UNEDITED

Jake got sick.

Oh and we got arrested.

"You moron." I say finally taking off the jacket and giving it to him,"I told you that you would get sick."

He rolls his eyes as he says,"Thank you oh great one for predicting the futur — achoo"

He sneezes before he can complete the sentence which just reinforces my statement.

"Like I said moron, now you will be stuck at home during Christmas." I say scooting closer to him and raising my hand up to his forehead to check his temperature.

"I don't really like Christmas it's quite a stupid holiday." He states,"I mean what's the point of sitting around a tree and opening a bunch of presents that a fat man in his red pyjamas has left for you when we all know that it's our parents. Well, parents who actually have the time."

"I think it's the very idea." I say gently putting my hand down,"When the family comes together. Plus Christmas is not supposed to be about presents just the festivity and the entire family is together. I mean that's what normal people do. "

"Now that's a joke." He says drily, "My dad had always worked on Christmas and to make up for that is my mom always throws this extravagant Christmas party and invites just about everyone she knows. My dad has been making me intern since last year because he wants me to join the company straight after I finish my university graduation. The only way I am going to get out of work is by being sick"

"So all in all the only reason I am going to be there during Christmas is because I am sick." He finishes.

"Wow that is pretty damn bleak." I say,"Unfortunately you cannot beat me when it comes to a sad and pathetic life."

Jake smirks,"Okay but at least I can give it a good shot."

I roll my eyes and smile.

"What aren't you telling me your Christmas plans?" He says.

"Well, mine usually consisted of staying alone at home watching whatever was coming on TV." I say,"But that's the good part the bad part is when Michella comes back from her boyfriends house with her whoever she is dating that year after christmas dinner at his house. Since all of his relatives were in their house they came to well uuh be alone."

"Be alone as in...." He implies and I shudder.

"It is not fun when you walk into your living room with your earphones on and you almost sit on them two people who are pretty much naked."

Jake's eyes widen and a smile tugs on his lips,"Well I can't imagine having a worse Christmas."

I wince and screw my eyes shut desperately trying to get the image out of my head.

"It does get worse." I say trying my best not to gag.

"You sat on his cushy spot?" He laughs clearly teasing me.

"Worse." I say.

"It became a three way." He says smirking.

"Eew no." I gag.

"Well I can't possibly think of an-"

"It was Alec." I interrupt him before he can finish the sentence.

His eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he starts laughing. He clutches his stomach and laughs and there are tears in his eyes.

At one point he is on the floor.

"I'm glad you enjoy my pain." I say drily.

He laughs some more until he finally gets a hold of himself and sits back up. His face has turned more or less red from the laughter and he is breathing heavily.

"Wow," he says and let's the word hang in the air and I nod try my best to push that horrifying scene out of my head.

"Alec was the guy?" He says slowly,"And you sat on them when they were in the middle of -"

"Can you please not repeat it?" I more or less yell trying to forget that extremely humiliating moment.

"Well, at least you got to see him naked." He replies and I throw the moth eaten pillow at him.

"See don't even try to beat me at the pathetic list of Christmas disasters." I say.

"Well, Clara it's official you beat me when it comes to this holiday." He says.

I was in an amazingly good mood and even being trapped in a smelly stinky New York jail cell couldn't bring me down. Neither does the fact that my future prospects to get into a college maybe ruined but as of now I didn't care.

"I did tell you I would show you all of New York, didn't I?" Jake says smirking,"That involves the jail cell."

"Well, I liked the view from the Empire State Building much better." I state staring at the cop in front of us who was snoring in front of us.

Jake looks at the cop and makes a face which makes me laugh.

"True." He says smiling too.

Jake sneezes again and I try to resist the urge to slap him across his face. If the idiot had just kept his jacket-

Then you would be sick, my conscience interrupts.

"So are you going to strip me down and parade me around a jail cell so that I learn my lesson?" He asks

"You wish." I say.

"More like you wish."

I blush red. Hopefully because of embarrassment and not because of well uh my fantasy.

Clara. Get. A. Grip.

"Mmh." I mutter than realise that Jake is smirking at me so I quickly distance myself.

"I mean gross." I say quickly trying to divert his attention.

He laughs loudly and the guard finally wakes up and tells us to shut the hell up and the both of us snicker.

"Today was seriously one hell of a day." I say leaning back against Jake,"I mean standing there on the top of the building.. It's brilliant."

"So getting arrested didn't dampen your mood?" He asks raising his eyebrows.

"Honestly?" I say,"It was kind of exciting. Being handcuffed was seriously bad ass. I swear to god when I stuck my tongue out in front of this lady she was about to have a heart attack."

"Clara Wilson it's official you are no longer miss goody two shoes." He says.

"Well, the minute I started dating you that reputation had gone down the drain." I say,"But you know Jake you aren't as bad as you seem you are just a big softie who quotes the Titanic"

Jake turns red,"It was a spur of the moment thing. And who hasn't watched Titanic? It's a classic."

"You are such a softie!" I exclaim,"Next you will be fan girling over Edward Cullen."

"I do not read Twilight!"he exclaims,"Trust me I have no interest in learning about the romances of two extremely deranged people."

"Well, I still think you are a big softie " I say dragging the word along.

"Well, just come two inches closer and I will show you just how hard I can be" He says smirking.

My cheeks turn cherry red once again,"For the millionth time Henderson I do not want to see you naked or anything like that. This is disgusting and we are wasting our time on this conversation."

"When you much rather be vividly thinking about me naked."

I am about to slap him or kick him where the sun don't shine and wipe that smirk off his face but a flash of blonde hair catches my attention and I turn to see Alec standing in front of our jail cell.

I never thought I would say that sentence, Alec standing in the front of our jail cell.

But there he was standing in front of us. And he looked pretty damn pissed.

I simply give him a small smile and shake my wave almost guiltily,"Hi."

"What the hell?" Jake and Alec both say together and I sink back into the cot.

"What is he doing here?" Jake says glaring at Alec.

"More like what is she doing here?" Alec replies back looking equally mad.

Oh god.

"Out of everyone on this planet you decide to call him?" Jake asks me.

"Well, his was the only number I have memorised." I reply back,"And what other option did I have? My absentee parents? Or my sister who just happens to have slept with you?"

"So let's get this straight, you decided to call my soon to be step brother who just happens to be your ex best friends and your sister ex boyfriend who you-" He breaks the sentence off in time but the message is clear.

At least it was, once upon a time.

"Well, at least I am not the one who got her stuck in jail." Alec replies,"And don't forget I can leave you in this jail to rot."

I look at the police man who is looking wearily at the two of us. The policeman had quite simply said that he couldn't officially arrest is as neither one of us were officially eighteen. So he simply put us in what he liked to call a holding cell and what I liked to call the underside of a donkey, and told us to call an adult who could get us out of here. So I called Alec knowing that he was already eighteen and could figure out a way to get is out of here.

"Alec stop it." I say,"Just please get us out of here and I will explain everything."

"Clara, he is trouble and you know it." Alec says disappointment clear in his eyes,"I didn't think you would be influenced by him."

For some reason for the first time in my life I wanted to get away from Alec as far as possible.

Okay maybe not the first time there was the seven minutes in heaven incident.

Well, not really heaven. Not even close.

"Alec-" I start to say.

"And aren't you mister judgemental." Jake says,"Seriously you can go fuck off if all you are here for is your almighty great opinion that you somehow think that we actually give two shits about."

"Jake!" I say and he rolls his eyes.

Alec looks at me with an unreadable expression and finally puts on a small smile before he says,"Let's get you out of here."

He disappears with the policeman and I am left with a Jake in a very foul mood.

"What?" I say,"He was the only one who I could call without an upstanding controversy, plus I have neither of my parents numbers and my mother will not be too happy."

Jake doesn't say anything and I let the silence suffocate me like a thick blanket until the jail door rattles open.

"You can be on your way." The policeman says and we are lead out to the large office up ahead.

The office isn't something special and is certainly not to fancy. It is exactly what you would expect a police station to be like. Slightly dingy but simple.

But the most jarring thing about the police station was that in a crowd of people in blue uniforms one man in a suit radiated power and looked completely out of place.

That man happened to be Conrad Henderson.

I immediately grabbed Jake's arm and stopped him. He had noticed his father too undoubtedly confirmed through the slight change in his skin color and the hard glint in his eyes.

What the hell is Jake's father doing here?

My gaze then turns to the blonde haired boy standing next to him mirroring the same disaapointed expression the man next to him had.

Alec.

He is standing next to Mr. Henderson gazing at the two of us as if we are little kids who have been caught throwing their greens into the bin.

Mr Henderson on the other hand has a smirk on his face. It is eerily similar to his sons but much colder harder and crueler. It isn't playful like Jake's but much more arrogant with a hint of triumph.

I look at Alec and suddenly I feel betrayed. I cannot believe that he would involve Jake's father out of everyone in this bloody planet.

"Clara relax." Jake says in my ear.

I turn to look at him. He looks tired but not particularly surprised. It was as if he had known that his father had come.

"I'll see you later, huh?" He asks and then plants a small kiss on my forehead and walks ahead to meet his father who gives Jake a curt nod and walks out of the station with Jake in toe.

I watch this stuck in my spot somewhere in between the dilemma of following Jake and wether or not should I overthink his gesture of affection.

Alec thankfully saves me from this by being the bigger problem.

"I cannot believe you called Mr Henderson out of all the people." I say.

"It was the only way to get you out of this mess without it being put on your permanent record." Alec replies,"Because of him there is no trace of this in either of your files. He is a very powerful man."

I roll my eyes clearly not in the mood.

"Save your praises for him." I spit remembering the little scene the office earlier on and how he spoke.

"Please just because your irresponsible boyfriend has daddy issues-" Alec says but I interrupt him.

"Lay off him seriously." I say,"I never ever judged you when you had girlfriends like Melanie King or Natalie or even my sister. So why can't you leave him alone."

So I did judge them but I did it in my head.

"Because they weren't as careless not to mention potentially dangerous." He says and I laugh.

"Really you are actually telling me in the long list of girlfriends which involve all three of them plus god knows how many psychos I helped you get away from there is no one who is potentially dangerous." I say,"Oh right because they are all dangerously crazy."

"Well, they don't get people thrown in jail." Alec throws back,"You could ruin your future with him."

"So?" I say,"I am tired of being the girl who has done nothing wild nothing rebellious and just sits in her room every night and doing the right thing so that she can impress her parents who never bat an eye towards her.I am tired of the girl who gets trampled on and most of all I am tired of being the girl who pines over the guy nex-"

I break off horrified at what I was about to let slip but thankfully Alec was to busy replaying what I had said earlier on.

"So you are going through a rebellious stage." Alec states,"But you don't have to do it, the old Clara-"

"The old Clara was ignored and she-" I begin to say.

"I liked her okay?" Alec interrupts,"I liked the Old Clara who was responsible and she was the one who kept me grounded. I liked her but I don't know what Jake has don-"

"Do not pin this against Jake." I say a little too fiercely.

"Then who?" Alec replies,"All you do is defend him for his actions against everyone his father, me even your mother for god sake!"

"What actions?" I say,"Why does everyone point fingers at him? What he sleeps with girls? He slept with my poor poor sister and broke her sad excuse of her heart? Seriously? Even you slept with her for the love of god."

"You are getting your sister involved in this really?" Alec shouts oblivious that the both of us are making a scene in the middle of the street.

"She is involved in everything." I say exasperated,"She manages to claw her way into everything-"

"I asked you if you were okay with it before I asked her out and you said that-"

"I was fine?" I complete,"I mean what should I say to you that no you can't date my sister?"

Alec stares at me blankly for a few moments and doesn't say anything and the both of us lapse into much need silence.

I don't look at Alec and concentrate my full energy at focusing on the dirty grey pavement beneath my feet. This is the first time I have ever fought with him like that and to be honest Alec had done the right thing calling Jake's dad in a way. Because of him the stunt of ours would not be a long term stain on my record or his.

But I was pissed at the fact that Alec was looking at me like some two year old kid who was helpless and some weak little girl who got manipulated and couldn't do anything on her own.

In fact I was sick of that look from everyone. My friends, my family everyone except Jake. He never looked at me like I was incapable of doing anything or standing up. Maybe I was a weak little girl once upon a time but for now I could stand up against him my mother and anyone else for what I care.

"Look I'm sorry." I say,"I have had an awfully long day and right now I am in no mood to fight. I had one with my mother in the morning and right now I can't handle this anymore. Well, on the bright side she doesn't know about it."

"She does." Alec says quietly and I turn around in shock.

"What?" My voice comes out in a snarl.

"I had to tell her Clara, she is on paper your mother." He says,"Even though she sucks at her job it's about time she took responsibility for you and prevents you from doing things like this."

My mouth is literally hanging open. This has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have heard.

"Wow." That's all I can say I am to shocked to react or even say anything else,"Thank you for ratting me out."

"You get arrested!" Alec says exasperated,"What do you want me to do? Keep my mouth shut? Your parents would have come to know sooner or later."

I simply shake my head.

"Taxi!" I call out waving my hand out as a yellow taxi halted in front of me.

"Well, thank you Alec for informing them sooner." I say trying to keep the ice and sarcasm out of my tone as I sat in the car that zoomed away from him.

--------------------------------------

I delayed it as much as I could. Instead of going directly "home" I went to visit Rebecca and Samantha who were having the time of their lives in some fancy hotel. It was beautifully designed and very expensive but the Hendersons and the Evans very deep pockets so it wasn't that surprising.

I talked to Rebecca and Samantha lightly. I didn't tell them much except for the fact that I would be working in my fathers office. For some reason telling anyone about the Empire State Building would ruin it for me completely and the fight between Jake and his father wasn't something that was mine to tell.

But the minute the clock starts touching eleven thirty I know it's time to go that and the fact that my mother has left me a grand total of 8 missed calls and a very strongly worded text.

It's about twelve when I reach. For the hundredth time I think to myself why Alec couldn't have just kept his mouth shut. But I know that what he had done by telling an adult was the right thing. Still that necessarily didn't mean that he had to do it.

Before I have a chance to ring the bell my mom opens the door and boy does she look mad.

"Get in." She says quietly and I slip in as she slams the door shut making me jump.

Both my parents are used to working late which is why my mom was still in the clothes I had seen her in the morning.

When I had mouthed her off and walked out on her.

"Sit." She says pointing at the sofa in front of me.

I do have half a mind of saying no but I know better than to dig a deeper hole for myself and comply.

"Clara you have become absolutely out of control." My mother states,"This is not acceptable I don't know what circus your grandmother is running-"

"Really?" I say laughing,"My grandmother you are seriously blaming her now?"

"Clara do not interrupt me." She says,"I am your mother and you should respect me. You think you would have some shame? You just got arrested! Arrested! That is not acceptable. Stop behaving like an unmannerly animal. Learn something from your sister-"

My mother is interrupted by my fathers entry in the room.

"Oh Clara!" He smiles as he notices me,"I wanted to-"

"Your daughter got herself arrested." My mom states interrupting him,"She and Jeanine's boy were fooling around again."

"Aren't they dating?" My father asks,"If they don't fool around now then when will they? And why were you arrested?"

"We went up to 103rd floor of the Empire State Building that's apparently out of bounds and we didn't know that." I am surprised by how easily the lie flows out of my mouth.