A/N: I don't own the characters or anything you may recognise.
Annabeth
" Bye Melissa," I say when Melissa's mom comes to collect her.
" Bye Miss Chase," She waves back. Her mother nods to me as they leave. I sit at my chair, which lies behind a massive table which holds a large number of kids books, my pen-case, crayons spread here and there, a pile of papers, a paper weight over the pile, and a few pencils and some where underneath all this mess my phone. That's how a kindergarten teacher's desk looks like most of the time.
Its 2:54, school gets off at 3. But, most of the parents start arriving around 2:30. By this time, only 5 students, Brandon, Marvin, Alessa , Ruth and Perrie are left to go home. Brandon and Ruth go home by school bus while other kids parents must be on their way.
Brandon and Marvin have still not finished their argument over if Superman is better or Batman. They have been at it since morning. Ruth has been acting as the moderator and the one to decide on the result. Alessa won't ever sit tight, she has to roam around the whole classroom toying around with everything. She occasionally takes Brandon's side or sometimes speaks on behalf of Marvin. Perrie just sits quietly scribbling on a piece of paper with crayons. She is different today, not her usual cheery self.
The bell rings after 6 minutes.
" Come on kids." I slip my phone in my skirt pocket, get up and beckon the 5 kids to follow me. They pack their bags and we all drop Brandon and Ruth to their respective school buses. I take the remaining 3 students and we wait by the reception area, which provides a clear view of the school's main door, that's where their parents will come. A few other teachers stand around with some kids.
' BLOSSOM SCHOOL FOR KIDS' , the sign tells the school name. I joined this school 10 months ago. Teaching kids was some thing that fascinated me since the start. When I was 16, I had decided I was gonna be a teacher when I am older. I fulfilled my dream and made sure I had interned as a kindergarten teacher, before applying for this job. I made it, out of the 16 candidates. And soon, these 5 year olds became an important part of my life, which I never wanted to let go or forget.
Perrie and I are standing at the same place since the last 15 minutes, while Marvin and Alessa left with their father and mother, respectively. Its just us now.
" Daddy's late." Perrie frowns and walks over to sit at a chair, nearby. I follow her lead, pat her shoulder, ruffle her hair and sit beside her.
" Miss Chase?" Perrie points to her shoes. I see her shoe laces are undone. I chuckle and bend down to tie them up nicely.
" Daddy doesn't know how to tie them properly. He fumbles and forgets," She laughs.
Perrie talks a lot. She talks to me all the time. She tells me a load of things, starting from what she had for breakfast to what her Daddy's favourite food is.
" Is that so?" I laugh along.
" Yeah," She can't stop smiling.
" Can I see your drawing?" I ask casually.
" Yes." Perrie jumps up in excitement. She fishes in her bag and pulls out a piece of paper, which contains the drawing.
I peer at it, she has captioned it on the top, ' Daddy and me' with a pencil. Below the caption is a tall male figure holding hands with a small girl. Her drawing is quite neat. The male figure has big green eyes and she has the same. Perrie has her father's eyes. These are the two prettiest pairs of eyes I have ever seen.
" I made this to cheer Daddy up," Her face brightens, as she tells me.
" Cheer him up?" I echo.
" He looked upset last night," Her face is leaden with sadness, as if it was her fault. Perrie is quite smart for her age.
" Did he tell you why?" I ask, still looking at the drawing. The background shows a clear blue sky, birds flying around and some trees. Their faces are wearing big happy smiles.
" Does he ever?" She rolls her eyes.
" This is really good," I beam at her. " It should make him smile."
" I hope," Perrie shrugs and stuffs it back in her bag.
" Annabeth?" I look up on hearing Piper(my college)'s voice. Piper is my junior. She just joined 2 months ago. She is pretty much my best friend here.
" Hi Piper."
" Hello Miss Mclean," Perrie greets her.
" You're still here," Piper smiles at Perrie. She nods.
" Her father is late," I tell her.
" Again?" She asks.
" Miss Mclean he's not usually late," Perrie argues. " Only once a while."
" Once a while?" Piper says thinking hard," That should be okay, shouldn't it, Beth?"
" I guess s-" I stop mid sentence upon hearing hurried footsteps.
" Daddy!" Perrie exclaims happily as I see a tall, lean and muscular guy with dark hair and sea green eyes running towards us. Perrie leaps on her feet and darts towards him. He stops and waits for her. Perrie runs into his arms.
" I am sorry, Per," He says dropping on his knees and moves his hand on the back of Perrie's head. " My baby, are you alright?"
" I am okay, daddy," Perrie says. " I had Miss Chase and Miss Mclean with me."
" That's so nice of them, isn't it?" He smiles.
" It is."
" Daddy should go and thank them, then. You wait here, will you?"
" Yes Daddy," Perrie says obediently.
He walks up to us and we both stand up . He's wearing a white shirt with black pants and a black tie, his office outfit.
" Thank you so much Miss chase," he nods to me and then to Piper," Miss Mclean. I am really grateful and sorry."
" Okay," I mutter.
" No Problem," Piper says brightly.
" Lets go home?" He asks Perrie, extending his hand for her to grab.
" Bye Miss Chase and Miss Mclean." Perrie clasps his hand and they walk out of the premises.
OMIGOSH I NEED TO SIT DOWN.
OMIGOD.
WHERE DID THE CHAIR GO?
DAMN IT.
" Annabeth, what's with you?" Piper looks at me suspiciously.
" What do you mean?"
" I just saw," She shakes her head 3 times.
" What?" I snarl.
" Don't you 'what' me." She points her index at me.
" But seriously, what did I do?" I ask her.
" That- that- that," She moves her finger back and forth two times, " No ' That was a pleasure.' ' Don't mention it.' ' Its part of my job.' . You said, " OKAY." Okay? Is that even an answer?"
" Yes it is, Piper. If I ask you like,' How was your day?' , You might end up answering, "OKAY". " I try to explain.
" NO no no no no! That was something else. You better tell me or," She warns.
" Or?" I retort.
" Or imma call your Mum and make you t-"
" Fine, no you aint doing that please," I plead.
" You like him?" She says grinning widely.
" NO! I don't. I just may have a tiny little," I say gesturing small with my fingers, showing a 3 inch gap between them," crush on him."
Okay the truth is I do like him. A lot.
" That's gross," She says making a disgusted face.
" Why?" I fold my arms across my chest.
" He is a dad. He is old and married," She rolls her eyes.
" Piper Mclean," I burst into chuckles.
" What?" She growls.
" Percy Jackson is not married and not old," I continue amidst my laughing.
" But-" She protests.
" He's just 23. Works as a Software Tester in Sam Electronics. His girlfriend and him never got married. His mum lives in Arizona with his step father, Paul. His dad died when he was 3. Perrie and Percy live about 40 blocks from here. And, no, I am not a stalker. Perrie. Perrie tells me everything."
Piper's mouth drops open in surprise. I close it with my hand.
" How long? How long has this been going on?" She asks composing herself.
" Dunno. Around approximately 10 months," I fix my skirt.
" And you wouldn't have ever told me if I hadn't seen it by myself," She says in disappointment.
" Sorry."
" So when are you asking him out?"
" What?" I laugh, " No never ever. I have a crush on him. He doesn't. He barely notices me. Today was the third time we eveeeeer talked, if you call that a chat. My heart was pounding so fast when he was walking towards us." I put a hand on my heart," All the words in my mind got locked in a closet whose key I couldn't find. I couldn't speak a single word."
" You are actually talking like you are in love with him."
" Maybe I am," I tease.
" No Annabeth, don't fall in that pit. You don't even know the guy. What if he is bad?" She gasps in horror.
" He's not," I sit down.
" How do you know?" She sits beside me.
" I told you. Perrie. She tells me. She tells me everything and 5 year olds don't lie. According to the way she talks about him, he is a lovely guy. He loves his daughter more than anyone else. He's kind and sweet."
" If you are so sure about it, I'll approve it Annabeth. But, be careful," Piper says in a concerned voice.
" Oh I will be don't you worry," I smile.
Though I am sure Percy doesn't even know my name. He called me Miss Chase. Falling for someone who doesn't even notice you, leads to disappointment mainly.
PERCY
Perrie and I leave the school. Gods I am so glad, she's safe. Miss Chase as I have learnt is quite reliable. I thanked her and even said sorry.
" Perrie, you hungry baby?" I ask Perrie as we reach home. Its not big, but its home. We have 2 bedrooms with attached washrooms and a lawn outside. The dinning area and the kitchen are quite small, but enough for two.
" A slight bit," She says.
Reminds me of her mother. That's how she used to talk.
" I took out some food," I unlock the door and reach for my car keys from the table beside the door. I pocket them.
" Go wash your hands."
" Okay Daddy," She runs off to the washroom.
I serve her the food and she and I eat as she tells me about her day. I listen with full attention, she talks a lot especially about her friends and her teacher, Miss Chase. We finish the food quickly and I collect the dishes.
I still have to go some where, Sam, my boss, told me to check some one's laptop for bugs. I have the address. Its near Perrie's school.
" I made you something, Daddy," Perrie says as I put the dishes in the dishwasher.
" Wow ! Can I see it?" I ask in surprise.
" Here," She brings over a drawing. I look at it closely to see us, her and I. The caption is,' Daddy and me.' Under it is a drawing of me holding hands with her. Behind us, I see some trees and our faces are covered in big grins. That brings a big smile on my face. All my sadness goes away when I spent time with my daughter. She makes me happier than anyone else ever could.
" Do you like it?"
" Its so good Perrie. I love it. Thank you so much," I say brightly." I am going to frame this."
At 6, I receive a text from Sam indicating I have to go.
" Perrie, daddy has to go some where for work. I'll be back in an hour or two," I tell Perrie, as she watches her cartoon.
" If there is a prob-"
" I know Daddy, I have to call you or the neighbours," She says.
" That's my baby," I kiss her forehead before leaving.
Annabeth
" Lets leave for now," Piper puts her hand on mine.
I nod and we rise to our feet. We mark our attendance before leaving for food. I live in a small apartment near the school, so there is no commuting problem. Piper comes over sometimes with a few friends of hers and we have drinks.
I plod to my apartment, unlock the door and go to bed. I wake up after 3 hours when I hear some knocking on my door.
I scramble out of bed, my hair look such a mess and I m still haven't changed. My skirt looks messy and shirt is all wrinkled by now.
The person outside has no patience, the door bell starts ringing furiously. Quickly, I fix my skirt and tie my hair in a pony tail and rush to the door.
GODS YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS.
PERCY JACKSON STANDS ON THE DOOR.
MY HEART BEAT STOPS FOR A MOMENT.
" Sorry I am late," he says looking gorgeous without even checking who's at the door.
" Per-" I correct myself," Mr Jackson.. what are you doing here?"
" Miss Ch- Chase," He looks at me in surprise.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Do leave your reviews. Thanks a lot in advance.