Hello everyone! I was going to leave this update until tomorrow (evil I know) BUT in most of the reviews I received, I was begged to update. I weighed it up and I was feeling friendly so here you are! The next chapter – enjoy and as always, let me know what you think!
I had to duck for cover as Jon launched his phone across the room. My Mum had retreated into the kitchen, getting herself stressed out. She'd been run ragged as it was recently. Jon was still on his crutches, swaying back and forth as his face reddened. I kept a firm eye on him just in case he was to slip or hurt himself in any way.
"Jon." I said quietly. He was breathing heavily as I moved over to his side. I placed a firm hand on his shoulder, trying to push him down onto the bed behind him. His body stiffened as he remained on his feet. He looked at me, face full of rage.
"I can't believe they let her do that to you Clary." He grumbled. "I should have been there. If I'd been there everything would have worked out. If my legs weren't so useless! If I'd just told Jace the other day instead of being so damn selfish." He finally slumped down to a sitting position on the bed.
"I should have just been honest from the start Jon." I shrugged. "I should have just dealt with everyone asking me questions and I should have just dealt with everything weeks ago." I admitted. "I think I was the selfish one. I should have just mentioned it."
"This isn't even about you being my sister anymore." He steamed. "Even if you were my girlfriend Clary, that doesn't give Aline the right to hit you. Me and Aline were involved, but we weren't in a relationship. If we were, why would she be trying to screw around with Sebastian and Jace like she has been? She can't just hit someone because she thinks the shoe is on the other foot. They shouldn't have let her do that to you. I thought they were better guys than that. They should know how dangerous violence can be."
"To be fair, Jace did pull her off and said that he couldn't stand by and watch her beat me senseless." I tried to diffuse the situation. I didn't want him to lose his friends over this whole situation. Sure, they hadn't acted the best way they could have, but it could all be sorted. Couldn't it?
"He let her rip your hair out of your head, he let her throw you to the ground and he let her bust your lip." Jon recited the information that I'd told him and my mother when they'd been cleaning me up. "He stood by just fine during all of that." Jon's phone vibrated again on the other side of the room. He made immediately for his crutches but I held my hand up, retrieving it for him.
"I'll take a few days off school, let it calm down." I suggested but Jon shook his head as he entered his password.
"You'll do no such thing." He grumped. He laughed again once he read the message that adorned his phone.
"Jace again?" I asked in a small voice. He nodded, placing his phone down on the side of the bed, his grin still stretched across his face.
"He's coming around. I can't wait for this." Jon was laughing quietly to himself.
"Is that really a good idea?" I muttered.
"Probably not for him, no." Jon said truthfully. "For me? The best."
There was no dissuading Jon from this idea. I made my way into the kitchen to speak to my Mum. It didn't take long for me to persuade her to leave the house for a few hours, promising to deal with Jon myself. She nearly bit my hand off at the offer and it was clear she had wanted to leave the house herself. She was gone for around 20 minutes before there was a knock on the door. I looked at Jon and Jon looked back at me. His rage had seemingly settled down but I had no clue how he would react when confronted with Jace. Jon made me promise to stay in the kitchen as he worked his way onto his crutches and headed for the door. I obeyed, making my way into the kitchen and standing around the corner so that my body was hidden but so that I could still make out what was happening. Jon was positioned behind the door, breathing deeply as another knock rang out against it. For a moment, I almost believed that he wasn't going to open the door that he was just going to stand and watch it until Jace had vanished from the other side. I watched and I waited, my attention finally peaked when I heard the door open a fraction.
"Jon. Mate." Jace started and I could see that he was trying to make his way into the house. Jon blocked his path, poised on his crutches.
"What have you turned into Jace? How could you let something like that happen?" Jon questioned him, making it clear that he knew all about the situation, Jace was still determined to get into the house.
"If you let me in, we can talk all about it." Jace said firmly. "You don't want to be shouting and bawling on the doorstep."
"I don't intend to shout or brawl." Jon said simply, the gap in the door between them decreasing.
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Jace pleaded. "I asked if you were seeing anyone. Why lie to me?" Jon shook his head, laughing lightly. I held onto the wall in the kitchen, making sure to press myself firmly against it.
"Just leave it Jace, I haven't got anything more to say to you." I watched on. Jace seemed to be getting himself stressed out as Jon was pushing him away. It happened in an instant. Jace pushed the door open, counting on Jon's surprise as he slipped through and into the hallway. Jon span to face him, slower as he was resting on his crutches. Jon's face was filled with anger at what Jace had just pulled. "Get out." He said quietly, as Jace kept the distance between them more than a crutch length.
"Why didn't you just tell me you were seeing her Jon?" Jace spoke, his voice raised. "Why didn't you just be honest with me? Save all this hassle."
"You're not right in the head mate!" Jon was shouting back, his crutch stamping against the floor. "Get the fuck out of my house!" I was getting uncomfortable watching Jon get so irate, part of me just wanted to run out between them and lay everything out.
"Why wouldn't you tell me? Surely you've got to know that I was interested in her! That she was seeing me! Surely you've got to know that she was playing us both."
"It's not about her anymore Jace. It's about you. What kind of person have you turned into? Letting people attack people over stupid rumours? Not believing in me? When have I ever lied to you about something that serious Jace? When have I ever compromised you for the sake of girl?" Jon said, somewhat emotionally. I had to take my eyes away from them, walking into the kitchen.
"It is about her. This wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for her." Jace seemed flabbergasted. "What's that?" I heard Jace move over, ascending a couple of stairs. My bag must have been still on the stairs when I'd dropped it on my way in earlier. "She's here?!" Jace's temper seemed to raise through the roof as he charged down the hallway and into the kitchen where I stood next to the sink. I looked at him wide eyed, holding onto the counter behind me. His face was hardened, his eyes glued to me as he shook his head. Jon was following him down the hallway, as fast as he could manage. I could see by the look on his face that it was paining him. He'd been on his crutches for too long.
"Jon, you need to rest." I skirted away from Jace, moving over to where Jon was. "Will you at least sit down?" I begged. He shook his head.
"Are you pleased with yourself?" Jace rounded on me before turning to Jon. "You do realise she has kissed Sebastian. She has kissed Jordan, and lord knows what else. She was working her charms on me as well. Do you know all of that Jon?" Jace was clearly trying to drive his point home, I could feel myself flushing with embarrassment. "Do you know that?"
"Leave him alone." I snapped at Jace. "Can't you see that he's exhausted? He's in pain."
"You're the only one hurting him here. He deserves to know about it! He deserves to know all about you."
"Jace, leave it will you?" I pleaded with him. Jace looked poised to start arguing with me more when Jon just started laughing. We were both silenced as we turned to face Jon. He moved over slowly to sit in one of the kitchen chairs, his crutches propped against the kitchen counter.
"Tell me honestly Jace, do you really think we're involved?" Jon's voice had levelled out as he looked at Jace almost trying to weigh him up.
"What other explanation is there?" Jace retorted, holding his hands up. "She lied how she knew you, she lied about seeing you." He counted them off on his fingers. "What reason would she have to lie unless there was something going on that shouldn't be? Unless she had something to hide."
"Think about it Jace." Jon shook his head. "Really think hard about it." Jace was looking between Jon and me, confusion apparent on his face. I looked at Jon myself, shrugging. Was he going to put him out of his misery or was I? Why was he playing this guessing game? Trying to get Jace to come to the realisation on his own? Antagonising him?
"Jon – I don't know –" Jace's anger had been replaced by pure confusion as he looked to Jon for answers.
"We're not in the relationship that you think Jace. We're not seeing each other, not like that."
"So what? You're friends? She said you were friends in the café but why wouldn't she just tell us all that you were letting her see you instead of lying?"
"If she was my friend and she told you that she was being allowed to come see me, would you have believed her? Or would you just have assumed she was sleeping with me?"
"Well – fair enough." Jace faltered, before a thought dawned on him. "Why did you say 'if'? 'If she was your friend' – what am I missing here?" Jace was starting to get stressed out, clearly not understand what Jon was implying.
He's my brother. He's my brother. I recited in my head, trying to get the courage to speak up in this argument.
"Jon, just tell him." I managed, looking at Jon, pleading with my eyes.
"Tell me what?" Jace cut over.
"You still haven't figured it out have you?" Jon goaded him, his anger still bubbling inside him. I'd had enough. This had to come out. Now was the time.
"What are you talking about?" Jace was shouting.
"Figure it out!" Jon kept reiterating as I shouted their names over and over again trying to catch their attention. The rage that I had been trying to push down for so long was bubbling in my stomach, pushing itself into my chest, burning my insides. My head was pounding as I closed my eyes and tried to zone myself out. It was now or never.
"He's my brother!" I shouted, opening my eyes slowly and purposefully. Jon was looking at Jace, Jace was looking at me. His eyebrows were tilted towards the middle of his forehead as he took me all in. "He's my brother." I breathed, feeling the weight of the world lift from my shoulders. I could feel the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. It felt so good to just get it out there, to finally tell the truth. Jace's face went through a series of different looks. Anger. Confusion. Joy. Disbelief.
"Why – why didn't you just tell me?" He looked at Jon and then looked at me. Jon and I shared a look, deciding who would answer him.
"Our Dad had just passed away." I breathed, resting against the kitchen counter. "Jon's legs were – they were hurt so bad. He was embarrassed about it, he didn't want anyone to know. It was easier for me, easier for the both of us not to talk about Jon and my Dad and the crash." I muffled a sob on the back of my hand. "Nobody asked me about Jon and how he was. It worked. I didn't have to deal with any difficult questions or situations and Jon didn't have to deal with anyone knowing too much."
"So you lied to protect him then?" Jace said eventually.
"Pretty much." I sighed. Jace stood around awkwardly, processing the information.
"I'd like you to leave now please." Jon muttered, looking at his hands. "I'm really tired and I'm still really quite angry with you."
"Jon, I didn't know! How can you –"
"It doesn't matter Jace." Jon bit back. "It doesn't matter whether she was my girlfriend, my lover, my friend or my sister. You let Aline assault her because of your own feelings in the matter. You were annoyed because you thought Clary was stringing you along. That's why you let Aline get a fist in. It's not right and I can't forgive you for it. Not yet." Jon added. I sat by awkwardly just wanting to retire to my room. Jace sighed.
"I'm sorry Jon." He said honestly, turning to me. "I'm sorry Clary." He headed off down the hallway, rubbing his hand across his forehead, towards the door.
"Oh and Jace." Jon shouted, not turning around. Jace looked around hopeful. "Don't tell anyone about this just yet. I'd rather have it out with them myself."
"Yeah, sure." Jace agreed before he slunk out of the door.
"Jon, I don't want you falling out with your friends over me. It was a mistake." I told him. He shook his head, smiling at me lightly.
"I'll forgive him Clary. I just need some time. I just want him to think about his actions. You should never condone violence just because you feel wronged. Violence is dangerous. The way I look at it – what if Aline had hit your head against that concrete? Or shattered your ribs and pierced a lung? That's your life gone like that." He clicked his fingers. "I don't want pals who would just stand around and watch someone beat on someone else, for whatever reason."
Jace's PoV
I walked out of the door and down the street. I walked aimlessly for at least half a mile, not able to think coherently. Jon and Clary were siblings. How had I never heard of her before? She must have lived with Jon's mother. That would explain why her name was different, why she had suddenly made a reappearance when Jon's mum had. My mind was in overdrive. When she'd spoken to me about her father dying, about how she could relate to Jon. I'd never realised that she'd meant it so literally. All this time she was going through all of this. All of this time she was suffering and what had I done? Let Aline get a fist in. I should have intervened sooner. I should have done something. Now I just had to focus all of my attention on making this right again with Jon and with Clary.
Clary's PoV
Mum returned a few hours later with Chinese takeout. We sat around the table like a proper family, laughing and joking. It was only when I went to bed that I started to worry about the day ahead. Seeing Aline, seeing Sebastian and the worst of the three, seeing Jace. It was difficult to imagine what I would say to him, what he would say to me. I did what I considered the right thing and skipped out on form, which no doubt I would get scolded for in the days to come. I kept a low profile the entire day. On my way out of school, I thought I'd managed to avoid everyone completely but my heart dropped into my stomach as someone grasped my shoulder. I turned to face them and breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was Jordan. He led me over to one side and out of earshot.
"I've been hearing some troubling things." He rubbed my shoulder. "Are you alright?" I nodded.
"Jace knows." I admitted, quietly. "Jon and Jace had it out yesterday. It was bound to come out anyway." I shrugged as we walked around the back of the school.
"And how did he take it?" Jordan queried.
"I'm sure you've heard about what happened between me and Aline." I muttered, Jordan nodded. "Jon isn't ready to forgive Jace for his role, or lack of, in that yet."
"And what about you?"
"I just want a quiet life." I sighed. "I don't like confrontation." Jordan tensed up a little bit.
"Don't look now but he's heading this way." He muttered through his teeth.
"Who is?" I asked, as Jace appeared next to us. He looked fidgety and slightly dishevelled.
"Can I have a moment please Jordan?" He asked, and Jordan looked to me.
"Is that what you want Clary?" He asked. I nodded my head.
"It's alright." I smiled at him. "Thanks though, I'll catch up with you later." He grasped my shoulder once more as he walked off.
"How are you feeling?" Jace asked.
"So, so." I admitted. My head had been pounding all day but my lip was only slightly bruised, minimizing my embarrassment.
"How's Jon?" He asked.
"Quiet." I admitted. "He's been quiet for weeks though. Ever since –" I cut off, smiling lightly instead.
"I hear tell that Aline is going around to see him tonight." Jace admitted. I was shocked.
"She can't – I don't think he's ready for that yet? I have to get back." I bumbled, Jace grabbed my arm, pulling me back before retracting it and apologising.
"Sorry." He said earnestly. "Jon has invited her around Clary. I think he's ready to get this whole thing out in the open." I was shocked that he hadn't told me. Until it dawned on me, he didn't want me there when it happened. He didn't want me in the firing line.
"I need to get home all the same." I said, walking towards the gates. Jace was hot on my heels.
"For Jon's sake or yours?" He asked.
"Both." I admitted.
Thank you so much for reading my stories! I really do appreciate it. Feel free to let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys!
All my love,
Until the next time.
~Sapph