Just wanted to say that you all are beautiful, wonder people and you make my day when you fav/fol/review and you have beautiful souls, big hearts, lovely attitudes! You. Are. Perfect!
When Jace and Clary emerged into the parking lot, the Camaro was nowhere to be found. Isabelle definitely had some tricks up her sleeve, especially since she decided to leave Clary alone with Jace in the first place, but leaving her stranded and forcing her to leave was a bit extreme. She'd get what's coming to her eventually, Clary promised herself.
But honestly, was she really mad about it?
The ride to wherever they were going was quiet. Jace was driving this massive beast of a truck while she took the passenger side, keeping quiet and not saying a word. It wasn't that it was awkward, but comfortable, even after everything that just occurred between them. The past few events – hell, the past week had Clary's world going upside down worse than it already was.
Everyone she had met at this point wasn't helping the chaos either. Jace wasn't like anyone she'd ever met and challenged her. Simon acted like she was some fragile piece of glass, which she hated but kind of liked at the same time. Either way, she wasn't used to that kind of care. She hadn't felt that kind of care since Jonathan snapped. And Isabelle was just… impossible to figure out. She was easy enough to get along with, but she was as confusing as Jace at times. They were completely honest though, which should make things easier, but in all actuality…no. It didn't. It made the maze that much harder to maneuver through. That's not what she needed, especially with her dad, Jonathan, Sebastian. She didn't need more trouble, more complications.
She couldn't help herself as she glanced over at Jace. He had one elbow on the door, his fingers playing with his lips in the sexiest way possible. His other hand was tight on the top of the steering wheel, and she was extremely glad the seatbelt kept her in her seat, because this attraction thing was getting out of hand. What was it about him that always made her want to kiss him?
But the one question that was really bothering her as she watched him was this: What did he have against Sebastian and Jonathan?
She knew that her brother was bad, and that was completely understandable as to why Jace hated him. Clary hated him too. It probably had to do with football or something as to why they fought, but that still didn't explain Sebastian. Her best friend wasn't a dirty player. He didn't talk trash or start fights. There wasn't a thing that Clary could think of that he could've done to Jace.
"You're staring at me again," Jace smirked.
She glanced away immediately, a small smile tugging at her lips against her will. "Sorry."
"You shouldn't apologize for finding me stunningly attractive."
Clary's eyes rolled, turning her head sideways to look at him. "Haven't you heard that modesty is–"
"Yes," he interrupted. "And I've only heard it from ugly people, which is the reason I don't understand why it's coming out of your pretty little mouth."
If he kept up with these stupid compliments, even indirectly, she'd jump him in half a second.
Instead of following her instincts and urges, she sank back in the seat, crossing her arms over her chest, looking childish. "Your mouth is prettier than mine."
"Magical."
"What?"
He sighed in the driver's seat, shaking his head slightly. "My mouth is not pretty. Nothing about me is pretty. There's hot, magical, breath-taking, and of course, stunningly attractive. That's it. Therefore, my mouth is magical. Or seductive," and then he looked her up and down, making the heat go straight to her cheeks and she had to fight her urges all over again. Too much of this and it would drive her insane.
"Jace, you're what, seventeen?" He nodded in answer, glancing away towards the road again. "Before you turn eighteen, you can still be classified as cute, cuddly, adorable, beautiful, and yes, I can call you pretty."
"Who made that dumb ass rule?" he frowned.
She shrugged, brushing a piece of stray hair out of her face. His expression was actually pretty funny, the way he thought the idea of being called any of those things was repulsive. "Every girl knows that rule," she lied.
"Isabelle never said anything like that."
"Isabelle never went to North," Clary shot back. It wasn't supposed to come out like that, mainly because no one but Simon and Isabelle knew that little detail. There wasn't a thing she could do but hope that Jace ignored it, hoping he didn't start asking questions. That's the last thing she needed.
His free hand came up, grabbing his hat and scratching his head lightly. "I've dated some girls from North, and they've never said anything like that."
"You haven't dated the right girls then."
At that precise moment, Jace pulled up to a red light in the middle of the street. When it stopped completely, he turned towards her, shifting completely and draping one arm over the wheel.
Clary wasn't sure what he was about to say, and the look in her eyes made her regret her earlier statement. It was like a predator looking at a piece of meat. No, actually, it was worse. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she could feel the pounding of her heart under her arms and through her chest.
"So you went to North at one point, right?"
She couldn't do anything but nod, afraid that if she opened her mouth he'd find out more than she needed him to. It was bad enough that she spilled one secret, but she refused to let out the others. His reaction when he finds out about Jonathan wasn't something she wanted to experience yet, so she kept her mouth shut and the secrets inside.
"Clary, who is it that you think I should be seeing from North then?" His eyes were golden and steady as he stared straight into her. "You no longer go to North, so is there someone else I should go after?"
"No!" she practically screamed. Her hand immediately clamped over her mouth, hating herself for the sudden outburst. Jace's smirk only turned into a knowing grin, and she knew that she was screwed. "I mean, no one from North is really all that great."
She jumped at the sound of a honk, and Jace glanced in the mirror, seeing a car behind him, and then pulled through the now green light again. Her heart was racing, mainly because of her nervousness and the position she was in on top of the honk that jumped through her bones. Too much was happening at this point...
He didn't speak for a while, but the grin on his face didn't lessen all that much. "You know," he finally said, "Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think I'd like any of those North girls anyway."
"Why not?"
"I think you can come up with some reasons." His head turned towards her and he winked. If she was standing, her knees actually would've given out. No guy had ever done that to her, not like that at least.
This was not good.
Buzz! Buzz! Her phone buzzed again in her pocket, and she had a minor epiphany about the fact that she never called Sebastian back. With a mental note to send him a text or something, she opened Simon's message.
Hey, the Evil Queen Bee just made it to school and you're not here. Are you okay?
That stupid question bothered her every time she heard it now. She glanced up at Jace, noticing that he wasn't really paying attention to her as he drove, and texted back quickly.
Yeah, I'm okay. I had an emergency to take care of.
Emergency? Like what?
She figured that saying she was making out with Jace against a brick wall wouldn't exactly classify as an emergency. In fact, Simon should never have to know about that in the first place. Ever. Just another secret for her to keep up with. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Just some stuff. I'll see you later tonight though, right? Are we still hanging out after school?
Actually, Jordan wanted me and the band to get together just after school. It was kind of a last minute call.
Oh, that's okay. We'll talk later though, yeah?
OF COURSE!
Clary sighed, closing her phone and shoving it back in her pants. She was actually looking forward to seeing Simon today, to get away from Jace. Not that it was a bad thing, but she constantly – like now – found herself looking at him and just admiring him. Or finding herself wishing that he was kissing her, holding her, touching her, and she didn't really like how her body reacted to him right now. It was too fast, too much. Too much of a good thing always went bad in her eyes, and she didn't want that.
She just really wished that it would work. Her heart, even in this short amount of time, hoped and prayed that Jace wouldn't hurt her. Her brain, on the other hand, kept telling her she was a fucking idiot and to jump out of the truck while she still had the chance. Even with all the conflict, she just couldn't stop that bit of her that wanted them to work, while the other part – the sensible part – told her to prepare the flood gates because the tears were inevitable.
Maybe her upset stature was her own feelings sometimes. She probably did it to herself, being the idiot she is.
"God, we're actually here," Jace announced grimly as he put the truck in park and shut the engine off.
Clary glanced out her window and was actually shocked. It wasn't like the shock that she got when she saw the Lightwood's house for the first time or how East was for the first time. This shock wasn't good or nervous. It was bad. Very, very bad, and heartbreaking as she looked before her.
There wasn't anything there. Obviously, due to the driveway, the sidewalk, and the mailbox behind the truck there used to be house here, but now, it was just a bunch of ashes. Trees surrounded the place that a home used to be at, and a few plants had started breaking through the blackness on the ground. The ashes of an old home lied before her, and she really needed to look away. So, naturally, her gaze found Jace.
His forehead pressed against the steering wheel, and his hands gripped the ring tightly. He looked to be in pain, and Clary tentatively, slowly, and cautiously reached out.
That only caused his eyes to shut completely, clenching like he was stabbed. His whole body stiffened when her hand pressed against his shoulder, but she didn't stop. Her other hand reached down, detaching the seatbelt and she slid across the three-seater front seat until she was right next to him. Their thighs hit, the fabric between them pressed together, but he still didn't lift his head.
She rubbed circles on his back, not sure what to do at this point. He was being too quiet for her comfort, and she didn't like that. "Jace?"
"I know that I said I'd tell you," he said softly. There was a brief moment of silence, the half sentence hanging in the air as Clary's hand rubbed his back. "But I don't think I can."
"You don't have to."
He relaxed slightly at that, the tension releasing a little bit.
Clary's hand slipped to the back of his neck, brushing the hat off his head and setting it down beside her. She then took his right hand, slowly prying it away from the wheel. It took some effort, but he eventually let go and let her put his hand down in his own lap. She reached around his back, doing the same with his left hand until he was just leaning against the wheel with his forehead.
With a deep breath, Clary grabbed his shoulders and slowly pulled him back. His body came without a fight, resting against the back of his seat, and he sunk in it, completely and totally deflated.
"We should go," Clary announced, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. His face was turned towards her, and she gasped at what she saw in his eyes. "I don't think you need to be here right now."
He shook his head, closing his golden eyes as a single tear escaped. It slid down his cheek, touching the tips of Clary's fingers as it maneuvered its way down her hand. This wasn't happening right now, was it?
Jace Herondale was crying.
"This is where I grew up, Tiger," he said. His eyes moved from straight ahead to the right, where the ashes of a house seemed to remain. Clary followed his gaze, turning her whole body to look.
Now that her back was to him slightly, she wasn't ready for what he did. His arms went around her waist, and before she knew what was happening, her back was pressed to his chest. Her light weight made it extremely easy for him to lift her, and she just let him do what he needed. Everything in her body was suddenly electrified when his breath touched the back of her neck, brushing her hair back and forth as Jace rested his head on her shoulder when he had her situated between his legs. She didn't dare move, not sure what to do as he gripped her middle for dear life.
This was all so strange to her, foreign territory that she wasn't sure how to handle. It was like she was a captain of a ship on a new ocean, not sure whether to escape before it all came crashing down or explore the new world that she so much desired. Maybe she wanted to search, to look around and see what the new location had to offer, but she could end up in danger and sink in the end, suffocating with no escape.
"Don't move," Jace begged, his arms pulling her back against him. His chest rose and fell slowly against her back. She looked down at how her legs were in between his, her body forming to his perfectly, and she doubted that she would willingly leave any time soon. Luckily this truck was massive so there was plenty of room for her to squeeze him back.
"I'm not," she promised.
"I'm serious. Don't move. Don't look at me. Don't try anything. Just - just let me talk, okay?"
His voice was soft, low, and sad. She nodded, reaching downward placing her hands on his forearms, enjoying the simple embrace that he was giving her. Her thumb brushed over his skin, trying to comfort and calm him.
There was a silence, and Clary just waited. She was barely breathing as the time passed, as Jace didn't speak, didn't move. She wanted to encourage him, to do something that would help, but she didn't. She just sat there, and eventually, he dropped his head completely, his nose digging into the side of her neck as he breathed her in.
"Don't be mad at me for this," he said, and it was almost a begging question, like he hoped that she wouldn't. "But I seriously can't bring myself to say it. I want to tell you, and I hope you believe me. All I want is to get this off of my chest, but I can't seem to be able to."
"And that's okay."
Thank God, she thought to herself. A pressure against her chest was lifted when Jace admitted that he couldn't tell her. It was probably wrong of her, but she honestly didn't want to know. If he opened up to her, told her everything, then she'd have to do the same. He'd find out she was a Morgenstern, which she wasn't ready for that to be public knowledge, and he'd find out that Valentine was her father. He'd see her in a whole new light that wasn't a good one. He'd see her past, the trouble that came with her, and she could picture him leaving because of it.
No way. He wasn't even hers to hold and yet, here she was. Jace might have a past as well, one that was hard to talk about to him, but nothing he could do would make her leave. At least, that's how she always thought when he had his arms around her, his lips against her neck, his chest to her back, and his legs squeezing hers to keep her there. She didn't want to watch him walk away when he found out who she really was, so for as long as possible, she promised herself to keep Clarissa Morgenstern a secret. For as long as possible, she'd be Clary Fairchild.
"Are you sure?" He pulled back, his arms loosening enough so that he could turn to see her face. She twisted as well, looking into the golden eyes that held back small tears, making his eyes shine like the sun. "I promise I'll tell you eventually, but I just can't right now."
Her arm came up, draping over the back of his neck as she twisted a bit more. She wanted a better look at him, to really see him and not just the side. "Jace, you don't have to make promises to me."
He nodded, looking down for a split second before meeting her gaze again. "I just want you to know that I mean it when I say you'll know. Someday, I'll tell you and–"
Clary pressed her finger to his lips, effectively shutting his mouth. Her eyes couldn't stop from looking at those gorgeous, pink works of God for a moment though. "Can we just take this slow?" She pulled her hand away from his lips, pushing it into his hair of curls. "No promises. No commitments. Just play this day by day."
"Day by day?" Jace bit his lip. Then he closed his eyes, shaking his head and speaking without looking at her. "You don't want others to know."
He spoke it like a statement, one that he wasn't a fan of.
Clary scrambled for something to say, but unconsciously, that was true. She knew that she didn't want people to know about her and Jace, and it was obvious that bothered him. This was why having her around was bad. She didn't want people to know about her, about her relationships, or her friendships. She was an awful person. It. Was. Official.
She pulled at his hair gently and cupped her other hand under his cheek, shifting completely until she straddled his lap, her legs on either side of his pressing into the cushion of the seat.
"Are you mad about it?" she asked.
He shrugged, and it looked like he was trying to be. But his hands were still on her hips, gripping them like he was holding her there. "I just wish that you weren't so afraid of this."
She couldn't agree more, except maybe it was worse than he thought. "To be totally honest, you scare the shit out of me."
Jace's head whipped towards her, his eyes wide and shocked. Clary never gave him a chance to speak though, knowing exactly what he'd say. She didn't want to hear about how Simon was wrong, how Isabelle might have been telling the truth but he could prove himself and blah, blah, blah.
That wasn't what she wanted to hear right now, so she leaned down and kissed him before he could do anything about it. There was no reasoning, no explanation as to why she did it, but she did.
Her lips pressed against his and they were hard, unwilling for barely a second before he opened up for her. Once he did, everything came flooding back to her memory – the taste of mint and Jace, the butterflies in her stomach, the feeling in her chest as it tightened to the point it was hard to breathe, the heat coming off of him in waves and pulses, the pull that only made her scoot closer to him, and worst of all, that feeling that she'd never get enough if he didn't give her more.
The problem was, the more he gave her the more she wanted. It was like clenching her thirst with delicious food. It was delicious, but never fixed the problem she was having. Maybe it was because that problem didn't need fixing though.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize what was happening until she actually felt it. His hands skimmed up her sides, slowly taking the red blouse that Isabelle had given her with him. His hands gripped the hem of it, pulling it up, up, until it was over her head and tossed to the passenger seat. Their mouths immediately crashed together again in a fury that neither could control, and it was even better now that his hands were really on her skin. He seemed to explore every curve, every inch of her with his hands as his mouth dominated hers, mainly because she was so caught up in her feelings of what he was doing to actually keep up the battle.
His hands had slipped up her side, slowly causing her skin to prickle as she hovered over him. Her body was reacting at its own accord, and she didn't want it to stop. Her hands were in his golden curls, on his cheek, against his neck. It was all just back and forth as their mouths attacked each other's, but it eventually got too much. Clary had to pull away to catch her breath before she fainted, but Jace had other ideas.
His lips trailed down her neck, but it wasn't fast and hurried. If anything he took it so slow it was excruciating. He'd kiss a spot, lingering there for a moment, and she felt every little thing he did to her. He nipped at her skin, licked it, kissed it in every possible way and place. One of his hands brushed her hair away to one side, and she cocked her head to give him better access, her hands in his hair like they always were.
"Oh my God – Jace," she moaned when he lightly nipped at the spot where her neck and collar bone connected. It sent a shock, a physical shock through her whole body. Her legs squeezed his hips in response, causing a throaty groan from him.
She reached down, her hands detaching from his hair and slowly slid them down his upper body. He pulled back enough to look into her eyes, the assault on her neck and collarbones finally over but she really wished he didn't stop. The tingling feeling was still there, making her hands slightly unsteady. Either way, she was just having trouble concentrating on the task at hand.
Jace seemed to notice and leaned forward, kissing her once again. It wasn't rushed or hurried. It was more of a reassurance, a few brushes of their lips before he put his forehead against hers. "Why are you shaking?"
It took her a moment to catch her breath. "I told you, this scares me."
"Don't be scared." She looked into his eyes, wanting to do what he said, but the feeling was still under all of the erotic, excited emotions. His hand came up, cupping her chin lightly. It was soft so he wouldn't hurt the already bruised area again and slowly brushed his finger over her lips. "Just go with your instincts and stop thinking about it. I'm not going to hurt you, Clary."
That sparked something inside of her, something that she didn't know would snap. Her mouth was on his again immediately, taking him all in as he held her there, his hand on the back of her neck and the other on her lower back, pulling her closer. Those few words that he spoke, the way he sounded like he truly cared and wanted her to be comfortable around him made this all the more exciting. What they were doing wasn't enough though. She wanted more, needed more, and was determined to get more.
Her hands skimmed over his cheeks, down his throat, across his collarbones and covered pecks, until she finally reached the hem of his shirt as well. He was smiling against her mouth now, knowing exactly what she was thinking about doing. Just thinking about it, thinking about having his bare chest against hers, even with this stupid bra in the way, was enough for her to grip the hem tightly and started to pull. It was coming slowly, but not fast enough, but she froze when she heard a sudden sound blared through the cab.
Jace groaned as the music filled the front seat. Her hands froze as he stilled under her, dropping his head back and closing his eyes in frustration at the ringtone. "I'm so over the phone thing. I suggest we both destroy them so these blasted interruptions will cease."
"Then le-leave it."she choked, her voice low and throaty to her own ears. She was definitely having trouble with thinking and speaking at this moment.
He sighed. "I can't. It's Michael."
"Michael?"
Despite the smile on his lips, Jace nodded once in annoyance. "He's probably asking why I'm not at school. Today is a big day after all."
Clary suddenly reached back to their earlier conversation that morning, before she took him to the waterfall, before all this craziness happened in the past couple hours. "Not that I don't choose to keep up or anything, but why is today such a big day?"
Jace smirked up at her proudly, opening his eyes. She felt the heat flood her chest and face when he glanced down quickly. Her own gaze followed, realizing that she was just sitting on him in a bra, but his hands were adamant on keeping here there apparently, not losing their hold on her hips at all.
Eventually, he looked back up at her, the golden irises darker than she'd ever seen them. "The coach of the University of Florida is personally coming to the game tonight to scout me. He wants to see me play in person, even if I am still a junior. He's pretty interested and curious about me."
She couldn't stop her jaw from dropping, her eyes widening, and the sudden shut down of her vocal cords.
Even in her total lack of response, Jace just chuckled and lifted her, setting her in the seat beside him and handing her shirt back to her. While she dressed herself, kind of upset that their second little moment of the day was over, Jace grabbed his phone from his jeans and pulled it up to his ear.
"Hey, Michael."
Clary straightened her blouse out, trying to fix her hair with the mirror and stop the pink in her cheeks as Jace talked.
"I'll explain later... Yes, I'll be back by lunch… Don't worry about it, okay?"
Then he hung up. Simple as that. It was the shortest conversation in history.
Jace was quick about turning the truck back on and heading in the direction of school again. The fact that they were just kissing in his old driveway was kind of strange to Clary now that she thought about it, and she almost regretted it the more it popped into her mind. That wasn't what she was intending to feel like. She should feel happy, excited, but it was nothing but regret and fear of the future.
She really was an idiot. Who kisses a guy after telling him that she wants to keep whatever was happening a secret? In fact, she'd yet to even figure out what it was going on between them. He had his own idea, his own plan for what the past few displays had been, but she wasn't sure that she completely agreed with Jace. She knew that he was a guy, he was seventeen, and he was hormonal, meaning sex was a main priority for him. Did she really want to get mixed up with that? Actually, the better question is: Could she stop herself?
"I get that you don't want others to know," Jace said suddenly as they drove down an unfamiliar road. He wasn't looking at her, leaning back in his seat like he was earlier. "I'm not exactly the best… boyfriend material, but we have to make a deal if this isn't going public."
Despite all the warnings from her brain, she asked, "What kind of deal?"
He sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly before relaxing again. "What I mean is: we can't really be around each other at school. If you're around me, I'll show it to everyone before I can stop myself. I won't be able to help it. I wish I could stop myself, but as of right now I just want to pull over and have my way with you."
You're not the only one, she wanted to say. Instead, she said, "Fine, we keep the–" she paused, not sure what to call it.
"Attraction," he offered.
She nodded in thanks. "Sure. Attraction at the Lightwood's. And you know, maybe it's best if we just really try to slow this down. We're kind of taking this faster than either of us can keep up with."
He sighed, his hand going back to playing with his lips again. What was it about that action that was so… captivating? "That's what I do. I don't take things slow, Clary, especially not with you. You have no idea how bad I want you."
"Can you try to start?"
He was quiet for a second before he glanced over at her, and she smiled when one part of his mouth quirked up. "Yes, I can try. No promises though."
She nodded, glancing away from his steady gaze. "Exactly. No promises, and no commitments."
As the day went on, Clary thought more and more about her many conversations with Jace. At the time, it sounded like a great idea. It was a way to keep a barrier up, for her to hide behind her walls and for him to do the same. Neither would have to do more than they wanted, and it had sounded like a great plan.
Not anymore.
No promises and no commitments.
She basically told him that he could do whatever the hell he wanted. Maybe that was actually a good thing, but she couldn't help but feel like that gave him an open invitation to get back together with Aline. Or worse, get with another girl. After what happened between them, she didn't know if she handle watching him kiss and hold anyone else. But he wasn't hers! She shouldn't be so protective about something that she wasn't allowed to have. They weren't dating, so there was no point in dwelling on the subject.
"You know you have to open your locker in order to get what's inside."
Clary looked up, meeting Simon's eyes as he leaned against the walls of lockers next to her. He was right, naturally, because for the last few minutes she'd just been leaning her head against the metal and wishing that she would've done things differently.
Why was that? Why was it that in the moment, she couldn't think of anything to say? But as soon as the moment passes, she starts to think about it more and more and then she comes up with all the different scenarios that would've been better and it's really just one massive headache. It seems pointless, yet she couldn't stop herself from thinking about it.
"Clary, what's wrong?." Simon stepped forward, touching her shoulder lightly. They were sunken, dropped, like she barely had the strength or will to even stand up straight. "Seriously, you're freaking me out right now. What's going on? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong with her," Isabelle said as she approached. Clary stood up, finally, closing her eyes and placing her fists against the locker. This wasn't what she wanted to deal with at this point. Isabelle put her back to the lockers on the other side of Clary, looking down at her nails. "She's never been better."
Simon didn't agree apparently. "Oh? Is that because you know her soooo well now?"
"Well, she does live with me."
"That was just poor judgment on her part."
"Can you two please drop this?" Clary asked, dropping her bag to the floor in frustration. She glanced back and forth between the two of them, but they were just glaring at each other instead of paying her any attention. "Honestly, I was having a better time dwelling in my own sorrows before you two came and brought all your banter along with it."
Simon looked at Clary for a split second before glaring back at Isabelle with all he had. "Yeah, she's so happy that she's snapping at both of us. That just proves how upset she is about something."
"She's an artist and reads into to many things," Isabelle pointed out. "If you didn't ask so many questions, she wouldn't have snapped at you."
"So this is my fault?" Simon asked incredulously, pointing to himself against his nerdy t-shirt.
Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Maybe if you didn't ditch her for this afternoon, she'd be a bit happier about her life."
His mouth dropped open, and he looked at Clary for help. She wanted to help him, to defend him and tell him that nothing was his fault, that she was doing it all to herself at this point but she just focused on opening her locker instead. After avoiding his gaze for a few seconds, she heard him storm off, obviously angry and upset.
Great. Just another thing that she was going to be thinking about and feeling bad about.
"Finally. I thought he would never leave," Isabelle let out as she breathed. Simon was out of earshot, and she scooted a bit closer, dropping her voice as she looked around. "You and I need to talk."
Clary sighed. "Isabelle, I don't want to talk about Jace right now."
"But I want to know what happened," she whined. "Please, please, please?"
"Oh my god," Clary exclaimed, grabbing her art supplies and slamming her locker shut. Isabelle jumped slightly, not ready for the outburst and Clary instantly regretted it. "Sorry. But look, we basically had a moment, and now I'm upset. That's all there is to the story."
With that said and done, Clary pushed past her and headed towards her drawing and painting class. All she wanted at this point was to be distracted, to forget everything and let her hands make the images that she couldn't talk about. She wanted it out, out of her mind and head and onto something that she could examine and figure out.
"Wait a minute," Isabelle demanded when she finally caught up to Clary. How did she walk so fast in those heels? "You're saying that you're upset? Really?"
"Pretty much."
There a moment of silence as they walked before Isabelle finally, with an unbelievable tone, said, "You're unbelievable."
Clary swiveled on her heels, staring up at Isabelle with the significant height distance. "What am I supposed to do then? I don't let people in because it scares the shit out of me. The only person I've ever let in is Sebastian, and that's because he's been there through the worst with me and helped me through it. I just find Jace attractive, and that's what worries me. I don't want to open up to him just because he's hot. That doesn't mean I can trust him, but that I'm an idiot if I let him in. Is that good enough for you?"
"No," Isabelle answered honestly. "He obviously finds you extremely attractive, and you find him extremely attractive. That leads to physical stuff, and you know what? Sometimes, that attraction can lead to bigger and better things. Look at Romeo and Juliet."
"They died."
"And it became the greatest story of all time. See? Bigger and better things happened."
Clary wanted to slap her. She clenched her hands into fists in order to stop herself. "I'm not turning into some tragic love story. Besides, maybe I liked things the way they were before all this happened? Have you ever thought about that?" she asked.
She didn't even wait for an answer as she stormed away from Isabelle towards the art room. Without talking or making eye contact, she made her way to her seat and plopped down in the chair, her head in her hands as her bag of supplies fell to the floor.
It was some time before Isabelle finally took the seat next to her, placing a massive, empty, blank canvas on the table. "For the record, you hated the way things were before all this happened. You're family life wasn't exactly glamorous."
"Look, it's just not that easy dealing with everything that's going on," Clary finally admitted. "And Jace only complicates things."
"If it makes it any easier to accept him, Sebastian is okay with it."
Immediately, Clary pulled her head back and looked at Isabelle in nothing less than complete shock. Her hair was in her eyes and she was even too shocked to push it away. "He is?"
She nodded, pulling out some pencils and that stupid sheet of ideas from her bag. They still hadn't agreed on their freaking project. "He is. He actually likes Jace, believe it or not." Clary didn't believe it, not for one minute. "He said that Jace may be a dick sometimes, but he trusted my interpretation, and if I think it's a good idea, he does too."
The fact that Sebastian was so easily influenced by Isabelle was unnerving as Clary looked at her. Her own best friend was definitely getting preoccupied, and she finally figured out what Jace meant when he was talking about her influencing Isabelle. It wasn't a good feeling.
Nevertheless, she brushed her feelings of betrayal aside and kept her face as calm and unreadable as possible. "And how would you know this?"
"He called me when you decided not to answer due to my best friend's lips occupying yours while your phone was going off. I explained to him what happened, and he's not upset that you and Jace might get involved."
Sebastian wasn't upset? Clary wasn't really sure how to think about that, even if she kind of wished it was true. Believing it was the hard part. If this thing was one sided, if Sebastian didn't have a problem with Jace, then what really happened between them? What was it that Jace had against him?
But getting involved with Jace was a step that Clary wasn't ready for, even if Sebastian was completely okay with it. "Look, Isabelle," Clary started to say, shifting her legs under the table and looking forward. It was always easier to talk like this when she didn't actually look at the person. "Jace and I are just playing this by ear. It doesn't mean that we're together."
"And Jace is okay with that?" Isabelle asked, clearly not believing that he was.
For a moment, Clary almost said yes. In all actuality though, he wasn't. He tried to protest in the truck, but she never gave him a chance to. And even if he said that he could try to hide it so the world didn't know, it was blatantly obvious on his face that he wasn't too happy about the idea.
She sighed, shrugging her shoulders and grabbed a pencil, twirling it between her fingers. "I mean, he's kind of just dealing with it. I wouldn't say he's okay with it."
"I didn't think he would be. He's not the type of guy that's okay with what he wants running around with no attachments to him whatsoever."
Clary rolled her eyes. "Well, I hate to break it to him but I'm not going to be some dog on a leash."
"That's not what I mean." Clary glanced over at her, the question about the true meaning in her eyes. Isabelle sighed. "What I mean is he normally gives girls something to show that they're his – a necklace, a cheap ring from Wal-Mart, something like that. That way guys know to back off."
He hadn't done that for her yet. Granted it was just this morning that anything even happened, so she tried not to dwell on it. "Well, I'm sure he's smarter than to waste his money on me."
"That's not true. He–"
"Isabelle, stop." Clary held her hand up, glaring at the dark haired girl. "I know that you're only trying to help, that you think it could work, but I'm not so optimistic." She didn't realize how frustrated she'd been, how annoyed she was until she finally snapped like that, but she had to say it. And by now, she was sick of talking about it. "Can we please just get back to the project?"
Isabelle nodded, looking away briefly. "Sure. But by the way, you might want to fix your shirt. Next time you and Jace get up to some mischief, make sure that your clothes get put back on the way they came off."
With a confused expression, Clary glanced down and mentally snapped herself. Her shirt was inside out, and it had been like that all day.
"Dammit."
Had no one, including Jace, felt the need to point that back out?
Isabelle laughed, shaking her head slightly. "He must have really gotten to you, Clary. Don't even try to deny it for a second."
No promises and no commitments?
Jace sat in his Geometry class looking completely bored, his mind so far from the class that sometimes he'd forget he was even there. He and Alec just sat in the back in silence as Mrs. Penhallow talked away about shapes and shit, but he couldn't get that redhead out of his head.
Why had she said that? All he wanted to know was what she was so afraid of, and why she didn't want to actually make this real. It was almost as if she wanted this morning to not even be real, to just have a taste and then get over it. Well, he couldn't do that. All day he'd been thinking about her, everything about her, and it was starting to drive him mad. If she kept up this distance thing, he'd explode. For some reason, he needed her next to him, and seeing her in the halls with Simon or Isabelle knowing that he can't go to her for a fear of losing control was torturous!
His eyes moved from that white board that he wasn't paying attention to down to his notebook paper. He was drawing random doodles, all of them ugly looking and absolutely awful, but a certain one caught his eye as he looked down at it. It wasn't a picture, but a name.
"Clary?" He glanced up at Alec's voice, looking at the annoyed expression on his friends face as he stared at the paper. "Seriously?" he whispered. "Since when are you head over heels for a girl in one day?"
Jace frowned. "I'm not head over heels for her. What does that even mean?"
"You know exactly what it means, and–"
"Mr. Lightwood? Mr. Herondale?" Both boys looked up at the teacher as she glared at the two of them. They had the attention of the whole class, everyone turned in their seats to watch. "Care to share what you're so interested about since my class seems to be boring you a bit?"
Jace didn't really know what to say, how to say it, for once. No witty comments were coming as he sat there, hoping Alec would come up with something, but neither did. Luckily, as if God was on Jace's side, the school bell rang and students started packing up to head to their cars and buses. He was packing up his own stuff when Alec leaned over again.
"Jace, just don't be an idiot. She's not who you think she is," was all that he said before he left to head down to the training room for the game.
Today was going to be a long day. Alec had been shady all day, grumpy and mumbling stuff. And when Jace would ask him about it, his friend would just shrug I'm off and either change the subject or just walk away. It was starting to get annoying actually, and Jace didn't even know what he did!
Somehow, someway, he was able to blindly maneuver his way through the students in the halls. He wasn't paying a bit of attention to anyone as he walked, searching for the only person that he wanted to find. And as he walked, Alec's words kept pressing into the front part of his brain.
She's not who you think she is.
Well obviously! He barely knew that chick, and he wasn't afraid to admit that. All he knew was that she was an artsy girl with a bad past who was an amazing kisser, so Alec's statement shouldn't have gotten to him, and he refused to let it, pushing it out of his mind as he rounded the Elective's Hallway.
There she was. Her back was to him as she and Isabelle walked towards the door, talking away with their hands. Out of a curiosity that he never really knew he had, he followed until he found himself outside in the parking lot, scanning the crowd to find out where they went.
It was at that moment that a buzz in his pocket pulled his eyes from the cars to his jeans, and he pulled it out quickly.
Morgenstern and Verlac are here. They want to "talk" to you, NOW. Meet them down at the field in five minutes. Don't ask me why or how or what it's about, because I don't know. – Raphael.
"Shit," Jace mumbled before shoving his phone back in his pocket. There was only a few things that either of them ever wanted, and none of the scenarios that ever followed were good.
"What's got you all flustered?"
Jace turned his head, looking at the guy standing next to him. He looked the nerd up and down with a disapproving look. "What the hell do you want, Lewis?"
Simon stepped up beside Jace, facing the parking lot and he noticed that the nerd was looking in the same direction as he was earlier: Right at Clary.
"Honestly, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't lusting after her like you've been all week," Simon said.
Jace laughed once without humor. "Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it if I am?"
He already knew that answer. Nothing. Simeon wouldn't do a damn thing because the kid is too much of a punk to stand up for himself. Especially after last year, he'd never even think of crossing Jace again.
"Just don't hurt her, or I'll kill you." The threat might have sounded real, but Jace wasn't really feeling scared as Simon walked away, heading towards the cars that Isabelle and Clary had now stopped at.
As much as he wanted to go over there, to talk to her, hold her, touch her, and more than anything, kiss her, he knew that there were bigger problems on campus. Morgenstern and Verlac were here, and he needed to deal with that before the game, and before Clary found out. He was not letting her near that bastard, even if it killed him.
He pulled out his phone as he walked in the opposite direction, heading towards the field. Students passed in a hurry, talking, wishing him good luck and girls blowing him kiss after kiss as they passed, but he was completely preoccupied with the phone in his ear.
Finally, after what felt like ages, Alec answered. "Yeah?"
"Morgenstern and Verlac are here. You know what to do."
"Again? Weren't they just here last week?"
"Yeah, and I don't want them thinking they can make a habit of coming here. So let's get this done quickly."
There was a pause before Alec finally agreed, and Jace took off running, bag bouncing against his back as he headed towards the field house, ready for a fight.
TROUBLE! REVIEW! Tell me what you like, don't like, hated, loved, esc. And what about Sebastian and Jonathan? What are they going to be plotting? Reviews are what I live for, so let me know and have a wonderful day you beautiful people! Stay tuned!