I really don't know what this story is about yet, I just felt like writing something and this just . . . appeared. So yeah. I hope you enjoy it - and if you do, please review!

Oh my gosh, that rhymed.

I feel skilled right now. ;)

Chapter One

"Wait for me!" Clary cried, running as fast as she could to keep up with Jace. "Jace-eeey!"

Jace stopped running and looked back at Clary with an exasperated sigh. "When did you get so slow?" he asked cheerfully, grinning down at her as she hurried toward him.

The little girl pouted back. "That's not fair!" she whined. "You're taller than me - you run faster!"

Across the lawn, a woman with red hair a shade darker than Clary's laughed gracefully. "Look at that," she said to the blond woman beside her. "Only seven, and already having lover's spats!"

The two mother's shared a series of loud giggles, taking care not to spill their tea as they watched the children from the porch. Celine took a sip from her cup, smiling happily to herself while the scents of summer wafted through the warm air and the sun shone brightly on her blond hair. It was just like her son's; warm golden silk, changing shades in every light.

"Just imagine when they're older," she joked. "I'm almost afraid to find out, eh, Jocelyn?"

"Huh! That'll be a sight to see!" Jocelyn replied, twisting her hair up and holding it with a chopstick.

The two children had taken off again, oblivious to the jokes of their mothers as they raced to the huge tree at the back of the yard, scrambling to the rope ladder hanging from one of its thick branches. Jace reached it first and quickly started climbing, making it half-way up before Clary cried out below.

"What'd ya do now, Clary?" Jace asked impatiently. He always had to wait for Clary, lately. Still, he cared about her, and she seemed to obtain cuts and bruises to no avail.

On the ground Clary sniffled, pushing herself up from the dry grass to show her red, grass-stained knees. She opened her mouth to speak, but took a single look at Jace, already hanging effortlessly from the ladder, and broke into tears. She felt so clumsy next to him, tripping and falling behind while he moved agiley through everything he did. It was always her who had to call out for him to wait up, always her watching him from behind and wishing she could be more like him. If only some of his ability could rub off on her, then maybe she wouldn't always be holding him back, she thought.

"Hey," Jace asked from in front of her, having jumped down from the ladder as skillfully as a leopard. He took her face in his hands, pulling grass from her long red braids and staring at her red-rimmed, teary eyes. "Are you okay?"

Clary shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and whimpering, rivers cutting down her cheeks. Jace was always the one worrying, and he looked every bit the guardian angel as the bright sunlight illuminated his blonde hair like a halo glowing around his face. She wished that for once, she could be the one worrying.

That she could be the angel.

She felt Jace wrap his arms around her, opening her eyes to find him hugging her gently. His kind voice filled her ears, his breath tickling her ear as he said, "It's only scrape. It's okay. . . "

She sniffled, letting herself be comforted by her best friend's warmth.

-x-x-x-x-

I grumbled, rolling over just far enough to smash down the off button. My alarm clock had been blaring, and to me it always seemed too soon for morning to come. I hated mornings.

With mornings came school.

With school came Jace.

With Jace came pain.

That was how it had been since September. It was like he was too good for me now that they had begun high school, and he had left me in the background, like a forgotten toy that sat and gathered dust. Now I was left to fight the cobwebs.

I sat through my morning classes, trying futiley to ignore Mr. Tall, Blond and Traitorous himself, sitting a mere three seats away from me at the other back corner of the room. We both preferred the back, yet he stayed as far away as possible and acted as if I never existed.

As if he had never cared.

I copied the notes from the projector diligently in an attempt to block him from my mind. It was hard to believe that the same person so determined to make me feel like shit could ever have been like the little boy plaguing my childhood. Everything I had done had been with him or Simon, but mostly him. We had unintentionally left Simon in our dust countless times, only realizing when he finally complained about not understanding a single thing we were saying. We had had so many complicated jokes, secret phrases, looks, and entire alternate lives that only Jace and I knew about.

But all that was gone, now.

I stole a glance at Jace across the room, my heart torn between hoping he wasn't paying attention, and desperately wishing that for once he was staring back. For once, maybe he would smile, his eyes glittering with the sparkle that used to be so familiar. Maybe he would see that I cared, that I could forgive because it still wasn't too late.

I kept groping for an explanation, but found none. I had done nothing to provoke this, yet I had shown up one day in September to find my greetings ignored, my jokes sneered at, and my friendliest smiles met with condescending laughs and rolling eyes.

Even after nearly a month, the pain still throbbed in my chest.

Simon was still by my side, but he and I could never share the same jokes, the same tales, or read each other's movements like Jace and I had been able to.

Jace could never be replaced. It was unfathomable. Impossible.

Inescapable. Just like his new friends.

"Hey, Jace! Looks like you have another peeping Tom!" Isabelle laughed icily from a few desks over. The class snickered, a few giving obnoxious cat calls as Jace grinned self-righteously, welcoming the attention. I felt myself blush, cursing as the blood rushed to my cheeks.

"Watch out," Alec called loudly from beside Jace for the whole class to hear. "Before you know it, she'll be waiting outside your window!"

The classroom erupted with laughter and I hid myself behind my hair, pulling my large hood over my head as far as possible. Leaning over my desk in embarrassment, I pretended to be too busy writing to notice their jibes.

"Hoods off, Clary!" the teacher chastised over the growing chatter. "Quiet down, quiet down!"

Slowly, I lowered my hood, smoothing my wild hair briefly with my hands before settling back to my farce. I thought I would grow used to the taunts after a while, but so far the Demonic Duo was not helping in my progress. Alec and Isabelle had made it very clear where they stood on my list of Pain in the Ass People. They had always tormented me.

It didn't help matters that Jace had helped them form the Trio. He knew almost all my weaknesses, and all the right and wrong buttons to push. Before they had been no more than a frustration, but with his help, they had turned my life into something just short of a living hell.

Or so I thought.

Turns out they were a long way from hell.

Did you like it? What do you think is gonna happen? Hmm. . . . .

R&R