sarcastic.

Sorry it's short but after this hell will break loose and things will be getting good. We have the fashion show, Storms help and Maia and Izzy's plan(? hmm) and Malec's date. Also please take a look at the spin-off story with Jonathan and my OC, Malec will make appearances and Clace, after all these stories run side-by-side. It's called Lies, Screams, and Complexes. There will be another story that will be focused on another couple, and maybe one more depends if I feel like it (heehee ^^) Well this series is called Secrets for obvious reasons (or not.) All the lead characters have their secrets and don't want to share them. So please look at it and leave reviews on it and this chapter. Love you readers ^_^