cancer; female!malec au

chapter five

Alex naturally woke up a couple of hours before she needed to, squinting at her blindingly bright phone screen that told her it was 5am. It was gradually getting light outside, her eyes trailing over to Jace's bed to see him still sleeping, his face buried in his quilt. She pushed her head back into her pillow and screwed her eyes shut, although sleep never came back to her. A lot was on her mind.

When her alarm cut through her eardrums, she quickly turned it off, hearing Jace groan from the nearby bed. "I'll make some tea," Alex grumbled, pushing herself out of the bed, rubbing at her eyes, trudging out of the room and downstairs. Yesterday did not go as planned, but the evening was still special to Alex and she was making good progress with Maggie.

It was finally Friday, which meant that her friendship group was probably going to a party. Alex considered texting Maggie, although thought against it, too afraid of rejection. Jace entered the kitchen, narrowing his eyes at the morning light seeping in through the window above the sink. "We should ditch school today," He grumbled, rubbing at his eyes, clearly not in the mood.

 "Agreed," Alex said with a smile, turning the kettle off, guiding Jace back to their room as both of them fell onto their separate beds, wanting a few hours more of sleep. Alex actually fell asleep this time, her thoughts blossoming into a soft dream that took her far away from her bed in New York. 

Later on in the day, she got ready to go out with Jace, sitting in front of the large mirror that was propped up against her wall, Jace on the bed. Alex tried to subtly bring up his bisexuality but failed, asking, "When did you realise that you were bisexual? Because, the other day, you told me that you weren't sure."

Jace turned to look at her, seeing her large grin as she tilted her face backwards so that she could see her nostrils in the mirror, applying her mascara that way. He replied, "I don't know; it just kind of happened in the moment. I wanted to know if Maggie was bisexual for you, and I knew that it would persuade her to tell me. I don't specifically like anyone at the moment — boy or girl."

Alex wanted badly to ask Jace about Simon, but also didn't want to expose Simon in a way that would make him feel uncomfortable the next time that they met. "What about anyone in our friendship group?" Alex asked, trying not to look at Jace, afraid she would blow her cover. Jace hummed for a moment, "Obviously, you and Iz aren't even an option, that's gross, which leaves Maia and Simon."

He continued, "Maia is really pretty, but I think she has a thing for Isabelle. I don't even think she's into guys." Alex paused for a moment before pressing, "And Simon?" Jace thought for a moment, shrugging his shoulders, saying that he'd never really thought about it, clearly trying to change the subject.

 "Are you almost ready? I said we'd meet the others in five minutes," Jace pestered, lacing up his white shoes that were already on his feet. Alex hummed, lacing up her shoes too, placing a cigarette between her lips, shoving the rest of the packet into her back pocket.

Maia's parents were out for the weekend and so she was throwing the small party, only inviting their friendship group and a few other friends from their school. Maggie was invited by Isabelle, although Alex didn't know until she knocked on the door, Isabelle and Jace smiling at each other. Isabelle went up to answer it, walking back into the living room with Maggie at her side.

Alex looked up, nervousness fluttering in her stomach at the sight of the girl, greeting her in a confused tone. Maggie sat next to her on the sofa, the two of them slightly isolated from the rest of the group. "Hey, sugar." Maggie greeted her in a hushed tone, smiling up at the taller girl, her eyes bright.

Before Alex could stumble nervously over her words, Maia approached them, asking if either of them wanted a drink, holding two cups of alcohol. Alex graciously took hers, immediately taking a large gulp of it, hating how awkward she was, especially sitting next to Maggie, who radiated confidence.