A/N: Hey, so I did write fanfiction when I was younger, but obviously my writing has matured since. But I know this fanfic is kind of overdone, so I'm trying to add original elements and hopefully my writing style will stand out.

Forbidden

Chapter 1

Clary glanced at herself in the mirror once more, a double check that she had everything she would need. After deeming herself ready, she flounced out of her bedroom door, her fiery curls bouncing along her waist.

As she began down the staircase, she called behind her, "Johnathon! We'll be late if you spend any longer admiring your hair!"

Johnathon hollered back a defensive reply as Clary cursed him and his vanity under her breath.

"What was that, sister who doesn't have a car?" Johnathon teased from behind Clary, tugging on a curl. "You don't want me to give you a ride to school?"

Clary flashed him an innocent smile as they walked out the front door and towards the car. The freezing January air of New York chilled her spine, and she wrapped her slim arms around herself in attempt to isolate any heat trying to escape her body.

"Maybe if you wore a longer skirt, you wouldn't be so cold," Johnathon mumbled, glancing at her legs.

Clary huffed in disapproval, choosing to ignore his comment. She settled for an intense eye roll.

As they slipped inside of the car, Clary exhaled loudly, amused by seeing the air escape her lips. Johnathon started the engine and began pulling out of the driveway.

"How long is Luke gone until this time?" Clary asked quietly.

Johnathon shot her a pitying glance. "Next Monday," He replied softly.

"Do you have basketball practice all week?" She asked, trying to keep any whininess out of her voice.

Another pity glance. "Yeah, I do. I could send Jace over after school to keep you company, if you like," He suggested.

Clary huffed again. "Right, because I'm just so pathetic that I need my brother's friend to babysit me. No thanks, I'll pass. I'll have Simon come over."

She could see her brother's shoulders visibly relax as she mentioned the one boy he didn't seem to worry about her with. Excluding his best friend, Jace, of course.

"Plus, Jace probably has some catching up to do with the majority of the cheer team," Clary added, causing Johnathon to let out a low laugh.

"Yeah, probably," He agreed.

They spent the remaining ten minutes in a comfortable silence, which Clary enjoyed. She glanced out her window, watching the various forms of ice-burdened trees pass, her artist fingers longing to sketch some on a fresh piece of paper.

When they reached school, Johnathon dropped Clary off at the doors before parking the car, and she scuttled inside, hoping to keep her limbs from freezing as stray snowflakes embedded themselves into her mane of hair.

Once safely inside, Clary unwrapped her scarf from her neck and began to walk towards her locker. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Isabelle Lightwood.

Isabelle was clad in a one-should red top that hugged her chest in all of the right places, tucked into a tight black miniskirt that appeared to be leather. Her long and slender legs were covered with fishnet tights, ending at a pair of red ankle boots. Her perfect teeth shone as she laughed, flicking a piece of her silky, raven hair behind a slim, naked shoulder.

Clary shook her head. She always thought she dressed fine, in just a black skirt and a plum v-neck, but somehow, seeing Isabelle made her feel as if she was underdressed at a Vera Wang fashion show. Izzy was actually pretty nice, once you got to know her. Clary had been with her on various occasions through Jace, and she actually liked her. But Isabelle hung out with the popular crowd, with countless adoring boys ready to ask her to winter formal. Clary wasn't popular, she was just sort of there. No one disliked her, but she certainly wasn't in running for winter formal's Ice Queen.

Throwing a casual wave towards Izzy's direction, Clary paused at her locker, twisting in the combination and pulling it open. Tossing in her heavy coat and scarf in exchange for a chemistry textbook, Clary slammed the door. As she was about to turn, she bumped into another body.

Looking upward, she found Isabelle staring at her. With her heels, Izzy was a solid 10 inches taller than Clary.

"Hey," Isabelle greeted, flashing her a smile.

"What's up?" Clary returned, her curiosity as to what Isabelle wanted peeking through.

After glancing around them, Isabelle lowered her voice, saying, "There's a party at Magnus' house Friday night. Come with me."
Clary's shock rolled over her. "Me? Why aren't you going with your friends?"
Isabelle picked at a perfectly-polished fingernail. "We are friends. Also, I'm so over hearing them discuss how hot Jace is. Like, he's my brother. Ew, right?"

"Ew," Clary confirmed with a nod. "But you know John. He doesn't let me go to parties."
Izzy made a sound of disgust. "Is this the 1800s? Do what you want. Besides, he goes to parties."
"Yeah, but if I go, he tells Luke. I'm not causing any problems for Luke," Clary said softly.

Isabelle threw her an understanding look. She did know about Clary's family situation, after all. "Well, it doesn't matter. John and his jock friends have a game that night anyway, so he wouldn't know. Why don't you come over after school?" Izzy sounded as if she was pleading. "We can get ready together!"

Clary couldn't understand why Isabelle was acting so desperate. She never had an urgent desire to hang out with Clary before. Also, she wasn't normally this…warm.

"I don't know, Iz," Clary hesitated.

"Please!" Isabelle grabbed Clary's tiny arm, flashing her puppy dog eyes that would make any guy melt.

"Fine," Clary caved, sighing.

Isabelle gave another award-winning smile, and bounced away, her heels clicking along the linoleum floors. Clary shook away the feeling that Isabelle had some ridiculous ulterior motive. Couldn't a person just be nice?

Clary made her way through the bustling hallways filled with loud laughs and hollering, until she reached a door at the end of the hall, marked '204C, Mrs. Hartz.' A small smile crept its way onto Clary's lips. Entering the familiar room, she was met with the smell of paints the noise of stools scraping across the art room's flooring. The smooth wood of the high tables that were covered in splotches of bright paint, some of which Clary had the honor of creating. Pulling out her stool at the seat she has claimed for the past two and a half years, she set her bag down and began to pull out her sketchpad.

"I hope you all had fun over winter break," Mrs. Hartz called from her desk as most of the students entered the room. "I can't wait to start second semester with you all!"
Clary became lost in her mindless doodles of a girl with raven hair. Her fingers skimmed the lines while her mind wandered helplessly. She was rudely pulled from her mind when the scraping of linoleum notified her that someone was taking the seat next to her.

Glancing over, she was met with a set of broad shoulders. His golden skin gleaming to match his blonde, ruffled hair, and tawny eyes. He flashed her a heart-swelling grin.

"Jace," Clary stated, more out of shock than acknowledgement. "What're you doing here?"

"What?" He asked, placing a hand to his chest. "You don't think I can express my ultimate love for creativity and self-expression?"

Clary raised a delicately shaped eyebrow. He caved.

"I need an art credit to graduate this spring."

Clary let out a chiming laugh, and Jace grew a smile that lit his golden irises.

Jace laid an elbow on the table, casually resting his head on his arm, which happened to do great things for his biceps, as he slowly slid closer towards Clary.

Clary's breath hitched as he came closer and closer. She didn't understand why. But she understood the itch of her fingers to draw every immaculate detail of his chiseled features- the sharp turn in his jaw, the clip of his incisor, the indent of his cheekbone, and the twinkle alight in his sun-filled eyes. Jace Lightwood was a lot of things, but his beauty was inarguable. The artist in her began imagining different shadings she would use to capture the soft, yet angled features of his face, which was steadily creeping closer to her own.

"Plus," He added in a breathy, low voice. "I hear some particularly interesting females may have also needed that credit."

The urge to draw him left her fingertips as quickly as it came. Of course he would only take art to find new hookups. It was easy to forget that this side of Jace was the one most people knew.

The door clanged close and Clary glanced upward, some strands of hair falling into her face. She was met with a view of Aline and Kaelie, two senior girls.

Clary wouldn't have minded the girls particularly, if they hadn't started nasty rumors about Isabelle last year, when Izzy was just a sophomore trying to make friends. No, Clary truly couldn't find herself to care about their reputations of 'giving out,' as John and his friends so endearingly called it. But their cruelty towards Isabelle caused quite the sense of distaste.

Clary "humphed" a noise of disgust, turning back towards Jace. "Really? Those are the kind of girls you find interesting?"

Jace replied only in the form of a slim grin.

"After how they treated Izzy?" Clary probed, insulted on behalf of her kind-of friend. What kind of brother was he?

"Please," Aline let out a sparkly laugh, tossing a streak of blonde hair over her pale shoulder as she and Kaelie took the seats opposite of Jace and Clary. "Tell me we aren't going to discuss that sister of yours, Jace."
Before Clary had a chance to respond, Jace was delicately tugging the hairs that had fallen into Clary's face back, smoothing them along her red mane until they were tucked gently behind her ear. Clary glanced at him questioningly. Jace didn't often show gestures of affection, towards anyone, let alone her.

"Obviously not," Jace smirked, once again ending Clary's moment of debate.

Clary returned to her sketch of the girl, not quite captured by the intrigue of Aline and Kaelie's thoughts on who would be granted cheer captain.

"You wouldn't happen to be trying out, would you?" Kaelie asked, her voice laced with a layer of amusement.

It took Clary a moment to realize the question was directed at her.

"Me?" Clary asked, shaking her head. "No."

"Wouldn't think so," Aline replied, a hint of smugness tied in it.

"Why's that?" Jace asked. Clary snuck a glance at him to find the smallest frown set upon his lovely features.

Aline lifted a slim shoulder, not bothering to answer.

Kaelie let out a small giggle, suppressing most of it. "Sorry. Forgot you're practically Jace's little sister."

Clary ducked her head, sick of the reminders of just how much of a 'little sister' she was. Perhaps that's why Izzy wanted to hang out with her- because she pitied her.

The homeroom bell rang soon after, signaling a five minute period before class actually began.

Caught once again in bringing the raven-haired girl with blue eyes to life, she almost didn't notice the large, yet gentle hand sweep over her head to ruffle her hair.

With a scowl, Clary looked lower towards her drawing. She didn't need any more reminders that to Jace, she was just Johnathon's sister.

A/N: Obviously I couldn't fit a lot of plot into the first chapter, but I have the next couple written and it picks up speed! I would love positive criticism! Hope you liked it