Chapter 1

Jace POV

I lay on my bed, trying to come up with something to do on a Saturday afternoon, but like the past hour, I came up empty. For the past three hours I lay on my bed, listened to music and tried to sleep, but I didn't. Some thoughts just kept rolling around in my head and my head started spinning.

"Hey Jace", Isabelle shouted.

What now?, I thought and rolled my eyes. Seconds later Isabelle came barging into my room.

"Still in bed?", she snickered.

Again I rolled my eyes, but this time for her to see.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm annoying", Isabelle said. "Alec and I thought about grabbing a bit t Taki's. Wanna come along?"

I shrugged and got up from the bed. Isabelle took this as clue to leave my room and we both went downstairs. Alec was waiting for us, the door wide open and he looking bored.

"Ready?"

"Yup", Isabelle nodded, popping the 'p'.

Isabelle practically ran to the car. Wow, eager much? Like always, she was dressed up, but she was 24/7, so I didn't put much thought into it, but she kept smiling the whole time and was frustrated with Alec and me, because we took so much time. (Whole 15 Seconds to get to the car!)

"Guys", she whined.

"What's with her?", Alec asked me rhetorically.

I had no idea and I didn't even try to understand the mystery that was Isabelle Lightwood. She bounced on her seat and smiled like an idiot, I really wondered why she was this enthusiastic to go to Taki's, but I didn't bother with too much thinking.

The drive didn't take long, 10 minutes top. I parked the car in front of Taki's, not really crowded as usual and we three stepped in. But I frowned when I saw someone already sitting at our normal booth and I was even more confused when Isabelle went over to the three people there.

"You know them?", Alec asked.

Still frowning I shook my head. Shrugging Alec and I went after Isabelle who was hugging a boy. He had brown hair, glasses and looked a bit like a rat. He had glasses, was lean and taller than Isabelle. The way Isabelle clung to his side made me think he was the reason she was this giddy. After him, she hugged a girl and for a moment I just stared.

The girl was beautiful. She had long red hair – natural color -, it was curly and looked soft and silky, she had the brightest green eyes I had ever seen. The girl was pretty small and petite, she looked like a small fairy out of some fairytale. But with her short denim shorts and the top that clung to her body and complimented all of her – little – curves in a very good way, she looked more hot and wild than innocent and fairy like. Next to her stood a tall guy, black hair, black eyes, pale skin, tall and well built. He looked bored and a bit creepy, with his all black clothing.

"Guys", Isabelle gushed. "This is Simon, my boyfriend."

The rat boy – Simon apparently – smiled down at Isabelle and I think even blushed a little, when she called him her boyfriend. Wow, he was definitely whipped, I thought rolling my eyes. Isabelle noticed and glared a little. My smirk made her roll her eyes.

"This is Clary, Simon's best friend and my new best girlfriend."

Clary smiled a little, but seemed a bit uncomfortable and I instantly wondered why.

"And that's Sebastian", Simon growled. "He was just leaving."

"In fact", Sebastian butted in. "I was not. Sebastian Verlac, soon to be boyfriend of Clary."

He smirked and winked at Clary, momentarily my hands clenched into fists. Bastard!

"In your dreams", Clary said seeming obviously annoyed.

"Well, whatever", Isabelle interrupted. "These are my brothers: Alec and Jace."

"Nice to meet you", Simon said politely and shook both Alec's and my hand.

We weren't Isabelle's father, so it wasn't really necessary, but he obviously was nervous as hell, so I let it slide. When we all sat down, Simon still squirmed in his seat. We sat three opposite three. Me, Alec and this Sebastian guy opposite Clary, Isabelle and Simon.

It was a little awkward because no one really talked or looked each other in the eye, but this didn't really bother me. While all the others looked at the table, I studied the redhead in front of me. She really was a natural beauty, but still had this feisty attitude around her.

"So", Sebastian pipped in. "You guys like football?"

"I don't", Alec said. "But Jace does."

"Giants Fan?", Sebastian asked me and raised an eyebrow.

I shook my head. I originally was from L.A., so I was a Raider Fan.

"Then which team?", Sebastian asked.

I didn't answer. He looked a little annoyed with me not answering him, but waited surprinsigly long, before snapping at me.

"Dude! I asked you a question."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction. So what?, I wanted to ask him with this small gesture. It seemed to piss him even more off, he tensed and clenched his hand on the table to a fist.

"Answer me", he demanded.

"Stop it, Sebastian", Isabelle said bored. "He doesn't talk."

"What?"

"He doesn't talk and now leave it."

"Why not? Is he deaf or something?"

Okay, seriously, how dumb was this guy? I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him. Now he began to piss me off!

"No, he isn't. He just doesn't want to talk and now leave it."

Surprisingly he did, but then he began to make fun of me. I don't know why, but he found it extremely amusing. At first he asked me all kinds of question, then he began to ask Isabelle or Alec, like I was some child and didn't understand what he was saying or was just too dumb to understand someone like him. Then he just plain right ignored me, but I didn't really care. A waiter came over to our table and put an end to his little game. Everybody seemed relieved about that, even the two new ones.

"Hey", Kaelie said. "What can I get you?"

she worked here since last year and knew Isabelle, Alec and me pretty good. She knows I don't talk, but still tries to bring me to talk. A lot of girls do actually. Every girl wants to be 'the one' who can bring me to talk again. It was pathetic, really.

Everybody ordered and when my turn came, Kaelie just asked if I wanted my usual and I nodded. She tried to smile seductively at me, but failed miserably. I just ignored her, even if she was an annoying girl, I still didn't want to lead her on somehow.

The conversation went on and on, but I didn't pay much attention, instead I continued studying the redhead. The way her lips moved, the way her eyes shined or her cheeks went slightly red, when she was embarrassed about a story Simon told us about her as a child. She was a but clumsy as a child, so there were a lot of stories about her falling over her own feet and landing in a pole of mud. Even I chuckled a little.

When it came back to Sebastian and his jokes about me, I zoned out. But then something happened that shocked all of us.

"Shut up, Sebastian!", Clary shouted.

Everyone went silent and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Excuse me?", Sebastian asked innocently, but he was anything but and he knew it damn well!

"I said shut up!", she repeated herself. "Seriously you're not only pissing me off, but everyone else at this table. We didn't invite you to be here, honestly no one of us wants you to be here and you making fun of someone you don't even know is just plain right pathetic. Do us all a favor and leave. Now!"

I stared wide eyed at her. Wow, this girl had definitely a fire burning deep inside of her. I didn't want her to defend me, hell I didn't need her to defend but she did, and she didn't even know me.

"What the hell Clary?!", Sebastian cried. "You don't know him either. What's it to you? You're really setting your standards this low? You can do much better than him Clary, I liked you for months and you are always giving me the cold shoulder and now you are defending some worthless piece of shit. He can't even defend himself, hell he can't open his fucking -"

SPLASH!

Clary had taken her strawberry milkshake and out of anger threw the contents all over Sebastian's face and chest. For a short amount of time we all just stared, before Sebastian reacted and stood up.

"You will regret this", Sebastian growled at Clary. "And I will personally make you pay for this!"

He pointed a finger at me and then took long strides out of Taki's.

"Clary, that -", Isabelle started, but couldn't seem to finish what she as about to say.

Clary didn't even look at her, she fumed and looked like she had to control herself, not to run after him and strangle him. When she looked at me, my first reaction was to smile at her, show her I was thankful, but the thing was: Even if I was thankful, I didn't want her to think I needed a girl to defend myself. So instead I went for a glare and furrowed eyebrows.

"Calm down, I didn't do it to defend you. Like he said, he's been 'liking me' me" She made air quotes. "for months and stalked me since then. I told him time and time again I wasn't interested. You were just an excuse to blow up in his face. I still meant everything I said, and he really didn't have a right to say it, but I know you're a guy and can defend yourself."

I was stunned. She was absolutely right about me, and this was actually the first thing she said to me since being introduced to me two hours ago. How could she look through me this well with only knowing me for this short time?

Shaking my head I pushed my milkshake to her as some sort of thanks and replacement for her milkshake. We both had gotten a strawberry one, so I thought she would take it. She smiled at me and took it gratefully.

"Your welcome", she smirked.

I couldn't help but grin back at her. This girl was infuriating, but still fascinating in her own way. She just made me want to get to know her.

"Clary?", Simon asked.

"Hmm?"

"You have to say 'Thank You' if someone overs you their Milkshake, not 'Your welcome'", Simon said and raised an eyebrow,

Clary just rolled her eyes.

"Drink your own", she replied.

-o-o-o- Staying Silent -o-o-o-

"So", Isabelle started back in the car after another hour and a half at Taki's . "You and Clary seemed to get on well."

I shrugged and concentrated on the traffic. The last hour we got along pretty well. It was like she could read every facial expression I made, she talked enough for both of us, but still not too much. She talked with me like Isabelle and Alec, like I spoke and was 'normal'. And she expected an answer for everyone of her questions, and when I didn't answer she stopped talking to me, which made me smile. I smiled again just thinking about her.

"You're smiling", Alec observed.

Smiling I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Really? I was smiling Alec? I didn't notice!, I thought sarcastically. Alec chuckled and left it.

"I could give you her number", Isabelle offered.

I thought about it for a while. It would be great to contact her again, but I was afraid to what it might lead if we started sending each other texts. Maybe she would ask me through texts why I didn't talk and I couldn't tell her that, I couldn't tell anyone. This was the reason why I stayed silent, to keep everybody save.

"I mean it wouldn't make it difference since we will see her again on monday."

Confused I raised an eyebrow and looked at Isabelle through the rear view mirror.

"She's starting at our school on Monday", Isabelle smirked.

Involuntarily my heart skipped a beat, just to start beating again with more speed that I thought it would break my rips.

"Excited?", Isabelle teased.

Oh I wished I could tell her to shut up, but instead I just gave her a death glare and she kept her mouth shut. But I couldn't stop her form smirking.

"Jace and Clary, sitting in a tree", she began to sing silently.

God, this was going to be awful. On one part I was excited to see Clary again on Monday and to know I would see her from now on regularly. On the other I was frustrated to know Isabelle and Alec wouldn't stop teasing me about Clary and I was a but afraid of school. Maybe Clary wouldn't want to talk to me at school. There were other people and maybe she would be embarrassed to be seen with me. The freak, the one who stayed silent for almost eleven years now.