CLARY POV:

Clary hadn't talked to Jace since the night in the tree house and since then it was almost as if he was a new person. He smiled at her in the hallways, not his signature smug smirk but a softer one that made Clary smile back. They were civil to each other in class and he didn't direct any smart-ass comments her way.

He was Jace, but he wasn't. It was like Clary was seeing him in a new light. It was like they were strangers… But they weren't.

Clary truly was sorry for the way she had treated Jace over the two years after Jonathan's death; she had been selfish. So incredibly selfish. She would make things right between her and Jace again. She owed him, and herself that much.

"Keep still Clary!" Izzy repeated as she continued to poke at her eye with a black pencil.

"But you're hurting me!"

Clary sat at Izzy's impressive makeup table in her purple-walled bedroom. The Victorian style vanity was laden with creams, powders, mascaras, eye shadows, pencils, lipsticks and millions of different brushes Clary wouldn't begin to know the difference between.

"Pain is the price of beauty, my dear." Magnus purred, lying stretched out on Izzy's bed flicking through some fashion magazine.

"Now put the dress on." Izzy commanded and handed her the shimmering green dress Izzy and Magnus had picked out for her. Clary shamelessly striped down to her underwear and shimmied into the dress.

"Wow," Clary wheezed, "this is a lot tighter than I remember it being."

Magnus smiled, a mischievous glint in his Cheshire cat eyes. "I made a few adjustments."

"Um, I don't think I can pull this off, Iz. It's a bit short at the front. And tight allover…" Clary self-consciously looked down at herself and pulled at the inflexible fabric.

"Exactly," a small smile played on her lips as she brought out her gold-bordered full-length mirror.

Clary glanced at her reflection and had to do a double take. She knew Izzy was talented, but she had practically transformed Clary into her alter ego.

Her childlike face had been concealed of most of its freckles; only stubborn scatterings were visible, making her complexion appear clear and silky smooth. Defining black wings elegantly outlined Clary's eyes and made her irises look even greener than usual. Smoky eyelids shimmered as she blinked. The dress wrapped around Clary; its tight fabric hugged her body and defined features she didn't realize she had. It was a high-low dress; sneaking up past mid-thigh at the front and cascading down the back of her legs like a shimmering, emerald waterfall. Spaghetti straps held the dress up and crossed in an intricate pattern down her exposed, porcelain back. Clary's usual untamable curls had been straightened so the golden strands fell neatly over her shoulders and almost reached her waistline.

"One more thing." Izzy handed her a pair of frighteningly tall, black heels.

They picked Tessa up on the way to Sebastian's party and Clary had been impressed when she saw her in a modest, yet pretty purple mini dress with ballet flats and her brown hair down for once. Go Tessa!

They heard the party before they saw it, and followed the sound of pop music and crazed teens, to the door of Sebastian's huge manor. Sebastian saw them approaching and greeted them at the door.

"Glad you could make it." He smiled and eyed Clary up and down approvingly as she self-consciously pulled at her dress. "Can I get you guys some drinks?"

"THAT WOULD BE GREAT." Izzy replied over the noise of the party as he led them through the house. Clary sat down and rubbed at her feet that were already beginning to blister in the heels. She was impressed at how Izzy managed to wear heels almost everyday.

Tessa perked up suddenly and Clary glanced at where she was gazing. Will Herondale. "Could you be anymore obvious?" She joked and smiled at Tessa who had gone beetroot red.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said defiantly.

"Sure you don't."

"Drink up." A red cup filled with a mysterious brown beverage landed in her hand. "Clary," Sebastian addressed her, "come find me later for a dance." With a wink, he left and rejoined his clan of drunken friends.

"What even is this?" Tessa asked taking a tentative sip from her cup.

"Ohhhhh, I would love to see a drunk Tessa!" Magnas exclaimed, clapping his ring-clad fingers together with a jingle.

"Tessa's drunk?" Will appeared with the rest of Jace's gang and both Tessa and Magnas straightened up: Magnas eyed up Alec and Tessa gazed shyly at Will. Her two friends were polar opposites.

"Not yet," Magnas smirked, "although she's too much of a goody-too-shoes to drink."

With a glare, Tessa skulled the contents of the cup and slammed it on the table in front of them, earning her an amused but approving look from Will.

Clary turned her attention to Jace; he was dressed in light denim chinos and a maroon collared shirt. He had combed his blond locks to the side in an attempt to tame his lion's mane, but stray curls hung defiantly over his golden face. Clary was startled to find Jace's maple syrup eyes were openly staring at her in a stunned silence. No smug smirk and no harsh amusement, instead his features were soft and his voice unguarded when he spoke: "You look, um, nice, Clary." Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for a smart remark to follow but it never came.

"Thank you, Jace" Clary replied timidly. What was happening?

A few drinks later, Clary started to loosen up and actually enjoy herself, she felt light and bubbly and wobbled dangerously on her heels as someone led her to the dance floor. J-Lo was pounding through the speakers and Clary tipped her head back, drinking in the party and swaying her hips to the beat.

Izzy had left to chat up some guy and Magnas had disappeared with Alec, leaving her and Tessa. Tessa also looked lighter and happy, Clary thought, but she kept glancing in Will's direction.

"Go talk to him!" Clary giggled in Tessa's ear as she pushed her in Will's direction.

"No! What if I say something stupid?" Tessa cried before bending down to whisper in Clary's ear: "I think I've had a bit too much to drink!"

"You'll be fineeeee. I'll come with you." Clary slurred and led Tessa through the sea of teenagers.

"Hey," Will smiled at them and initiated a conversation. Clary couldn't take it. "You like her, she likes you, so why don't you just kiss already!" Clary huffed and walked off. That was the right thing to do, right? The room spun around her and she bumped into a wall. A golden wall with a mop of blond hair that looked at her in confusion.

"Clary? Are you alright?" The Jace-wall spoke. HAHAHA, Jace-wall.

"Why are you laughing, Clary?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like a lion?"

"What?"

"A pretty, golden lion."

"You're drunk."

"No, you'reeeee drunk!"

"Come dance with me, Jacey!" Clary cried, a pout on her painted lips as she took his hand and dragged him to the middle of the dance floor. Clary tipped her head back and felt her sweaty hair tickle her butt through the thin fabric of her dress as she chucked her arms above her head and swayed her hips to music. Jace just stood there watching her. "Dance, lion boy!" Clary cried and shimmied closer to him, tilting her head to look up at him.

"Clary!" A voice spoke in her ear, "how about that dance you promised?" Sebastian appeared at her side, his hand moving to the small of her back as he took her from Jace, in exchange for some blonde in a neon playsuit. HA! Kaelie wouldn't like that! Where was Kaelie anyway?

"Are you liking the party?" Sebastian whispered huskily in her ear, his breath tickled and goose bumps appeared on her sweaty, porcelain skin. "Oh, yeah. It's funnnnn." Clary slurred as he pulled her closer. He was really pretty, Clary thought as she stared into his dark eyes, framed with long spidery lashes, his slick black hair and smooth lines.

Sebastian pulled Clary in closer as they danced, so close she could feel the muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt. His eyes roamed freely over her body, and his hands slid lazily over her. The hand on the small of her back suddenly slid south to rest on the thin fabric that covered her butt. Clary gasped and jerked away from Sebastian and Jace suddenly appeared beside her.

"I think I'll take you home, Clary." The Lion/wall said and that was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.

Clary awoke to light streaming through the gaps in her curtains and the birds outside creating a racket that pounded her head. Why was her head so sore? Clary glanced down to find she was still in her emerald dress from the party. Oh, the party.

Her heart sunk as fragments from the previous night came back to her in flashes. Red cups. Dancing. A lot of dancing. Jace. Sebastian. Clary cringed deeply and peeled off her sheets, slowly making her way to the shower. She smelt bad, a mix of booze and sweat.

When Clary emerged from the shower twenty minutes later, fresh and dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, she found Izzy sitting on her bed.

"I couldn't find you and Jace said he took you home." Izzy said. "I'm so sorry Clary, I should have been there for you."

"Jace took me home?"

"Yeah. He doesn't drink at parties anymore." Not after Jonathon.

"Do you know what happened to Tessa?"

"Tessa?" And then Clary remembered in horror as she sat down next to Izzy. "Oh no. I'm a horrible friend."

TESSA POV:

My. Life. Is. Over. Tessa was burrowed in her bed and had no intention of coming out. Ever.

Tessa had had a bit too much to drink at the party, but she hadn't been as drunk as Clary. Tessa remembered everything. She remembered Clary telling Will she liked him, she remembered how her blood had frozen and mouth moved like a fish, but didn't form any words. Tessa remembered the look of confusion that had crossed Will's beautiful face and she remembered running. Tessa had run away from the boy she liked, like a coward. When she arrived home, she found her hair was knotted in a wild mess. She also had blood dripping down her leg from her grazed her knee, having tripped over a passed out body outside Sebastian's manor.

School was tomorrow, and even worse, Romeo and Juliet rehearsals. How awkward was it going to be? Was he weird-ed out? What did he think of her now?

There was no way he could possibly like her back. How could someone like Will Herondale possibly like her? He was perfect and beautiful and funny and someone you would only read about in books. And she was just Tessa, there was nothing particularly special about her.

Tessa checked her phone: she had no notifications. She took the silence as an answer.

"I'm so sorry Tessa." Clary repeated for the billionth time that day.

"It's okay, just tell me what I should do about it."

"Either talk to him about it or act like it didn't happen?" Clary suggested.

"There's no way I'm talking to him about it, can you imagine how awkward it would be?"

"I could talk to him for you if you want?" Clary offered.

"And what would you say?"

The bell went and Clary sent her an apologetic look before they parted ways.

Once again Tessa was left alone as she made her way to Romeo and Juliet rehearsals. Just act like nothing happened. Act casual. Tessa could totally do that; she could act casual.

Tessa walked into the auditorium and there he was, sitting casually with a group of people, laughing at a joke. Will then spotted her and Tessa quickly looked away, walking right past him to pick up a copy of her script from Mr. Starkweather. She found a seat in the opposite corner of the room and started reading, casually.

Tessa didn't look up from her script, not once, until Mr. Starkweather called her and Romeo to read a scene.

Act casual. You're as cool as a cucumber. Tessa repeated to herself as she made her way onstage to stand beside Will. No, not Will, Romeo. She could feel him looking at her, so she gave him a casual and cool sideways glance. She met his eyes but like usual, they were unreadable.

"From the top of the page." Starkweather croaked. And they read their lines, casually. Like nothing had happened.

When Starkweather dismissed them, Will turned to face her.

"I'm sorry," Tessa blurted out. "For the other night, I mean." She couldn't meet his gaze.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." He smiled. Wait, what? What was that supposed to mean? They continued a polite, casual, conversation but after they said their goodbyes, Tessa was left more confused than ever.