AN: Hi guys.
You have the honest right to murder me slowly, I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long, but in all honesty, life came CRASHING DOWN ON ME. School, boyfriends and best friends.
Oh, the joys of being a fifteen year old girl. But enough about my sad, sorry life! On to more pressing matters:
17 reviews? Reeaally guys. You can do much better than that. I'm aiming for 25 at least.
This is the club scene! Hoping for the little bit of Clace action and the Sizzy moment to sate your needs.
There are more lyrics when Millennium Lint performs. Jace is still in Italics and Eric in Bold.
The club is modeled after my friend's dad's new club, Eye of Horus. So the club's interior goes to his fabulous planning.
Disclaimer!
I'm just saying I do not own the Mortal instruments. I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction story if I did. But sadly that credit goes to Cassandra Clare.
Black and white picture of her on my wall. I fell in love with the girl at the rock show.
I waited for her call, she always kept me waiting...
And if I ever got another chance, I'd still ask her to dance,
Because she kept me waiting.
She said "what?" and I told her that I didn't know.
She's so cool, gonna sneak in through her window.
Everything's better when she's around,
I can't wait till her parents go out of town.
I fell in love with the girl at the rock show.—The Rock Show by Blink 182
Chapter 4: The Girl at the Rock Show
The club smelled heavily of smoke and sweat. Almost everything in the club was black, except for the strobe lights, the red tablecloths and curtains on stage.
The crowd itself was a mesh of black white and neon, jumping and swinging to the rhythm of the trance and metal. The DJ was on the second floor, and he was looking down at the dancing teenagers.
Isabelle closed the curtains. They blocked out most of the loud music. She glanced at the band as they set up. Jace was helping Kirk set up the drums, and Simon was tuning his guitar. In the real club, Clary and Maia were dancing with Alec.
Isabelle had picked out a strangely comfortable outfit. She wore almost all leather—a black leather mini skirt, a comfortable leather tube-top that left her stomach completely bare and a pair of thigh-high boots with six-inch heels. Her arms were decorated with plain thin silver bangles that clanged together as she tucked her loosely curled jet-black hair behind her ear. Her mask was a plain ball mask, black, and was made of soft velvet. The only color in her whole outfit was her red painted lips.
The rest of the band was wearing the usual; all of them wore different colored shirts—Jace in black, Simon in red, Eric in blue, Kirk in Green and Matt in Pink—with skinny jeans and leather jackets. They had only added plain velvet masks (similar to Isabelle's to match their shirts.
Jace was done helping Kirk, and he was busying himself by doing something on his phone.
She approached him and he put his phone away, smiling down at her.
"Iz," seeing her half-hidden expression, his smile faltered. "What's wrong?"
"Jace…" her voice sounded sorry, but not sad.
"You want to break up now, don't you?" he whispered.
"Yeah," she whispered back, waiting for his cold reply.
"I knew it for a while now." He sighed. "I guess we should make the act good then."
"What?" Isabelle was puzzled.
"You know, we planned this?" He took a deep breath. "Our alibi is that you hate it when I'm with the band so much." His face suddenly twisted into a grimace.
"You want to break up?" he said loudly enough that everyone in the band turned to them, watching intently.
Isabelle played along, praying it was the right thing to do. "Yes. This isn't working for me."
Jace's voice was menacingly low. "Out."
Isabelle spun on her heel and said simply, "Goodbye, Jace."
What the hell just happened? She thought as she plunged into the swarming mass of bodies.
"Clary! Hand me… my glass!" Maia panted. She was in a tight leopard-print dress and a matching mask. She was breathless from all the dancing, more so than Alec and Clary, because of all the guys trying to grope her. She hit each and every one of them.
Clary handed the girl the glass of coke she'd ordered. Alec started laughing at Maia's flushed state, and Clary elbowed him in the ribs. His simple black t-shirt and black jeans made Clary think, not for the first time today, of her Shadowhunter life. He was one of the few there who didn't wear a mask, along with Jordan.
Clary glanced down at herself. Isabelle had caught her off guard with the dress, and in a moment of weakness, she'd agreed.
The dress was a green-and-black Lolita style, with a green lace corset to the front. The dress left her shoulders open and had elbow length sleeves, with green ruffles at the end. The skirts blossomed, ballerina style, ending just short of her knees, the green lace material tied over the black satiny skirt with a bow at the side of her waist.
Her hair was loose and curling around her shoulders. She wore a ball-type green mask that matched the lacey corset, with black around the edges. Her eyes stood out startlingly bright against the lime.
"When are they going on?" Alec asked, still hiding the smile from Maia.
"In a few minutes," Maia said, gulping down the whole glass of icy cold coke.
Clary sighed and eyed the thick red curtains. Somewhere behind those curtains, Jace was getting ready. Somewhere behind those curtains, he was being golden and beautiful. And he wasn't hers. The clock above the stage caught her eye. It was almost nine, which was when the band would start.
"Clary!" Alec waved his hand in front her face, grabbing her attention. "Where's Iz—"
He was cut off as the curtains opened and the band came into full view. Eric stroke his guitar, making sure it was tuned in, causing the whole room to fall silent.
Jace stepped closer to the mike.
"Hi. We're Millennium Lint, and we're the band for tonight. So enjoy," he smiled as the music started, hard and haunting.
Jace started, his melody—pained, but beautiful.
Hey, man, what's it take
To get a drink around here?
'Cause I've lost my will again, again.
This is the part we read about when we were young.
How it's so hard to face the truth and give it up.
But there's no one left to blame.
No, there's no one left at all.
Jace started performing now, giving the audience a little taste of what they wanted. They loved it; they loved him, hanging onto his every word like he was a god. And for all Clary knew, he was. They cheered and head-banged and jumped around crazily.
Oh no!
It looks like I've—
"I left him." Isabelle, now standing behind her, startled her by speaking. Her voice was emotionless.
"Sorry," Clary said, looking at her friend.
"For what? Now I'm free to do what I want." Isabelle grinned at the stage. Clary followed her gaze to where Simon was. Isabelle still liked him.
But Clary's gaze drifted to Jace again, and she felt a painful ache in her chest. Longing. She wouldn't show it, but she missed him.
'Cause they only know my name.
They don't know my shame at all.
(Oh.)
Jace gave it his all now, head banging and jumping, reaching into the crowd. They ate him up. His voice was like metaphorical sex, his body the embodiment of it.
Oh no!
It looks like I've got a problem.
And I really don't know if I will survive.
Never gonna make it alive,
I'm never gonna make it, I'm alive.
Never gonna make it alive.
And that's fine.
His eyes scanned the crowd as he cooled down, and he met Clary's. She know it was her and not Izzy, because the moment his eyes locked with hers, her stomach flipped, her heart stopped and the hair on her arms and neck rose. It always did when Jace looked at her like that.
I hope it's not too late.
I never know when enough is enough.
And every time I come to this place,
I get more than just a little buzz.
(I don't know)
how much longer before I drown.
(I don't know)
if I've got long enough
To put another down.
Hey, man, what's it take
To get a drink around here?
She turned around at that moment, deciding it was time to have her first drink.
The club was still eating out of the palm of his hand. It was the last song before they had to pack up, and he wanted to finish it with them longing for more.
He mouthed to Eric which song he wanted to do next. The guitar started playing. The song was a slower version of what they usually did, but it was equally beautiful.
If you're still up for chasing dreams,
I've got a bottle, two glasses and a backseat.
And a lot of things to resolve,
If you've got the time at all.
Jace related to the lyrics, his façade falling away and his eyes scanning the crowd. He met the gaze of a small redheaded girl near the bar, next to Isabelle. Clary.
I'm not one to be much different, For you?
Than who I really am.
I lived my life for way too long
Trying to please everyone else.
Sometimes I should probably
Just bite my goddamn tongue.
Well I've said too much a few times,
But how much is enough
'Cause I don't want to lose you.
She looked like an angel. She was the only thing that stood out in the dark crowd, with her red hair and bright green dress. His past was once entwined with hers so deeply, and he risked tearing it apart.
I was thinking about telling you
that I was in love,
I was in love with you.
He broke them both by doing that, unraveling the very threads that held them together. He made reality a nightmare, a personal hell in which they both had to live. And nothing he could say would make it right.
No palace of words will make this better
If there's deceit in every letter.
You came to me with hope for a future,
And I came to you with a weight in life.
He thought of her as a fragile, cracked piece of stained glass. If he put her under too much pressure she would shatter into small pieces that were not only impossible to repair, but if she tried, she'd scar herself so badly she'd never be able to love again.
For you, I was thinking about telling you
'cause I don't want to lose you.
I was in love,
I was in love with you.
With you.
With you.
I'm in love with you.
The last song should've broken Clary's. Jace stared directly at her, his face so pained, she thought he would break down and cry. But by then she was already too buzzed to care. She danced around the crowd for a while, before letting someone drag her to dance with them. It was a boy with inky black hair, standing on end, and wearing a red shirt that glinted like blood under the lights.
It was too dark to see his face completely, but she danced anyway, forgetting about anything and everything in her drunken state.
It wasn't the first time she had gotten drunk; she remembered the first time, when she and Simon had stolen some of his mother's wine at thirteen. They had been sick for days, and grounded for months. But that was in her old life; here, she probably got drunk on a regular basis since it had taken her almost three glasses of brandy and coke and a whole tray of Strorum and Vodka shots.
The music built up slowly, and then dropped, the bass beating in time with her heart, and the strobe lights flashing. It made her feel drunker, dizzier, but it looked amazing. The boy looked even better, and he looked at her.
She could finally see his face; pale with strong features. And his eyes… were completely black. No white, only a scarlet pupil, dilated to a pin prick. He smiled, but his teeth were sharp and pointed, row upon row, like sharks teeth.
Demon.
She backed away, stumbling and almost falling, but a strong, steady hand gripped her shoulder and held her upright.
She spun around and looked up, only to meet bright amber eyes. He was clear in the darkness of the club—all black, except for his golden looks. His eyes, his hair, even his skin. It reminded her painfully of that night in Pandemonium. He reminded her of a lion.
She tried to say his name.
"Jaysh?" Damn. She was drunker than she thought.
"Clary, how much did you drink?" he looked honestly worried. But she found this funny for some reason, and cracked up.
"Not… too much!" she said between giggles.
"I should get you home," he said slowly.
"Home…" she tested the word on her tongue. "Sounds like a greeeaaat idea." She sighed and swayed, falling onto Jace's chest. "Woopsie!"
"Wow. You're really drunk."
"Nooo, Just a liiiiittle bit tipsy,"
He rooled his eyes and took her hand. "Can you walk?"
"Of course," She replied, but he still had to half-carry her to the door. He stopped by the bar on the way out, grabbing her overlarge green purse, and telling Simon that they were leaving.
Simon said something about taking care of her, and Clary started laughing again. When they reached the stairs to the exit, Jace picked Clary up and carried her bridal-style.
"I can walk on my own…" she said, not much force behind her words.
"Maybe when you're sober, but definitely not now."
"Why not?" she whined.
"Because right now, you have the walking ability of a two-year old child."
"Hey… that's mean."
"Well," he said, "The truth isn't always pretty."
Livin' like a celebrity,
All the guys line up
And the drinks are free.
She knows she's hot,
But that's all she's got.
Everybody knows she's on the move
With her six-inch heels and an attitude
To seal the deal,
She shoots to kill.
But I'm not going down…
I smell her sweet perfume
Makin' rounds around the room,
'Cause she's a downtown girl, a downtown girl.
Her lips are red
And those hips are turning heads,
'Cause she's a downtown girl, a downtown girl. – Downtown Girl by Hot Chelle Rae
What is it about me? Isabelle wondered, heading back to the bar. All the guys wanted to dance with her. I'm not that attractive. Am I? She sighed. All-human and she was still beautiful. She met Simon's gaze when she got to the bar, and he smiled at her.
"Si, what is it about me that people notice?" the question caught him by surprise, and she smiled. She was never one to beat around the bush.
"You're beautiful…" he said unsurely.
"I know. But there has to be something else."
Simon was silent for a while, but then he tugged on a lock of her hair. "You're nice. You care about everyone. You never let yourself fall, but you want to. Badly. You're smart, you're funny, and you're brave. You are so much, you're something everyone wants to be. And you don't see it."
He had moved closer to her, and his face was an inch away from hers. Her heart was beating so fast and hard she swore he could hear it. They were lost in each other's eyes.
And then he kissed her. It was just a small peck.
Suddenly she had a flashback, a small memory.
"Mommy?" Isabelle called. She was only seven then, and she heard soft sobs coming from her parents' room. She pushed the door open, and found her mother at the dressing-room table, crying. "Mommy, what's wrong?" her voice sounded small.
"Oh, Isabelle," her mother pulled her onto her lap. "You are so beautiful. So perfect." Isabelle was confused. One moment her mother was crying, the next she was telling Isabelle how beautiful she was.
"I don't want you to ever get hurt. You must never become too soft. Never fall in love, Isabelle. It hurts so much to lose what you had."
Isabelle nodded and hugged her mom. Only years later would she find out that her father had cheated on her mother while away on a business trip, but for the sake of her and Alec, they hadn't separated or divorced. They were just never at home anymore.
The memory was so similar to her old life, it was painful. The only difference was the setting. She gasped and pulled away from Simon.
"What?" he asked. "Did I go too fast?"
"No!" she said quickly. "I just… have to get home," she said, glancing at the clock. It was half past eleven.
"Where's Clary?" she asked, panicking. They had a date with the devil in half an hour.
"She left like an hour and a half ago. With Jace."
With that piece of information, Isabelle pecked Simon on the cheek, muttered a goodbye, and took off.
Jace had taken Clary to his house. His parents were away for the next few weeks, touring Europe. Clary was still on a little buzz, but he handled her gently, carrying her up the stairs and putting her into the bed. The room was his. It was dark blue, the walls covered in photo's of him and his parents, his friends, the band, football teams and more. His bookcase was stacked with books upon books. He had a double bed at the middle of the room with a plain blue cover. A stray football was on the bed
But it was still neat.
He picked the football off the bed and tossed it into a box near the bookcase. It landed inside and knocked the lid closed.
"Okay, you sleep in here, and I'll take the couch." He said to Clary as soon as he gave her some of his mom's old clothes. They were just her size, the pink pajama shorts and black tank-top.
"Please sleep in here with me?" she asked. In that moment she looked so small and fragile, his heart ached. She was already under the covers, and they were pulled up to her shoulders.
He couldn't help himself. He shrugged off his jacket and sneakers and got into the bed with her. She cuddled up to him, her small frame pressing into his. He could feel her heart beat, smell the alcohol off her.
"Tell me a story. Tell me what happened between us." She said silently.
Jace's heart ached once again, and he stroked her soft red curls. This wasn't the first time she lay like this on his chest; they had been like this before. Long ago.
Jace closed his eyes for a moment, and began telling her the story.
"It was my sophomore year…"
AN: CLIFFY ((: Yay. So what do you say guys? 25 reviews? Pretty please? Maybe I won't leave you hanging for so long again. Once again, sorry about that. Life's a biatch, and then you die, right?
The songs Millenium Lint perform are 'Can Always Quit Tomorrow' and 'You', both originally by Framing Hanley.
So please review!
xoxoxo
Lisha the Strange*