Roommates & Soulmates

Chapters 7-9

Chapter Seven: Jace's Fixation

"Why do you even care what I think?" Alec asked.

"I don't know," Jace said. It was the honest truth. He had no clue why he wanted Alec to talk to him. Many things these days didn't make sense to him. Jace couldn't help but turn in the direction of the girl. He hadn't skipped a single Introduction to Humanities class since he had seen her there. He now spent those classes watching the back of her head and he still wasn't sure why.

"Admiring your latest conquest?" Alec asked. Jace felt his face grow hot and it startled him. There was another woman sitting with the girl and he hadn't even bothered to check her out! Why was this red haired girl having such an effect on him? She wasn't anything special. Jace turned away from her.

"I have class," Alec said and quickly left. Jace watched him go but soon his eyes were on the girl again. Her long red hair swayed slightly with the movement of her shoulders. Jace knew she was talking to her friend because she liked to talk with her hands. He watched the subtle changes in her figure as she continued her conversation. The girl shifted in her chair slightly and Jace found he couldn't look away. Her hair shifted from laying over the back of the chair to being pulled forward and pressed between the girl and the chair as she briefly leaned forward. Now she was leaning over to get something from her bag and Jace caught a glimpse of her face. The pale skin of her face was speckled with freckles, but they were endearing on her rather than childish. Jace was only now noticing her clothes, which surprised him. Usually a woman's neckline was the first thing that drew his eye, but in this case what the girl was wearing explained his lack of attention. The girl had on a baggy sweater with the school logo on it. She was also wearing baggy jeans that didn't do anything to highlight her figure.

"Stop it!"

Jace jumped. He had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Sebastian's arrival. Once the initial rush of his surprise dissipated Jace sunk back into his sulky mood.

"Hey," Jace said gloomily.

"None of that!" Sebastian said as he sat down. Jace just shrugged and turned to gaze at her again. The girl had her bag up on the table now and seemed to be packing things into it. Jace noticed that her bag very much matched her clothes. It had a patchwork design and seemed to be capable of housing all her textbooks and laptop easily. Jace could tell this girl cared more for practicality than style.

"She isn't for you," Sebastian said. "She breaks all our rules."

"I know," Jace said but his eyes were still fixed on her. He was sure the girl was packing up to leave now and Jace found himself wondering if she was headed to class like Alec.

"She's got a guy," Sebastian said. "Plus virgins are clingy."

"We don't know she's a--"

"Oh please!" Sebastian interrupted. "She would just end up following you around like a puppy and then that boyfriend of hers would be pissed and it's not worth the hassle."

Jace rather liked the idea of her following him around. The thought of her bright green eyes gazing up at him brought a smile to Jace's face. Then that stupid boyfriend of hers shattered his image. Jace did not like that brown haired kid! He sat beside the girl in class everyday, but Jace was sure he could beat the kid up if given half the chance. Jace was surprised how much the idea excited him.

"Come on buddy!" Sebastian said waving his hand in front of Jace's face. "Snap out of it!"

"Sorry," Jace said. He turned away from the girl but he was still aware of her. He was still watching her out of the corner of his eye. Jace pretended to listen to Sebastian while he listened for the slightest indication she was leaving the cafeteria. After a moment or two Jace heard her chair being scraped across the floor as she got up from her table. As Jace caught a glimpse of her red hair leaving the cafeteria raised voices interrupted Sebastian's monologue. Two people were fighting rather loudly in the hallway. Jace thought nothing of it until the girl reacted. She must have recognized the couple arguing. Her body language shifted to frantic as she moved quickly toward the voices. Her friend called after her but the girl didn't turn back. The girl's friend had called out her name. Clary. The girl's name was Clary. The word rang in Jace's head as if it were pinging off the inside of his skull.