I know that this is late by a day (sorry) but I was SO bombed with homework that I forgot about it! Sorry, but that just shows how busy I am -_- Grrr
***Jaceluver, check the very bottom – it is bolded and will have the stars and your name again***
Disclaimer: Do I really have to post these thing? *sigh* It makes me sad, but I am not whatever age Cassie Clare is. So, therefore, I am not her.
But I do own what I wrote and plot and ideas and you know all that good stuff. Except for the first three chapters – they all go to the awesome coolestxnerd (she gave me the story to continue) Question: Anyone who read this from hers and now reading it on mine, mind telling me? Just curios. Thanks for all the reviews. Did I mention that I love you guys? No? Well, I do:)
Chapter 8: Trickery
The rest of the day continued onwards like normal. Or, as normal as it could be with a suspicion of a guy you might possibly like is lying to you and might or might not be gay.
God, I had the worse tastes in guys ever.
I winced, remembering Sebastian. That asshole…
Don't think about him – he's not worth your time to even think about him, I told myself as I was walking down the hall to get to music class. I'm strong. I didn't need a douche like him in my life. He was worse than scum.
Walking into the music room, I kept my back straight and my head held up high. Sebastian, glanced over at me as I walked in the room – how was it that he was here so fast? – before quickly looking away. Jace elbowed me, letting me know that he also noticed.
I smiled slightly, a smug look flitting across my face. We sat down in our usual seats in the back, when Mr. Kline came in the room, setting down paperwork on his desk. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he walked to the front of the class.
"Now, boys and girls, before you warm up and practice what a few of you will later share in the period, I would like to announce that there is going to be a music talent show hosted by me." Instantously, excited whispered rippled across the students.
Mr. Kline, who looked amused, quieted everyone down. "Now," he continued, "it will be in a week or so. You must have your pieces – whether it be singing, playing an instrument or even dancing as it incorporates music in it – be submitted to me. I would love for all you to join in and a winner gets a prize."
When he said he wanted all to join, he looked directly at me. I gulped, wondering how in the world I sing in front of the whole school. A classroom, sure. Cheerleading with a bunch of other girls, yeah. But all eyes on me solely?
That thought was just terrifying. My bravery could only extend so far.
Everyone clapped at the end and one boy hooted before Mr. Kline let everyone work on their pieces after passing the signup sheet to the person in the front of the class to later make its way to the back and ultimately, me. Jace himself was attempting to get me to do the duet to his song.
As I was arguing with Jace that I was way too busy, Mr. Kline came up to me, smiling slightly. "Clary," he began and I immediately knew what was up. Of course he wanted me to sign up. "You are one of my most talented singers in the school. I would love to see you sign up. I could help you, if you would like."
I tried not to freak out, and tried to play it cool. "I'm not so sure, Mr. Kline. I'm busy with cheerleading and doing painting and drawings for this art show…" I trailed off, hoping he would get it.
He just looked at me, his dark eyes balancing the while hair piled on top of his head. "Think about it," he insisted.
I exhaled and agreed, knowing that was the only think I could say or do. Mr. Kline smiled and nodded at me before going to assist another student.
"I think you should do it," Jace said immediately after he left, dropping the subject of my being in his song.
"I don't know," I said doubtful, brushing my hair to the side absently.
"You're amazing," he told me sincerely, the deep tawny eyes smoldering.
Caught up in the spell, I said in a daze, "Maybe I could…"
"That's the spirit! Now you wanna sing the chorus for me?" he asked, pleased with himself.
"Don't hold your breath," I muttered, looking away from his eyes and staring at his smile. He had a nice smile, even if his incisor was chipped. One of those i-will-melt-in-my-seat-and-fall-to-the-ground-smile while still looking boyishly cute.
He rolled his eyes, humming the chorus. Intrigued, I leaned over his shoulder to read the lyrics.
"I don't think so," he said, before she shoved me lightly away, his hands warm against my skin. "Not unless you want to sing it with me. And since you didn't agree, I might also do it for the talent show if you sing the duet with me."
"Don't think so," I mocked, despite the curiosity burning through me.
"C'mon! You're good and you know it. Besides –"
"Don't try to sweet talk me into it," I cut in, my eyes narrowing to silts.
"As I was saying," he continued as if I didn't interrupt, "that your awesomeness will distract everyone from my horrid singing. And if you don't do it with me – you're the only good singer I know – Mr. Kline is going to pick someone for me."
"Nope," I said, popping the p.
"Please?" he asked, giving me a puppy eyes.
"Not the eyes!" I cried, covering my face with my hands. I could never resist those eyes. I would have to kill the person for telling him that.
He pried my hands off my face, his warm large hands covering mine easily. "Please?" he asked, his hands still holding onto mine.
Trying not to blush, I mutely agreed by nodding my head. When his face brightened, reminding me of the sun after a cloudy day, I couldn't help but be happy that I did.
"Great," he said, giving me a dimpled smile before smoothly retracting his hands from mine.
"So you're going to let me see that now?" I asked as a distraction rather than actual curiosity now.
"Yeah. Okay, so the a line is mine, and the b line is yours. I got a really good piano background going to it too," he said, surprising me.
"You play piano?" I repeated, dumbfounded. He was the jock type – now tell me, what kind of jock played the piano?
He nodded slightly. Not thinking he was going to reply, I kept reading the lyrics, realizing how emotion sweet they were. Jace didn't strike me as that type of guy – more like the one that strung girls along, playing with their hearts like a guitar.
"My parents taught me," he said quietly.
I was about to ask why he sounded so sad about it until I realized that he mean his real parents. As in his biological parents. "They must have been good people," I said, not knowing what else to say. I tried to picture his parents – slightly tanned, maybe on parent with the golden hair and tan, perhaps his father, and the other with the golden eyes, most likely his mother.
He nodded mutely, and I let it slide. It must be hard to lose a parent. Reflecting back on how I felt without Seb those first few days were horrible. And my parents – I would die without them.
"I'm sorry," I said, feeling depressed, knowing his sadness was a thousand times worse.
"Why? It's not your fault that they died," he said, laughing with dark and empty humor. He looked like he wanted to add something on, but stopped himself. The golden liquid of his eyes hardened into rock and were distant and cool, no longer friendly.
I let it slide.
By the time art rolled around, Jace was acting more like himself – the funny, cocky guy I've known him to be.
"How's your picture doing?" I asked, as I practiced drawing the eyebrows – the older woman's eyebrows were more parte during the beginning and the arch made it harder to get it right.
"Awesome," he replied sarcastically, his face set in a frown. "The table lines won't come right. Stupid trees and their lines."
I bite back a chuckle, settling for a smile instead. Jace, being a boy that he is, picked to draw a bloody knife on a table. I mean, how much more guy like can you get?
At least I knew he wasn't gay, or else he would have drawn a unicorn pooping rainbows or something. That would have just freaked me out.
"Those are the rings letting you know how old the tree is," I answered, rolling my eyes.
"Who cares how old a tree is?"
"Trees are very important," I started on my lecture, "they give us the oxygen we need to live."
"Kay, I think I got the idea now," he muttered, coloring in the table furiously.
"If you mess up, blend in white charcoal and draw over it again," I informed him. It was easy to get rid of mistakes with pastel – it was almost like drawing and erasing your mistakes with an eraser.
"It still isn't coming out right," he frusturetly said, running his hands through his hair.
"Try again," I said, knowing that he could do it. "Take a charcoal pencil if you need it. It's easier to make the lines."
"Thank you Caption Obvious," he muttered despite taking a charcoal pencil.
"No problem Caption Sarcastic," I replied, seeing his lips twitch from the corner of my eye.
While doing my pastel art, I realized that I still didn't finish the one of Jace. Not to mention that I had to make at least one more. And find a song to sing at the talent show, somehow getting stupidly sucked into it.
"You wanna come over again today? I have cheerleading, but after that?" I asked, deciding that I was done with my project. It came out good, and I was pretty satisfied with it.
"You forgot I'm on the football team," Jace reminded, flexing his arms. He was strong – almost as lean as Sebastian was.
But he was a bitch, so that was all lost on me. Him and his shallowness could both go to hell. As much as I hate to admit it, I hope Aline would crush his stupid heart, just so he would know how it feels like.
Not that I was going to let Aline know that.
But knowing the bitch queen, she probably would do that. How funny – the bitch queen and king were together. Maybe they'll both go to hell.
Amused with the thought, I missed what Jace said. "I'm sorry, what?"
Jace had a look on his face, one I could not decipher, before he tucked it away. "I said that after football practice I can. But I can't stay until dinner."
"That's fine," I said, secretly glad. Now what would Jocelyn say if I had someone like Jace over for dinner? She wouldn't allow him to step inside the house again and lock me into my room.
"Oh," Jace added, smirking, "and we can practice that song I want to sing."
"No," was my immediate response. "Not today."
"Please?" he beseeched. "We need to get started on it.
I did not dare to look at him. If I did, I knew that I would give in. "No," I still said. I knew it was mean but I was too busy. Not to mention how that would help me fall heads over heals with him.
And I could not do that. Not so soon after my heart was shattered like glass. Jace, for one, was not the kind of person I would trust giving it to so soon.
No, it was better to keep it to myself, under lock and key.
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" he asked, his gaze fully on mine.
I made the mistake of looking at him. One look of his golden eyes, his face so soft looking. "I'll be your best friend," Jace said in a girly voice, lips curving.
I pursed my lips, keeping them from shaping the words of a yes. "I'll help you with your song," he offered, his golden eyes burning into mine. It was like they were sticky, like honey and I was trapped in it, unable to look away.
"OK!" I said loudly, mad that he could get me to do what he wanted so easily.
Yesh, I had no while power whatsoever.
"Thanks Clare," he said, showing me a full set of teeth. And suddenly it was all worth it.
Oh god, it was going to be impossible to stay away from him, let alone try not to give him my heart. Looks like it was a little too late for that.
Sighing, I signed my name at the bottom of the pastel art and gave it to Mrs. Gilmore, who happily took it.
"It's wonderful Clary – I love the depth and the shadows. It would be great to make one similar like this for the art show," she said, admiring my work.
"I am doing something similar – I have a passion for drawing eyes," I responded, thrilled.
"Excellent. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me." She flashed me another smile, her blue eyes kind before I went back to my seat, taking out what we call a "Done Early".
We made an outline of a drawing – I chose a rose – and then we filled it in with words that described the object. The smaller and closer the words were, the darker it looked, giving it more depth.
Mrs. Gilmore told us that learning depth and variations and perspective were very important concepts – concepts that I one hundred percent agreed with.
"Okay, everyone, take five!" I announced after my team disassembled from their positions on their pyramid.
Everyone went to the side table where we kept water, snacks and such.
As I was walking to get water, I heard Aline saying how she was going out another date with Sebastian. "He's taking me to see a movie," she said, her face twisted into a smirk. "You know what that means." Laughter followed and I turned in disgust.
Whore, I thought. "What are you looking at, Fray?" I didn't say anything, just looked at her.
"God, I know I'm pretty but you don't need the stare. No wonder Sebastion left you – we never knew you played for the other time." I bristled, her words finally getting to me.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know that skank and pretty meant the same thing nowadays. And as for playing on the other team, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" I retorted, crossing my arms.
"It's not being a skank – it's just giving guys what they want," she answered snobbily, conviently leaving out the part about being lesbian – not that I had anything against them. She was just using it as an insult, which was just plain wrong.
"And the guys that you are with just want sex and then next thing you know, you're left in the dust," I responded, my face settling into a smug look.
"I'm sorry, I don't even think you know anything about sex, little girl. You're still a virgin, aren't you? That's because no one wants you," she sneered.
"I'm sorry, did you just smell that? I smelt a bitch whose trying to cover up for her whoring ways. It's girls, wait, you can't even be considered a girl, that give us a bad name. I hope you live a long happy live letting guys use you and when you're older, you'll end up alone." I smiled at her sweetly and I walked back to the bleachers, passing Aline on the way you shoved her shoulder into mine.
"Oops," she said sweetly, not disguising the venom injected into her voice.
"Yeah, and you can say oops when I kick your butt off my team. Find someone your own size to pick on." I turned back around to face her once more. "Oh wait, no one can stoop down as low as you."
Rolling my eyes, I went towards Maia and Izzy, who tried out for the team and surprising was really good. "Damn girl," Maia said, shaking her head, her shoulders bobbing. "Did you see the look on her face?"
"It was like she was going to turn into a pile of slut clothes right there," Izzy added.
I laughed lightly. "She needed a taste of her own medicine," I said. It was true. God, why couldn't she just get a life and leave me alone. Did she not have anything better to do?
"Okay, break over!" I called out loudly, clapping my hands to get their attention.
Everyone huddled around me. "Okay, we're going to practice throwing our girls up. Two people, go get the mats, and set it up. Everyone knows who's catching and throwing who?"
They all nodded. Izzy, who was also really strong, was throwing me along with Maia. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!" I shouted and I was flung into the air.
Butterflies filled my stomach, and as I twirled in the air. When I first did it, I was scared that I was going to be dropped. Talk about ouch.
But I trusted them.
As I safely landed in their arms, I smiled. "Great, now I want you guys to do it again and I'm going to supervise."
I watched all of them, surprised to find Aline doing it wrong. Aline, despite being a colossal pain in the ass was a good cheerleader.
"Aline! Fix your posture!" I shouted at her. Even though I wasn't that close to her, I could see her face transforming into a scowl.
"Again!" I commanded, determined to see them, well mostly her, do it right.
Panting, Aline managed to throw me a look of pure hatred before getting tossed up in the air. Surprised, my eyebrows shot up but by the time she landed gracefully down onto the mats, I had wiped it off my face.
I knew Aline strong…disliked me, but I only was mean back to her because she was. I wasn't going to just stand there and let her bully me. No, someone needed to stand up to her.
Sadly, she seemed too stubborn to back down.
Why was she so against me?
And why above all, me?
Of course, I wouldn't wish this on anyone else, but one can't help but wonder why the bullies picked them. Then again, we had learned since we were very little how bullies had their own insecrites.
Still, that was no excuse for what they did.
Practice ended, and luckily, Aline didn't decide to stick around and play 'Let's try to Insult Clary' game.
Hitching my tote back up my shoulder, I walked to the field, where the boys were running back from practice, their hair damp with perspire.
Jace, of course, being Jace didn't even break a sweat. When he saw me leaning against the bleachers, he headed towards me, breaking away from the sea of boys in tights.
"You waited," he said, taking off his helmet, letting the sunlight turn the gold on his head into a halo. Halo…inspiration hit me and I clung onto the image, mentally taking a picture of it.
"No, I was going to let you walk," I answered. "Now, hurry up and get changed, I have an urge to paint." When he hesisated, I gave him a pointed look which had him jogging where the rest of the herd had gone.
I sat down on one of the row of bleachers, took out a piece of paper and a pencil, and sketched my idea down onto the paper.
Satisfied with it at the end, I had just enough time to shove it into my bag before Jace came back. "Let's go," Jace said, oddly jumpy.
Jace wasn't one of those peppy people – he was more like those guys who were aloof, sarcastic, funny and everyone loved.
But never peppy.
Unless it came to sports. Which, by now, he should have gotten out of his system. Shaking my head, clearing my mind of thoughts, I walked back to my car, dangling the keys in my hand.
For some reason, I felt like something was going to happen. Good or bad, about me or not, I did not know. But it was just one of those feelings, that you could just feel in your stomach.
Sighing, I slipped into my car, starting the engine.
Aha! I wrote more than last time. Love me, or do you love me?
Yeah…:D
So, I think the time between the weeks was a little less? Hopefully? I mean, I worked really hard on this. I mean, right now, I just spent the twenty minutes finishing this up rather than doing either a. my own personal story which I'm lagging behind in or b. and more importantly, my studying for a major test of the Greeks. (my teacher's tests are hard. She even admits it.) Secret word: math. Because who else thinks that more than half of what we learn is going to be useless unless we become a math teacher?
So…yeah. Goal: 70?
~Icyfirelove3
P.S. If you haven't checked it out already, go see my one shot called Rain Always Leads to Rainbows. It's a fluffy piece on Clace ;)
***Jaceluver14: LMAO, you just made me laugh (though you knew that already from the lmao). You made me feel as if I was some superstar famous person aha XD
Oh, okay, just making sure (cause that would suck) Np, np:) Thanks for reviewing. ***
