Alec's POV

"Shoes"

"Check" I answer her hastily, watching as more and more people head up toward the airplane terminal. I pull my beanie further over my wavy black hair as she continues down the checklist. I got accepted into Harvard last week from the wait list, so my mother's distress at her "little baby" leaving the nest has reached a point of embarrassing that I didn't know she could achieve. Tears stream down her face, running over her nose and cheeks in sad little trails. Harvard is pretty far away from our little town of Tampa Bay Florida so I understand her concern.

"You'll visit right?!" She looks up at me from the list with worry sitting deep in her dark brown eyes. I wince, the whole point of going so far away was to escape the pressure my family puts on me. Ever since I was little, everything has been about being the perfect child, getting the perfect grades, having the most perfect friends, basically being perfect, not personable. Ever since my sister Isabelle "went off to the deep end" they've tightened their grip on my life. I have always had the responsibility of upholding the "Lightwood family name" which seems to be the only thing my family cares about.

"ALEC?!" Her shrill voice cuts through my thoughts. I flash her a tight smile and say "sure". She seems satisfied at this and she returns to the seemingly never ending list.

"Deodorant"

"Check"

"Toothpaste"

"Check"

"Ok, that's everything", she says, disappointment colouring her words. I feel a flash of sympathy when she begins crying again and I pull her into my arms, feeling her tears soak through my black shirt. I know she'll be fine soon, my mother has never been much of a cryer, she's tough and determined and loyal. She pulls out of my arms and straightens her suit jacket and tightens the ponytail at the back of her head.

"Good bye Alec, call me when you get there!" She orders and I nod my head, finally grabbing my duffel bag and heading to my flight to Massachusetts.

*********

By the time I land, it's around 3, room check in starts in an hour so I take a bus to Harvard and walk around campus, looking for somewhere to eat. It's kind of awkward lugging around my suitcase and backpack but I'm too hungry to care. There's a small restaurant called Bravos Pizza that I head into. It's small and cozy with a black and white tiled floor and small tables and booths scattered around randomly. There's not many people here at this hour of like 2:30. I sit down in a booth and take a bite of my pizza which is surprisingly good when I hear a voice say

"You're in my seat",

I look up into the blue eyes of a tall blond boy with a smirk planted on his face. His arms are crossed over his broad chest and a pixie like girl with red hair stands next to him with a smile on her lips.

"My apologies", I mutter sarcastically but make no attempt to move.

"Tough guy here", the blond says but I can sense the underlying playfulness.

" Damn straight", I snort and he chuckles, a deep rumble in the back of his throat. I shiver involuntarily and take another bite of my pizza. I can feel his blue eyes drilling me while I chew and I eventually swallow and look up.

"The name's Jace, what's yours?" He asks and he sticks out his hand.

"Alec. Alec Lightwood," I tell him and grasp his hand firmly, I'm surprised when his hand slides up to instead wrap around my forearm. I raise an eyebrow but he shrugs and laughs it off, taking a seat next to me.

"This is my girlfriend Clary," he gestures to the redhead who waves. She's very thin with long red hair and I can see the tips of a tattoo hidden by the green long sleeved shirt.

"So how long have you been on campus Alec Lightwood?" He asks me and motions for Clary to sit across from us. She plunks down and flips her long hair over her shoulder and looks at me with intense green eyes.

"Just got here actually," I tell him and he smiles, a slow stretch of his lips.

"Perfect, I can show you around then," he takes a bite of my pizza and chuckles. I feel a blush color my cheeks but I'm confused as to why.

"So Alec, what's your major?" Clary asks me.

"I'm studying criminal law," I tell her. My entire family is made of lawyers, from my aunts and uncles to my mom and dad. It's only proper that I follow in their footsteps, not that I really have a choice anyway. I can't stand disappointing my family like Izzy did, I need to be what they want.

"Well that's cool," she smiles at me, hesitant but reassuring. I guess I said it as hollow as I thought it sounded.

"Yup, law....very interesting," Jace says sarcastically, making me smile a real smile.

"Shut up, it has to be more interesting than weight lifting and being a douche," I tell him and he feigns hurt.

"I think those things are very interesting," he says defensively, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Oh I'm sure," I snort and take another bite of my pizza. I'm surprised at the blonde's friendliness towards me, I'm kind of boring and not many people stick around much to know me. I hope Jace will be a different story but only time will tell.

"So, which dorm house are you staying in?" Jace asks.

"Weld," I answer him. Weld is supposed to be pretty spacious with decent bathrooms, I have only 1 roommate which is good because the rooms fit 2-4 people. I don't care for sharing my space with really anybody. I like things neat.

"Cool, I'm in that dorm too!!!" He exclaims like a girl receiving tickets to a One Direction concert. I laugh again and he looks at me with wide eyes and a huge smile.

"You're really weird," I mutter at him and he gasps.

"Me?! No way, that's not what the ladies say," he wiggles his brows and Clary snorts from across the table.

"That is NOT true," she whispers to me only, but Jace can still hear her. He pouts again and turns his back to me in the booth, draping is legs off of the bench.

"What room are you in?" I ask him. It would be nice if we shared a room, Jace seems pretty cool and at least I would know him.

"Oh you want to talk to me now?" He huffs with his back still towards me.

"For real man," I say with more force this time.

"I'm waiting," he tells me stubbornly.

I look at Clary for some sort of guidance here but she shrugs and let's her eyes wander far away.

"Sorry," I finally spit out sarcastically and I hear the deep rumbling laugh as he turns around and faces me again, a smirk curving his full lips.

"Good boy, I'm used to getting what I want," he purrs. I blush but go with the flow.

"I'm sure you are," I murmur and I feel a hand slap my shoulder.

"Alec, stop flirting with my boyfriend!!!" Clary shouts from across the table. Jace lets out a good-natured laugh and slaps me on the back.

"Clary calm down, I was just kidding," he says, palms up in surrender.

"No homo," I add with a chuckle and she gives a non committed nod and mutters "sure" under her breath. We finish up the small pizza and head out on campus. Jace and I head to our dorm to drop off our stuff before we walk around campus. We finally walk into the large dorm house called Weld,  stopping at the front desk. A small woman with short brown hair and tired eyes sits and says a short "hello" as we walk in.

"Hi, my name is Alec Lightwood, I'm here to pick up my room key," I tell her as I make my way over to her desk, Jace falling in line behind me. She files through some papers and pulls out one with my name on it.

"Sign here," she points her pen to an open line where my name goes. I sign it and she hands me my key. I wait until Jace gets his key before heading up to the second floor.

"I never did tell you my room number," Jace muses when we step out of the elevator. I glance over at him and nod.

"Nope, you never did," I say, waiting for his response.

"I'm number three,"

"Six,"I tell him. He nods and grabs my forearm again, shaking firmly. I guess this is kind of his thing so it doesn't faze me as much as it did the first time. We walk out of the dorm room and continue walking with Clary to tour the class houses and shops on campus.
Clary leaves  us for her room in Apley Court around 8 and Jace and I make our way across the long field towards Weld. The air is cool on my skin, something I'm not exactly used to during September. The sky is clear with stars dotting it like freckles running across someone's cheeks. Crickets chirp loudly, signaling the end of summer and the start of school, a sound I've never been fond of. Crickets bring back the pressure of doing well in school and being the top of my class, going out with only the best girls. But crickets are only sounds of the night, the singing of insects under a blanket of stars.

"So do you know who your roommate is Alec Lightwood?" Jace's soft voice asks from his place next to me. I look over at him but his eyes are turned towards the stars. I study his face, calm and kind, eyes wrinkled from laughter, lips always seemed to be curved up but his eyes are always hiding something deep inside. I can see a small strip of black ink showing on the side of his neck, poking out of the collar of his t-shirt, no doubt a tattoo. His eyes snap towards me and he raises a brow, waiting for a response.

"Ya, some guy named Magnus Bane," I tell him, recalling the name from my information sheet. He nods and pulls out his sheet from the back pocket of his jeans.

"Simon Lewis," he reads of and looks up at me before shrugging. The dorm lobby is empty upon arrival except for the lady at the desk and two boys signing in.
"Here," Jace hands me his phone in the elevator heading to floor two. I raise a brow at him and he sighs.
"Put your number in it," he explains slowly and I frown at him but put my number in like he asks. Not three seconds later I receive a text from a new number.
Hey hot stuff
I roll my eyes and look over at Jace who's lips are quirked in a crooked smile. We step out of the elevator and stand at the enters nice.
I'm blocking your number Jace
I send back and watch as Jace reads the text and frowns.
"You better not Alec, I know where you live," he threatens. I laugh out loud and shake my head at him.
"I pity the fool who breaks into my house," I warn him and he puts his hands in the air in surrender. He starts walking to his room and turns to face me.
"See you around Alec Lightwood," he murmurs and heads down the hall opposite to mine. I wave but he doesn't see me, his back is already turned. I wander down the hallway, my boots clicking on the wooden floor. I finally find my room and jam the key into the hole before twisting it an hearing the satisfying pop of my door coming unlocked. The lights are already on when I step inside and a t-shirt lays strewn on the floor a few steps from the door. I cringe, when I step over boots and heels my mind flickers to the worst possible scenarios: Is my roommate a girl? Does Magnus wear heels? He is definitely a slob. He's having sex. The room is pretty spacious with two beds in the center of the living room and a small kitchen to my left. The beds are made with white sheets and pillows, like a hotel. A small brown dresser sits on the side of each bed and a lamp stands next to them.  I don't see the suitcase of my roommate but I do hear sounds from the kitchen. I round the corner and find my roommate, pinning a girl against the wall, lips on her neck, black hair sticking all over the place. Bad scenario number 4 comes true.  I attempt to turn on my heel and bolt for my bed but the boy already hears me. He pulls his head away from the blond haired girl's neck and faces me, chest bare, pants hanging low on his hips, almond eyes glowing a glittering gold.

"You must be Alexander Lightwood," he purrs, stepping towards me, his full lips parted and eyes shining even brighter. I take a step back based on instinct, making a slow smile creep onto his lips. His tongue darts out from parted lips and he runs his hand through blue tipped hair, never breaking eye contact.

"My name is Magnus Bane."