Herondale High

Chapter 30- Always Jumping To Conclusions

Jace's P.O.V.

It's been 4 days since my fight with Clary and Josette although I don't know if you can really call what happened with Josette a fight. That night that she left me in the hallway after telling me about her dads I dreamt about the first time I met her. Everything was so messed up and I wanted to know my sister until I got there. I don't know what made me so angry whether it was the fact that she looked so happy or just so different from my parents. I remembered my dad saying he didn't believe she was his so I want to pretend it was that that upset me but I think deep down I was so angry because my parents were always so worried about how I would take over the Herondale business and the academy and I hated her because if our parents hadn't given her up they probably wouldn't even question her ability to run it. She was only 14 but she looked like she could handle anything so it shocked me when she got so angry when I told her I didn't want anything to do with her and I thought maybe my parents were right, she just wanted to manipulate me into giving her my inheritance, but then she said I was like our parents and she wished she hadn't met me. I pushed that memory away even when she came to Herondale I did my best to push it down.

I guess that's why I understood why she wanted to get away from me when I tried to talk to her in French but I thought I would get another chance to talk to her until Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb showed up. I guess they are Josie's old friends from Paris according to Magnus. I recognized one as the guy whose Aunt was in the plane crash and the other one sounds like the guy from the strip club. I could handle it if they weren't around her ALL the time like they're her bodyguards or something. However, no matter how mad I get about it, Magnus is a thousand times worse. Sometimes he ignores Alec because he's so focused on glaring at those two.

To make matters worse they both joined the football team saying they had never played before because they didn't have football in Europe they have soccer but they were actually really good so now I get to watch them undress my sister with their eyes during football practice too.

After the football game tonight, Izzy invited Magnus, Alec, Dumb, Dumber, and me back to her and Clary's room to "hang out". I think this was really just a way for her to get Clary and me in the same room when Josette came up and asked me if I was going so I said yes thinking maybe we could talk about what happened all those years ago. Maybe she could tell me who our parents really were but I didn't get to ask because Izzy said we should play truth or dare. The game was pretty lame most people chose truth. I chose dare and Zach, the one with the aunt I learned, dared me to let Josette do my makeup. I didn't want to do it but I was hoping to ask Josie a question.

I thought she would make me look bad to be funny but it didn't take long and it looked like I wasn't even wearing makeup which she informed me was how makeup was supposed to look like before giving me a makeup removing wipe. I didn't get to ask her a question because of course, she chose dare. I gave her some stupid dare and I knew I was staring at her thinking about how I was going to make her talk to me but I must have been a little too obvious about it because suddenly Clary asked truth or dare. I thought about it for a moment before saying truth. Clary surprised everyone by asking, "Are you and Josie having some secret romance or did you used to date or something."

Everyone looks at her. Magnus and Alec give her pitying looks both knowing we are related, Alec asked me after he put the dots together Saturday and I didn't want to keep lying to him so I told him the truth. I saw Josette pale and both her friends look at her before I turned an incredulous look on Clary before saying, "Eww no gross." Clary gives me a confused look but apparently Josette truly thought it was disgusting because she surged to her feet and ran for the bathroom. I ran after her with everyone on my heels only to see Jo hurl her guts up into Clary and Izzy's toilet. She looks up and says sorry only to turn back and throw up more. After a few minutes of Josie throwing up, she seems like she is both done and worn out. I offer to carry her back to her room thinking she might actually talk to me being this sick but Jake and Zach say they've got it and she lets Zach take her into his arms whispering something that sounded like she missed he scent. After this, Magnus and Alec leave while Izzy goes to look for something to make the smell go away.

I go to follow Alec but Clary asks me to stay. I tell him I'll meet him back at our dorm. He nods before hugging Clary and leaving. Once it's just Clary and me, she turns to me and says. "Jace I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have assumed that Amanda was telling the truth but you and I had gone on that date so I let my emotions cloud my judgment and I'm sorry ok?"

"First of all, you said that wasn't a date." I see her blush. "Second of all, I want to believe that your sorry but you did the exact same thing with Josette. I would never look at her like that..."

"Then why were you staring at her," she cuts me off. I don't know how to respond to that so I say the first thought that comes into my head.

"What?"

"When we were playing truth or dare," she explains. "You were staring at her so I'm sorry if I got the wrong idea because it's pretty obvious you guys already knew each other so I just wanted to know if I was wasting my time."

"We did know each other a long time ago but that doesn't matter about," suddenly I process what she said. "What do you mean wasting your time?" She blushes and tries to say forget it but I can't. I reach up and touch her cheek before telling her in a gentler voice then I've probably ever used before, "You know you can tell me anything right, Clary? I won't judge you and I'll always be here for you."

She looks into my eyes and then suddenly she blurts out, "I really like you Jace like wanna date you like." Suddenly she blushes deeper and I feel myself grin.

"Well, that's good because I like you too Clary. I've never actually dated anyone I liked before like for real so you'll have to bear with me but if you're willing to give this a shot then so am I." Clary looks at me in disbelief before she smiles and the next thing I know she's kissing me until the door opens.

We break apart and see Izzy in the doorway holding some febreeze. "Damn it, of course, I would come in and ruin the moment. I'll just go back outside and you guys can pretend this didn't happen okay."

I laugh but say, "It's okay Iz, I have to get going anyway. I wouldn't want us all to get in trouble for breaking curfew."

Isabelle laughs. "It's okay, if we get caught you can get us out of trouble you're going to inherit this school after all."

"Maybe not after all," I mumble. They both look confused so I say I have to get to bed and hug them both before leaving overjoyed that Clary feels the same way as me and wants to date me but simultaneously worried what made Josette so sick so quickly.