I rubbed my eyes, yawning slightly as our teacher, Mrs. Carstairs, began chatting in the front of the room about the creation of Binding Runes, her long, sloped handwriting covering the chalkboard.
"Sleepy, are we?" Jamie asked, taking the seat next to me. I groaned, cutting my eyes at him.
"And irritated." I replied.
"You smell nice."
"Well, that's what happens when you take showers-you should try it sometime. You know, soap. Water. Scrubbing."
"Naked." Jamie finished, grinning. I rolled my eyes.
"Just because it's been twenty-four hours doesn't mean that I forgot you tried to strangle me."
"I wasn't actually going to kill you, Hazel," Jamie said as if I were stupid, taking out his books and setting them on the desk. "It was all an act for your fighting instincts."
"Yes well trust me you were pretty convincing when you had your hands wrapped around my throat."
Jamie sighed in exasperation and shoved his bookbag onto the ground a little too harshly, slumping into his seat. What a temper tantrum.
"Being a baby again?" Stasi asked, plopping down at the desk in front of us, a girl with short, cropped hair sitting next to her.
"When isn't he being a baby?" the girl asked bitterly.
"Shut your trap Elena," Jamie shot. "Your inner bitch is showing."
"Did you just call me a bitch?!" Elena demanded, whirling around in her seat and glaring at him with ice blue eyes. Jamie smirked.
"Sorry, I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret."
"Have you always been this mood-swingy?" I interjected, glancing at him and flipping a page in my textbook. Jamie opened his mouth but Anastasia answered for him.
"Yes," She grinned. "The only difference now is that he's open about it."
"Open?"
"Yeah," Aaron smiled behind us, causing me to turn around. "Jamie used to be kinda quiet to be honest, but since you got here we can't shut him up."
"I'll shut my foot up your ass if you don't cut it ou-"
"Mr. Lightwood, something to share?" Mrs. Carstairs interrupted. Jamie took a look at the board and used whatever excuse he could find there.
"Yes, actually," he started, grinning charmingly. I rolled my eyes. Whoever fell for that smile was an idiot. That would make everyone on Earth an idiot, then...I thought quietly to myself. "My eighteenth birthday is coming up, it just dawned on me that I'm running out of time if I want to choose a parabatai."
Mrs. Carstairs' eyebrows shot up and she crossed her arms, whispers flying around the room. I glanced at Anastasia, silently asking what the big deal was.
"Mr. Lightwood," Mrs. Carstairs' mused, clearly surprised. "I would've never expected."
"Doubting someone's ability to keep up with me?" Jamie asked slyly.
"Doubting your ability to take care of someone else, actually." she retorted. Jamie's face fell.
"I could take care of someone if I wanted to."
"When have you ever wanted to?" Elena demanded, glancing over her shoulder in disgust.
"Jamie's one of the best Shadowhunters I've ever seen," came a voice from the right side of the room. I looked over to Xavier Denim and his wild blonde hair, who'd chosen to defend Jamie in this instance. "He's saved my ass more times than I can count."
"I'm sure Mr. Lightwood is a more than generous young man," Mrs. Cairstairs smiled gently, trying to help. "It's just surprising, seeing as he likes to work alone."
"Who would you want as a parabatai anyways?" Stasi asked. Clearly everyone else in the room had the same question, because they all stared curiously, waiting for an answer. Jamie made a motion across his mouth, sealing his lips before leaning back in his chair.
Although the class went on as usual, Mrs. Carstairs continuing her Binding rant, the only thing I could seem to focus on was Jamie's answer, or lack thereof. Who would he want as a parabatai? Although I'd only known him for about two weeks, and I wasn't the best fighter, there was still a small sliver of hope in the pit of my soul that he would choose me. I mean yes, he was annoying, and yes, he was a tool on a regular basis, often making sex jokes at my expense, but I still...I don't know, cared? No. I shot firmly to myself. Absolutely not. There is not caring here. There never will be. I shook the feeling of Jamie away from me and focused on the board, not really seeing anything until the bell rang and Anastasia stood in front of me.
"Earth to Hazel!" she cried, waving her hand in front of my face. I jumped slightly, Jamie shooting me a look as he stood and slung his backpack over one shoulder. I threw all of my books in my bag, following all of them as they flooded the corridor.
"Who the Hell would Jamie want as his parabatai?" Izzy asked, furrowing her brow as we told her what had happened in class. We were gathered in the Common Room, Jace and Clary perched on the loveseat in between the bookshelves.
"He won't tell," Stasi mused, tapping her fingers on the back of his neck as she walked behind his seat on the couch. "He's such a man of mystery." Jamie rolled his eyes.
"I wouldn't tell the entire class, I never said I'd just tell all of you."
Even though I hadn't been studying with them at the Institute for long, I couldn't help hold onto Jamie's phrase: 'All of you.' Meaning us, meaning Aaron and Lucy and Darren and Stasi and Heaven and I, and as we sat there, bored, drowning in homework, and raging with hormones, I couldn't help but feel like for the first time in my life I had real, genuine friends. I liked it.
"Well who is it then?" Darren demanded, hope flickering in his tone. For the first time in my life, I felt bad for him.
"That's the problem, I don't know." Jamie laughed. Clary knitted her eyebrows together and he shrugged lightly. "I guess I've thought about it before but never really decided. I'm not that close to anyone."
Aaron frowned at this.
"Don't get me wrong!" Jamie started, sitting up and trying to fix his words. "I love you guys, I mean it, I just...I don't know, I've never worried about who was worthy of fighting for me, I've always worried about who I was worthy of fighting for. I'd lay my life down for any of you."
"You don't have to have one, you know. I never wanted one until Clary came along," Izzy mused, tapping her chin. "I was three days away from eighteen when we decided. One of the best choices I've ever made."
"What about Aaron?" Stasi suggested. "You've known me and him the longest."
"I could never keep up with Jamie." Aaron laughed. Jamie pursed his lips, trying not to giggle.
"Darren?"
"They'd get way too competitive," Clary interjected. "If a demon didn't kill them, they'd kill each other."
"What about Hazel? You're both freakshows." Lucy offered, smiling.
"No," Jamie shot, ice lodging into my chest as he said it. "Absolutely not."
"Why?" I demanded, glaring at him. "I can fight just fine, I know I'm not the best but I can learn easy an-"
"It's not your decision to make!" Jamie cried, throwing his hands up. "You don't have any say in it."
"I just want to know why you do-"
"You can't argue me into wanting to be your partner!"
I felt like Donkey when Shrek wouldn't let him in the house. Alone, and very, very rejected. Everyone stared at the floor awkwardly, Heaven standing and rocking back and forth on her heels.
"I want you to do it," Jamie said hurriedly, looking at her. "I want you to be my parabatai."
"Really?" Heaven asked, her eyebrows shooting upwards. Jamie nodded.
"You know me better than anyone." he shrugged. Heaven smiled at him as Clary slid off her husband's lap, pursing her lips.
"Well it's settled then," she said calmly, looking at her son. Jace was staring at him through narrowed eyes. "If you don't mind, Jamie, your Father would like a word with you."
