I do not own any of the Mortal Instruments characters, only the plot of my story. All credit to the characters goes to Cassandra Clare.
Izzy and I were finally going to college. We decided to go to NYU because I got an awesome athletics scholarship and Izzy got a volleyball scholarship. Plus, our brother Alec and his boyfriend, Magnus, already go to school here which makes it all the better. I was moving in with Alec and Magnus and Izzy was moving into the apartment next door with one of her friends. And today was moving day! The summer heat was suffocating. By the time my dad and I got my bedroom furniture upstairs, I was sweating profusely – so much so that my shirt was sticking to my skin. Not that anyone would dislike the view, but still, I felt gross.
"Jace, go next door to Izzy's and grab my drill please. I need it to assemble some of this stuff," my dad was underneath the bed frame, trying to put it together, and clearly struggling.
"Sure dad," I said as I walked out of the bedroom and meandered downstairs. Luckily, Iz and my mom were shopping for apartment stuff, so I didn't have to deal with all that excitement right now. I was tired, hot, and just not in the mood.
I let myself in to Izzy's apartment. There was even more stuff there, I guess her roommate had started moving in. I tried to sift through the messy living room to find the drill, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Seriously, it was like it up and walked away. I was hunting for the tool in Izzy's disaster of a bedroom for ten minutes when the front door opened. Mom and Izzy were back! Crap. I quickly left the room and met my family by the front door. There was a redheaded woman I didn't recognize carrying bags in.
They sat everything down and my mom said, "Jace, you remember Jocelyn, Clary's mom." No. Not possible. Clary can't possibly be Iz's new roommate. Iz would have told me. Right? It had been obvious to Izzy that I was in love with Clary for almost my entire life – I finally gave up when she started dating my pal Sebastian junior year. We weren't close, she was my sister's best friend but we didn't hang out much. And I avoided her once she and Seb were together. I hadn't seen her since graduation. My eyes met Izzy's and she nodded her head discretely. Clary is my neighbor. I'm going to kill my sister. Am I happy about this or mad? Or both? What the hell is going on?
While I was lost in my thoughts, Izzy, Jocelyn, and my mom sat down on the plush tan sofas. They were gabbing about color schemes or something. I was standing there, totally dumbstruck. Then, because my life couldn't get any more painful, Clary walked through the front door, her arms full of large art canvases. I tried to hold in my smile as I unfroze and put my arms out to grab some of the paintings.
"God, thanks guys for helping me with the paintings! Going up two flights of stairs without being able to see over the canvas was a piece of cake! And thank you Jace for actually helping instead of sitting over there staring at a magazine!"
She smiled at me as we put the paintings on the floor leaning against the breakfast bar wall, then she stood awkwardly next to me. She was wearing a pair of the shortest shorts I'd ever seen and a white tank top. Sweat was beading on her forehead and her hair was in a messy bun, with just a few pieces falling to frame her face. Her toes were painted bright red, matching her hair. She was beautiful. Suddenly I couldn't breathe. I realized I'd been in this apartment way too long.
"Mom, where's the drill? Dad needs it." She pointed to the pantry and I found the drill sitting on a pantry shelf. I wonder what they were doing that the drill was in the pantry. I slipped out the door into the hallway walking toward my apartment. I felt a hand on my arm and immediately stopped walking.
"Would you mind if I hung out with you and your dad? Izzy and the moms are picking out rugs, comforter sets, and cooking utensils and I'm totally not into that." My eyes bulged in my head at the thought of Izzy with cooking utensils. I have a theory that her food is what finally killed off the dinosaurs.
"Don't worry Jace, I won't let Izzy kill us. I plan on barely letting her use the microwave," Clary finished, noticing my look. We made it to my apartment and found my dad lounging on the sofa with a beer in his hand. The TV was hooked up and he had the football game on.
When he saw us walk in he said, "Jace, I thought your mom and Iz devoured you. So, naturally, I hooked up the TV and plopped down to watch the game. Hey Clary!" She smiled and sat down on the small loveseat and I sat next to her, very uncomfortable with her proximity. Usually with girls I was smooth and calm, but with Clary I was a mess. She had her knees tucked under her and her feet were resting against my leg – that's how close we were. It was silent other than the game, until Clary's phone rang.
"Sure Luke. I'll be right there." She got up and stretched, showing a thin, alluring strip of skin. "I gotta go guys, my step-dad is here with more of my stuff. I'll see you guys tonight at dinner though! Thanks for letting me hide out from Izzy and the moms!" She kissed me on the cheek and basically skipped out of my apartment, just as Alec was coming in.
"See ya later Alec," she murmured.
"Yep, bye Clare." I was too stunned to do or say anything. She kissed me. I can feel her lips on my cheek. Oh my god.
"Awww Jacey, your blush is so cute," Alec said mockingly. He and my dad were both cracking up.
"Whatever, I'm going to put my stuff away. And Dad, if the furniture isn't completely put together before dinner, Mom's going to kill you," I added as I left the room. I was confused. All I knew was that I couldn't wait for dinner.