Hey guys. I'm not gonna bore you with the details of my absence. I'm just going to apologize. And I have to thank you for last chapter's reviews. SIX REVIEWS! You guys are incredible. And I'm going to tell you the schedule for my updates. From now on, the biggest gap between updates will be five days. Sorry about the pauses, but I have grades to maintain. Love you guys. And about last chapter: I know the math teacher's name is Ms. Lillith, not Ms. Stern. I'll go back and change it when I have time.

Chapter 12

"Mr. Wayland. Do I have to give you another detention slip? Or should I just move you to the front row?"

Jace pulled his mind out of the void long enough to mutter a "no" before returning to the darkness of his subconscious. This always happened after lights like the previous one. He was like a robot, mechanically responding to teachers' without his usual sarcasm, not really feeling anything; feeling a creeping numbness that usually faded later in the day.

"All right. I'm going come around and ensure that you completed your algebra review packets. I hope you showed all of the steps required to reach your answer. Your failure to do so will result in loss of credit."

Jace swore internally. He knew he'd forgotten to do something, but when he'd left his bathroom last night, he'd simply dropped onto his bed and fallen asleep. He hadn't finished half of the problems, let alone shown his steps. Ms. Lillith already had him on her radar. Now he was on her hate-list. Which would have been okay with him if it weren't for the fact that Maryse and Robert weren't even bigger sticklers about grades than his own parents.

After what felt like an eternity, Ms. Lillith reached Jace's desk. He silently watched as she flipped through the pages of the math packet. When she reached the end of his completed section of problems, a scowl wrinkled her forehead even more if that were possible. How long had this woman been frowning? There were crows' feet all around her eyes and deep furrows in her brow.

"Mr. Wayland. Is there a reason you didn't complete these problems?"

"I was doing... other things." Completely true. Jace was a lot of things, but he prided himself on not being a liar.

"Such as?"

"Things of a rather... sensitive nature. They really aren't very appropriate to talk about in a learning environment." Also true. Jace could feel his mind starting to clear slightly. The smart-ass responses were helping bring him back to his old self.

Ms. Lillith sighed. "See me after class."

"Detention slips seem to have no affect on you whatsoever."

"No, they don't really affect me. I really rather enjoy detention. It's quite relaxing."

The two months Jace had spent in a foster home after being abandoned had been a blur of detention slips and chastisements from teachers. They bounced off of Jace like Superballs now.

Ms. Lillith was speaking again. "That's why I've decided to give you something most students consider worse than detention."

"And what would that be?"

"Tutoring middle school students and some freshman in math. I saw your old transcripts and the few problems you completed on your review are sufficient proof that you would make an exceptionally good tutor."

Jace felt his blood run cold. Tutoring? Was she serious? Sitting with a bunch of little brats, trying to teach them fractions and long division? Jace almost protested, but stopped himself. If he showed that he was pissed, it would give his teacher the satisfaction of knowing she had come up with a brilliant punishment.

"Sounds great."

a Ms. Lillith smiled. "I thought you would think so."

She knows she's won this battle, thought Jace grumpily as he stalked out of the classroom. Why did she have to fuck with him on today of all days?

Jace was wary of sitting with Isabelle and Alec and the others at lunch. What if Clary was there again? He could've sworn she'd known something was wrong with him this morning. Plus, after he'd told her about his date with Aline, she'd seemed to grow even more annoyed with him than usual.

So, with a knot in the pit of his stomach, he accepted Aline's offer to sit with her gang at lunch. She'd nearly begged him earlier that morning. Might as well see what her friends were like.

Jace took a seat across from Aline and next to a guy he'd never seen before.

"Hey, J.J. Miss me?" asked Aline, a smile spreading across her most-likely surgically enhanced face.

Jace shrugged, managing to grin back at her.

"Let me introduce you to everyone. You know Kaelie. That's Sam" -she pointed to a guy with a black crew cut who was obviously a football player- "And those three guys are Jonathan, Raphael, and Eric. The girl next to you is Lily."

"Hey," said Jace blandly. Most of the girls at the table were in at least one of his classes, and they were all as hot and vapid as the cheerleaders in those Bring It On movies Izzy was obsessed with.

Jace was pulled out of his insulting thoughts by the piping voice of a freshman passing the table. "Hi, Aline!"

"Hey, Mo! Grab me a soda, will you? Diet."

"Oh, sure! I'll have it in a sec."

"Who was that?" Jace asked Aline.

"Oh, that was Maureen. She's a freshman, and she's totally obsessed with me. Isn't it cute? The best part is she'll do what ever I ask. If I asked her to pole dance on the basketball pole, she'd do it."

Kaelie and Lily started giggling, laughing for far too long.

"My God, is Clary Fray ever going to fix that lice trap she calls hair?"

The whole group turned to see Clary, going through the lunch line, coppery curls tied back in a ponytail. Jace didn't see what was wrong with it. She was still mad-hot.

Wait. What the hell?

He was about to respond when Maureen came back with Aline's soda.

"Thanks," said Aline, taking it without a second glance at her.

Jace had a sinking feeling in his stomach. If this was how Aline was, he might just have a horrible case of the flu that weekend.