So… I had a friend of mine PM me about a story she would like to read. Now, normally I wouldn't do this, but since it appears I will be free for three months (mentally glares at parents/rips their heads off) I will comply. Also, sorry, but in order for this to work, all of the seven had to be seventeen/eighteen so that they could all graduate together. After all, it is a fanfic.
Disclaimer: I feel betrayed that you think I am anything like that thing of a troll, Rick Riordan. If I was, there would be a lot more JIPER moments and a lot more development of the Piper/Percy friendship.
~Enjoy!
This Graduation Day
JASON'S POV
Wow. We finally made it. No one thought we could make it, but we did. When all of the seven realized we would be graduating, we had a pre-graduation party. Even with a mix of all of our ADHD/ADD, dyslexia, and insanity, we somehow made it through high school.
Now comes the real challenge: surviving for the rest of our lives.
Goode High School has a pretty weird way of graduating. Instead of going alphabetically by last names, it goes backwards by first names. Therefore, Piper would be getting hers first out of the seven of us. Then Percy, then Leo, and so on and so forth. Unfortunately for us, Piper was extremely pissed today. Her dad had called last minute saying he would miss her graduation for "an important meeting he just couldn't miss" and Piper brushed it off like it was nothing.
It wasn't nothing.
All six of us could tell that she was upset about the whole thing, but being her stubborn self she acted like she was cool with it. I just wish that I could be back there with her, but noooo. At least Percy was right next to her so he could calm her down. I looked a little ahead of the line and saw his arm around her shoulders rubbing up and down on her arm in a comforting way. Piper looked as though she was about to break down in tears. She suddenly turned into him and began sobbing. Percy wrapped his arms around her and muttered sweet nothings in her ear. I couldn't stand not being there for her anymore, so quickly walked ahead and stood next to them. When Piper noticed me, she immediately fled into my open embrace.
I just wish that I could do something more for her than tell her lies like "Everything will be fine" or "Don't worry. As long as I'm here you'll be all right" or "Calm the fuck down Pipes you're just graduating for fucks's sake you'll get to do it again in another fucking four years" (That last one was curtesy of her best friend Perseus Jackson).
Piper took a deep breath and just suddenly stopped crying all together. There wasn't a single thing wrong with her makeup (because of her mother) and her hair looked fine (also because of her mother). I looked around and realized that Percy had gone up to check up on Annabeth who was first in line. It seemed like the two of them were having a little quick argument before they would most likely end up making out.
"Jason?" I heard Piper suddenly whisper.
"Yeah? You OK?" Well that was probably the stupidest thing I could have asked. Of course she wasn't OK.
She shook her head. "Not really. I'm just glad that you're here. But, you need to go."
"W-what? Why? Did I do something wrong?" I replied, shocked that she wanted me to leave.
Piper giggled. She ACTUALLY giggled. "No, stupid. We're about to start moving." She rolled her eyes playfully. "Go back there. I'll see you after the ceremony." Oh. I felt like an idiot as I heard "Pomp and Circumstance" begin to play. Piper gave me a kiss on the cheek and a slap on my ass for my send-off back to my place in line. I could feel myself form a goofy smile on my face as my cheeks reddened a little.
"*Cough, cough* Whipped! *Cough, cough*" was the only thing I heard from Leo's mouth on my way back. Then I heard a slap as Hazel leaned forward and whacked him upside the head. I only smirked as I made my way towards the middle of the line.
Then we started moving.
Once we got to our seats, Mr. Blofis made his way to the podium to give his speech as senior class sponsor. I'm not gonna go into a lot of detail, but he talked about people and growing up and shit. And he also embarrassed Percy a bit, which made everyone crack up a little (a lot in my case).
After that came Annabeth's speech, as she was Valedictorian. I am gonna go into detail for this one. It deserves to be heard.
"Good afternoon, faculty, staff, parents, family, and my fellow graduates. Wow. Who would've thought that any of us would actually make it this far, huh? (Insert laughs here) It amazes me that I only started coming here about two years ago, yet somehow this entire room feels like my second family. Graduations are supposed to be about 'moving forward,' or 'leaving people behind,' or even 'following your heart.' For me? I know that I'm moving forward. I am definitely following my heart. But leaving people behind? No. I know for a FACT that I am going to make every effort possible to keep in touch with the people that matter to me most: all of you. I love each and every one of you, even if I've never said a single word to you in my entire life. That doesn't matter. What does matter is that we are all here today to celebrate that we all made it through some really hard times, a few of us in particular (she glanced at the rest of the seven). This has truly been the best time of my life, and I am going to miss all of you. Just because I'm the one up here doesn't mean I'm the best. I'm no hero just because some people think I am smart. Here is a beautiful quote from one of my best friends that I think might explain it a little better: 'Being a hero doesn't make you invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed.' (All of us noticed Piper gasp and blush) I like to think that I am brave enough to do what's needed. But so are all of you. None of us would be here today if we weren't. So, in conclusion, thank you. Thank all of you for making this possible."
We all stood up and cheered. There was even a wolf-whistle (Percy). Annabeth came down from the stage with a huge grin on her face.
"Now, for the diplomas." Everyone heard Mr. Blofis say. We all quieted down at that. A few names were mentioned, and then came the one we were all holding our breath for:
"Piper Mclean!" Piper walked up nervously as a lot of applause was given to her. She suddenly turned around, looked at the audience, and gave a huge smile and did a little dance when she got her diploma. Everyone cracked up, and she jumped right off the stage instead of going down the other set of stairs. Mr. Blofis rolled his eyes.
"Percy Jackson!" Percy ran up there, took the diploma and jumped in the air. "I DID IT!" He yelled out. There was so much laughter that Percy decided to take a little bow. He, too, decided to jump off the stage.
"Please, everyone, no more jumping. This is your last day and we really don't want to be sued." Paul joked.
A few more names were called, and then there came everyone's favorite flame-retard (oops, retardant) boy.
"Leo Valdez!" A collective groan ran through the audience. After Leo took his diploma, he cried out "ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO!" Another groan was made with a few chuckles.
A few more people, then me.
"Our Salutatorian, Jason Grace!"
Ah, fuck.
There was no way I could be as funny as Piper, Percy, or even Leo. So, I just went up there, took my diploma, and held it over my head triumphantly. A few people laughed, so I guess it was okay.
"Hazel Levesque!" When it was Hazel's turn, she became so freaked out that she left a trail of gems behind her. Thank the gods that she noticed before anyone could say anything and made them go back into the ground. She simply took her diploma with a smile and walked down the steps.
A lot of people later, and then it was Frank's turn.
"Frank Zhang!" Frank was so nervous that when he got his diploma he tripped and fell off the stage. His cheeks were so red as he stood up, looked around at everyone's shocked expressions, and then took a bow and said "Thank you, thank you very much."
A LOT of people later and it was Annabeth's turn, who happened to be last.
"And finally, our Valedictorian, Annabeth Chase!" Everyone cheered as she gracefully walked up the steps, accepted her diploma, and smiled as she walked down the steps. She by far had the best acceptance of her diploma out of the seven of us. While we all looked like idiots, she was a perfect stoic creature.
Well, that came out a lot creepier than I thought it would.
Paul once again went up to the podium. "Now, all seniors, please rise." We rose. "Please move your tassel to the left side of your cap." We moved our tassels to the left sides of our caps. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present to you Goode High's graduating class of 2015!" Everyone cheered as we threw our caps in the air. After I caught mine, I ran over to Piper who was currently jumping and hugging Percy, grabbed her and kissed her senselessly. When I pulled away I saw Percy smirk and run to presumably do the same thing to Annabeth. I looked back at Piper and smiled.
"We did it." I excitedly told her. "We actually managed to graduate!" Her eyes lit up.
"Yeah. We did good, didn't we?" Piper said.
"No." I joked. She looked shocked. "We did well."
Then I was slapped upside the head. After that little fiasco, we ran over and found Leo kissing Calypso in the audience.
"Congrats, guys!" She said.
"Thanks, Callie." Piper responded. "Can you believe that flame-brain over here actually managed graduate along with lightning-dolt?" They both laughed in disbelief.
"HEY!" Both Leo and I yelled at the same time. "Flame-brain?" Leo gasped.
"Lightning-dolt?" I questioned.
Piper just smirked. "Yeah. Those are your new nicknames. Clever, huh?" We all just started laughing in response.
"Who's ready to party?!" We all whipped our heads around and saw the rest of the seven running towards us with Percy and Annabeth in the lead.
"I was born to party," Piper said with dead seriousness. But, even the girl with the famous father wasn't a good enough actress to pull it off. "LET'S GO!" She suddenly yelled, jumping onto Percy's back. He was apparently fine with it though, as he screamed like a wild man and carried her all the way to his mom's car. Annabeth and I shared a look, like: Can you believe we actually like those guys? I took another look in their direction. It appeared as though Percy had tripped and fallen on the ground; both Percy and Piper were laughing on the ground like idiots. I smiled.
Yeah, I could believe it.
~finis~
What did you guys think? Yay or nay? Should I do a second chapter on the party or just leave it as a one-shot?
You guys decide!
Thanks!
~The Awkward Narwhal
