The next few weeks went by like before. Clary spent a lot of time with Sebastian, much to everyone's irritation. And she spent most of it in his room. That wasn't because she really wanted to, because she was seriously missing her friends the more she was gone, but the reason she was there all the time was because someone else was always in her room, and she didn't even want to look at him.

For some reason, even though Jace had acted in the supply closet that he pretty much wanted her, he avoided everything about her if she was around now. They might as well have been invisible to each other. They wouldn't look at each other, speak, associate themselves, or acknowledge one another's existence. Granted, it was nice at times, but it made her feel off. And not only that…

Sometimes it really got on her nerves. If they'd be sitting in her room, Jace on Isabelle's bed and as far away from her as possible while they watched a movie, she couldn't stop herself from sneaking glances at him. Even if she just came from Sebastian's, it was like something still pulled her to Jace. Like a moth with light. And the way he acts, she'd only get burned the more she wanted to get closer. It was literally going to drive her insane.

She was pretty sure Sebastian knew too. If they were at the soccer games, he'd catch her staring at Jace and wasn't afraid to confront her about it. The movie night was one thing and all Jace's fault, but now the blame could easily be on her. The terrifying part was when he got angry. It was bad so she tried her best to keep him under control, doing everything she could to show him that her interest in Jace wasn't real. Sure, she was practically lying to herself, but she'd rather have Sebastian than Jace. They had history, where Jace was just being a dick on principle. Neither of them are all that great for her, but at least one showed interest.

Either way, she knew what she really needed to focus on. It wasn't Sebastian, Jace, or anyone else. She was in college. Sure, she wanted to have fun, but she was there to get her art degree, move to New York, to start her own gallery. Sebastian wasn't going to be there with her for that, and she was ninety percent sure that Jace was going back to California when he graduates. So there was no point. She was here for the fun, and Sebastian alone was actually a lot of fun.

She glanced back at him as she really thought about that. Yeah, he was fun, entertaining, and although he lacked a sense of humor, decent social skills, and respect, he made up for it in other aspects.

One being he was hot. Really hot. Not Jace hot, but hot. He was currently lying on his bed in his gym shorts, one arm behind his head and the other on his stomach as he watched TV. Something about him reminded her of a darker prince charming that she used to draw when she was younger. His charcoal hair, his darker eyes, his tanned skin. It was all like out of a princess's story, like Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid. Except… not quite as caring.

"I thought you were working on you project," he said with little emotion. His eyes were still glued to the TV, barely noticing her.

"I am."

He sighed. "Well, staring at me isn't getting it done."

"Is staring at you a bad thing?" she asked cautiously. Her hands played with the end of her sweatshirt – well Sebastian's sweatshirt – when she got nervous.

"No. I'd rather you look at me than Wayland." His voice had an edge of annoyance to it.

Clary sighed, turning back to the computer desk where her Drawing Book was sitting on an open page. She didn't want to talk about this again, and again, and again. It was getting old that every other sentence had to be about Jace.

Her phone buzzed at that moment. Clary saw the message from Isabelle: Text me when you're coming back. You know, if you coming back. Which you better be. Just saying.

"What? No comment?" Sebastian teased with venom.

She was already starting to get a headache from this and she dropped her head to her hands. Now she not only had to deal with Seb, but Jace was currently residing in her head for the time being as well. "Not now, Sebastian. I have to get started on this project or I'm never going to finish it. It's due next week and I've yet to start."

"You know what's funny?" The bed springs squeaked as he sat up, turning the TV off. Silence settled over the room when Clary didn't answer. "Alright. Well, what's funny is you always want to change the subject when I bring him up."

She didn't comment again. Her hand gripped her pencil and she just started to randomly draw on the blank slate before her, hoping her silence would stop Sebastian's interest. It didn't.

His hands came around her, both to either side of her against the computer desk as he leaned over it. His head was right at her ear and she could smell the musky scent that always came off of him. She used to find it enduring, but now she was starting to develop a feeling of wanting to escape from it for some reason.

"When I start a conversation, I expect you to talk back, Clarissa, in the exact same one. Not starting another." His voice was low and demanding, causing Clary to shiver.

She gripped the pencil tighter in her hand at the sound of her full name. She hated when people used it, and he knew that. "I'll talk about anything other than Jace."

"Why?"

"Because he's an asshole."

"Well, so am I," he chuckled at her ear. His breath brushed her hair forward. She couldn't argue with that statement. She had realized in the past few weeks that all men are assholes. It's as simple as that. "You still stick around. So I'm going to ask one more time." He pulled his hand back, gripping her shoulder. "Why won't you talk about Jace?"

"Why do you want me to?"

She was suddenly spun in the roller chair, and then stopped again. Sebastian leaned over as he pushed her backwards towards the desk. The back of the chair hit it forcefully and a hint of fear set in as Clary looked anywhere but his gaze. She didn't want to see the anger, the hostility. The last thing she wanted was to provoke him and have this turn south.

He didn't say a word as he looked at her. He just squatted down between her legs, pulling her closer to him slowly as he sat eye level with her. His hand came up, grabbing her chin and forcing their eyes to meet. "Now, are we going to be able to talk about this in a civilized manor or are you going to answer my questions with questions?"

"Do I really have a choice?" she asked without thinking, suddenly regretting it. Sebastian's eyes flashed with annoyance. "I mean, I – I don't really know what to say when it comes to him."

"Why not?"

She swallowed. Suddenly, the bright, white walls felt like they were constricting. She felt trapped. If only Sebastian had a roommate that could walk in and stop this. But no. Of course he wouldn't. "He's… confusing."

"How so?"

Clary thought for a moment. Jace's golden eyes popped in her head. His blonde curls. His cheeky grin. His chipped tooth. His ability to make her want him without even trying. And his ability to crush her for unknown reasons with the simplest of words or actions. Or even worse, crushing her with anything at all. "I don't know."

Sebastian raised one eye brow. "I think you do."

"I – I do but I don't." She really hoped that made sense. "I don't know what it is. Just," she paused, looking down and then meeting his dark eyes again. "Can we stop talking about him? Can we talk about something else?"

He didn't look to happy about that idea, but then a small smile settled over his face. Her stomach stopped the tightening and the worry faded when it showed. At least he wasn't angry with her anymore. He nodded, leaned in and kissed her. "No, but we can do something else," he suggested, grabbing the back of her legs as she was pulled onto his hips and carried to the bed.

Clary stepped into the hallway of their suite, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. For the first time in weeks, she actually sighed in content. She and Sebastian had… fun. Believe it or not. For the first time since Jace came into the picture, Sebastian stopped bringing him up after the first time she asked him to. They didn't fight or argue once it was done and over with. They just lied on his bed, him playing with her hair and kissing her face when he felt like it. He even let her put in The Little Mermaid and didn't make any comments about it. It was so peaceful between them that she almost didn't want to leave.

But she had to. Isabelle would literally kill her if she stayed the night there – hence the attitude text that she just realized she never responded to - and she didn't want to get that crap from her best friend. Getting it occasionally was bad enough, and Simon started to add onto it as well, so having it escalade at all would push her off the deep end.

So she pushed herself off the front door, a smile on her face as she walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Isabelle glanced up when she strut in. "Well, look who came home at a reasonable hour for once."

"Sorry." She really wasn't actually. Clary looked around immediately, finding nothing but an slightly open bathroom door and her empty bed. No Jace. "What did you do today?" Clary asked, tossing her bag on the floor and jumping on her bed face first. Her hair flew everywhere as she snuggled into her pillow, her mouth twisted up in a half smile.

Isabelle shrugged, flipping through her fashion magazine. "You know, the usual."

"So… kicking ass at practice, flirting with Simon to do your homework and study guides, then going home with Jordan to Jace's room in the end?" Isabelle gave Clary a dirty look which only caused the redhead to laugh. "I'm just saying that's what a usual day is to you. Except sometimes you switch it up and bring him here instead."

"Is that a problem?"

"No."

"Didn't think so," she shot back, going back to having her nose in her magazine.

Clary glared at Isabelle's attitude but didn't say anything about it. The last thing she wanted was to fight. Everything had gone well for the most part today, and she didn't want to end it with a fight against her best friend at midnight.

Her mind kept going back to her time with Sebastian against her own will, but for the first time in forever she didn't mind. If he could be like that all the time, he'd be a perfect boyfriend! All she wanted was a guy that cares about her, and he did today. She smiled at the thought. Maybe things were looking up for their relationship. Maybe it could happen someday.

She snuggled into the pillow with a blatant and wide smile, her eyes closing at the peaceful feeling.

"You might want to change before you pass out for the night."

Clary opened her eyes, looking over at Isabelle. "Maybe I want to sleep in jeans and his sweatshirt."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Alright, what is your problem?" Clary sat up angrily, her legs dangling on the side of her bed. "Did I do something?"

"Nope," Isabelle answered, popping the 'p' with her lips and turning the page of her magazine.

That wasn't very convincing. "So, you're just being short and rude for no particular reason?"

"First of all, I'm five inches taller than you. I'm not short. Second, you like being around rude people, so I figured I'd give it a try."

Clary recoiled. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Jesus Christ," Clary exclaimed. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

She expected some kind of snarky retort, but Isabelle just sighed instead. Her hands lowered the magazine to her stomach and her eyes closed. "A lot."

Clary leaned forward. "Like?"

There was a pause. "My usual day wasn't quite as usual as you would think."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Jordan blew me off today."

Clary's eyes widened. Her curiosity picked up immediately as well. "Really?" She tried her best not to be excited for Maia, and was secretly hoping that that was the reason Jordan blew Isabelle off. Sure, that sounded bad, but it was how it was supposed to be in the end. "Why?"

Isabelle shrugged and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know. I just got to his room and he wasn't there. Jace told me that he had already left and didn't tell him where he was going, so neither of us knew what was going on."

"What did you end up doing?" Clary tried not to sound too interested, but she couldn't help it.

"We came back here and hung out for a while. I wasn't in the mood to see Jordan and I knew that you weren't going to be back for," she paused, "Well, I honestly wasn't expecting you to come back this time."

Clary recoiled. "What? Why?"

Isabelle sat up slowly, turning her head towards Clary like a mother disapproving of her children. "You've been staying over there later and later. I'd rather you just stay the night instead of waking me up at three in the morning like you have lately. Plus, you didn't text me back so I figured that shit went down again."

That was confusing to say the least. "Wait a minute. You want me to stay over there?"

"God no!"

"Then… what?..."

Isabelle sighed, falling back against the bed. Her tank top had ridden up from her waist, but she didn't bother to fix it. "Look, Clary, I just like my sleep, okay? Waking up in the middle of the night is messing with me. You know that I'd rather you not be alone with Sebastian at all anyway, so that's a stupid question. I don't like your attitude when you come back from his place. It's never good."

"For the record, we actually had a really good time tonight. I was in a great mood until you started this shit."

Isabelle snorted in disbelieve. Not a very attractive sound, but she seemed to pull it off well enough.

"It's true," Clary defended. Her voice dropped lower. "For once, Jace wasn't hovering over me the whole time."

Isabelle shot straight up, her hair flying in her face. "What?"

Clary tried to be as casual as possible, shrugging and lying back on the bed. She couldn't watch Isabelle's reaction if she was going to get this out. "I know you're going to think too much of this, but I'm telling you anyway. Ever since that movie night, Sebastian has been freakishly… aggressive towards Jace. Not that I really care," she added for emphasis. "But the thing is he'd get upset if we talked about him. He's the one that always brought him up though! And it happened again tonight. Somehow, Jace always got brought into the conversation and I hated it, but Sebastian actually let it go for once, and we were able to have a good time. We just watched movies, relaxed, and it felt… nice. Hell, we fucking cuddled, and that never happens! I actually didn't want leave, Izzy. For the first time, I wasn't staying because he wanted me to. I only left because I didn't want to get a bunch of shit from you about it."

Isabelle waved her last comment off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, why has he been asking about Jace?"

"He seems to think that Jace has feelings for me or something."

"Do you think he does? Do you have feelings for him?"

"What is this? An interrogation?"

"Answer the damn question."

Clary sat up, glaring at Isabelle from opposite sides of the bed. "No, I don't have feelings for that arrogant, self-centered, conceded, heartbreaking asshole." She spoke with conviction. "Why? Do you?"

"No," Isabelle's expression represented one that would be grossed out. "Are you crazy? Jace isn't my type. We're just friends."

"Isabelle, you're never just friends with a guy." Clary said it with more hurt and anger than normal, and she was sure that Isabelle would catch onto it. No point in denying it, so she just fell back on her bed to stare at the ceiling. The springs bounced with the weight, squeaking across the room.

"He's not a bad guy, Clary." Isabelle's voice was full of conviction, and Clary wanted to slap some sense into her. She just mumbled something incoherently instead, something that would've gotten her a lecture from hell by her best friend. Isabelle must have chosen to ignore her or seriously didn't hear her, and continued. "Jace is actually very genuine and caring if you let him. Even though we still fight like every other minute, he's cool. Yeah, he can be harsh, but that's because he's honest. You'd rather want the honest truth than a lie, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point. He's still an asshole, alright? And I've seen the way he pokes shit at Sebastian at practice, during class, at lunch. He really tries to provoke him, and it comes back on me when Sebastian starts asking questions. Questions, I might add, that I don't care to answer."

"Jace just likes to mess with people."

Clary could figure that out on her own, thank you very much. "Well, sorry, but I don't like being messed with. Especially not a douche bag like him."

"He's not a douche bag. He's actually one of the few guys here that give a shit about anything."

The bathroom door swung open, a massive body stepping into the room. "Maybe you're not as judgmental as I thought. You're actually defending me."

Clary shot up in bed, her eyes going towards his voice when she realized how deep in shit she was now. He was standing at the bathroom door entrance, dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt. Her eyes immediately looked him up in down, taking him in against her will. When she met his gaze, she swallowed against the lump in her throat. She wondered how much of that conversation he heard, but by the look on his face, she could pretty much guess. He heard every bit. All of it.

And when his eyes broke hers, the distance between them felt like miles. He had so much… disappointment, sadness, and what she could only call devastation in that small moment. Not to mention, the anger, probably towards her, and the aggravation in those golden irises. But he covered it up quickly enough, making her think that she might have imagined it. His golden eyes were quickly blanked, his body language not giving a shit as he walked over towards Isabelle's bed.

"Thank you for that, Izzy."

Clary frowned, watching his every step. Izzy? Since when did they have pet names for each other?

Isabelle smiled up at him when he reached for his jacket at the edge of her bed. Clary wanted to mentally slap herself. She hadn't even noticed the jacket or the extra bag on the floor when she walked in. If she would've, she would've known he was still here. Instead, she was blind and ignorant.

"Anytime, Jacey" Isabelle teased. "I'm actually growing out my judgmental phase, unlike some people."

Clary glared at her.

"She's not judgmental," Jace corrected. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Clary. Heat rose through her body at his gaze. "She's… no, you're right. She's judgmental as hell. And a bit rude if I'm being honest."

"You know, I'm right here." She pointed to herself to make the point.

He nodded, turning back to Isabelle's desk and grabbing his bag. "I know. Not that you care if I notice you or not since Sebastian is so great and all. I'm just an arrogant, self-centered, heartbreaking asshole, right?"

The heat rose right to her cheeks. No doubt in her mind anymore if he heard their earlier conversation. How long did he sit in that bathroom? Was that some kind of plan of theirs? Clary couldn't stand the look on his face and turned away, trying to get that pained expression out of her mind. She might not have cared for him, but she hated the way her body reacted to him. And right now, all she wanted was to touch him and apologize, but she fought against it. She fought against the invisible pull he had on her. The only thing that really stopped her was thinking that he had that effect on every girl.

Jace's arms slid through his dark leather jacket, his bag falling to the floor in the process. Clary couldn't stop herself from looking when he turned his back on her. God, compared to Sebastian, Jace was a God. His back muscles – one of her biggest weaknesses – were just perfection. They moved under the t-shirt and jacket with grace, just like every other part of him. She had to keep reminding herself that she was better off without him in order to keep her head on straight.

"Are you going to be at our game tomorrow?" Isabelle asked when Jace slung his bag over his shoulder.

He shrugged. "Depends when I get out of class. I'm sure I can sweet talk my professors into letting me go early if you really want me there."

"Please?"

Jace laughed, running his hand through his hair, and it echoed through the room. It was actually a joyful sound to Clary, but she couldn't show that! She had to stop thinking like that, but it was hard. Clary suddenly envied Isabelle, badly. Really, really badly.

"Fine. I'll try."

Isabelle smiled and punched the air. "Yes!"

"I'm sure Maia will be just as stoked to have me there," he chuckled. "The little wolf has a fire of hatred against me doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but she's not quite so… accusing. You just have that effect on some people, Jace," Isabelle said. Clary could practically feel both their gazes on her. She knew that was completely and totally directed at her.

Jace sighed. "For reasons I can't explain. I'll see you tomorrow, Izzy."

"Bye, loser. And don't you dare be late to my game."

Jace laughed, turning and heading towards the door. Clary looked down the whole time, refusing to look up and meet his gaze. The door swung open, and Clary's whole body tensed as he was leaving. She really wanted to apologize, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction! He could fool Isabelle, but she couldn't let herself fall for his stupid games.

"Oh, Clary, I almost forgot," he called. Against her will, she looked up, meeting the golden gaze that haunted her day and night. "Give Sebastian a kiss for me when you see him," he smirked, winking at her before shutting the door behind him.

She stared at the door for a good ten seconds, not blinking or moving. Her mind was racing with his last words. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I say it'll be three to one. Isabelle gets a hat trick. That's my call," Simon said, slapping his knee for the extra emphasis as they took their seats in the quickly filling bleachers by the soccer field.

Clary rolled her eyes and took the spot next to him. "Isabelle is good and all, but West Florida number five team in the country for Division II. You really think they'll do that well? That she'll do that well?"

Simon looked offended. "Yes. I do. Plus, I made a twenty dollar bet with Eric, and if I lose, I'm screwed."

"Idiot."

With that done and over with Clary turned back to the field to find her friends as they warmed up. Isabelle, Maia, and everyone else were working hard, looking pumped in their uniforms. The music blasted through the stadium lights at the four corners of the field, and the atmosphere was crazy. This was one of the biggest games of the year, playing one of the biggest teams, and it determined a lot. If they could be this team, they could go far in the Division Tournament.

"Hey! Izzy!"

There it was. That stupid nickname again. Clary tried not to, but her eyes followed the sound of the voice to her left. Through the crowd, she was able to pick him out easily enough as he ran onto the field in what could only be described as the most sexy outfit ever. Black workout shorts, a white muscle shirt, and a snap back that made the curls poke out from underneath. If she was standing, she might have needed someone to catch her. Thank God they already had their seats on the bleachers.

Isabelle noticed him immediately and smiled, running out of the warm up lines to meet him. He stopped just as they reached each other, and Clary tensed when Isabelle flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jace pretended to be appalled at first before Isabelle slapped him. He then lifted her off her feet, spinning her as they both smiled.

Simon whistled. "Wooooow."

Clary agreed. "I know. That doesn't look like just friends, does it?"

"Huh?" Simon frowned, glancing down at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Jace and Isabelle."

"Oh, yay, there's Jace." Simon's annoyance when he saw the pair made Clary smile. "What's he doing here? I thought he had class?"

"Guess he sweet talked his way out of it," she mumbled. "What else were you looking at earlier if it wasn't them?"

He pointed, and she followed his finger to Maia, stretching on the side. She rolled her eyes when she realized her friend's ass was in the air, facing the bleachers and that's what got Simon so riled up.

"Whatever, stop pointing you freak," she demanded, swatting his hand down. "And stop panting."

He rubbed his now injured hand, glaring at her. "Don't be mean. She's basically teasing us guys over here." He paused, glancing around. "Wait a minute. That means Jordan must be here."

While Simon was busy on finding his friend, Clary's gaze once again traveled to her best friend and her only enemy at the moment. She really wished she could stop herself, but it was hard. Hell, it was impossible. Her eyes were practically glued to him as he talked with his back to her, the muscles in his arms going as he talked with his hands.

Even though she hated him for many reasons, she'd give almost anything to be held by those arms again. That was the safest she'd ever felt. Ever. Something about it was intoxicating, and she thought that the whole package from that night is what caused it. His looks, his muscles, his smile, his charm, his strength, his protectiveness. It caused her to hit hard that night, and she took the advantage of having someone save her for once. It hadn't happened before. She always had to stick up for herself, but if Jace wasn't there, God knows what would've happened. Maybe that's why she had some weird… feeling towards him. He had actually made that night bearable, where it could've been disastrous.

Of course, it could've been the alcohol too. Yeah. That seemed like a better idea.

Her head fell in her hands, finally breaking away from Jace. She took in the blackness with welcome arms, ignoring the music and people around her as she just tried to think.

Maybe it was the not knowing! She had a minor epiphany that sounded great and idiotic at the same time. Maybe if she just kissed him, realized how bad of a kisser he was, she'd finally be over her weird fondness of him. She'd be able to be with Sebastian without any hesitation or conflict with Jace. They could both relax into whatever it was they were, no third golden party would have any more say in it.

But the more she thought about it, the dumber the idea was. Seb would get pissed. She'd get more confused than anything probably. Jace would take it the wrong way. She didn't even want to begin what Isabelle or Simon or her other friends would have to say about it. Nope. That road would not be taken.

"Yo! Wayland! Over here!" Jordan called. Clary suddenly looked up, realizing that Jordan sat on the opposite side of Simon, standing and calling Jace over. When did he get there?

Clary glanced down, only to find Jace walking towards them. She realized at that moment, the only open seat by now was next to her. This could not be happening.

Jace nodded to the boys and took the seat next to Clary without a second thought. She jumped when his leg brushed hers, not sure how to react to it. Does she just sit there or does she pull away? Would pulling away be offensive? Did she really care if he got offended anyway?

"How are you, Clary?" he asked lightly with his eyes forward. He was leaning forward on his elbows, giving her a perfect view of the weakness that was his back muscles.

She swallowed, trying to relax and calm down. "I'm great."

He turned back, his face blank of any emotion so far. "You look a bit nervous."

"She probably is," Simon interjected. Jordan snickered next to him, saying something too low for her to hear as they had their own private conversation.

"Nah, you're not nervous," Jace teased slightly, bumping her leg with his. She did her best not to react to it and just leaned forward as well. Her hands clasped together to stop the shaking and aching to touch him. "Are you, Clary? You have no reason to be. It's not like Sebastian is here or anything."

She stared at him for a moment, trying to get her mouth to catch up to her brain. "Uh, Yeah. Right. Why would I be?" Her voice came out clear and normal, thank Jesus!

"I never said you would be." He leaned forward and pointed to Simon. "Spock said you would be."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Screw you, Jace."

"No thanks."

Clary sighed, running her hand through her curls to calm her nerves. "Well, I'm not," she lied.

"I know you're not."

"Is that because you know me so well?"

He nodded once, dipping his head and pulling it back up as the teams started to walk out in their lines. "I know you better than you think."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she snapped, leaning away from him in order to properly give him the scolding he deserves.

He shrugged one shoulder lightly. "It means that you are readable and predictable, but then again you're not. I can pretty much guess what you're going to do or say, yet sometimes you surprise me. It's actually very confusing, but it makes sense at the same time." Clary literally started at him in bafflement. He was talking gibberish. He dropped his voice to a lower sound, almost a whisper. "Not to mention Isabelle tends to tell me everything that has anything to do with her friends, you especially so..."

"What?" Clary's heart sank. If Isabelle and Jace had gotten so close, Lord knows what information he had on her. Isabelle could've told him anything if she though it would benefit Clary. That feeling of dread and worry settled in her stomach, making her want to run away as fast as possible.

"Don't worry," Jace said calmly and quietly. "It was for my ears only. I'm not a tattle tale."

"I'm not worried about you telling people."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"You knowing it in general. What is it she said?"

Jace didn't answer. He just kept his mouth shut and clapped as the girls were announced, stepping forward and waving towards the crows before getting back in their lines.

"Jace."

He cupped his hands around his mouth as the announcer out Isabelle. "GO IZZY!" She stepped forward, pointing and smiling at all of them as the crowd went nuts for her. She was definitely one of the favorites, groups of guys screaming for her attention.

"Hey man," Simon warned and pointed a not so threatening finger at Jace. "Back off."

Jace laughed, holding his hands up in defense. "Easy. Don't fire the lasers at me, Captain."

"You know, you're not as clever as you think you are, dick."

"Simon, shut up," Clary said with a stern voice. He immediately did what she said, leaning back and ignoring Jace for what would be the remainder of the game.

Clary wasn't done with Jace yet. She scooted closer to him, not to get personal, but to keep the conversation private and talked lower so no one could hear. "You going to tell me?"

He tipped his head back and forth. "Eh, I haven't really decided."

"What is it she told you? Spit it out," she growled none too lady like.

Jace's mouth formed into a small grin. "Wow, someone is getting aggressive."

Her hands tightened into fists. She wasn't sure who she wanted to be angrier with. Jace for not telling or Isabelle for not keeping her mouth shut. "Just… just tell me."

"If you must know, it was quite a bit. Anything I wanted to know really."

"God dammit, Isabelle," she hissed, glaring at her friend on the field.

He nudged her lightly in the shoulder, playfully, with a glint in his eyes. This caught her off guard and she leaned found herself leaning into him out of instinct. "It's nothing you need to worry about. I promise."

"Can't you just tell me? God knows what embarrassing things you could know."

Jace didn't snicker or laugh this time. Instead, he sighed, dropping his head and pulling his hat off. She watched as he ran his hand through his hair before pulling the hat back on. "How about this," he proposed. "You tell me what your problem is with me, and I'll tell you what Isabelle told me."

She opened her mouth to respond, then paused. "I don't want to talk about that."

Jace nodded in response, facing the game again. He stayed silent for many minutes, clapping as the game got started and cheering for Isabelle every time she got the ball. She really was good. Clary would admit that, but her focus wasn't on the game at all.

"Fine," she breathed out, dropping her head to her hands. "God, you're more infuriating than my brother." She sighed, literally pulling at her hair in frustration. Every part of her body kept telling her not to say it, but her mouth talked regardless. "We'll talk later tonight, okay? Off campus so no one sees us together. A restaurant or something."

She could feel Jace's smirk without having to look at him. "We're sneaking around, huh? This should be fun. It's like a James Bond movie."

"Look, do you want to come or not?"

He took a moment to answer like he was actually considering it. "Why, yes, Clary. I'd love to go out with you." He announced a little too loud. Her eyes widened but he just smiled and leaned over before she could protest. "But don't tell Sebastian. We wouldn't want you to get in trouble with the warden."

Clary faced forward, trying not to react at the jabs he was giving her. "Just to get this straight, it's not a date."

Although, every part of her wished it really was.

Later that night, Clary sat in her room, legs crossed on the bed with her sketchbook in her lap. She refused to do anything to make Jace think that she was remotely trying to impress him at all, so she basically looked like a slob. Her hair wasn't done, just thrown up in a messy bun at the nape of her neck. A few stray curls fell in her face, to which she just blew her breath to brush them aside. Her blue jeans and converse weren't impressive at all, and neither was the black t-shirt sporting Skillet much better. All in all, she tried to show how little she cared about this.

Clary and Isabelle both glanced up when they heard the door open. Jace smiled as he entered, dressed about as decent as Clary. His hair was a sexy mess of blonde curls. His white Vans and t-shirt were about average, along with his black jeans that he seemed to wear every day. Pretty much, it looked like neither of them cared about this.

But Clary knew she had to get it done. She had to know what he knew. With a sigh, she dropped her sketchbook on the bed, hopping off it to the floor. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Don't kill each other," Isabelle said with her nose in her phone, texting away.

"Can't promise anything," she said, stalking to the door.

"You might want to drop the attitude before this goes exactly how I expect it to." Jace moved aside to hold the door open for clary. A gesture she wasn't expecting, but he seemed unconscious of doing it. "It won't be pretty."

"Does it happen to have a hot make-out scene that I get to hear about after?" Isabelle asked, dropping her phone to the bed.

Jace smirked and winked at her. "As a matter of fact, it does."

"Ha! Like that'll happen," Clary laughed before she made it through the door, turning around to look at Isabelle. "Don't get your hopes up. That's not happening."

"I wouldn't be so sure of yourself."

"Oh yeah?" she turned on Jace. "And what makes you so sure of yourself when I can't be?"

Jace smiled. It was a knowing smile, one that made her uneasy on the inside. "Like I said, I know exactly what's going to happen. There's no point in pretending I don't. Remember, I know you pretty well because of a certain someone." He nodded his head towards Isabelle.

She sat up in bed, her eyes drifting between the two of them. "Screw it. Spill Jace. I wanna hear it."

Clary thought for a moment about protesting, but she was curious as to how much he could really get right. "Yeah," Clary finally agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. She pushed him into the room, grabbing the door and closing it to lean against it. She tried to look as intimidating as possible. "Spill."

He glanced between the girls with confidence. "If you want me to. You might want to take a seat." He gestured to Isabelle's bed, and Clary hopped up on it, glaring at him. She felt Isabelle nudge her through the covers with her foot, but she didn't tear her gaze from Jace's.

He started to slowly pace before the bed, his finger tapping his chin. "Well, for starters, you're already in a bad mood. No guy wants to go with a girl out to dinner and pay if all he is going to get is shit for what an asshole he is. Therefore, we wouldn't go anywhere expensive, because I'm sure as hell not paying for you. So we'd go to cheap fast food, you blasting the music in the car so we wouldn't have to talk to each other on the way there."

Clary couldn't argue with that. That was already part of the plan.

"So we'd get to the restaurant, neither one of us wanting to associate with each other. You more than me. But we'd get our food, sit down, and you would jump right into the questions. Asking me what I know, what Izzy told me. This. That. And it would get really obnoxious, really quick. No one likes to be interrogated with French fries in front of them."

That feeling that people get, the one where their stomach twists and their insides curl in on each other when they realize things are going south… that started to set in on Clary. She got it a lot with Seb, but this time she wasn't feared for her safety. He was scared of what he was about to say. Suddenly, she wished that they would've just gone and got it over with than dealing with him. It was better than this, because so far, he was spot on. She would totally jump right into it, considering that's the only reason she was going to go. This might not have been a good idea.

He kept pacing, talking away with a knowing expression. "And then, naturally, we'd start arguing. I'm getting annoyed with you." He pointed at her. "You're getting annoyed with me." He pointed at himself. "So we start fighting. Now, you being stubborn and determined, you'll keep asking those damn questions to get me to tell you what I know. Thank you, Isabelle." He smiled at her and she tipped her at him in acknowledgement. It made Clary sick. "And then, me being me, I'll say something that would make you call me an asshole. Arrogant. A jerk. A conceded, heartless asshat. You name it. It wouldn't take much, but I'm pretty sure I would push you over the edge, right?"

He actually looked at her for confirmation. "Yeah," she agreed. "You'd more than likely piss me off. No doubt about it."

"Thank you," he said sincerely before continuing. "You'd storm off after that, ditching your food and me. And as I watch you walk out the door, I would actually contemplate letting you walk your ass home. But since the closest restaurant is miles from here, probably five or six, I wouldn't be able to let that happen. I'd want to, but my conscience would get to me."

Clary faked a shocked expression. "You have a conscience? Who knew?"

"I did." Isabelle raised her hand.

She turned on her dark haired friend. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Anyway," Jace called, getting their attention again. "I would race after you before you got too far and my laziness kicked in, and stop you. You'd fight, argue, call me every name under the sun. More than likely, you'd just rant and yell at me, so then, I'd kiss you to shut your trap." He glanced at Isabelle. "That's how your favorite part would happen."

"Keep going," she encouraged and clapped like a child. Clary gaped at her. "What? It's getting interesting."

Jace nodded, tapping his chin and pacing again. "Right, so at first, you'd be shocked."

"Damn straight," Clary murmured.

"Then you'd kiss me back, tongue and all. You'd get really into it actually, hair pulling and shit. Isabelle told me that's how you get into it." He smiled and looked up towards the ceiling like he was actually picturing it happening.

Her eyes widened. Her arms fell to her side and she dropped her jaw. "Uh, come again? I would what?"

He smiled, winking at her. "You heard me."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

He paused in his pacing, looking down at himself. "Well…" She couldn't really stop herself from arguing with him. And if she did, Isabelle would call her out. At this point, they all knew that she was seriously attracted to Jace, physically, but nothing about his personality appealed to her. So she just shut her mouth and slouched against the wall, staring at the floor.

"And my point is proven," he continued. "So we'd kiss for a bit, mainly because I want to and you want to. In other words: we both want to. It's better than talking, but I don't really know your preferences to making out yet, so I'll leave it to your imagination." She shook her head in disbelief at him, wishing he would just stop talking. It only caused him to chuckle. "Then, you'd have some insignificant epiphany about Sebastian. Something about him would be like a light bulb going off in that artistic head of yours, and you'd realize that you're kissing a God instead of your shitty little… whatever he is to you. Your hands would then push me off of you in shock, while I'm just smirking and satisfied that I finally got a rise out of you."

Clary rolled her eyes, jumping to her feet. "You do realize that last bit was total bullshit, right?"

He cocked it head to the side. "Was it?" Clary then froze when he started to walk towards her. "Because we can test that theory if you want. I can just kiss you now and see what happens, but I'm not responsible for any feelings that come up afterwards."

She shook her head as he advanced upon her. Suddenly, everything faded away. Isabelle was no longer on the bed. They were no longer in her room. It was just Jace's golden eyes as they approached her, his lean body, his sunlight aura and smell, and she found herself lost it in. She wanted this to happen. She didn't want to want it to happen, but she wanted it to happen. It was confusing.

He was then in front of her, his body only inches from her, but he was somehow able to stop them from touching. His hand reached up, his fingers gripping her chin and holding her there. Clary didn't realize that she was gripping the bed behind her in such a tight grasp as he leaned down, his lips going to hers.

But she turned against his grip. Thank God! She at least had some bit of dignity. Jace's lips didn't touch hers but her cheek instead. He played it off, kissing her cheek softly and causing a burning situation where it touched. Something about it caused a gut feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had to tighten her grip on Isabelle's bed even more to stop herself from grabbing him. What was it about this asshole that was so intoxicating and liberating? She should hate him! She does! Right?

He didn't say a word, dropping his hands and stepping back slowly. Clary stayed still, not breathing, not moving, not looking anywhere but the floor. She couldn't bring herself to.

Isabelle groaned in frustration, getting Clary's attention. "Dammit, I thought I was about to witness the first kiss," she whined. She sounded upset, and even looked the part. "This is such bullshit."

"Clary?" The reaction her body had with her name coming off of Jace's lips seriously needed to stop. But it wasn't arrogant or cocky like every other word out of his mouth tonight. It sounded concerned. "You might want to let go of the sheets before they rip."

She didn't even bother to meet his expression as she did what he suggested, opening her hands and releasing the bed. Then, she did what he didn't expect – at least hopefully – and turned towards the door. She swung it open with all the anger and hatred inside of her, smacking it against the wall. Feeling Jace's and Isabelle's eyes on her, she numbly stepped out and slammed it behind her.

Thank you to those that are reviewing. And I'm sorry if some of you want me to update quicker, but if you want decent chapters, it takes me a while to think of them and put them together on my own. If you have any ideas, you're more than welcome to share, but being a loner on this project doesn't really make it easy, especially when I'm also writing another fanfic as well. It gets tough, and I apologize if I'm not quick enough for you all!

But if you don't mind it, stay tuned for a bit and another will come out soon :)