Disclaimer: If I owned The Mortal Instruments I would have bought Alex Pettyfer already.
Jace loved pain.
Maybe he was accustomed to it because of his childhood or maybe he was really demented for using it as an escape. It didn't matter to him, not at the moment. He just wanted it.
He'd picked a fight earlier with a couple of guys just because he felt like it. It wasn't unlike him, but that time it was different. He enjoyed a nice fist fight every now and then, but one of the men had pulled out a knife and lashed out at him. He would've taken him on, but with two other guys flanking him he knew he wouldn't win and he was forced to leave.
Which was the reason why he was now in Joe's Bar with multiple lacerations and bruises forming all over his body. He downed the third tequila shot of the night, feeling the hollow, burning sensation in his throat. He sucked on the lemon, grimacing from the taste. It wasn't a good one.
He then poked one of the purple bruises on his left arm, wanting to feel the physical pain again. He wanted to erase the emotional pain he felt from earlier, with Clary. He scowled at the thought of her.
"Give me another," he told the busty bartender.
She smiled at him, turning to fill another glass. She set it down in front of him with a suggestive wink. "This one's on the house."
She was young, maybe twenty-one and she probably wanted to get with him since she wasn't even carding him and he was only nineteen. Her features were generally Hispanic. She had wavy, brown hair that reached her tiny waist. Her skin was slightly tanned and went well with her hazel eyes. She was wearing what he guessed to be their uniform which was a tight, white almost see-through shirt and tiny black shorts. They emphasized her toned muscles and slender figure. Overall, not a bad catch.
"Let's say they're all on the house and I'll pay it back for you in a more satisfying way," Jace said, emphasizing 'satisfying'. She gave him a sultry smile after he drank the liquor.
She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Meet me in the back in ten minutes." She trailed her fingers down his arms, he winced as she passed over his bruises. She didn't know they were there since he was wearing long sleeves. She went to the back room. Probably to say she was taking her break.
He stood up, feeling a little vertigo from both the alcohol and from standing up too fast.
He sauntered over to the bathroom; he had drunk too much. After he was finished with his business, he went to wash his hands. On top of the sink there was a mirror. He looked at the person in it. His black button-up shirt showed signs of money and class along with the necklace he was wearing on which a ring hung. His wavy, blonde hair was stylishly tousled and damp. Many girls fawned over his hair, always putting their hands in it when they made out with him. It annoyed him, unless it was by the one girl he ever loved.
Jace looked into his blood-shot eyes. It was a strange combination: gold and red. To anyone else he probably looked calm and bored, but the truth was far from that.
He wet his hands and brought them up to his face, feeling a little pain as he made contact. His eyes widened. Why did it hurt? He made sure none of the men from earlier had hit him in the face since he would be stopped by the police if he had a black eye or something. He got closer to the mirror and turned his face, squinting to see if he had a cut.
What he saw left him breathless. He had a faint, red outline of a hand-print on his left cheek. A small one. He touched it gingerly. It still felt a little warm. He took a deep breath, remembering what had happened, and shook the thoughts away. The bartender would be waiting.
He made his way to the back alley, almost tripping on discarded cardboard boxes. He opened the door and was hit by cool, fresh air from the night. He shut the door behind him and walked to the middle of the alley, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"I actually thought you were out here for me, but I guess I was wrong, huh?"
Jace opened his eyes and turned towards the voice. Leaning on the wall, smoking a cigarette was the bartender.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked over to where she was and smirked. He brought up a hand and trailed his thumb down her jaw. Her breath hitched.
"I don't like smokers," he stated simply and dropped his hand. It was true. He used to smoke himself, but a conversation with a certain red head one day made him quit.
She immediately threw it on the floor and grinded it with her high-heels, effectively putting it out. It was pathetic how easily she submitted to his likings. If it had been Clary, though she would never smoke, she would've blown the smoke straight in his face.
Putting aside those thoughts, he grinned and leaned closer. With his hand, he brushed her hair back, making the access to her neck clear. He placed a small kiss there, making her shiver.
"Do you have a boyfriend...?" he whispered, trailing off since he didn't know her name.
She sighed as he placed another kiss on her neck, this time lower. "The name's Johanna and yes, but he's away in Chicago right now."
He stilled, but quickly regained his composure, despite the rushing images that came to mind.
"Ah, cheating." He sucked on her earlobe, causing her to moan. "Don't you think that's a little unfair to him?" He gripped her waist and pressed himself closer to her.
"There's this saying in Spanish: 'Ojos que no ven, corazon que no siente," she said, breathing unevenly.
"Eyes that do not see, heart that does not feel?" Jace asked. He slipped a hand under her shirt while the other went to her leg and hitched it up to his hip. "So basically what he doesn't know, won't hurt him."
He kissed her on the lips. She moaned. "You didn't strike me as the type that knew Spanish."
"I'm probably nothing of what you think of me." His hand trailed up higher, the edge of her bra between his fingers.
"I guessed right about your being a player," she breathed.
Jace stopped what he was doing for a second. Maybe they were all right about him.
The thought made him mad. He returned to her with more ferocity, attacking her mouth. She wound her hands around his neck, bringing him closer. He tightened his hold on her leg, grinding his hips into her. She moaned louder. His other hand went around to her back, unclasping her bra. He didn't care that they were outside and anyone could pass by and see them. He just wanted to not think about anything.
She arched her back and stuck out her chest. He groped her breast as she skimmed her hands up and down his arms. The pain from his bruises went nearly unnoticed. Doing this was almost as painful as hurting himself.
He sucked on her neck then went back to her lips. As soon as her mouth opened to let him kiss her deeper she gasped a little.
He stopped what he was doing suddenly, immediately sobering up. The gasp. She always did that. Like she was surprised.
He let go of her and stepped back. Johanna looked at him with wide eyes.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, still panting.
He swallowed, feeling the anger boil up inside of him. Why was he always messing up?
"Yeah, I realized ugly whores are not my type," he said stoically. Her eyes narrowed and she started to fix her bra.
"Hey!" she yelled walking up to him. "You didn't pay for your drinks," she sneered.
He dug into his pocket, taking out a couple of twenties and threw them on the floor in front of her. She gasped. "This isn't a good form of business," he chastised. "Taking the money afterward. I thought that was the first rule in the slut handbook." He shook his head as she gawked at him.
As he walked away, he said, "Also, I'll make sure that your boyfriend finds out that you cheated on him."
He grinned blandly when he saw her face become pale and her eyes water. He didn't know her, he didn't care about what happened to her. He left her out in the alley way as he made his way home.
He was disgusted with himself. Just a few hours before he had gotten into that fight with Clary and now he was making out with some random bartender. About to take it to the next level, even. That was back then, Jace. Not anymore. Not since Clary.
In his state of fury, he'd forgotten to take his car and so he was forced to walk home. He could hear the sirens that were constantly on in the city, the occasional cat screeching, and the rush of cars as they passed on the freeway. He tried to tune them out, wanting silence instead.
Half an hour later he arrived at his house. When he graduated from high school the year earlier and entered the university, he bought a house with Isabelle (his adoptive sister), Alec (his adoptive brother), Magnus (Alec's boyfriend), and Clary.
It was a grand Victorian house on the richer side of the city. It had four rooms, one of which was unoccupied since Alec and Magnus shared a room and so did Jace and Clary.
Isabelle and Alec come from a very wealthy family and when Jace was adopted he also inherited the wealth. They liked to live in luxury and so they each also had their own expensive cars.
He passed by the front gate, noticing the lights on in each room. That wasn't very surprising, it was two am on a Saturday night which meant that Isabelle's party was still probably going on. The one he had made a scene in with Clary.
He walked up to the old-fashioned door and opened it.
No one was there. It was completely empty. Jace closed the door cautiously, calling out for anyone.
Alec and Magnus appeared first, coming out of the kitchen. They looked worried, looking at Jace with something like pity.
"What's wrong with you two?" Jace snarled. "You found out it's illegal for you two to get married?" He knew he was being mean to them, but he didn't care. He wanted the whole world to feel like he did.
"Shut up, Jace," Alec said, mildly.
"At least I still have my boyfriend in case I ever did want to get married," Magnus growled.
"What are you talking about?" Jace asked, confused. Isabelle came out of nowhere then, her eyes red and puffy.
"Oh Jace," she whimpered. "I'm sorry. I tried, but she wouldn't listen."
Jace tensed up and glared at her. "Sorry for what, Isabelle?"
She shook her head ruefully. "She's gone," she choked out, a fresh wave of tears spilling out.
All the breath inside of Jace escaped him. "Who's gone?"
She walked slowly to him handing him a folded up paper. They all looked at him with pained expressions.
"What's this?" he asked guardedly, taking it from her hand. He knew what it was, but he didn't want to admit it to himself. Please don't let it be what I think it is. Not you, too.
Jace's whole world came tumbling down as Isabelle spoke next.
"I'm so sorry, Jace. Clary's gone."
He could have sworn his heart broke in that moment.
AN: New story, yay! I have no idea where this story is heading. I just had this scene in my head and I needed to write it, but now I don't know where I am going with it. So stay with me and we'll find out together :D
About Avoiding the Inevitable, if you are following that story, so sorry that I haven't updated in three weeks. I promise that I will do it within the next week. I'm kind of having writer's block with it, but I will continue it. Thank you for your patience.
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