This is my first high school story, and just know that it may be a little dark. Just know that Alicante High is a pregious private school, and I took aspects from my private middle school and enhanced them to make the venom that stirs in high schoool stundents. I may be going a little far, but i really want to empathize how much hatred there is between Aline and Clary. Enjoy!

Clary POV

Popularity.

In the dictionary it means liked, or enjoyed by many people; accepted, followed, used, or done by many people. But there are many hidden meanings behind the label.

In elementary, it was like the dictionary definition. How nice you were to friends, your kind heart, being generous to other students was the criteria for this term.

Middle school, being popular was more vital than before. It became some what of an obsession for some. Being honorable wasn't as valued as before. It was all about being "in style" and keeping up with "today's trends!"

But high school was when it really got out of hand. Hardly anyone cared about your character, it was all how wealthy you were and how manipulative you could be. "The Populars" had every teacher, member of the student body, and parents wrapped around their freshly manicured finger. Well, the girls at least. Some desperate souls would sacrifice all their morals and values just to claw their way to the top, taking down anyone who interfered.

Unfortunately for me, I interfered.

Unintentionally I had managed to get the most stuck-up popular girl to hate me. Aline Penhallow ruling Alicante School since kindergarten. Every time I slipped up, she was always the one that suffered.

The first time was in kindergarten, when the teacher forgot his safety scissors, and just had to put Aline in front of me. Let's just say when she leaned over to talk to me, she lost a few shiny black locks, and was as mad and vindictive as a 5 year old could be.

First grade, she tried to trip me during lunch as revenge, but my food wanted to catapult onto her pretty little blouse and permanently stain it.

Third grade, (nothing bad happened in second, thank the angel) when she was knocking my book out of my hand and spewing off list of insults off to me, she got caught, and was sent to the principles.

Fourth, I beat her in the school's spelling bee. It wasn't exactly complementing her second place ribbon.

As the years went by, more and more dreadful things kept on frequently occurring to Aline because of me. Each time her hatred for me grew and grew, until we got to this year, where her distaste towards me would make even Satan jealous.

But I didn't like her either. With each year, my hatred grew into a bottomless pit of fury. And this fury was spread to the Popular crowd, every one of them. A real person would realize that it was all a big misunderstanding. Or that I can't control where my food flies, or how good at memorization I am. I didn't get nearly as vengeful as Aline did, but I still hated her. Her and her face caked with the daily one inch of makeup. (Which still made her look like she was a china doll)

It was now sophomore year, and Miss Penhallow vowed to make my life crumble into ashes.

She was the most popular girl in school, regardless of her age. Whereas little me was rock bottom on the "popularity pyramid"

Let me explain myself.

In medieval times order was established by rankings from feudalism and hierarchy (This may not be 100% true, I studied medieval for one quarter last year so that's what I'm going by) There were four levels of power, that was exactly how the rankings for high school went.

At the bottom of the "popularity pyramid", were the serfs and peasants-Me, and others in our school who were antisocial and only had a couple of friends. We manly kept to ourselves, the nerds and geeks of the school. The losers picked last-always us. The ones no one from the upper ranks would talk to us, if it wasn't inevitable. No one deemed us as important. But I prefer being like by just one person who really knows me that be known by everyone, but just by what they heard about us or by the lies spread.

The next tier, was the knights and vassals. Manly the groups of people, a band consisting of Jordan Kyle, Maia Roberts, and a couple others. The second level was just people who weren't fully known, but some people knew who they were and that was all.

Second to the top, the lords. These were the like able people. Most were sporty, but not in the sport where they would be considered a jock. They were well known, a little more than average in popularity. But they know their place and not to get out of line.

Then at the highest point of honor is the royal family. In this case, 7 people rule our school. Aline Penhallow (no surprise there), Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Helen Blackthorn, Sebastian Verlac, and none other than my brother, Jonathan Christopher Fairchild.

My brother was hardly even a brother to me. He is completely comfortable with publicly humiliating me, mocking me behind my back, and treating me like I didn't exist at home. He doesn't even take the same car to school as me, I have to get dropped off by my parents because in Jonathan's eyes "I'm too late and will make him tardy".

But back to the royal family. All of them are rich beyond dreams, except for our family could be better off. I guess being a linebacker on our schools varsity football team earned him more credit than I thought. But "the populars" make sure that us "downworlders" (their snide nickname for the lowest "class") had the hardest time at school. However, it seemed as if all of their attacks were focused primarily on me. I guess Aline had told them about how I ruined her life and all that.

The only person who got me through all this was my best friend, Simon Lewis. Our parents had been great friends since before we were born, so I had known Simon my whole life. I couldn't remember a time without him, and I honestly didn't want to. Simon is the one who helps me feel secure in my life during hectic times like high school. He helps me through all the rage of high school and drama. I think I've finally figured out how to handle all of it.

At least I thought I did.

But I also thought that I could trust my best friend with anything.

Times change, but more importantly, people change.

If anyone is wondering about the cliff ending, don't worry it will all be explained in time.