Chapter Text
Alec slammed the front door shut and rolled his eyes as he heard his sister Izzy arguing loudly with their mum inside, as he made his way over to his car. Izzy just never gave up to ask and ask and plead Maryse Lightwood for a change of rules, but their mother sailed a very strict boat full of rules.
The biggest one?
No dates for Izzy until graduation.
Well, no dates for either of them, but Alec didn’t really care about any of that. There was no one he would even be remotely interested in at their school to spent more than just five minutes with in a scrappy restaurant with stupid pop music playing and burger and fries for dinner.
No dates? No problems.
He pressed play on his favorite tape and pulled out of the driveway, leaving their street to get to school.
Alec was glad he had some time on his own on his morning commute since Izzy refused to drive with him. According to her it would ruin her good reputation to be seen with him at the parking lot, but really, what did he care?
It hadn’t always been like this between them, but as they got older, teenager, young adults, things changed. Maybe it was also when their Dad left their Mum to build a new family with his secretary in Boston, that things totally fell apart, the siblings fighting a lot more and Maryse working more, setting these strict rules to have an eye on her children when she was busy delivering babies at the hospital.
So they didn’t get along, and mostly ignored each other.
A loud pop song blaring from another car to his left disturbed Alec’s train of thoughts about a test that day and he glanced to the side, four pairs of teenage eyes glaring right back at him. He raised an eyebrow and all four girls immediately looked away with an annoyed look and he just rolled his eyes. Again.
His best friend Jace Wayland had jokingly told him if he would keep up the eye thing, he would get serous damage one day but really, the stuff Jace blabbered most of the time was nonsense anyway. Funny, but still. That’s why they got along so well, apparently Jace’s joking was the missing piece to Alec’s grumpy attitude. Or so the whole school said. Not that they cared, anyway, as Jace shared Alec’s lack of interest in popularity.
As Alec walked towards the school entrance, his eyes fell on a poster promoting the oncoming school prom, and he ripped it off without any hesitation, continuing his way as a guy with more posters in his arms shouted after him. Jace joined him once inside and grinned at his friend.
“Managed to make anyone cry yet, today?”, he asked but Alec shrugged, opening his locker to get his books.
“No, but the day just started, you never know?”, he answered with a pointed look and Jace laughed, punching his arm.
“What, no devastatingly handsome fella to take you out to prom? To make your high school dream come true?”, Jace asked, faking a shocked expression and Alec laughed, shoving Jace playfully to the side.
“Worst nightmare come true, you mean? Why would I want to go anyway”, he asked and Jace held up his hands defensively.
“Hey, don’t badmouth it til it happened, who knows, maybe someone got the hots for your attitude around here?”, he grinned and Alec rolled his eyes.
“Right, let’s go”, he shook his head at his friend and both made their way down the hallway towards their classrooms.
Simon Lewis left the guidance counselor’s office with a confused look on his face, after the teacher, Luke Garroway had shoo’d him out quickly without answering any of his questions. Why did he always end up more confused after such visits?
He let out a sigh and looked left and right of the busy hallway, packed with students going their merry way. Every school was somehow the same, right? With transferring 9 schools in 10 years because of his Mum in the Army, he was always the new kid and somehow used to it. He could do this. He jerked when a redhead girl suddenly approached him.
“Hi, you must be Simon? I’m Clary, I’ll show you around Idris High”, she smiled and Simon nodded eagerly.
“Nice to meet you, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been to some schools but this is by far the biggest and I don’t think I would have found my classroom or my locker..”, he sighed and Clary gave him a sympathetic look.
“That’s what I’m here for, follow me”, she said and hooked her arm in his, pulling him down the hall. Just as they rounded the corner, they nearly collided with another student, and Simon blinked up at the tall, stylish male who raised one eyebrow.
“If you keep staring, I have to ask for a fee, nerdy”, the other one said with an amused smirk and Simon quickly pushed up his glasses, then shook his head fast as he was pushed to the side by Clary.
“Sorry”, she quickly answered and pulled Simon away, who kept staring after the student disappearing inside the guidance counselor’s office.
“Who was that?”, he asked in confusion and Clary shook her head.
“Oh don’t worry about him”, she answered “Come on, or we’ll be late!”
“Magnus Bane”, Luke Garroway sighed as Magnus entered the office with a smirk.
“I see we’re making our visit’s a weekly ritual?”, he asked and Magnus grin widened.
“What can I say, you’ve grown onto me?”, he said but Mr. Garroway didn’t look impressed and motioned for Magnus to sit down. He looked down onto the paper in his hands and raised both eyebrows.
“You exposed yourself in the cafeteria and frightened the lunch lady?”, he deadpanned but Magnus let out a deep breath and shrugged.
“It was just a joke, a dare. It was a Bratwurst?”, he offered but Mr. Garroway rolled his eyes.
“I can’t believe I have to deal with boys like you, and your hormonal outbursts. There better be no next time or you get to be the lunch lady for a whole month. You’ll apologize and then attend detention for the rest of the week, am I clear?”, he said sternly and Magnus nodded.
“Crystal. See you next week then, Mr. G”, he said and winked as he left the office and Mr. Garroway sighed.
“Teenagers”, he murmured and went back to his desk to keep writing on his soon to be novel.
“So these over here are the coffee freaks, try not to make any sudden movements when you pass them, they get angry very easily”, Clary explained Simon as the lunch break was still going and she showed him around the school ground.
So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary and Clary’s funny anecdotes for the individual groups of people made him laugh as she explained it all to him.
As she was pointing over to a table across them, Simon suddenly stopped and gaped at the beautiful black-haired girl walking towards them.
“Oh my GOD”, he breathed and Clary blinked in the direction he looked. She wrinkled her nose.
“What group is she in?”, Simon asked as the girl passed them and joined another girl’s side, this one also with beautiful long black hair and they chatted eagerly.
“The Don’t-Even-Think-About-It-Group”, Clary deadpanned and shook her head while Simon didn’t stop staring at the two others.
“Isabelle “Izzy” Lightwood, she’s a sophomore.”
Simon swallowed and nodded.
“I burn, I pine, I perish!”, he exclaimed and Clary snorted and tried hiding a laugh.
“Of course you do”, she laughed as she pulled Simon over to a bench and they sat down, Simon with his eyes still fixed on Izzy.
Clary sighed in defeat and nudged Simon until he looked at her.
“Listen, forget her, she has an incredibly uptight mother, who makes up all kinds of rules, the biggest one being that the Lightwood siblings aren’t allowed to date”, she explained and Simon’s face fell a little.
“But isn’t she like.. 16? Who isn’t allowed dating at 16? And siblings? Does she have a sister as beautiful as her?”, he asked but Clary shook her head.
“No, a brother. Alec’s alright he’s just… not like most people?”, she tried but Simon just looked at her confused.
“He’s just. Antisocial. But nice. But grumpy most of the time”, she added and Simon furrowed his brows.
“Sounds like polar opposite siblings to me”, he murmured and Clary nodded.
“Yep, so just forget her, okay?” She pat Simon’s hand.
“The book really was such a good story, we could feel the love through it all”, Lydia sighed and Alec glared at her from his seat two rows away.
“1984 a love story, are you out of your mind?”, he exclaimed and the teacher, Mr. Morgenstern, rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Alec, would you like to offer us all your humble opinion on the matter?”, he asked and looked at his student.
“How could you think the most important part is the small love story happening between Julia and Winston? It’s clear that the difficult timing and the circumstances and then the capture and torture leading to her betrayal is what should be focus. It’s obvious how the love is second and explained how even a connection between them isn’t as powerful as the messages they get told over and over and over again by the government which has the ultimate power over everyone, including people who apparently love each other.”
“Says someone who has no friends or someone who loves them even just a tiny bit.”
Alec’s head spun around, his angry eyes meeting the ones of his classmate Raj, who smirked at him.
“Or did you become a love expert over the weekend, something you want to tell us all about Alexander?”, he mocked but before Alec could say anything, Mr. Morgenstern whistled loudly and everyone looked to the front where he was standing.
“If you can’t share anything productive, shut the hell up”, he shouted at Raj, then focused on Alec.
“You did your research, Mr. Lightwood, yet we’d like to hear other opinions, however wrong or right they may be as well from time to time. And I know how strongly you stand for what you believe in yet, this is an open discussion and you’ve got the right to remain silent for the rest of my lecture, thank you.”
Alec furrowed his brow and shook his head when Raj clapped his hands in agreement.
“Thanks, Mr. Morgenstern, long overdue”, he said but the teacher shot him an angry look.
“As for you, Mr. Bamra, you’ve also got the right to remain silent since the only thing you’ve got to say are irrelevant to the book. Now, let’s move on!”
Just as they were about to focus back on the book, the door to the classroom suddenly opened and Magnus stepped inside, a wide grin on his face as if he wasn’t fifteen minutes late.
“What did I miss?”, he asked cheerfully and Alec rolled his eyes.
“Just a higher authority proving their power over lower people for expressing their opinion on the matter of said power play and therefore abusing it”, he answered in an annoyed tone and Magnus raised an eyebrow.
“Awesome”, he said, turned around and slammed the door shut. The students snickered about the whole scene and Alec actually snorted as well until Mr. Morgenstern stopped in front of his desk.
“Mr. Lightwood?”, he asked slowly and Alec swallowed.
“Take a walk to the office”, the teacher said and waved a hand in direction of the door. Alec opened his mouth to protest, but Mr. Morgenstern made a wide gesture.
“Bye!”, he shouted and Alec frowned, grabbing his folder from the desk and stood up, leaving the classroom, but not before he slapped his folder against the shoulder of a laughing Raj.
After school, as everyone was lingering outside front of the school, Izzy and her friend Camille walked past Simon and Clary again, and Simon couldn’t stop staring at her. Clary rolled her eyes and waved her hands in front of his eyes.
“Hello, earth to Simon?”
Simon didn’t pay attention to her as he watched Izzy smile at an older guy who called after them “looking good ladies” and nodded their direction.
“Who’s that guy?”, Simon asked Clary, ignoring what she has said to him and she looked to where he was pointing.
“Raj Bamra? He’s a senior, and a total jerk, better ignore him”, she scrunched her nose and Simon raised his eyebrow, but then he looked at Izzy again.
“Look at her, she’s so..”, he started but Clary punched his arm and he winced.
“Arrogant?”, she suggested, but Simon shook his head.
“How can you say that, she’s so pure and nice and..”, he trailed off when Clary sighed.
“You wanna take a shot? Okay, well, she’s actually looking for a French tutor”, Clary said and Simon’s face lit up.
“Really? Oh, that’s perfect!”
Clary raised her eyebrows.
“You speak French?”, she asked slowly. Simon smiled, but he shook his head.
“No, but I will?”
Clary laughed, then she grabbed her bag and a box full of art supplies from the bench next to her.
“I’ll see you in the parking lot in a minute when you’re done ogling Izzy?”, she joked and Simon nodded absently, not registering his friend’s words.
“Yeah, in a bit”
When Alec and Jace made their way over to his car, they got stopped by Raj in his sports car who nodded at them with a smirk.
“Hey Alec, don’t you ever get tired of wearing the same black shirt every day? Is that supposed to be a statement?”, he shouted but Alec waved a hand at him.
“Don’t you have a stupid ball to catch on a dirty field somewhere? Get lost”, he answered annoyed and Raj frowned, not coming through with the lame attend of an insult and drove off.
When they reached the car, Clary, who was walking past them nearly bumped into Alec and she dropped the box she had carried and two cans with paint colored the sidewalk brightly in front of him, nearly drenching him in the process and she stared at him for a second, then hurriedly grabbed the cans and stumbled to the side.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t see you…”, she started but Alec glared at her, then shoved past her and opened his side door.
“Watch where you’re going”, he snapped at her and she nodded and hurried off.
“Hey, come on, she didn’t do it on purpose, man”, Jace pointed out and frowned at Alec who sighed. True.
“Yeah I’ll… whatever.” When they got into the car, they saw Izzy and Camille from a distance, her friend Camille Belcourt climbing onto Raj’s backseat of the cabrio and he took off with the screaming and laughing girls.
“That’s a new development?”, Jace said with wide eyes and glanced at Alec from the side who clenched his jaw.
“It’s disgusting”, he grumbled, then he took off as well.
Simon helped Clary put the box with the supplies in the back of his trunk when they watched Alec and Jace drive off and she sighed, looking after them.
“You okay?”, Simon asked and she nodded.
“Yeah, seems like a bad day to run into him, but when is it not a bad day”, she mumbled then gave Simon a look.
“That’s Izzy’s brother by the way”, she exclaimed and Simon’s face paled instantly.
“Wait, that’s her brother?”
“Yup. Let’s go then, shall we?”
Alec was lounging on the couch in the living room when he heard his mum coming home as well as Izzy hopping down the stairs. He looed up at his sister’s cheerful smile.
“Where have you been?”, he asked but Izzy narrowed her eyes at him.
“Nowhere?”, she provided, then hugged their mum tight, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Hi mum, how are you?”, she asked gleefully and smiled. Alec let out a puff of air.
“I’m fine, thank you honey. Hello Alec, this was in the mail for you”, she handed him a big letter and he furrowed his brow, then his eyes widened.
Maryse watched him curiously as well as Izzy.
“Oh my god it’s from Stanford”, he shouted and ripped the letter open, letting out a shout of surprise.
“I got in, holy shit I got in!”, he exclaimed and Maryse frowned.
“Language, Alexander!”, she scolded him as Izzy sat down beside Alec to peek at the letter. Maryse watched him, then cleared her throat.
“Didn’t we agree you’d go to the university of Washington in the city, like me?”, she asked.
Alec let the letter sink down to his lap and looked at his mother challenging.
“No, that’s what you agreed on”, he answered.
“Isn’t Stanford on the other side of the country?”, Izzy asked and raised her eyebrows and Alec shrugged.
“That’s one of the things that makes it so amazing”, he said but Maryse shook her head.
“What, you think you’ll just pack your bags and leave?”, she asked and Izzy’s face lit up smiling.
“Let’s hope so?”, she grinned and earned a stern look from her mother, who focused back on Alec, who narrowed his eyes at his sister.
“Ask Izzy who drove her home”, he threw into the discussion but Maryse waved her hand at him.
“Alec, don’t change the… drove? Who drove you home?”, Maryse instantly picked up on and Alec smiled when Izzy gasped for air beside him, nudging her elbow in his side hard as she tried to calm her mother.
“Mum, don’t panic, okay, there’s this boy..”, Izzy explained but Alec interrupter her.
“..who’s a total jerk”, he supplied but Maryse held up her hand, her focus on Izzy who raised her voice in fury instantly.
“He is not, shut up Alec! And I’m sure he’s gonna ask me...”, she screamed at her brother but Maryse stopped hem both.
“STOP! Both of you! Isabelle, I think I know what he’s going to ask you and the answer is NO, do you hear me?” Maryse told them and Izzy frowned while Alec just glanced at her.
“But mum...”, she tried desperately, as Maryse shook her head.
“What’s the number one rule? No dates until you graduate, you got me?”, she told them and Izzy crossed her arms in protest.
“Mum, that’s not fair! Everyone is dating someone!”, she argued but Maryse pointed at Alec.
“He isn’t dating anyone.”
Izzy glared at her brother who shrugged.
“And I don’t want to. If you would just look at all those idiots from our school”, he said but Izzy slapped his arm in anger.
“Seriously, where did you come from, planet loser?”, she shouted and he rolled his eyes at the insult.
“Look, you don’t…”, he started but Maryse shut them up again and sighed.
“Okay. I see there’s room for an update. New rule. Isabelle can date”, she said and Alec’s mouth fell open in shock, while Izzy beamed at her mother.
“When he does."
Silence followed the sentence and this time Izzy’s mouth fell open while Alec pressed his shut.
Maryse turned and walked out of the living room into the kitchen, quickly followed by a raging Izzy and a silent Alec watching them both.
“Mum! How could you do this, what if he never dates?”, Izzy exclaimed furiously while pointing at her brother and Maryse shrugged, clearly satisfied with what she came up.
“Then you’ll never date either, end of discussion. I need to go back to the hospital now, try not to kill each other while I’m out. Bye honey, bye Alec”, she said, then she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
Alec grabbed his letter and made his way up the stairs while Izzy screamed after their mother. When the door slammed shut and Alec was halfway up the stairs Izzy shouted after him and he stopped to look at his little sister.
“Can’t you be normal once and go to the cinema with some loser so I can have one date?”, she shouted angrily and Alec rolled his eyes.
“Sorry, seems like you have to miss out on Raj Bamra’s wonderful personality”, he fired back and Izzy stomped her foot.
“You suck!”, she exclaimed and left for the kitchen.
“You suck”, Alec echoed, then he stomped up the stairs, into his room and slammed his door shut.