Chapter 10- Missing Out
Training with Isabelle was tough, but after having a tranquilizing bubble bath and a well-earned nap, Clary started to feel proud of herself. She may have only beaten Isabelle in combat twice out of seven tries, but she knew how to fight like a Shadowhunter, well kind of. When she woke up from her nap, it was 4 o'clock, but it looked like it was midday. She changed into a pair of jeans along with a baggy black and white striped t-shirt and gold flip-flops, before searching for Jace. She felt bad about turning him down for lunch, maybe going to a movie would be a good way to make it up to him, she'd order a large portion of nachos and watch Jace devour them so that he didn't have to eat any of Isabelle's poisonous concoctions. She walked to his room, humming a tune and contemplating whether to tie up her hair or not. She knocked on the door and waited for a couple of seconds, there was no answer. Two knocks later and there was still no answer.
"Jace has gone out," Alec said as he walked past.
He was holding a large brown box that said Alec's Stuff on and was speckled here and there with glitter. His hair was blown back, his eyes were red and puffy and there were little white streaks down his cheek where frequent tears had dried.
"Since when?" Clary walked after him.
He stopped and dropped the box on the floor, "Since over three hours ago, he should be back by now."
"Well he's not,"
"Well maybe you should spend time with him when you have the chance," Alec picked up the box and sniffed, "and you look better with your hair down," he added as he walked away and turned into his room.
Clary shook her head, how is he giving relationship advice when he is no longer in one? She walked to the door of the institute and as she opened it, she saw Jace standing in front of the gate. His hair was being blown back by the wind and his blue eyes twinkled a little. He wore a white t-shirt with a black sleeveless hoodie and black jeans, it still surprised her how he could always find something to wear that involved black. When she opened the door further, she saw that he wasn't alone. Seraphina was standing opposite him wearing a cerise purple long-sleeved top that was lower on one side with black leggings and sandals. Her hair was straightened perfectly and accessorised with a grey beret. They were laughing together while sharing a packet of potato chips and occasionally, Seraphina would throw a chip into Jace's mouth. Clary couldn't believe that he had been out with her for over three hours. He had only known her for five days and all of a sudden they were acting like best friends. She wasn't jealous of Seraphina, apart from her golden skin and silky smooth hair, there was nothing for her to be jealous of, she was the girlfriend of Jace not her. Nevertheless, a part of Clary felt like she should use the skills that Isabelle taught her on Seraphina to warn her off. After watching them for a couple of minutes she walked to the gate and it was when she opened it that Jace realized she was there.
"Oh, hey," he smiled,
"Hi, where have you been?" Clary asked as she closed the gate,
"We went to Paris," Seraphina replied before offering her a chip.
Clary declined even though she was peckish.
"Magnus wanted us out of his apartment, so we pestered him for ten minutes and then he agreed to make a portal for us to go to Paris," Jace laughed and ate another chip,
"You would've loved it there. There was a really bad singer, so we decided to have some fun and move his arms up and down and move his hair around," Seraphina cackled,
"But obviously no one could see us, so everyone made weird faces at him. Then we realized we didn't have enough money for food, so we took a baguette and some chicken and ate it by the river," Jace continued.
They laughed together and shared a joke in French, which Clary obviously couldn't understand. Clary suddenly felt like an outsider, even worse, she was an outsider to pair where one of them was her boyfriend. Did Seraphina have some kind of spell that made all guys like her? That hypothesis became impossible when Clary realized that Alec probably liked her less than he first liked Clary. Her laugh was the most perfect aria, but it annoyed Clary so much, she mimicked but made it high pitched and squeaky and then exhaled in an annoyed way. It made both Jace and Seraphina stop and look at her while Clary realized that they heard her and how rude she probably sounded. There was a silence where Jace made an embarrassed face and then looked at Seraphina and mouthed the words I'm sorry, Seraphina smiled with a face of understanding and Clary looked down while fiddling with her fingers.
Finally, Jace broke the silence, "It was really fun spending time with you today,"
"I think you'll find everybody has fun when they spend time with me," Seraphina joked,
"But only for five minutes."
Seraphina hit Jace playfully as they laughed with each other. It was as if Clary wasn't even there, how could Jace forget that his girlfriend was right next to him humming to herself in boredom?
"We'll do this again sometime, I'll call you or just drop by," Jace smiled,
"Definitely, I'll warn Magnus," Seraphina laughed before walking away and turning back to wave.
Again?! How many times does he have to see her? Clary screamed inside her head as she walked with Jace from the gate, through the doors, up the elevator and to his room.
"Right, what's wrong?" Jace asked just as the door closed behind him,
"Nothing, why would something be wrong?" Clary lied through her teeth,
"Because of that weird squeaky noise you made before. Were you trying to mimic Seraphina?"
She knew she couldn't keep lying; Jace was already on to her. She was preparing things to say in her head, maybe she could say that all the training made her cranky or that she had a fight with Jocelyn, but nothing sounded right.
"You've just been spending so much time with her," she tried to speak innocently,
"And you have been spending so much time away from me," Jace argued,
"I've been training with Isabelle,"
"And I've been doing something else other than sitting on my bed waiting for you for two hours,"
"Then hang out with Alec or even Simon,"
"Just not her?"
"Exactly," Clary was getting frustrated.
She had to admit, she was jealous, but also mad at herself. If she hadn't been with Isabelle, it would've been her going to Paris with Jace, it would've been her eating bread and chicken in his arms, not Seraphina.
"Clary, you can't be one of those girlfriends who control who I see and what I do," Jace took off his hoodie and flopped onto his bed,
"I'm not," Clary turned around to face him, "I just don't trust her,"
"It's not her who needs your trust."
Of course she trusted Jace. They had been through so much together that she couldn't not trust him. But she didn't say that to him. Instead she just looked down as if proven guilty.
"Clary, I don't want us to end up like Alec and Magnus over the fact that I have a new friend," Jace's voice was soft and gentle.
Clary nodded and fiddled with her fingers. She didn't want their relationship to end either, but why couldn't they just be a normal couple? The answer was looking at her straight in the face. Jace's eyes made her melt as they hovered over her, his face said that he was waiting for or expecting something from her. She sat next to him and leaned into him. His arm slid around her as she burying her head into his chest. These were the moments when she realized that she didn't want them to be a normal couple, she didn't want a relationship like everyone else's, she wanted this one, but she wasn't sure if she could hold on to it.