Clary pov

I felt soft steps on my stomach, on top of my comforter. I opened my eyes hesitantly, and saw a blur of gray and brown. I wiped the layers of sleep from my eyes, peering at the figure of my cat looking at me with her giant eyes.

"Shove off." I say lightly to her.

I like to think she would have said something witty back to me if she could.

I get up, stretching my arms over my head in a way that makes my muscles feel even more tired than they already do. I've never been good with mornings.

I stand up, and just stand for what feels like hours. Mornings are *really* hard.

Eventually I walk over to my dresser and pull on a Green Day t-shirt and some dark red jeans. Still in my half sleep daze, I walk into my bathroom and feel around for my hair brush. I grasp the handle, and yank it though my dark red hair. It's still wet from showering last night. The pain of ripping my hair out wakes me up I little more, and I peer in the mirror. I don't really mind my appearance much, but my freckles are a constant headache for me. I don't cover them up though. What good would it do? Everybody in my school already knows I have them. After applying some eyeliner and mascara, I head downstairs.

My mother is standing at the stove, mixing some scrambled eggs. She looks at me and smiles.

"Good morning," she says.

"Mornin'," I reply, "I'm gonna work today. You know, for the concert tickets."

"Oh yeah of course, the concert. The panic from the disco concert. I remember."

I laugh, and don't bother to correct her. She hands me a plate of eggs. I eat quickly, seeing as work starts at 8 and its 7:50 now.

"Soooo mom, how bout me borrowing the car today?" I ask sweetly.

"Oh but of course, Hun." She says equally as sweet.

She tosses me some keys, but their not the normal ones.

"Mom these aren't the right ones." I say, confused.

"Yes, I believe they are."

My face lights up and I got outside. A black moped sits in the driveway. I scream. I've been hinting at getting a moped for ages now.

"I sold a couple more paintings and decided to treat you." My mom explained brightly.

I ran out to it, hoping on it, revving the engine. I look up at her hopefully.

"Haha, it's fine, go ahead." She answers lightly.

I zoom off towards the coffee shop.

We moved here to the outskirts of New York when I was a baby, after my dad died. We've done well for ourselves, my mom is a wonderful painter, and sells to many local buyers.

I pull up to the local coffee shop I work at, Java Jones. As I walk in, I greet the owner, Grant.

"Hey Clary. I need to head out for some more cups. I'll see you in a little while, okay?"

"Okay, bye Grant."

At this time of day, it's rarely busy. I like it that way. I pull out my headphones and sit behind the counter reading and listening to music. I basically do this for the whole day, treating the occasional customer.

It's all okay until 3:00 pm. That's when Sebastian and his friends walk in.

Jace pov

I walk into the coffee shop with my new friends. And when I say new, I mean new new. I just moved here two days ago and the local jocks from the school I'll be going to in a week saw me outside my house. I'm very attractive. I know it. Everyone who sees me knows it. They knew I will be popular when I go to school, and so they roped me into their group.

I'm not complaining. Probably a lot of hot cheerleaders hang out with them.

So now I'm with all of them in this local hangout, Java Jones. The head guy is Sebastian Verlac.

Right when we go in, I see the cashier. She has dark red hair that falls down her back in big, soft curls. Her green eyes sparkle as she talks to an elderly couple at the counter. She glances at us, and I can see her eyes darken a little, but her smile stays, though a little more tight.

When the people she is serving take a seat in the corner, we approach the counter.

"What can I get you?" She asks politely to our group.

Sebastian and Jonathan share a sly smile.

"Two hot chocolates please, sweet cheeks." He says, his tone sweet and sappy.

"Coming right up."

We sit down at a large booth in another corner.

The girl from the counter brings out our drinks, then moves to the couple she was talking to earlier'a table. They start a conversation with her, and I notice how she gets crinkles by her eyes when she smiles at their jokes. She's been talking to them for a minute or two when Sebastian and Jonathan get up quietly with a hot chocolate in each of their hands.

Thy approach the girl and pour the hot chocolate on her.

I see her smile slowly fall off her face as slow as molasses. She blinks, and then apologizes to the couple. The elder man says angrily to Sebastian "if I had my knife, I would cut off your tounge and make you eat it."

His wife shushes him, but a smile creeps into her lips.

The girl starts to smile as well, and the thrtee of them laugh, though I notice for the coffee girl, it's slightly strained.

She go's into the back room, and U don't see her until again.

•later that day•

I recounted my day to my cousin Isabelle, and before I tell her the part about the coffee shop, I ask if she knows a girl with red hair who works there.

"Yeah that's Clary Fairchild. Why?"

I explain what happened, and her expression darkens.

"Those bastards." She spits.

She explains that Clary used to date Sebastian. Apparently she broke it off, and he got mad. That doesn't happen often to him. She tells me that Sebastian is unnecessarily mean to her, when she is an angel to everyone she meets.

"How do you know her?" I ask.

"She's my boyfriends best friend. I don't know her that well but she has done nothing to deserve how he treats her."