Playing At His Level

{chapter nine} senseless.

Jace wasn't the biggest fan of Tristen to begin with. 

He hated to admit it, but there was always something about Tristen that made Jace evidently jealous. Of course, he would never share that with anyone else, it was just left for everyone to assume. And the thing was, Jace had every right to be jealous of him. 

Fortunately for Tristen, he was probably just as wealthy as Jace and possibly even more, and basically his parents ruled over the high school with every wish or plead for Tristen. That, and because Tristen was a pretty good football player, Jace was ruled out for being the quarterback as soon as Tristen's parents were involved. 

Not only that, but Tristen was the main cause for Jace to being stereotyped as "The Player". Jace had found many girls he actually found intriguing and worth keeping around, but Tristen would snatch them away before Jace could lift a finger and stop it. 

Essentially, Jace would always scowl, grit his teeth and clench his fists whenever Tristen was mentioned. Recieving the call from Tristen about Ana, someone he was actually beginning to care about, was just enough to set Jace off. 

Dropping his phone into his deep pockets of his jeans, Jace instantly left for Tristen's. He pulled up, after driving for a couple minutes down a familiar path onto Tristen's street and parked carelessly, leaving the car unlocked and parked crooked. Nearing the enterance, Jace walked through the open gate seperating the property from the rest of the neighborhood. As he made his way swiftly for the front door, he noticed the silver light casting off from the moon, creating a visible pathway to the door. 

Taking the stairs, missing two at a time, he entered the open entrance and searched high and low, eagerly squeezing through dancing bodies. A few girls spotted him, and fixed their hair and applyed lip gloss, trying to grab his attention. Ignoring them, he pushed past more people and started climbing the stairs. 

His initial instinct was to check Tristen's bedroom first. Halting in front of the closed door, Jace's hand hovered over the handle. What if he found something he wasn't hoping or expecting? Honestly, it was Tristen, he could lure anybody into his room seductively. It was a game for him. Especially if his victims were drunk. 

Blocking out his mind, Jace pushed opened the door to find it empty. Thank God, he thought, sighing. Turning down the hall after closing the door shut, Jace heard a recognizable voice coming from down the hall.

He followed the voice and entered in on Ana, Aeryn, and Tristen himself. The three of them facing the life of the party, their backs towards him. Jace tried to black out the fact the two of them were holding hands and just said simply, "I thought you were staying at Aeryn's." 

Ana flipped around and instinctively dropped his hand, hoping for Jace not to have noticed. She tucked a loose, red curl behind her ear and laughed slightly. "Change of plans." 

Jaw clenched, and hands in fists unintentionally, Jace felt agitated the second he walked in the room. Ana was suddenly at his side, and she grabbed at his hand, massaging it out so she could hang onto it. "Hey, let's go back down stairs." 

He hadn't even noticed her. 

How did you miss this? Jace thought as he looked down at her. She looked stunning. Beautiful. His face softened, and his jaw loosened into a half smile. He accepted her hand, and she dragged him out of the cluttered room. Somewhere between the last room and where they were now, Aeryn had been taken by another friend, leaving Jace and Ana almost completely alone. 

Alone together, if it weren't for the hundred people surrounding them. "Do you want to stay?" she asked, taking both his hands and looking up towards him. The gesture is driving him crazy and he doesn't even know why.