Do you Remember me?

Chapter 16

Clary laughed as the group danced their way down the beach, the setting sun warming her skin as her damp hair bounced around her shoulders.

Simon's phone blared music that the group sang along to, dancing and running along the shore.

She watched as Isabelle used their one towel as a banner, then a flag, then a cape.

It bellowed in the wind, and Clary laughed again as Isabelle spluttered and choked from the tight knot she'd tied around her neck.

Jace and Alec decided to race each other to the grass bank, forgetting their light jog and breaking out into a sprint.

Clary huffed as that left both Simon and Isabelle and her to trail behind them, keeping their pace to a jog as they reached the grassy end of the beach.

Jace and Alec were waiting for them, barely winded from the long distance they had practically flown down as the remaining trio begrudgingly came to a halt next to them.

"Why," Clary panted, bracing her hands on her knees, "Did you have to move so fast?"

Jace smirked, before pretending to pout. "Awe, could poor Clary not keep up? How truly unfortunate." He joked sarcastically. "That will definitely have to change you know, how ever will you win at a race if you can't even volunteer to be in one?" His eyes gleamed with a challenge, and Clary merely rolled her own.

"Win a race? Do you even know Clary?" Simon scoffed, and Clary shot him a look.

He spluttered, a blush rising in his neck as he fumbled over his words. "I mean- No, of course not! How could you?" He nervously laughed, dragging a hand through his hair.

Clary mentally facepalmed, closing her eyes briefly as she wished for the ground to swallow her up.

She opened them slowly to find Jace watching her intently, before he shrugged. "I've spent a day with her so far, probably have to know her at least a small bit by now." He smiled, and Clary smiled back, her tense shoulders easing a bit as she straightened up.

"Oh! Look at that tree! How pretty! Can we go over there?" Isabelle exclaimed, pointing to a lonely tree resting on a cliff that looked over the ocean below.

Clary froze as the group began to move, panic rising in her chest as memories of the familiar tree flooded through her mind.

Jace glanced back at her, frowning before he paused. He made his way back to her, stopping inches in front of her feet before cocking his head to the side.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his brows furrowing subconsciously.

Clary glanced away from his imploring look, shaking her head as she willed a smile to come to her lips. "It's nothing, I'm just a bit...tired, more walking you know? Sucks." She laughed awkwardly, sidestepping him before she began to trudge the trek up the hill.

"Are you sure?" Jace prodded, easily catching up to her and matching pace with her stride.

"Yep." Clary assured him, popping the 'p'.

She knew Jace was still watching the side of her face, so she tried her best to remain expressionless as they reached the top of the hill.

The sun now bled a deep orange, fading from the sky in shades of pinks and purple.

Clary watched as it did, trying not to look at the obvious sight before her and as the group gasped.

She couldn't help but glance back at the tree, a lump forming in her throat as she saw the old pairs of worn converse decorating the branches like Christmas decorations.

There were so many pairs of shoes, which all held their own meaning that only Clary and... well, only Clary now knew.

"Why are there so many shoes? Have their been... suicides here?-" Isabelle hesitantly started to say but Clary shook her head viciously.

"No! God, no! They're..." Clary sighed through her nose, blinking rapidly to stop tears from springing in her eyes.

"There was this couple," Clary began, distracting her emotions by watching the sunset intently.

"They were deeply in love. Neither of them ever had doubts about the relationship, and so they decided that every summer, from the time they'd made their relationship official, they would visit back here every summer." She took a deep breath as she glanced at the carving on the tree.

"It started with the boy carving their initials into the trunk of the tree. Then every year, they would come back and see those initials and would tie a pair of converse to one of the branches. To signify the years they spent with each other in love." She took a shuddering breath.

"They got engaged of course, as most couples in love do. They were going to have the wedding here, actually, but..." Clary trailed off as tears sprung to her eyes, and she desperately tried to get rid of the lump in her throat.

"-but one year, they never tied any converse to the tree, because the girls fiancé had...died." Clary's voice cracked as the word 'died' left her lips.

She glanced at Jace before looking away quickly, gently touching the carved initials on the tree. "She hasn't loved anyone ever since." She whispered softly, hoping she hadn't been too obvious with her story.

                      *                   *                    *

Jace stared at Clary's face, his heart lurching after hearing her story.

His gaze slid to the initials on the tree.

J + C

He started to wonder how she knew so much about the couple, and why she was affected so greatly as she retold the story. It was as if she'd been there.

The intense emotions were all that swirled in her vacant gaze, and Jace couldn't help but want to reach out and comfort her.

His cousins had gone silent, and he knew Simon wasn't going to say a word as his sad eyes watched his friend.

Jace took a step towards Clary, silently wrapping his arms around her small frame.

Her hands instantly went and clutched the back of his shirt, bundling into fists as sobs racked through her small body.

It was then that Jace realised with a jolt, that Clary was that girl.

His hold on her tightened as he buried his face in her hair, whispering reassuring words into her ear as he felt her tears splash onto the front of his shirt.

The name Jonathon pierced through his mind painfully, and he squeezed his eyes closed as he realised with another jolt, that Jonathon had been Clary's fiancé, and that he'd occupied that empty room at the end of the hall.

Jace's heart broke for Clary, and he just held her as everything in her seemed to break all over again.

It was then that the rest of the group stepped forward, Isabelle being the first to place a reassuring hand to Clary's back before the rest followed suit.

There they stood, protecting the girl between them as the sun set.

The sound of the converse blowing in the wind was the only thing that pierced the silence.

A/N:

This chapter was sad.

What the hell guys!

:3

I'm cold. It's supposed to be summer.

Don't hate me.

Love you.

🍋🍋👋

-K