Will stood staring in silent shock as Jem Carstairs, his best friend, cursed the world and punched his pillow. Jem was usually very calm and not easily mad, but today was different. After spending the last few months of the school year trying to save up a plane ticket to and back from Shanghai, he had failed to get enough money. His father would have send him a ticket, but he couldn't afford it. It took a lot of his money to send Jem here in the first place. Now, Jem thought angrily, he was stuck here for another summer without seeing his father or his home country or his mother's grave.
"That's enough James," Will said, using Jem's full name.
"No! It is not enough William! I thought I would go see my birth home once again and now-" Jem broke off. He was crying now.
Will's face softened. "Jem, I'm so sorry," he said and Jem heard the sincerity and pain in his voice as if Will himself wanted to go to Shanghai, there was no pity in his voice. Jem loved that about Will and how he understood him and Jem vice-versa.
"It's okay," Jem heard himself say as he wiped the tears. "It happens every year."
Will's shoulders fell. "I wish I could take you," he whispered.
"No, don't think like that," Jem said hurriedly, "at least I have you this summer even if the reason you're here is not a happy-kind of reason."
"Who says whoever stays here for the summer stays because they have a choice to?" Will said.
"Jessie?" the door to Jessamine's room swung open to reveal Charlotte. Jessamine, who had been taking a nap, woke up.
"Yes?" she yawned.
Charlotte looked surprised which was weird because Jessamine always took naps. "Oh. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's okay, Charlotte. Did you want something?" Jessamine said, getting to the point. She was seriously exhausted.
Charlotte ignored her. "When did you get that hoodie?" she inquired.
Jessamine realized, with a shock, that she was wearing Will's hoodie. She tried to find an answer, but Charlotte's eyes had already widened.
"You've met someone!" Charlotte squealed, a girly type of scream that most girls would do after their crush asked them out or their best friend's crush asked her best friend out. Charlotte squealed like the latter.
"What? No!" Jessamine exclaimed, but her red cheeks betrayed her.
"Oh Jess! Who is he? Why didn't you tell me?" Charlotte demanded, ignoring Jessamine's protests. "Is he someone I know? C'mon Jessamine you can tell me!"
"Oh Charlotte!" Jessamine shouted. Despite trying not to hurt Charlotte more than usual, she had no choice to treat Charlotte coldly so she could back off. If Charlotte ever found out Jessamine was having sex, she had no idea what her adopted mother would do, but it would be bad. "Can you just leave me alone? Okay?! I don't like anyone, all the boys here are disgusting. Like get real, Charlotte."
Charlotte, who had been making her way over to Jessamine, froze. "Oh," she said. She looked a child who's balloon had been popped, "I didn't mean to offend you, if I did. I was just happy for you, but I was wrong."
Jessamine hid her guilty expression by bending her neck. She massaged her forehead as she asked, "Is there a reason why you came Charlotte?"
"Oh yes," Charlotte responded, recalling why she had came to Jessamine's room. "I just wanted to apologize about our fight earlier."
"Oh that," Jessamine muttered remembering the fight earlier today, "it's okay, but please understand Charlotte this is what I want."
Before could Charlotte could agree or protest, the door swung open. "Jessamine! Lunch is ready!" Henry Branwell announced and the noticed Charlotte standing awkwardly beside the bed. "Oh hello Lottie. I was looking for you. Lunch is ready."
"Thank you, Henry. We'll be right there," Charlotte replied, avoiding Henry and Jessamine's gazes. She never felt so much awkwardness unless she was in a room with Jessamine and Henry, the two most people she loved, though she doubted Jessamine and Henry felt the awkwardness. There was nothing awkward about it to them.
Henry nodded and left the room, closing the door. Jessamine sighed and swung herself out of the bed. She walked over to the closet, pulled off her -Will's- hoodie revealing her bra. Jessamine didn't care she had done that infront of Charlotte, she was her mother after all. Adopted mother, Jessamine mentally corrected herself. She grabbed a simple green strapless dress from the closet and wore it before slipping down her shorts from under the dress. She noticed she was barefoot (of course I am, I was sleeping, Jessamine thought) and grabbed her green sandals from under her clothes in the closet.
"I'm ready," she announced to Charlotte, but didn't find her standing there. She had obviously left the room to give Jessamine her privacy or just ditched her. She deserved the latter and would feel more guilty if Charlotte left because of the first choice.
"Why does Charlotte have to be so nice?" she muttered under her breath before throwing Will's hoodie into the closet.
Lunch was grilled cheese sandwiches.
Charlotte had apologized to everyone about the lunch since they hadn't had the chance to go grocery shopping as Sophie distributed the plates of sandwiches. Yesterday, before all the students had left, there had been a huge feat as a way of saying goodbye. The feast was so huge that no one bothered serving dinner and breakfast had been eggs done by the cook, Agatha, though no one except Henry had showed up. Henry obviously loved eggs.
Tessa didn't mind eating grilled cheese sandwiches. They were tasty and she mentally thanked Agatha. They were eating in the dining room on a long rectangular table. She looked at the people sitting down on the table. Beside her was Nate who was still ignoring her from their earlier fight though he clearly was also enjoying the sandwiches too. Beside her sat Sophie Collins. She had seen her get bullied before and once stopped the bullies from taunting her, but Sophie hadn't thank her. She had just glared and said she didn't need her pity. It was true Tessa had been secretly pitying her, but she seemed such a nice girl and she could use a friend for sophomore and freshmen year had been lonely for Tessa because all the other girls thought she was a nerd.
Across her sat the headmistress, Charlotte Fairchild. Tessa couldn't get over the fact that someone as small as Charlotte ran such a huge school. Still, she was kind and gentle and generous enough to let the students stay during the summer. Beside Charlotte sat her adopted daughter Jessamine. Jessamine was with no doubt the most prettiest girl sitting on the table, but not the most kindest. Unlike her adopted mother, Jessamine was cold and Tessa had no idea why. They had bumped into each other a few times in the hallway. They literally bumped into each other. Tessa got easily pushed around in crowds in the hallway and it always seemed like someone wanted her to hit Jessamine. Tessa shivered at how deadly the glare that Jessamine gave her before muttering a rude word and flouncing off.
On Charlotte's other side was Henry Branwell who insisted that the students call him and Charlotte by their first names during the summer vacation. No one objected. If it wasn't for Henry's joke and energy, lunch would have been boring and silent. Next to Henry sat the Lightwood brothers, first Gideon than Gabriel. Tessa had never seen Gideon before. She had only known that Gabriel had a brother who once studied at the London Institue before going to college and that he was going to be the freshmen's new English teacher. Despite Gideon being older than Gabriel, Tessa noted that Gabriel was taller than Gideon. Unlike Gideon, Tessa had seen Gabriel before. He and Will Herondale were famous for their fights. What she could understand from the rumors that Will had done something to Gabriel and Gideon's sister, Tatiana, and Gabriel has hated him for it ever since. Gabriel and Gideon were handsome though.
Beside Gabriel was ironically Will Herondale's sister, Cecily. She had strikingly blue eyes and long black hair. She had heard Cecily telling a friend during school that she was planning to take archery during the summer. Tessa wondered if that was before or after she had known that she would be stuck in school for the summer. Beside Cecily was two empty seats.
Just as she noticed that, the dining room's door opened to reveal two boys that took Tessa's breath away. She knew by the similarity between Cecily and the first boy that this was the famous Will Herondale. He had the same eyes and hair as Cecily and he was breathtakingly handsome. Tessa had never seen him before for she had no classes with him since he was a year higher than her and she never noticed anyone when she walked in the hallways, unless she bumped into them. Will's blue eyes met her gray eyes and Tessa looked away and stared at the boy beside Will.
Now the second boy was a mystery to her. She had never met or heard of this boy though he was also as handsome as Will. He looked like a fairy-tale prince with his odd silver hair and matching silver eyes and lashes. His eyes also met Tessa's and that's when she decided it was best for her to look at her plate. She didn't think she could handle another eye contact with these two handsome boys.
"Will, Jem, wonderful of you to join us," Charlotte finally said in a nagging-mother's tone, but there was a hint of relief. She must have got worried over them. At least Tessa knew the silver boy's name now.
"Sorry?" Will said, but it sounded more of a question.
Charlotte sighed. "Sit down boys." The boys took their seats beside Cecily and ate their sandwiches. Henry continued with his jokes and comments and everyone just smiled or nodded in response. Tessa felt bad for Henry that no one was talking to him, but none of the teenagers were friends yet. Soon, the sandwiches were all eaten and everyone was dismissed.
Jessamine eyed Nate Gray as he walked over to her after lunch. He was handsome, but was probably wasn't the brightest lamp since he failed senior year. She was still conflicted whether to treat him coldly or warmly when he reached her.
"You must be Jessamine Fairchild?" he said giving her a smile.
Jessamine glared daggers at him. "I'm Jessamine Lovelace. Just because Charlotte is my adopted mother, doesn't mean I have to have the same last name as her." With that, Jessamine left the dining room.
"You blew it," Tessa muttered as she passed Nate. Nate just simply glared at her and chased after Jessamine.
"Where are you going?" a voice asked, the same voice who had apologized to Charlotte during lunch. Will Herondale.
Tessa turned around and was surprised to find Jem with Will also, standing in the empty hallway. "Is it any of your business?" she told Will curtly. She noticed that Jem had cracked a smile. She felt her heart leap.
"No, but I'm curious," Will responded, honestly.
"Well, go and be curious about something else," Tessa suggested. She knew what boys like Will were. They were heart-breakers
"Seems like a good idea," Jem said, speaking for the first time. "C'mon Will."
"But I'm curious," Will whined to Jem, before taking a step closer to Tessa. "Are you going to the library?"
Tessa's expression betrayed her as she revealed her surprise that he knew. Will smirked. "Oh don't act so smug," Tessa snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"But I'm in a smug mood."
"Are you sure it isn't a slug mood? Because you are nothing, but a slug Will Herondale."
Will just raised an eyebrows. "For a girl who obviously loves books, she doesn't seem to have heard of the expression 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'," he commented.
Tessa was about to slap him if Jem hadn't intervened.
"Will enough," he said before turning to Tessa, "sorry about him. He's a lunatic."
"Am not!" Will protested from behind Jem.
Jem ignored him. "I'm Jem Carstairs," he told Tessa. Tessa smiled and told him her name.
"Why is she acting nice to you?" Will demanded.
"Because I'm acting civilized," Jem responded, cracking another smile. This time it was towards Will.
"Something you aren't familiar with," Tessa added.
"Don't gang up on me! It isn't fair!" Will whined.
"We will stop if you apologize to Tessa and try to act civilized," Jem told him. Tessa found herself grinning along with Jem.
"Fine," he muttered, "I'm sorry Miss Tessa Gray for my uncivilized behavior. I will try to act more civilized."
Tessa smirked. "What a decent apology," she told him.
"That came from a very handsome single man," Will winked at her.
Tessa blushed, but quickly turned away. "Have you heard Mister Herondale that modesty is a nice trait?"
"Is it as nice as you?" Will inquired.
"Flirting isn't civilized," she commented.
Jem cracked another smile as Will demanded, "How come?"
"I think you blew another decent chance with her again William," Jem teased as the trio walked to the library.
Someone knocked on Cecily's door. "Come in!" she shouted. The door opened to reveal Sophie Collins.
"Hi Cecily," she said.
"Oh hi!" Cecily exclaimed looking up from her magazine. She had been lounging on her bed re-reading all her magazines. She sat up and crossed her legs. "What's up?"
"Mr. Branwell said you needed a job?" Sophie said awkwardly.
"Oh yeah!" Cecily said, remembering her conversation earlier with Henry, "I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Sophie replied, "it would be fun. All you have to do is come with me to the cafe on Saturday and do an interview then if all goes well, you'd get the job."
"Great," Cecily said. "Thanks Sophie."
"Your welcome." Sophie turned to leave, but Cecily called her back.
"Hey? Sophie?" she said, "there's a movie on TV at 8. Do you want to watch it with me?"
Sophie hesitated. "What movie?" she inquired.
"Disney's Frozen," Cecily said, "I'm a sucker for Disney movies."
Sophie smiled. It was a nice smile, Cecily thought. "So am I. I'll see you at the lounging room at 8."
"Come in," Charlotte said as someone knocked on her door. The person entered and it was Henry Branwell.
"Hi Charlotte," he said, giving her a smile.
"Oh, Henry! I wasn't expecting you!" she exclaimed, trying to control the racing beat of her heart.
Henry played with his hands awkwardly. "Well, I came regarding about the students."
"The students?"
"Yes. They seemed so depressed over lunch that I think we need to get them someone who specializes in fun," he said, getting excited.
"That sounds like a good idea," Charlotte confessed, "but where can we find someone now?"
"Well, I have a friend in town who specializes in fun. Plus he isn't expensive," he added, looking eagerly at Charlotte. It made her heart melt.
"Okay," she decided, "we'll take him. Can you give him a call?"
"Of course."
"What's his name?"
Henry replied, "Magnus Bane."
I hoped you loved this chapter! Magnus is gonna spread some fun around in the next chapter with his glitter! Yay! Please review! I hope this chapter didn't suck.