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CLARY'S POV

Another week of school passed and, to Clary's surprise, she didn't see Jace once. Well, she saw Jace but only from a distance and in passing. Will was trying to act normal but he was off ever since the football game. Maia tried speaking with her a few more times and the girls were now in a friendly state of greeting one another every morning at the beginning of class. Usually, the conversation didn't last longer than that. Isabelle and Magnus continued eating lunch with her and Simon. It was... nice, actually. Clary knew she needed to stop lying to herself, so she admitted that it was nice.

Now, it was Friday again and Clary had the date she'd been dreading for the past week. Her date with Sebastian. She decided then that she was going to let him down gently. He was one of her closest friends and despite the fact that she'd said yes initially, she didn't want to mess up what they had now. Besides, she was rather sure that they wouldn't work on a romantic level.

The time for the date was nearing and Clary was biting her nail. She was... nervous. Probably because she already knew it wasn't going to work out. And probably because she'd never been on a date before. Her heart was pounding pretty hard when she decided to pick up her phone and open snapchat. Snapchat because it wasn't as big a deal as regular text. So then maybe she should use regular text...

"Agh!" Clary nearly pounded her head into her hands and decided to just do it already. Today was the perfect excuse and if she didn't now then she knew she never would.

I'm going on a date...
And I need help...
Wanna come
over?

The response came within a few minutes and a smile grew on Clary's face. This would be fine. Everything would be perfectly fine.

Twenty minutes or so later, the doorbell rang. Jocelyn wasn't home and it was just Clary. She answered it and smiled shyly to Isabelle Lightwood. The other girl entered and glanced around, probably to see what had changed. It took a few moments before either of them spoke.

"So, a date huh?"

Clary chuckled. "Yeah, with Sebastian Verlac." Isabelle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Don't say anything. He asked me out at the football game and honestly, I think I said yes just to spite Will. But I'm going out with him to prove that we're just friends. Because we are."

Isabelle nodded. "I see, well then let's get started. You still an anti-makeup kind of girl?"

"Duh."

"That's changing tonight." Izzy took Clary's hand and led her through the house as if it was her own. Once upon a time, it practically had been. "Let's get you dressed and then I can explain proper date etiquette to you. Because knowing you, Clare, you're probably a date virgin." She glanced back at Clary. "You are a date virgin, aren't you?"

"Well..."

"I'm right."

The two spent the next couple of hours in Clary's room. It really didn't take too long for her to get dressed, but Isabelle tried too hard when showing her how to put on proper eyeliner and eyeshadow and they ended up messing up her face. Bad. They both laughed and it really felt like the old times. Moments like these in her room with Izzy, nights like the one she had with Jace- those were the old times.

"Alec would've loved to be here to see this," Isabelle said softly as they managed to wipe all the unnecessary and screwed up makeup off Clary's face.

"Why's that?" Clary picked up the mascara wand. Just because she didn't like to put on makeup didn't mean she had no clue how.

"You were like the little sister he always wanted." Clary gaped at the other girl's words with sympathy but Isabelle just laughed. "No, I'm serious and it's not a bad thing. I'm his little sister and he loves me so much, but he was always way more protective over you. Probably because of tiny you are. I could take care of myself when I was a kid, you... needed some extra help." Clary lightly slapped her and she laughed again. "I'm just saying that he would've wanted to see you grow up."

"Why do you keep talking in past tense? It's not like he's dead."

"Because..." Isabelle lied back on Clary's bed. Her black hair fanned out all around her. "I don't know what he's thinking anymore. He's been really distant lately. Probably because of the consolidation. He's got a class with Jace, that doesn't help."

"Maybe I should try talking to him," Clary joked, but Isabelle jolted up.

"Would you?" She asked excitedly. "That might actually be like a slap in the face to him. It'd be great."

"I don't know." Clary shook her head. "Honestly, I've had a hard enough time dealing with this all myself. I almost didn't want to text you and invite you over here."

"Yeah, that's basically what Simon said."

"Huh?"

"Simon. We have science together and we were put in a group. We got to talking and he confessed to missing being friends but he said that he didn't know what you were thinking. I mean, you weren't the friendliest when Magnus and I sat down at your table the first few times during lunch. All I've wanted is to be friends again. I've missed you and Simon."

"And Maia and Jordan?" Clary added.

"Sure. I've missed you all. It feels like my only friends the past couple of years have been Magnus and Alec. And Alec doesn't really count..."

Clary turned to Isabelle and she felt sad. She hadn't realized how hard it might've been for the rest of them over the years. She figured that Isabelle would've been friends with everyone. She had always been so outgoing and charismatic. This was nearly out of character.

"Only Magnus? I just kind of thought you'd have a million friends."

She shrugged. "I talk to people in class but never out of school events. I have practically everyone on social media and a model account on Instagram that's done pretty well." Clary chuckled. "So you might say that I'm well known. I'm well acquainted. Magnus and Alec are my only friends though."

"I've got tons of friends," Clary murmured. "I mean, Simon is my absolute best friend and the only person I really talk to. But I go out in little groups or big groups. To parties and school events. Nothing like what I used to have." The whole thing was soft and thoughtful, but Isabelle heard it. She reached over and squeezed Clary's hand.

"We never should've stopped talking."

"It was inevitable, I think." Clary pulled her hand back and fidgeted with a ring on her finger. "In middle school, we all knew that the split was happening but we all denied it. I think because we tried to pretend everything was going to be okay, no one ended up making the effort so that it actually would be okay."

"That was pretty crappy of us," Isabelle joked.

"Listen Iz, I'm really sorry," Clary said. "The past couple of weeks I've been in this weird funk and I know I've been being an ass, but it's just kind of hard to process. I don't think I wanted to admit to myself how much I've actually really missed you guys."

Isabelle nodded. "I get it. Everything's been so insane."

Clary chewed on her lip, thinking. Then, she moved over to sit beside Isabelle. "Now, I'm not usually one for putting labels on my relationships." The smile on her face turned goofy. "But what would you say to being friends?"

Isabelle's smile matched Clary's. "I would like that."


SIMON'S POV

Simon was sitting on his couch, watching a movie. He knew what Clary was up to right now. She was on a date. With Sebastian Verlac, no less. It was a bad idea. He knew it, she knew it, Will knew it. Not just because they were close friends but because Seb was known for dating a lot of different girls. And the reputation he had attached to his dating habits was negative in all aspects.

Nonetheless, Simon wasn't going to try and stop his best friend from doing anything. He knew what she was thinking and he didn't fear that she would get herself into any sort of messy situation. He was a little concerned, though, for what would happen when Jace found out that Clary was going on a date with someone.

He'd been speaking to the boy lately and it turned out that Jace was still a good guy. He had explained to Simon the whole Alec situation and while Simon was still upset that Jace had any part in it at all, he felt sorry for him because the worst of it wasn't his fault and Alec didn't even know that. Neither did Isabelle or Magnus apparently.

On top of all that, it turned out that Jace already was in cahoots with Jordan and Maia. The three had already begun attempts to get their big ol' group back together. At least, Simon figured, that would make this all a little bit easier. Although, Simon didn't really know how to be friendly with Maia anymore. He just felt awkward. He had never told Clary, but a big reason that he and Maia had a falling out Freshman year was because she confessed to having a crush on Simon and he didn't return it. Sure, it had been years. But he still felt bad.

The front door opened and, expecting his older sister or his mom, Simon didn't turn to it. It was only when Clary stepped in front of the tv that Simon paused his movie and turned his attention to her.

"Something happened," Clary started and she looked as though she was going to confess to kidnapping someone or something.

Simon stood up. His thoughts of 'something' immediately went to Sebastian doing 'something' he shouldn't have. "What?"

"Nothing bad." Clary put her hands up to calm him down. "Well, actually that depends on how you look at it... You are probably going to think of it as bad. Will is probably going to think of it as bad. Isabelle is probably going to be happy for-"

"Clary," Simon cut her off by putting his hands on her shoulders. "What happened."

"ThedatewentreallywellandwhenheaskedmeoutagainIsaidyes." The entire thing was one word but Simon got it. After knowing Clary his entire life, he got it.

"You're going out with him again!" Simon exclaimed. "You said that this date was going to be a one-time thing!"

"That's what I thought." Clary began walking back and forth as she rapidly explained. "But the thing is is that Seb was way more a gentleman than I thought he was going to be and since we've already been friends for so long it wasn't even that awkward. We get along so well and by the end, I just figured what's stopping me from dating him for real? Will? Jace? I'm my own person. I can date if I want to date and I think I might want to date Seb."

"'Might' is the keyword there Fairchild." Simon put his hands on her shoulders in order to stop the pacing. "Please, just take it slow. I trust that you know what you're doing, but it's Sebastian we're talking about and I don't want you to do anything you might regret."

"I know." Clary rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I know. Listen, I gotta go home. I just wanted to tell you this. I'll talk to you later, okay Simon?"

"Yeah, yeah." As Clary reached the door, Simon stopped her. "One thing though. Did you guys kiss?"

Clary grimaced. "No. We almost did but it was our first date. My first date. I didn't want to just yet."

"Does he know that he'll be your first kiss?"

"No." Clary grinned. "Because he won't be." And she continued towards the door.

Simon sighed. "Fifth grade doesn't count!" He called out just as she closed the door behind her.