A/N: Here's a shout-out to all my fans! :D Thanks for reading. You guys are so amazing.

With this chapter, please please please keep an open mind. And remember, these characters are young, so they're still figuring themselves out. On that note...

Chapter 28

(Clary POV)

I needed to get my mind off the breakup, so I invited Evangeline to see Thor: The Dark World with me, as she had never been to a movie and I wanted someone to see it with. She was very eager to come along with me, so we met up at the movie theater at 6:45 for the showing.

When Evangeline walked up to me, I thought, Evangeline really looks pretty today, because she did. She had on a nice gray coat over a deep blue tunic and gray skinny jeans, and was also wearing black ankle boots. Isabelle was really rubbing off on her, but that was okay. Her black hair was down as usual, and looked especially soft.

"Evangeline!" I said in greeting, hugging her and then holding her at arms' length. "You're actually wearing pants!"

She giggled slightly. "I know! It's cold outside today, so I decided to make an exception."

"Well, it looks great!" I encouraged. I myself was wearing a turtleneck with jeans and Converse sneakers. I hadn't put nearly as much effort into my outfit, but I wasn't jealous of Evangeline because of it. Back when I thought I was a mundane, I probably would have been, but I had more self-confidence now. "Let's buy our tickets."

We got in line at the ticket counter and Evangeline looked around with stars in her eyes. "It's everything I ever imagined, being at a movie theater."

I patted her on the shoulder, reaching up because she, like most people, was taller than me. "Don't get your hopes up too high. Just wait for the whispering couples and cell phones ringing during the movie." Then again, that was part of the theater-going experience these days.

As we stood in line, I noticed some guys checking out Evangeline and I was mildly overcome with some emotion. Jealousy? I registered that I was probably jealous that the boys were staring at Evangeline and not me, but that didn't seem right…

"Next, please," said the cashier, and the thought was banished from my head because it was time to buy our tickets.

We ended up also getting popcorn, drinks, and a pack of Sour Patch Kids candy, because (a) I liked them, and (b) I wanted to provide Evangeline with an authentic movie experience. She loved all of it, of course, and didn't lose excitement during the whole movie.

Meanwhile, the movie made me think, despite how much I was trying to concentrate. But try as I might, I couldn't help associating the brooding nice guy blond Thor with Jace and the fast-talking joker brunette Loki with Simon. And as much as I was enjoying the movie, I couldn't stop thinking of my breakup with Jace and the confusing situation with Simon.

Because really, I knew that breaking up with Jace was good for me, but it still hurt. I couldn't contain my love for him—not when Valentine told us we were related, not when Jace died and came back to life, and certainly not now after everything that had happened.

But at the same time, I had a deep and strange affection for Simon. We had known each other for so long and he knew me probably better than I knew myself. And he was in love with me. Dating hadn't worked out for us, obviously, but I was still attracted to him and had some sort of deep-seated love for him.

Clearly, I was a confused mess. No, a sad and confused mess. Because I really was sad that my relationship with Jace had drawn to another close. I heard his words echo in my mind, poignant and miserable: "But not forever, necessarily." Poor Jace. I wondered how he was taking all of this. Probably not well, knowing him…

Starting to worry, I made the effort to transfer all my concentration to the movie going on before me, reminding myself not to dwell on depressing subjects.

After the movie, which we thoroughly enjoyed, Evangeline and I went back to my house to hang out some more. She was still really keyed up from the movie, but it only served to make my sadness manifest further. I wanted to be happy, but I knew that I couldn't be. I didn't even have the movie to distract me anymore, just Evangeline's bubbly conversation. My melancholy grew and grew until it felt like a weight was on my shoulders, and I wasn't even giving normal responses to what Evangeline was saying anymore. I withdrew more and more into myself, and all I could think about was how much I missed Jace.

Evangeline apparently noticed, because all of a sudden, she was right in front of me, saying, "Clary, I know that something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head rapidly, banishing my thoughts, and realized that the two of us were standing in my kitchen and leaning against the counters. There was some food on the counter near Evangeline—lettuce, croutons, half-chopped carrots, a bottle of Italian dressing. Was she making salad while I was zoned out? "I'm fine, Evangeline," I lied, and then gestured at the counter. "Keep chopping those carrots."

She crossed her arms, which drew attention to her chest and made me feel vaguely uncomfortable. "You haven't been listening to me for awhile now, Clary. I'm worried about you. What happened? Didn't you like the movie?"

"Yeah, you know that I enjoyed the movie a lot," I said. "It's just…" Should I explain how Jace and I broke up?

It turned out that I didn't have to, because Evangeline said quietly, "I know that you and Jace aren't together anymore."

The acknowledgment of it brought tears to my eyes, and I started crying. All of my emotions were swelling into a crescendo, and I didn't even bother to fight the tears. I felt depressed, frustrated, confused, and above all, lonely. Evangeline held out her arms, and I stepped forward into her embrace and cried on her shoulder. She started stroking my back, and I calmed down slightly and let her hold me. Her body was soft and very comforting, and also very different from Simon and Jace's bodies (Simon being very bony and Jace all hard muscle).

I felt connected to Evangeline, and it was like she was melting away my swirling emotions. I glanced up to look at her, and the next thing I knew, I was kissing her impossibly soft, full lips. And just like at Magnus's party with Spin the Bottle, I felt something like an electric shock travel through my body.

Then I realized what I had just done, and pulled back in distress, crying again. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me," I bawled, hiding my face against her collarbone. I couldn't believe that I had kissed Evangeline like that. What came over me? All sorts of admonishments were running through my head, and I felt even worse than I had before.

But then Evangeline murmured to me, "It's okay, Clary. I don't mind." I lifted my head again, this time in surprise, and saw that she was blushing but nonetheless looking sincere. I could tell that she understood that I needed this, that it helped dispel my loneliness. And at the same time, I had to admit however grudgingly that I wanted to again. And did I detect a glimmer of that in her eyes as well?

Not taking the time to question my actions, my hands moved to Evangeline's hair and I drew our lips together again, more insistently this time. It really was nothing like kissing the boys, but that made me like it more. I could also faintly tell that my tears were rubbing off on her face. But the electric current from the first time we kissed was still there too, except much more powerful. For once, I wasn't pressed up against a solid boy, but rather a body just as soft as mine was.

And then it was over, both of us breathing heavily, still in each other's arms. She had a lovely flush on her face, and I took some sort of pride that I had caused it. And even better, I didn't feel nearly as lonely as I had beforehand. I guess that kissing was therapeutic for me or something. I had done this to Simon, too…

Evangeline went back to the counter and finished chopping the carrots with a shaky hand. Was she affected by our kisses? I wondered what she made of it all. After the carrots were fully chopped, she turned to me with an embarrassed but cheerful smile. "Can you get plates or bowls for the salad? We can't very well eat it off the counters."

I was still slightly dazed, but I returned her smile. "Sure."

The rest of our evening continued normally. And when Evangeline was about to leave and go back to the Institute, I was surprised by the fact that she lightly brushed her lips against my cheek for just an instant, before saying, "Thanks for taking me to the movie today, Clary. I had a great time."

"It was no problem. We should do that again sometime," I told her honestly.

"Goodbye, then."

"Bye." We hugged briefly, and then she went home.

Well, I thought, today was definitely not what I would have expected.

A/N: Did anyone see that coming? Review please! xoxo