"Goodnight, New York!" he listened as the cheers went wild and slowly dissipated.
Jace let out a breath when the lights came back on and he was backstage.
"Good job, guys. Let's reset!"
the crew cheered at another show well done and started resetting the stage for tomorrow night, since he was here performing at Madison Square Garden for the next five days.
Jace was talking to one of the backup dancers about some of the moves during one of his songs when he heard a scream that made him want to run for the hills.
"AHHHH IT'S JACE LIGHTWOOD!"
Jace turned around to see a crazed teenage girl who was wearing a shirt with his song lyrics on it. How did she even get backstage? He knew he saw everybody with a backstage pass before the show so why is she back here?
As he sat in his mental debate, he was tackled by the girl and thrown to the floor. His wrist made a sickening pop as it collided with the cold concrete flooring of the arena.
Security pulled the girl off of Jace and gave him a look that said 'get out of here'.
He didn't have to be told twice. He grabbed his wrist, cradling it to his hand as he high-tailed it out of Madison Square Garden.
He ran all the way to a backdoor exit and slung the door open. He didn't anticipate that a girl would be on the other side.
"OWW!" the girl with fiery red hair cried as she stumbled back, cradling her nose.
Jace stepped forward to help but she just stepped back.
Funny. They usually come running. Jace thought to himself.
"Who are you and what are you doing?" the girl asked.
Now Jace was really perplexed. Did she not know him? He thought everyone knew him.
He didn't mean to sound conceited, but he is on the radio a lot and he's had two movies.
"I'm… Jace Lightwood?" it came out as more of a question as he wasn't used to having to introduce himself.
"Do you not know your own name?" the girl snapped.
Jace was baffled.
"I do. I just never have to say it."
The girl put the hand that wasn't holding her nose on her hip.
"Are you serious? Why?"
Jace smirked and answered her question.
"Well, who do you think is playing here tonight?"
He didn't know what he expected exactly, but it wasn't for her eyes to narrow and her glare get colder.
"Well, Jace Lightwood, watch where you're going next time, ok. Just because you're a pop star doesn't mean you can go around hitting people with doors."
Everything the girl said was kind of muffled due to her hand over her nose and mouth.
"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry." he said quickly trying to get this girl to forgive him. There was just something about her. He didn't want her mad at him.
She sighed. "I know you didn't. I'm just a little irritated, that's all."
Jace smiled. She's not mad. Good.
"Ok then, let me take you inside and get that nose looked at."
The girl looked wary but nodded anyway.
The girl
He frowned. He wanted- no needed- to know this girl's name. He didn't know why, but he never wanted to spend another moment away form this girl. Maybe it was because she didn't know who he was.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The girl shook her head. "Nope. You've not earned it yet."
He bit his lip but kept waking her toward the little "doctor's station" he and the crew had set up incase of emergency.
He sat down the girl on the cot and gently pulled away her hand from her face.
He assessed the damage to her nose. It wasn't bad just a really nasty bruise and a cut. He dabbed off the blood on the nose, wincing and apologizing every time she flinched pain.
"Sorry." he whispered.
"Well you should be you hit me with the door." Jace felt guilt pang in his chest until she started full on laughing.
Her laughter was like the church bells of Notre Dame going off in his head. She only laughed for a few seconds before wincing.
"Hurts to laugh, hurts to laugh. Oh my God, why? Shouldn't have done that, Clary." the girl said to herself.
Jace smirked. Clary.
"So, you're name is Clary, huh?" he said as she got over her pain.
She only nodded a little, wincing for the umpteenth time as Jace put a band-aid on her nose.
"Guess you earned it, didn't you?" she said through gritted teeth, obviously speaking around the pain.
Jace smiled and nodded. He had no clue why he was so elated.
"Your wrist." he looked down at Clary and saw she was gazing at his now purple wrist.
She sighed but gently pulled his hand over by his fingers, careful not to hurt him. She examined the arm thoughtfully, humming every now and then at what she was seeing. She mindfully let the hand go and got up.
She took a look around the boxes, rummaging through every little thing.
"Bingo!" she exclaimed and turned back to face Jace holding a arm brace in her hand.
She walked over to Jace, taking her time to gently ease his injured hand into the brace.
She knew how much a sprained wrist hurt. She sprained hers at cheer practice once. She winced remembering the initiating event to what her friends have deemed "The Summer of the ER."
She strapped in his and let go. She looked up into his eyes. Brown meeting green.
"Not broken, but badly sprained." she explained his wrist's condition to him.
He nodded but kept staring. Clary suddenly felt self conscious. She starting squirming under his intense stare.
"What? What is it?" she asked with downcast eyes.
Jace lifted her head up with his forefinger.
"Nothing, you're just… you're just… wow." he breathed. He didn't even have words for what Clary was.
beautiful, perfect, stunning.
All these words came to mind but he couldn't say them. He couldn't even get his mouth to work.
Clary looked up at him with wide eyes.
Jace analyzed every inch of her face. The face he was just drawn to. He tucked a story piece of hair behind her ear.
He leaned in a little so his lips were brushing against hers. He felt more than heard her breath hitch at the close proximity.
"Kiss me, Clary." he whispered, closing the distance between her plump looking lips.
They were better than he imagined. They were warm and soft and wet and just perfect. Like everything else seemed to be with this girl, the kiss was perfect. One he'd never forget.
Jace knew right then, as he continued his assault on Clary's lips, that he was not letting this girl go. Career or not, this girl was his first priority now. He was already head over heels for her and they just met; he could only imagine it getting better.
They suddenly bumped noses and Clary jerked away at the contact. Jace raised his injured hand toward her nose, but he guessed it was too close because she closed her hand around it tight.
Jace yelped and pulled his hand away.
Once they claimed from their pain, they both shared a few moments of silence before bursting out in laughter.
Clary held her nose gently though it all, laughing out 'ow' and 'this hurts'.
After they had calmed down, Clary looked at her phone for the time. 11:45 p.m.
She frowned. She didn't want to go.
"I have to go. I need to get back to the apartment. My roommates are probably worried." she explained.
She got up but stopped when she heard Jace's voice.
"Ice cream, tomorrow at lunch. You up for it?" he asked hoping he kept his desperation to see her again out of his voice.
"Yeah that sounds good." she smiled at the thought of continuing this relationship.
"Can I…umm.. can I have your number?" Jace asked nervously and scratched the back of his neck.
Clary laughed, ignoring the pain from her nose this time. She bent down to kiss one of the boy's cheeks.
"Of course."
The pair exchanged numbers and Jace walked Clary outside after he called a cab.
There's no way he was letting her walk alone in New York at night.
As they said their goodbyes and Clary kissed his cheek again, resulting in a reappearing smile, Jace stood on the sidewalk and watched the cab speed away.
He turned back around, walking back inside MSG with a stupid smile that he couldn't wipe off of his face.
I can't wait for tomorrow.