71I'm doin going my best to upload and more often and I'm really hoping you guys like this chapter please enjoy! I'm not going to ask for reviews because let's be honest, whether you do or not, I'm still goin got to update at my own pace so I don't want to break any deals!
JACEs POV
The last few weeks have been really great. Since clary kissed me that night, we've been spending some time together here and there. Not as a couple, but pretty close. She's still mean and sarcastic, but now it's at least a bit more playful and not full of hatred. Besides that though, other things have remained the same. I haven't brought myself to join them on their family dinner night yet, I don't think she's ready for that. It doesn't help that Jon and Alec have been the ones to invite me and not her. I'm not too sure where her and I stand, but besides that kiss, she's showed me nothing but interest in wanting to be somewhat friends.
It's a Friday now, and unfortunately I have detention for expressing my opinion in AP lit. Opening my locker I noticed a small white envelope sitting on top of my things. Curious, i open it and suddenly feel nauseous.
Herondale, this should be more than enough for prom night. Since you two have gotten so close, Getting her to go should be easy. I'm asking izzy next week. Don't screw up.
In the envelope I found a grand in crisp hundred dollar bills. I haven't spoken to Sebastian since that day outside the coffee shop when clary damaged his car. Did he really think I'd take it?
"Psst." I shove the envelope into my pocket as I turned around.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I turn finding clary leaning against the locker next to my own.
"Pussy." We laugh while I turn to put my things away.
"So how may I be of assistance to you?"
"Well I was hoping you'd want to maybe hang out for a bit?"
I'm suddenly pissed at myself because she's finally asked to hang out with me on her Friday night and here I had detention.
"I have detention," I say sadly.
"Well we have to change that then don't we?" She bites her lip mischievously and walks away. I stare after her confused.
I was sitting in detention in the cafeteria with over a dozen other kids for no more than fifteen minutes when a banging came from the east doors. The teacher walks over and checks, but no one was there. Suddenly there's banging on the west doors and she huffs and goes to check those too. The door behind me opens just then and my favorite little red head flicks my ear.
"Head to those doors," she points at the west doors the teachers by. Before I can ask, she disappears.
"Excuse me, but those tables won't wipe themselves," she scolds me as she comes back in.
"I just wanted to see if things were okay?"
"Probably just a prank, now gerald, back to the table."
She points and I realize she doesn't even know who I am, also she didn't even bother to check the sign in sheets. Banging suddenly came from the doors behind the kitchen and she ran to them trying to make it there to catch who ever was pranking her. As she did, I was yanked back by the collar of my shirt into the hall.
"Well that's a way to get my attention," I smile and turn to find magnus. My face turn down to confusion and befor I could say anything he motions for me to follow him.
"Follow me," he says running towards the exit. I do as he says hiding my disappointment and when we Make it to the parking lot clary and izzy are already there laughing like lunatics. They notice us and calm down a bit, but not much.
"Did you hear her?" Izzy says to clary.
"I wish I could have stayed and watched! She's definitely going to be pissed!" Clary said laughing again.
"That scream! Hahaha. Finding a couple garden snakes with you was so worth it for that reaction." Izzy laughed even harder while magnus huffed.
"Well I don't think it was worth it. That was disgusting. No offense Jace."
"None taken," I smile while I watch clary calm herself down once more.
"Here mags. Don't scratch my car and tell dad I'll be a little late for dinner tonight?"
"See ya." Izzy and mags said in unison as they left us.
"Snakes?"
"Only garden snakes. Just babies."
"You're vile. Absolutely cruel."
She laughed and jumped into my Jeep.
"But it was worth it right?"
"Very much so. So where to?"
"Pandemonium?"
"I didn't take you for arcade kind of gal."
"Oh, I believe I can take you to places you've never seen," she jokes quoting me from the first time I talked to her.
We walk amongst the games chatting about nothing in particular, until she finally asks me about that performance from two weeks ago.
"So, The Partridge Family?"
"I figured it had to be something ridiculous to win your respect. And piss you off."
"Good call." She stops and picks up a toy gun that shoots water at giggling hyenas and wails on them. The barker hands her a stuffed animal as her prize. She hands it to a small kid next to her and continues walking.
"A soft side? Who knew?" I say sarcastically.
"Yeah, well, don't let it get out."
"So what's your excuse?" I ask skeptically.
"What do you mean?"
"Acting the way we do."
"I don't like to do what people expect. Then they expect it all the time and they get disappointed when you change."
"So if you disappoint them from the start, so you're covered?"
"Something like that."
"Then you screwed up."
"How?"
"You never disappointed me," I say turning to look down at her. She blushes under my gaze and give some my shoulder a playful push. "You up for it?"
"For. . . ?" I motion to the Sign behind her for a paint-ball game. She grins as we head in. After a series of shots, I'm hit from behind. But turn to find no one. I continue to creep through the paint-ball course, stealthy and full of desire to best her. I find her doing the same and nail her in the back with a big glob of red paint. She turns and gets me right in the chest with a glob of blue. I return fire with a big yellow splat to the side of her face mask. She shoots a green shot to the forehead Of my mask and After a few more shots, we're both covered in paint. She tries to shoot me again, only to find that her gun is empty.
"Damn it!" I grab her in a victorious tackle and we land, laughing. It's hard to even recognize her as her hair and face is so smeared with the splattered paint globs, but i still manage to find her eyes. I remove her mask along with mine and lean down for a kiss.
What started as a tackle has turned into a passionate kiss and I could have stayed like that forever. After we pull apart she smiles gently and says she has to get home.
I pull up to her driveway And when we get out she starts laughing at our attire. Our paint that leaked on parts of our wardrobe has dried by now and we look like refugees from some strange, yet colorful, war.
"So, kidney?" She asks continuing our 'I'll tell you mine if you tell yours' game we began I need the car.
"Fallacy."
"Virgin sacrifices?"
Hearsay."
"I know rykers is a lie."
"Do you?"
She laughs as We sit on the hood of my car. I muster up some courage and kiss her neck. She giggles a bit seductively, but doesn't pull away.
"Tell me something true," she says softly.
"I hate squash."
"No-something real. Something no one else knows."
"You're sweet. And sexy. And completely hot for me."
"What?"
"No one else knows that." She laughs at my seriousness.
"You're amazingly self-assured. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"Go to the prom with me?" I had planned to ask her, even before Sebastian's letter found its way into my locker. I just didn't know where we stood since that night at the game. But her smile disappears and her scowl that I haven't seen in weeks makes an appearance back onto her face.
"Is that a request or a command?"
"You know what I mean."
"No."
"No what?"
"No, I won't go with you."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to. It's a stupid tradition." I sit quietly, torn. I can't very well ask again, she'd get even more pissed. It's not like I'm being paid to take her, well it wouldn't have been til that ass butt left the money in my locker.
"People won't expect you to go..." I suggest, but she turns to me, getting angry.
"Why are you doing this? All of it; what's in it for you?"
I sat silently, not looking at her. Before this afternoon I could have actually put up somewhat of a fight. But now, it just felt wrong because that stupid envelope was burning a whole in my pocket. But that's not why I'm asking, deep down I know that. I was hoping we were past all of this and could eventually become something real. Clarys mood didn't change, and my silence only made it worse.
"What is huh? Create a little drama? Start a new rumor? What?"
"So I have to have a motive to be with you?"
"You tell me."
"You need therapy. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"Answer the question," she says quietly.
"Nothing!" I say suddenly angry. "There's nothing in it for me. Just the pleasure of your company." I yell which is a hundred percent true when I really think about it. She hops down and runs up to her house walking in and slamming door. I peel out of the driveway and instead of going home I turn in the opposite direction and leave the neighborhood. I end up downtown with no real destination in mind. I begin to head home and up at a stop light, while waiting for it to turn green I glance over and see a homeless man shivering in the median from the cold weather. I pull out the envelope, take the wad of money Sebastian gave me and hand it to the homeless guy. "Get covered up," I say as he stares at me in disbelief. The light turns green and I pull away back toward my house.