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JACE POV
Late that night Jace tossed and turned in his sleep; a montage of nightmares flashed through his mind's eye. Of course, he was used to them, he had been having since he was young. Tonight though, tonight was different.
It was worse.
His dreams rapidly changed, all of them haunting and disturbing, but each one ended a figure appearing out of nowhere. She was anonymous, her face and body always shadowed. The only thing that gave any hint to who she was, were the bright red curls that fell down her back.
Jace groaned and sat up from another dream ending with Clary. He checked the clock on his nightstand, it read 3:07 AM.
Please, he silently asked God, please let me get some sleep.
CLARY POV
At school the next day, Clary brought up whatever she could to Sebastian to avoid the subject of Jace. She yawned recalling the phone call from the night before. Sebastian had gone on and on about how he was going to "kick the shit out of Jace", that Jace "would be sorry he ever transferred to Alicante." It was hours before Sebastian started to let it go, and only because he had tired himself out from ranting.
She approached her locker with him close behind her; once she had him babbling about some new play his football team was working on, she was able to tune him out for a moment. Clary immediately turned to the mirror on the locker door. Dark bags had settled comfortably under her green eyes and her red hair was un-brushed and unruly.
Jeez Fray, sleepless nights are not a good look for you.
After Seb had finally relented and went to sleep, Clary had been up for at least another two hours rehasing the conversation her and Jace after physics.
"Did you treat Sebastian that way because he was with me?" She groaned internally. She was still mortified, but had fell asleep before she came to any sort of explanation. She had woken an hour and half later to get ready for school.
She attempted though; she patted her face to add a little color to her cheeks and ran a few fingers threw her curls. It wasn't a vast improvement, but it was better than nothing.
"Clary?"
She turned to Sebastian who was gazing at her expectantly.
"Uh what?" His eyebrows furrowed and she guessed he realized she hadn't been listening.
"So," He started, obviously repeating his sentence, "I know I may have dwelled on the situation with Jace." His eyes darkening at the sound of the name. "But, I really appreciate you being here for me."
She smiled, secretly full of dread that their Jaceless conversation was over with, "Of course."
"Yeah, I think I'm finally over the whole thing."
"That's great Sebastian." Clary hoped the relief in her voice wasn't too obvious. An end to all of this testosterone!
He shrugged, "I figured as long as we stay away from him, he won't be a problem again."
Her brow furrowed. "We?"
IZZY POV
Izzy walked into English feeling a hundred times better than the day before. She had successfully talked herself through the disappoint she felt when Simon didn't ask her to the dance.
She had only known Simon for a few days, it was silly of her to expect anything more. They were building a friendship. And there is nothing wrong with taking things slow. She would get to know him and let the chips fall where they may. Besides, did she want to get involved with someone so soon? There was a whole school of people to meet and get to know.
She spotted Simon sitting towards the back of the classroom, chatting with Maia.
"Good morning!" She said cheerfully, taking the seat on the other side of Simon.
"Hi Izzy." Simon's eyes lit up.
"I like your outfit today." Maia said, looking her up and down. Izzy nodded graciously. Today, she settled on a fitted black dress with shin-high ruby boots. She clutched the matching pendant she always wore on her neck.
"Thanks!" And she let her eyes shift to Simon, who coughed nervously when he was caught staring at Izzy a little longer than he should've. She looked down and hoped that neither of them noticed her blushing.
"So you guys excited about the dance?" Maia asked.
"Yes." Isabelle and Simon said simultaneously.
Maia smiled at them, "Yeah," her eyes reaching Simon, "It will be a blast, especially if you plan on taking someone special." Her tone was more challenging than conversational.
Izzy couldn't help but feel like she was missing something.
Maybe they are going together.
"Jordan and I are thinking about getting dinner at Taki's, then heading over. Maybe even getting a group together."
"Jordan?" Izzy asked.
"Oh sorry, Jordan is my boyfriend. You'll meet him soon enough."
Her boyfriend? She has a boyfriend! Izzy couldn't help the boost in her mood. Simon and her are just friends.
"Simon, who are YOU taking?" Maia asked suggestively.
Simon gave her a look. She smirked. He sighed and took a deep breath.
"Well actually," He responded, turning to Izzy, "I was wondering, Iz if you,"
He's going to ask me.
"Enough chatter. It's time for a pop quiz!" Mr. Starkweather rushed in. Simon huffed in frustration, Izzy pouted.
After the pop quiz, Simon and Izzy kept stealing gazes. One would catch the other staring, then look away, only to catch the other doing the same thing a moment later. It was a torturous game.
Finally, the torture became exasperating.
Screw taking things slow!
She hastily ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook, scribbled some words, and folded it up.
When Mr. Starkweather's back was turned she placed it on Simon's desk.
He gave her a confused look, and she nodded towards it. Gently, he opened it. Maia leaned over in curiosity. Soon, Simon's lips curved up into a smile.
He waited until Mr. Starkweather wasn't paying attention, and whispered, "I'd love to Izzy."
CLARY POV
Clary was anxious to get to geometry.
Sebastian had left for homeroom without further explaining himself.
We.
She tugged at the metal spirals that binded her notebook. Did Sebastian really mean what he said? That both of them would stay away from Jace? She understood that steering clear of Jace was a good idea for Sebastian, but was it necessary for Clary to keep her distance too? What did she have to do with it?
And if he was serious, did Sebastian mean prolonged periods of being in each other's company? Even when other people were around? Or maybe, he meant just alone? But in what world would Clary and Jace ever hangout by themselves? Was she at least allowed to speak to Jace? Did she care? Or maybe, she was allowed to be around him as long as she didn't acknowledge him. Her mind wandered… would Jace care? More importantly, did Clary want him to care?
"Clary!" She jumped, Maia had been trying to get her attention. She needed to quit zoning out.
"What's up?"
"Have you talked to Simon?"
Clary shook her head and realized she hadn't seen Simon since the whole lunch debacle. She had been so caught up in the drama, she forgot to touch base with her own best friend.
"Izzy asked him to the dance next weekend!"
Really? Go Simon!
"That's awesome!" She responded, "Wait, she asked him?".
Maia giggled and nodded, "He was going to ask her, I guess he got a little nervous. She took charge. She's quite the girl."
Clary nodded with smile. Good for them, they'll have a good time.
The thought of the dance reminded her of Sebastian, and her face fell. He entered the room, his good mood from this morning still present.
"Hey gorgeous." He sat down.
"Hi."
He made a confused face at her, "You good?"
She took a deep breath. Just ask him Clary.
"Seb, before, what you said, "about avoiding Jace."
He nodded that he listening, but he was unsure of her point.
"You meant stay away from him? Like,"
"Like don't even waste your breath talking about him." Sebastian said a little sharply. Was this conversation going to be a problem?
"Both of us?"
"Both of us."
Clary swallowed, this had nothing to do with her. Why was she being punished?
And why did not being able to interact with Jace feel like a punishment, maybe she cared more than she thought. She shook her head.
"But Seb, it was one altercation. I don't, I don't think it was that big of a deal." She really didn't.
Sebastian could stay away all he wanted, but Clary didn't feel that it warranted her isolation from golden boy, too.
He sighed heavily, "Clary," and he reached out for her hand, rubbing the back gently with his thumb. "This isn't really up for discussion. It's pretty simple. He's an ass, we shouldn't have to deal with him… so we're not going to." And he shrugged and turned his attention to Ms. Blackthorn who was starting the lesson.
That's it? That was the end of it. Like Sebastian's word was final.
She wanted to ask him so badly what it had to do with her, but his eyes darted whenever she tried to make contact. Jace wasn't an ass to her, so why should she cease all communication?
She froze.
But hadn't he been? She only interacted with Jace a few times, the hallway being the only pleasant one. He could've just been being polite; I mean it's a new type of jerk to leave someone struggling on the ground The other times he had been,
Insulting and arrogant.
Why was Clary defending her relationship with Jace? It isn't like he's made her life easy since he's arrived.
Wait, now you have a relationship with him? Clary, you've known each other for a week, less than.
She exhaled in frustration, she needed to talk to Simon.
SIMON POV
Simon sat at his lunch table, his leg bouncing up and down in anticipation. Where is she? He kept his eyes focused on the entrance, scanning for a certain redhead.
EARLIER IN THE HALLWAY:
"I think you should talk to Clary." Maia said softly while they strolled through the hallway. "She seemed really upset in geometry."
"Do you know why?" Simon asked concerned.
She shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure, I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I think her and Sebastian were arguing. I did hear them mutter about someone named Jace though."
BACK IN THE LUNCHROOM:
He wanted to make sure Clary was all right. She had a temper, Clary. Losing it was easy, but it was usually for good reason. He hoped it was a miscommunication between the couple or maybe, by now, already fixed.
Fifteen minutes later, the rest of the table had filled, but there was still no sign of Clary. Simon's brow furrowed.
"Has anyone seen Clary?" Isabelle spoke, playing with a carrot stick. Alec and Simon shook their heads.
"Jace?" She asked. He was twirling an apple by its stem, he seemed distracted.
"No, I haven't seen her." He answered without looking up.
Why would he have seen her? He thought Jace and Clary all but hated each other. Irritation settled in his bones; Jace better not have had anything to do with whatever was going on with Clary.
Simon's eyes flickered to the doors and Clary walked in, clutching a paper bag and notebook. She sauntered through the tables, approaching theirs's in haste. Her face fell a little when she noticed the only empty spot left, in between Alec and Jace.
She sat anyways.
"There you are! Where have you been?" Izzy asked when Clary settled in. Clary looked at her nervously, then to Jace, then down at her hands.
"I was stuck in the art room. I got caught up sketching, that's all."
It was silent for a moment, an obvious tension hovered over the table.
"Are you ok?" Jace asked, eyeing her. It was a little out of character for Jace to show concern for anyone, but himself but it was obvious why he did. Clary looked exhausted and just plain worn out. Her eyes were surrounded by purple bags, they themselves were a little red. Had she been crying? Maybe the argument was a lot worse than I thought.
She let out a smile and began eating her bagged lunch.
"Okay," Izzy said trying to liven up the mood, "I have some really great news!" Everyone turned their attention to her. "We are having a party at our house this weekend!" She clapped her hands.
"We are?" Alec asked. "Since when?"
"Since Mom is going out of town this weekend."
"I don't know Iz. That doesn't seem like a good idea."
"Oh come on Alec, it'll be fun." Jace offered, winking at Izzy. Simon guessed it was probably Alec who always played Mr. Responsible when it came to Jace and Izzy.
"But what if Mom finds out? We'll all be grounded until God knows when and,"
She put a hand up, signaling him to stop speaking, "With her away, Magnus can spend the night." She raised her eyebrows suggestively. Jace smiled, knowing they had him.
Alec's OK was reluctant, but he definitely seemed to perk up.
"Clary, you can come over before and we can get ready together." She bounced.
Clary bit her lip, "I actually don't think I'm going to make it."
Izzy's face fell. Simon noticed a slight wince in Jace's, too.
"Why not?" Simon asked her.
"I just have a lot of work to do."
"But Clary," She pouted.
"I've got to go actually. I have to talk to one of my teachers about an assignment." Clary said, quickly grabbing her things and exiting the table. They all watched her with a mixture of confused and concerned expressions. What the hell was that?
Simon went after her.
"Hey, hey." He said catching up to her in the hallway. He pulled her elbow back towards him. "What just happened in there? You're acting a little strange."
Clary sighed. "It's nothing, it really isn't a big deal."
"You know I'm not going to let this go until you tell me Fray. And I've got all day." He smirked, leaning against the lockers.
She gave a shy smile, joining him. He watched her face scrunch as she assessed the issue internally, then she sighed.
"Sebastian was really upset over what happened with Jace and now he wants me to stay away from him. But I don't think I should have to, their problems have nothing to do with me."
Simon nodded while she continued, "I mean, we just met with the Lightwoods and I'm not saying Jace and I have a great relationship but who knows? We could end up friends. And avoiding him may mean avoiding Izzy and Alec, I don't want that either. Besides, Sebastian can't just dictate my life as he pleases, right?"
Simon took all of this in, secretly wondering if there was another reason Clary was so hesitant to cut ties with Jace. He pushed it aside, she would've told him if that was the case.
"You want to know what I think?" Simon asked, she nodded.
"I think they are both jerks." He shrugged, she laughed a little. "As for Sebastian, he can't tell you what to do, and you shouldn't let him. But… this may be coming from a place of fear. He obviously cares about you, maybe he doesn't know how to handle these emotions. Jace is attractive and popular with the ladies. Sebastian is probably nervous he'll lose you to Jace if you stick around him long enough."
Clary nodded at his words her eyes widening a little, Simon could tell Clary hadn't thought about it like that.
"Try talking to him again. Let him know that he's the only guy for you. It'll reassure him of you two and he'll no doubt loosen the reigns.
"I do like Sebastian, a lot. He makes me happy when he's not trying to be my father." She smirked and looked down at her hands, mentally assessing again. "You're right Si, I should talk to him again."
"And if he's still acting like a jerk, you dump his ass." Simon added.
JACE POV
Jace walked into history and sat alone in the back, despite the pleading eyes of every girl in the room. His progress with the ladies had been remarkable, but the guys weren't exactly jumping at the chance to be his friend. He knew this would be the case. Transferring to a new school is difficult enough, let alone doing it senior year. Everyone has already established their group of friends and are usually hesitant to welcome in strangers.
He had considered trying out for a sport. He was talented enough, there were few things he didn't excel at. It would definitely close the friends gap. But to be honest, he was hoping to just kick back this year. Last year was such a mess; he had been looking forward to no drama.
But of course, three days in, he had already blown that with the Sebastian confrontation. He hadn't been able to stop himself though, his emotions had overcome him.
Emotions you have yet to sort out, Wayland.
"Did you treat Sebastian like that because he was with me?" Clary's voice rang in his head.
Sebastian rolled in with a few of his buddies, giving Jace the same challenging glare he had yesterday after the lunch. Sebastian seemed to be all talk and passive aggression, no action. Jace rolled his eyes and looked out the window.
He could apologize to Sebastian, patch things up. It would definitely please Izzy, she had been so angry with him yesterday for causing a scene. But he knew if he did say sorry, it wouldn't be for Izzy.
"Did you treat Sebastian like that because he was with me?"
And what was up with Clary today? She looked awful and had barely been receptive. She rarely touched her food, did she finish when she left? He wondered if Simon had successfully talked her down.
Enough of all of this high school drama.
His mind scolded him. He had other things to worry about. His mind drifted to thoughts of his parents, parents who weren't biologically his, parents who no longer wanted to be together. When he joined the Lightwood family, it had been nothing short of a blessing.
His life for the majority of his childhood had been… interesting. A potent mixture of love and pain inflicted on him by a man who is now deceased. Yes, the Lightwoods had done their best to raise Jace promisingly after his father's death, but his; lessons and ways of life had already been embedded in young Jace Wayland turned Lightwood. And as much as he wanted to hate the man for molding Jace's more than difficult character, it was the first father he knew and it was hard to let that go.
The divorce would be painful for all of the children of course, but everyone thought Max would handle it the worse. He was too young to watch his parents' love fall apart, how could this not be traumatic for him? But, over the past few months no one had sensed how badly Jace Wayland was handling it. The Lightwoods had been Jace's first real family. They cared about him and they provided everything he needed. What a nice change it had been from the life he knew.
But, being the adopted one, he was cast to the side. Relatives had called, wishing their best and offering shoulders to cry on – but only to Alec, Izzy, and Max. He eventually came to the realization that in the eyes of outsiders, the separation between Maryse and Robert would result in pain only applicable to the true Lightwood children. The divorce only stressed that his role in the family was hardly valid, he was a charity case taken on years ago, and still looked at that way. He couldn't possibly be hurting the same way the biological Lightwoods were. But he was, he so was.
CLARY POV
Clary felt a million times better after speaking with Simon, he was right. Sebastian's feelings were valid; he was just having trouble handling it. She would talk to him and lay all of his anxieties to rest. When she saw Izzy in history, Clary was able to diffuse a line of concerned questioning by telling Iz she hadn't been feeling well, but that she may be able to go to the party after all.
Pending this conversation with Sebastian goes as planned.
This pleased Izzy to the point where she forgot all about Clary's behavior at lunch. A party would be fun, especially with the Lightwoods. She hadn't been to their house yet; it was probably beautiful. She wondered about Izzy's room; Iz probably had a huge canopy bed, vanity, walk in closet, it would be a blast to get ready with her again. She headed to physics with a smile.
In she walked, immediately spotting Jace in the seat he sat in yesterday. She huffed. She hadn't thought about show he was going to handle this yet. She believed all would be fine with Sebastian once she spoke to him, but what about until then?
And what about yesterday after lunch? Would Jace bring that up again? She would die of embarrassment. She made the decision to not put in any huge effort to interact, but keep it civil.
"Hello, Jace." She spoke kindly, he looked a bit surprised. She slid into her seat.
"Ms. Fray." He responded, jokingly formal. She smiled to herself. So far, so good. No drama.
Neither one of them spoke to the other after that, they simply waited for Mr. Graymark to begin teaching. And when he did, the anxiety that plagued her yesterday was gone. She felt… comfortable with Jace behind her. And what a big difference it was from yesterday! 24 hours earlier they had sat in the same seats, basking in tension. Now, it was calmer, diffused.
The bell rang soon enough and Clary walked out at a comfortable pace.
"Hey." She heard Jace behind her. She stopped to turn, inadvertently allowing him to catch up with her. She nervously glanced around; exchanging quiet hellos in the privacy of a classroom was one thing, but outwardly interacting with him in the middle of a crowded hallway was another. Why did she feel like she was committing a crime?
"I have to get to class, Jace." She said, beginning to walk.
"So do I." He followed, "What? Is talking while walking a task too difficult for you, Fray?" He smirked and surprisingly, so did Clary. The comment didn't have the usual sinister undertone Jace usually added to his words, was just trying to be funny. She caught herself smiling and bit her lip. Now they were walking together.
Not good, not good.
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right, again." He said lowly, striding next to her. From left to right, girls paused to check out golden boy, some of their jaws dropping. Clary scanned the hallway as quickly as she could, trying to mentally note who was around. "I know Simon went to talk with you afterwards, but you seemed so off,"
They continued down the corridor, Clary's face scrunched when she saw a few cheerleaders who stopped to watch Jace. Would they tell Sebastian that Clary was with Jace? God, why was this so nerve-racking? There wasn't anything to tell Sebastian. Him, Clary, and Simon were the only ones who knew that this was wasn't allowed.
"I could tell you were nervous about something," He put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her to face him. The physical contact sent a small shiver up Clary's spine. He met her with concerned eyes. "Like you are right now."
Maybe, just maybe, she could tell him.
She opened her mouth, but was silenced when her eyes found Raphael Santiago standing at his locker, watching the two. Raphael was on the football team, and incidentally one of Sebastian's close friends. He was looking over with with raised eyebrows, then shook his head in a "you are so in trouble" kind of way.
Crap. She knew Sebastian had mentioned his hatred of Jace to his friends, but she hadn't thought about whether or not he told them Clary was supposed to hate him, too. She suddenly felt very dumb.
If Raphael told Sebastian about this, letting up on the restrictions would be out of the question. It looked as if she was deliberately going behind Sebastian's back. He'd never trust her now, let alone give back her freedom.
She mulled it over quickly, Jace still waiting for an answer and Raphael still staring with accusatory eyes.
She came up with an idea and went with it, knowing damn well she didn't have the time to assess the consequences. She looked back at Jace.
"For the last time Jace, leave me alone!" She said sternly. Jace's face scrunched in confusion.
"Clary, what,"
"Just stay away from me, got it? I want nothing to do with you." She barked, in her most convincing tone. She looked to Raphael, who now had a satisfied look on his face. He nodded, buying Clary's words and walked away. Phew! She turned back to Jace and was surprised to see two golden, wounded eyes staring back at her.
"Jace," She began to explain, panic weighing in on her body. He thinks I meant it, he thought I was being serious.
"I'll stay out of your way." He nodded, his voice almost a whisper.
"No Jace, you don't understand." She tried.
"No need to explain, I get it. It's fine, I'll see you around," He paused, "Actually, I guess I won't." His face screamed defeat. "Bye Clary." And he was gone.