Wow, it's Friday again already? Time flies when you're at school and have no time to think or breathe or live or do anything other than cry as your grades go down the drain... just kidding, it's not quite that bad :P

Anyways, here is my next chapter. I hope you enjoy! This one's longer than usual :D

I do not own TMI

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Jace turns to look at me. I've been consciously avoiding eye contact with him, too mortified by Izzy's words and angry about Jace's remarks yesterday to chance a glance over at him. When he starts to speak, however, my shock at the sound of his voice piercing the silence causes me to snap my head over to look at him.

"Look," he says, "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it."

I should be happy that he's apologizing, but instead rage boils up within me. He's going to take that route? After he embarrassed me in front of all his friends, he wants to say he's sorry? That he didn't mean it? I scoff. "Yeah, right. Just like how you didn't mean to bump into me and insult me that first day of school, right?"

"That was different, and I-"

"Jace, shut up. When you drove me home the other day, I thought that maybe you weren't as bad as Izzy said you were. I thought that first day was just you being in a bad mood and taking it out on the new girl or something. I guess I was wrong, huh?"

"Come on, Red, it was just a joke."

"Don't call me that! And since when is ruining my reputation before I even had a chance to make one for myself a joke?"

He runs a hand through his hair agitatedly and sighs. "That's not what I meant. I just – I do dumb shit with my friends, okay? But I don't mean any of it. It's all just jokes."

"Well your friends don't seem to realize you don't mean any of it," I bite. "So don't try and act all nice and civil to me now, because I know the second you're around one of your friends, your whole 'nice guy' act goes right out the window. And don't you dare deny that." I turn away from him, crossing my hands over my chest.

"But…" he pauses, at a loss of words for once. "So that's it?" he says after a moment. "You want to just ignore each other when we're together? You'd rather sit here in silence than talk to me?" I don't answer him. Maybe I'm being childish, but he deserves it. "Fine, don't talk to me. I'm going to get some food."

When he comes back with a muffin and an apple, my stomach betrays me. At the smell of the food, my stomach growls hungrily. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jace raise an eyebrow.

"You okay, there?" he asks. I can hear the smirk on his face, and I dig my fingernails into my arms in annoyance. I huff and don't respond. "Hungry?" he asks more seriously.

"No."

He places a muffin on the small coffee-table in front of us, right in my line of sight.

My hunger gets the best of me. I mentally curse myself for abandoning my perfectly good bowl of cereal this morning as I reach for the muffin and devour it.

When I finish, I turn to Jace, who has a peculiar expression on his face. He looks almost – worried? "Did you not eat this morning?" he asks.

"I was busy, okay?" I snap, still not wanting to talk to him.

"Uh-huh. And you just forgot to eat? Like you forget your lunch every day at school? You don't quite strike me as the anorexic type." There's no humor in his voice.

I roll my eyes. "I'm not anorexic." How does he know I never have lunch, anyways?

"Then why don't you ever eat?" he counters.

"I just forget every once in a while, okay?" I snap. Getting defensive probably isn't the best way to convince him that nothing is wrong, but right now I just want him to leave me alone.

"That sounds like something an anorexic would say." I glare at him. "Okay, fine, you're right," he says, but he seems unconvinced. Mercifully, though, he lets the matter drop.

After ten minutes of long, tense silence, Izzy finally reemerges at the door. Jace has changed the channel to a show I've never seen before, and he barely looks up as Izzy enters, too immersed in the T.V. to pay her any attention. I, however, jump up from the couch as soon as I see the door move.

"Man, what happened between you two?" Izzy asks nervously. "I've never felt so much tension in a room before in my life."

I roll my eyes. "Who cares? Let's go." I grab her hand and all but drag her out the door. She calls out a good-bye to Jace, who raises a hand in acknowledgement.

After we get into a cab and Izzy directs the driver to take us to some big shopping center, she turns to me. "So what was all that about?"

"All what about?" I drum my fingers on the seat absentmindedly.

"Don't play dumb," she chides. "What happened between you and Jace while I was gone?"

"Nothing. He just tried to apologize for embarrassing me yesterday, and I told him to shut it, that I wasn't forgiving him. How was your shower? Why on earth did it take you so long to get ready?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

She gapes at me, and I shift awkwardly under her gaze. I hadn't noticed it since the first day I met her, but now I understand why everyone at school seems intimidated by Izzy. Her gaze is intense: you can't help but squirm under it. "He tried to apologize?" she finally asks.

"What, is it weird that he'd try to be slightly civil?"

"With Jace? Yeah, it is. I've never seen him apologize for anything in all the time I've known him."

I frown. "What do you mean, in all the time you've known him? He's your brother."

Izzy's eyes widen, and suddenly she looks much less like an intimidating teenager. She looks a lot more like a child who's just been caught telling the biggest lie ever.

"I didn't mean to say that," she exclaims. "I mean, I…" she pauses, trying to get her thoughts together. "I… Jace is adopted," she finally squeaks out. I lift my eyebrows, but I'm not that surprised. Jace looks nothing like Izzy, Alec, or Max, who all have much darker hair and a darker skin-tone than Jace's light blond hair and tanned but light skin. "We adopted him when he was ten. I'd met him before, but mainly our parents were just friends. He uh…. didn't have the best childhood. I think that's why he's such a dick sometimes." She pays the cab driver and we get out. "I don't know much about it. And you can't tell anyone. I don't even think his closest friends know about it."

I'm quiet for a moment. I almost feel sorry for acting so hostile towards him: after all, what if he's just really sad and bitter about the loss of his parents and has no way to cope but to take his anger out on others? But then I think about how mad I'd be if somebody felt sorry for me because of my situation, and I slowly allow my anger to seep back. Unable to keep my curiosity at bay, however, I quietly ask, "What happened to his parents?"

She shrugs. "They died. House fire, I think. He was there when it happened, had some major burns. That's why he has so many tattoos now, to cover the scars. That's about all I know, though." I nod. I can tell she wants to talk about it, but it's not really something for my ears to hear.

She forces a smile. "Let's go shopping, shall we?"

I allow Izzy to drag me from store to store for a couple of hours without complaint. I even try on a few dresses – me, dresses! – before Izzy looks down at her watch as we exit yet another store, arms loaded down with bags. "It's already 3:30?" Izzy exclaims. "Man, I'm hungry. Let's go get some food."

I shrug, happy to be relieved from my role as Izzy's personal clothing assistant.

When I see the restaurant Izzy has chosen, I laugh. "Do you ever eat anywhere other than Taki's?" I joke. "I mean, even that muffin you had this morning was from there."

Izzy just shrugs. "Why would I eat anywhere else? They have everything here. Plus, they're open twenty-four hours, so I can come whenever I want."

I shake my head. "Okay, Iz. Whatever you say." I follow her into the small restaurant.

We're seated by a waitress named Kaelie, a tall, green eyed girl with breasts so big they must be 90% fake. She shoots us a plastic smile as she seats us, greeting Izzy by name and shooting me a quick nod. Izzy orders coconut pancakes and a milkshake, but when Kaelie turns to me and I check the money in my pocket to see how much I have left, my heart drops. Only ten dollars. All that I did, all that time spent locking lips with such a disgusting man, and I'm already down to just ten bucks? I order a chocolate milkshake, assuring Izzy that the muffin I ate at her house tided me over pretty well.

As soon as Kaelie leaves with our orders, I turn to Izzy. "Really? Coconut pancakes at three in the afternoon?" I tease. "Aren't pancakes more of a morning meal?"

"Oh shut up, miss 'I eat nothing at all, ever,'" she responds. "I'll have you know that these pancakes are the best things you'll ever taste in your life. I'd eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could."

I laugh at her disregard for social norms, and she lightly slaps me on the arm. Just as she does this, the bells on the door ring, sounding the entrance of another customer, and I stop laughing at the sight of him.

Izzy turns to see the intruder just as he wraps an arm around her shoulder and sits down next to her in the booth, shoving her lightly to the side. "What's up with you two?" Jace smirks. "Having fun letting Izzy drag you around?"

"Shut up, Jace, I'm not dragging her anywhere," Izzy complains as she shoves his arm off her shoulder. "We're having fun, right Clary?"

"I nod, hoping to stay out of any conversation with Jace.

Jace smirks. "Of course she'll side with you, Izzy; she's still holding out against me. Don't worry though, she'll come around. And when she does, she'll admit how terrible shopping with you is."

Izzy tries to shove him out of the booth, but Jace is too strong. He doesn't budge an inch. "Having fun there?" he asks with an amused smirk when she doesn't let up.

"God, Jace! Why are you here anyway?" Izzy asks, finally giving up her attempt to push him out.

"Well, actually," Jace starts, "I came because we finished all of the muffins and I figured I'd be a nice brother and get you some more, but now that I see you're here, well, I might as well hang out and grace you two with all my Godly presence."

"That's really thoughtful of you and all, but seeing as we've gotten this far without you, I think we'll be okay for a few more hours, don't you think?" Jace turns to me, shocked. Did I say that? I don't remember opening my mouth.

"Oh, but you just weren't aware of the effects of hanging out around me. Once you realize, you'll be begging me to stay," Jace retorts.

"Do those effects include an ego the size of New York and the sadistic delight in others' embarrassment?" I reply sweetly. "Because if so, we'll definitely be okay without you here."

He snickers. "Oh no. I was more focused on the mind-blowing sex that would undoubtedly ensue after spending an entire afternoon with someone as… gifted as I am. After all, spending an afternoon with all this," he gestures to his body, "does things to a girl, I've been told."

I feel my cheeks flame bright red, and I stare at him speechless as his smirk grows. "Alright," Izzy cuts in. "You've had your fun. Now get your muffins and get out of here." She pushes him from the booth. This time he doesn't resist. He stands in front of the table, only to come face-to-face with Kaelie, who has just returned with our milkshakes.

"Hey, Jace," Kaelie coos, leaning over to place our drinks on the table. Leaning over very far, putting her plastic boobs on complete display for Jace. I fight the urge to gag.

Jace, however, seems more than interested. "Hey Kaelie," he replies, openly staring down her shirt. Kaelie, unperturbed, stands up slowly and turns to face him head on.

"It's been a while. How have you been?" She twirls a strand of hair around her finger, biting down lightly on her bottom lip. Izzy rolls her eyes, imitating Kaelie's slutty actions. I snort, and Jace's eyes flick over to me for a moment before returning to Kaelie's body. His eyes rake over her like she's meat to be had, and by the way she's presenting herself, that's exactly how Kaelie wants him to look at her.

"Actually, Kaelie, I came in need of some more muffins. Those two," he points to us, but Kaelie doesn't spare a glance over, "finished them off this morning. So I was wondering," he leans over so his lips are nearly brushing her lips. "If you'd like to show me to the back and give me what I want." Izzy gags, but Jace ignores her.

Kaelie giggles, a high-pitched, plastic sound. "Why of course. All you had to do was ask." She grabs him by the wrist, directing him through the doors marked 'employees only.'

For a moment, Izzy and I just sit in shocked silence. Finally, Izzy coughs out a laugh. "Well, at least we got rid of him."

I force a smile. "That's true. I doubt we'll be seeing either of them for a while. Thank God."

"Remind me never to touch the muffins Jace brings home again," she says, looking slightly sick. I laugh.

When Kaelie finally returns with Izzy's pancakes, her hair out of place and makeup slightly smudged, Izzy and I roll our eyes. Jace is such a man-whore, and Kaelie's morals? Nonexistant.

So what's with that little nagging feeling inside of me? It's not… jealousy, is it?

So there you have it. As always, if you have any suggestions, or there are any characters you want to see more/less of, review! Or just review about anything; they make me really happy!