Hey lovely readers!

So, as of today I have officially finished my first year of university but enough about me, it's all about the updates! In an effort to procrastinate and space things out, I've been sitting on this chapter for the last few days; my apologies to the keen beans out there.

Enjoy

The next two weeks went by in a flurry of take-out, lectures, assignments and washing Isabelle's university uniform for nursing. Usually this wasn't our thing, washing each other's clothes but as she spent all day on her prac rotation at the hospital and all night on her laptop writing assignments, I took pity on her and did most of the housework. Also on that note, we needed to buy a decent coffee machine as half of my money was being spent on the stuff at cafes.

It had also been two weeks since I had spoken to the occupants of the rival bachelor pad. Well, Alec wasn't a bachelor but still; it's the masculine title that counts! Izzy and I had been invited around to watch the football (and do whatever else they did at that type of shindig like eating pizza I guess), however I had politely declined. My sarcasm response hadn't felt up to par and I needed that reflex action when dealing with Jace was involved. Izzy still went though. Despite her feminine nature, she loved aggressive sports; while the rest of girls in high school did cheer-leading or dance, she joined the soccer team and the odd roller derby season.

A buzz from my phone pulled me out of my reverie and back to the present. I was being bored to the verge of tears in an art lecture covering the content expected for our last assessment on the Golden Ratio. I looked at my tablet which had the a copy of the Powerpoint and basic lecture notes on it- this was one assignment I was going to have to go on a whim and bluff my way through so it seemed. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and checked the text message that had nudged me back to reality.

Sender: Maia

(11:47AM)This Saturday we are having a girl's night and you have no say in the matter!

This was the problem with Maia. She opted for the job route over university and often failed to realise we were sometimes buried in assessment…like now for instance. I sent her a message back explaining the situation and tried to listen in to the lecturer's monotone voice but somehow all I was hearing was the teacher's voice from Charlie Brown going 'WAHWHAHWAHWHWAHA'.

I pinched the bridge of my nose to try to clear my head and focus but nothing was working for me today. The phone buzzed again and I sighed and opened the message.

Sender: Maia

(11:53AM)Consider this incentive. Get yo stuff done fool. I need some best friend time.

I rolled my eyes and gave in. She was right, sort of. I'd just do it all so I could go out; there, easily done! I looked back to the lecturer and realised my classmates were packing up and leaving the theatre. I sighed and packed up my tablet and slung my satchel over my shoulder, carrying my textbooks in my hand to save the poor old thing from ripping under the horrendous weight of them. I joined the crowd filing out the door and headed towards Café Alicante for a coffee before heading home.

It was a nice day out, I had to admit, even though there was cold breeze that was whipping through the buildings. I took a short cut across the green in the middle of the campus which despite the wind was popular with the group workers and sporty kids. I kept my distance but hey, I was an accident magnet apparently. Out of nowhere, somebody collided into my side sending both me and my books sprawling across the grass.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry, let me help- Oh, hey Freckles."

Karma really hated me, I swear to God.

I propped myself up on my knees and looked up at Jace. "Do just like hurting me for fun these days or something?" I scowled. I couldn't believe it. Out of all people, it just so happened that Jace knocked me over. I hadn't spoken to him in two weeks since the garden party and I hoped it would have stayed that way but obviously not.

"Red, come on, I didn't exactly run all the way across here just to knock you over," he sighed. He bent down and went to pick up my books but I slapped his hand away and proceeded to do it myself.

"I don't even know what to think, Herondale," I said, standing up and brushing the grass off my jeans and orange coat. I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a stop.

"Clary, seriously, stop being stubborn. I was just running for the ball Alec kicked which you would have noticed if you were paying attention to where you were going," he said, rolling his eyes. I looked past him and saw Alec standing across the green and then turned around to see a soccer ball by a tree at the edge of a building. Oh.

"Well, colour me ignorant. Now I want my coffee so hands off before I succumb to my violent tendencies," I said whilst trying to twist my arm out of his grip but it was too tight. I stared him down before faltering. His narrowed eyes were ridiculously gold today; a shade or two off his hair colour. It was just so odd, but the gold colour suited him perfectly. The frown slipped from my face and I smiled.

"Okay Red, stop it okay? Since when do you smile around me?" Jace said raising an eyebrow at the expression on my face.

My brain scrambled for the first explanation it could find. "Oh I'm not smiling at you; I'm watching Alec creep up on you." He instantly let go and swung around, letting go of my wrist. Success!

"Liar," he said after seeing Alec impatiently tapping his foot, still waiting for Jace to kick the ball back.

I shrugged. "All's fair in love and war."

"Well, let me make it up to you at least," Jace said, "Just wait here for sec."

He ran off to retrieve the soccer ball and of course, as soon as he left I started making my way towards the café. I couldn't be bothered with anything he had to offer. He was an ass. A pretty ass for sure, but an ass nonetheless. I pushed the door open in the café, greeted by the comforting smell of coffee grind and the sound of milk being frothed.

Kaelie looked up from the register and smiled. "Hey Clary, what can I get for you? Usual black?"

"Hey Kaelie, can I just grab a takeaway espresso this time?" I said. The door tinkled behind me. Of course Jace had followed me, and he came and stood right behind me. "Make it a double shot, please," I added with a sigh.

She nodded. "That's $3.50, Clary," she said, writing the order across a takeout cup. I went to hand over the money, but Jace beat me to it.

"I did say I'd make it up to you," he said, whispering in my ear. Kaelie just looked at me and I sighed again, nodding my approval for him to pay. Come on Clary, he's done you a favour! You spend too much on coffee as it is! My conscious was too reasonable sometimes.

I moved over to a table and sat down, Jace hot on my heels and pulling up the chair opposite me.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Alec?" I said, hoping he'd just go away. I didn't want to be nice but he'd paid for my coffee despite that he was only making up for pushing me over. But still, I didn't feel comfortable around him ever; on edge, that was the feeling!

Jace shrugged leaning back in his chair. "He had a class he had to get to. We were just filling in time."

I sighed. Kaelie brought my coffee over to me and left again, not before giving Jace a wink. Women never failed to succumb to his charms, I swear. It took an ice-cold shoulder to not give into him and I prided myself on that feature.

"Is this your last year or do you graduate next year," Jace asked, crossing his arms. I took a sip of the hot coffee and closed my eyes in content.

"Next year," I murmured around my coffee cup. I was about to ask him the same but I couldn't actually remember what Jace did at uni. "What do actually study? You can't be here just to pick up girls, right?"

He chuckled. "Nope, that's exactly what I'm here for."

I frowned. He couldn't be serious, right? Apparently he wasn't.

"Clary I'm joking. I'm studying sports medicine and I graduate next year, thanks to summer semester courses," he said. I nodded and took another sip of my coffee, trying to not look interested but my thoughts were stewing.

"The parental units must have put up some fight towards that. I mean, your family is co-owns one of the largest law firms in New York. I would have thought they would have pressured you into law or business at least," I blurted out. It was an odd conundrum to me. I knew the Heronadale's were a proud family and would do anything to keep aloof of the mundane society so it would seem natural that they would want to keep the business in the family.

Jace shrugged. "I'm still graduating with a Dr. title so that's not a complete failure in their eyes at least."

We fell into silence for a while until he broke it with a sigh moments later. "Look, Clary, I'm sorry about what happened at the garden party. What I said was out of line and, to be honest, a stained pink shirt is not what I needed that day. It did nothing to assure my masculinity to anyone," he said with a smirk.

Of course he turns everything into a joke. I rolled my eyes and pulled out of my chair, headed for the exit. What was with him? The jerk couldn't take anything seriously. My stomach still twisted nervously although at the thought that we had just shared a normal moment of a regular conversation without every second sentence provoking me to pinch him.

He caught up to me just as I had got out the door of the café, his long fingers hooking around my elbow. Honestly, I was fed up with him manhandling me for Pete's sake! I tried to pull away and keep walking but once again he held me there.

"Clary, I'm sorry. Seriously," he said. This was honestly like deja-vu. Weren't we in the same positions a mere 20 minutes ago?

"Look, just leave me alone, Jace, and get your hands off me!" I yelled. I ripped my arm out of his grip and wrapped it around my books I held to my chest, coffee cup in hand. He looked kind of stunned, so did a couple of people passing by on the foot path. I sighed and took a deep breath.

"It's fine, Jace, I accept your apology. Now if you don't mind, I need to go home and organise Isabelle or make lunch or something…" I trail off.

He nodded and swallowed; this was probably the first time I'd ever seen him look so awkward. "Well, uh, I'll leave you too it. I should probably go study or something." He ran a hand through his hair, making his curls stick out in every direction. Seeing him so awkward was just endearing.

I gave him a half-smile and raised my coffee cup to him, walking backwards. "Thanks for the coffee, loser!"

He raised a hand in farewell. "No worries, Chuckie."

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him before he saw the half-smile became a full one.

I was on the lounge procrastinating my assessment with the help of a novel when Izzy came home that night.

"Good evening, roomie," I said, briefly looking up from my book when the door opened and Iz bustled in, her hair somehow maintaining perfection despite the fact she looked like she had run up the stairs. I heard her keys rattle as they fell into the basket and then the couch dip beside me. I looked over at her sitting beside me, cross-legged on the couch, watching me with a tense expression.

"Are you okay Iz?" I asked, putting the book down in my lap.

"I think the question is are you okay? Jace isn't dead, is he?"

I frowned. "How-?"

"Alec text me," she interjected.

"Ahh. Well, to answer your questions I'm completely fine and Jace is very much still alive. How much did Alec tell you?" I asked, not sure how far I should go into detail.

Izzy pulled her legs underneath her and leaned her head on the back of the couch. "He just said that Jace pretty much pushed you over and then ditched him to go make it up to you."

I snorted. So Jace had been lying about Alec needing to go to a class. "Yeah, they were kicking a soccer ball around and he ran into me. He bought me a coffee to make up for it and we walked in the usual sense for us."

"Aka, you yelled at him and he replied with snide remarks?"

"Pretty much! And then I just stalked off and came home. However having a double shot espresso was a bad idea. I can still feel it and it's been 6 hours," I laughed.

"Well I'm just glad you're okay and he didn't bruise your ego too much. You two are ridiculous sometimes, you know that right?" she said, reaching for the remote and turning the TV on.

"I'm not the ridiculous one," I muttered. Izzy just rolled her eyes and channel surfed until she stopped on a show.

"There's a fine line between love and hate sometimes Clary," she said. I snapped the book shut and looked at her.

"What did you say?" I demanded.

She sighed and pulled her pocket watch off her crinkled uniform and placed it on the coffee table. "Don't get your panties in a knot, Clare. You know the saying just as well as I do."

"And it's not true in this case. He's an arrogant prick and I swear the day I date him will be the day I watch the Twilight movie, get my nose pierced and accept that the moon landing was fake and that is to say never!" I said, defiantly.

"Whatever you say, Clare. I'll keep you to that promise," she said.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my book, completely happy with ignoring the world that evening.

Question: Are these updates okay, length and content-wise? Honestly you guys are fabulous, regardless of reviews but I do enjoy the virtual praise and love.

Ciao for now, homeslices!

Bowvs. xx