Thank you clicking on this story!
So, here's a little guide to the text messages:
SolaceShine: Will
MistGirl: Lou Ellen
CeleryStyx: Cecile
TropicalPunch: Calypso
FortuneTeller: Rachel
SolaceShine here, welcome to my journal! Gods, it sounds like I'm introducing one of Austin's videos! This story is a document of the last month or so in my life, where a lot of stuff changed and I want to remember exactly what happened. So, the whole thing started about a month ago...
I was leaning against my lockers in the lunch hour, minding my own buisness and goofing around on my phone, sending lots of homework due dates and photos of textbook pages to Lou Ellen, who was ill with an awful cold she'd got when she went to England in the summer break.
SolaceShine: Typical of British weather huh?
MistGirl: You got that right! My brother caught it and then I got it off him
CeleryStyx: Britain has sucky weather. Am I right, or am I right?
I was halfway through typing my response of Ur right Celery when a roar of "Jackson!" shook me away from the screen. I looked up to see Nico di Angelo racing through the crowds of friends milling around in the halls while they rooted through their lockers.
I have this stupid game of trying to describe the clothing of random people, but my description of Nico was highly vague now I look back. Now, I've been close to those eyes, studied the shape of his face, but, back then, I only had the front he showed off to the world. He was clad in black skinny jeans and a black unzipped hoodie over a black t-shirt that depicted a cartoon skeleton sipping a cocktail under a tropical umbrella.
'Schist, he's an absolute titch!' I thought, studying the darting figure with my quick eyes. 'He can't be more than five foot, surely.' Of course, I regretted letting myself think about this mysterious figure for too long, because my brain soon wandered off to thinking, 'And he's hot as Hades.'
I mentally slapped myself, cursing my sexuality as I thought being gay was the worst. No one beyond my closest friends and siblings knew, and even then not everyone knew. I hated myself for it. I shook myself from my depressing and deterring thoughts, convincing myself that being gay was as good as being straight.
As I chided myself that I was equal to everyone else, the goth boy of the school had slipped into the boys' bathrooms next to me and locked himself in a stall. "Build a bridge and get over it, Jackson!" he exclaimed.
The one with sea green eyes sighed. I recognised him from when I had caught him making out with that blonde nerdy girl in the library last year. Whatever-her-name-was had become seriously badass in recent times, so I wouldn't mess with her. For real, last week as I write this, she kicked Octavian in the gut for insulting her favourite book. Anyway, on with the story!
"I was just trying to get him to embrace his inner rainbow," he sighed. I thought his name was Perry, but I wasn't sure. Now, I'm kicking myself for thinking that, and sounding like Mr. D. At the time, I just smirked. "Percy Jackson, right?" I asked. 'Ah, I got the name right!' I thought happily. "Take it from another gay that doing this," I gestured to the Skittles on the floor and in his hand. "Isn't the best way to go about it."
When I got home, I sat at my neat desk and pulled out a biro, completing my Maths algebra, English book review, Science anatomy diagram labelling, and History essay in about an hour. I took almost half an hour on the essay about King Henry VIII of England. We were writing about how reports of him from the time and current reports were different. I did sort of use the line I had given in class, which was 'Mr. Chiron, I think the report from the Venetian Ambassador was written when he hadn't slaughtered two of his wives', but I got way too into it. Next, I pulled out a math textbook and spent another hour revising for the algebra test the next day. I had been studying for almost two weeks, an hour a day and more at weekends, but I wanted to do the best I could.
After that, I pulled out my phone and typed a message on the chat. My phone had been on silent, but all I had missed was a carry-on from the 'typical British' jokes I had started after the 'Skittles incident'.
SolaceShine: I'm gonna ACE the exam!
CeleryStyx joined the chat
TropicalPunch joined the chat
CeleryStyx: How?
SolaceShine: I revised every night for two weeks. One hr every night and about 6 hrs every weekend. And I've done all my hw for tomorrow
Fortune Teller joined the chat
FortuneTeller: Ok ok u got this 1 in the bag!
TropicalPunch: Guess wut?
MistGirl joined the chat
SolaceShine: Wut? I guess wut...
MistGirl: ur a smartass Will
TropicalPunch: The pranksters set me up with RepairBoy and I went on a coffee date with him!
MistGirl: Who? Julia Feingold and Alice Miyazawa?
TropicalPunch: Thats them
SolaceShine: Poor u!
TropicalPunch: I really like him!
TropicalPunch: Here's how it happened! Voice Message -
I lifted the speaker to my ear, eager to hear her voice message. "So, we met up in Starbucks and he ordered us some drinks. Then, we talked for a while about school, the pranks of the duo, and what torture we'd like to inflict on the teachers. We're meeting up again tomorrow!"
CeleryStyx: Lucky u! Punch got her love!
TropicalPunch: 1 date, Styx
CeleryStyx: STILL!
FortuneTeller: So the news is that Will had a secure A in his math exam and Punch scored a boy
MistGirl: Pretty much
SolaceShine: Can't wait for my A
SelercyStyx: Keep boasting Sunshine
Solace Shine: Yeah yeah. Did u lot c Percy J chasing Nico d A with Skittles 2day?
MistGirl: say wut now?
SolaceShine: Yeah, u heard me... Voice Message -
I groaned, bringing the phone to my mouth to record a message. "Percy was chasing Nico, throwing Skittles at him, screaming 'Embrace your inner rainbow!' When Nico locked himself in a toilet stall, I told Percy 'take it from me, another gay, doing that won't work' and walked off."
I grinned when a ton of messages blinked through.
FortuneTeller: When did u get so smooth?
SolaceShine: uhhh
FortuneTeller: gtg 2 dinner
MistGirl: HA! So, u think he's gay?
SolaceShine: Do we REALLY have to go there?
CeleryStyx: Just a question shit kebabs!
SolaceShine: It's sheesh kebabs, bright spark. And, honestly, yes
MistGirl: OMG!
SolaceShine: Shut up I just thought it was funny
TropicalPunch: Yeah yeah... ok I agree we're overreacting
SolaceShine: THANK YOU CALLIE! So Misty how r u
MistGirl: might be back in 2 days. It depends. I gtg to sleep bye
SolaceShine: Night, then
TropicalPunch: Sleep well! I'm going out to eat bye
CeleryStyx: CYA! I gotta go get dinner
I turned off my phone, sighing. I pulled out my English History textbook and sat at my desk, reading about Henry VII and his switch between Catholic and Protestant so he could divorce. I loved (and still love) English History and what we were studying. We were starting a partner project the next day so I figured that if I swotted up it'd be easier for my partner and I, whoever I got paired up with.
Di Angelo was in my history class, he always answered the hardest questions, got an A on every test, and he was really persuasive. He'd probably convince our history teacher, Mr. Chiron (or Chiron, as we know him) to give him Percy and Jason as a partner if he tried. And Chiron wasn't easily swayed. I had a hunch that he paired us up depending on the couples he thought were cute and, writing this a month after he paired us up, I can say it is mostly true. I think, anyway.
I walked downstairs and flopped onto the couch in the games room. Two hours of school work really took it out of me.
"Dinner!" Austin yelled, making me drop the Rubix cube I was messing with. I shoved it on the side and made my way to the cluttered kitchen, stepping over all the random junk to sit on the oldest and most rickety stool, which Lee had made about six years ago as a school project.
As I write, it's been a month since a mouthful of Austin's disgusting chicken, mushy pea, and mint stew hit my tongue, but just writing that makes me taste it sliding down my throat. In hindsight - and a month's hindsight, at that - I can see that it may have been a good idea to force Austin out of cooking, had I known what was coming.
While we all choked down Austin's awful concoction, he began to talk. "So," Austin mumbled around a mouthful of chicken. "What went down today?"
I set down my fork, unattractively hawking up my food into my napkin and tossing it into the bin. "Usual. Lou Ellen was ill because she caught the typical British cold. I spent a lot of time on the chat with her."
Victoria grinned. "So that's where the 'Bloody Britian' message on the sibling chat came up! We thought you messaged on the wrong chat!"
"Oh, that's what I did," I wondered. "I've got my math exam as well. I've studied every night so I should score an A."
Victoria nodded. "I've got my history partner project but I got paired up with bloody Butch!"
Austin put a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't choke on his food. Victoria and I are in the same year, but we have different mothers, so we're not twins. Yes, my dad, back in his 'rebellious years', fucked (pardon my French) 2 women in the space of three months.
"Watch your mouth," he smirked.
Oh, if only Austin knew the word I wrote for the world to see. I turned to Kayla. "Random fact of the day?"
She smiled gleefully. "What if all the talking mirrors in fairytales were just based off a careless time traveller seen using their phones?"
I smirked, tugging out my phone and bringing it up to my mouth. "Siri, Siri, on my phone, how the fuck do I get home?"
Austin slapped his hand over my mouth. "Zip it!"
"Pardon my French?" I smirked.
Kayla tapped my hand, pointing at my plate. I turned to Austin. "Okay, I have a riddle for you..."
While I distracted Austin, Kayla and Victoria collected up all our plates and shoved all the food in the bin. Close call.
When we clambered down from the table, Kayla asked me to play pool (snooker or snookie for all you British people) with her, so I agreed. I set up the balls in a standard triangle (for all of you who laughed, I'm 14, grow up). Kayla flipped her green and ginger bob when she potted her first ball (I hear you, one person who is laughing uncontrollably), despite the fact I had already potted five.
She is only 12, but a mature 12 at that. She's a minor, but she had all social media. Seriously, all. Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, FaceBook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Vine, you name it, she has it. She is always pulling kissy faces, posting jokey pictures on Twitter, editing photos of her school friends for Instagram, freaking friends out on SnapChat with strange message, doing strange things for Vine, pinning so much stuff on Pinterest, and so... much... Facebook.
That does explain why I almost banged my head on the table when she showed me the photo she had posted on Instagram with the caption 'Beating my big bro 0-1... LOL!' because she beat me in the first game. I won back in last two games, all three taking an hour all together.
After another hour, ten minutes, two bags of chips, and five games, we flopped down on the sofa. I had won, 3-2, and we were collapsed on the sofa by ten past eight.
"I'm whacked out," she moaned, massaging her arms.
I shrugged. "I'm not too bad. I do a lot of sports, so..." I was but of by the phone ringing. I picked up the home phone off the cabinet, and leant against the dark oak cabinet, almost spiking myself against the sharp potted plant.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Will!" my brother chirped.
I exhaled heavily, expecting my clumsy brother to be sitting in A&E using the emergency phone to call us. "Okay, Michael, exactly how injured are you?"
Michael chuckled. "Nothin' like that, lil' bro."
I folded my arms, accidentally tangled up in the curly phone cord. "When pigs fly."
"Oh, look, there's a flying pig!" he joked sarcastically. "We're pulling a prank on Travis and his girlfriend."
Connor and Travis Stoll (twins), and Katie Gardener (Travis' girlfriend) are in Lee and Michael's grade, and their adopted little sisters, Julia Feingold and Alice Miyazawa are in my grade, and the entire family is addicted to pranking, but, in Katie's case, being pranked follows her around.
"Are the duo from my year helping?" I asked.
Michael chuckled. "You got that right."
"What are you doing?" I asked.
I normally wouldn't be so nosy, but you have to be careful around the Stoll brothers and the girls. As an example, last week, as I write this, the duo covered the floor and all the bars of our school gymnastics hall in sticky syrup, so I don't and didn't blame myself for being so cautious. Yes, it's been a month and they haven't grown out of it.
"Ballpit prank," my brother yelled suddenly, hanging up.
I slowly put the phone back. "Well..."
I was cut off by Victoria yelling, "Who's up for icecream?"
