Hi! Guys! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favourites. They keep me going. Here is the new chap for you.

Clary looked down at her Physics book and acted as if she was listening to what was being taught in class. They were revising old stuff that day and she had no interest in listening. Even if they were doing a brand new topic or something she wouldn't have been able to concentrate because Jace had come into the class and taken the seat right next to hers.

He wasn't speaking and hadn't even acknowledged her but she could feel his eyes on her, continuously. She had let her hair fall over her shoulder to create a curtain between her face and his gaze but even then she could still feel that he was looking at her. She finally decided to man up and talk to him. She would've chosen the flirtatious way of communication if he was her next target but as Kaelie had already gotten a move in, she didn't see the need to. So she spoke as she would normally.

"Is there something on my face?" she said, swivelling around to face him.

"Yes." he said, "Beauty."

She was surprised at that. Her mind told her that it was a corny pick up line but her heart had different ideas. She decided to listen to her mind.

"Has that line ever really worked for you?"

"It was not a line, DD, it was a fact." he said, with a shrug. His trademark smirk in its place already.

"DD?" she asked, confused.

"Damsel in Distress, remember?" he said, softly tapping the side of her head with one finger. He laughed softly, not drawing the attention of their teacher who droned on, unaware of their exchange.

Clary swatted his hand away, "My name is Clary. And you will call me that only." Her fiery side that she kept hidden from everyone at school, specially boys, came out.

He raised his hands in surrender "Your wish, my command. Miss Clary."

She narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't know him but she hadn't expected him to give in so easily. Without a single jab at her overly flirtatious behaviour and lip biting from the day before.

"Chivalrous men listen to their Damsels in Distress."

There it was. The jab. She knew it would come. She snorted. Loudly. That made the teacher turn her way and she quickly looked down, pretending to be submerged in the most interesting subject ever. The teacher turned back around and resumed teaching.

"That was not very lady-like or attractive, was it?" Jace was grinning at her.

She controlled the urge to snort again or punch him in the face and settled with just rolling her eyes at him.

For some reason, that made him laugh even harder. She remembered her silly behaviour from the other day and although she always did just that to score rich kids, behaving like that with Jace seemed simply hilarious. His laugh was infectious and soon they were both cracking up, shoulders shaking trying to maintain an iota of classroom decorum.

Clary had a problem, once she started laughing there was no stopping her. And in this situation, with the inability to laugh out loud, she was barely keeping it together. She clutched the side of her stomach with her left hand and Jace's arm with her right, trying to control bouts of laughter that were attacking her. Jace was smiling widely at her and suddenly he caught the back of her neck and forced her to duck down below the desk and held her there. That sobered her up. She struggled to come up, but he didn't budge. Then she heard the teacher asking about her and him saying that she was just picking something up. He nudged a pen off of the desk and she grabbed it and came back up to find the physics teacher looking at her curiously.

She showed him the pen and said, "I dropped this accidentally, sir."

The teacher didn't seem fully convinced but nodded and turned back towards the board.

Clary let the breath she was holding out in couldn't afford detention, she had loads of things to catch up on. She stiffened when she felt fingers brush her hair back and free her ear.

"You seem to need a lot of saving, DD. I think that name suits you." Jace whispered.

"It's Clary." she said, breathily.

Jace just laughed softly, his warm breath hit the soft skin behind her ear and sent a jolt through her whole body. She felt Jace pull back and immediately missed his warmth.

She had dated many boys and made out with almost all of them out of the need of the situation. Most of those guys were hot and a good kisser too but she had never felt this pull. She hadn't even talked to Jace for more than five minutes and all she wanted to do was pin him down to the chair he was sitting on and slam her mouth on his. She shivered when his fingers softly brushed her neck as he pulled back to move to a respectable distance.

The rest of class flew by and she went to get up and Jace followed her quietly. She knew his locker was near hers that is why she didn't question him. She knew that those jabs about her 'Save me, please!' act had not ended and she didn't want to give him an excuse to continue.

They were met at her locker by Izzy who was visibly surprised on seeing them together.

"Did I miss anything?" Izzy asked.

"Miss what ?" Clary was confused. They just came out of class together, that didn't necessarily have to mean that anything was going on. She looked up and saw the reason behind Isabelle's question.

Jace was looking at her with something in his eyes that she couldn't place. Curiosity would be as close as she could come to explain it.

"Jace.."

He was shook out of whatever trance he was in and his smirk came back.

"Just my DD and all the saving she needs." Jace said.

Izzy scrunched her brows, "DD?" She looked from Jace to Clary.

"Damsel in Distress." Clary said. "This asshat has taken to calling me that."

Isabelle was momentarily surprised at Clary's actual self coming through in front of a rich, hot boy. Then she gathered herself and laughed. "Well, that is a good name."

"Izzy! That is not fair. You've known him for what, one day? And you are already on his team?" Clary whined.

"I have a certain charm that you lack." Jace winked at her.

She blushed, due to the wink or anger, she didn't know. Without thinking, Clary stuck out her tongue at him.

"Well, he certainly has a point." Isabelle laughed.

Clary saw that her best friend had let go of the guard that she usually had around guys that one of them could possibly date. It made her feel good. They had been so fake in the recent past, that being genuine was a good change. A freeing change. She looked at the boy beside her and wondered what was it about him that put both the girls at ease. He was seemingly rich and too good-looking for his own good and had that annoying 'I'm too sexy for my shirt' attitude and how could she forget that god damned smirk which made her feel hot inside. Their perfect candidate for presenting a lot of fake smiles and hugs and kisses. Yet, Clary felt genuinely attracted to him and that was scary.

"My car is at home so we need to catch a ride with Alec."

Isabelle groaned. "Alec is at practise, we have to wait at least forty-five minutes then."

"Its either that, or walk." Clary said.

"I could give you guys a ride." Jace piped in.

Clary raised both of her eyebrows. She didn't have the ability to raise one and anyone who had and exercised it was her pet peeve.

"I don't know.."

"Of course, Jace. So kind of you to offer." Isabelle cut in.

Jace smirked and signed them to follow him.

Clary clutched Isabelle's hand and pulled her towards herself. "What are you thinking? It's Kaelie's turn, remember?"

"It wouldn't harm to check out exactly how rich he is." Izzy whispered.

Clary rolled her eyes and walked out to the parking lot where her jaw dropped at the four rings at the back of Jace's car. Izzy looked at her meaningfully. She knew what her best friend was thinking because she was thinking the same.

'God! Jace was loaded."

Isabelle enthusiastically waved Jace goodbye who returned it with a smirk at her and a wink at Clary and sped away in his too expensive car. Isabelle turned to Clary.

"That boy, is loaded. And kinda fun to be around, too bad he's Kaelie's prey." Isabelle said with a shrug.

Clary nodded but deep down she felt a bout of indignation at Jace being classified as 'prey'. She didn't voice her opinion though. The girls went into her house and were met by two notes stating that both her parents were out and food was in the fridge. She ordered Izzy to warm it, who accepted after numerous groans of protest, and went to shower.

Clary came out, freshly showered to see her brother of other mother, Simon, sitting and talking to Izzy. They were all very close. Clary and Simon's relationship was completely platonic even though he had confessed about a crush on her in eighth grade. Isabelle and Simon always used to fight for Clary's attention but somewhere along the way they realised that it works better if they both talked and left Clary out. So since then, even Isabelle and Simon had become good friends.

"Simon, when did you come?"

"Good to see you too, Fray." Simon called Clary that because he had been the only one to accept that name when Clary, in the fourth grade, had claimed that she was married to an artist named that and should be called by her rightful name. It had stuck since then.

Clary smacked his head and went to get a glass of water.

They ate and talked. Isabelle told Simon all about Jace. Simon shook his head reprimanding them, he had never been a fan of their recent behaviour. "You know I don't like this. Good thing that girl is on it first. Even thinking about you two doing all that gives me shivers." He fake shivered "Isabelle, I can understand but Clary, it's totally out of your character. You don't even like all that girly stuff." Simon continued. He surely missed the hurt that splashed on Isabelle's face otherwise he wouldn't have continued without apologising. "You are gonna be heartbroken one day, Clary."

"Yeah, Clary can be in trouble with her heart, I am too cool to make a mistake." Isabelle said with a smirk but Clary could see the hurt behind her eyes. She didn't know how to address it so she let it go, thinking that she will talk to Izzy alone later.

They talked for a while until it was dark and Simon and Isabelle went home together.

Clary laid in bed that night and felt an unknown excitement instead of the usual dread she felt for the day after. With a pleasant surprise she realised what she was looking forward to. Seeing the sparkling gold eyes and hearing the teasing voice which infuriated her and made her go weak at the knees. She was excited to see a boy at school and for the first time, it had nothing to do with how much money he had.

There you go, the third chapter. I just want to thank all of you who followed and favourited and a big shout-out to those who reviewed (I have a bias towards people who have spoken with me ) I look forward to hearing what you guys think.

Love,Thea.

p.s.: You helped me reach my goal of 3 reviews before update and I held up my end of the deal, so what do ya say? Is 5 asking for too much?