Forty Sixth One Shot:
Prodigy
Jace POV:
This was the fourth tour of a college in the last two months and I was so tired of them. They were all the same. Nothing was really special about them, and to be honest I wasn't really sure college was the right path for me. What sucked even more was that they broke us into groups and Jon and I were separated. I mean, sure we got busted making out with two college girls on the last tour but that didn't mean we needed to be separated. We were standing in the library and I was tuning whatever this tour guide was saying out when I caught the sight of fiery red hair out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and she was sitting at a table doing something. I couldn't take my eyes off her, she was mesmerizing. The teacher wasn't paying attention so I slipped away from the group and made my way over to her. I took a seat in front of her and waited for her to notice me. When 5 minutes went by I cleared my throat and she looked up and I swear I could get lost in the green eyes.
"Can I help you?" She asked.
"No, I just saw you sitting here and I had to come say hello." I said with my signature smirk. "You're very beautiful."
"Does that work on all the girls?" She asks and I laugh.
"To be fair, I've never really called a girl beautiful before, unless you count my mother, and I don't think that really counts in this context." I said and she laughed. "What are you doing?"
"Grading papers." She said and I was confused. She looked really young.
"Are you helping a professor out?" I asked and she smiled.
"Something like that." She said. "What about you?"
"Just clearing my head." I said and she nodded. I didn't want her to know I was still in high school. Then she wouldn't give me the time of day.
"How is that working for you?" She asked.
"My mind has never been more clouded." I said and she laughed.
"Wow. You truly must be a hit with all the ladies." She said and now it was my turn to laugh.
"The girls I normally go for don't have enough brains to recognize a pick up line." I said and she nodded.
"So if I'm not the type of girl you normally go for, what are you doing over here?" She asked.
"Like I said, you're beautiful, and I would regret if I walked out of this library and never saw you again." I said.
"You are very charming." She said and I laughed.
"So, what's your name Red?" I asked and she smirked.
"I don't like giving out personal information to strangers." She said. She liked to play hard to get. I love a challenge.
"I'm hardly a stranger." I said and she laughed.
"But that's where you're wrong Blondie." She said and I smirked.
"And how so?" I asked and she leaned forward and licked her lips.
"If you knew anything about me, you would have known that I don't get swept off my feet by every guy who tries to use a pick up line to get in my panties." She whispered and in that moment I just wanted to pin her against a wall and kiss her. I was too stunned to speak and she got up, grabbed a book and disappeared behind the bookshelf. When I realized she was gone I got up and went to look for her. She was looking at the top shelf and she was clearly too short to reach. I walked over and grabbed the book and she was looking at me. She tried to snatch it but I held it up higher. "Give it to me Blondie."
"Not a chance Red." I said and her eyes darkened. I stepped closer until our bodies were pressed up against each other. Our eyes were locked and I didn't really care about anything in that moment and I crashed my lips to hers. She responded immediately and we stood there for who knows how long kissing, and I never wanted it to end. When we finally broke apart all I wanted to do was kiss her again. She grabbed the book that I totally forgot that I was holding and smiled. She started walking away and I grabbed her hand. "You can't just leave me."
"I have a class to get to." She said and I sighed. I saw her phone in her back pocket and grabbed it. Thankfully she didn't have a password and I put my phone umber in there and texted myself.
"I want to see you again." I said and she smiled.
"I don't have class Friday. You free for lunch?" She asked and I smiled.
"I am." I said. I would definitely miss school to come eat lunch with her.
"12:30, there is this place called Taki's right around the corner. Meet me there." She said. She walked away, grabbed her stuff and walked out of the library. I stood there for a moment until someone snapped their fingers. When I looked to my left Mrs. Connors was standing there.
"Honestly Jace, am I going to have to buy you a leash?" She asked and grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the library. I didn't care how much trouble I got in for ditching the group. It was totally worth it.
Clary POV:
After I left the library I couldn't get the smile off my face. He was super hot, and a great kisser and I was proud of myself for making him want me so bad. I'm not the typical hot girl, but I had something no one else did. I was a 16 year old art professor at NYU and well on my way to breaking into the professional art world. I know what you're thinking, I should be shy, introverted, unable to speak in front of a super hot guy. Well, that's not how this art nerd operates. Being a prodigy in art wasn't always something I wanted to admit too. I wanted to be normal, go through school like every other kid, but in 4th grade I realized that I'd never be normal. Art was what I wanted to do, and I could reach that level quicker than anyone else my age.
Summer going into 5th grade I was approached by the head of the art department at NYU. She asked me to come in and observe one of her classes. I was all for it, and the next week I was sitting in a college classroom with kids 10 years older than me. I tried to just observe but I saw an empty canvas and just let myself go. By the end of the class the professor had come up to me and told me that I had a gift, and that I should use it to the best of my abilities. I didn't know what she meant at the time but after she talked to my mom, I was pulled out of normal school and was on the fast track to becoming a 16 year old professor and showcasing my work in some of the most prestigious galleries in the country.
When I turned 15 I was allowed to officially start working at the college, and I've been here ever since. With my parents permission I moved out and got my own place right next to the university and I have been on my own ever since, but I liked it that way. I talked to my parents often but I didn't really visit home all that often. It's not that I didn't want to go home and see my parents and my brother, its just I felt more at home here. Jon never understood me being a prodigy, I mean I loved my brother, but he just didn't get it.
I wasn't the most cultured person in the world of dating. Being such a nerd and being 16 and teaching kids years older than me didn't leave many options, but flirting was always fun. Flirting with Blondie came really naturally and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was surprised that he wanted to see me again but I was actually looking forward to getting to know him.
Time jump – Lunch
Clary POV:
I was sitting in Taki's waiting for Blondie to show up and drinking my coffee while grading more papers. I totally understood why teachers took so long to grade now. This is tough, and I feel like if I don't go through it extra careful that I'll give them a grade they don't deserve and I don't want to be that teacher. It had been a slow afternoon considering it was a Friday so most people were working or in school so when the bell dinged and I looked up to see Blondie I smiled. He made his way over to me and took a seat.
"Grading more papers?" He asked and I laughed.
"What can I say? The professor needs help." I said and he laughed.
"What class is it for?" He asks.
"Art 101. Pretty basic class." I said and he nodded.
"So if it's art, why do they have papers?" He asked.
"Art isn't all about drawing or painting. Some people who enter the art world don't want to create it but critique it. That involves a lengthy understanding of the history behind the piece, that artist, the style, the era, the inspiration, the meaning, the paint selection, the canvas selection. There are multiple components to art besides just picking up a paintbrush and slapping the color on a piece of paper." I said and his eyes were slightly wider.
"You sound like you know what you're talking about. So what was the topic of this paper?" He asked.
"They were asked to pick a artist, their most famous painting, or sketch and analyze it." I said and he nodded.
"If you were doing this assignment, who would you chose and why?" He asked, and I was surprised that he cared enough to ask.
"Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night." I said and he smiled. "I've always found it very mystical. It's kinda Burtonesque in a sense because it looks like a creation of fantasy, but in reality it was a portrait of the night from his room in an asylum."
"How long have you wanted to be an artist?" He asks.
"I think art chose me." I said and he smiled. "It sounds strange, but art was the only thing I was ever good at. I wasn't athletic, I wasn't the smartest in my class, and I wasn't the prettiest, or the most popular. Until I discovered art. Ask me any math question and I'll get it wrong, ask me the difference between meiosis and mitosis and I couldn't even begin try and bullshit an answer. But with art, I just I feel like a genius. It's empowering to know that I am brilliant in at least one way." I said and than I realized I was rambling. "Sorry, you didn't need my whole story." I laughed and he smiled.
"Don't worry about it. You sound really passionate about it, and I like when people talk about their passions." He said and I smiled.
"I could sit here for hours talking about just the different kinds of paints, and brushes, and strokes, and canvases and that wouldn't even make a dent in the knowledge that I know about art." I said.
"I wish I knew about something that much." He said and I smiled.
"Well, do you have any hidden talents that nobody else knows about you?" I ask and he smiles.
"I play the piano." He said and I wasn't expecting that."
"Really?" I said and he nodded.
"My dad taught me when I was little, and I was really good so I just kept at it." He said and I nodded.
"I have the musicality of a dying goat." I said and he laughed.
"You can't be that bad." He said and I shook my head.
"Oh trust me, I can. When I was 14 I was singing in my room, it was summer so it was incredibly hot, my windows were opened, and my favorite song at the time came on and I just started singing away, and my neighbor stood under my window with a bullhorn and yelled at me to shut up because I was making her dogs uncomfortable." I said and he started laughing. "My mom thought it was a good idea to enroll me in some music class to learn how to play an instrument, but she had to pick it."
"What did she pick?" He asks.
"She picked the trumpet. I mean, of all instruments, she had to pick the one where I sounded more like a dying goat than I already did?" I said and he laughed. "The place where I had to take the lessons put on a concert at the end to show how much we improved."
"How did it go?" He asked.
"I was asked to get off the stage so the other kids and the parents could enjoy the show." I said and he lost it. "It was so embarrassing, and after that I just stuck with a paintbrush. I'm much more capable with that."
"Wow. I am going to need a private concert of your amazing trumpet skills at some point because I feel like I'm being deprived of that experience." He said and I laughed.
"I'll play the trumpet for you, if you paint me a picture." I said and his smiled faded a little before it came back.
"You have yourself a deal Red." We shook on it and than started to have lunch. Hanging out with him was one of the easiest things I've ever done. It didn't feel forced, and it didn't feel awkward, or uncomfortable. It just felt right, and I know that sounds crazy because we literally just met, and we don't even know each others names, but it's mysterious, and its fun, and I don't want to ruin that yet.
When we left the restaurant we lingered by his car for a minute.
"I had a great time today Blondie." I said and he smiled.
"Me too Red. And since we aren't strangers anymore, is there a chance that I can get our name?" He asked and I smiled.
"Not a chance." I said.
"Why not?" He asked.
"I think it keeps whatever this is interesting. You can't tell me you've never wanted to have a steamy and hot fling with a mysterious woman." I smirked and I could tell I was getting to him. "Because I for one, get a little turned on knowing that we don't know each others names." I said as I stepped closer to him. "Take a trip on the wild side Blondie, and I'll make it worth your while." I whispered in his ear and before I could comprehend anything his lips were on mine. If I thought hanging out with him was natural, than kissing him was even more natural. Our lips were in perfect synchronization, his hands were on my hips while mine tangled in his hair and when we broke apart we were both breathless.
"If you keep teasing me Red I don't know how much longer it will take until I cave to every little thing you say." He said and I smirked.
"And what if that's my goal?" I said.
"Than you're an evil girl." He growled out and I smiled.
"We should do this again Blondie." I said and I opened his car door for him. "Text me and we'll do something next weekend, that is if you're up for it."
"Oh Red, I am always up for it." He said and I shut his door. He drove off and I smiled to myself. I don't know what this boy was doing to me, but I didn't want it to end.
Jace POV:
When I got to school on Monday I couldn't get Friday out of my head. I wanted to see her again so badly, and I don't think I could wait until the weekend. But I didn't want to seem desperate. I wanted her to like me, and she's a collage girl, and I could easily lose her interest if I start acting clingy. I was sitting in homeroom when Jon sat down next to me.
"Where the hell were you Friday man?" He asked.
"I was out." I said.
"I know that, but where were you?" He asked.
"I met this girl, and I have no idea what she's doing to me, but I am hooked." I said and he smiled.
"Jace Herondale, finally found a girl to tame that playboy attitude." Jon said and I laughed.
"There is just something so incredibly sexy about her, but she's also incredibly beautiful. She is feisty, but she has this really intelligent side and she's funny. It's like she's everything in one girl."
"What's her name?" Jon asked.
"I don't know. We met last week and she told me she didn't give personal information out to strangers so I've just been calling her Red."
"Ah, a redhead. That's new territory for you." Jon said and I laughed.
"Yea, and I don't know what's going to happen with her, but she has completely ruined other redheads for me." I said and Jon laughed. The bell rang and we headed off to our classes. Red was stuck in my head all day, and I didn't mind it one bit.
Time Jump – Two Months Later
Clary POV:
Blondie and I have been getting to know each other for the past couple months, and everything was awesome. He made me laugh, and smile and feel like a normal girl for the first time in my life. We went out last week and he had asked me what we were doing, and it dawned on me that we didn't really have a label for what we were doing. We kissed, and held hands, and went out on dates, and I certainly wasn't seeing anyone else, and apparently neither was he so we made it official. We still didn't know each others names, but it was part of the fun.
It was Christmas and my mom wanted me home for the holiday and I didn't mind. It was on the holidays that I did end up going home and it made her happy, so I was more than happy to go. According to my mom Jon's best friend was spending Christmas with us, which wasn't bad. It might help Jon actually enjoy a holiday for once in his life. I was on my way home and jamming out to the radio sounding like a dying goat and not caring at all. My mind drifted to Blondie and wondering what he was doing this holiday season. When I pulled up to my house I took a look and took a deep breath. I opened the front door and it smelled like cookie and pine trees.
"Mom! I'm home." I called.
"Oh sweetheart! I'm so glad you could come!" She said as she gave me a hug.
"Me too mom." I said and she smiled at me.
"Jon! Your sisters here!" She yelled and I heard two steps of feet coming down the stairs. I was putting my stuff down when I felt arms grab me.
"It is so good to see you Clary!" Jon said and I hugged him. He put me down and stepped aside and I almost fainted. "Clary, this is my best friend Jace, Jace this is my little sister Clary." Everything in the world stopped. Our eyes were on each other but neither of us dared to move. "Uh, what's wrong with you two?"
"Um, Jon did you say little sister?" Blondie, or I guess Jace said. Man, hot name for a hot guy. My hot guy. My hot boyfriend. Wow. This was weird.
"Yea. She's 16." Jon said and Jace's eyes widened. "Why do you look like you just got caught with your hand in the cookie jar?"
"I think this would be a perfect opportunity to get something off my chest." I said and by this time my mom and my dad were also in the room.
"You know you can tell us anything sweetie." My mom said.
"I have a boyfriend." I said. I looked around and everyone looked stunned. "Yup, I have a boyfriend that I didn't tell you about. Uh, it's pretty new, within the last couple months actually. I don't really know much personal information on him, but I feel like that's going to change now."
"What are you talking about Clare?" Jon said.
"I think I can clear it up." Jace finally said.
"What do you mean?" Jon asked. Jace looked at me and I looked at him and Jon was looking between the two of us. "Wait a minute, that sexy redhead you were talking about a couple months ago is Clary?" Jon finally connected the dots. Jace and I simply nodded. "How the hell did you two even meet?"
"Well you know how we went to NYU for that college trip. I saw her in the library and I started talking to her." Jace said.
"So you saw a girl in a college library and started a conversation with her?" Jon asked and Jace nodded. "Do you remember the one college visit that we were busted for making out with those two college girls?" Jon asked and I looked at Jace and he seemed ashamed. "We got in a lot of trouble because we were under aged Jace."
"But she is clearly not over 18." Jace said back and Jon laughed.
"You just found that out! For all you know you were hitting on a college student." Jon said.
"You're making it sound a whole lot worse than it is." Jace said.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret about our dear Clarissa."
"Clarissa?" Jace questioned, I nodded in conformation and he scrunched his nose. "Doesn't suit you." He said and I laughed but apparently that was the wrong thing to do.
"Back to what I was saying, you hit on a college professor." Jon said and Jace's jaw hit the ground.
"A what?" Jace asked and Jon laughed.
"That's right, Clary is an art professor at NYU."
"But she's 16!" Jace said.
"She's a fucking prodigy man. She graduated her fancy art high school at 10, she went to college when she was 11, and started teaching at 15." Jon said.
"Why wouldn't you tell me that?" Jace asked.
"You never actually asked. I wasn't lying to you. I would tell you I had class and that I was grading papers. You just assumed I was a student." I said and Jace sighed. "I didn't want it to freak you out. I mean, what would you have done if I told you I was a professor at 16?" I asked.
"Well, it would have been nice to know you were only 16." Jace said.
"You didn't tell me your age either. I didn't know you were in high school. What about all those Friday's we would meet for lunch?" I asked.
"That's why you ditched school?" Jon asked.
"I wanted to see you, and I didn't want you to think lowly of me if you realized I was still in high school." Jace said.
"This is so weird." My mom finally said and my dad nodded along.
"We aren't doing anything wrong. I'm 16, he's 17. We're dating, not getting married." I said.
"You two can't seriously still want to be together after this?" Jon said.
"Why not?" Jace asked. "This was bound to happen eventually. You're my best friend, and she's my girlfriend. At some point she would have wanted me to meet her family, and I would have wanted to introduce her to you." Jace explained. "I'm personally glad we got this out of the way, and that I know your real name."
"Mom, dad, do something." Jon asked. I looked at my parents and they seemed to still be taking it all in.
"Jonathan, you can't exactly stop them." My mom finally said. "Like Clary said, it's not illegal, and Clary doesn't live here, so whatever we say probably wouldn't matter anyway."
"This is insane." Jon said and I walked over to him.
"Face it Jon, Jace and I are together. And until one of us decides to break up with the other, or something happens, we're going to stay together. Don't you want me to be happy?" I asked.
"Can you be happy with someone else?" Jon asked and I glared at him.
"Jonathan, do you have any idea how hard my life has been?" I asked and he shrugged. "It's a nightmare being a prodigy. Kids were cruel. I didn't fit in anywhere. Not even in art class because I was ten times better than every one in my class. I was the freak. I was in high school with 16 year olds and I was 10. I went to college at 11, and I was constantly stared at. It was horrible. When I walked across that stage for my college graduation do you know how many strange looks I got? When I walk into my classroom to teach I'm asked if I'm in the wrong room because the high school is down the block." I said. "I'm not taken seriously, my students think they can walk all over me because they are 5 years older than me. It sucks being 16 and having people look at you like an immature little kid when I am smarted than every kid that walks into my class."
"Clary." Jon said but I cut him off.
"No Jon, Jace is the first person who has ever made me feel normal. I feel like I'm 16 with him. I'm not prodigy, I'm not a professor, I'm just me and I've never been just me before." I said and Jon looked at me and than looked at Jace.
"Are you going to treat her right?" Jon finally says after a moment of silence to Jace.
"Always man." Jace said and Jon sighed.
"Well, I can't really do anything about it." Jon said and I laughed. "But I do not want to see you being a couple around me."
"Can't promise you that big brother." I said and he groaned. I walked over and gave him a hug and he gladly returned it. After hugging him I walked over and gave Jace a hug. When we pulled apart he kept his arm around my shoulders. "Do I need to make introductions?" I said and everyone laughed.
"I think we're good sweetie." My mom said and I smiled. "Well, dinner is ready." We all made our way into the dining room to have dinner. This night didn't turn out the way I expected but I was glad everything was out now, even though I didn't know that my boyfriend was my brothers best friend. It was weird, but hey, I finally knew his name, and I felt like this was a good thing for our relationship.
Time Jump – Four Months Later
Clary POV:
I was sitting in class grading papers while the students worked on their projects. I had music playing in the background. I wasn't really paying attention much today. I was stressed with finals coming up so I just let the students walk in, take a seat and start. I was pulled out of my thoughts when someone started speaking.
"Excuse me Professor, but I'm having a hard time capturing the face of my model." I heard and I looked up to see Jace sitting at one of the canvases. The whole class was staring at him and I laughed.
"Well, who is your model?" I asked with a smile.
"Well you see, it's my beautiful girlfriend, and I just can't seem to capture her eyes." He said and I laughed.
"Why don't you turn your canvas around." I said and he smiled and turned it around and I couldn't keep it together. I started laughing until my stomach hurt.
"Oh my god Jace, that is the worst painting I've ever seen." I said and he laughed with me.
"It's not that bad." One of the girls said as she batted her eyes at Jace. "Maybe your girlfriend just isn't that pretty."
"I wouldn't say that." Jace said.
"And why not?" The girls asked.
"Cause she's in charge of your grade in this class." Jace said and all of the students snapped their heads in my direction.
"She's your girlfriend?" The girl said and Jace smiled proudly. I shook my head with a smile on my face. I looked at the clock and realized that class was over.
"Alright class, these project are due next Friday and they are worth 15% of your grade. Don't get too far behind. Have a great weekend." I said and they all packed up and left and that just left Jace and I. I walked up to where he was sitting and took a seat on his lap. "So, this is how you view me?"
"Not at all. You're impossible to capture on a canvas." He said and I laughed.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"It's an in-service day. No school, and I wanted to see you." He said and I smiled.
"So, how about lunch?" I asked and he smiled and I stood up. He grabbed my hand and I grabbed my stuff and we walked out of the classroom. When we got to the restaurant we ordered our food and talked about school and what he's going to do with his future.
Our relationship started out strange and unconventional but it worked for us and I enjoyed it a lot. He was sweet, and kind, and hot, and sarcastic but he treated me right, and I was happy. I don't know what our relationship was going, but I was really enjoying it so far. When we got back to my apartment I put on a movie and we cuddled on the couch.
"I almost forgot." Jace said as he got up and left the apartment. 5 minutes later he came back holding something with a devilish smirk on his face. "I painted you that picture, it's time for my private concert." He said and my jaw dropped.
"You're seriously going to make me play the trumpet?" I asked and he took it out of the case. "Jace, this is a horrible idea."
"You promised me Red. We had a deal, and I fulfilled my end of the deal, now it's your turn." He said and I groaned and stood up and walked over to him.
"I hope you're ready for the worst sound you've ever heard." I said and he laughed.
"I'm prepared." He said and he took a seat. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I put the trumpet to my lips and started playing. It was totally worth it to see Jace's eyes when he realized how truly awful I was. Once he broke out of whatever paralyzed state he was in he stood up and yelled. "That's enough! You're horrible, I get it!" I stopped playing and started laughing.
"I told you I was bad." I said and he took the trumpet from me.
"But I didn't think it was actually going to sound like an animal dying. God, that might have been the worst thing I've ever heard." He said and I wrapped my arms around him.
"You wanted to hear me play, and now you have." I said and he leaned down and kissed me.
"Well, I can finally cross, listening to the worst musician ever, off my bucket list." He said and I laughed.
"One day that is going to make a great story." I said and he smiled at me.
"That it will." He said and he kissed me again. This relationship might be new, but I knew it was going to last. When something is right, you don't mess with it, and Jace and I were right, I just knew it.
Authors Not:
This was requested by a guest and I really like how it turned out! I made Clary very different than normal, but I think that gives her a little something different. I didn't want her to be the normal shy prodigy, I wanted her to be fun, and wild, and something that drew Jace in more than any other girl he's ever known, and that's what I did. Let me know what you think! :)
P.S. I've been curious for a little while now, I have mentioned that I am in college a couple times now, and I was curious, what do you guys think my major is?
Anyway, I might not be able to update all the much because I am on thanksgiving break, but I will try my absolute best to try and get more one shots done, and update my other stories! :)
