Clary
As much as I hated to admit it, Jonathan's band was pretty amazing. The crowd loved them, their music was exhilarating and fun to dance to, and their stage presence was immense, I could tell they already has a good following of fans. I loved watching Jace as he played guitar and switched off with Jonathan on lead singer. I vaguely remember Jace telling him he might replace Jonathan as the lead, and I hoped he did.
"Wow, they're awesome." Izzy said in my ear, as the band finished their last song. I clapped and cheered along with Izzy, Magnus, Alec, and Simon and the rest of the crowd, enjoying how Jace's face lit up with happiness. I was so grateful we had talked about his involvement in the band, now that I could see how happy it made him and how much he needed it made it easier to deal with Jonathan's presence and attitude.
"That was insane." I agreed, once the applause died down and we could talk again. They guys waved as they walked off stage, and started packing up their instruments so the next entertainment would be ready to come on. The DJ started the music back up again, and people started flocking to the dance floor.
"Hey, do you have any chapstick?" Izzy asked, rubbing her lips with her hand. "My lips are burning from this cold weather." I nodded, setting my half-empty drink down on the table next to me, fishing around my back until I found it. As I gave it to her, I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind. Expecting to see Jace, I turned around with a huge smile on my face only to be startled to find Sebastian standing there, grinning at me.
"Oh-hi." I said, flustered as I recovered, trying to figure out why he was here. I hadn't spoken to him since our awkward conversation at Magnus' party the semester before, and I had no idea he even lived close enough to come to this bar on break from school. "How are you?" I asked, picking up my drink from the table.
"Oh, I'm good. I was just in the area and decided to stop by, I've heard this is a fun place." He said, looking around the crowded, loud room. I nodded, unable to come up with a response. I sipped my drink, desperately hoping Izzy would come to my rescue. Sebastian looked at me, his eyes wandering down my body. When Jace admired me, I felt beautiful, and confident. Sebastian's scrutiny made me wish I was wearing a giant coat.
"That's nice. I've never been here before; I came for Jace's band." I answered, trying to resist the urge to zip up my leather jacket. Sebastian nodded, his eyes thoughtful as if he had forgotten Jace existed. I gulped my drink down, suddenly feeling very warm in the crowded bar. The cold drink helped, but I didn't want to drink too much tonight.
"I think you mean my band." To my dismay, Jonathan appeared, looking strangely happy as he sidled up next to us. I was starting to feel a little dizzy, and Jonathan's presence wasn't helping. "But I'm glad you enjoyed the show." He grinned, and I rolled my eyes. The last thing he needed was an ego boost.
"I'm sorry, I better find Jace to congratulate him. It was nice to see you." I said to Sebastian, I was really starting to feel way too hot and the room was beginning to spin. I watched as Sebastian and Jonathan exchanged looks, but it was so brief I was sure I imagined it. I looked around for Izzy, but couldn't see her through the thick crowd. I spotted a side door on the wall, and made my way towards it without another word to Jonathan and Sebastian.
I pushed through a side door, gasping for fresh air as I nearly tumbled outside into the alleyway on the side of the bar. I leaned against the brick building, tilting my head back as I scrambled to figure out what was wrong with me. I had to concentrate very hard to keep everything from spinning, and I was so tired all I wanted to do was close my eyes, just for a few minutes...
"Clary, are you alright?" A voice said, and I opened one eye to see Sebastian walking towards me, his voice laced with concern. I flinched away as he reached for my face, his hands were very cold as he traced my cheekbone with his fingertips.
"I'm fine, I just need to be alone right now." I mumbled, lurching forward off the wall as I tried to move away from him. My body felt as if I were moving in slow motion. I needed go back inside for a second, and then come back out when he was gone. His fingers wrapped around my forearm in a grip so tight it surprised me, tugging me back from the door.
"Don't go inside yet, we've barely gotten to talk to each other tonight." He insisted, his voice low. His eyes were such a dark brown, nearly black in the dim outdoor light above the door. I cringed, he was so close to me I could smell the overwhelming smell of his cologne.
"We should talk." He whispered in my ear, brushing my hair off my neck. I shuddered, working up a scream as his lips brushed my cheek. I heard the door open, but adrenaline was already rushing through my body. I put my hands against Sebastian's chest, and shoved back, pushing him off me. My movement surprised him, and he released me, stepping backward in shock. My moment of victory was brief as I realized I was falling; my legs were too weak to hold me. I winced as I waited to hit the ground, but strong arms caught me, holding me up.
"What the hell are you doing?" A voice shouted at Sebastian, and he looked at me with true fear. I tilted my head up, squinting in the light. Jace was there, his hair golden in the light. He had opened the door just in time to see me push Sebastian off of me. He was livid, his face hard as he gently placed me on the ground before grabbing Sebastian.
"Jace!" I called out, but I doubt he heard me. I looked on in horror as they struggled, Sebastian was trying to escape but Jace was having none of it. He easily dodged Sebastian's swinging fist, connecting his fist to Sebastian's jaw in one swift movement. Jace slammed Sebastian up against the wall of the building, his forearm pressed against his neck.
"If you ever go near her again, you'll regret it. I'll do a lot more than punch you in the face, you piece of shit." He threatened, his voice low and angry. "I won't forget this." Sebastian nodded, his eyes wide as Jace released him, and he went running down the alley towards the parking lot. Jace turned back to me, the anger replaced with concern as he knelt next to me, scooping me up into his arms easily. I laid my head against his shoulder, my heart hammering against my ribcage.
"It's okay, I'm here." Jace said, stroking my hair. I nodded, not trusting myself to open my mouth, fearing I would throw up all over him. Izzy, Magnus, Simon, and Alec suddenly appeared out the door, causing a commotion as they rushed over, questions flying a mile a minute. I closed my eyes, my head hurting from all the noise.
Jace
"Are you sure we shouldn't bring her to the hospital?" Simon asked, pacing back and forth in my living room as Clary lay on the couch, fast asleep. She had passed out once everyone came outside from the bar, and I had brought her back to my house. Izzy had tried convincing me to bring her home, but I wasn't letting her out of my sight after what happened tonight.
"If she was drugged, it should wear off soon. She has to sleep it off, it's meant to make you pass out." Magnus said, placing a water bottle on the table next to Clary. "She should drink water whenever she wakes up, it will help flush it out of her system." Simon didn't look convinced, but didn't argue.
I looked down at Clary, her face peaceful and innocent as she slept. I brushed a wayward curl off her face, anger flaring through me when I thought about Sebastian. I had never hated someone so much, I wished I had done more damage than just a punch to the face. In a fit of rage like that, I could have hurt him worse, but it was Clary that stopped me. I didn't want her to see me like that, she was already probably terrified of one guy, I didn't need to make her afraid of me too.
Izzy returned to the room, she had texted Jocelyn from Clary's phone to tell her she was sleeping at Izzy's house tonight. In reality, she was going to be with me, but we still hadn't told her Clary and I were dating. I didn't want Clary to get in trouble for sleeping over my house if Jocelyn didn't approve of our sleepovers anymore.
"I just can't believe this happened." Izzy murmured, looking at Clary's sleeping form on the couch. I nodded, unable to find the words to express how angry I was at Sebastian. "I don't understand why he did it though, he didn't seem to be this interested in Clary that he would drug her." Izzy started pacing back and forth, her expression concerned.
"We should let Clary sleep. She's going to be out for the night, and it's getting late. Do you need help getting her upstairs?" Alec asked, but I shook my head no.
"Thanks, but we'll be fine. When she wakes up, I'll tell you guys if she remembers anything significant."
The next morning, Clary was awake and sitting at the kitchen counter when I woke up at 8 am. She was nursing a cup of coffee, and looked miserable. She glanced up when I walked in, yawning from staying up late worried about her.
"Hey." She said softly, and I smiled, squeezing her hand as I stood at the counter facing her. She traced the rim of her mug with her index finger, seemingly lost in thought. I took a sip of coffee, waiting for her to talk. She cleared her throat, looking up at me. "Thanks for uh, taking care of Sebastian last night." She said, and I scowled at the thought of him.
"He deserved a lot more than what I did to him." I grumbled, but she shook her head, running a hand through her curls.
"I don't even know what to think about him. It just seemed so off, he was a little awkward, but it's hard to imagine he would go as far as drugging me." She looked at me curiously. "How did you know I was outside? I couldn't find anyone when I started feeling weird."
I bit my lip, thinking back through the night. "I was looking for you, and... Jonathan told me that he saw you go outside with Sebastian. I don't know, it seemed kind of weird to me the way he was saying it, like he thought you guys were hooking up or something."
Her eyes flashed with anger, before she nodded, still puzzling over the chain of events. Before I could say anything else, my phone started ringing, Jonathan's name flashing on the screen. I muted it, but she waved her hand. "Answer it, he's just going to keep calling. It could be something important about the band."
Feeling as if I were failing some sort of test, I accepted the call, not moving from my position at the counter. "Hello?"
"Jace, band meeting in a half hour. The money came in from the show last night, and we have to talk about possible gigs. We're meeting at Jordan's house." Jordan was the drummer in the band, and he lived about a half hour from me.
"Jonathan, I don't know if I can make it. Clary had a rough night..." I trailed off as Clary shook her head, picking up her bag that was packed with her clothes from the night before.
"Jace, come on. This band is more important than your fling with Clarissa. I'll see you there." He hung up, leaving me staring at my phone dumbly.
"I should be getting home anyway; I've barely seen my mom these last few days." Clary said, hopping off the stool she was sitting on. She was wearing some of the clothes she's left here before, which would make her mom less suspicious than if she came home in her outfit from the night before. "I know that band meeting is important, you need that money." She insisted, when she saw me hesitate.
"Alright, but we're not done talking about this." I warned, pulling her close to me and wrapping my arms around her small frame. She sighed, pulling back to look up at me. She smiled genuinely for the first time all morning, reaching up to kiss me. She probably meant it to be a quick kiss, but she was so addicting I couldn't pull away. She gasped as I pulled her tight against me, my lips moving with hers as I ran my hands down her body. I lifted her up on the counter, giving me easier access to her neck as her hands tangled in my hair.
I would have gone on kissing her forever, but she pulled away after few burning minutes, her cheeks flushed as she giggled and looked at the clock on the wall.
"Shit, you're going to be late, let's go." She laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck as I lifted her off the counter, planting her back on the floor. She grabbed her bag and led the way, as I followed reluctantly behind her to the door.
A/N: Thank you for all of your amazing reviews! My spring break is coming up, so I am planning on updating more often since I'll have a break from this insane semester. I truly love to hear what you guys think!
