Thanks for the support. You guys are amazing! And to :(, no I do not cut myself.

Chapter 11

When Jace woke the next morning, he kept his eyes closed despite the insistent prodding of sunbeams coming in through the blinds. He wished it would rain. It would be more suited to his mood. He always felt hung over after nights like the previous one. His stomach didn't hurt, but there was a raw, almost palpable anger and pain burning in it. His head hurt like hell. But he had to get up, had to go to school. No one could suspect what he was doing, unless he wanted to be thrown into a shrink's office and confess his problems. Fat chance.

Clary stepped out of the shower and wrapped a neon-orange towel around her small frame. She turned on her blow-dryer and tried in vain to straighten her hair out. Not to be reckoned with, her hair bounced back into its normal wild ringlets. With a scowl, she pulled her bright hair back into a ponytail and threw on the outfit she'd chosen-dark jeans and a purple T-shirt. she never wore makeup-too much of a bother, especially when she was half-asleep.

"Morning, Clare," said her mother. Clary grunted in response-she'd never been a morning, even after a shower. She filled a To-Go cup with black coffee, grabbed a donut from the box on the table, and walked out the door with a mumbled good-bye.

Clary was at her locker, jamming her chemistry book onto the shelf when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Jace, wearing jeans and a gray long-sleeved T-shirt. He had a mocking grin on his face, but for a moment, his eyes seemed stricken and pained. What was wrong with him? But before she could examine his face further, his eyes took on the light of laughter again, and she internally dropped the matter.

"You still my tour guide today?" he asked.

"When hell freezes over," she grumbled. "Go ask Aline or Kaelie. Hell, go ask Magnus. He thinks you're man-pretty."

"Alec would kick my ass. And maybe I will ask Aline. I'm going out with her this Friday, anyway."

For some reason she couldn't explain, Clary felt her stomach drop to her knees and her heart give a disappointed flutter in her chest. How could Aline already have sucked him in? That bitch was a venus fly trap-appearing perfectly sweet, but snapping her jaws closed on anyone who was tempted to go near her. And at that moment, Jace was hovering somewhere dangerously close to the flower-wanting to test its sweetness, but not sure if it was worth being sucked in yet.

Jace tapped her on the temple. "Clary? Clary? Are you listening to my highly amusing comments about your jealousy of me going out with Aline?"

"No. But I'm sure they aren't nearly as amusing as you seem to think you are. And I have to go. I'm not going to be late for history because I got caught up talking to an egotistical jackass." And she walked away from him, pushing her bag higher up on her shoulder as she did.

"Hey!" came a bright, cheery voice from beside her. Clary turned to see yet another person she didn't want to be near, Isabelle Lightwood.

"Hi," said Clary sullenly.

"I saw you leave Jace in the dust. Nice job." Isabelle's smile was blinding. "Good for you. And him, I suppose. It'll probably deflate his ego somewhat."

Clary shrugged wordlessly, though she agreed with Isabelle. But she would tell her that when she told Jace she found him funny.

"Hey." Izzy stood in front of Simon and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. "You owe me."

"For what?" Simon looked at her, confusion in his brown eyes.

"I'm trying to be all nice to Clary, and she'll barely speak to me. Though I have to admit, she knows how to knock Jace on his ass. She left him standing at her locker looking like he didn't know what the fuck to do with himself."

"Give it some time. She's just a little' hard to reach sometimes."

Isabelle shrugged. "Whatever. You sound like a mother. Give it time! Give it a chance." She snorted derisively. "But I promised you, so I guess I'll still do it."