"Tessa?" he asks, clearly confused, but I guess I must be invisible or something, because him nor Jem have looked over in my direction for this whole time being. I want to shout in their faces, 'I'm right here, suckers, come and get me!'
"Yeah, Tessa, why is that such a surprise to you?" she accuses him and by the look on his face, he has some feelings because he definitely looks as though he feels guilty for not remembering my name.
"Uh, Tessa?" he repeats again, then side glances to Jem, who shakes his head, as if to say, no luck, I don't remember this girl either.
"Ugh, you two are impossible!" Cecily says, defeated, and I couldn't help but to laugh.
Instantly, Will's and Jem's heads turn to me and give me the once over. Cecily walks over and puts an arm around my shoulder. "Meet Theresa Gray, my roommate, but she goes by Tessa," she introduces. "Oh, and she has this crazy obsession with books, like A Tale of Two Cities and books by Dickens, she packed a whole suitcase full of them!"
Great, she just had to point that out. Jem smiled and Will had this look on his face like his world was ending.
"Room mate?" he questioned, in a very high pitch.
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" I ask. Cecily smiles, probably at my bravery. I am proud. It will get me in trouble someday, but today it makes me brave.
He raises his eyebrows at me. "What did you just say to me, a Shadowhunter?" he asks me and I scoff.
"I said, 'Yes, do you have a problem with that?' I refuse to repeat myself to you or anyone else, no matter if you are a Shadowhunter or not. By the Angel, you and your people need serious help. I could suggest a therapist, but I know that she'll just send you and your Shadowhunters straight to the mental hospital, so I suggest, instead, that you go there," I tell him. "Now, if you're done rudely snooping around Cecily's and I's dorm, I have a call to make."
He stares at me, and I wonder if he speaks English. "Do you understand or must I speak idiot for your brain to process? I said scram!" I yell at him.
Jem grabs Will by the arm and pulls him along out the ajar door, down the corridor, him gaping the whole way.
"By the Angel, he seems like a lot of work!" I exclaim to Cecily, shutting the door. I notice that she isn't smiling and isn't laughing. "Is something wrong?" I ask her, concerned.
"How did you just say that to him? How? I can't say anything like that to him, I don't know why, I just can't, and any girl can't seem to resist him, so how do you do it?"
"Uh, I just remember what he puts you through and it pretty much fuels me enough," I tell her. She nods. "Sorry, I have to video call my friends, they're already going to kill me for waiting this long."
I walk over to my bed and pull out my laptop and get skype ready, I see they've sent me multiple messages and I instantly feel guilty, they had this sleepover for me.
I start a call and wait about a couple seconds before they pick up.
"There you are! We've been worried sick!" Clary informs me.
"I know, I know, sorry, I've been...sorta busy.." I tell her and everyone else.
"Details, darling, details," Magnus reminds me. I wind up telling them the whole story about arriving and how horrible the weather was today, and how different the Institute is from our school. I also didn't forget to mention the nightly party, which they thought was absurd as well. I faltered on the part about Will, not knowing how to describe him. Eventually, I decide on everything I hate in a person and they nod knowingly.
Oh, how I've missed them. They tell me news from their school, who knew I could miss so much in only one day.
Alec got his first B of the whole year, which was surprising, he rarely gets anything less than an A.
Clary painted a painting for me, which she would give to me when I came to visit in two weeks, though they didn't know that, they didn't know when I would be visiting them. I haven't told them yet.
Jace became a second degree black belt, receiving his belt just after I had left. I congratulated him.
Simon had watched the new Star Wars movie and began to rant about it to me, with me ranting back, for I had seen it already.
Isabelle had designed a new outfit, a beautiful dress with shoes that she had sent for me to wear, I told her of my appreciation.
Magnus had helped make it, with him doing all the glitter on the dress, and it looked spectacular, it was the color of the sunset and the glitter only helped it. For the weather, they said.
"Oh you have no idea how much I miss you!" I tell them, wanting the distance between us to cease to exist, just me right there with them.
"We've missed you so much, but we have to go to bed, it is 3 AM here you know," Isabelle says.
"Yeah, okay, goodnight Izzy, Clare, Alec, Magnus, Jace, and Simon, call me tomorrow!" I remind them.
"We will, night Tess," Jace says and then the screen goes black and their gone. I feel deflated. Nothing left in me. I desperately want the two weeks to be nothing. For me to get on a plane home right this instant. But I know that I have to survive two weeks to deserve that.
With all that I've done, I've made some very powerful people angry.
And a friend.
Sounds just like me to do that in six hours I've been at a school.
I crawl into bed, and realize that I wasn't alone in the dorm.
"Tessa?" Cecily asked.
"How long have you been there?" I question her.
"Long enough to hear how much you miss them, what's it like?"
"What is what like?"
"To have friends like that, friends that would paint you paintings. Friends that would tell you that they got a B on their test because you were gone. Friends that would make an outfit just for you and friends that you would do anything for?" she asks me, I try to interrupt, to deny, but she stops me. "Don't. I know you are trying to hide it, but there's no need, I want to be friends with you, but I don't expect to be your only friend, I just ask that you actually give me a chance, please?"
"Why wouldn't I? I need friends here, besides, I think that they'd like you, if you want, you can talk to them with me when I call them again," I offer.
"I'd like that, goodnight Tessa."
"Night, Cecily."