Herondale High

Chapter 28- Falling Hard

Clary's P.O.V.

It's been almost a week since my not date with Jace. We went to dinner at this really fancy Italian restaurant and I caught Jace staring at me a lot but he would just break into that adorable grin and I would go back to eating. I talked about art pretty much the whole date and I would've thought I was boring him except every time I stopped talking he would ask more questions like he was genuinely curious. We went and saw the action movie and it was pretty good but I started to get tired towards the end and may or may not have laid my head on Jace's shoulder. After that, he walked me back to my room and gave me a kiss on my forehead goodnight. I was fine until the forehead kiss but for some reason those always make me come undone.

Izzy was waiting up after the date and I told her everything. The rest of the week was kind of drab and I was really looking forward to telling Josie how everything went but she was super busy so I didn't end up telling her until Sunday. After a whole weekend of telling myself that I wasn't falling for Jace, I almost had myself convinced...until he walked into math this morning. I mean come on my hatred for Mondays could rival Garfield's but seeing Jace made me so happy I didn't even notice kind of like how I didn't notice the mistake Mrs.Cartwright made until she told me I was wrong. I was too busy floating away in Jace land to look at what she did but, in an effort to repay me for my first day in her class, she tried to embarrass me by saying I had the wrong answer but I knew the answer was right because Josie checked my homework and she's an actual genius according to her IQ. Never the one to back down from a challenge I told her she was wrong and proved it making everyone laugh, her hate me a little more, and Jace give me the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen.

That's how most of my day went. Until lunch. Jace was waiting outside the art room after the 4th-hour bell rang. He then proceeded to walk me to our lockers and then to the cafeteria. The whole time he asked questions like what my favorite color was, my favorite candy, etc. like 20 questions except each time I answered he answered with his response which is how I learned he loves dark colors but doesn't have a favorite and he loves butterfingers. We continue our conversation through the lunch line, where he pays for both of our lunches before I can punch in my number for mine, and then to the lunch table. When we get there I see Izzy and Josie looking at something on her phone and laughing while Alec and Magnus sit across from them. I notice Magnus staring at Josie with something like regret before turning towards Alec to say hello only to find him look at Jace with something like anger before quickly looking away.

I'm about to ask Alec what's wrong when Josie looks up. "Oh my God Clary you have to see this. My friend works at this bar and they have Karaoke where the audience can see the words so there's this 30 something dude trying to sing High School Musical for some unknown reason and completely messing up you have to see it." She thrusts the phone at me as I take my seat next to her and Jace sits on my other side at the end of the table. The video is pretty hilarious and pretty soon I'm laughing my ass off until I hear the voice I hate most in this world begin to talk.

"Oh Jace, when are you finally gonna learn that you are so much better than these losers. I mean it was one thing when Alec was cool but now he's gay and friendless when it comes to people that count." Amanda slides her hand up Jace's chest. "We should get together again I've missed you since Saturday night." WHAT?? Jace slept with her on Saturday after our not date that was totally a date on Wednesday. Suddenly it makes perfect sense to me why he's been so nice to me. I see Izzy give me a sympathetic look as I excuse myself to the bathroom. As I get up I see Josie sneer.

"First of all you no good whore, I am not a loser and if you call me one again you won't have a tongue. Second of all Alec has plenty of friends that matter and if your saying him being gay is a bad thing then maybe talk to Timmy Turner over there with the black eye I gave him so you know I will cut a bitch if they come at Alec for being who he is and Jace is doing just fine so long as he stays away from you STD ridden ass. Maybe the reason he's not coming back is because he heard you gave half the hockey team syphilis because I've only been here a few weeks and I heard all about it." I move out of hearing range glancing at the kid with the black eye she was talking about. He's sporting a pink cap to try and hide his black eye which must be where the Timmy Turner comment came from because I'm pretty sure his name is Dylan or something.

After I use the restroom and calm down so I don't go off on Jace, I return to the cafeteria. I'm about to sit down when the bell rings and I head for French. I get there and take a seat in the back near where Josie usually sits instead of my normal seat in the front. Izzy follows and sits next to me and Jace sits in front of Josie on my other side. Jo rolls her eyes before setting her head on her desk. Jace tries to talk to me and before I know it I ask. "Why did you sleep with Amanda again when you said it was a mistake last time?"

Jace looks taken aback at the question before his face contorts in anger. "I didn't sleep with her again otherwise I would have Syphilis and trust me I don't, which is something you would know if you stuck around or even had a shred of faith in me." I can tell he's telling the truth and I try to apologize but I must have really upset him because neither of us realizes that class started until the teacher asks. "Monsieur Herondale?"

I see Jace panic as he fumble for an answer to the question he didn't hear when a voice with a flawless French accent says, "Le chien a mangé trois pommes."

"Oui, Madam..."

"Wayland," answers Josette and the teacher nods her head before muttering in English that she didn't think Josette even knew what class this was. Josette responds in perfect French with, "Je parle probablement plus français que vous, car j'ai vécu toute ma vie en France et vous y êtes probablement allé une fois pour étudier à l'étranger et avez décidé de connaître la langue." She smiles big and I can tell the teacher has no idea what she said because she laughs and nods before turning away as Josie rests her head back on her desk. Madam Dorthea says something about asking Jace but since the question was answered she'll move on as Jace turns to face Josette.

"Thanks for that."

She scowls at him. "I didn't do it for you I did it because I hate this class and the fact that I have to sit through French 1 with an idiot for a teacher when I could do way better."

Jace laughs. "Yeah okay, whatever you say Settie." Since when did he have a nickname for her? How close were they?

Josette scowls again and glare, "Don't call me that Jonathan." She spits out venomously. When she says this I look around expecting to see my brother before realizing Jace must be a nickname as Josie continues. "We aren't friends just because we had one moment Saturday night means nothing. I only told you all that because I was already upset from Magnus's visit and I was crying when you got there so don't act like it was anything else."

Jace frowns. "I thought we were friends."

Josette laughs dryly. "You don't want to be my friend Jace, you made that perfectly clear in Paris." As soon as she was done, almost as though it was waiting for her to finish, the bell rings and Josette leaves. Jace stares after her for a while before walking determinedly out the door leaving me behind with three realizations. One, Josette has never talked about her life before and she never mentioned something happened with Magnus on Saturday. Two, Jace and Josie knew each other before they got here but they didn't want anybody to know because there was a serious strain on their relationship. And three, I didn't want to be Jace's friend because I wasn't on the verge of falling for him, I had already fallen and I wasn't sure that he would be there to save me before I went kersplat.