Chapter 4: Emo

JPOV

"Izzy, I'm not very comfortable with carrying Clary bridal style," I said to her whilst cautiously walking down the stairs into the basement with Clary in my arms. Sebastian was still snickering in front of me, making the occasional attempt to thump her forehead. Mature, Seb, mature.

"By the angel, guys, I thought you'd never get here," a familiar voice sounded from across the room. My adoptive brother, Alec was tuning his bass guitar on the sofa next to Jordan who was practising chords on his synthesizer. "By the way, Jace, did you learn the lyrics for Welcome to the Black Parade?"

"Most of it. Why do we have to go so emo now with these songs? What happened to metal?"

"I think Izzy would care to explain." I set Clary carelessly down on the sofa.

Izzy bit her lip. "Cosmo Forte is kind of signed up for a competition."

"WHAT THE HELL, IZZY?"

"I'm sorry! I thought it said Emmy Band Competition on the sheet! As in the awards, you know?! So, frankly, I put my name and number down, and then they said it was an Emo Band Competition. I'm sorry...but I said that Cosmo Forte'll do it."

"Dammit, Izzy, seriously?" I yelled.

"My reaction exactly," Jordan sighed, coming up behind me. "What was an Emmy Band Competition meant to do in the first place? That doesn't even make sense."

"I don't know," Isabelle snapped, stomping her foot on the step. "I was too caught up in the Emmy part that I didn't really think."

Sebastian chuckled quietly in the corner. "Remember when you signed up for that pageant thinking it was an advent calendar? And you got chosen at random so you could get the chocolate? That was funny."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have my contacts on then either."

"So, about the competition, when is it?" Sebastian asked her, only getting a shrug in response.

"I don't know. Sometime next month. Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance are sponsoring the contest, though."

"By the angel! FALL OUT BOY AND MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE?!" A high-pitched voice came from near Alec. We whirled around simultaneously to be met with wide and shocked green eyes.

From next to me, Jordan gasped under his breath. "You know emo bands, Clary?"

"Heck, yeah I do! They're seriously sponsoring that competition?" Clary said excitedly, getting up from her cramped position on the couch. She seemed to forget everything that had just happened.

"Whoa, Clary. You just fainted. Don't get too eager," Izzy exclaimed, rushing over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, shrugging off Isabelle's hands from her shoulders. "Nice basement, I guess." She looked around, eyeing my guitars hooked up on the walls.

"What happened upstairs?" I blurted out before thinking about it. Seriously, Jace? Subtle.

Clary's eyes immediately darkened. "Nothing. Too much time with you, I guess."

I glared at her evocatively, only to come across the same look of determination from Clary, her eyes also narrowed. I had to admit, she was confident. A little stupid for doing it, but confident.

"Come on, Shrimp, we all know I'm stunningly attractive. And oh so gifted with words..."

"Don't you have to have talent in order to have an ego?"

I turned on my heel abruptly to look at her. God, she was so irritating! I stalked over to her, grabbing her hair and pulling her short frame up to mine. "Wow, Weasley, next level up, huh?" I murmured. Clary's face was so close to mine...the panic in her eyes was evident. I leaned in closer-

Only to be wrenched backward, the back of my shirt grasped in someone's hand. "God, Jace, you just don't know when to stop!" I looked up to see squared glasses and livid brown eyes boring intently into mine. "You're such an idiot! I know I'm not as strong as you, so don't even go there, Jace. But that won't stop me from trying to protect my best friend from you and Sebastian every day. I'm still surprised you haven't attacked her yet. You've had long enough."

"Well," I hissed back, "With you, Izzy, Jordan and Alec constantly around me I don't have a chance."

"Just stop it, Jace! Can't you see you hurt her enough already? Just stay away!"

"Stay away? Clary's the easiest victim yet. She doesn't even fight. She lets you do the dirty work for her."

"Are you forgetting that I punched you, Jace?" Clary griped from behind.

"She what, dude?" Jordan snorted. "Oh my god, Clary punched you!"

"Shut. Up," I breathed. "Why do you even hang around me anyway if you detest me so much?"

"For the band. For Cosmo Forte."

"You don't have to be in the band. Guitarists are easy to replace. Especially you, Simon. It's not like have the best strumming technique-"

Suddenly, Simon lunged at me.

SPOV (Simon)

I have never known anyone as infuriating and aggravating as Jace Herondale. The massive ego of his was only boosted by him being the lead singer of Cosmo Forte. I was the one who wrote all the song lyrics. Notes. Organised gigs. All Jace did was exasperatingly turn up to practice late and use his voice, in which I have in turn heard enough of for a lifetime.

But really? Insulting my best friend, Clary and my guitar skills too? He was too maddening to stay sane.

So I attacked him myself. We were sprawled across the floor, knocking into Sebastian's drums. I didn't really think about it, as Jace was more experienced in physical fighting than I was, but I still lunged at him. The occasional punch and kick left us both knocked for breath, and soon the whole basement was a complete mess, with Isabelle standing motionless, and Clary with her mouth agape in the middle of the room. The other boys were just laughing under their breath.

A pain unlike one I have experienced before shot up through my arm, causing me to bend it at an unnatural and uncomfortable angle until it was slightly bearable.

"Simon, honey, are you okay?" Isabelle gasped, running forwards to me.

"Izzy! Shh!"

"By. The. Angel." Clary croaked. "Honey? Don't tell me. Please. Don't tell me..."

"Oh yeah. Clary, one more thing..." Isabelle began, "Simon and I are dating."

CPOV

Oh my god. Are they serious? My two best friends, the ones I have relied on forever, are together? As in together together? And they didn't even tell me?

"Si...why didn't you tell me?" I enquired more harshly than I meant.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know how. We thought you'd be really mad-"

"Well, what do you think I am now? How long have you been dating?"

"A few months now but-"

I cut him off again. "A few months? God, Si, I would have been fine with it!" Liar, Clary. "But no. You pity me, right? You pity me because of Jace and Sebastian, and that I'm short and redheaded, right? Yeah." I looked towards Jace, who was already staring at me. I huffed and stormed back up the stairs.

IPOV (Isabelle)

Ugh. We should have told her. Yes, of course we pitied her, but still.

"Are you alright, Simon?" I repeat. I felt guilty, but Simon must have been feeling worse.

He winced as I touched his arm, attempting to change the position it was angled. His elbow was pointed to his head and his hand was twisted to the left.

"Not really, Izzy, considering how my arm looks. Thanks a lot, Jace," he groaned. "Looks like you'll get your guitar replacement after all."

I gasped. "What about the competition? You have only a month to learn those emo songs! You can't do any metal..." Simon just gestured gratingly at Jace, who smirked.

It was Jordan who broke the silence. "Okay, dude, we better get you to the hospital first..."

"What about the party tonight?" I enquired. "Simon has to be there for that!"

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know, Izzy. See what the doctor says."

I decided to go up after Clary. She would probably be very annoyed with me, but I still need to see what's up. When did I turn into such an idiot?

I pounded up the stairs, and looked around for Clary. Since she didn't know her way around my house very well, I considered that she probably took the most recognisable route to my room.

Surely enough, I found her there, staring out the window.

"Hey. I'm sorry. We should have told you sooner." Clary didn't say anything for a while. "Simon's going to the hospital. His arm's bad."

"Is he okay?"

"Well...umm...his arm is...not good. As I said."

An awkward silence followed. Abruptly, Clary stands up. "Wait a second – if Simon's hurt his arm, then who will play lead guitar for Cosmo Forte in the competition?"

"I don't know, it wasn't the main point of discussion down in the basement. I asked, but to avail...Wait. Wait a sec...Wait. Wait! Oh my god, wait!" The thought hit me and I was all of a sudden energized.

"I'm waiting..." Clary sighed, tapping her foot against the wood of my bedroom floor.

"You play guitar, Clary!" The memory of hearing her in one of the practice rooms at school came back to me.

"How did you know about that?" Clary stood up hastily, a twisted expression distorting her freckles.

"I heard you one time, last year or something, practising. It was amazing. I remember!"

"Please, don't tell anyo-" Clary began but was interrupted.

Clary and I turned around to face the doorway.

"Didn't know you played, Shrimp," Jace concluded whilst leaning against the doorframe.