Small Town Days [Malec]

Life Tip #1- Avoiding Being Late

Running late was something Alexander Lightwood desperately tried to avoid. It was the result of his father's gene for OCD.

For some reason, he found himself running late on Friday morning.

Maybe it was the extra second he took to actually use the mouthwash that had been sitting on the edge of his sink for a year. Or the time he took to debate between red or blue socks (and for the record, blue had won).

Whatever it was, he had to leave the house by 7:19 to make it before the 7:30 late bell. It was 7:18 and he hadn't grabbed his lunch or breakfast.

"Alec?" His father's voice rang out from the office door.

Alec looked to his mother, hoping she might bail him out. She shook her head.

"Yeah?" Alec called.

"Come here please."

"I've got--"

"Here, please."

Alec rolled his eyes, getting the sarcasm out of his system, before entering his father's office through the curtained French doors.

"Yes?"

"Are you going to prom?" Robert Lightwood didn't look up from his desk.

"Um, no," Alec said. He tried to say it as casually as possible.

"Why not?"

"I'm going to Indy tonight," Alec said.

"Prom is tomorrow." Robert set his reading glasses aside and looked at Alec.

"I'm in Indy on Saturday too," Alec said.

"Visiting your friend?"

"Yes," Alec said. "And his name is James."

"I can't wait to meet him."

"Yeah," Alec said. "Can I go?"

Robert nodded curtly and Alec flew out of the room.

........

Magnus' phone rang, waking him up.

He slapped it aimlessly, hoping to hit the decline button. Failing at that goal, he opened one eye to find the speakerphone.

"'yello?" Magnus called.

"Magnus, first hour just ended. Where are you?"

"Senior skip day," Magnus mumbled.

"That's next week, idiot."

"Whoops."

"I've decided we're not going to Prom."

Magnus' eyes flew open and he snatched up his phone, taking it off speakerphone.

"Catarina, we are going to Prom--"

"I got invited to Anti-Prom--"

"Anti-Prom is not Prom. Senior Prom, Cat!"

"Anti-Prom though! It's so much cooler-- Magnus, please, we just have to--"

"Cat, I was on the Prom committee. I can't just not show up," Magnus said.

"What if I kidnapped you?"

"Kid-- We're going to Prom."

"Exactly. Anti-Prom."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Magnus shouted. But the line went dead.

Cell reception was shotty in the town of Garrington.

Everything was shotty in this town.

..........

The drive to Indianapolis from Garrington was about an hour.

Alec had never minded the distance. The farther he was from his life there, the better.

The story he had told his father was truth on the surface, with lies hidden carefully away in the layers beneath.

There was a James. He did live in Indianapolis. And Alec would not be at Prom.

The honest truth was that Alec had never met James. They were "friends" on Facebook but "James" was a fake profile, created by Alec and his band mates. He wouldn't be at Prom, but he would be at Anti-Prom.

Tonight, Alec was in Indy, getting away from it all.

He drove straight to a tiny little tattoo parlor above a Chinese restaurant.

Waiting upstairs were five guys, including the artist.

"Late, Lightwood?" the first guy asked.

"We thought you might chicken out-"

"It's going to take five minutes," Alec snapped, walking straight for the cot-like bed. "I think I can handle it."The guys all sat on stools around the chair. Alec laid down on his side, folding the cartilage of his ear forward.

"Sure you want this, Alec?" the tattoo artist.

"I sure hope so," Alec laughed. The cold alcohol cloth swiped back and forth a few times in the gap between his ear and hairline.

"Are you nervous?" Simon asked. Simon played bass in the band. He did some back-up vocals occasionally, but they tried to avoid that at all costs.

"No," Alec said.

"Going to sketch it on," the artist announced.

"Screw it up," Will taunted. "Permanent screw up behind your ear, Alec. How does that sound?"

They waited a few minutes in relative silence, some heavy metal song thrashing in the background.

The artist's steady hands worked with a graceful and accurate speed, working the fine felt pen over Alec's skin.

"Check it?"

Through a series of mirrors, Alec was able to see the sketch.

"Good," Alec confirmed.

"It's permanent-"

"I know," Alec said, looking the artist directly in the eyes, daring him to question Alec's confirmation.

"Alright." Alec laid back down and seconds later, little needles began the process of slipping ink below the surface of his skin.

Where it'd always remain.

.........

Magnus had finally shown up to school after fourth hour. But he'd spent thirty minutes of his lunch hour listening to the dean lecture to him about punctuality.

Then it was back to the halls for Magnus.

The end of the day couldn't come fast enough.

He and Catarina had planned on spending the afternoon in Indy buying their outfits for Prom, but he doubted that would happen.

"I'm not renting a tux for some stupid underground party," Magnus said indignantly.

"The point of the party is to dress up but not listen to the stupid mainstream music or Jessica Simmons complain about her dress," Cat said. They were sitting in the school parking lot in Magnus' old four-seater.

"I'm not dressing up," Magnus said. "And you can't make me."

"Well, I want to and I don't have a dress. So please, please drive me to Indy so I can go shopping."

"Maybe I enjoy watching Jessica Simmons suffer," he muttered.

"Please."

Magnus shifted the car into reverse and nailed the accelerator, sending them flying out onto their highway to freedom.