Chapter 15: IT

Clary piled her hair skillfully atop her head, but after checking it in the mirror decided against the look. She slipped in a headband to keep her hair mildly tamed. Slipping on a black t shirt and blue jeans she nods to herself in the mirror. Tonight is the big night.

She and Jace are about to go on their first date. To say she was nervous would be an extreme understatement. She felt as if she could keel over and die! And not only from the date but because the date's location was at the fall carnival. Which meant Clary had to face her extreme fear of heights. With that in mind she dropped a few cough drops into her bag in case she screamed herself hoarse.

With one last look in the mirror, she grins to herself and sets out, only to be stopped by Jonathan.

"If he tries anything or tries to pressure you into something you don't want to do, call me immediately so that I may find him, kick his ass, and drive you home. Okay?"

"Sure, Buddy." She smirks and slaps his shoulder, sauntering past. Stopping outside of Tessa's door she peeks in.

"Hey Tess, I'm going. Are you okay?" Tess is lying facedown which she rarely does.

"I'm fine you have fun with Jeff." Tessa mumbles incoherently.

"Jace…are you sure you're okay?" Clary moves farther into Tess's room.

"Clarissa, why are you questioning my judgement?" Tessa grumbles, glaring at her cousin.

"Because you just called Jace Jeff and you know his name…you spent the night at his house. So…?"

"Nothing is wrong Clary! Why can't you just leave it alone?!" Tessa yells, standing and without effort shoves Clary out of her room. As the door shuts behind her, Clary blinks incredulously at the wall opposite her. What the hell was that? Tessa has never resorted to yelling, well not at Clary anyways. So why now? A car honks outside, interrupting Clary's reverie. No time to ponder this now, all she has to do is successfully manage this date. Tessa will have to wait.

With a few deep breathes, Clary opens the door and casually strolls down towards the sleek black Mercedes awaiting. Jace is leaning against the car, hands in his pockets. How he manages that she has no clue, because those jeans are definitely hugging him the right way. And that t shirt is leaving no survivors. His hair is disheveled only adding on to the extreme sex appeal.

Shit! Clary mentally screams. He has to look perfect, which is in no way helping.

"Shall we?" Jace opens the passenger door, ushering Clary in. She coaches her face into a smile, trying to hide her blushing cheeks and twitchy eagerness. Calm, I have to remain calm. She repeats the mantra to herself as she slips her hand into her back pockets to hide her shaking hands and attempting to rid the sweat from her palms. Sliding casually on to the seat she mentally claps herself on the back for being able to maintain her demeanor and not falling on her face. Stay calm, it's only Jace, she thinks. Under these circumstance? I've never been in this situation she rationalizes with herself. I got this, she thinks and turns giving Jace a small smile.

"Have you ever been to a carnival?" Jace grins, almost knocking the wind from Clary's lungs.

"Does Coney Island count?" Clary's voice is a little shaky but Jace doesn't catch it.

"I guess so. I went to Coney Island once with my parents. It was back when we used to live there of course." This catches Clary's attention.

"You used to live in New York?"

"Yeah back when my parents were still…They uh…died…when I was 10. Maryse and Robert were best friends with my parents and seeing as how my grandmother was living in Switzerland, they adopted me. We moved around the time Max was born, relocated to the West Coast." He stares through the windshield, eyes fixed on the road. Clary notes that Jace's hands are clutching the steering wheel, knuckles white.

"I went to Coney Island with my dad. Probably one of the only times he actually tried to care. I mainly rode the rides while he sat "watching" me, and talking on his cell phone." Her hands wringing, twisting around one another. The early memories of her father always made her upset. Now that she had made a point to never let him be a part of her life, thinking of when he used to care urged that little voice in the back of her mind to attempt to reconcile with him. She had tried once but that didn't turn out great.

"What do you mean when he used to care? He's your father, he has to love you, doesn't he?" Jace lays a hand on Clary's stilling them.

"I think he did, but then my mother left him after she had discovered he had an affair with a good friend of hers. She left him a few months before I was born, and I guess I'm just a painful reminder of her to him. He did try, but after a lot of missed father-daughter dates and a boat load of empty promises I decided to stop caring about him and my mother let me." Looking up into Jace's eyes, Clary starts to relax. "But I have Luke now. He's made up for Valentine's transgressions." She gives Jace a genuine smile.

"Well maybe we shouldn't go to a carnival." Jace grins nervously.

"No, I have prepared myself for this so we are going, no ifs, ands, or buts. What?" Jace is smirking.

"You said buts." Clary playfully punches his shoulder.

"Oh grow up!"

"You wound me Clary!" Jace pouts.

"Baby." Clary laughs.

"Clarissa, this is only the first date! No pet names until the third!" He states with mock exasperation. Clary rolls her eyes. The tension of the date slowly leaves her, feeling more at ease with Jace.

"So what are we going to ride first?"

""Well, the movie starts at 7:30, and we should get there around 7:15, so only a few and then the movie, and then the haunted corn maze."

"We're going to watch a movie?" Clary glances up at Jace, puzzled.

"Yeah, they show IT before you go into the maze to freak you out more, get you tense." He grins wickedly.

"What movie is it?"

"IT."

"It?"

"You know Stephen Kings IT, creepy clown that kills children. Pretty scary for an eighties movie let me tell you."

"Never seen it."

"That surprises me." Jace smiles.

"And whys that?"

"Because you resembled Pennywise when you attacked me the other night."

"I did not!" She slaps his arm.

"You'll have to forgive me, seeing as how my eyes were coated with hairspray!" Jace teases, which Clary retaliates by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Very ladylike Clarissa." He laughs.

So this isn't as long as I wanted it to be. I'm going to write a long chapter and I know I've been MIA for way too long but I confess I just could not think of anything to write. I am really really,extremely sorry. Sophomore year is way more time consuming than freshman year so I will try to write as much as possible. The good news however, is that grades 9-12 at my school got their own laptops for school this year so pardon the mistakes I may have missed, because I am using it to write. I will work on this story I promise, but give me the benefit of the doubt please, I'm an emotional teenage girl who has to suffer through 1st period gym classes and moving her older sister to college.

XOXO- Em