Hey guys! So I am trying to update this story about once a week and so far, I am doing pretty well with it. I added a little smut in this chapter, though it isn't between our favorite couple. Since this is one of my first stories, I am experimenting with the way I portray each character's perspective. In the last two chapters, it was strictly either Jace or Clary's POV. Now, there is a combination and I hoped I made it clear who was thinking each thing. If it isn't clear, please let me know and I will go back to the way I was writing it before. As always, keep reading and leaving behind your awesome reviews!

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Cassandra Clare.

Walking down the hallway, Clary was struggling to juggle her textbooks and art supplies when she felt a pack of brushes sliding out of her grip. Frantically trying to grab them, everything spilled out of her arms and she let out a frustrated groan at the mess. It was only the first day of class, yet her teachers decided to overload their students with an inhumane number of books, promising to prepare her for the challenges of next year.

Bending down to pick them up, Clary heard an appreciative whistle and chuckle in the background. Shocked, she whirled around to yell at the pervert staring at her ass when she saw that it was Jace.

Narrowing her eyes, Clary realized that only Jace would do something so lewd and think that he could get away with it; in all honesty, it was true. Jace belonged to a minority of guys who didn't see her as Jon's little sister and he was the only one who managed to flirt with her without repercussions. She didn't understand how he managed to do that but assumed that it was due in part to his close friendship with Jon.

Although Simon knew Jon for just as long, he didn't have the same friendship with him and refused to hold her hand in front of him. They did have a decent relationship though; he was her first boyfriend, her first kiss, and even her first time. However, after six months, they finally realized that they were better off being friends and ended it right before school started.

Even now, he couldn't compare to the way Jace was looking at her. His eyes blatantly roved over her body, lingering on the swell of her chest and the shape of her hips. Self-conscious, she asks, "Enjoying the view?" Instead of responding, he saunters up to her and begins picking up the heaviest books.

Checking the floor for stray books or brushes, Jace dramatically bowed and held out his arm for her. Chuckling, Clary roller her eyes at his chivalry and gestured for him to follow her.

~o.O.o~

Shutting her locker, Clary followed the long stream of students filing into the cafeteria. With a full tray, her eyes quickly found an unruly head of black hair and an unmistakable laughter. Smiling, Clary hurried over to join Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus, and Jace. When her eyes landed on Jace, her step faltered and she sat closer to Isabelle.

The statuesque girl follows Clary's gaze and pretends to gag. Sitting on Jace's lap was one of his more favored "toys", Kaelie. Dressed in an outfit that seemed ready to explode, she was clearly trying to coax her way into Jace's bed and it looked like she was succeeding.

"You know, some people are trying to eat here. Save that stuff for Jace's bed."

Jace smirked at the disgusted expression on his sister's face. "Why would I defile my comfortable bed like that?"

"Yeah right Jace, I have seen enough girls coming out of your room to know exactly what you do in there. I'm glad Alec and I can't hear any of it." Isabelle stated as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I am not denying any of that and there have been a lot more than you think," he added with a cocky smile. "I'm just saying that only one girl has ever been in my bed and that's the way it's going to be." His gaze flickered over to Clary at the last part, trying to convey some hidden meaning.

Clary couldn't help letting her eyes widen. Jace was infamous for being a man whore and she always thought that girls frequently visited his bed. It bothered her at first, knowing that the things he did on it were things he would never do to her, not that she wanted him to do them. Still, she just assumed that he had the decency to clean the sheets afterwards and had resigned herself to the idea that while she spent the night in his bed, he would never look at her as something more than a needy girl who was too scared to sleep in her own bed.

Confused, Clary tried to decipher what he meant by "that's the way it's going to be." Surely he didn't think that they would be able to do that forever. Eventually, he would find a girl he actually had feelings for and she would be replaced. Snapping back to reality, Clary saw stunned expressions on everyone's face, including Kaelie.

Realization and panic flitted over her face as she realized that Jace had someone else, someone better than her. Jumping off his lap, she schooled her face so that it appeared angry and she stormed away, hoping Jace would follow. He barely registered her departure; Kaelie always came back to him and was a decent distraction whenever he wanted to get his mind off a certain red head.

Smacking himself, he realized how obvious he just sounded. It wasn't enough that he had to let all of his friends know that there was a mystery girl, but he had also looked directly at Clary as he said it. Scanning everyone's faces, he reassured himself that nobody caught the look and tried to decipher the look on Clary's face. Instead of looking interested or disgusted, she looked confused, which only served to confuse him even more.

As the astonishment wore off, everyone bombarded him with questions, demanding to know who he was talking about. Instead of responding to their demands, Jace merely gave them an infuriating smile and proceeded to eat as they began listing off girls from the school.

Starting with the hottest girls in school, Jace noticed that nobody mentioned Clary. Neither Jon nor Isabelle, some of the closest people to Clary, even considered her as a possibility. Clenching his fist, he wasn't sure if he should feel upset that his family and friends didn't think they would do well together or relieved that they didn't suspect whatever was going on between them.

There was a thoughtful expression on the geek, Simon's, face and Jace couldn't help feeling a twinge of annoyance as he thought about Simon dating Clary. They tended to avoid talking about their relationships to each other so he didn't really know what was going on between the two.

A flash of metal caught his attention and all of his annoyance with the scrawny little faded away. She still wore his bracelet…

Two days before Clary's seventh birthday, Jace racked his brain for ideas on what he should get her. Everyone was about to go Christmas shopping so he only had a few more moments before everyone left. Isabelle said that she was getting Clary a new outfit and Alec said a sketch pad. It shouldn't be this difficult finding something for a little girl. If Isabelle's room was any indication, she would probably be happy with something pink and sparkly. He was tempted to do that but it didn't seem right, especially after what she got him.

Through his open door, he heard the cheerful melody of Maryse's Christmas music. Jingle Bells started playing and the idea hit him. Throwing on a jacket and mittens, Jace joined his new family and went out shopping with him. Searching through the store, Jace's eyes immediately settled on the perfect bracelet.

Tugging on Maryse's sleeve he saw her arch her eyebrow at what he wanted her to buy but fortunately, she didn't say anything. Isabelle and Alec were another story and he had to endure an entire car ride of their teasing before he managed to escape to his room.

On her birthday, Clary's parents invited Jace and his family over for a small birthday party and he anxiously waited for a moment alone with the birthday girl. Spotting an opportunity, he followed her up to her room and shut the door. He wanted them to be along when he gave her the gift, so that only he could see her smile.

Nervous, he clutched his present behind his back as his eyes trailed over the pretty pink flush on her cheeks. Instructing her to close her eyes and hold out her wrist, he unclenched his hand. Somehow, he managed to steady his shaking hands long enough to clasp the bracelet on her wrist and see the single charm hanging from the chain.

Begging to open her eyes, Clary looked down at her wrist and gasped. For several moments, Jace started to panic and wonder if she actually liked it. Stammering, he said that he could get her something else if she didn't like the bracelet but he stopped when her arms flew around his neck. With a loud squeal, she repeatedly thanked him and nearly knocked him over when she hugged him.

Grabbing his hand, Clary flew down the stairs to show her parents. Tightly holding his hand, he could feel his cheeks warm as she loudly showed her parents the gift, twisting her wrist back and forth as the adults humored her. Forcing his eyes to look up, Jace saw Clary's mom wink at him and her dad… He only reserved his smiles for his family but at least there was a glint of approval.

Each year, he made it a tradition of giving her a new charm for her birthday. Only he and Clary knew what each one represented; everyone else saw them as pretty additions to her bracelet.

The first time, he got her a crayon because she always wore one in her hair.

When she turned eight: A strawberry because his private nickname for her was strawberry shortcake.

When she turned nine: A snowflake because they were currently in a snowball war.

When she turned ten: A tear drop because that was when her parents divorced.

When she turned eleven: An owl because they spent so many nights staying up talking.

When she turned twelve: A pencil because she finally took the crayons out of her hair.

When she turned thirteen: A prism because she couldn't decide on second favorite color.

When she turned fourteen: A mirror because both of them were going through puberty.

When she turned fifteen: A bell because she had to star in a Christmas play.

When she turned sixteen: A lotus flower. That one was probably his favorite because she turned dark red and couldn't speak when he explained that it was also a sex position. Smirking, he realized that it was her fault for asking him about it and he couldn't help giving her a reminder.

Ten charms later, Clary still wore the nearly completed bracelet and the sight always made him smile. As long as she wore it, he always felt as though he still had a chance to be with her, even though he couldn't summon the courage to ask her out.

~o.O.o~

Groaning, Jace let his head fall back on the couch. One hand was curled into the armrest, while the other was buried in Kaelie's fake blond hair. An hour after he got home, she texted him asking if she could come over and make up for her scene at lunch.

He smirked at the text; once she came over, all he had to do was whisper a few words in her ear and she was putty in his arms. She was desperate to remain at the top of the school and knew that the easiest way to do that was by staying in Jace's good side.

Tilting his head to see if the door was closed, he looked back at the girl in front of him. She was kneeling before him and licking his length all over. Suddenly, he felt her take him all the way into her mouth and was impressed. Obviously, she has had practice doing this but the pleasure he got from it overrode his thoughts. Most girls couldn't go down all the way on him and that was one of the reasons why he kept her around.

Gripping her hair, he made her go faster on him until he felt a familiar tingling sensation starting to go through him. Pushing her all the way down on him, he groaned out loud in release. Slowly, he waited for her to finish swallowing before he bent over to whisper in her ear.

"Again," He demanded.

He saw her eyes widen in surprise at his demand but slowly began to work him back up. Normally, he would have taken her after a round of her mouth but he hadn't gotten any in a week and wanted this to be a good one. Breathless, he felt her tongue flick out to tease his tip. Raising an eyebrow at her, he could see her smirk at being able to catch him off guard.

Even though he was the one receiving the pleasure, he refused to let her win. Sliding his grip from hair, he used it to grip her chin. Forcing her mouth open, Jace rapidly pushed himself in and out of her mouth. Plunging himself as deep as possible, he could feel Kaelie's eyes widen in surprise and discomfort.

After a while, he hit a second climax and felt Kaelie release him with a small pop. Standing up, he quickly rid her of her bra and panties; they were lace and he always had a thing for lace. Attacking her neck, Jace couldn't resist teasing her and wondered if he could get her to scream his name.

Those were always the best screws if he could get a girl to scream, not the fake kind though. He could tell when a girl started to fake it and it was annoying. What's the advantage of faking it when you leave unsatisfied and the guy thinking that what he did wrong was correct?

Pushing her onto the ground, he took her from behind, refusing to be slow or gentle. Moans and grunts resonated through the air, rapidly increasing in frequency. Soon, he felt her start to clamp down on him and slammed even further into her. His efforts were soon rewarded when she screamed his name and he quickly followed in her release.

Panting, he could feel the sweat dripping off his face and onto her skin. Pulling out, he dropped a small kiss onto her shoulder and helped her stand up. For a moment he saw her legs wobble and didn't bother to hide his smirk.

Leaning into her ear, he whispered, "I got to admit, you have one hell of a mouth. We should do this again sometime." He punctuated the last statement with a light smack on her ass and walked out of his room.

Just as he closed the bathroom door, he heard her scuttling out of his room and gave a satisfied smile. This was going to be a good year.

~o.O.o~

Walking into the Lightwood's house, Clary and Isabelle headed straight for the kitchen. At the top of the stairs, Clary momentarily stopped. Clad in only a towel around his waist and with water dripping down his body, Jace looked even more of an angel than usual.

To her right, Clary heard a cough and saw an amused yet exasperated look on Isabelle's face.

"Seriously Clary, wipe the drool off your face. Besides, how can you still have a crush on him after five years?"

Blushing, Clary regretted telling Isabelle about her crush on Jace. She told her five years ago that she had a crush on him, but it was a lie. The crush probably started when they first met at the hospital, but she only realized it in fifth grade.

A low and familiar chuckle drained the color from her face. "Really Clary? You have had a crush on me for five years and you never said or did anything about it?"

Isabelle's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head and she shot Clary an apologetic look. Turning around to face him, Clary was startled when she saw that he was less than a foot away from her, looking like he had just won a prize. Stuttering, she tried to say that it was just a joke but her words became a jumbled mess. She would have kept going if a large, yet warm hand covered her mouth.

Gesturing his head towards his room, Jace said, "Why don't we continue this talk in my room?" Nodding, Clary followed him up the stairs as if she was walking to her death.

Hearing the door shut, Clary turned around, preparing for him to reject her. Faintly, she could smell a flowery perfume and realized that Jace recently had a female visitor. Shutting her eyes, she waited for the final blow, the words that would shatter the dreams she used to entertain when she was alone.

A hand gently touched her chin and lifted it up. Squeezing her eyes shut, Clary refused to look in his eyes as he rejected her or else she would break out into tears.

"Clary, open your eyes and stop looking like you are about to be executed. You haven't given me a chance to speak."

Shakily, Clary opened her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? I already know what your answer is going to be and dragging it out like this is cruel Jace."

Crossing his arms, Jace stared at Clary. "And what would that answer be?"

Resigned, Clary could feel her eyes start to tear up. "That you aren't interested in me and that I was stupid to have a crush on you for so long. I know that I'm not your type. I'm too short, you always go for blondes, I don't have a chest, my face is too plain-

Clary felt Jace interrupt her rant with a kiss. Stunned, she simply stood there as his lips lightly pressed against hers. His arms slid around her waist and the shock finally roused her body. Clinging to him, she started to return his kisses.

Feeling her start to respond, Jace increased the pressure of his mouth and tightened his grip on her. Gently, his tongue swiped along the edge of her lip and she gasped in surprise. Immediately, his tongue surged forward, creating a tingling feeling throughout her body. Her fingers buried themselves in his curls and she could hear her heart pounding.

Suddenly, Jace pulled away. His gold eyes had darkened and were trained on her swollen lips. About to pull him back, Clary heard the pounding and realized that it was the door. Unwillingly, he let go of Clary and composed himself as he opened the door, revealing him.