Chapter Three:

Time Jump-Three Months

Clary POV:

These last couple months have been odd. I've gotten really close with Isabelle Lightwood, which I thought would never happen, and I would say that I have become better friends with both Alec and Jace. Izzy came up to me about a week after my mother called me a hooker in front of the Lightwoods, and we started talking and hanging out, and she's really cool. I'm surprised it took us 7 years to become friends.

Things with my mom and brother haven't gotten any better. Jon still refuses to acknowledge the abuse and my mom has been laying it on thick lately. Ever since I told her about going to school in Florida, she has been punishing me for every little thing.

Flashback:

"Mom, I have to tell you something."

"What it is?"

"I got accepted to the University of Florida College of the Arts."

"Good luck paying for that."

"I got a full ride for art."

"So now you think you're better than Jon and I?"

"I never said that.." but before I could finished I was being punched in the face.

"You think you are so much better than is don't you, you little bitch. God, I can't wait until you fucking leave. Jon and I will be so much better off without you." She spit in my face. I never thought she could do anything worse than punching me, but spitting in my face was a new low. She was on top of me calling me every name she could think of and slapping me over and over again.

Flashback Over

Things haven't been the same since that day. I only have three months until graduation and I couldn't wait to be out of that house. I don't talk about my personal life with Izzy, but I know she has a little knowledge of what's going on. She's had to cover a few bruises when they were in spots I couldn't reach or couldn't cover myself. Today was like any other day, my mom got angry last night and I had a few bruises that I couldn't figure out how to cover. I went over to Izzy's before school. I knocked on the door and Jace opened it.

"Holy shit." Was all he managed to get out.

"Is Izzy here?"

"Yea, Upstairs. You good?"

"Never better." I smiled and I could tell he didn't like my humor. "Look, pretend you didn't see me. Please."

"I don't think I can."

"Please, Jace. I don't want it to get worse, and if Jon knows you've seen me like this, it'll only get worse."

"Clary, this isn't the first time I've seen your mother treat you like this."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw her shove you against the wall one day. I was going to get a glass of water from the kitchen when I saw her slam you against the wall."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I did. I told Alec and Izzy."

"That's why you guys started talking to me."

"That and among other reasons."

"And what are these other reasons?"

"Clary, I've wanted to be your friend from the beginning. I just didn't know how to approach you. You seemed so content being by yourself."

"I don't really get a choice. I've spent practically my whole life alone so I could get out of that house as fast as possible." I looked down and started playing with my shirt. "So you didn't befriend me because you felt sorry for me?"

"Believe it or not Clary, you're a really cool person, and I want to help you. Protect you even. I got so close with Jon because he seemed nice, and he was our first friend in this town, but I also did it to get closer to you." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Well, I'm going to go see Izzy about these bruises. I'll see you later Jace." I walk upstairs into Izzy's room. When she sees me she just shakes her head. She covers up my bruises and we head off to school.

I would be lying if I said I didn't like Jace, he is attractive, and he seems nice, but I also know his reputation. I couldn't believe what he told me this morning, it just seems so weird that he would want to get close to me. I'm just Clary, average girl who gets beaten up on a daily basis, the girl who is never good enough, the girl who wants to die.

I get home from school and today is like every other day. I was in the kitchen when my mom came in and started to yell at me.

"Clarissa Fray you are a piece of shit! You know that right? You are so worthless and I can't believe that you are my daughter!" I stand there and take it because there isn't much I can do. "What did I ever do to deserve a child like you? Jon and I would be so much better without you. You should just die. Nobody would care. You have nobody. Nobody loves you. Nobody cares. You worthless, good for nothing bitch. Die." And with that she leaves. She's right, I don't have any real friends, I don't have a real family. It would be better, and I would be free from their grasp. I got upstairs and grab my sheets off my bed. I tie it to the bars on the ceiling. I make a loop at the end of the sheet, and I wait. I build up the courage. By the time I'm ready, it's almost 7 o'clock. I step up on my bedside table and wrap it around my neck. I wait a minute or two before I kick the table out from under my feet; I feel a sharp pain in my neck before the darkness consumes me. Freedom.

Jace POV:

After baseball practice we all head over to Jon's for dinner. We get there and his mom is nowhere to be found and neither is Clary. Which is odd. We eat dinner and hang around for a while It's around 7 o'clock when there is a loud crash that comes from upstairs.

"That bitch. She was here the whole time and she didn't make us dinner." Jon yells. I look at Alec and we have a silent conversation. We both get up and make our way upstairs to see what happened. We open the door and see Clary. Hanging from the ceiling. Her body is limp, there is no struggle, there appears to be no sign of life.

Alec and I rush over and take her body off the sheets and lay her down on the floor.

"Alec, call 911. We need to get her to the hospital." I said as I check for a pulse. It's faint, but its there.

"Is she alive?"

"Barely. Come on we don't have much time." Alec pulls out his phone and dials 911, and in 5 minutes they are in her room putting her on a stretcher and taking her to the hospital. Jon stands in the doorway laughing as they take his sisters almost lifeless body away. Anger fills my body, his sister just tried to commit suicide and he's laughing. Alec and I go to get Izzy and let her know what happened.

"Izzy!" I call and there is no answer. I make my way up to her room. "Izzy, lets go. We need to go to the hospital."

"What? Why?"

"Clary. She uh, she tried to kill herself."

"Oh my god."

"Lets go. We're going to go wait at the hospital." She nods and grabs her things. Alec, Izzy and I go to the hospital where we wait in the waiting room for what feels like forever. Finally, around 10 o'clock, a nurse informs us that she's awake. We make our way to her room, and we open the door, she is sitting there playing with the sheets. We make our way over to her, I sit on the foot of the bed, and Izzy and Alec take the two chairs.

"Clary, we are so glad you're okay." Izzy says with tears streaming down her cheeks. Clary doesn't speak. She just looks down at her hands.

"Hey guys, can you give us a minute?" I ask and they both nod and head out of the room. "Clary?" She still doesn't look up. "Can you please tell me why you did it?"

"I couldn't take it anymore." She mumbled.

"Why didn't you come talk to me, or Izzy?"

"I couldn't. I didn't want it to change my mind."

"So talking to us would have made you question it?" She nods. "Clary, what happened?"

"My mom. She got really nasty this afternoon. She told me that the world would be better off without me. And she's right. I have nobody, and nobody needs me. I'm a waste of space, and I'd be better off dead." She is crying and I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"That isn't true Clary."

"Yes it is. You guys only befriended me because you felt sorry for me, my family hates me, I can't take it anymore."

"That isn't true Clary and you know it. I told you that. Clary, life without you would be absolute hell. I'm not ready to live without you. I don't think I could." I can't believe what I'm about to say, but fuck it. "Clary, I like you. I really like you."

She looks up at me and I lean closer and wipe the tears from her cheek. We are close, really close and I do the only think I can. I lean in and kiss her. At first she is shocked but she soon responds to the kiss. We break apart and stare at each other.

"I like you too." She smiles and it's the first genuine smile I've seen from her. They keep her there over night for observations. She is released the next day. I can't believe that I told her that, but she likes me back. Things can only go up from here, right?