Disclaimer: I do not own and of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.
I never thought Jace would find somebody he loved. Like really loved. Unconditionally. But it was obvious to anyone just how in love he is. And they didn't even see the progression or the little moments that it took. Granted it didn't take much, one smile and he was gone.
He wasn't a player per say he just was never the most patient person. He had slept with a few girls, none of which he was remotely serious with but he didn't do it often and he certainly didn't brag about it.
He was hot. Like am I staring at the sun or your face hot and he knew it. But despite the arrogant attitude he possessed he didn't have a very high sense of self worth.
And to top it all off, he was athletic. Not like ARE you going to college to play football, but WhERE are you going to play football. Not DID you guys win yesterday? But HOW bad did you beat the other team yesterday?
He was proud of his ability on the field. He told me once that he would give up everything for football. School (not that that one would be very hard), girls, parties, everything. Family? I had asked. He just looked at me grinning.
I know what he was thinking. That we would never make him choose. We would be at every single one of his games and he would be at every single one of mine. Well the ones we could make at least. He would never skip practice even if it was on the same day of my states game. He would just book it out of there to see as much as he could possibly could and I guess that was where his love of the game really showed. I would take any excuse to miss practice and he wouldn't miss a practice for anyone or any reason.
That all changed though. One day football was the most important thing in his life and the next day she was. Not that she would even make his choose either. She loved him as much as he loved her. And well this love, is so much more important than his love for friday night lights and her love for blank white canvases and bottle of paint.
We had lived in the same house for as long as I've been around. This was the first place I went after I was born. This was the place I grew up. Where I lived with my family. With my parents. My two brothers. And eventually we added a new one.
This wasn't like Max who was in my mom's belly one day and in her arms the next. No. This was different. This was new. He was ten, the same age as Alec. They couldn't have been more different. Alec was quiet and reserved and Jace was loud and outgoing. They also couldn't have been closer. Jace stood up for Alec when people teased him for being so quiet. Alec spent hours practicing with Jace despite the fact, that although good, he didn't have an interest in sports like Jace. Alec played because that's what young kids do and played in high school to stay in shape. Jace played because he loved every second of it. From the exhilarating feeling of winning all the way down to the to sore to get out of bed feeling. From scrimmages to 4:00a.m. practices on Saturday mornings when most kids were just getting to bed.
My dad, from the moment he knew just how much Jace loved the game, did everything he could possibly do to help him. Set up a basketball hoop so he could practice when football season ended. Bought him some hockey skates so he could take his aggression out on the ice. Signed him for every skills practice out there. Made sure he was on the best travel teams in the state. And it all payed off to. Jace was happy to play all year around and he was good to. Schools were always coming up to him to talk about how great their school, despite the fact that recruiting isn't allowed in high school. College's were trying to get him the moment he graduated from eighth grade and his high school made sure that he had the best coach he could possibly have.
He set foot in high school already the most popular kid at school. Everyone knew his name and despite the fact that he acted like he enjoyed it, I know he would rather just hang out with Alec all day long. He couldn't though. At home was another story, though.
They were attached at the hip. Not like girls though. They weren't always right next to each other or new everything about what the person did that day. No they were close like brothers were meant to be. They had each others backs when mom and dad were screaming at the other. They did their homework at the same table and went swimming at the same time. They didn't spend time together because they always had, like me and Alec, they enjoyed each others company because they remember what it was like before.
I was jealous for a while. I was the biological sister, not Jace. He may have been apart of our family but he wasn't blood. It used to be me and Alec and than suddenly I wasn't. It hurt. Like a lot. But than somebody moved in next door.
My junior year of high school, the boy's senior year of high school our lives changed forever. Jace was getting ready to commit to a college. He had so many offers but all he wanted was to win a states championship with his team. I wanted it too, for him as well as me. I played volleyball. Like serious volleyball.
I had been starting varsity since my freshman year. My height made me ideal for the sport and my hang time helped me crush the ball. I was being looked at by a few colleges myself. And no my family didn't ignore me for Jace, they were at every single one of my games they could be at. Max with his comic books and Alec with his phone. Jace on the other hand, was there to cheer me on. He didn't sit with the rest of the student section though, he sat with the family. He louder than them combined though.
All throughout his junior year he was at every home game and playoff game cheering me on. We only were a solid team but we didn't have a good libero. Like at all. So we got stuck receiving for to long and didn't have good enough digs to get us back in the close games. We were undefeated in the regular season but come playoff time, we were no longer able to get away with it. Third round we got crushed. Embarrassingly so. The senior on our team was our setter and she couldn't stop crying when we lost the game. We promised her we'd avenge this loss for her next year. It wasn't much of a comforting thought for her, but for us, it was a promise. All we needed was a libero and soon enough our prayers were answered.
The occupants of the house next door were officially moved in one month before school started, a day before two a days. We were on our way to introduce ourselves when I saw her for the first time. She was in a pair of cutoffs and an old t-shirt washing her car. Her fiery red curls were thrown in a messy looking ponytail and she almost didn't hear us coming.
She turned around to greet us when she saw us in the window of her car when I heard Jace suck in a deep breath of air. I didn't blame him. She was seriously pretty. She was tiny, like shorter than five feet tiny, with a cute nose and bright green eyes. Her skin looked flawless despite the amount of freckles she had. Jace was hooked and she hadn't even opened her mouth yet.
She pulled her earphones out of her ears and Jace's favorite band Bastille was suddenly noticeable. Her mouth stretched in to a smile as she greeted us. I was the first to respond introducing us to her and she was quick to shake all our hands. Jace was stunned out of silence when she smiled at him and instead of the usual smirk I was accustomed to seeing, a real grin spread across his face as he shook her hand. She introduced herself as Clary before I invited her over for a swim. She looked surprised at first but quickly agreed after she finished washing her car. I told her to come over when she was done and I'd be waiting for her in the backyard, and that was the day Jace realized there was more to life than football.
