The Artful Hour

by kenoodle

Clary, as you may know from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, is a normal junior in high school. Her boyfriend, Simon, still has not said a special phrase she has been awaiting for almost a year now. She soon meets a new student that holds her attention. Is she ready to face the truth about her boyfriend? Or will she be patient enough for the Angel knows how long?

›‹ This is a fanfiction about The Mortal Instruments. Cassandra Clare, NOT me, wrote that series. Just want to make that clear! Constructive criticism is more than welcome. I'm new to this website so I'm just learning the ropes! Any advice or plot ideas will be beneficial! ›‹

•The Artful Hour•

Chapter 1

Waking up is odd: one second, you're dead to the world, and the next, you see. It's almost like being born into a new day. Wow, I make waking up sound beautiful. That isn't the case for me.

My eyes spring open and I nearly roll right off the bed when my piercing alarm goes off. I take a moment to gather myself into the world of consciousness, and then forcefully shove my alarm off of my dresser. It unplugs as it gets launched across the room by my pure frustration. After a few minutes, I somehow manage to pry myself off the bed. Suddenly, there's a knock at my door. "Jonathan, I'm getting ready. What do yo-" The door opens before I finish my sentence and I jump.

"You are so skittish."

"Simon! Why are you here? Go away, I look horrible!"

He studies my awkward cupcake pajamas for a moment then responds, "You know, Clary, you're right." I glower at him, but he adds on, "But I love to see you nonetheless." So it wasn't exactly the phrase I had been waiting for, but it was closer. I smile and wrap my arms around his neck. "Why are you here?"

Simon places his hands safely on my waist and kisses my forehead. "To take you to school."

Simon was also a junior in high school. We began dating at around the middle of sophomore year, so it was almost our first year together. We were best friends beforehand, but it surprisingly wasn't too awkward when we decided to date.

After ten minutes, I quickly change and brush my teeth. I don't know how I did it, but I even succeeded in fixing my bed-head. I hardly even glanced at myself in the mirror. I never really liked how I looked. My hair is a vibrant red, which personally, I don't understand why it's a hair color. I dressed plainly as well. Usually, I throw on a pair of jeans and either a t-shirt or a semi-stylish shirt. I came out of the bathroom and zipped up my pair of basic combat boots. I honestly don't care too much about fashion or make-up or anything like that.

As Simon and I walk out of the house, I shout to my unemployed brother, hoping he'd hear, "Leaving! Have a nice day doing nothing!" I close the door before I hear Jonathan's response.

In fourth period, my art teacher is talking about perspective when a student appears at the door. I glance upwards and see the teacher trying to figure out where to put him. I silently pray that Ms. Gourd doesn't put him in the empty desk behind me. Of course, with my luck, that's exactly where she chooses to seat him. As he passes me, I smell a faint scent of nice cologne. Ms. Gourd returns to her place at the front of the room and continues her lecture. I hear a voice whisper behind me "Is this class always this boring?" I roll my eyes and turn around. The new student is a tall, blonde, and really attractive teen. He has a phenomenal jawline and his eyes are the color of the sun. I cover up my staring by shooting him an annoyed look. "No, they're actually really interesting. You just have to have a lick of sense to understand the beauty of art."

The student raises an eyebrow and I turn back to Ms. Gourd. "My name is Jace."

"Don't care," I respond, without turning towards him.

"Most girls love my name. They say it's like a mix of Jason and Chase. I love my name, too. It's fits my stunningly angelic looks." I narrow my eyes and look back at him. He has a smirk on his face – a smirk so slight and aggravating that it can enrage a nun. I face Ms. Gourd again and think, Why am I being like this? I don't even know him. I'm already judging someone I haven't tried talking to. I face Jace again. "I'm sorry, I'm being a bitch. My name is Clary."

Jace raises his eyebrow again and doesn't answer. His silence drives me insane. "If it helps at all, today is kind of boring in this class. We usually do really fun things; it's just that this is an instructional day. You'll enjoy this class, I'm sure." Having said what I needed to say, I turn back to the teacher. "This is already my favorite class," I heard Jace mumble almost inaudibly. After class, I slowly make my way to the lunchroom. I feel a hand on my arm and look to the side. "Hey, Clary, wait up!" "What is it, Jace?" "I was just curious about what other things you learn about in art," I briefly look at him and his eyes are downcast, as if distracted or disturbed. "What's the actual reason you chased me down?" We finally get to the cafeteria and I stop and face him. "Look, this may sound extremely weird, but you are different. This isn't some stupid, 'You aren't like other girls!' You actually amused me. People don't do that. I just thought we could be friends." I considered his words for a moment, and then met his eyes. I open my mouth to reply, when my hand is quickly grabbed. I spin around to see Simon. "Hey!" I smile broadly as I hear his voice. I throw my arms around him and kiss him deeply. Jace clears his throat awkwardly. I break away from Simon and look at the new student. "Jace, this is Simon, my boyfriend. Simon, this is Jace, a new student here." Simon notices Jace for the first time and stands a bit taller. He speaks in a deeper voice than normal, "Hey, man. I'm Clarissa's boyfriend." I awkwardly suppress a smile when he jealously puts an emphasis on the word "boyfriend."