Uhg, guys. I had my first track meet of the season today and I ran the 4x800 relay, the 1600m, and the 3200m (half mile relay, mile, and two mile). I sort of want to die, sort of want to cry. I'm exhausted and eating chicken nuggets, and avoiding homework. So, here's another chapter of Project Golden Boy! Also, it's pretty chiche if Isabelle and Clary join the cheer team so I'll put them on track or something since I'm familiar with it all. Shadowhunters run fast anyways. Goals. Thank you for all the support! Please go check out my most popular fic, "Scandals and Secrets" since it's just passed 100 reviews, and it's like five chapters from being complete! Disclaimer, I don't own the mortal instruments or Jace Herondale, unfortunatly. *cries*
enjoy!
Chapter Two
"What's on your mind, Jace?" Asked Celine at dinner later that evening with a concerned expression on her face.
His father briefly looked up before going back to his papers. His shirtsleeves had ridden up, revealing the ends of winding black… tattoos? Jace squinted, and then they were gone.
"There's just these two new girls at my school and Simon and I started hanging out with them. That's it." Jace said with a smile. That wasn't it. He couldn't get Clary out of his mind. The way they accidentally brushed hands every period, or the fact that her smile was the greatest he'd ever seen.
Jace didn't know, but he was smitten after just one day of knowing her.
Stephen stood up from the table, taking a call, probably from the office. Celine leaned in closer to Jace, a conspiratorial look on her face.
"Which one do you like, son?" She whispered, a knowing smirk on her face.
Jace felt the heat travel up his face. Leave it to his mother to see right through his act.
"Her name is Clary Fray, and she's the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Jace admitted. His mother's eyebrows knit together, but her peculiar expression quickly dissipated.
"Well, I would love to meet her. How about you bring her to dinner on Saturday?" Celine suggested, eyes filled with excitement.
"Don't you think it's a little too soon, mom?"
"No. I would love to meet the girl that's captured my son's heart."
Each time her knives hit the center of the target; Clary imagined it was the heart of those that who had wronged her.
Hit. For the experiments done to her before she was born.
Hit. For her mother being taken away from her.
Hit. For the demon living inside her older brother.
Hit. For the bartender that cut her off last weekend at Pandemonium.
"Someone's angry tonight." Mused a voice behind her. Clary whirled around, coming face to face with Alec Lightwood. His blue eyes were shining with pride at Clary's ability to hit the center each time.
"Yeah, well, you didn't have to endure a day of mundane school with Isabelle." Clary retorted, turning back to her training. Knives were her weak point, and she couldn't afford to have a crappy throwing arm.
"What about the glorious Isabelle Lightwood?" Clary's Parabatai sang, prancing into the room. Clary rolled her eyes, but still had traces of a small smile on her lips.
"Don't you mean Isabelle Woods?" Alec snorted, polish the hilt of his Seraph blades.
"Don't make me run you through with one of those sparkling blades, brother of mine." Isabelle said sweetly, batting her mascara-d eyelashes.
"Then who would save your asses on our demon hunts?" Alec growled, crossing his arms. The eldest Lightwood always took things so seriously.
"Ourselves! Duh." Isabelle flipped her long locks, and grabbed Clary's arm. "C'mon, Clarebear. We have Calculus homework to do." Clary groaned.
She hated high school.
Thursday morning, three days after the first day she had stepped foot in a mundane school since she was ten, Clary felt the air shift next to her.
"Hey, Shortcake." Jace said, leaning against the locker next to hers. Clary smiled unwillingly, something she had been doing a lot of lately.
"What's up, Goldilocks?" Clary smirked, knowing the nickname bugged him. Jace rolled his eyes.
"Can I walk you to class?" Jace asked, confusing Clary. Hadn't he done that everyday this week? Clary brushed away her confusion. She obviously didn't understand high school friendships.
"Of course." Clary beamed. It was nice being around Jace. Even though they lived in separate worlds, he gave her a sense of normalcy. They were both Shadowhunters who grew up thinking they were mundanes.
"I know we're all hanging out tomorrow night, but I was wondering if you want to come over on Saturday for dinner? We could watch movies, or whatever, afterwards." Jace sounded so nervous and it just about broke Clary's heart.
"Of course. That sounds really fun." Clary replied, standing on her tip-toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before sauntering to the back of the classroom where she sat with Isabelle during their Calculus class.
She could still feel his golden gaze on her back.
"You like him." Isabelle whisper-accused as Clary sat down next to her, pulling out her black binder and a pencil.
"Yeah, he's a nice person." Clary deadpanned, letting her scarlet curls fall over her face, obscuring Isabelle's view of her blush.
"Shut up, Clary. I can see your cheeks under that fiery little curtain." Isabelle pointed out. Clary silently cursed.
"You put blush on me this morning and went a little overboard. I'll look permantly embarrassed all day." Clary accused, crossing her legs as Isabelle scowled at her.
"Whatever, Clare. Just remember what we came here to do. He can have feelings for you, but you can't reciprocate."
"Trust me, Izzy. I don't."
"Are you saying that you two have never been bowling?" Exclaimed Simon, mouth agape with shock. Clary bit back a little smile. If only he knew.
Isabelle shook her head solemnly as Jace and Simon exchanged looks.
"You're up, Shortcake." Jace whispered in Clary's ear, causing her to shiver slightly. What was it with this Golden Boy, forcing feelings out of her? She didn't have feelings. She was pragmatic, detached, and did what she needed to do. If seducing Jace Herondale is what she needed to do, then so be.
She gave Jace a little wink before pinking up a pink bowling ball and facing the center of her lane.
The ball tumbled out of her hands, speeding perfectly straight against the polished floors, knocking down all ten pins in its path.
Simon let out a little whistled, and Isabelle looked slightly perplexed.
"Damn, Strawberry. I thought you said you've never done this before." Jace said with a smirk. Damn that Golden Boy and his stupid smirk. Damn him to hell.
Clary shrugged her shoulders, managing to look aloof and confused. "Natural talent, I suppose." She smiled, not wanting him, or anyone else for that matter, that bowling at this very alley had been a Sunday night tradition with her and her mother.
Her mother. A pang shot through Clary's chest. It had been six, going on seven, years since Clary had seen Jocelyn. She used to swear up and down she would find her, avenge her, but she knew in her heart Jocelyn was nowhere to be found.
Valentine had his ways, and she would kill him one day. Once the bastard came out of hiding.
Pushing the dark thoughts out of her mind, Clary untangled herself from the arm Jace had wrapped around her shoulders and strode over to Isabelle, where Simon was making several attempts to hold her hand.
Clary pitied the poor mundane. It's not that he was unattractive, since his nerdy 'angle' worked to his advantage. In some ways, Clary knew exactly how he felt.
They both had shining supernovas of a best friend, ones that expanded, sucking all the matter out of the space around them, causing them to shine even brighter.
Isabelle, with her seductress looks and charming personality, made Clary feel like a dull, faded white dwarf.
Casually sipping her soda, Clary glanced around the alley. Her gaze landed on Jace, who was ordering food for their little group.
She knew whatever act she was pulling was working on him, but she couldn't figure out why. She was nothing special. Isabelle was the one to lure in the men; Clary was the one to disembowel a demon in one stroke of her Seraph blade.
He was tall, beautiful, and talented in ways he didn't even know yet, and yet, he seemed to be drawn to her, when all Clary did was try to make friends with him.
She mulled over her thoughts as Jace returned, empty-handed.
"Well, apparently their kitchens close at 8, and it's now 8:01. The night's still young. Should we go somewhere else?" Jace asked, meeting Clary's eyes. She didn't know how to respond, but was saved by Isabelle, who squealed, clapping her hands with glee.
"Let's go to Pandemonium!" She announced, sitting up to brush the non-existent lint from her red miniskirt. Clary shot her a warning look, which she chose to ignore.
They both knew that they only went to Pandemonium for one reason, and that was to kill demons. Not entertain a mundane and a practically mundane Shadowhunter who knew nothing of the world he was born into.
"That's the freaky all ages club, right?" Questioned Jace, slurping his drink, chest muscles twitching against his tight, black t-shirt. Clary averted her eyes, heeding Isabelle's warning.
Isabelle leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes. "It's not freaky! Clare and I go there all the time." She threw a wink at Clary. Yes, they certainly did go there all the time, but not for the reason a mundane would think.
Jace looked Clary up and down, noting that she didn't seem like the type.
From her green silk tank top, navy blue skirt, stripped cardigan, and tangle of necklaces (runed necklaces, that is), to her soft red curls, she certainly didn't fit the stereotype in her mundane persona. Put her in gear and 'tattoos' and she blended in nicely with the crowd.
"So, are we going or what?" Smirked Clary, glancing around the table. A mumble of affirmations was all she needed. Standing up, she extended her hand to Jace, who carefully took it, eyeing her a little.
His gaze was so intense, Clary began to squirm beneath it, a habit she did not care to pick up. This boy was going to be the death of her.
Stepping into Pandemonium for the first time, Jace felt a little off.
He had been unusually drawn to this place for years, but never felt the reason to go in.
There was something strange about this place, however. He remembered walking in with Clary, trailed by Simon and Isabelle, who were now holding hands.
"Hey, Cherry. What does that symbol behind the letters mean?" Jace asked, pointing up to the strange, winged diamond shape. Clary froze, but then gave him an easy smile and clueless shrug. She knew more than she was letting on. He must've been hallucinating, but Jace could have sworn he saw the same symbols, amongst others, on the barely exposed skin of Isabelle and Clary.
He received some strange looks afterwards, but thought nothing of it.
Grabbing Clary's hand, he pulled her out on to the dance floor. She was unspurisingly good, fluid in her movements. She wore a real, not forced smile for one of the first times since he had met her.
He had never seen Clary so carefree.
In the heat of the moment, he grabbed Clary's hips, and pulled her closer to him, just close enough to kiss.
He was shocked when she did, but complied by allowing her entrance. He could have sworn the club had gone up in flames.
There was a sharp cough behind them, and Clary broke away, an apology in her eyes.
Isabelle was standing a few feet away, arms crossed across her chest, with a disgruntled looking Simon behind her.
"Clare, would you mind joining for some girl time?" Isabelle said evenly, but Clary's face grew pale. He could almost hear their silent conversation.
Really, Isabelle? Here? Now? But we have the mundane with us!
Clary, stop being such a worry wort. We have things to take of, now.
Fine, but if Golden Boy sees us, were dead.
Isabelle rolled her eyes, dragging Clary away, shoving her in a storeroom.
There was definitely something up, and Jace intended to find out.
"What's your name?" Alec Lightwood asked the blue-haired girl, eyes gleaming. Anyone who didn't know him would have assumed this was a common occurrence for him. Picking up pretty girls and defiling them in the storage room of a club.
"I think it's better if you didn't know that." The girl winked back, placing her hands on his chest. Alec didn't even flinch,
Isabelle and Clary stifled a laugh. They should let Alec take lead more often.
The girl began to remove Alec's shirt from his shoulders, but she froze.
"Nephilim!" She hissed through her now pointed teeth. Being caught off guard did not help Eidolon demons keep their forms.
Before she could attack, Isabelle and Clary sprung into action, wielding whips and Seraph blades, tying the demon down.
"Please! Don't kill me! I could give you information." It pleaded. Clary rolled her eyes, stepping forwards. She allowed her blade to shine under the danky florescent lights.
"Oh, you demons. Always trying to talk out of situations. What could you possible offer us? We're Shadowhunters." Clary laughed haughtily, unaware the storage room door had cracked open.
"Valentine was in the city. He's back. We all know it, all the demons and Downworlders. It's the Nephilim who are clueless." It snickered, anti-freeze colored eyes trained on Clary. She froze.
"That's right, Clarissa Morgenstern. Your daddy is back to finish what he stared all those years ago." Clary couldn't breathe.
"Isabelle, finish this creature." Alec said, bored with the situation. His sister stepped forwards, yielding her favorite Seraph blade.
"Wait!" A deep, panicked voice called. They all turned towards the door, where none other than Golden Boy was standing, hands tangled in his hair.
"You can't kill her!"
Dun dun dun dunnnnn. Oh, Jace. Can't you see the ladies (and Alec) have work to do? Thanks for reading! Next chapter when I get ten more reviews or like, get so bored I can't function.
xoxo, A