Chapter Four: We Surprise Still

"You told him what?" Izzy screeches, leaning closer to me.

"That coffee sounds good," I inform an excited Isabelle. I had come right after school to check on her only to find that she is completely fine with no sign of any sickness.

"I'm just not in the mood," she'd said not interested in even my get well card. I had only told her about Sebastian to make her feel better.

"Clary," she exclaims. "Oh my God! I can't believe that you finally agreed. What about Jonathan are you going to tell him?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't bring that up," I say the guilt twisting my stomach. "I'm not going to tell him, it is just coffee. Between friends. Nothing more."

Isabelle smirks, her eyes lighting up with mischief. "Claryyyyyyyy," she singsongs. "Your blushing."

I roll my eyes, leave it to Isabelle to make something out of nothing. "I'm always blushing its hard not to when your skin looks like this. You wouldn't know about it anyway."

"Whatever," Isabelle says giggling.

"Izzy you better not tell anyone about this," I warn. "And I mean no one."

"You mean Jace?" She rolls her eyes. "I won't tell him."

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything to you about what Sebastian thinks," I sigh, annoyed with her.

"What? Its hilarious, I cannot believe he thinks that you and Jace are seeing each other. It's funny," she screams as I throw her a dirty look.

"Do you think that's why he's asking me out?"

Izzy looks at me, her blue eyes piercing. Suddenly she's the one annoyed. "Clary have you seen you! He's been flirting with you for a month. I'm sure he's asking you out for you and not for Jace or Jonathan or any other reason but you."

I nod, looking around her room. Her clothes trail out of her walk-in closet, shopping bags are strewn all around the room. "Izzy thanks for the pep talk. I really appreciate the effort but I'd appreciate it more if you tell me what's bothering you."

All traces of humor disappear in an instant. The room is left with nothing but tension as Izzy moves away from me, wearing a solemn expression. She looks away, her eyes glazing over.

"Izzy," I prod softly. "What's wrong?"

She doesn't look at me, heaving a sigh. "I'm not sure if I should say anything."

"Why not?"

"I thinking I'm sort of depressed." She pauses, still not looking at me.

"Ok but why do you feel that way? I mean is there a reason?"

"Alec left," is her curt answer.

"I know he only came for the break. Is that why you're depressed? He has been gone for a few months now. And you knew he would be going back."

She sighs, finally looking at me. "Him and Jace had a falling out."

"Why? They've always been close."

"Alec kind of confessed how he feels," I look at her blankly, not understanding. "Towards Jace." She clarifies.

"Oh," is my brilliant response. I have always sensed that Alec liked Jace, but Jace has seen Izzy and Alec as nothing more than siblings so that issue had always confused me. Plus Jace has always been oblivious to Alec so I thought nothing of it. "How did Jace take it?"

"Not well. He accused Alec of never considering him as a brother, and I guess he stormed out leaving a heartbroken Alec behind. When I came home Alec told me what happened and when Jace came home I gave him a piece of my mind."

"What does that mean?"

"That he shouldn't make Alec feel inferior just because of how he feels. I mean he could have gone easy on him. So then Jace and I had this huge fight. Now Alec left and I doubt he's coming back anytime soon and Jace is being Jace."

"Oh."

"Is that all you can say Clary?" Izzy asks, suddenly irritated with me.

"What am I supposed to say?" I'm used to her temper tantrums and know that its best to keep quiet.

"I don't know? Make me feel better maybe! God I can already tell that you are feeling bad for Jace and see Alec and I as the villains."

"I don't," Deny, Deny Deny. Second thing to resort to in an Izzy tantrum.

"You always side with everyone but me, I mean even when Simon and I broke up you remained friends with him even though it hurt me. As a best friend I expect you to take my side Clary."

"That's not true, you are just emotional right now," I say, infuriated with her accusations.

"You know what, I am emotional and this emotional woman does not want to see you right now," her voice is icy. Bitch Izzy is in action. I have lost this battle.

"Izzy, don't be like this."

"Just leave Clary," her words hold a glacial finality.

I nod, sliding my forgotten get well card towards her. She doesn't look my way and I leave, shutting the door.

I come face to face with Jace, whose room is right across from Izzy's.

"Hi," I say, looking anywhere but him.

"Hey." I turn and walk, away, but Jace just falls into step with me.

"Where you going?"

"Home."

"Me too."

"You already are home," I give him a puzzled glance.

"I meant I'm going to your house. I know I'm already home."

"Right." I walk with him out of the Lightwood's grand mansion. With all the money that they have, the Lightwoods have forbidden their children from having cars. Since New York is the city of accessible transportation.

"Let's take the subway," Jace says, stalking towards the direction of the nearest subway station.

"Let's not," I say, following him. "The nearest station is two blocks away and I don't feel like walking."

"Do you want me to carry you?" He smirks his eyes flashing to a bright gold.

"Shut up and if we walk this way we'll pass my mom's studio and I don't feel like seeing her."

"Just duck behind me if she happens to spot you, which is slim since her studio is fifty floors high."

I don't say anything. I resent Jocelyn's studio and her art; it is essentially what is keeping her from Jonathan and I. By the time we are on the subway cart my mood has plummeted with Izzy and Jocelyn on my mind who can really blame me.

"What did Isabelle tell you?" Jace's question is so unexpected, he asks it softly, quietly and I know instantly that he knows that I know.

"Just about what happened between you guys," I answer, my voice matching his soft tone. I try not to look at him, but I do and I see too many emotions that I have never felt pass. He is an art piece waiting to be explored.

"Don't tell Jon." He finally says, turning away from me.

I nod even though he doesn't see me. For the rest of the way I stare at the back of his head, mesmerized by his gold tress, the waves of his hair whispering codes to my fingers.

"Clary," he turns around suddenly. I look away blushing, like a child caught stealing from the cookie gar. "Thanks for doing the landscape for me. I was an ass during class."

"You were and you're welcome." I smile, stomping away the fluttering my stomach as he answered me with a smile. Damn you Sebastian for planting these thoughts in my head, I ruminate as I follow Jace out the subway station. My eyes never leaving his hair.

Hello lovely readers :) I am back in university so I'm not sure how my updating schedule will work, here is to hoping more writing gets down on here and for my classes! Can anyone guess what's coming up in the next chapter? It's hinted at in this chapter, let's just say Clary gets to;) Let me know what you think!