Clace: The Bad Boy and the Good Girl (#Wattys2017)

Danger

The cafe they went too was less than a 3 minute walk from Maia's house. It wasn't very full, which made Clary feel safe. When they'd left the old house, the clock had just struck four o'clock, and nobody was waiting outside for Clary or her friends.

There were a few people in the cafe that Clary wasn't too comfortable with, although. Jace, Alec, Magnus, and Isabelle all sat at a table in the middle of the room. Clary pulled Maia and Lily to a small booth in the very back corner, surrounded by cushions and books.

"What do you want to drink?" Clary asked.

"Hot chocolate!" Lily and Maia said at once. Clary smiled.

"I'll be right back." She takes the money they offer to use as payment before walking up the the counter. There is a girl up there, one Clary recognized from school. She had long black hair, and a small tattoo beside her left eye. Her nametag said: 'Kallie'.

She paid absolutely no attention to Clary whatsoever. "Excuse me?" Clary asked, but the girl continued to ignore her. "Hello!?"

The girl sent her a look, before going back to texting. "Chikita! Do you work here or not!?" Clary snapped. The girl turned now, slamming ehr phone on the tabletop.

"What is your problem!?"

"Uh... I'm trying to order and you're ignoring me."

"Make yourself prettier and i'll let you order."

"This is bull-" Clary cut off as someone else's voice cut in. Isabelle's.

"Kallie, deja de ser una perra, y deja que ordene." Isabelle yelled, her voice loud and the fluent spanish coming from her mouth as easily as English came from Clary's. Clary looked at her, slightly surprised, only to realize everyone had begun to stare.

It probably happened when Clary called Kallie 'Chikita'... Clary coughed nervously. Kallie sighed, "Fine. What do you want?"

"Two hot chocolates and a cup of black coffee please." Clary said. Despite her anger at the girl behind the counter, she still kept her polite language... Somewhat.

Isabelle had come to her rescue though, in full Spanish, too. Glancing over her shoulder as she handed Kallie the money for the three drinks, Jace was watching her, a curious glint in his golden eyes... No hate... That was a shocker... Then she remembered the bruise on her eye and she looked at the ground.

Lily had said to wear it like a mark of pride... But it was just a part of her, destroyed, yet again. She could feel the tears welling up again, but she fought it with every fiber of her body. "Number 18." Kallie said before waving Clary away, handing her a receipt.

Clary walked to Lily and Maia, who both were watching Isabelle closely, as if expecting her to attack Clary. "One of you guys should go up next time." Was all Clary said.

***

Half an hour later, with empty cups and satisfied smiles, Clary was saying goodbye to her newfound best friends, and mental strength coaches. Clary told them almost everything about the turmoil between her and her brother and father, what happened to her mother, why she was forced to leave her grandmother... How Jonathan managed to get her alone long enough to hurt her the way he did.

Clary starts to walk away, her smile bright. She didn't see her brother as she walked out of the cafe. He tried to catch her arm as she passed, but he missed. Something hit him in the face, hard. Clary didn't see it though, she was locked in the happy mood her friends put her in.

Two blocks from her house, two blocks away from torture, she was shoved into an alleyway. She hit the ground hard, landing on her arm, soaking her red hair in a puddle of muddy water, at least, Clary hoped it was water. She looked up, her green eyes sparkling with fear...