May 18th, 2021
8
Clary's POV
"Have you heard from Valentine at all?" Jace asks me as he punches the bag I'm holding still, "No. But my brother has been in and out of my house for the past couple days." I say exasperated. Seeing him and my mother spend time together is making me sick to my stomach. She seems to have forgotten all the hurt he's caused and changed back into the perfect mother for him. I begged her to change for me, she never did. Seeing the two interact with each other, and my mom's change for my brother has shown me that I'm just not worth her changing. While I get lost in my thoughts, Jace hits the bag hard causing me to fall back down on my ass.
"Damn it Clary," Jace stops swinging, offering a hand to get me back on my feet, "You have a fight tomorrow, you need to get it together." Jace tells me, his eyes locking with mine in seriousness, "I know!" I yell, catching the attention of a few others around us, luckily Luke doesn't seem to hear, "Switch with me." Jace tells me, swapping our positions and I begin to lash on the bag in front of me.
"Valentine keeps calling, I keep ignoring him." I kick the bag hard, "Jonathan won't get out of my house," damn, my lungs are burning, "Every time I'm there, he's with my mom, sharing laughs," I throw a punch, "Drinking coffee," then a kick, "Acting like nothing is wrong," then punch again.
"Everything is very much wrong, trust me." I sigh, stepping away from the bag, "And now, I've turned into an emotional, babbling mess that can't even fight well." I grit my teeth before throwing a wild punch towards the bag with a loud groan, "Get out of your own head." Jace tells me, pushing the bag back towards me, "Again." he tells me, pushing the bag towards me one more time and I sigh, nodding.
I go for the bag once again, keeping my center of gravity under me and attempting to keep my rage under control, which for the most of it, I do. Until I stumble and lose it again, so I stop in my tracks, my face heating up and my heart hitting hard against my sternum.
"Do you want to get your ass kicked Friday?" Jace looks at me and I huff.
"Of course not," I respond, "So get your head out of your ass, stop thinking about your brother and get back to focusing." He tells me and I nod, wiping my hands down my face, brushing the sweat out of my eyes. Today is my last chance to practice before Friday's fight, so I need to get it together, and do it now.
I leave the gym feeling a little bit better than I did when I arrived; Jace being hard on me definitely knocked some sense into me. I need to get my head out of my ass and get back to fighting well. I don't need to lose my winning streak. I'm bringing in a check every month from my sponsors due to how well I am doing, and the moment I lose, the money will start to disappear.
"Hey," Jace and Sebastian are next to my bike, "We are all going out tomorrow as a good-luck celebration before the fight on Friday, wanna come?" Sebastian asks me and I nod, "Where?" I ask.
"A little diner in the middle of Hell's Kitchen, I'll send you the address." Jace tells me and I nod, "Are you nervous for the fight?" Sebastian asks and I smile, "No."
"I heard the girl's a hell of a fighter, the gossip is that she's a part of the Idris mob."
I've never heard of that, "Huh?"
"You know what a mob is?" Sebastian asks me and I nod, "You know, we have the Italian, Irish, all of that, and in the middle of the city we have something called the Idris mob." Jace cuts into Sebastian's explanation, "Theoretically. None of this is proven."
"Well, this girl, her name is Seelie, there is a rumor going around that her family is a part of the Idris mob." I scoff, "Intimidating," I say with a small smirk on my face, "I think I can handle it just fine." I tell them, digging my keys out of my pocket.
"Whatever you say," Sebastian responds, clapping Jace on the shoulder, "I need to get out of here, I'll see you guys tomorrow." My eyes follow him as he walks back to his car.
"You still don't like him?" Not at all, I actually can't stand him, "I'm coming around," - liar.
I grab my helmet, shove my key into my bike and start it up. Before I can pull my helmet over my head, Jace puts his hand lightly on my forearm, "Hey, if things get miserable at your place, I have a spare room at mine; just text me. You need to have a clear mind for the fight on Friday." I know the offer doesn't have any underlying meaning, but the idea of going to Jace's house to sleep to escape my own family makes my stomach do flips. Him falling asleep at my house was just a fluke, I don't know if I could feel comfortable going to his house to sleep.
"Thanks." I tell him, my lips pursing together. He lets go of my arm, backing up a few steps and moving out of my way. I pull my helmet over my head and drive off down the street.
I take the backstreets and alleyways home; I don't think my temper could handle any of New York's traffic right now. I park my bike in the slim parking spot next to my townhome, and I immediately feel my anger spike when I see Jonathan's slick, expensive car parked outside my house. At that moment, I almost hop back on my bike and go straight to Jace's. I decide not to, stepping off my bike, hanging my helmet on my seat, and heading towards the door.
I attempt to slip into the house unnoticed, but the creaking door quickly silences my laughing mother and brother in the living room.
"Hi Clary," my brother greets me, to which I ignore, "Come on Clary, don't be rude, come sit with us." My mother calls to me and I chomp down on my lip, holding in a snippy response.
"Clary, now." My mother calls again, her voice sterner this time. I cave, walking into the living room and sitting on the couch furthest from the two of them. I find it hard to get comfortable under their eyes, and squirm uncomfortably in my seat.
"So, you've been spending extra time at the gym." My mom starts awkwardly with me; I instantly regret sitting down, "Aren't you getting ready for your fight Friday?" Jonathan asks me and my eyebrows knit together, "How do you know about that?'
"Relax, I just overheard you talking about it to your friends." He tells me, raising his hands in surrender, "I don't have friends." I snap; he's obviously lying to me. I just don't understand how he knows and why he's lying to me about it.
"Oh yes you do, you're always with those kids from the PTO meeting, you spend way more time with them than you do with me anyways." I feel defensive already. Of course I spend more time with them, I'm busy fighting to make money for the two of us, or whenever I'm home, she's busy with my traitor brother. I just don't understand what she wants from me. She didn't want me around until Jonathan came back into the picture.
"Maybe if you were around more the past year and a half I would be more willing to spend time with you," I snap at her, which seems to shut her up pretty good.
"And that boy who was here during our," Jonathan pauses for a moment, "disagreement. Who is he?" He asks, referring to Jace, and I let out a bitter laugh.
"Oh, the protective big brother act, it's impressive how you pretend to care." I pull out my phone, "Jace is a guy I fight with, who also happened to offer me a spare room tonight so I could be in a good headspace for my fight tomorrow." I take a pause, sending Jace a text, 'I'm coming over', "So I think I'm actually going to take him up on that." I stand up, going to walk out of the living room and up the stairs towards my bedroom so I can pack a bag.
"Clary, you can't just stay at a random boys house." My mother exclaims exasperated, a surprised chuckle escaping her lips, "He's not random." I call to her as I walk up the stairs. Right now, I feel like I know Jace and Isabelle more than I know my own mother. I hear her and Jonathan call after me a bit more, but I ignore them as I toss a few things in my duffle bag. My phone dings as I tear through my room, gathering my things, 'You alright? Isabelle and Alec are still over'. I ignore Jace's text, dangling my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my keys, then head downstairs.
My brother is up on his feet and standing in front of the door as I go to leave, "You can't just leave like that Clary, we are trying here, but you just won't give us a chance." He tells me and I sigh, "Jonathan, move or I'll move you. I'm not just some kid you can shove around anymore. You left, I grew up, Mom died a bit inside - life moves on. I just don't want you to be a part of mine." I snarl at him, my hand gripping my keys tightly in my hands, "You aren't welcome here." I finish, my jaw clenched tightly as I speak.
"You are welcome here Jon," my mom says behind me, "Don't listen to Clary, she's just upset." My eyes burn as I feel frustrated tears brewing; "Move, now. If you're welcome here, I'm clearly not." With my words, Jonathan gives up, stepping aside. I swear he has a small smile on his face as I walk past him into chilly November air. I make a beeline for my motorcycle, not wanting to be around this stupid house for any longer than I need to be.
The ride to Jace's is brutal, I should've worn a jacket. I'm not used to this New York chill yet and this weather took me by surprise, plus the wind from my bike. The thirty minute drive feels like it is twice as long due to the weather, and the tears that have fallen from my eyes have turned freezing against my cheeks even though my helmet.
When I finally get to Jace's house, Isabelle and Alec seem like they are on the way out, "Are you alright?" Isabelle comes up to me as I pull my helmet off and cut my engine. I rub my hands across my cheeks, attempting to hide the tear streaks, "Yeah, I just need to stay out of my house. Being there is messing with my head." She nods with caring eyes, putting her hand lightly on my shoulder, "I'm right down the road if you decide Jace is annoying again," I can't help but crack a small smile and roll my eyes at her words, "And," Alec slides up behind Isabelle, "Whenever you decide to tell us what is going on, we will gladly listen." Alec offers me, I nod, "I will, thanks guys."
"Rumor has it I give great advice," Alec tells me with a small smile that causes crinkles to form around his bright blue eyes as he walks past me towards Isabelle's car, "He's not wrong, he does give the best advice. But seriously, if you ever need some girl time or want to talk about whatever is going on with your brother," I go to object, but she stops me, "Don't bother pretending it's not about that and everything's fine. You don't need to tell me more about it now, but if you want to, I'm here." She opens her arms for a hug, and after just a moment, I accept, pulling her tightly against me. I wonder if this is what it is like to have a best friend.
When we break apart, I'm greeted again by the chilly wind and I bid goodbye to Isabelle. I grab my duffle bag from my bike and rush towards Jace's front door, attempting to get away from the cold. By the time Jace answers the door, my teeth are chattering, and I swear my cheeks have turned blue.
"Hey," Jace pauses; his eyes scan over me, before a worried frown takes over his features, "Are you alright?" He asks, and I nod, shoving past him into his warm house, letting a small sigh escape my lips, "Yeah, just freezing." He nods understandingly, motioning for me to follow him up the stairs. I listen and we enter what I assume to be Jace's bedroom.
I don't know what I expected Jace's room to look like, but it wasn't the extremely neat, plain room that we are standing in now. Other than the few sports posters on the walls and the plethora of books, I wouldn't have ever guessed that this is where Jace spends his nights.
He tosses me a large black hoodie from his closet and I pull it on gratefully, enjoying the warmth that engulfs my body, "Is little Ms. Florida not used to the New York chill?" He asks me and I sigh, pulling the garment tighter against me as Jace sits down on his bed.
"No, not at all." He smirks at me, staring for just a moment too long. I avert my eyes, focusing on my feet, "Have you been crying?" He asks me, and I spit out a 'no' a little too quickly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks me, patting the spot next to him on the bed. After a moment of contemplation, I drop my bag onto the floor and walk towards him, situating myself on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.
"No, not really." I tell him honestly, and he smiles, turning on the TV in the corner of his room and handing me the remote, "I'd rather watch some stupid rom-com movie than listen to you complain anyways." He scoffs, and I roll my eyes, "I totally had you pegged as a rom-com guy." He laughs quietly and rolls his eyes.
"Alright, alright," He puts his arm behind his head, propping himself up, "Put on something good, will you?"
