Chapter 2

Jace's POV

The bell rang as I sat at my desk waiting for everybody else to seat themselves as well. I wasn't talking to my friends or anything just waiting for class to start. Things hadn't exactly been so easy going between us. We still talked but it wasn't as easy anymore. Class went on and all I did was pay attention and did my assignment. I talked to Alec next to me every now and then but we didn't talk about anybody or plan any pranks like we used to. We talked about our lives and continued on in our non-jock talk. He did try to crack a few jokes but obviously didn't get the expected reaction of laughter. Alec just wasn't that kind of guy though, he was more shy.

I looked down at the assignment on my desk. It was Algebra 2. I didn't understand much of it but I learned a neat trick that if you opened the book, you could learn what the hell what was going on!

Over the past three months my grades took a spike. I learned it was easier to just focus on school work. I had A's and B's now.

When class was over I went to my next class, I was deep in thought walking next to Alec when someone bumped into me. My shoulder jerked and I looked back at them, It was Jonathan, Clary's brother. He looked at me with anger and disgust written all over his face. That's how he has been acting ever since the accident. For a week he missed school before he came back without a look of sadness anywhere to be found. He was just angry.

At lunch our table actually returned to some of its joking and laughter, it had been after all six months. Aline was all close to me looking at me with adoring eyes, being all romantic and seductive. Well, It was now or never.

"Hey Aline, you finished?" I asked her to see if she wanted to go.

"Yeah, did you want to go?"

"Yeah. let's go walk around." I said getting up from my seat. I didn't let anything show on my face but instead looked as if nothing was wrong. She had a hopeful look on her face, thinking that I decided to let our conversation on the phone last night go.

When we walked out of the loudness of the cafeteria, she almost instantly started talking about herself and what's been going on. I let her talk for a while but when lunch was almost over I stopped her.

"And me and Helen went to the mall this weekend-"

"Hey, Aline, let's stop here for a second." I said holding her shoulders to stop from moving. we were outside the school where people frequented after lunch. We were some distance away and out of hearing range. She looked up at me curiously and even hopefully as I touched her.

"Yes, Jace?"

"Listen, I care for you Aline. I really like you, and your an amazing person, you know that right?" I said to her in a gentle tone. She seemed shocked at how much of a romantic I sounded. Normally I was always joking and not serious and even pushed her away, not showing my emotions to her.

"Um...yeah." She said with understandable doubt. It's not like I ever said it out loud.

"Good, because I want you to know that. I'm kind of a jackass who normally doesn't say shit like this but I think it's about time I got over myself." She smiled at that, but it wouldn't stay for long.

"With this whole mess that went down, that's at least something I realized. I think it's time to face reality and that we won't be in high school forever and our social lives aren't going to be the thing that counts. I want to give you an amazing high school experience, but I don't think I can at this point. I really just want to focus on school and sports."

"Wait, are you breaking up with me?" she said with anger and surprise.

"Aline, calm down, I am. If you just think about it we aren't really that compatible. I have a shitty personality and I don't treat you right. I don't have anything going on for me besides my looks and I just need to work on myself.

"Oh my god, are you serious? work on yourself? what is this, another one of your things where you run off and whore around with another girl?" She said, angry now.

"Aline, this isn't that. don't you see? This is exactly what I'm talking about. I'm a dipshit and I'm trying to stop doing that and treating girls like crap."

"But what if I don't agree with you? what if I think we are compatible?"

"...If that's how you really feel, then maybe we can try again, in the future. If that's truly what you want. I mean you don't really know that much about me and you know that. You know an idea of me. I just want you to think about it for a while. I don't want you to be with me for my looks or my status, I want you to be with me for who I am."

She looked at me like I was crazy, but her anger died down.

"Are you having a meltdown?" I laughed at that.

"No, I am completely serious. If you want to go out in the future, come back to me in a year. And don't worry, I will still take you to Prom if you need me too." I said backing up from her. She looked utterly confused but as i got a distance away from her and turned to walk straight, I did see the hint of a smile on her face.

I was happy she was going to take my words serious. I meant every word of them. I breathed a sigh of relief. What a chip off my shoulder that was. I went back inside to go to my locker and go to class.

Thinking the entire time of my plan. There was Step 2 of it, complete. I was breaking down myself so that I can find out who I truly was and who I wanted to be.


Tell me what you think! I am excited for this story now that I got an idea of where I want it to go.

And in case your wondering, Step 1 was his grades.