Arrhythmia Chapter 10, a mortal instruments fanfic

Author's Note

Just a warning to all of my readers: I'm going to kind of quicken up the pace of the story a bit. I think it's necessary because I realized I've been putting (irrelevant) scenes that are dragging out the pace of the story. I think some of you may not be happy with it so I am, in advance, saying sorry.

I hope you'll all still stay tuned to this story, though, because I love writing knowing that there are actually readers waiting to see what happens next.

As always, thank you very, very much for supporting this story. I love each and every one of you!

Anyways, it looked like no one was interested in the cover making contest :( so I made one myself XD

Here's chapter 10! :D

OOC Alert: This is a fanfiction. If the characters in here don't act the way that they do in the books, I take all the blame. After all, characterization is one of my biggest flaws as a fanfic writer. So if you don't like a different Jace or Clary, I suggest you don't read this story.

Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all its characters all belong to our beloved author, Cassandra Clare. I merely borrowed them for this story. The plot and everything else in this story is all mine, though.

Arrhythmia

Chapter 10: Deals and Promises

-CLARY-

He hasn't woken up yet. It's been almost two days. "I have to go to school now. I'll see you this afternoon, okay? You should be up and about then or else I'll kick you hard." I held my brother's hand and my voice softened. "Oh, Jonathan, what did you do? Please wake up now."

I've been in a state of worry ever since I received the message from mom saying Jonathan was rushed to the hospital after a road accident which resulted with his motorcycle to be under a not-so-small truck. Ever since then, my brother has been in a state of coma.

I want him to wake up. I want to talk to him. I want him to share to me whatever burden he is carrying. I just know he has some problems; he didn't even go home on Friday night. And when we talked to his friends about him, they all just said that he didn't want to talk and only went to them to have fun and drink some beer.

"Wake up," I whispered as I squeezed my brother's hand, hoping that it will wake him up.

"Clarissa?" I heard dad's voice by the doorway. "You have to leave for school now or else you will be late."

I looked at my father whose eyes are dark with big eye bags. He hasn't slept and rested ever since Jonathan's accident. "Okay dad. Please call me if anything happens."

I squeezed Jonathan's hand once more and stood up from my chair. I gave my father a goodbye kiss on the cheek and then took one last look at my brother before exiting the room.

"So we'll have a quiz about the Solutions of Oblique Triangles next meeting," Mr. Graymark reminded the class before finally dismissing us, ignoring the groans of complaint from my classmates.

As Simon and I were leaving the room, Mr. Graymark called me and I motioned Simon to go ahead. "What is it, sir?"

"I just wanted to check on your brother. Is he okay?" he asked concernedly.

"Uhh. He's okay, sir," I replied. I thought for a while. "Uhm… This may sound rude, sir, but how did you find out about his accident?"

He didn't speak for a while. "I have a friend who works in the hospital. It just so happened that when I went to visit him, he was tending to a patient. And I was surprised when I saw that his patient is one of the best students I ever had."

I nodded and left the room. One of the best I ever had. There it goes again, the comparison. I thought that Mr. Graymark already got over his habit of comparing me to my brother. Turns out I'm wrong.

"When I handled Jonathan, he was always reciting, always gets the highest score in exams, always volunteered to answer problems his classmates couldn't, he always excelled. Now look at your performance in my class."

"Why can't you be like your brother, Clarissa?"

"You still live under the same roof right? Why don't you ask your brother for help?"

"I was always so proud of your brother's performance. You, on the other hand, you disappoint me."

The words that Mr. Graymark had said to me when it became evident that I'm poorly performing in his class replayed on my head again. I know those words were supposed to motivate me to work harder but in the end, I only got hurt. And the pain that his words have caused me had made me realize one thing that I have always kept a secret: I do not like Mr. Lucian Graymark.

I stared blankly at my chicken sandwich as I let the world pass around me.

"You look sullen today," someone said as I heard the sound of a chair being pulled out and pulled in.

"I am in no mood to talk, Mr. Alec Lightwood," I mindlessly replied.

"You know, we should really cut it off with the formalities," he said. "Just call me Alec."

"I am in no mood to talk today, Alec. Please go away," I said.

He seemed to examine me for a while. "You look seriously stressed."

I didn't reply. Any day is fine but for now, I am not in the condition to entertain a bored guy who's waiting for college.

"You can tell me your problems, you know," Alec attempted to start a conversation again.

I just looked at him.

"I promise I won't tell Jace," he offered with a smile.

Jace.

That made me sat bolt upright. "Where is he?" I asked all of a sudden.

Alec was confused for a moment. "Wait there. Woah. So Jace's name is the magic word?" he looked at me suspiciously.

I sighed. "Whatever it is you're thinking, you're wrong" I said. "I just need to tell him something. So where is he?"

He appeared to think for a while. "You said so. Sadly, I am not my best friend's keeper and I don't know his class schedules. One thing that I'm certain of, though, is that he'll be with the football team at the field, at the usual time that they practice during afternoons."

I quickly gulped in the information. "Thank you, Alec," I said, smiling at him a little.

His face brightened. "Now that's a smile!" he exclaimed. "You're welcome. What are friends for, right?"

We just shared a brief laughter before we continued to eat our lunch.

So, do I just approach him?

I sent the sms to Simon and impatiently waited for his reply.

A beep.

How are you going to talk to him if you're not going to approach him?

I looked at the screen before typing my response.

But… he's with the football team! They're all boys! And besides, I know he has some stalkers watching him secretly. What if they see me and decide to bully me afterwards? I don't want my peaceful school life to be gone!"

After I sent the message, I adjusted my position on the toilet bowl. Here I am, inside a cubicle in one of Lightwood Academy's mint-scented restrooms, sitting on a bowl with a closed lid, contemplating on whether I should go to Jace Herondale now or just save going to him for tomorrow.

My phone beeped again.

If you really want to thank him, then do it. Don't mind his teammates and stalkers. And for your information, Clary, your quiet school life was already gone the moment you became associated with Jace Herondale. Now excuse me, I still have a budding band to attend to.

P.S.: We just found a guitarist!

I should have known that Simon's answer would be like that. However, I can't help but to smile at the last part of his message. So he really was serious about starting a band. I decided to text him back.

Okay, thanks. Now good luck with your band!

P.S.: No Isabelle Lightwood songs, okay?

I closed my phone after the message was sent and stood up from the toilet bowl. I stretched my arms and took my bag from the door hanger.

There's no turning back. I have to face Jace Herondale.

…

I watched as he talked to one of his teammates. And I'm just standing here, my feet frozen in place and I can't seem to walk towards him.

He did you a favor. He took you to the hospital. He deserves to be thanked, my conscience told me.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to go to him.

When I reached him and his teammate – who I recognized as one of my classmates in Mr. Graymark's class – they didn't notice me right away. They were busy talking about guy things I wish my ears couldn't hear.

I cleared my throat to let them know of my presence.

They turned their heads at me and immediately exchanged looks of surprise and… amusement, I think.

"Hi, there, princess," Jace Herondale said with a big smile. "Need me?"

I wasn't able to reply for a moment. Until now, his smiles have their effect on me. "I… Uh… I need to talk to you."

"Spill it," he said as he made a gesture with his hand.

I hesitantly looked at his companion.

"Why do I get this feeling that I'm not welcome here?" his teammate said. "Should I leave?"

"No," Jace and I said in unison.

Jace actually looked amused. "We're the ones to get a room, M," he said as he grabbed my arm and started to walk off somewhere, dragging me with him.

"Yeah, man," his teammate replied. "You two should really go get a room!" He shouted after us and then chuckled.

When we reached the athletes' locker room, I broke my arm from Jace's hold. "Do you honestly think that I do not know what people mean with the saying 'get a room'?"

He smirked at me. "Of course I know that you know what it means, princess. I was just merely suggesting it."

Will he ever stop saying gross things? I shot him a disgusted look. "Perverts like you really annoy me."

"And girls like you who like to play hard to get really attract me," he countered.

"Liar," I replied. "Playboys like you will never truly be happy in life."

"The same thing goes with judgmental people like you," he replied.

I glared at him.

"Did you seriously rob me out of practice just so you could glare at and banter with me?" he asked when I didn't say anything. "Did the other academy's team send you to distract Lightwood's most-valuable-player? You're a spy, aren't you?"

His senseless accusations returned me to back to my right track. "O-of course not!"

"Then hurry up, darling. My time's being wasted here. Why do you need to talk to me?"

Oops. I forgot that his time is too precious to be wasted by the likes of me. Geez.

"Uhm…" the speech that I practiced couldn't come out of my mouth and I couldn't speak even though I tried.

Jace tapped a foot impatiently. "Well…?"

I looked away at him. "Ijustwantedtosaythankyou"

He actually laughed. "What?"

"IsaidIjustwantedtothankyou"

With a swift movement, he held my shoulders, leaned down on me, and made me look in his golden brown eyes. "Now tell me what it is, slow and clear," he said.

And I couldn't move.

I couldn't find my voice.

I couldn't breathe.

His eyes are so beautiful I just want to drown in them.

"Time's running," he whispered as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you just going to stare at me?"

I gulped. "I… I just… wanted to… thank you… thank you for last Saturday."

He didn't speak for a moment.

"Thank you," I repeated, more clearly now.

His hands didn't leave my shoulders. "That's all?"

"I… I'm willing to do a favor for you as a thank you token," I mumbled without thinking.

He smiled at me brightly. "Any favor?"

I meekly nodded as I broke eye contact.

"As in anything?"

I glared at him automatically. "Don't you even dare," I warned.

His smile didn't leave his face. "Attend the first game of the semi-finals this weekend. Watch and cheer for me."

I blinked. "What?"

He looked at me as if he couldn't understand me. "I just asked you a favor."

"T-That's it?"

"Why?" He looked at me innocently. "Were you thinking of something else, honey?"

I quickly shook my head. "No," I replied. "I mean, that's all you want me to do? Watch the game?"

His smiled turned evil. "There's a condition there, babe."

I don't like the sound of this. "What?"

"If we win, then you should go on a date with me."

WHAT?!

"And if you lose…?" I asked curiously.

He seemed to think for a while. "Then I'm never gonna bother you anymore."

I didn't say anything for a while.

"So…?" he asked, still holding onto my shoulders.

"So… if I do my favor, it benefits one of us?"

"'If'?" he repeated. "You said you'd do me a favor! Of course you should do it, no 'if's'! The conditions are another story; they're just supposed to spice things up."

I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh. I'm definitely going to regret this but a favor is a favor. "Okay," I mumbled.

Jace's bright eyes met mine when I opened them. "'Okay' as in 'okay'?"

I nodded stiffly as I bit my lip.

"Then it's a deal, dear," he said as he smiled at me one last time before releasing his grip on my shoulders. "I have to practice now if I want to win. You know the way out, right? Laters, baby."

I heard him leave but I'm still frozen in place, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart.

I haven't been that close to him ever since the first time we met.

I was mostly annoyed back then but now?

I feel…

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the door to the shower room open and saw two figures coming out.

To my surprise, it's a girl and a boy.

Despite my mind telling me to go out now, or at least hide somewhere, my feet stayed glued to the floor.

This is going to be awkward.

"Clary?" the boy's voice sounded surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Whatever feeling Jace Herondale's physical closeness brought me was replaced with something else – disappointment and a little bit of hurt, maybe.

"You know her?" the girl's voice asked. "Who is she, Sebastian?"

The girl was looking at me curiously now that she's closer to me. And I can't help but notice the droplets of water that's falling from her hair down to her body that was only clad in a towel.

I still can't move and I'm just standing there, dumbstruck, unsure of what to do because of the inappropriateness and awkwardness of the scenario.

Sebastian came into view and though I shouldn't be, I was surprised to see him with only a towel wrapped around his waist. I tried not to blush. He put an arm around the girl's shoulders and led her to a chair where a bag was situated. "You should go change now, babe. Remember, you still have a photo shoot, right?"

"But –"

She was cut off when Sebastian whispered something in her ear. She then nodded and went to change. Moments later, after she was properly dressed, she left the locker room, but not without giving Sebastian a good-bye kiss.

The whole time, I was just standing there, trying to comprehend the situation.

Trying to soothe my protesting heart.

Sebastian gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about that." At least he had the grace to say sorry.

"I-it's okay," I tried to reply.

I then felt his arms gently guiding me towards one of the benches in the center of the room. "Are you okay? Why are you here by the way?"

I don't want him to know that I was with Jace. I tried to think of an excuse when he suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "Screw myself. I'm sorry I forgot."

I scrunched my forehead in confusion, trying to be on the same page as he is.

And then it hit me.

We're supposed to meet today. I was supposed to sketch him.

I'm not surprised that he forgot it.

What surprised me is that I forgot about it.

"I-it's okay," I said.

"Do you still want to do it today? Or should we just schedule it for tomorrow?" he asked, still looking sorry.

"T-tomorrow," I answered. "I… I should go now. Um… Bye?"

He seemed confused at my actions for a while. "Okay," he finally said. "You take care, alright?"

I nodded at him and left the locker room in a hurry.

"Thank you," I smiled at the lady at the cashier before leaving as I carried a bouquet of flowers in my hands.

As I stepped outside the shop, I bumped into a figure.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," I mumbled apologetically with my head bowed.

"It's okay," the person replied and upon hearing the voice which was quite familiar, my head shot up.

I blinked at her for a while. "Uh… Again, I'm sorry."

Isabelle Lightwood smiled at me. "You don't have to apologize twice," she said. "It's not your entire fault; I'm the one to blame, too. I should've looked where I was going."

I was totally speechless. I couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. According to the stories, the only things that come out of Isabelle Lightwood's lips are either related to her "gorgeous self" or fashion and boys.

I guess not all the stories are true, after all.

Isabelle seemed to watch me curiously. "Those are beautiful flowers," she finally said, gesturing at the ones in my hands. "May I ask who they are for?"

Upon instinct, I looked down at the bunch in my hands. "They're for my brother," I replied. "He's in the hospital."

Something changed in her expression. "Oh," she started. "I'm also here to buy flowers for my brother," she said and I wondered why she would buy flowers for Alec. Is there an occasion?

I just nodded at her as a reply.

"I'm afraid I'm keeping you here," she said. "Well then, good-bye, and I wish your brother well."

I tried to smile at her. "I wish your brother well, too," I replied for the sake of showing courtesy, even though I doubt Alec needs to be wished well right now.

Isabelle Lightwood gave me a sad smile. "Thanks for that," she replied. "But the brother I'm visiting is in the cemetery."

Shock and guilt immediately attacked me. Upon seeing the look on my face, Isabelle said, "its okay, it's okay. Now if you would excuse me?" she bowed her head, gave me one last smile, and then entered the shop.

"Careless Clary," I mumbled to myself, annoyed at how my encounters with people always end up bad.

Giving one last look at the flower shop, I heaved one heavy sigh as I tried to hail a cab.

-The End-

I think this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written for this story.

I hope you liked it.

Please stay tuned, and be kind enough to leave a comment? I would love to hear from you! :)

Take Care, everyone. Love ya'll.

xoxo,

t.e.