Hello, world! It's MaxWaylandGrey! ;) Camille's laptop's charger exploded, so she was unable to upload this chapter. Unfortunately, she's okay. -.- Lmao! Anyways, she would like to thank me for being the awesomest person I am. ;) She said that herself. She also wants to thank someone who is number one on my hitlist, SportyNo1, for, supposedly, being "awesome" and for "always being a good friend unlike Max". I'm being nice enough to write exactly what she told me to write. :D Now, because of the Charger Incident that failed to kill her, Camille won't be able to send me her chapters in order for me to beta in about three to five weeks because she sucks. And because Walmart and Best Buy doesn't sell her charger. Sp, go read while I make Cams's life miserable. ;)
When Clary woke up the next day, Jace was long gone. His side of the bed was still messy, but he wasn't there anymore. Worried, about to panic, she scrambled up from bed and opened her closet, about to throw some clothing on and go look for him.
But there he was half-naked, mouth open slightly. She couldn't help but stare at him. He was gorgeous through her eyes. She looked away quickly, a blush creeping on her face.
"See anything you like?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows. She turned around and glared, which backfired since he was half-naked still. She groaned and exited her closet, letting herself fall back in the bed. He made her feel things no one had ever made her feel before, and it freaked her out in many ways.
"Totally not," Clary replied, just as someone knocked at her door.
"Clary?" Simon's voice was muffled by the distance and thickness of the walls. Saved by the bell . . . or, rather, by the nerdy best friend. But a savior is a savior no matter what, she thought to herself, and then walked over to the door.
"Hey, Si," Clary said. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to show you around. I—I've been busy."
Simon's eyebrows rose as he saw Jace, half-naked, struggling with his jeans. "Busy is right, it seems."
Clary turned bright red. "It's not like that," she mumbled.
"Sadly," was Jace's only reply.
"I'm sorry I haven't been spending time with you, as I was saying," she continued.
"How about today?" Simon said. "And it's okay. The first day, I slept. And today I went out. I know that yesterday was technically the first day, but . . . I slept through half of it. Time difference or . . . laziness. Whichever works for you as an excuse." He shrugged.
Clary grinned. "Where'd you go?"
"I came from the fair at about midnight," Simon said sheepishly. "I met a wonderful girl." He had this dreamy look in his face, one Clary knew he only reserved for, as he said, "wonderful girls."
"What's her name?" Clary asked with a laugh. She'd have fun teasing him.
"Isabelle."
"What?" Jace and Clary said at the same time, their faces full of shock and disbelief at the same time.
"Do you . . . know her?" he asked tentatively.
"Damn right I know her." Jace was moving toward Simon, looking a bit pissed, and Clary couldn't understand why. She put a hand on his bare chest and her face flamed.
"Please, stop. Look," Clary said, "Simon is great. He and Izzy . . . they're good for each other."
"He," Jace said, pointing at Simon, "is a nerd. Isabelle is . . . Isabelle. There's no way." He shook his head in denial.
"Ignore him," Clary said, giving Simon a squeeze. "Let's go for a walk."
"That'd be great," Simon said.
"But first, we must wait for Princess here to finish cleaning up."
"Why'd he stay?" Simon asked Clary.
"Because . . . I don't know," she said truthfully. "We'll talk about it later, okay? Jace, hurry up!"
Jace was almost done cleaning up, or so Clary observed. Almost running out patience, Clary stormed out of her room and down the stairs, into the kitchen. She took an apple and bit down, hard. Pain filled her mouth, as she obviously hurt herself, but she didn't care. She opened her fridge, got a soda out, and drunk from it.
"Hope it's not a beer," said Luke from the doorway, grinning.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Clary replied with an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes.
"Where are you headed?"
"How'd you know I was headed somewhere?" She was still in her pajamas.
"You're awake," he pointed out, "and there's noise."
"I'm gonna walk with Simon."
"There are two boys upstairs, Clary, and one of them is not your friend." Luke sounded very serious all of a sudden, and it scared her. She grew up without having an actual father, though Luke acted like one all of the time. She'd rather have no father. It gave her more freedom.
"Luke," she said through gritted teeth. "They're both my friends, okay? Simon and Jace spent the night chasing after some chicks at the carnival while I was at a movie. They slept over here. Happy?" She stormed out of the kitchen and into her room. Simon and Jace lingered in the hallway, arguing about something completely pointless she didn't even want to hear, and she emerged into her room, shutting the door loudly behind her. She took out a black V-neck shirt and some black shorts, slipping them on in less than a minute. She brushed her hair while putting on her combat boots. She was done. Taking her iPod, she exited her room and almost ran into Jace.
"About time," he said, eyeing her. "I was getting ready to look for you."
"Great," Clary muttered. "You're still here."
"Almost gone," he said, sounding almost like a promise. But then, in her ear, he whispered, "I'll be back tonight," before clearing his throat and saying goodbye to Simon and her. After the front door shut, she let out a slow breath.
"You're telling me about it—all about it, not just some of it—on the way to the nearest video game store."
With a sigh, Clary nodded and descended the stairs, her best friend by her side, and everything replaying in her mind.
###
"Where have you been?" Maryse demanded, her face full of rage, her hands on her hips. Jace knew he should've called, but he'd forgotten. It usually happened when he had a girl sleeping by his side. Only, every time that happened, there had been more than kissing. Unlike this time, he thought.
"I was at Clary's," Jace replied with a shrug, trying to look nonchalant.
"You could've called!" she snapped at him. "I was so worried." Her tone softened, and he felt himself relax.
"I didn't think you'd jump into conclusions," he said. "You know I can take care of myself, Maryse. Stop worrying about it. I know how to deal with my own life." He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but the whole thing was crazy. Wouldn't these people go after him before? Maybe they had, and she didn't even notice. But that wasn't what worried him. What worried him was that she'd go totally crazy and overprotective. He didn't want that, much less needed it.
"I'm sorry, Jace. I know it must be hell for you right now, but I'm worried I'll lose you." Maryse took a step closer to him, letting her arms fall on her sides. "I'll try to be less . . . protective of you." She smiled sadly.
"Don't be sorry," he told her. "It's fine, I get it. But you don't need to protect me, Maryse. I can do that on my own."
"I'll try," she said, and that was that. She walked out of her room, high heels clanking against the marble floor as usual.
Jace shook his head and opened the fridge, taking out a slice of cold pizza and heating it up in the microwave. He pulled out his phone and texted Clary, whose phone she'd gotten off her this morning while she was sleeping.
Can't wait until tonight, Freckles.
He hit send, and then proceeded to eat his pizza. Just when he was taking his last bite, his phone beeped.
Don't you dare.
He smiled, pleased at the reaction he got from her.
Too late.
"Jace," said a female voice—Izzy's voice—from behind him. "Glad to see you didn't get too tangled up in Clary's sheets to forget to come home and face Mom's wrath." She grinned. "How was it?"
"How was what?" he asked.
She stared at him, raising her eyebrows.
"We didn't have sex."
"Well," Isabelle said, "that wasn't what I meant, either. I meant, how was Mom's wrath? Endurable?"
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, it was . . . yeah."
"And about the sex," Isabelle said, a smirk on her face. "I know Clary would never, ever have sex with you, especially not now."
"You're wrong. She did, after all, take a shower with me. Oh, and we slept on the same bed. I'd say that's progress. Wouldn't you?" With a smirk on his face, he walked up the stairs and into his room, locking his door before collapsing on his bed, clearly unable to stop thinking about anything but Clary.
###
Clary and Simon walked on the beach in silence. She'd refused to tell him about Jace on the trip to the video game store, insisting that she'd tell him when the time was right. He was about to protest, but then he saw the video games and thought better of it. He exited the store with three new games, and then moved on to the comic book store and bought three volumes of some new comics that were, apparently, "the shit." Then, Clary dragged him out to the beach to take a walk, but she refused to speak of Jace.
"You need to spill it," Simon said, and Clary snorted.
"You sound like a girl," Clary said, making no move to "spill" anything.
"I don't care," he said, knowing he had enough manliness and not caring to prove anything. Clary snorted to herself again for knowing how he thought of himself. He didn't degrade his manliness, not even when people insisted he was gay because of the fact that he was a total nerd. Clary loved that he was so sure of himself even when people made him doubt it for a second—or tried to, since they were unsuccessful. She was glad to have him as a friend. He was strong in ways she wasn't. He could take things she couldn't, and he was adorable in every way. She smiled at him.
"Fine," she said. "It's not even that important anyway."
"Then why didn't you tell me before?" Simon asked angrily, but not because of her, because of the fact that he'd had to wait for something unimportant.
"Look, it's important that you know that Jace isn't my type. He's an asshole, a joker, a player . . . and I don't like him that way. I don't know why you need to know, but it is what it is." Clary took a deep breath. "We met at a gala event or something hosted at my house. He had a girlfriend back then." She smiled. "But anyway, I made him know from the very first day that I wasn't interested."
"Then why was he in your bed? Why is it that every time I see you, he's with you?" Simon asked, not accusingly at all, but curiously. Truthfully, Clary had wondered that herself.
"Because he's also made it painfully obvious that he wants to get in my pants," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Not that getting in his wouldn't be nice, but I don't want to. It's not possible." She shook her head.
"Why not, if you seem to both want each other so much?"
"Because we're too different, and he's Jace Wayland. I don't want anyone, especially not someone who will move on after one time."
"Do you think he's really like that? I mean, a guy that will move on so easily wouldn't have kept insisting," Simon said, and Clary had to admit he had a point. Damn him and his intelligence, Clary thought. Now she had a reason to consider it, and she didn't want to have a reason. She wanted to move on.
"If you want him," Simon said, eyeing his best friend up and down until she felt self-conscious, "then go ahead and have him. I know he isn't going anywhere. I'm your best friend, Clare, and I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't know how he worked—with you, at least."
"But Simon, Izzy said not to get too attached to him," Clary said. "He's a heartbreaker."
"Because he broke up with his girlfriend?"
"No," Clary said. "No one can accuse a guy of being heartless or a heartbreaker or whatever because they broke up with a girlfriend. I'm saying so because his sister, who knows him better than most people, told me so."
"And she's your friend? And she knows him?"
"Yes and yes," Clary replied, sighing. "Look, Si, I just think I shouldn't get close to him."
"It's too late for that," Simon said. "I saw the way you look at him and he looks at you. It's like you're looking at what you want, at what you could have, but what you're too scared to go after."
"I can't go through this again," she whispered, loud enough so he could hear.
"You won't," he said, pulling her into him. "We're all here. You know better. And no matter what, Clary, he won't break your heart."
"I know he will. Every guy has the ability to break a girl's heart. And mine . . . it's already been broken," she replied. "I know it'll happen again, over and over."
"Don't say that," Simon scolded her. "Everything will be alright. Just let go. You can't tell your heart how to feel."
She eyed him up and down, a grin transforming her features. "When'd you become so wise?" she teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Let's go get some ice cream before I tackle you."
She snorted, feeling much better. "As if you could."
"Clary!"
She spun around, surprised to see Isabelle jumping up and down, waving at her with a smile on her face. Clary waved back, and her friend made her way over to her. Simon gaped at her.
"Why didn't you tell me we were hanging out with Isabelle today?"
Before she could utter a single word, Isabelle was approaching the two and she was within earshot. "Hi," she said, hugging Clary and Simon.
"Hey, Izzy. We were just getting ice cream. Want to join us?" Clary asked.
"Who'd pass on ice cream?" Isabelle asked, a wicked grin on her face.
"Some certainly would." Clary glared at Simon.
"I was busy, Fray." He shook his head, probably cursing Clary silently for embarrassing him in front of the "wonderful girl". Clary bit her lip. Weird how I know so much about him, she thought with a smile. But, then again, that's how best friends are.
The three of them walked to the ice cream store, happily chatting, oblivious to the fact that someone was watching their every move.
So, we're doing television comments. WOO! :D Who do you believe is stalking them? :O
Will Jace take Clary to bed? ;)
Will Simon be not nerdy enough for Isabelle?
Did I totally make up the last ones because Camille sent me only the first one?
I do have the answer to the last one, and it's a yes. ;)
So, now all you have to do is...
Review? ;)
