The Best Friend

19

"It's complicated."

That's what Alec would tell me every time I'd ask about Jace. It's been a few days since I had last seen the golden haired boy because I couldn't bring myself to face him. And honestly, I agreed. It was complicated. It was so damn complicated that no matter how hard or how long I sat thinking about it, I couldn't figure anything out. Normally, situations were simple to figure out. And others would probably say that if I just talked to the guy that I'd be able to work everything out. But not when you'd seen him riding motorcycles with another girl clinging to his waist. Even if that other girl was his so called sister.

I knew that wouldn't phase Jace, though. I knew if he believed hard enough that it wasn't true. He'd convince himself it was okay to have feelings for her. And me? I'd have no chance. Even if they were told over and over again they were related. And it was so infuriating.

"Ali!" Alec yelled from somewhere in the Institute.

"What?" I yelled back.

"Come here!"

Groaning, I stood from my bed and walked out of the kitchen looking for Alec. I walked to where I thought I heard his voice, but every room I passed was empty.

"What is-"

I was cut off when a hand went around my eyes and pulled me into a room around the corner. In a bit of a panic, I rammed my elbow into the stomach and grabbed the hand over my eyes before flipping whoever it was over. A loud thud echoed and I looked to see Alec lying on the floor with the wind knocked out of him.

"What the hell, Alec?" I asked as I helped him up.

"I didn't know how else to get you in here." He shrugged.

"You could've just asked!" I yelled.

"You wouldn't have come in once you saw." He shook his head.

"Saw what?" I asked.

Then I turned around to see Jace standing over by the window. Cursing under my breath, I turned to face Alec, only to find him running out the door and slamming it shut behind him.

"Alec!" I screamed as I hit the door. "Open this right now!"

Silence followed and I slowly, and very awkwardly, turned to face the boy standing behind me. I bit my lip and cringed when I saw he was looking at me. Jace's face held a thoughtful look, his eyes were soft and his hands were resting casually in his pockets. But no matter, I still felt incredibly uncomfortable.

"Uhh... so what exactly am I doing here?" I asked, my voice higher than usual.

"Alec and I figured we needed to talk." Jace said slowly.

"By forcing me into a room in which I was forced into a conversation I'd rather not have?" I asked.

"Ali, listen-"

"What if I don't want to? I know what you're going to say, Jace. And I don't want to hear it." I snapped.

"I knew you wouldn't understand." Jace muttered.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "You're saying I don't understand? It's you who doesn't understand. You were my friend first. I loved you way before Clary did. And honestly, I know you've figured it out so I'm not really embarrassed by saying it out loud right now. But Clary, she doesn't fully understand you or any of us. She doesn't understand our world or how we live. Because of her and her little mundane friend, Izzy was stabbed and almost killed by vampires, Alec was practically dead because of a demon, and I actually had been dead!"

Jace face changed to stunned as his eyes went wide. His eyes nervously glanced around the room as I started up my yelling again.

"Yeah, Jace. Magnus told me. My heart stopped. I was dead. And you didn't think that'd be a nice thing for me to know, right? Magnus told me how you didn't want me to know. He also told me it was you who pushed him into shocking me back to life. It's not like he didn't want to, but you had him do it over and over again for minutes!"

"You should be thankful I did! You wouldn't be alive right now!" Jace yelled.

"Why didn't you just let me die? If this was how you were going to treat me, than why did you bring me back?"

"Because I care about you!"

"And what about Clary?" I asked.

"What about Clary?" Jace asked and I scoffed.

"You know what, Jace? I actually don't want to hear it." I shook my head before banging on the door. "Let me out, Alec!"

The door swung open and I stormed out without even looking at Alec. His voice rang out as he started yelling at Jace, but I was far too angry to listen to anything either of them were yelling. Besides, I was walking too fast and soon became to far away to hear them. I kept walking quickly making my way up to the greenhouse when I collided with Izzy after walking around a corner.

"Sorry, Iz." I muttered before I started walking again.

"You can't just keep running, Ali." Izzy called after me.

I stopped running and turned to look at her. "Izzy, running is really the only thing consistent in my life. When my parents were killed, I ran. When Jace kissed Clary, I ran. When I told Jace I loved him, I ran. It's just what I do."

"And you want to know what I do?"

I spun around to find Jace standing behind me, breathing heavily like he had just run across the whole Institute. And I'm guessing he did just that being that he was over with Alec just a few minutes ago. Before I could open my mouth to say anything in reply, he answered his question.

"I chase you."