CHAPTER TWO — RETURN OF AN OLD FRIEND.

Chapter 02.

RETURN OF AN OLD FRIEND.

Clary's POV.

Pushing the door open, I walked into my room, flicked the switch on the wall with a finger as I put on the light, then I shuffled some steps towards the couch across the room and then settled on it.

Placing my head on the headrest of the couch, I glanced at the ceiling for a moment as tears trickled down the length of my face.

Thinking that I worked so hard with hopes of raising some money to pay Mrs Williams for the rent only to be disappointed in the end made it hurt the more. Nonetheless, I knew that there was nothing I could do about it.

Although, he was right: if I wanted to remain a decent girl then I shouldn't have gone there to work in the first place. However, If I'd decided quit when Russell gave me the option to, then I would only have myself to blame in the end.

If anything, I only had one more year before completing my education and that meant one more year to stay there.

“One more year wouldn't hurt, Clary.” I said, muttering the words under my breath as I tried to encourage myself.

Although, I felt a little better, but it didn't change the fact that I would have to tell Mrs Williams some different story when she eventually comes for her money on Saturday.

Tilting my head to the side, I realized that I'd to repair the broken heater. It would be winter in a few months, and I wouldn't be able to cope with the cold.

Heaving a rather depressing sigh, I took my head off the headrest of the couch and sat upright. With a hand, I brought my bag closer, unzipped it and then brought out the money which Russell gave to me.

Regardless of the situation, I knew that I'd to plan ahead. I was fifty dollars short of what should have been a hundred and fifty dollars.

In the meantime, I brought the center table closer, and placed the money on it. Taking out a few dollar notes which summed up to thirty dollars, I moved it to the side of the table.

Although she miscalculated, but then six months rent meant that I'd to give Mrs Williams forty-eight dollars. Left with just a few dollars notes, I took out ten more to fix the heater.

Disappointed with what was left, I scrubbed my hand over my face and exhaled sharply. However, just as I took my hands away from my face, a knock on the door broke in on my thoughts.

“Who's there?” I asked, with a tinge of curiosity in my voice as I glanced at the door, expecting a response from the other side.

However, I got no response. In the past few weeks, there'd been cases of some guys breaking into people's homes. Just last week, an old woman was found dead in her apartment after being robbed. It turned out that she committed suicide.

The rate at which those guys, whoever they were because they couldn't be identified, were breaking into people's homes was alarming. And if it turned out to be one of them, then he would have himself to blame.

I righted myself from the couch, strode towards the kitchen, picked a table knife which I hid behind me and then walked towards the door.

“Who are you?” I asked again, pressing my ear against the door. “Identify yourself.”

Still, there was no response from the other side. Well, if whoever it was wanted to play smart, then he'd better be stronger. I tightened my grip around the knife which I hid behind me, while I slowly opened the door with my other hand.

“Reggie?” I called.

“In the flesh?” he chuckled, spreading his arms out wide.

“I don't understand.” I said, blinking my eyes rapidly in confusion as I shook my head. “I thought you were—”

“Dead?” he asked, stealing the word from me. “Well, I'm not.”

“How did you find me?” I asked, narrowing my gaze at the words.

“Uhm, ahem.” he cleared his throat and glanced around as if trying to be careful with his words. “I did some old location spell tricks and arrived here.”

“You still practice?”

“No, not really.” he said, shaking his head. “If they knew that I still do, then I'd be burned to the stakes.”

“So, what are you doing here?” I asked, sweeping my gaze all over the place as I opened the door. “Why didn't you say anything when I asked who it was?”

“If that's your way of saying that it's been a while, then it's good to see you too.” he said, as a smile pushed his lips to the side.

“You have no idea how much I've missed you, Reggie. I thought you were dead.” I said, returning the smile. “Come here.”

I spread my arms open to embrace him.

“Uh-oh,” he said, taking a step back as he noticed the knife in my grip. “Were you really planning to use that on me?”

He pointed a finger.

“Well, I'd no choice than to come armed.” I said, with a shrug of my shoulder. “Apparently, some guys have been breaking into people's home and stealing from them. So I was just trying to be careful; I didn't want mine to be next.”

“Wait a minute,” he said, taking a moment to sweep his eyes all over the place before returning his attention to me. “I thought New Orleans was the safest place to be. What happened?”

“It was, but not anymore.” I said, shaking my head. “Besides, are you going to stand out there or will you come in?”

He lifted his gaze and glanced at the door frame before taking a step in. As he got in, I shut the door behind me and returned to the sitting room.

“What's going on here?” he asked, as he glanced at the dollar notes on the center table. “Is this some kind of celebration or what?”

“Well, I was only trying to sort out a few bills.” I said, with a shrug of my shoulder as I gathered the notes from the table. “Things have not been easy lately, and my boss isn't helping matters. He just deducted fifty dollars from my pay. So, I'm looking for a way to survive.”

“Why would he do that?” he asked, narrowing his gaze at the words. “Didn't you do your job well enough?”

“Although, I arrive work late sometimes, but that's because of my studies, and he's aware of it.” I said, exhaling sharply as I settled down on the couch. “However, he chose to deduct my pay because a customer touched my butt and I reacted.”

“I get it now.” he said, in a soft voice as he settled on the couch. “You reacted but not in the way that you should have.”

“What would you have had me do, huh?” I asked, with an edge to my voice. “If I'd caused more trouble, he was going to fire me. I'm still studying, and I need to work.”

“You know quite well that he wouldn't have deducted that amount from your pay if you'd done something about it, right?” he asked, raising a brow.

“What are you trying to insinuate?” I asked, breaking off a sigh as tears began to form in my eyes. “If anything, I can't afford to lose my job; it's my only means of survival. I've to pay my rent, but now I can't do so.”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about, Clary.” he said, looking me straight in the eyes with a look of seriousness masking his face.

“No, no.” I said, shaking my head as I got a hint of what he was saying. “You don't expect me to do that. If I'd done that then everyone would know what I am.”

“Now, that's the problem with you.” he said, the words seemed to vibrate along his nerves. “You hesitate too much. Perhaps, if you'd done what was necessary then he would have given you that money, and you wouldn't be here trying to figure out how to complete the payment for your rent.”

“You want me to have done that at the expense of my safety, is that it?” I asked, even though I knew the answer in my heart. “Can you even listen to yourself right now?”

“I should be asking you that.” he said, with a cold look in his eyes. “How long are you going to allow people walk over you, Clary? Until they broke every bone in your body, huh? You need to start fighting for yourself because no one is going to do that for you.”

“I don't need anyone to fight for me!” I yelled, as a flash of amber lighted my eyes. “I can fight for myself.”

“Now that's it.” he said, speaking through his teeth. “This is exactly who you are. If you'd shown him this part of you, then he would have given you that money immediately. And perhaps, you wouldn't have been banned from setting foot in the pack.”

“Need I remind you that I was framed for something that I didn't do?” I shot back, my eyes glittering with anger. “There was nothing that I could have done; no one would have believed me.”

“Is that why you really think you were banned until the next red moon?” he asked, as if trying to prove me wrong. “Come to think of it, your whole family should have been banned, why was it just you?”

“Because they believed that I did it.” I said, as my eyes burned with tears. “It was only right for them to send me away from the pack and not my family.”

“If that's what you think, then you're wrong.” he said, shaking his head. “They banned you because they knew.”