Chapter 21

A Few Weeks Later

Jace woke up. Again, for the fifth time that night. The first time wasn't really waking up, but he had had to stumble off the bed, due to a sudden urge to take a dump while in the midst of having sex with Clary.

Talk about embarrassing.

Though there was definitely nothing funny about it – in fact, it was arguably the most mortifying moment of his life – she'd laughed so hard that she'd rolled off the bed.

Afterward, she had refused to let him go down on her.

"Come on, baby," he'd whined. "I can make you feel so good."

"No way," Clary had giggled. "You stay far, far away. On the other side of the bed."

Screw the freaking watermelon Alec and Magnus had dared him to eat earlier.

Somehow he'd managed to fall asleep without Clary snuggled next to him. The second time, he was jarred awake with another urge for the bathroom. The third time, he'd needed some water. And the fourth, he had had to use the bathroom again, because the water made him urinate.

Needless to say, it was a fitful night.

But now Jace grinned triumphantly. Clary was curled on his side, and he was still on his edge of the bed. Which meant that sometime during the night, she'd relented. He was definitely not going to let this go.

This time, it was the phone waking him up again, and, surprise surprise, the caller was Valentine.

"Christ, man. Why don't you just be my alarm clock from now on," he muttered, letting it leave a message.

He was just dozing off again when his Blackberry buzzed once more. Sebastian.

Then it dinged. One new message. Still a bit hazy with sleep, he opened it.

VAL GAVE U A NEW CAR MANNNNN. GET UR ASS OVER HERE

And pressing a quick peck to Clary's forehead, he bolted.

…

Mondays had always sucked for Clary. It was a Monday on the day of the car crash. Monday when her old cat had died. Monday when she had gotten her period last month.

So as she stood outside the meeting room, her stomach churned with anticipation. Jocelyn had called her just minutes ago, informing her on an emergency meeting, ones that almost never happened.

She wrung her wrists nervously.

The door cracked open, and Jordan stood opposite her, looking grave. His eyes were distant as he ushered her in, and as their eyes met, sad.

She frowned as she walked in. The rest of the crew, excluding Luke, were already seated. Aline regarded her coldly. Actually, most of them regarded her coldly and suspiciously.

"Ms. Fray," Jocelyn said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Care to explain this?" She thrust a finger at the charts on the projector.

"What?"

Jocelyn stalked up to Clary, and it was so threatening that she stumbled back a few paces.

"Why is Morgenstern Circle's gross income increasing so rapidly for these past few days?"

Clary's eyes widened. "What – I have no idea what – "

"Then why is MC selling a product with the exact same name as ours?" Someone interrupted.

The only noise in the room was the whirr of the projector. It took a moment for what they were saying to sink in. They were framing her. Accusing her.

The room spun.

"What?" She blurted.

"It's such a coincidence that just weeks before we were going to market Hell's Loose, our arch nemesis releases the same product," Jocelyn stated flatly. Why did she sound like a freaking scientist dissecting a frog and objectively reporting the analysis?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Clary whispered.

"I think you do. Only you had relations with anyone in MC," Jocelyn said. "Only you could have told them."

She was speechless. Had she just heard correctly?

"You're fired."

"What?"

Aline coughed. "Fired, Clary. F-I-R-E-D."

No. This can't be happening.

It had to be a bad dream. It had to be.

She pinched herself hard enough to draw tears. Nothing.

It really was happening.

Jocelyn flicked her head toward two guards who moved ominously toward Clary.

"No! I didn't tell them! Jocelyn, you have to believe me," she pleaded. She looked wildly around the room. "You guys have to believe me!"

The guards dragged her out, kicking and spluttering. Not even blinking as they slammed the doors in her face.

Luke. Luke will believe me.

Blindly, she stumbled down the flights of stairs to her office, only to reel back in shock at the door. A lone box, packed neatly with her folders, books, and other miscellaneous items, sat in front of the door. A second later, Luke came out, carrying her laptop, which he dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

Clary's mouth opened and closed as she tried to unclog her voice trapped in her throat. "Luke?"

He looked up, pushing his hair back from his forehead. His eyes were wide, and kind of surprised, she thought, like a cat caught with his paw in the fish tank. "Clary."

"What are you doing? My stuff…why are you moving it out?"

He regarded her warily for a second. "Didn't they tell you? You're dismissed from Shadowhunter Academy Inc."

"But my stuff," she said softly. "Why are you rummaging through it?"

At least he still had the decency to look embarrassed. "Look, I only wanted to help you, Clary," he mumbled.

You only wanted to search for the nonexistent evidence of my "betrayal." To use against me when you sue me.

Numbly, she bent down, hoisted the box into her arms, and slug her laptop over her shoulder. Then she walked away.

"Clary. I believed in you, you know."

She didn't look back. Because if she did, she would break.

…

Instead of taking the elevator, Clary took the stairs. It made her arms sore and legs tired, but it provided her more time to cherish her possibly last moments in SAI, as well as time to think.

She'd never told Jace anything – anything – about Hell's Loose. And if she could prove her innocence, she could get her job back.

Jace…

What would happen to him? Probably fired from SAI. The alliance between the two companies would no doubt be severed.

Clary glanced down at the box in her arms, and her mouth twisted in an attempt to smile. A corner of a Playboy magazine was poking out. It wasn't even hers, but Jace's.

She had walked into the room, sipping pearl milk tea, to find Jace with his head buried in some books.

"Wow," she'd remarked snidely. "I have to say, I'm impressed. Jace Wayland, studying?"

He'd glanced up and snickered. "Studying finessed chicks in bikinis and lingerie, if that's what you mean, then yeah."

Clary peered over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of a sea of peach. Basically all naked girls.

"Playboy," she sighed. "Oh, the carnal interests of men."

He slapped her ass playfully.

Yeah, she'd miss him.

A lot.

Jace cheering as he received his acceptance letter into Pottermore. Him barging into her house. Her baking broccoli-infused brownies. Dancing with him, kissing him, at the Winter Ball. Jace showing up at her house, drunk and vulnerable. Comforting her about Simon, after ejecting a USB from her computer.

Ejecting a USB from her computer.

Clary nearly fell down the stairs.

Suddenly, she remembered everything perfectly, the pieces clicking into one.

Jace had been undocking something from her computer as she barged into the room. When she had confronted him, he'd looked guilty. And then he'd flown off to MC in record time.

She clearly remembered him tossing his USB in his hand.

Gasping for air, Clary grabbed the banister, steadying herself from tumbling down the last flight of stairs. The box fell from her arms, her belongings spilling, her favorite snowglobe shattering.

There was no doubt about it.

Jace Wayland had sabotaged her for a promotion at work.

Clary stood there, heart pounding and gasping. When she finally regained her senses, her eyes focused on the snowglobe.

It was broken in two, its edges jagged and sharp, with water gushing out of it, just like her heart.

…

She walked out into the parking lot, numb.

Sabotaged. By Jace.

She had trusted him, opened up to him and let him into the deepest corners of her already broken heart, still raw and not completely healed from her last boyfriend. She had let her guard down around him. He had made her laugh, made her happy, made her complete. Made her act and feel giddy like a teenager. Made her feel special, and whole, and beautiful.

"Clary!"

She gasped.

No. Don't cry.

"Clary! Clary, look at this shit. We'll be raping this city with this baby." He called out again, his voice uncertain. "Clary?"

Tires screeched, and a door slammed. Footsteps pounded behind her, and his hand clamped down on her arm, spinning her around to see his brand new silver Porche convertible.

"Sick right?" He grinned. "I have no idea what came over Valentine today, but damn, this is one hell of a nice gift."

Clary choked. Was he doing this to rub it in her face? How could he be so cruel? Hadn't he gotten what he'd wanted already?

God, he was such a bastard.

She shoved him off of her.

"Clary, what's – whoa," he said as he caught sight of her face. It probably wasn't a very pretty sight. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" She laughed, but it came out as a sob. Tears dripped down her face, into her mouth, the salt burning her tongue. She stared at his beautiful boy standing in front of her, unable to understand how he'd do such a thing to her. Someone like him couldn't do such a thing like what he did.

And here he was, the devil hidden behind an angel's face.

"What's wrong?" She choked out again when he didn't respond. "You tell me what's wrong. This is wrong. We are wrong. You are wrong!"

"Clary, what? Calm down, you're not making any sense."

"Calm down?" She screamed. "I can't fucking calm down! I thought we were friends! I thought we – "

"We are friends – "

"NO WE'RE NOT! We were never friends! Friends don't sabotage each other. Friends take care of each other. Friends watch out for each other. Friends don't hurt each other!" He stared back, uncomprehendingly as she gulped down tears. "You – you made me like you, trust you – fall in love with you – and all you did was use me. You used me like I was a tool. Like I was nothing to you. Nothing!"

Jace furrowed his eyebrows, and there was nothing more she wanted than to smooth out the wrinkles on his forehead. He reached out a hand to wipe her tears away, and the gesture finally cracked her heart in two. She slapped his hand away. "Clary, really, what are you – "

"Did you really think I was that stupid, Jace?" She screamed. "I know about the USB!"

She shoved him, with all the anger, confusion, and hurt inside of her. Jace stumbled back a few paces. She looked at him, taking in his face, still breathtakingly beautiful, looking just as hurt and confused as she felt, before she ran.

She didn't understand it. All she knew was that she was broken.

She had thought they were friends. Maybe even more than friends.

But friends didn't do cruel things like this.

Friends didn't break each other's hearts.

Heartbroken much? /3

Send some love for Clary and Jace. They really need it.