Ready or Not

Summary: Now available, free, and single, Clary Fray spends quite some time at one of her favorite places to be – The Pandemonium. When a certain "Golden-Boy" lays eyes on her, he sets out to win her heart, whether she's ready or not….

All-human, Clace, One-shot.

"Ready or not, here I come. Where you at? The night is young. In the crowd, the music's loud, but I will find you…."

Clary ran a paddle brush through her long, frizzy red hair, ultimately getting it stuck in the knots and tangles.

"Crap," she muttered quietly to herself, yanking the brush.

In walked Isabelle Lightwood, one of her very close friends. "Need help?" she asked suavely, placing a manicured hand on her hip and looking at Clary disappointedly.

Clary nodded, still yanking at the brown paddle brush. Isabelle's high heels made imprints in the white carpet in Clary's room as she walked over to help out her friend.

"We should straighten your hair for tonight," Isabelle said excitedly. "Oh, and I even brought over a dress for you."

Clary abruptly turned away from Isabelle, the brush hanging in her hair. "Izzy…" she said warningly, "No. You can't have brought over a dress for me. I already have dresses!"

Isabelle scoffed. "Not fit for any clubs."

"Just help me get this brush out," Clary grumbled, turning back around.

Isabelle rolled her eyes, and got right to work.

By the time Isabelle finished dressing up Clary, her brother, Alec Lightwood, had already made his way to the Fray's.

"Iz! You up there?" Alec yelled from downstairs.

Jocelyn Fray shot a disapproving look at him before muttering, "I just told you that the girls were upstairs." Alec smiled sheepishly, mumbling a "Thanks," and heading upstairs.

Isabelle stepped out into the hallway that was right outside of Clary's room.

"Izzy! You and Clary ready to go?" Alec yelled as he walked down the hallways to his sister's friend's room.

Isabelle stepped out of Clary's room, Clary following her consciously.

Alec rolled his bright, blue eyes at what the two were wearing – Isabelle was dressed in a sleeveless, knee-length, form-fitting, red dress that popped her now cherry red lips, and Clary had obviously borrowed on of Isabelle's dresses, wearing a green, sleeveless, knee-length, billowy dress which really accented those green eyes of hers. Her red, frizzy hair was straightened, and she let it hang down, her hair reaching her shoulders. Isabelle had her sleek, black hair in a tight bun as she clutched onto her purse.

"You guys look great," Alec muttered, the three of them making their way downstairs.

Isabelle smiled, and poked him in the back. "You too, bro. You too."

Alec shook his head, his shaggy black hair getting in his eyes. "Alright, we'd better hurry. I told Jace to meet us there."

"Jace?" Clary meekly butted in.

Isabelle looked shocked when she faced Clary. "You haven't met him?" Clary shook her head, and Isabelle looked at Alec and muttered, "I guess he was never around when she came over…"

Alec just shrugged, and to Clary's questioningly look, he muttered, "Step-brother."

"Oh," Clary mumbled.

The three of them hopped into Alec's car, and off they drove to The Pandemonium, one of the most popular clubs in their city.

"You're single now," Isabelle said to Clary. "Go get them guys, girl."

Clary shook her head. "I'm not ready," she whispered.

"Not ready for what?"

The three of them had only arrived a couple of minutes ago, and Isabelle was already trying to convince Clary to go and get guys.

The only problem was, Clary had just recently suffered from a break-up, and she just wasn't quite ready to move on.

"I don't why I agreed to this," Clary mumbled to herself, propping herself in a seat at the bar. "Not ready to move on," she said loudly to Isabelle, over all of the pounding music.

"Move on from the dickhead?" Isabelle scoffed. "Clary, you can do so much better."

Clary rolled her big, green eyes, and ordered a regular Coke.

"You're at a bar, and you're ordering a Coke?" Isabelle asked, her eyes widening. "Live a little Clary. Move on from that ass. Drink some. You know, you only live once."

Clary let out a laugh, and muttered, "You're trying to use YOLO against me?"

Isabelle rolled her blue eyes and said, "I'm going to go find Jace. I think he brought your friend with him….what was his name? Rat-face?"

"His name is Simon," she replied hotly. "Who calls him Rat-face? Jace?"

Isabelle nodded and stalked off, leaving Clary all alone. Two minutes later, a blonde-haired boy came by and took a seat next to her.

He placed his order, then turned to Clary.

"I'm Jace," he said to her, flashing her a dazzling smile.

Clary let out a soft, realizing, "Oh," and then said, "I'm Clary. I think Izzy was looking for you."

"You know Izzy?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink, which had been given to him a minute back.

Clary nodded, and he shrugged. "She'll find me eventually." She nodded in response, and awkwardly looked away.

"You come here often?" he asked, and she immediately got the wrong though, her face turning red. "I didn't mean it like that – " he muttered.

"Yeah, sorry, and yeah, I do. My ex and I used to hang out here all the time," Clary mumbled, looking away from Jace. "You?"

Jace nodded, setting his drink down on the bar table. They sat in a peaceful silence for a couple of minutes, with the exception of the pounding party music playing, and the drunk party-goers, and then they chatted, the occasional pause coming in.

Then Jace announced that he needed to leave, slapping down a napkin on the table.

"See you later, Jace," Clary mumbled, burying her head in her hands.

Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw something scribbled on the napkin he'd left.

Meet me here next Tuesday, same time?

Clary couldn't have possibly met someone more annoying, cocky, arrogant, and self-centered as Jace was. Yet, on every Tuesday, she always met him at the Pandemonium, and every time, they got to know each other even more.

It was a month later when Jace decided to make him move, even though he knew that Clary still wasn't over her ex.

He left her with a napkin once again, reading:

Dinner, 9 o' clock?

Maybe this time though, Clary was ready.

"Ready or not….."

Hiya guys! I'm new to TMI, but I'm not that new to Fanfiction. I'm mainly a Max Ride writer, but I've been trying to write for other fandoms.

Lyric credits go to Bridgit Mendler, who owns the awesome song I got the quotes from at the top and the bottom.

Do you mind reviewing and telling me how I did for the first time please? I would really appreciate it, and maybe I'll write more for this fandom…hopefully.

Thanks!

~UnicornsBubblesAWESOMENESS