Chapter Text
"So, what's the damage?"
Alec turned around, seeing his best friend, Jace, walking down the hallway with a white piece of paper in hand.
Alec huffed. The last thing he felt like talking about was his grades.
"Straight 'A's, barely."
Jace shot him an incredulous look. "Then why do you look so upset? I would kill to have those grades."
The semester had just ended for them. Today, report cards had come out, along with some rather unfortunate news for Alec.
"I got called down to guidance today. Apparently, if I don't have a certain credit, I fail. I'll have to graduate next year."
"But you have perfect grades?!" Jace exclaimed.
Alec shot Jace a look that said he was clearly aware of this.
"Right, okay, what credit? I'm sure you'll breeze through whatever it is."
Alec sighed as he arrived to his locker, entering the code into his lock. He felt like banging his head against it — just a little.
"Theatre," he muttered, thinly veiling his dislike.
Jace suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh my god, bro, you've got to be kidding."
Alec could only glare. He wished he was kidding.
"You're not kidding," Jace said, his expression quickly sobering. "Alec, do you even know how to act?"
"Of course I don't know how to act!" Alec whisper-shouted. "I'm probably going to bomb this stupid club and then fail my senior year. I don't know what to do."
"You might as well give it a try. It's either that or failing."
Alec nodded. He knew Jace had a point, despite how much he hated it.
"I'll talk to my parents about it. I mean, they'll probably just yell at me and force me to join, but. Might as well tell them."
Jace gave him a pat on the back and they continued their walk down the hallway.
***
Family dinners were always terrible, but somehow they were even worse when grade reports came out.
Alec's little sister, Izzy, was sat next to him, talking about her cheer squad in a way that was clearly meant to draw attention away from her grades.
"Isabelle," their mother said, her voice strict, "Your father and I asked about your grades. Not whether or not Maureen perfected the high-rise."
Izzy looked over at Alec, who gave her a sympathetic look. It was the only thing he could do.
"All 'A's," Izzy said quietly.
"And your math grade?"
Izzy grimaced. "'B+'. But, in my defense, the teacher is terrible and you know I'm bad at math as is, so the combination of me and a bad teacher is not—"
"I told you that you needed a tutor. A 'B' is not acceptable," Maryse scolded.
"It's not my fault!" Izzy exclaimed, her voice raising in indignation. "I told you, the teacher—"
"Do not blame your own misdoings on your teacher. Maybe if you studied more instead of spending time with that boyfriend of yours—" Izzy opened her mouth to protest, but Maryse continued to speak. "If your math grade isn't raised by your next interim, I'll know that he's the problem. You won't be able to see him again until you have an 'A'."
Izzy's mouth was agape, clearly both shocked and hurt. Before Izzy could think of anything to say that would get her into even more trouble, Alec decided to speak up.
"My grades were good. Straight 'A's," he said conversationally.
Maryse turned her attention from Izzy to Alec. She smiled at her eldest son.
"That's good, Alec. It's nice that Lydia doesn't get in the way of your academic studies."
Alec winced. He hated that his mom was easier on him than she was on Izzy. He wasn't sure why his mom had such an animosity towards her daughter; perhaps because Izzy was the only girl. It still wasn't right.
"But, um...there's something else. I was told by my guidance counselor that I have to have a theatre credit before I graduate. If I don't have it, I'll be held back," Alec explained. He had no idea how his parents would react. Technically it wasn't his fault because he hadn't known that he was without it until just now, but he doubted his parents would understand that.
"A theatre credit?" Robert spoke for the first time, his face twisted in discomfort.
Alec nodded as Maryse said, "Well, how will you get it? Because you have to get it. You're not being held back."
"I was thinking of joining the drama club," Alec said, his cheeks warming at the intense stares both of his parents were giving him. "I have no idea how to act and most of the theatre kids are really...strange, but I'll try my best."
Maryse nodded, an air of finality to the motion. Robert still looked uncomfortable, but he stayed quiet, obviously not wanting to upset his wife. The conversation then shifted over to Max, Alec's youngest brother, who was only in the first grade.
As soon as he spoke, the tension vanished from the room. Alec was able to temporarily take his mind off of how shitty joining theatre was going to be.
***
Alec knew that Magnus Bane was head of the drama club. He was the stereotypical theatre kid, with his flashy clothes, makeup, and carefully styled hair that occasionally had colored streaks in it. Alec wasn't sure if he had ever met another guy who was so blatantly sure of himself.
Still, he needed to talk to Magnus about when auditions were. Alec had heard from fellow classmates that a new play was about to be put on, though the club first needed to hold auditions.
At the end of the school day, Alec was heading to the auditorium, figuring that was where Magnus would be, when he bumped into a slight blonde girl. He was about to apologize when he saw who she was.
His girlfriend of almost a year, Lydia Branwell.
"Lydia, hey," he murmured, holding the girl at arm's length. He saw that she was dressed in her red and white cheerleading uniform, her blond hair pulled back into a high ponytail.
"Watch where you're going, Lightwood," she teased, though she then shot him a questioning look. "Speaking of, where are you going?"
Alec's cheeks flushed slightly. He hated explaining that he was joining the drama club, of all things. When he had told some of the guys on his football team, they had laughed at him for what felt like hours.
Hopefully Lydia wouldn't have the same reaction.
He explained everything to her as quickly as he could, simply because he didn't want to get to the auditorium too late and miss Magnus.
Lydia was suspiciously quiet once Alec had finished explaining, so he made sure to add, "I'm not doing it because I want to, trust me."
Alec wasn't expecting it when Lydia placed a gentle hand on his cheek. She smiled, small and private.
"You know," she said, "I wouldn't mind if you joined because you did want to. It doesn't bother me either way."
Alec felt a surprisingly heavy weight lift off of his shoulders as he returned Lydia's smile. He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.
"I have to go find Magnus Bane, he's head of the club. Text me after practice?" Alec suggested.
Lydia nodded, offering him a chaste kiss before wandering off to the gym for practice.
After that, Alec all but ran to the auditorium. There was no way Magnus would still be there, and then Alec wouldn't know when auditions were and he wouldn't receive his theatre credit—
As soon as Alec walked into the auditorium, he could see that he'd been wrong. Magnus Bane and the school's art teacher, Ms. Fray, stood on the stage. In the audience were about thirty teenagers, all of whom were listening intently as Magnus and Ms. Fray spoke.
Alec realized a little belatedly that he was late. It was this realization that had him sinking into a seat before anyone else could see him, a seat that was towards the back of the room. The closest person to Alec was maybe fifteen seats ahead of him — exactly the way Alec wanted it.
He listened as Magnus and Ms. Fray explained the play they were putting on — "Almost, Maine." Alec, of course, had never heard of it.
"Auditions are tomorrow at three-thirty. If you're late, you won't be receiving the part. Punctuality is everything in theatre," Magnus declared dramatically.
Alec rolled his eyes. He didn't see the big deal in being five to ten minutes, but theatre kids were known to be awfully dramatic.
At the end of the meeting, Magnus stood at the front of the stage, handing out scripts and speaking with anyone who had a question. Alec watched from his seat. He realized that once he talked to Magnus and had a script, this whole theatre thing would be official. There was no going back or quitting.
You have to do this, Alec told himself, and hesitantly made his way towards the stage.
He'd taken so long with his inner turmoil that just about everyone else had left, except for Magnus, Ms. Fray, and a red-haired girl. Alec was fairly certain that the red-haired girl was Ms. Fray's daughter, considering how much they looked alike.
But Alec centered his focus on Magnus. He was reading through one of the scripts, not looking at Alec, so Alec made sure to clear his throat.
Magnus' eyes quickly fluttered upwards. When he saw Alec, his mouth gaped.
"Alec Lightwood?" he asked.
Alec smirked. "The one and only."
Magnus' expression changed immediately. He scowled, focusing back on his scripts.
"What are you doing here? Come to make a laughing-stock out of my play?"
Alec was shocked at the tone of the other boy's voice. He tried to recall if he had ever done anything to Magnus that would make him talk to Alec in such a way, but he couldn't think of anything. He couldn't even recall meeting Magnus before today.
"No, I came for a script. I'm auditioning tomorrow," Alec said matter-of-factly.
He'd had people dislike him before, lots of people. But it had never bothered him. At the end of the day, Alec didn't have to like Magnus, and Magnus didn't have to like him; Alec just needed his theatre credit.
"Why?" Magnus asked. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously as he inspected Alec.
Alec huffed. He was getting tired of this. All he wanted was a script and then to get out of here.
"Look, I'm not going to sabotage your precious little play, okay? I need a theatre credit to graduate and this was the only way I could get it. Now can I please have a script?"
Alec felt his blood boil as Magnus smirked, handing him a script. There was something about the boy that got under Alec's skin. Maybe it was how superior he acted; Magnus knew that Alec was out of his element here and was using it to his advantage.
"Best of luck. I'm sure you'll get the part," Magnus said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Alec snatched the script from him, but not before noticing that Magnus' nails were painted a deep, vibrant blue.
He hadn't ever seen another guy with painted nails.
Magnus offered a wave to Ms. Fray and the red-haired girl and then walked down the aisle, heading towards the door.
Alec could only stare at him in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he would have to put up with this guy for two months.
"Don't mind Magnus, he can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes," Ms. Fray said to Alec, "I'm sure you'll do great tomorrow."
Alec looked away from Magnus in order to give Ms. Fray a small smile and a thank you.
At least someone in this club had some respect.
***
Alec wasn't exactly sure why he was nervous once he arrived at the auditions. He figured it had something to do with the fact that this was his make-or-break moment. He would either get the part and continue on with theatre, or not get the part and fail his entire senior year.
Also, it was clear that Magnus didn't have high hopes on how Alec would do, and...well, maybe a small part of Alec wanted to prove him wrong.
Ms. Fray and Magnus were both sat in the front row of seats when Alec stepped onto the stage. His script was in his hands which, thankfully, prevented them from shaking.
The role he had decided to go out for was of a repairman named East, who saw a woman, Glory, sitting in his backyard. Her heart was broken by her now-passed husband and East wanted to help her fix it.
The scene Alec was auditioning with took place right after East had unexpectedly kissed Glory.
"Tell us your name and what role you'll be auditioning for," Magnus prompted. He actually looked somewhat excited, probably to see Alec fail and make a fool out of himself.
"I'm Alec Lightwood and I'll be auditioning for the role of East."
Magnus nodded, gesturing with his hand for Alec to continue.
"I really don't know what happened!" Alec started.
"Well, I do. I know what happened!"
Alec's eyes flitted up in surprise. Magnus had been the one to speak. Alec hadn't...he hadn't known that Magnus would be the one to go over his lines with him.
"I'm not the kind of person who does things like that," Alec spoke earnestly. "Please. Don't go. I won't bother you. Maybe just...consider what I did a very warm Maine welcome."
"All right. I'm — my name's Glory."
"I'm East. For Easton. It's the name of the town — little ways that way — where I was born. Mess up on the birth certificate...a son, Easton, born on the sixth day of January, 1998, in the town of Matthew, Maine...instead of the other way around..."
When Alec looked up, he saw that Magnus had a hint of a smile on his face.
"Aw, I'm sorry," he said affectionately.
"Naw..."
"So, Easton..."
"Yeah."
"I think that's good," Magnus spoke up, and for the first time, he met Alec's eyes.
Alec could see that Ms. Fray was giving Magnus a bemused look, one that undoubtedly matched Alec's own face.
"But there's more to the sce—" Alec tried, but Magnus wasn't having any of it.
"I said that's good. You'll see a list posted in a couple of days time telling you whether or not you got the part."
Alec wondered, briefly, if he should storm out of the auditorium, but ultimately decided that he didn't want to stoop down to the over-dramatic theatre kids' ways. Instead, he gave Magnus his best smile and slowly made his way down the stage.
"Thank you for your time," he told Magnus, not unlike the time Magnus had sarcastically wished him good luck.
Magnus didn't say anything. His face was mostly unaffected except for the purse of his lips, which gave way to how he was really feeling.
As Alec left the auditorium, the only thought in his mind was that he desperately hoped Magnus wouldn't have a say in his casting. He knew that if it were up to him, there was no way Alec would get any role.
He was not about to fail his senior year because of Magnus Bane.
***
Waiting for Magnus to post the list of who got which parts was like torture to Alec. He tried entertaining himself by going to the weight room every day after school with Jace, but it still didn't successfully take his mind off of the play.
He kept going over his audition in his mind. Magnus had clearly known from Alec's audition what was going to happen, it was why he had ended it early. Alec just couldn't for the life of him decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Maybe Alec was better than he thought he was. Magnus had told him to stop because Alec already had the part secured.
How ever much Alec wanted to believe that to be true, it seemed highly unlikely. Magnus hated him. He wouldn't just hand a part over to him, right?
He was walking through the lobby with Lydia's hand in his, both of them heading to the cafeteria, when he saw Magnus out of the corner of his eye. Alec turned his head to look at him and saw that he was pinning a list to the announcements board.
Alec's hand tightened in Lydia's. His entire body tightened, actually.
"Alec?" She called out softly. She was trying to look at him, but Alec's gaze was glued onto the list. "What's going on?"
Alec blinked and looked back at Lydia, his eyes unfocused. "Go wait for me in the cafeteria, yeah? I'll be there soon."
Lydia was obviously confused. Still, she nodded, and her long, blond braid moved from side-to-side as she walked to the cafeteria.
Alec didn't waste any time in going over to Magnus. He saw that the boy was dressed in royal blue khakis with a long-sleeved, silky black button-down tucked into them. The shirt was tight enough that Alec could make out the shape of his biceps quite easily.
But he didn't come over here to look at another guy's biceps, especially not Magnus Bane's...he was here to look at the list.
Long fingers snapped in front of his face. Alec blinked again.
"Earth to Alec!" Magnus exclaimed. He looked annoyed, but also curious. "Did you come over here to see if you got the part?"
"Uh," Alec said, very eloquently. He was still embarrassed that he'd been caught staring at Magnus long enough that the other boy'd had time to snap his fingers in front of his face. "Yes, I did."
Magnus waved his hands towards the list. He used his hands a lot, Alec noticed, and was immediately unsure why he had picked up on that.
He shook his head. Magnus was trying to get inside his head and distract him from the list — that was clearly what was going on here.
Alec took a step forward, his eyes scanning the list for his character's name. When he spotted it, he held his breath, almost unable to see who had gotten the role.
Slowly, he moved his eyes to the right.
And there was his name: Alec Lightwood. Alec smiled, letting out a huff of a laugh.
He looked back at Magnus, whose expression was neutral.
"Guess I didn't need your good luck after all," Alec claimed, an arrogant smile tugging on his lips.
Magnus rolled his eyes. If he had looked annoyed before, he looked even more so now.
"And to think I was just about to tell you good job," he murmured, more to himself than Alec.
Alec could only watch as Magnus stalked out of the lobby. He was starting to realize that Magnus liked making dramatic exits.
He also realized that Magnus must not have played as big a role in casting as Alec had initially thought. Ms. Fray must have been the one in charge of casting, which explained why Magnus had seemed so annoyed at Alec getting the part of East.
Now, not only was Alec happy because he was going to get his credit and graduate, but he also knew that he had succeeded in getting under Magnus' skin. The thought was a little more satisfying than it should have been.
On his way to the cafeteria, he ran into Ms. Fray. He made sure to stop her and thank her for the part, knowing that she had ensured him his graduating credit.
However, Ms. Fray's face twisted into a confused expression.
"Your part?" She asked.
"Yeah, you know, for casting me as East," Alec prompted.
Ms. Fray shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "I'm not the one in charge of casting, honey. That's all Magnus."
Alec's eyes widened. His mouth gaped. Magnus? But Magnus hated him...
Ms. Fray must have seen the shocked expression on his face, because she said, "He wouldn't stop talking about how perfect you were for East. He said you were exactly what he imagined when he first read the play — it's why he stopped your audition early. He didn't tell you that?"
Alec could only shake his head. He didn't know what to say.
"Well," Ms. Fray said, "We look forward to seeing you at rehearsals. You'll be there tomorrow after school?"
"Absolutely," Alec responded, finally finding his voice.
Ms. Fray gave him another smile and with a dazed wave, Alec continued on his way to the cafeteria.
He had no idea what to do with the information he had just learned. Maybe Magnus had pitied him and given him the role, or there was no one else who had auditioned, or...
Alec ran a hand through his hair. Or maybe Magnus wasn't a completely terrible person and Alec had been way too quick to pass judgement on him.