Have I mentioned yet that you guys are the best? Seriously, your reviews make me so happy! I literally tear up reading some of the things you guys say! So, thank you for all your kind wishes! :) This is the last young Clace chapter, and it's pretty bitterweet. On one hand, it was super fun to write about them at young ages. On the other, it's even more fun to write in 18 year old Jace's POV ;)
Okay, I'm just going to ramble for a minute. I saw The Mortal Instruments movie in the spring, but for some reason I've been thinking about it lately. I just want to complain to people who understand. HOW CAN THE NERD BE A THOUSAND TIMES HOTTER THAN THE GUY WHO'S BASICALLY CHARACTERIZED BY HIS AMAZING LOOKS?! *phew* Glad I got that off my cheast. I mean, Jamie Campbell Bower as an actor was the PERFECT Jace in my opinion, but I CANNOT get over his looks. Sorry for ranting, haha. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: What? Something miraculously changed since last chapter and now I own The Mortal Instruments? Oh wait...nevermind...
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Chapter 4:
"Look, Aline, I'm not saying it's over, because for it to be over, it would have had to have started. Which it didn't." Jace was leaning casually against his locker as he spoke, seemingly unconcerned with the hysterical girl in front of him.
"Um, are you really that dense? I think it definitely-"
Jace cut her off with a shake of his head. "Making out after a football game is not the start of something. That's just making out after a football game."
Aline flinched at the tone of his voice. "You're a real jerk, you know that?"
Jace finally met her eyes and gave her a smirk. "You aren't the first to ask me that." Maybe it was because her own eyes were filled with tears, but Aline-and all the other girls for that matter-never really saw Jace's eyes. Sure, they fell victim to the pools of gold, but they didn't really see what was in his eyes. They never saw the pure pain that came from trauma. They never saw the hurt, because they were too focused on their own. They never saw how much he hated himself as he spoke. But Clary sure did.
"Jace," she said in a quiet voice, touching a hand to his shoulder. He jumped. He had been staring off after Aline, even though she had walked away and out of sight a good minute ago.
"Oh, hey, Clary. Sorry, I didn't hear you walk up."
Clary ignored his falsities. Instead, she leaned her head on his arm-his shoulder long ago grew out of her reach when they were standing. "I didn't like that one anyway."
Jace laughed and squeezed her hand, again showing gratitude with no words. "Yeah, I didn't either. Hence the reason she's not still around." Jace turned around and opened his locker. Clary leaned against the locker next to his without fear of anyone coming up to claim it. She spent enough time in that exact position to know that it was empty.
"Jace, what are you doing?"
Jace arched an eyebrow at her. "Getting my math book?"
Clary shook her head. "You're thirteen, Jace. Why don't you take a break from all the girls?"
Jace laughed and closed his locker. "Why? Are you jealous?"
Clary turned on Jace with a steely expression. "Jace. I'm not joking anymore. You're thirteen and you've already gone through half the grade! If you keep this up, you'll be done with the entire female population of the school by the time you graduate!"
Jace's expression sobered. "Not the entire female population. He turned toward Clary. "I wouldn't dare hurt you like that, silly Clary."
Clary's fists squeezed together in frustration. "Aline's right. You are a jerk." Then she stormed off and didn't speak to him for the rest of the day.
Or the rest of the week.
When Saturday afternoon rolled around, Jace stood on Clary's doorstep, unsure of himself. He raised a sweaty fist and knocked. He hadn't knocked on her door since the first time he came to her house.
Jocelyn opened the door. "Jace," she said. "Clary said you weren't going to be able to make it this week?" Jocelyn threw a questioning look at Clary over her shoulder, who was glaring daggers at Jace.
Jace shifted on his feet and whipped his hands off on his jeans. "Um, well, there was a change of plans. Am I still invited?"
Clary opened her mouth to protest, but Jocelyn beat her. "Of course, honey! You know you're always welcome here! Dinner will be ready in about a half hour."
Jace mumbled a thank you and walked into the Fray's apartment. He didn't hesitate as he walked straight into Clary's bedroom to set his bag down.
Ever since they became friends, Clary and Jace had a Saturday tradition. Jace would come over in the afternoon, eat dinner with the Fray's, then they would have a sleep over. They had to sleep in the same room because all three bedroom's were occupied by Clary, her parents, and her older brother, Jonathan.
Sunday morning, Jocelyn would make them pancakes and they would watch cartoons in their pajamas. They both looked forward to this all week. But it seems that this week, Clary was dreading it more than she was anticipating it.
Clary followed Jace into her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Jace took that as a bad sign-usually Clary had no problem with her mom and stepfather, Luke, overhearing any of their conversations. "We need to talk." Her voice was ice.
Jace sat on the edge of her bed and swallowed hard. Times like these, Jace wasn't afraid to admit that he was terrified of his miniature, redhead friend. "I know," he said.
Clary rolled over her desk chair and plopped down in front of him. "Jace, you know that I care about you, right?"
That wasn't how Jace expected the conversation to go. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I know."
Clary shifted a bit, looking uncomfortable. "People started calling you…bad names."
Now Jace was really listening. "Bad names? Like what?"
Clary bit her lip. "Man whore."
Jace flinched a bit at the accusation.
Clary scooted her chair a bit closer to him. "I know that it bothers you, Jace. Don't lie."
Now Jace looked uncomfortable. He could never fool Clary.
"I want to help you fix it. Do you want to fix it?"
"I don't want people to think that about me."
Clary smiled, glad to be getting through to him, at least a little. "Then you have to stop it with all these girls. You're only thirteen. When you get to be like seventeen or eighteen, you can go ahead and do whatever you want with whoever you want. But when you do that stuff with girls when you're thirteen, then people just think it's gross."
Jace didn't want to look up from his hands in his lap. "You know why I do it, Clary. I don't want to lose that."
Clary took a deep breath. "I know that it makes you feel loved, Jace, but you don't need cheap girls like Aline to make you feel loved. Not when you have me right here. I love you more than any of those sluts ever will."
Jace smiled a bit at hearing Clary call someone a slut. She wasn't big on terms like that, so it was always weird to hear her use them. Jace took his sweet time to ponder her words. Finally, he came to a decision. "Okay. I'll stop with the girls until I'm like, sixteen. But only on one condition."
Clary smiled. "What?"
Jace leaned in close to make sure he got his point across. "I get say in who you can and can't date."
Clary heard him, loud and clear. "Excuse me?"
Jace leaned back and let his famous smirk fall into place over his lips. "You heard me."
Clary got that stubborn look on her face. Her nose scrunched up, her cheeks got a little red, and her eyebrows knitted together. "What gives you the right-"
Jace cut her off. "You want me to lay off the girls, or not?"
Clary groaned dramatically. "Fine!" Jace stuck out his hand, and they shook. It was a deal.
Jace kept his promise, and Clary, well, she didn't really have to worry about keeping hers-guys tended to either look at her as a friend, or avoid her completely.
On Jace's sixteenth birthday, he said he didn't want a party, so Maryse just took him to get his permit, and then they went straight home. Being the good friend she is, Clary invited Jace over for cake and presents. Jace took a little more convincing than usual, but eventually he agreed to come over for a few hours.
Jocelyn pulled out all the stops to make Jace's favorite cake: vanilla with chocolate frosting. She even drove an hour to go to the store that carries the type of frosting he likes.
Maryse and Robert had given him his present earlier-a new car. They could easily afford it, but Jace still felt bad accepting it. Clary had worked all summer trying to save for a car, and here he was being handed one. However, he did have his suspicions that the car was an attempt at buying him off so they wouldn't have to spend the night with him.
Jocelyn and Luke gave Jace his present while they were eating cake. It was a huge box, which made Jace extremely wary. He couldn't possibly allow Jocelyn and Luke to spend a lot of money on him, even if they were the closest thing he had to parents.
He unwrapped the huge box and opened it. "It's empty," he stated dumbly.
Luke was laughing and Jocelyn shook her head. "No it isn't. Look at the bottom."
Jace gave her a funny look, but complied nonetheless. He stuck his head in the box and reached an arm all the way down to the bottom. His fingers brushed against something and he pulled it out. It was a slip of paper with the words, We helped Clary, written on it.
Jace looked up at the three smiling faces and quirked an eyebrow. "I don't understand…?"
Clary laughed. "Maybe you should open my gift now."
Jace took the small package out of her hand and carefully took the paper off. Inside, was a brand new iPhone. Jace's eyes nearly popped right out of his head. "Clary-" he protested.
Clary was already shaking her head. "No way. You're keeping it. I worked all summer, which took away from my time with you, so I'm spending some of the money on you. Besides, Mom and Luke helped me with it."
Understanding clicked in Jace's mind. "Oh. That makes sense now." Jace looked at three of the people he loved most in turn. "Thank you, guys. Seriously. You didn't have to do this."
Jocelyn stood up and walked over to where Jace was sitting. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Of course we did, honey! You're our favorite child!"
"Hey!" Clary protested.
Jocelyn simply laughed and ruffled Jace's hair. "You're welcome, Jace. Happy birthday."
Jocelyn walked past him into her bedroom. Luke followed after her, clapping Jace on the shoulder as he passed. "Happy birthday, kid."
"Thank you!" Jace called over his shoulder. He turned back to Clary. "Thank you."
Clary smiled and plopped herself down on the couch next to Jace. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "You are so welcome."
Jace hugged her back. They were both silent for a few moments before Jace worked up the courage to say what was on his mind. "You know I'm sixteen now, right?"
Clary laughed as she stretched out, placing her legs in Jace's lap. "Yes. I'm aware."
Jace picked at a loose thread in her jeans. "Do you know what that means?"
Clary played dumb. "You can drive?"
Jace gave Clary a stern look.
Clary sighed. "You're free to go back to being all over girls."
"Thank you. For keeping me from being a man whore at age thirteen."
Clary rolled her eyes. "Don't thank me. Now you're just going to be a man whore at sixteen." Jace flinched, and Clary immediately regretted her words. "Oh, Jace. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."
Jace shook his head. "Don't apologize. I'm actually leaving in a few because I have a date."
Clary sat up and looked Jace in the eyes. "I still mean what I said, Jace. I know you do this because they make you feel loved, but you do have people that love you. Me, my parents, Alec, Izzy, Max-they all love you. Hell, even Simon loves you, even though he would never admit it. And even though it doesn't always seem like it, Maryse and Robert love you too."
Jace swallowed. "I know. But that doesn't change anything."
Clary stood up and brushed off her pants. "I didn't think it would." Jace stood up too and she opened her arms for a hug. "Have fun," she mumbled into his chest.
Jace pulled back and winked. "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow?"
Clary grinned. "Just like every other Saturday in existence."
Jace gave Clary one last good natured eye roll before he strolled out the door. Clary was sad to see him go, because she knew that he wouldn't be exactly the same the next time he walked through that door.
But she would stick by his side because no girl would ever truly change Jace.
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I remembered what else I was going to say last chapter! Okay, so I'm sorry that I'm kind of making Maryse (is that wrong? is it Mayrse? Because I always second guess myself. Please clarify!) and Robert out to be evil, but it just fits for the story. Plus, they're kind of neglecting in canon, so I felt like it made sense. Don't get me wrong, they DO love Jace, but it's hard for them to give him the attention he needs, and they do put their own children above him sometimes. Just wanted to clarify that.
SO, I know I've been updating daily so far, and I'll try to keep that up, but I'm highly doubting an update tomorrow. I have the next chapter started, but I can't finish it tomorrow. But that's because our Varisty Field Hockey team is in the championship game for Section III Class D and I HAVE to go support them! I'm so pumped! GO WARRIORS! But, I may stay up late to finish if you guys review like crazy and find a way to convince me?
Love always,
YesIWriteForFun
