hi! it has...been a while. haha. i'm hoping to start updating this monthly until it's done! there was a big chunk of this in the middle that i really didn't agree with anymore after, well, years of having this piece done since and then taking a step back. i've re-written a big part of it and am trying to fix the rest of it, but this chapter is ready! i hope you enjoy.

Clary still felt strange when she arrived at the high school.

It was a home game tonight, which meant she didn't have to drive too far, which was good, because Clary zoned out as she was driving through her neighborhood and then onto the freeway toward her school. The parking lot was half full when she got there, and she managed to get a park quite close to the pathway that led toward the gym. Closer to the game time, the parking lot would be overflowing, but they always had to get there earlier than most to warm up and go out onto the field before the game started.

Kaelie grinned and waved as she walked into the locker room.

Surprisingly, Aline and Helen did as well.

And one of younger girls on the squad, Lindsay Capriotti, gave her a small, nervous smile.

Clary had no idea what that was about, so she just ignored them and headed directly for Kaelie. Kaelie was a good distraction, talking about some girl that she had met when she was at a hotel downtown. She did that a lot, went to hotels with a fake ID and a low-cut dress. Clary had been with her once or twice, but she really wasn't as into it as Kaelie was. She had tried talking Kaelie out of it a few times as well, saying that it wasn't safe, but Lydia had said that it was harmless fun and had just egged Kaelie on.

Lydia.

Clary's eyes flicked toward where Lydia was standing, apart from the rest of the squad, next to Olivia Wilson, better known as Ollie. She was in their grade at school as well, although they had never spent too much time with her, but it seemed as though Lydia had needed someone else to cling onto since the only people she ever really hung out with before were Kaelie and Clary.

"Alright, girls," Lydia snipped out, clapping her hands together and turning around to face the crowd. Clary couldn't help but smirk a little at the way Lydia's eyes skipped right over Clary as she circled them around the squad. She had only returned to school a few days ago, but the deep cut that Clary had scratched over her cheek was still visible, even under the makeup she was wearing.

She would definitely be seeing a plastic surgeon.

Lydia gave them their usual warm-up speech, which was pretty much 'if you mess up, I'm kicking you off the squad' and then they resumed warming up.

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They poured out of the locker rooms and onto the field about half an hour before the game was set to begin, and they cheered, throwing their arms in the air and shaking their pompoms. Clary had never really thrown herself into the shouting or singing or cheering, but when Lydia continued to shoot her glares and nasty looks, she couldn't help but yell louder than she had before, just to piss the blonde off. Kaelie could obviously tell what was going on and she shot grins in Clary's direction.

The cheerleading squad moved away from the edge of the field where they were performing as the mascot and the football team began running onto the field. Clary picked up her hoodie from where it was perfectly folded into a square on the wooden bench where their drinks were lined and their warmer clothes were waiting for them. Clary picked up her drink bottle and scanned the audience that was behind the railing and in the stands, and she spotted Jordan coming forward, coming down the steps and toward the railing. He was with Daniel and Eric Hillchurch, all three of them not caring that they were getting in peoples way by crowding against the rail.

"Skank," Kaelie hissed out under her breath as Lydia skipped over to the railing and reached up on her tiptoes and practically unhinging her jaw to open her mouth wide to let his tongue in. Clary just rolled her eyes in disgust and looked away, not at all interested in viewing the public display of affection. "Seems like they're deciding to take this shit public now that you know."

"I don't want to talk about it," Clary snipped out and Kaelie shrugged, shoving gum into her mouth and chewing it almost obnoxiously. Some of the cheerleaders wandered off with friends in the crowd through the first part of the game, while others stayed on the bench and talked among themselves. Clary didn't pay much attention to the game itself, only getting up when it was half time and all the cheerleaders went on. When they were done, sweat beginning to bead along Clary's hairline, she stalked off the field, calling out a goodbye toward Kaelie as she grabbed her bag from the benches, not wanting to stay for the rest of the game, and then coming to an abrupt halt as she saw who was standing at the corner of the stands, beside the footpath that lead toward the car park.

Jace.

Leaning lazily against the the metal pole and railing of the stands, wearing a leather jacket and a pair of tight jeans, his shaggy hair falling around his face and his eyes heated as they watched her.

Clary swallowed hard, wishing there was same way for her to subtly change directions, but there really wasn't given how determinedly she had been heading toward the car park in the first place, and there weren't many people in her path, so there wasn't any chance that he hadn't seen her.

He definitely had.

His eyes were on her, his full lips pursed together as he watched her steps falter as she saw him.

Clary let out a short breath and then resumed walking toward him, intending on shoving right past him and heading toward the car park.

Jace obviously had different ideas, because as she was about to pass him, he suddenly straightened up from where he had been resting, an arm snapping out and wrapping his hand around her wrist, pulling her in tight against him. Clary stumbled a little before getting her balance again, the bright white Nike's scuffing a little as she did so. She opened her mouth to say something but then his lips came down hard against the corner of her mouth, definitely more on his cheek.

Clary was surprised and her body went even more tense than it had been before.

It wasn't a proper kiss, and if he had kissed her on the mouth properly, she had no idea how she would have reacted to that, but his grip around her wrist loosened almost straight away at her tense posture. When he pulled back, his face was a grim mask as he glanced over her shoulder. Clary forced herself to look back, in the direction he was looking in, and she saw that about half the cheerleading squad were watching them with wide eyes.

And Jordan.

Clary turned back to Jace and attempted to pull her hand away from his grip.

"Let me go, or I swear to god, I'm going to scream," Clary gritted out at Jace. He stared at her for a few beats, and she could see him mulling it over, but she knew he was weighing up the fact that they were in a crowded area and there were already people's eyes on them. He let go of her, but he didn't step back. Clary did, though, as she spun on her heel and continued to stalk down the path that she had previously been on, towards the car park. She could feel Jace walking after her, close to her back. "What are you doing here, Jace? I'm pretty sure I made it clear I didn't want to talk to you."

"And I gave you your space," Jace responded, his voice firm and even. "And when you decided to keep being a brat and not let me explain, I came to find you." Clary jerked her head back, looking over her shoulder at him with an indignant expression.

"A brat? Your friend called me a cunt! And a slut!" Clary let out an extremely undignified snort, throwing up her hands before continuing her walk to the car. "They were talking about my family!" She didn't care that she was yelling this out, because there was no one else around now that they were reaching the car park, away from the field and the stands, and there was faint yelling and shouting that they could hear from where they were. "They don't even know my family! Most of them don't even know me!" She couldn't help but think about how Maia hadn't defended her, and that had been someone that she thought did know her. She swallowed hard as she weaved her way between a couple cars until she got to her own. She was fumbling with the keys in her bag when Jace purposefully moved to stand between her and the car. "Jace!" Clary cried out, feeling her frustration beginning to bubble over, and she hoped that Jace didn't hear the whine in her voice.

"Sweet thing," Jace stated, and there was no room in his voice for argument. "You need to let me explain."

"No," Clary shot back.

"Yes," Jace returned, and for some reason, there was an amused glint in his eye. Clary clicked her teeth together, trying to reign in her anger. "Come on," Jace reached out for her. "Let's go for a ride." He was acting as though everything was okay, and everything was normal, and it wasn't.

"What the fuck are you doing, Jace?" Clary asked, and her words came out resigned. Jace picked up on that, obviously, because any amusement left his eyes and he dipped his head down, until he was looming over her with his face right in front of hers. He lifted his hand, fingers grazing over her neck before they cupped her jaw and this thumb brushed over the corner of her mouth.

"Let me explain," Jace said quietly. "Please?" For the first time, it actually sounded like a question, as though she had a choice.

She really didn't.

Clary knew she didn't.

Because if she wanted all the answers to her questions, then she was going to need Jace to explain.

He was looking at her with those gold eyes that could go so hard they felt as though they were slicing through her but also warm that it made her feel as though insides were turning to the same liquid molten that they were filled with.

"Let me give you a ride," Jace continued. "Take you back to my place." Clary let out a shaky breath as his thumb traced over her lower lip and felt shivers run down her spine. He could see that he was getting through to her, it was obvious in the way he was touching her and looking at her. But she still had no idea what was going and even though she had never fully trusted Jace in the first place, she definitely didn't now.

"You can come over tomorrow morning," Clary responded, purposefully stepping back, and dropping her chin slightly so that his hand falls away from her mouth. Jace stared at her for a few beats, as though seeing if that was the best answer he was going to get. But then he nodded and moved away from the door of her car to let her unlock it. She got inside without looking at him again, trying to ignore the twisting in the pit of her stomach, letting out a shaky breath when she finally managed to close the door, tucked away from him.

Jace watched her leave, she saw him in the rearview mirror, even though she tried not to look back.

i hope that you enjoyed it. please let me know what you think x

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