"Of all the stupid, egotistical men, I had to pick him." Clary stomped into her dorm, slamming the door behind her. "Stupid, stupid asshead!"

Isabelle's eyes shot up from the Vogue magazine she was reading to look at her frazzled roommate. "Take that it didn't go so well, huh?"

Clary's body sagged against the door, her face flushed from running back to the dorm. "Bingo." She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the ceiling. "Why me? Why did I have to be that girl, Izzy?" Turning her head back down, Clary turned her emerald eyes on her friend.

"Do you mind telling me what kind of girl you're talking about, before I answer the question?" Isabelle dropped the magazine on the floor and sat up, resting her back against the wall.

The redhead held her hands out in the air and dropped them back down to her sides. "You know, that girl." Pushing off the wall, she moved to sit next to Isabelle on the bed, leaning her head on the tall brunette's shoulder as she continued. "The girl that falls head over heels in love with the biggest asshat the universe has ever made."

"What the hell?" Isabelle jumped off the bed causing Clary to fall over sideways. "I can't- I mean, when did that happen?" Her hands were flying around the air as she spoke.

Clary sighed, rolling over on her back. "Well, I went to see him after practice and I was standing out-."

"Not that!" Isabelle screamed, cutting off Clary in mid sentence. "When did you fall in love with Jace?"

Clary's eyes went wide. "I-I didn't. Did I say that?" The small girl pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. "N-no, I couldn't have." She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs. "There's no way I could've said that. No way." Her bright red hair fell in waves around her, creating a curtain for her to hide behind. "What's the point in denying it when it's true, you know?"

Isabelle kneeled down on the floor in front of her friend, her hands reaching out to move the curls away from Clary's face. "What's true?"

The other girl stared back at Isabelle for what seemed like forever, her bright green boring into Isabelle's dark brown. Clary's chin began to quiver as a single tear slipped from her eye and rolled down her pale freckled skin. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I love him, Iz."

Isabelle nodded, a small smile forming on her face as her hands reached out and rested on the top of her friend's knees. "Then why do you sound so heartbroken?"

"Because." Clary dropped her forehead on Isabelle's hands. "I know that loving him, will bring me nothing but heartache."

"Oh Clary, that's not true, don't say that." Isabelle scrambled up on the bed and pulled the other girl in her arms. "Jace adores you, and I'm not just saying that either. He does, I've never seen him so twisted up over a girl before. "

"It doesn't matter." Clary shook her head in her friend's arms. "He's that guy, Iz. The guy, that no matter what he does, he'll always be the center of attention. He's always going to be in the spotlight and he's always going to have thes-these girls following him around. I'm going to lose him, Iz. I'm going to lose him to someone better, prettier and my heart is going to break in a million pieces."

"Clary, why are you talking like this? You're talking like you've already lost him." She pushed Clary back so that she could look her in the eye. "Love is always a risk, no matter who you're with."

Tears fell down the redhead's face as she looked into Isabelle's eyes. "You didn't see him Iz, he barely noticed that I was there. He would rather talk to guys that he sees all the time than me. I-I wa-s so excited, and then I saw him and it was perfect, bu-but then he acted mad."

"Clary, Clary, Clary." Isabelle moved her hands up to cup Clary's face. "My dear sweet innocent Clary, you have no idea about what you've got yourself into." She leaned over and placed a soft kiss to her friend's forehead before leaning back up with a smile on her face. "Jace wanted to see you, he just didn't want all the other guys to see you too."

Clary pulled her eyebrows together frowning causing Isabelle to laugh. "It's not funny, Iz."

Isabelle placed a hand over her mouth as she continued laughing. "No, it's not but it is. Clary, guys are like dogs, they like marking their territory, and well, you didn't give Jace the chance to mark you properly."

Clary face twisted in disgust. "Mark me properly?"

Placing a hand on the other's girl's shoulder, Isabelle nodded. "Yes, mark you. Jace is an alpha male, he likes to be the one in control, and you showing up at his practice like that let him know that he's not in control and that scares the living shit out of him."

"Why does that scare him?" Clary whispered.

"Beause you silly, silly girl, he is an insecure asshat and now he knows he can't control this-this thing between the two of you, he's scared shitless. Jace is as scared of losing you as much as you are of losing him."

Clary bit her bottom lip trying to hide the small smile forming on her lips. "You really think so?"

"Ha, I know so." Isabelle pushed the other girl back lightly. "But it doesn't hurt to make him suffer a bit." Clary raised her eyebrows at the girl's comment, but Isabelle ignored her look completely. "You know, before letting him off the hook."

Clary frowned not liking the thought of Jace suffering because of her. "I don't know, Iz."

Isabelle sighed in frustration. "Oh my God, Clary! I'm trying to help you here!"

"How is me ignoring Jace, helping me?"

A devilish grin spread across Isabelle's perfect features. "It's helping you by keeping Jace on his toes. Clary, you are a woman, and as a woman, it's your job to make a man stay active. If you let Jace think you're some kind of pushover, he'll get bored, meaning he'll get lazy and put your relationship second in everything he does and that just can't happen. No, you can't let him off that easy. You need to put it out there for him, let Jace Wayland know that you are not taking a back seat to his boys. Clary, it's your job to teach that boy a lesson. Show him that you are just as hot as he is, and he has to work to keep a girl like you."

Laughter erupted from Clary's mouth. "You're crazy, Iz, absolutely nuts."

"I know, but stick with me and I promise you, I'll have every guy on this campus chasing after you."

"But Iz, I only want one guy chasing after me." Clary's voice was stern and nothing but honest.

Isabelle waved her hand back and forth in the air. "I know, I know. Jace is you're one and only. Blah, blah, blah. Chill Clare, I know what I'm doing here."

Clary didn't argue with the other girl, instead she let her head fall back against the wall, her thoughts drifting to Jace and what he was doing.

XxXxXxX

"What the hell, man." Jace yanked the door to the locker room open, storming inside. "What do you mean they're going after her?"

Will shook his head, following after an angry Jace. "I'm saying that our girl Clary put on quite the show and some of the guys noticed. I heard them talking about her like she's going to be a challenge to them, that's all."

Jace grabbed his shirt out of his locker and pulled it over his head roughly. "First off, she's not our girl, mate." He turned to where he was facing Will. "Clary is my girl, got it?" He turned his head to look out at the other players that were left in the locker room. "Mine, and if any of you asses think otherwise I suggest you step up. I'll be more than happy to show you why she's mine, and only mine." His golden eyes burned with anger as he looked at each player one by one. "None of you man enough to step?" Jace raised his hands in the air motioning for them to come forward. "I see how it is, nothing but a bunch of pansies, talking shit behind my back. Well, let me make this crystal clear for all you fuckers, stay away from what's mine." Dropping his hands back down to his side, Jace turned back to his locker and grabbed the rest of his gear before sitting down and pulling on his shoes.

Will stood silently staring down at his new found friend, clearly amused by the look on his face. "That was some speech, mate." Jace's muscles tensed under his shirt but he said nothing.

"Don't tell me that I have rendered the all-powerful Jace Wayland speechless." Will placed a hand over his heart as he pretended to stumble and fall down next to Jace on the bench. Jace rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath in response. "Ah, the eye roll and mumbling comeback, that wounds me, truly."

"Shut up, Will." Jace shoved his shoulder into the other boys before standing.

Will ran a hand through his sleek black hair before moving to stand. "Seriously mate, you might want to ease up on the guys. They're your mates, teammates, whatever you'd like to call them, having tension like this is not good for the team."

"What the hell do you expect me to do, Will?" Jace bent down, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "You want me to let everyone think it's cool to go after Clary?"

"No, I don't expect you to be okay with them going after her, but you can't go around threatening your teammates either. Man, these are the same guys that are going to be out on that field protecting your ass against the other team. Pissing them all off is not one of your better ideas." Will's voice was low and Jace got the feeling he wasn't telling him something.

"Is there something you need to say to me, Will?"

Will turned his eyes down to the floor, shoving his hands deep down in his pockets. "You can't always fight your battles alone, sometimes you need mates." Will's took a breath and looked at Jace, shrugging his shoulders. "Not all, but some of them are trying to get behind you. You're supposed to be their leader, but you're not leading, they can't back you if you won't let them."

Jace moved his hand to his face, rubbing his chin. "So, what are you, the locker room shrink?"

"Ah, now we've moved to deflecting, have we? I must say, you're quite a gifted character." Will gave Jace a nod before moving to walk past him, only stopping when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and turned to see Jace pulling his hand back. "Yeah?"

Jace closed his eyes briefly before opening them to look back at Will. "I'm not like you, Will. I don't do this whole mating thing." Jace growled in frustration. "It was always just me, then Alec came and it was us. The other players just followed what I said, I was the star and that's the way it was."

Will's face was blank as he took in Jace's words. He stood there silently for a moment before saying anything back. "I get you, same for me and Jem, but that was high school, mate. This, this is the big leagues, these guys don't care what kind of hot shot you were back in your little home town, here there is always a guy hiding around the corner to take your place. If you want to be the leader of this team, you've gotta act like it, guys don't always play fair and some are even willing to play dirty if you know what I mean?"

Jace's hand dropped from his face, he took a step closer to Will. "Are you saying that someone's out to get me off the team?"

Will's lips formed a thin line. "I'm trying to be your mate here, Jace. Right now, you've got nothing to worry about, you've got people that have seen you in action, they want to back you because they know you can lead them to a championship, but if you don't start treating them as your teammates, well, things might not look so good for you."

Will's words echoed throughout Jace's mind, he never had to worry about making nice with anyone in order to stay on the team, he just did his job and that was that, but it looked like in college ball things were not so black and white. "Got it, Will. I'll try not to be such an ass."

"You can still be an ass, just try to contain it a smidge, huh?" Will raised an eyebrow at Jace.

Jace finally smiled at the other boy. "Smidge? What are you a man or a housewife?"

"I thought we had moved past this sort of thing, we are mates after all, right?" Will smiled and winked at Jace.

Shaking his head, Jace threw his arm around Will's neck, pulling the boy with him toward the locker room door. "Yeah, we're mates, mates that argue just a smidge."

XxXxXxX

Here is a new chapter – For the Love of the Game!

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