Jace awoke to the sunlight coming through his dorm window. He rolled over, groaning slightly and checked the alarm. If there was anything he hated, it was the fact that his internal body clock seemed to have a thing for six-thirty A.M.
Unfortunately, he knew that there was no way he was going back to bed. It didn't matter if he even wanted to, so he slowly and quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to make a sound. Jordan rolled over slightly, turning to face the wall but other than that, he showed no signs of waking up. So Jace slipped on a pair of running shorts over his sleeping boxers – leaving his chest exposed because he could - threw on some socks and tennis shoes, and slipped out the door with his room key and phone in hand.
No one in college was up this Monday morning, all sleeping in as late as possible as they recovered from the weekend festivities. So Jace made his way to the locker rooms by the field with no disturbances. He grabbed his cleats, slipping them on with his tennis shoes off, plugged up his iPod and headed towards the field.
Its mornings like this that Jace actually craved more than anything. Sure, women were great, but soccer was something that nothing could compare to. He had more freedom. No one was telling him to stay, to do this or do that. All that he had was himself, which is how it always had been. He's a loner, and he accepted that. The last thing he wanted is someone nagging him, which is why he moved all across the country from Michael. Sure, they got along fine, but Jace needed to be on his own. No questions. No attachments. No history. It was the freshest start that he could find. The peace and quiet could help him think, help him figure out just what happened this past weekend. Finally, he'd get some time to himself.
Oh, he was so wrong.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" Jace demanded when he noticed the dark headed girl on the field. She was juggling away with the soccer ball at her feet, but at the sound of his voice she stopped and caught it in her hands.
She turned to face him, her eyes widening when she saw him. "Jace?" Isabelle Lightwood, dressed in nothing but running shorts and a sports bra, actually looked shocked to see him.
"Yeah, who else?" He pulled the headphones from his ears and wrapped them around his iPod. "What are you doing up so early?"
"What are you doing without a shirt?"
He glanced down at himself. "Don't say it like you don't like it," he smirked.
She laughed hysterically, more than likely at him than with him. How insulting! "I don't."
He held his hands up defensively. "Okay, ouch. Most girls swoon at the sight of my naked torso."
"You won't get that from me. And even if you did–"
"So there is a chance?" he smirked. "We really shouldn't, you know. Jordan doesn't need a broken heart just yet."
Isabelle gave him a look but actually smiled. He took the moment to really look at her, realizing how different she looked from Saturday. Gone were the – dare he say it – slutty clothes. Instead of a tube top, she had that cute, purple sports bra. It probably wasn't a coincidence that they matched her purple shorts and cleats. Her hair was done up in a simple ponytail, still falling past her shoulders. Jace couldn't help but think that Jordan really had a catch. Isabelle wasn't really his type, but she really was gorgeous. Like a princess, but with a lot more attitude than he could handle.
"Jordan and I are just friends," Isabelle pointed out. She dropped the ball, juggling it like she was before.
"With benefits?"
"With a few benefits."
"Care to share?" he teased, tossing his iPod aside.
She didn't answer with her mouth. Instead, Jace had to react instantly when he saw the soccer ball coming straight for a part of his body that didn't really care to be hit. He jumped to the side as it passed by him, waist high off the ground, and gave Isabelle an incredulous look.
"You deserved it," she smiled innocently.
He frowned. But then nodded. "Fair enough. Let me rephrase that then: Care to play some one on one so I can get you back for that?"
Isabelle's eyes sparkled with delight. "I'd love to actually. But you do realize I'm the best striker in the conference, right?"
Jace shrugged. "You do realize you're a girl, right?"
"Oh, you're so on, Wayland. Let's go."
They spent the next hour going one on one, both taking turns playing defense and offense. To his surprise, it wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to. Going against Isabelle was easy enough, even if she used her… woman abilities for evil. And when he was on defense and she had the ball, she was actually more talented than he gave her credit for. He had to be on his game and actually try in order to beat her, something he wasn't used to.
In the end, Jace ended up winning. The score? Jace: A lot. Isabelle: a little. Although he was pretty much one hundred percent sure that she'd say it was the other way around. It was hard to beat her, but he'd never admit to that.
"Not bad. You almost kept up," Isabelle teased. Jace was sitting on the bench and looked up to glare at her when his eyes almost popped out of his head.
That little son of a… she was taking her water bottle and actually poured it over her head, soaking her upper body. Jace's eyes widened as the sudden realization of what Jordan saw in her was understandable. That girl was. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.
But his mind didn't stay on it for long. For some reason, he tore his gaze away from her without too much worry. Yeah, she was hot, but Jace had to admit that there was someone else out there that really had his attention. He didn't even know what it was about her. She was feisty. She was taken. She was short. She wasn't athletic. And she was as stubborn as he was. She was just… infuriating and he felt a need take over him to protect her.
"Clary told me that she saw you Saturday," Isabelle suddenly said to pull him out of his thoughts as if she could read them. "She said you helped her out a bit with a… situation?"
Jace almost laughed, taking a swig of his drink. "Yeah, I guess you can call it that. Did she happen to say I also knocked Sebastian out?"
Isabelle sat by him on the bench, holding her now empty water bottle with both hands and leaning on her knees. The water dripped down her face and body, and Jace worried about himself as he didn't even bother to glance at her. "That got around easily enough without her talking about it. His broken nose made the word spread pretty fast on a small campus like this."
"Well, he deserved it. He was pissing me off."
"Do you always retaliate with violence or was it the alcohol that caused that?"
"Sebastian is the one that attacked me. And besides, I don't drink." Jace took another sip of his water as Isabelle's eyes widened. He shrugged. "Hey, believe it or don't believe it. All I know is that if I'm stupid enough to make idiotic mistakes, I want to remember them the next morning so I can fix it."
Isabelle stared at him like a deer in headlights. "That actually really shocks me."
"It's true though. I hate the idea of alcohol."
"Why?"
Jace paused, glancing towards the fake grass under his boot. "It's hard to explain."
Isabelle looked down at her running watch. "We've got time. I don't have class until nine."
"Me either," he said. "But I don't really want to talk about it."
Jace stood up to leave. Isabelle grabbed his arm quickly. "Wait."
He did but didn't turn back to her.
Isabelle dropped her hand when she realized he wasn't going anywhere. "Look, I don't really know how to say this, especially to someone like you, but I guess you could say that I might be kind of glad that you were there to somewhat help my friend when she was possibly in a little bit of trouble."
Jace almost cracked a smile. He slowly turned back to her, his smile showing amusement. "You might be kind of glad? Is that how someone gives a thank you in this part of the country?"
"It's as good as your going to get out of me."
And he didn't doubt her for a second.
"But seriously," she continued. "I worry about her, so… thank you for being there."
Jace nodded but frowned. "If you worry, maybe you shouldn't leave her alone at some party. You could've stopped it as much as I did. I'm sure Sebastian would've cowered away from you as much as he did me."
Isabelle nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips. "I'm not going to agree with you on that, just because" she said. He heard the agreement enough in her voice though, and the worry as well.
"Why are you so worried about her anyway?"
To his surprise, Isabelle suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. "As you've probably guessed, Clary tells me everything." It wasn't that hard of an idea to accept. "She and Maia might be good friends, but everyone has that one friend that they literally tell their life to. I'm Clary's. So I know exactly what happened, how she felt, and I also know she's too stubborn to thank you on her own. That's what gets her in trouble in the first place. She runs off thinking she can handle situations when in reality, she's not as strong as she thinks."
"I don't know. I think that she could pack quite a punch of she wanted to. She just has to be taught how."
"Yeah, there's a fire in her, but she doesn't know how to control it. She normally gets burnt by her own doing. And since Sebastian started his little game with her–"
"It's not a game," Jace interrupted. His anger soared at the thought. "Girls aren't just some kind of a toy in a game."
"I know that, but Sebastian thinks so."
"If I've learned anything during this past weekend, it's that you and Jordan were right," Jace growled. His fists had tightened and were constricting his water bottled as he stared at the grass in anger. "Sebastian really is a piece of work."
"And Clary still chooses him. It's unbelievable."
"Does she not know how to say no? Why won't she just stop associating herself with him?" Jace wondered.
Isabelle sighed, twisting the end of her ponytail around her finger. "Honestly, she doesn't really tell me."
"I thought she tells you everything."
"She does. But I don't think she'll tell me until she actually knows herself." Jace's face contorted into one of confusion. "She's not exactly good at this kind of stuff. In high school, Clary never really had that many guys gawking after her. She didn't know what it was like to have attention."
"What does that have to do with Sebastian?"
"He's the first and only guy to really show interest. Ever."
"Okay?" Jace held his hand up, then ran it through his sweaty hair. "Okay. So… she's with some jackass so she doesn't have to be alone? That's her reasoning?"
Isabelle shrugged. "That's what I've come up with. I have a feeling there's something else though. She's not the kind of person to let someone dictate her life, and yet Sebastian is still in the picture."
"She's going to get hurt."
"I think she knows that much."
The events at the party ran back through Jace's mind: Clary's body against his, the smell of her hair, the fire in her green eyes, the beauty of her skin, the emotions that flashed like Christmas lights across her face. She really was a sight to see, but could no one else see that? And out of everyone, why did it have to be Verlac? She's so innocent, so fragile from what he saw. Sure, he was still kind of a jerk to her, but he'd never actually hurt her. It was just fooling around, not jerking around.
He sighed, dropping his hand until it slapped against his leg. "How can someone be with a guy that treats her so poorly? I thought she was more headstrong than that. Smarter."
"She is." Isabelle actually looked a bit insulted. "Clary just hasn't been taught how. She knows what she wants in life, but not in relationships. She's never had to think about it."
"Well, she better start thinking. She can do better."
Isabelle snorted, catching his attention. "Don't act like you're the good guy in this. You said that all guys want at this age are sex."
He got defensive. "That doesn't mean you treat girls like trash. I'm not some dick that sleeps with girls and throws them away. Sure, I keep my distance, but that doesn't mean I consider girls usable. Jesus, who do you think I am?"
"I'm sorry," Isabelle muttered. "I guess I just figured–"
"Then, don't assume next time," he snapped, grabbing his stuff from the bench and immediately started to head towards the locker rooms.
"Jace?" Isabelle just stood there as he stalked off, ignoring her pleas, and he was glad that he was done with the confrontation when she didn't follow. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He wasn't a womanizer. Yes, he flirted and acted all high and mighty, and even had his fair share of women, but he never treated any of them like shit. He didn't want to be thought of like that back home, and he definitely didn't want to be thought of like that here. Yet, here was another judgmental person, assuming he was some kind of dick that used girls for entertainment.
Jace shoved his headphones in his ears and tried his best to block out the image of the redhead that kept showing up behind his eyelids. He didn't really know her, but he couldn't deny the fact that he really wanted to.
Clary's pencil moved in graceful strokes, forwards, backwards, side to side, shading, erasing, doing whatever she needed it to. It was the only thing she was graceful or good at, but hey, she'd take it. While she was below average in every other aspect of the world, she excelled and overcame everything in art.
It was the best way for her to escape too. Isabelle used sports and athleticism. Simon used video games and music. Maia used a little bit of everything to distract her. But while they all did that, Clary would just take her pencil and sketchbook, her paint and easel, or anything else outside and just go with it. It made her feel a connection with her mother and helped her relax. Being away at college could get lonely, and her mother traveled so much, Clary never knew what number to call. Nowadays, she just learned to wait to receive one, so the art kept that small piece that she needed.
So now, she just sat in the rocking chairs outside of one of the dorm buildings, her feet propped up on the wall in front of her. She was currently drawing two little squirrels a few yards away, gnawing away at some nuts from under an oak tree. Something about the nature of them always captured her and she loved drawing animals. People were interesting, but animals were so much more readable, and she liked the lack of complication that went along with them.
"What you drawing there, gorgeous?" a voice said from behind her.
Clary tilted her head back to see Sebastian hovering over her, looking down at her painting with his head tilted to the side. His broken nose has healed in the week since the fight with Jace, and he was back to being his handsome, charming self. As if he didn't realize he did it, his hand came down over her shoulder, squeezing slightly and protectively.
She smiled, looking back at the drawing. "Just some boring old stuff," she said, keeping it short on purpose. He never really cared about her art, only asked because he felt obligated to do so.
"Well, that's nice. What are you doing later tonight?"
Clary paused. "I think Isabelle mentioned something about going to a movie. What else are you supposed to do on a Monday night in the middle of the North Georgia Mountains?"
"That's easy," he cued and bent down, his mouth close to her ear as he kissed her hair. "Spend it with me. We could have fun too."
Those butterflies in her stomach started up. "I promised Izzy I would go. She's got a group going."
"Then I can tag along."
Clary tensed. Butterflies were now replaced with nausea. "That might not be the best idea."
"Why not? Don't you want me there?"
She really did. She then again, she didn't. It was a seesaw match between the two. "You know I do," she slightly lied.
Sebastian moved to the side of the rocking chair, squatting down until he was eye level with her. "So what's the problem babe? You want me there. I want to be there. We can hang out at my room afterwards. It'll be fun. You look like you could use some fun."
She closed her sketchbook and hooked her pencil at the top, looking Sebastian straight in the eyes. She wasn't sure how to tell him this, but she knew that his reaction wasn't going to be a good one.
"There's a lot of people you don't like that's going," she started with.
Sebastian shrugged one shoulder. "I can handle Simon and Maia. Yeah, they're weird, but I promise I won't threaten that scrawny kid this time."
"This time," she mumbled, rolling her eyes and immediately stopped when Sebastian's gaze turned the slightest bit angry. "Sorry," she apologized. "I just don't think it's a good idea for you to be there."
"Too bad, I'm going."
"But–"
"No buts."
"But Jace is going," she said softly, waiting for the anger to sprout and grow.
He stared at her for a moment, taking in what she said. When his brain comprehended it, his dark eyes slit and he leaned back from her. "You don't want me to go because Wayland is going? That implies all kinds of shit that makes me want to bash his face in."
"I don't want you two to fight again."
"No, you just want to let him in your pants," he grumbled.
"Seb!" Clary screamed. "That's not true!"
He sat back on the concrete floor, leaning back on his hands and looking up at her. He looked casual but hostile, like he'd fight with the first person he saw but holding back. "That's how it looked at the party."
"I was drinking."
"Doesn't matter."
Clary slit her eyes at him. "It's not like you don't sleep with other girls."
"That's different."
Her eyes widened. "HOW?"
"It just is!" he snapped. She flinched at his tone, cowering away from him. "Look, I get that we're not together, but I don't want you around him. He's not good for you. So I'm going tonight, whether he is or not. What time do I have to pick you up?"
Clary swallowed against the bile in her throat. "Uh, Simon is taking us in his van. I think Jordan's driving too."
"Well, we're driving separately." Sebastian hopped up to his feet, looking casual. It was like he never got upset at all. His ability to change emotions that quickly was unnerving. "So, what time?"
She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I guess six."
"Great," he smiled, leaning down and kissing her on the lips. She wasn't too enthusiastic about it but kissed him back in order to keep him under control. "I'll see you then," he whispered before heading towards the stairs without a second glance at her.
Clary walked back into the suite with her sketchbook tucked under her arm. She was a bit distressed, not sure how to tell Isabelle about the change of plans. Surely, she'd be pissed, but Clary couldn't really do anything about it. Sebastian was… forceful. Persuasive. And very, very possessive in the past week.
Aline and Helen were seating in the living room on the couch, looking at some kind of magazine. Clary slowly walked by, greeting each of them with a wave. Helen smiled but Aline looked weary, not the normal look of disappointment Clary was expecting. But Clary just ignored it, heading into her room she shared with Isabelle.
"Hey, there she is," Isabelle chimed from her bed. Clary froze when she looked that direction, finding none other than Jace lying down next to Isabelle.
He barely gave her a second glance, and she wasn't really sure how to act. They'd yet to communicate since the party incident, keeping a good distance between each other. He pretty much ignored her, while she couldn't stop her from glancing in his direction just to look. He and Isabelle were friends of course, but Clary was much too awkward for a situation like this.
"Uh, hey," Clary said lamely, heading to her bed and hopping up on it, her back against the wall.
Isabelle sat up, bumping Jace in the process who gave her a dirty look. "How was the artist alone time? Get a lot of soul searching accomplished? Figure out your morals in life? Set your standards?"
Jace chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at the TV.
Clary just nodded, genuinely confused. "Uh, yeah. It was good I guess."
"That's all I get?"
Clary shrugged, placing her book on the desk by her bed and closing her eyes. She probably looked distressed, which is exactly how she felt, but she couldn't help it that her feelings were just out there on display.
"Looks to me like something happened." She opened her eyes as Jace perked up at that, and Clary tried her best to ignore the golden gaze heading her direction. "Come on, start talking," she demanded.
Clary just shrugged again. "Nothing."
"Spit it out, Clary. Don't make me force it out of you."
"That explains why she tells you everything. You're a pusher," Jace mumbled loud enough for both the girls to hear. Isabelle slapped him on the shoulder, and he gave her a glare back.
There was no point in fighting is, so Clary took a moment to gather herself. She didn't really like the idea of Jace being there. She didn't want to deal with his reaction too. And she didn't like the way he was looking at her. His golden gaze practically burned through her. The overwhelming feeling to go to him came over her but she pushed it down with everything she had, pulling her legs to her chest to keep her there. "Sebastian is coming tonight," she mumbled so low they couldn't hear.
Jace and Isabelle exchanged confused expressions. "Uh, come again?" Isabelle demanded.
"Yeah, Ariel, I think we might have misheard that last statement," he teased with tenseness to him.
Clary sighed. "Sebastian is coming tonight."
"Okay, hold up," Jace raised his hand as he sat up straight in Isabelle's bed, looking at Clary with slight astonishment and a tad of anger. "You invited that rat bastard?"
"No! He… kind of invited himself."
"That doesn't even surprise me one bit," Isabelle muttered, sinking into the bed. Her hair was a mess against the pillows, but somehow she still looked beautiful. Clary envied her for that.
Jace pulled one leg to him, draping his arm over it and looked like he was thinking. He glanced down at Isabelle. "We could just change the plans."
"That will only make Sebastian angry," Clary said. "I like him better when he's actually in a good mood."
Jace rolled his eyes. Clary caught a hint of something else too, but she bit her lip to keep herself from commenting on it as he looked away from her.
"So, what else?" Isabelle asked. "He's probably going to make you ride separately, like he always does. He'll make you sit alone, in the back or the front, whichever is farthest away from us. You won't even associate with us all night if he's there. It's how it always is. This was supposed to be a friend's thing, so either we're pissed off or he is."
Jace shook his head, glaring at Isabelle's black sheets as he picked at them. "I really want to just punch him in the face. The first time wasn't satisfying enough."
"Okay, let's get one thing straight," Clary said with an authority. Jace's eyes met hers, and her stature almost faltered a minute. Luckily, she recovered before anyone noticed. "I know that you all don't like Seb. Yes, he can be a jerk. But he can be really sweet when he wants to be, okay? He doesn't deserve the shit you guys give him. He treats me good."
"When he wants to?" Jace asked with a raised eyebrow.
From the living room, Clary could hear Aline laughing with agreement but she ignored that. Clary glared at him. "More than you think."
He rolled his eyes, clearly not believing her. "I just know one thing, and I'm getting it out now. You deserve better." Isabelle nodded, nudging Jace in the shoulder. He looked back at her, winking once before turning back to Clary.
Now, she was intrigued. The way those two were acting wasn't just friends. And no way did they become best buddies in a week. Besides, Isabelle was supposed to be with Jordan. She was supposed to be interested in him. If she lost interest in him, she was supposed to go to Simon. That's how it was going to work in Clary's mind. Now, some blond California dream boat is ruining that. She couldn't help but watch them wearily, staring accidently until Jace finally spoke.
"What are you staring at?"
"What's going on with you two?" She pointed between them.
Isabelle glanced to Jace, and then burst out laughing. Jace chuckled slightly too, shaking his head. "Oh, Clary," he said with a catch in his voice. "Your artistic little mind is drawing the strangest of conclusions."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, and I repeat, nothing is going on between us," Isabelle emphasized when she came down from her laughing. "Jace and I are just friends. We've gotten close, yeah, but we're never crossing that line."
He smirked, a glint in his eyes. "I mean, if you want too…"
"No, Jace," Isabelle smiled, shoving his shoulder away from her. "God, you're such a pig."
Clary caught his face as he took in what Isabelle said, and that's when she saw it. Most guys would just take it and laugh it off, but when Jace turned away his face changed. He went from amused to something different. She had to really focus to catch it, and even when she did, she couldn't tell what it was. Either way, it wasn't pride or amusement, and that shocked her.
"What about this one?" Clary called, stepping out of the bathroom and into her dorm room.
The first thing she noticed was Jace's eyes going right to her, once again, blatantly looking her up and down with a blank expression. Despite his lack of emotion, she felt a shiver run down her spine. If only he'd leave! She could actually have some peace in here. Instead, he somehow found refuge on her bed now in the time that passed before heading out. And he had no problem with just staring at her. Plus, her body was blushing so much in the past hour she was sure her blood pressure was through the roof by now. Clary wasn't sure how much she could take of having him around like this. She hoped this wouldn't become a daily thing.
Isabelle was suddenly in her view, her fingers tapping her chin as she thought. "Turn." Clary did, looking completely annoyed as she turned in the dress and heels. It was hard considering she was completely uncoordinated, but she succeeded in the end. "I don't know about this dress."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Jace collapsed on the bed. "Isabelle, you've made her try on eight different outfits. Just pick one."
"She has to look good," she shot back.
"She looks great already without you putting all the crap on her."
Clary's eyes widened and met Jace's admiring ones. She wasn't sure what to say to that, and his expression changed when he realized what he said. It went from admiring to sincere instantly. Not blank and heartless. Her heart started pounding harder than before under his gaze, like she was a captive and as long as he was looking at her, she couldn't look away. Even worse, she didn't want to.
But Isabelle pulled her out of Jace's spell when she scoffed. "She needs to look fantastic, elegant, beautiful. Not great."
"Not for that jackass." Jace plopped back on the bed with his hands behind his head. His black shirt rode up, showing a bit of his v-lines and abs and Clary forced herself to look away.
Isabelle nodded, grabbing Clary's hand and pulling her towards the bathroom door. "Maybe not for him, but she still needs to look the part for the rest of the world."
"I already told you," he called before Isabelle shut the door. "She looks great without you messing with her!"
Isabelle pushed Clary towards the mirror, grabbed a couple pins from the counter, and started messing with her hair. Clary stayed silent, still in shock about Jace and looked at her in the mirror.
The dress Isabelle put her in was one of the many designer ones hanging in their joint closet. The green at the top was dark, slowly fading as it went down to the bottom rim about mid-thigh. It wasn't skin tight, but it wasn't very flowy either, and a brown belt tightened around her waist. At least it wasn't strapless like the others. She was happy when Isabelle showed her it had spaghetti straps. Then Clary didn't have to worry about it falling off. Overall, it looked good but the whole outfit was just more than uncomfortable.
"There," Isabelle announced as she stepped back. "All done."
Clary's hair was done up in a bun at the back of her head, a few pieces falling down her face that Isabelle had curled more than the rest. It framed her face pretty well, but she'd rather just have it down to cover the bareness of her shoulders.
"Now, you look amazing," Isabelle emphasized, stepping back with a proud smile. "Damn, I'm good."
"What about you?" Clary asked.
"Don't worry about me, honey. I'm wearing that light red, strapless dress with my red high heels. It'll show anything and everything."
"Subtle," Clary teased.
Isabelle smiled and winked before walking back towards their room. "I'm anything but subtle, honey."
Jace stared up at the ceiling from Clary's bed, his mind racing. He felt comfortable in her bed, on her sheets, with her scent, around everything that was her. The only thing he really needed was her as well, but that couldn't happen anytime soon. He knew that. Isabelle knew that, despite the fact she was desperately trying to play matchmaker at the moment. It was kind of getting on his nerves a bit.
Although it was pretty amusing too. She kept dropping subtle hints to the both of them. Jace would just laugh, shake it off, and then deal with it. But every time Isabelle said something remotely personal around Clary, she'd blush. She'd pull her legs to her chest. She'd stop the eye contact. It didn't matter if it had anything to do with Jace or not. It was just easy for Isabelle to tease her and Jace took mental notes the whole time. He'd definitely be using those in the future.
But now, he felt like Isabelle was trying to tease him instead of Clary, and not in the same way. Isabelle was evil. Every outfit Clary tried on showed way too much skin, emphasized way too much of her hips and her chest, and he wasn't sure how much he could take before he just tells her that he's attracted to her. He made it obvious at the party, but she probably thought he was drunk. She didn't know about his no alcohol policy, so there was no point in bringing it up either. But if she asked, he isn't afraid to say it. But he's afraid to say it with a look that shows he actually means it. That's what worried him. He was always that guy that did one or the other. No girl ever got both: the words along with the look. Isabelle was really pushing the limit though.
He sighed, looking up as the girls came back into the room. He wanted to say something sarcastic but his breath caught when Clary came out.
Isabelle cleared her throat, catching Jace's eyes as she winked and got her own clothes. He glared at her. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and he'd make her pay.
"How's she look?" Isabelle asked, slipping on her own dress over her head.
Jace swallowed and looked to Clary, finding her piercing green eyes on him. They looked worried, like she was scared he'd insult her. How could he though? With the hair, the new make-up, that fucking dress. She was... gorgeous, but he couldn't stay that! "I think her hair is a bit too much. It looks better down. We're going to a movie, not meeting the Queen of England." He hoped to God that nobody noticed the small waver in his voice.
"For once, I couldn't agree more," she said, reaching up to take the pins out and letting it fall around her shoulders. Jace had to take a deep breath at the sight and really struggled to not grab her right there.
Isabelle, surprisingly, didn't move to stop her. She wasn't even looking at Clary but at Jace. A knowing look in her eyes told Jace that's what she planned. She wanted him to fucking say that. Damn her.
"Jace," Isabelle hissed in his ear at the theater. "Would you stop bouncing your leg? You're shaking the whole row."
"I can't help it."
"If you don't like it, do something about it."
He glanced back at her, her face illuminating every few seconds as the movie flashed brighter and lower. She was giving him a look mixed with amusement and dares.
This wasn't the first time in the night that she'd said something to him. It had happened again and again, and even Jace was getting annoyed with himself, but he really hoped Isabelle was the one and only person that noticed.
It started when Sebastian came to pick up Clary in the suite. He knocked on the door a little too loud. He sounded a little too annoyed. He grabbed Clary a little too roughly and pulled her out without a word to the rest of them. And Jace was just a little too close to ripping the guy's teeth out. The team could survive without that bastard, right?
Next, it was when they first got to the theater. Jace and everyone else piled out of Simon's van and Jordan's car, but he didn't care about the rest of them. His eyes were searching the parking lot for Seb's vehicle. And when he found it, he slammed the door to the van a little too loud. Seb was pretty much sucking face with Clary, and Jace watched as she reacted to him, tightening his fists in anger. He wondered if she actually liked it, if she actually liked the rough, demanding jerks that forced her into stuff like that. Because that's what she was with and didn't seem to protest it.
But now he was wondering if he was going to snap by the time the night was over. His hands gripped his pants to keep his legs still, and five rows down, he watched the horror unfold before him.
Sebastian had moved his arm around Clary, pulling her towards him and whispering something in her ear. She laughed, looking up at him and smiling, when he suddenly kissed her out of nowhere. Her eyebrows rose in shock and pulled away, a smile on her face. Jace could tell that it wasn't real though. Something was off about it. Sebastian's was real and sadistic as he tried again, but Clary turned and he ended up kissing her cheek, looking upset. She settled into his side though, and that seemed to satisfy him.
It wasn't until Jace saw Sebastian's hand move behind Clary that he realized the bastard was flipping him off like he knew Jace was watching.
"Are you just going to take that?" Isabelle teased low enough to where he's the only one that heard.
Jace sighed, sinking in his theater seat. "What do you expect me to do? Run down there and beat him into next week? Because believe me, I want to."
Jordan leaned forward, looking at Jace. "I'd pay you a hundred dollars if it'll stop your constant complaining."
Isabelle laughed, slapping Jordan's chest playfully. He shrugged and leaned back again, focusing on the movie while rubbing circles on Isabelle's knee.
Jace really did try to focus on the movie after that, but he just couldn't get into it. He had no idea what was happening at this point and couldn't care less. Whoever was acting might as well have been invisible. All he had was a certain redhead that he wanted to rip away from his new worst enemy.
"I want to leave," Jace pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Hey, Wayland," Simon called over Maia to his left. "Shut the hell up, man. Some of us are actually enjoying ourselves, and your kind of ruining it."
Jace's redirected his furious gaze. "I may not be able to touch Sebastian right now, but don't think I won't beat you into next week, twerp. Don't push me."
Maia turned on Jace. "Touch him, and we're going to have serious problems. You're already on my list, so don't make it worse for yourself. Got it, jackass?"
"Ooo, kill em," Simon chuckled.
Jace flicked him off quickly, not focusing enough to do anything else and turned his attention to the pair in front of him. It was at that moment, Clary got up. Jace stiffened and watched as she stood from her seat, bent down to say something to Sebastian in his ear, and turned to walk out. She was almost gone from sight when she turned back, and Jace could tell she was looking at him. With a nod, he got the picture and stood, ignoring the comments from Isabelle and Jordan before following the stubborn redhead out of the theater.
He didn't even make it out of the door before he was constricted by a small, freckled hand. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him into a dark supply closet without a word, shutting the door as quickly as possible.
He staggered, gripping the wall in surprise so he didn't fall on his ass and was wide eyed when Clary switched the light on. She didn't look playful like normal girls would be when trapped in a supply closet with him. Instead, she looked incensed. Mix that with her outfit, and it was downright sexy. Jace was going to struggle keeping his hands to himself.
"Cut the shit out, Jace," she snapped. Her arms crossed over her chest in a small female statue of rage. "Whatever it is you're doing, stop. You've been doing it all night and it's screwing me over."
He looked genuinely dumbfounded, slowly straightening up. "Um, I don't know what you're–"
"Yes you do."
"I really don't."
"Don't play stupid."
Jace backed towards the other wall until his shoulder hit it and tried to look as casual as possible. In reality, his entire body felt the need to just grab her and kiss her, but he had to at least look somewhat put together. "Look, all I'm doing is wishing that he was dead. That's it."
Clary rolled her eyes. "It's more than that."
"No, it's not."
"Well, it's pissing him off. I don't want to deal with him when he's like this."
Jace's eyebrows rose. "Like what?"
She flushed suddenly. "You – you know what."
"No, I don't," he said innocently. "Enlighten me."
Her eyes slit. "Don't pester me."
"I'm curious," he smirked.
"You're obnoxious."
"Am I?" he asked, pushing himself off the wall. Clary's eyes widened as he slowly advanced on her against his own will. His mind kept telling him to stop, but his arms and legs moved on their own accord.
She visibly swallowed sinking back against the door. Her eyes raked him up and down, and he smirked knowing she was checking him out. "Y – yes. You a – are."
"You're articulation skills don't do you justice." He was just in front of her now and his hands came up, his palms pressing against the door to either side of her head. He took in the scent of her perfume, his eyes bore into hers. God, she smelled amazing and Isabelle did a damn good job picking out the outfit. It was sexy as hell.
"I – I have to get back before Sebastian realizes were both gone," she whispered softly, not a drop of conviction in her voice. Her eyes were on his lips instead of his eyes. "I don't want to know what he'd do if he found out we're in here."
Jace dropped his head until his mouth was just by her ear. "Let him find out."
"It would be hell to pay."
Jace ran his right hand down Clary's arm, causing her to shiver and him to smile. "Is that a problem?"
She nodded. He sighed, hating the fact that she felt the need to please that bastard. It was like he was her first priority, like she just wanted to make him happy when he really just made her blind of her own misery. That's when he realized how bad of an idea this was.
"Then maybe you should get back," he said as he pulled away completely. His hands fell. Her eyes – he didn't realize they were closed – widened as they opened with astonishment. "Wouldn't want Sebastian to break out of his good mood, now do we?"
He actually found amusement in the way she was flustered, but pushed it off the surface. Her chest was rising and falling quickly. Her lips were parted, either in a gasp or in expectation, he wasn't sure. He wished it was the latter. Actually, he really hoped it was the latter. All he wanted was to kiss her, to hold her, to touch her and give her whatever she needed.
But he couldn't. He had to stop! This wasn't him. Jace didn't really care. Especially about girls who didn't care about him. Yes, he was a gentlemen at least, but he wasn't supposed to feel anything. That's what got his father hurt, and he refused to be like Michael. Jace was not going to go through that. He didn't want to put himself in that position, to give someone that kind of power over him.
He had to stay away from her then. Clary, what little time they'd spent together, had made an impact on him like none other. That was the problem. Isabelle was going to kill him, but he couldn't do it. He shouldn't do it. If he was smart, he'd get out now.
"Actually, yeah. You're right. We really should go," he announced when neither of them had moved. So he grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the door and opened it. He didn't give her a second glance as he stepped out and walked back into the theater, heading right for his seat. Sliding back next to Isabelle, he fell back against the seat, suddenly exhausted.
It didn't take long for Isabelle to comment. "What took you two so long?"
"We talked. We argued. I left. End of story."
"What? No heated make out or anything?"
Jace sighed, rubbing his hands over his eyes. "Isabelle, stop playing around. I don't care what you think, but Clary and I can't be together. She's determined to stay with that him and I don't feel like getting torn apart from the inside out by someone like her. Got it? It's not going to be worth it in the end."
Isabelle recoiled slightly, slitting her eyes at him in the darkness. "Alright. Alright, yeah, I hear you." She paused. "But I don't agree with you." She turned to face the movie again, leaning over towards him instead of towards Jordan. "And you can't fool me, Jace."
"Just drop it," he demanded and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding when she nodded and leaned away. Then he caught his breath again when he noticed Clary walking back in. She was rubbing her eyes as she walked, and as she turned back to Sebastian's row, her eyes met Jace's.
And he immediately turned away, refusing to give her the satisfaction that he still wanted her as bad as before. If not more so. But that couldn't happen. He couldn't put himself through the pain, the heartbreak. He wouldn't be like Michael. He refused to give that power over, but dammit if every part of his body didn't want to just to get a few minutes alone with her.
"Fuck," he murmured to himself, settling in his seat and praying the movie would end soon.
Just saying a MASSIVE thank you to those that are reviewing! And for those that constantly review, a MASSIVE MASSIVE thank you! It makes my day.
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