A few days later, Alec got his aptitude test results back after lunch. He'd done well on everything except for the part he knew he was completely ignorant about, which was Shadowhunter Literature. He looked down at the bottom of the results, and there was a sentence in bold that said: Scheduled tutoring with Bennett Galloway at library, 5pm every Tuesday and Thursday.

Alec looked over at Jace, who was reading over his shoulder and frowning. "Today's Tuesday," he was all he said, before walking to his next class.

The rest of the day, Alec had to deal with a passive Jace, protective Asher boys, and an overtly flirtatious Ben. Honestly, Alec didn't understand what the big deal was. So he had to get tutored by someone from Doyle. Who happened to be incredibly hot and clearly liked him. What was the big deal? It's not like it was any of Jace's business - or anyone else's, for that matter - who he spent time with.

"It just seems suspicious," Justin had said that night at dinner. "I mean, no one gets tutored for Shadowhunter Lit. It's kind of impossible, unless you're, you know, bad at reading. Which I know you aren't, since I see your nose in a book 99 percent of the time.

The guys had all shared their opinions on the subject, but Jace had been unusually quiet. Alec wondered what his problem was. He knew that Jace didn't like Ben, but honestly, was he really too upset about this whole ordeal to even trash talk the guy?

After dinner, Alec showed up to the library at exactly 5pm. Ben was waiting there for him with a smile.

"Hey," he greeted as Alec sat down.

Alec smiled back at him, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. "Hey."

Ben leaned in closer. "Look, I don't really have to tutor you in this. It's a subject that you kind of have to learn yourself. Just read the books on the list and you'll be fine."

So I've heard, Alec thought, his eyebrows raised. "Then… why am I here?"

Ben smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Because I know people. And I may have wanted a reason to spend time with you."

Alec flushed, smiling. "Oh?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah," he admitted, standing up and offering Alec his hand. "Want to go get a coffee?"

"I thought we weren't allowed off campus," Alec said, hesitantly taking his hand.

Ben shrugged. "Like I said, I know people."

"Okay," Alec agreed with a smile. But he couldn't help hearing Jace's voice in the back of his mind saying, pretentious douche bag.

X.X.X.X

An hour and a half later, Alec and Ben were trudging through the snow, headed for Asher House. The conversation at the coffee house had felt extremely awkward and forced to Alec, but Ben seemed entirely enthused and insisted he walk Alec back to his dorm.

They stopped at the front door, and Ben turned to Alec. "I should probably stop here," he said, smiling. "I'm not too welcome in Asher."

Alec just nodded, reaching for the door handle. He just wanted to get to his room. Maybe he'd listen to Jace play piano for a bit while he did his homework, like he usually did during the evening. The thought of Jace made him smile.

"I had a really nice time tonight," Ben said, breaking Alec out of his daydream.

"Uh, yeah. Me too," Alec lied. He was turning the door handle when suddenly a pair of lips were moving against his.

Now, Alec had never kissed anyone before. He'd been saving his first kiss for someone special. And, though Ben was not his first choice, he was cute. And he had already stolen Alec's first kiss; there wasn't really much he could do about it now. So Alec wrapped his arms around Ben's neck, and found his mind drifting. He pretended that it was Jace kissing him. That Jace's arms were the ones placed loosely around his waist, pulling him closer. That it was Jace's body he was pressed against, and Jace's hands that were now tangled in his hair.

Suddenly, someone coughed behind them. Alec jumped and turned around, seeing none other than Jace. He looked extremely unhappy.

Alec flushed. Not because he'd been caught kissing, but because of the thoughts he'd just been having.

"Alec," Jace said slowly, his voice commanding and his eyes on Ben, "go inside."

Alec nodded quickly and glanced at Ben, whose eyes were locked with Jace's. They looked like two cats circling each other in the alleyway. "Bye," he muttered before hurrying into the building.

Ben smirked at Jace. "What's the matter, Jace? Upset I took your plaything from you?"

Jace glowered at him. "Ben, I swear to God, if this is some kind attempt to get back at me, end it now. If you hurt him, I will kill you."

"You love him, don't you?" Ben asked, his smirk widening. "The way you look at him… Its like you never want to blink. Sad, isn't it? Falling in love so fast? Unrequited love?"

Jace grit his teeth. "You're disgusting. Don't bring Alec into this. Just because I don't love you doesn't mean you can go after him."

Ben frowned immediately. "You led me on, Jace! You acted like you loved me when you didn't, just so you and your idiot friends could get a laugh out of it," he spat, taking a step forward.

Jace sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I told you I was sorry. It was stupid and wrong and it would be perfectly acceptable for you to do whatever you want with me. But, by the Angel, leave Alec out of this."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I'll do whatever I want with your precious little Alec, thank you very much. And it isn't your choice, is it? It's Alec's. And it seems like he already made it."

With that, Ben started back towards Doyle, leaving Jace to wonder what the hell he'd gotten Alec by falling for him.