Sorry for being late again... hectic times, I'm telling you.

Just a little housekeeping before we continue...

STOP ASKING IF CLARY IS COMING BACK! SHE IS, BUT NOT FOR A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS! I TOLD YOU I'M BUILDING UP THE STORY LEAVE ME ALONE.

Ok... so on that note there is a little clue as to when Clary will be making her reappearance in this chapter, so just be a little patient. I have warned you guys to be patient, especially with the ships, in this story.

Ok? Cool...

ENJOY :D

The next week it began to feel like I was back in Philadelphia.

I knew I was being silly, but it was as though I could feel peoples' eyes on my back, and whenever I would turn around, people would turn bashful and look away from me. Before I knew it, paranoia had sunk in and my muscles had tensed to the point of pain. Even at lunch with John, Jordan and Magnus, something didn't feel quite right.

"So…" I said, attempting to clear the awkward silence that had enveloped us, "The footy season is starting next week. Are you guys excited?"

At first, no one replied and I sunk in on myself, embarrassment making my cheeks burn. John was the one to pipe up first, though, "Yeah, we are. Right, guys?"

Jordan plastered on one of the fakest smiles I had ever seen and nodded, but Magnus just poked at the sandwich in front of him and stayed quiet.

I bit my lip, wondering if I should try and keep the conversation up, or if it was a lost cause. "Our first game is here, right?" I enquired.

John looked up at me and nodded. "Against that high school from Washington."

My body froze. It was like my blood, air, thoughts… everything… stopped flowing through my body. We would be versing that school in the first match of the season. Clary's face popped up in my mind and an unwarranted surge of emotion flooded through me. But as much as I wanted to see Clary again, for reasons unknown to me, I knew that with her would come Seb.

"Relax, dude," Jordan put in, "We'll be fine. Let's show those punks whose boss, right Magnus?"

Magnus looked up from his lunch, his stormy eyes instantly meeting mine. "Right…" he said, but not in his usually cheery tone.

"Whoa," I murmured before I could stop myself, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he grumbled and looked back down at his lunch.

I looked to John and Jordan for help, but they had both averted their eyes again and were promptly ignoring me once again.

Ten minutes passed, my mood sinking lower and lower with each second, before I finally blurted, "What's wrong with you guys? Did I do something wrong? Why won't you talk to me?" I felt like one of those bitchy girls having a fight with my best friend, but I couldn't help it.

John looked lost, and he wasn't saying anything. Jordan tried to speak, but only really got out, "Well… we, uh, you… T-t-there's this… this thing that, I, uh, I mean you…."

Magnus rolled his eyes and interrupted, "Haven't you heard what people are saying yet? There's some pretty shameful rumours going around about you, dumbass."

"Rumours…?" I trailed, but Magnus wasn't offering any more information. His cheeks were blazing red and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

John sighed. "We're trying to not believe them, Jace, but the one who's spreading them is pretty damn convincing."

"W-who…?"

John looked away from me. "It's Kaelie. She's saying that you forced yourself on her."

Before lunch was over, I stormed through the halls, searching for that blonde bimbo who was saying those things about me. No wonder people were looking at me like a criminal, I thought as I looked, No wonder my friends didn't want to talk to me.

It didn't take long to find her. She was at the table with a bunch of hippie-looking kids with long, braided hair and shirts with Save the Trees! Printed on them. She was perched in the middle of a huge crowd who were listening intently to whatever she was saying.

"Kaelie!" I barked as I pushed myself through the clusters of people.

The people around me went silent as I broke into the centre of the circle with Kaelie. She looked at me in surprise at first, but was soon replaced with the fakest look of fear I had ever seen. "S-stay away from me, Jace!" She stuttered.

"No!" I replied angrily, "Not until you take back those rumours!"

"They aren't rumours, Jace," she hissed, "I'm just giving a recount of what happened at that party."

"Nothing happened at the party! You were the one who wanted me. It wasn't the other way around. We both know I didn't have the stomach to actually do anything to you."

Someone in the crowd murmured, "That's not what I've heard. Before he moved he was a real womaniser, even when he was dating Camille."

Anger blazed within me. It wasn't true. None of it was true. Sure, I wasn't a virgin, but it wasn't like I slept around. I was loyal to Camille. We had shaky times, but I wouldn't humiliate someone like that.

"That's right, Jace," Kaelie said, a look of pure triumph masking her face, "I have proof that you forced yourself on me."

"Like what?" I scoffed.

Kaelie paused for a moment, and then declared, "I know that you have multiple bruises on your abdomen. Only because you gave me such a good, unwanted look the other night."

"What?" I blanched, "You call that proof?"

"Yes," she screeched suddenly, "Are you denying that they're there?" she traced her own stomach with her fingers, "There's one here, and here, and one right under the ribcage."

My head started pounding. Why did she have to mention the bruises? This rumour was bad enough.

She continued, "I wonder, Jace, how you got those…" She linked towards me, a smile curling the corners of her mouth. My mind had turned to mush, and the ground was growing unsteady under my feet. Not the bruises.

She gripped the bottom of my shirt and began to lift it up. I registered the gasps and murmurs from the groups around us, but I couldn't understand them. I froze in shock as she began to rise my shirt and I felt the cool breeze press against my bare stomach. I knew the bruises were there, as well as a few new ones now. Why I couldn't do anything to stop her, I don't know.

"Stop right there, you little skank," Someone said.

Kaelie's hand froze, and as I looked down I could see that someone had grabbed her wrist. I looked up at Camille, who looked furious. Kaelie yelped and snatched back her hand.

Camille looped her arm through mine and said, "Surely nobody is actually stupid enough to believe the petty lies you're spreading. Just because you've seen his abdomen doesn't mean he raped you, honey. Grow some brains. As if you would be that confident after you've been sexually assaulted as well. Sorry, but I don't see rape victims lifting up boys shirts, do you?"

There were a few murmurs of agreement from the crowd, but Camille wasn't done yet, "And as if Jace would need to force himself on you, Kaelie. Everyone here knows that you've been obsessed with him since grade eight. You didn't come to school for a week when he moved because you were so heartbroken. My guess is that you're just being spiteful because he didn't want you. Am I correct?"

Kaelie's face was a mix of anger and shock. "I-I-I…. You're wrong!" she wailed.

Camille gave a bitter laugh. "Go dig yourself a hole, sweetie."

I turned to look at Camille, shocked. "Camille…" I said under my breath, but she ignored me. Even though I appreciated her standing up for me, wasn't she taking it a bit far? Telling someone to leave me alone was one thing, but telling them to die… I couldn't condone that.

"B-but how do you explain the bruises?" she cried as a last resort, disrupting my thoughts about Camille's comment.

Someone new pushed their way into the circle. "I thought we made that clear," John said with a smirk, "I throw a mean punch. Kick 'em while they're down! That's my policy."

John and I both new he couldn't kick a criminal if they were laying at his feet, let alone his friend. But his comment got a few laughs and people began to disperse, obviously bored with the commotion.

Kaelie looked around, her face red and flustered. "Y-You… Wait! Doesn't anyone believe me? I am the victim here! Come back!" She screeched.

"Let's go, Jace," Camille purred and tugged me by my arm away from the screaming girl.

John threw his arm around my shoulder as we walked. "Damn, Jace. That is one crazy bitch. What were you thinking getting caught up with her?"

"I wasn't thinking." I told him.

"You will pay for this, Jace Herondale!" Kaelie cursed as we walked away.

Little did I know the extent to what she meant by that. That was the last time I saw Kaelie alive.

You can probably tell from that last sentence, but I will be working some extremely dark tones into this story, especially in the next chapter. If you're sensitive to that kind of stuff, please continue with caution...

Anyways, thank you for reading :) Hope it is ok!