Don't Look Down On Me
Chapter 1: Her Bruises
The day I met Annabeth was the day I'd remember forever, it was also the day I realized that just because someone's a prostitute, doesn't mean that person is bad or cheap. I full on recognized the fact that that realization changed my life. For better or for worse? I was still working on the answer for that one.
It was an average day, my life was undeniably boring. I knew I could do better than running a summer camp, but it was fun and easy. I wished that I could make something better of myself, that was what was expected of me. I wished that I could prove myself to the man that made my life a living hell, show him that I was not worthless. Even if I was.
I was walking to my apartment when it happened. Normally, I'd smile and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the New York streets but I just was not in the mood. I frustratingly pushed the black hair from my eyes, it made it impossible to see. I promised myself that I would get a haircut sometime during the week, I remember later that I never did get that much needed haircut.
I was walking past the restraunt of one of my best friends, Thalia, when something caught my eye. A small figure was hidden in the shadow of the building, curious, I walked toward it warily, nervous of what it might be. I realized it was a young girl, about 20 years old, my age. She was unconscious on the ground, I couldn't really see what she looked like but I knew it was a girl judging by the curves of her tiny body and the length of her hair.
I gasped when I saw how horrible she looked, she was unnaturally thin but it was actually really attractive on her. I picked her up gently, testing her weight, she couldn't weigh more than 100 pounds. I swallowed hard as I caught sight of a small patch of her skin, it was tan but covered in bruises. I knew I couldn't just leave her, so I quickly scooped her tightly in my arms and rushed to the front door of Thalia's. It was a Sunday night at 10 o'clock, needless to say, it was closed.
I looked down at her, her breathing was shallow and pained. I gathered my will and ran as fast as I could the three blocks to my apartment. I was inside my apartment in seconds and I gently set the girl down on the couch. I wasn't sure what to do so I rushed to the bathtub and filled it to the brim with hot water. I ran to the girl, undressed her, picked her back up (trying my best not to gaze at her naked body), and set her in the water.
She stirred for a second and breathed a sigh of relief as the water rushed over her, but she didn't wake. I was unimaginably grateful that she was so dirty that the water turned dark and I couldn't see in it. I used a cup to wash her hair, and used my fingers to untangle it. I was startled when I saw that she had gorgeous blonde hair, I was even more startled when she was completely clean and I could see that she was extremely beautiful.
I pulled her out of the water before getting her a towel, I didn't want to risk her drowning. I slowly dried her off, being careful of her bruises. I was shocked when I saw just how many scars she had and the "love bites" all over her skin, but I still didn't realize at the time what she was, exactly.
I dressed her in my own clothes, hers were way to dirty to be recognizable, let alone worn. I used my brush to soften her hair, it was amazing looking when well kept. She looked exactly like a Californian girl, it was actually quite apparent by the looks of her skin and light colored hair.
I lied her down on my bed and went to the kitchen to cook my best dish: ramon noodles. I figured the hot soup would help her relax, and I hoped it would help me calm my nerves. I carefully walked back to my bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, balancing the tray of noodles and drinks on my nightstand.
I pushed the hair gently out of her face and shook her as softly as I could, but this time when she stirred, she woke up, she looked up at me and I could see surprise cross her face. At first I thought it was an illusion but on closer inspection, I realized her eyes were, in fact, a serious gray color.
I thought of something brilliant and perfect to say to her but what came out of my mouth instead was, "Good morning, Sunshine." I closed my eyes and sighed furiously at myself for being so stupid. "I mean...how are you doing?"
She looked at me with not fear in her eyes, but determination and willingness. "Who are you, and where am I?" she asked slowly. Her voice soft yet dangerous, it had a feminist-like ring to it.
"I'm Percy, Percy Jackson. You're at my house," I answered soothingly. "Well, actually, you're at my apartment. You were unconscious and sick looking and I couldn't just leave you outside in the cold."
She was tense and her eyes sized me up, as if she was willing to fight her way out if it came down to it. She slowly relaxed bit by bit, but it was obvious she wouldn't be letting her guard down anytime soon. "I'm Annabeth, Annabeth Chase," she said.
"I, uh, brought you some food. It's not much but I can't really cook, like, at all." I laughed nervously and handed her the tray, she hesitated, then brought the spoon to her mouth. I watched with fascination as her mouth curved around the spoon, her lips were the perfect color of pink.
"Would you stop staring at me?" she demanded.
I dropped my gaze, only looking at her when I thought she wasn't looking or when it was acceptable. "Oh, um, sorry..." I said imploringly, because I had already forgotten her name.
"Annabeth," she reminded me.
"Annabeth," I say to myself. "That's a cool name."
"I guess," she shrugged. "What am I wearing? These aren't my clothes."
"Yeah, well, your clothes are pretty much dead, so yeah."
"Did you give me a bath?" she asked, I heard a dangerous tone in her voice.
"I had to, you should have seen you."
"So you took off my clothes and bathed me, and you don't even know me. Are you really that perverted?" she asked in disgust.
I felt my own eyes harden as I looked into hers with just as much ice. "Maybe you should check the bruises covering your body," I said coldly.
Her eyes flashed but she didn't say anything, she just continued to eat her soup. I took my bowl off the tray and swirled the noodles around in it, after a while, I set it down and began tapping my knee. I soon got bored of that and started cracking my knuckles and doing little stuff with my hands.
Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Annabeth stopped eating and glared at me. "What's your problem?" she snapped.
"IhaveADHD." I murmured, barely comprehendible, even to my own ears.
"What?"
"I have ADHD."
I looked down at my hands in shame and I knew bitterness was clearly etched on my face and words. "Oh," she said a lot more nicely than I heard her thus far, like she actually cared. She cleared her throat and said, "Sorry."
"Don't worry, smart people like you always look down on me, I'm used to it."
She hesitated, then put her hand on my knee. "I won't look down on you. Well, I guess I'll never have the chance saying as I'm out of here in about 10, but I want you to know that you're a person to me. And that's all that matters. Trust me, there's a lot of things people look down upon, ADHD is nothing."
I heard how fiery her voice got and felt chills crawl up my skin, I really wanted to ask her what she meant. I wanted even more to know what had happened to her but something told me to keep my mouth shut and not to ask.
"Where do you live?" I asked. "I can give you a ride."
She snorted and her face turned miserable. "That won't be necessary. Just walk me to the door and outside, then I'm home."
I was confused for a minute but then I realized she meant that she was homeless. I immediately felt bad for the annoying girl with the perfect princess curls. I battled with myself, I wanted to help her out, but I didn't want her to drag me down.
"You can stay here," I said. "Until you have a job and can afford to live on you own."
To my utter astonishment, she said, "No."
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