Well-Meaning Rebellion
Annabeth Chase was completely over everything: her parents, her sucky existence in California, and the obnoxious Patty Perigot, the daughter of some Swedish television personality.
"Grey is SO not your color, Annie," Patty whispered from an adjacent desk, taking care to smack her gum, "I mean, maybe it could be, but your sweatshirt habit is hideous and I don't think a high carb diet looks good on anyone."
Annabeth rolled her eyes and started working on other homework as the teacher droned on about concavity. She'd studied that 3 years ago.
Patty had been out for Annabeth since her first day on campus, halfway through junior year, when Annabeth walked in wearing a dress and sandals and immediately became competition. What Patty did not know was that from that moment, both of their plans were squashed: Patty's of being the only hot girl on campus, and Annabeth's of complete anonymity. Sure, Annabeth would have liked to have some friends, but the ideas of reading a book all night or playing Xbox with Percy til 2 in the morning were a lot more inviting.
So, Annabeth abandoned the school wardrobe her stepmom had so carefully selected, in favor of sweatshirts and jeans, and Patty's kingdom was restored. But it had scared her, and Annabeth was proud of that.
The bell rang and Annabeth shoved her binder into her backpack before her teacher could recognize a Language Arts essay. The hallways were packed with strangers, dozens of whom knew Annabeth's name but hadn't bothered to get to know her. Upperclassmen sprinted for their BMWs before the parking lots got jammed. Freshman awaited limos and buses. And Annabeth headed to parent pick-up. Clareville High was the home of the famous and wealthy… plus Annabeth.
Kate's sedan sat idling by the gym as Annabeth hopped in.
"How's your day been?"
"Fine."
"Make any new friends?"
"Nope."
"Meet any new guys?"
"Absolutely none." Annabeth sighed.
"Well, there's always tomorrow, right?" Kate smiled in that genuinely annoying way of hers and took off with a squeal
In the back seat Matthew and Bobby, Annabeth's twin brothers, seemed fascinated by a game on Kate's iPhone. Matt had the decency to look up and smile at her, but Bobby was entranced. They were 8 and in dire need of constant attention. This was probably the most peaceful they'd ever been.
"So what'd you do today?" Annabeth prompted.
"Well… I had to take the comforters to the dry cleaners cause I kept forgetting to do that, and then Bobby had a doctor's appointment so I had to pick them both up early, and the cat was…"
Annabeth zoned out as Kate went on about her day, staring out the window and nodding every once and while to seem interested and alert.
"Annabeth."
"Uh-huh?" Annabeth dragged herself out of a daze.
"I asked you a question."
"I'm sorry… what?"
Kate scowled and Annabeth knew she was in for it, "Speaking of you not listening to me, did you not hear me say that I didn't want you calling out to New York every night? Our cell phone bill is stratospheric."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I have to call. If something crazy happens out there I have to be ready to leave. If I don't call I might not be prepared."
"That was not our agreement when you came to live here. You're not supposed to be calling every night and you're definitely not allowed to leave on a whim. You're here to clear your head and get a better grip on things before you start making choices you aren't ready for."
"Kate, I'll pay the cell phone bill."
"You and I both know that isn't what this is about."
"Then what is it about then? Because I've never gotten a clear answer out of either one of you."
"Annabeth, you know what that signal attracts."
"I'll go outside."
They'd pulled up to the house and Kate pulled the key from the ignition, "Boys go inside. Annabeth, stay here."
The twins scampered out and Annabeth and Kate were left sitting in the chilly car.
"Your father and I care about you very much, dear."
"So what?"
"And when we hear that you're spending all your time fooling around with some boy, how do you expect us to react?"
Annabeth almost choked, "Fooling around? What are you talking about? We never did anything!"
"You were sleeping at his house almost every night."
"His mother and stepfather were there!"
"Now, I don't know what kind of woman this Mrs. Jackson is, but I sure as Hell would never have a boy sleeping over at this house."
"Stop it." Annabeth glared, "You don't know anything about Percy or his mother and obviously nothing about me, or you would realize that I don't fraternize with people who treat me like shit or are "that kind" of woman. You and dad made the choice to treat me like shit when I was younger and that's why- don't try to deny it- that's why I disappeared. If you cared about me at all, you would let me live as much life as I have left, they way I want to live it."
Annabeth stormed into the house, leaving Kate shivering and judging in the front seat.
…
"Xbox is only fun when you have a buddy, you know."
"I know."
Percy's voice over the headset was definitely calming, but having a boyfriend living thousands of miles away was not… especially when your stepmother was rampaging around the house, screaming at every semi-living thing, including a box of eggs she'd recently dropped on the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Annabeth burst out of her reverie, "What-oh-nothing."
"No seriously what happened."
"Like barely anything… just a teensy little fight with my stepmom."
"Teensy meaning gigantic, correct?"
"Umm… I mean, I guess."
"So something did happen."
"Yeah..."
"And why didn't you want to tell me?"
"I just didn't want to worry you. That's all."
Annabeth tried to focus on the game, but when Percy got his Whats-Wrong-With-Annabeth voice on he was absolutely relentless.
"Mmmhmm," he paused, "I am currently worried. What was the fight about?"
"Percy." Annabeth sighed, "It was literally nothing and I really don't want to talk about it right now."
"Okay." He was not satisfied she could tell, but he seemed to quiet down for a little while. And then: "Would you tell me in person?"
"I will detail every last shit-tastic moment for you the second I arrive home."
"And when will that be?"
"June."
"Annabeth!" he gasped, "It is December!"
"Percy!" she gasped, "It is!"
"B-b-but what about Christmas?"
"I'm just as upset as you are, but after the blowout today, the chances of me coming home are slim to none."
He paused, "What if I came to you?"
Annabeth almost threw up imagining her stepmother's reaction, "I definitely don't think that would be a good idea."
"Annabeth Chase. There is no way you are spending Christmas without me."
"I'll skype you."
"That is not very Christmas-y."
"We'll call it Skype-mas."
"You are the queen of all dorks and I'll see you Christmas Day."
"You're not even thinking about coming are you?"
"You'll see. You'll definitely see." She could physically hear him winking.
…
December in the Chase household was more of a month of purchasing toys at their lowest sale prices. Annabeth was sure she'd get at least one "present" of bras and underwear and another of a book. Last year, her father had sent her a necklace, but it had been ripped off and trampled over while she was training a six-year-old to swordfight and was absolutely unsalvageable. Needless to say, she would not be receiving anything semi-valuable this year.
Her stepmother spent most of the time at the mall and her Dad was at work from 7-5. The boys were barely ever at home on the weekends, leaving Annabeth to herself. She went out a lot when she wasn't supposed to. She'd buy smoothies down the street and talk to the cashier, Christine (a military brat), who seemed to be the only person who understood what it felt like to completely be ripped away from the people you love most. She snuck into her stepmom's room and gave herself a makeover, practicing for her last day at Clareville when she planned to show Patty up. She talked with Percy whenever she could and worried about his possible impending visit whenever she wasn't talking to him.
She knew her parents were worried about her antisocialism, but it gave Annabeth more time to reflect, just as her parents had wanted. She now knew what her parents were really worried about. She'd hacked into their emails countless times. They saw her "trials and tribulations" (their words not hers) during childhood as reasons for impulsive decisions in adulthood. One email to her father while he was out on a speaking tour said explicitly, "I don't trust Annabeth in the slightest. Percy Jackson seemed innocent when I met him, but she thinks too highly of herself and projects a false maturity. She may be smart, but I think she's following her heart more than her head these days and that makes me incredibly nervous." Her father's response? "I agree in one sense, but disagree in the other." Ambiguous as always.
So Annabeth was left to herself, enjoying it but missing the action. Her muscles were already shrinking, even while running twenty miles a day around the neighborhood.
…
Christmas morning, Annabeth woke to Matthew and Bobby sprinting down the stairs and her parents staggering after them. She dragged herself out of bed and sat on the couch, watching as Kate pulled out the video camera and recorded the twins ripping into package after package. After a while, her father waved her over and smiled at her.
"Come open up, Annie, you haven't touched any of yours yet." He'd pulled out three presents as compared to Matthew and Bobby's ten. She shouldn't be jealous. She was seventeen, after all.
She moved in for the presents and the door bell rang.
Annabeth's first thought was Percy, and it's possible that she overdid the nonchalance on her walk towards the door, but she ripped it open. A short man stood outside. Not a dwarf but not a normal short person either. His FedEx hat was too big for him and sat lopsided on his head. He held out a package with both hands.
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Chase." Annabeth picked up the package and smiled.
"Is there anything to sign?"
"Nope." Said the little man, cheerfully, "But it did come with a card."
He handed it over, took a step back and as she stood staring in confusion at him, shut the door in her face.
Matthew stuck his head out of a pile of wrapping paper, "Who's that for?"
"Me."
"Oh." He disappeared again.
Annabeth decided to ditch tradition and open the box first. Inside, buried in a mug full of wrapping paper, was gold sparkling nail polish. Not really her type, but… She opened the card.
She could tell immediately who it was from: her mother. The card was a piece of thick paper inscribed with only, "Take a moment to polish your brain." The best Annabeth could work out was that the nail polish would increase her intelligence for a day. She'd have to save this for those God-it-sucks-to-be-a-demigod moments. Like every day.
"Who's that from?" Kate asked, semi-politely.
"My mom."
"Oh," Kate glanced at her husband nervously, as if looking for rekindling signs of romance, "What'd she get you?"
"Just some nail polish." Annabeth held it up and her father smiled and winked. She had a feeling her father had been sporting some sparkly nails in grad school.
Annabeth opened her other presents. Sure enough, there were the bras and underwear. Her father it seemed, had binged on memoirs for her. He knew she liked reading about other people's suckier lives.
On the wall, the telephone rang and Annabeth picked it up. Thank God.
"Merry Christmas! Ho-ho-ho!"
"You are very happy today. Did you get some nice presents from mommy?"
"No, no, no. Go upstairs."
She suddenly realized that, though the number was a New York area code, she was not out of the woods just yet. "What'd you do?"
"Nothing at all."
Annabeth climbed the stairs worriedly and checked all of the rooms. "There's nothing here."
"I know!" he said with a smile, "Walk into your room."
"I'm walking."
She strolled inside and turned on the light. No one jumped out of a closet, no lights started flashing on and off. Suddenly, she heard a tinking at the window. The line had gone dead. Annabeth creeped toward the window and saw rocks bouncing off. She opened it wide and stuck her head out.
Percy stood on her lawn, wearing a suit and tie, and Thalia and Grover grinned up at her. Nico's passed out body in the bushes gave her a hint of how they'd gotten here. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair!"
"My handsome prince, you're gonna have to climb the stucco cause I don't have a ladder."
Percy laughed, "No biggie, we can climb."
He threw a rope up to her and she tied it to the bedpost. "Jump on it!" she yelled down, "Does it hold you?"
"Yep."
Percy shimmied up the rope and kissed her over the windowsill. "I have missed you so." He said with a laugh.
"You can stop with the Prince act now and get over my windowsill so I can see Thals Balls."
"Don't call me that!" Thalia yelled from her place halfway down the rope.
She pulled herself up and gave Annabeth a one-armed hug. Grover looked nervously up at the windowsill from the bottom of the rope and Percy groaned.
"Just hold on, Grover." Percy grabbed the end of the rope and pulled Grover up and over the windowsill.
And there they all stood in Annabeth's bedroom on Christmas morning with Nico passed out on the ground below them, and, for just a moment that was enough.
I love your criticism. (Please don't include that the story had no focus cause I knoow.)