Heyyy guys
Sorry for the long af wait! Here's a new chapter, hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own TMI, Cassandra Clare does
Chapter 5: Bunking
I wake to the shrill sound of the analogue alarm clock.
I groan and turn it off, trying to get back to peaceful sleep. As I almost drift away I hear the deafening yell of my brother as he pounded on my door.
"Clary! Don't even think about going back to sleep. We have an hour long train journey back to Alicante!"
Don't remind me.
I lay there for another 15 minutes until I force myself to get up. I shower quickly and get into my uniform – a white polo with a burgundy cross tie and a matching pullover and black blazer with a pleated charcoal grey skirt. I decide to go for socks with a lace trim instead of tights with my black pumps.
I grab my bag that I had packed last night and step out of the room.
"Aren't you gonna have breakfast?" My mom calls out.
"Nah, I'll grab something at school." I wave good bye and leave.
I begin walking to where I think the train station is, oh Angel, I'm taking public transport. This would have been unimaginable a week ago but now I just have to suck it up and go where the wind takes us.
"Hey, why did you wait up?" Jonathan comes up from behind me.
"Well, I never waited for you before so…" Then he stops me and puts his hands on my shoulders and turns me around.
"You're going the wrong way. This is why you wait up now, this place isn't familiar to you like it is to me."
I huff, slightly embarrassed and follow him.
Once we're on the train it's quiet and uncomfortable. There is only a handful of people but I'd guess that this is the busiest hour since it's a small town and people are going to work at this time.
"Do you think they'd treat differently?" I ask Jonathan who's sitting in the row in front of me.
He turns to face me. "Why would you think that?"
"Oh please. Everyone's bound to know about the great fall of the Morgensterns by now. It's embarrassing. They'll all look at us different. Talk to us different. We'll probably have to hang out with the scholarship kids. We've been dethroned, Jonathan."
"There's only one way to find out, Clary."
I sit back on my seat and pull my phone out of my bag in an effort to get in touch with my old self. I scroll through Instagram and notice that I've at least lost 15 followers. Oh no. This is how it starts. I feel ice cold dread run through my veins as we near our destination: Hell.
As we step through the gates of Alicante Private Academy an unfamiliar feeling comes over me. I feel small, as I did the first time I stepped through these gate but back then I had my girls, Kaelie and Iz, but now I have nothing.
I take a deep breath and go to my locker. Normally that's where we all meet up in the mornings. I do a quick sweep through the hallway and find none of them. I knew it.
I make my way to my locker to unload the unnecessary weights and go to the library. I won't seek them out. I refuse to stoop that low.
I take a seat in the darkest corner, hoping no one will notice me and glance at the clock. 7:45. Great. 15 minutes to sit here alone. I pull out a book from the shelf nearest to me. Pride and Prejudice. I remember loving this book when I was 11 and choose to reread it.
I'm taken away from the world of 19th century England by the shrill noise of the bell signalling it was time to head to tutor.
Returning the book to its place I grab my bag and make my way to my tutor room. I go to the corner in the back where we always sit and wait up. Aline and Alec are in my tutor and hopefully they don't avoid me like I'm the plague.
As I look up I make eye contact with Alec and for a moment I'm glad that it's him and not Aline but then that shatters as Aline is in his wake. He makes his way towards me but she stops him and whispers something. He looks conflicted but reluctantly agrees and they take a seat on the opposite side on the room by the tutor, Ms. Whitehall's, desk.
I scoff audibly and I know they hear it.
I decide to get up and leave. This is a waste of time and I have no energy to put with this for half an hour. Why do we need tutor time anyway? It's a waste, I'd rather just get straight to lesson and leave earlier.
I leave the building and make my way around the football pitch, behind the bleachers and deep into the trees.
I find my tree which it my tree because it perfectly fits my back when I sit against it.
I have no idea what I'm going to be doing for 25 minutes so I just decide to pull some earphones out along with my phone and listen to music.
Suddenly I sense someone's presence and pull my earphones out.
I look behind me to see the one and only Sebastian Verlac. I scowl. What is he doing here?
"Wow. Well, isn't thins a surprise." He smirks as he leans against the tree in front of me. "What's a sophomore like you doing out here, skipping morning tutor?"
"Beat it, Sebastian or I'll –"
"You'll what?" I'm glad he cuts me off because I had nothing to retort. "You'll tell on me? Come on, Clary, everyone hates a snitch. Actually, they just hate the Morgensterns, don't they? That's why you're bunking right now. You can't take that people don't love you anymore, that your friends have run out on you."
"Hey! I still have friends."
He gives me a look and I sigh, defeated. He's right, so why bother?
"Are you just here to bully me or..?"
"Actually no, I just came out for a smoke." He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights them. "You don't have asthma, do you?"
I shake my head, "how thoughtful of you to ask."
He sits down beside me and takes a drag.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm being friendly, obviously." He replies bluntly. Great. Now the school's bad boy outcast is the only company I can get.
Ayyy there we go, thanks for reading
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~Liz Ashley
