SUMMARY:
Percy is a loser. That's all there is to it. And on top of it all, that jerk Luke won't get off his back. Luke has everything Percy ever wanted; The title as the captain of Goode Middle School Football team, being most popular kid in the whole school, and the girl of Percy's dreams. The worst part was that Luke flaunts those things in his face. When Percy finally has enough, he exposes Luke's biggest secret, the worst mistake of his life which leads to an ongoing conflict between the two former best friends. Lies and drama separate Percy from his long time friends and he feels alone. This leads to complications. As if just in time, his mother gets a job opportunity in Washington State, a perfect way to escape his problems. After three years of schooling in Seattle and meeting new friends, Percy returns back to New York to finish his education at Goode High School. What will happen when he returns senior year? Will he finally be accepted or be regarded as a nobody like before? Will he and Luke be able forget the past and move on? READ AND FIND OUT.
I. Delightful Encounters
PERCY.
"Rise and shine, Blue!" The room was suddenly filled with bright light from the opened windows by my bedside. I got up and squinted my eyes trying to make out the figure of my mother in my room progressively exposing me to the broad daylight. I groaned and fell back onto my pillow and attempted to return back to my wonderful sleep that was so rudely interrupted.
"Oh no you don't. You're getting up now. I can't have you miss the first day of the eighth grade on my watch," She pulled the covers off of me. " Percy, I'd hate to poor this ice cold water on you, but if it comes to it-"
"Okay! I'm up!" I pried my eyelids open, nearly blinding myself from the exposed light.
"Did you have to open all the windows, Mom?" I looked at her and noticed she was dressed up in a white blouse, gray slacks, flats, and a simple bun in her hair. "Why are you dressed up?"
She looked back and grabbed my bath towel and smiled, her face suddenly accompanied with aging and smiling wrinkles.
"Well, you know that newspaper I get every Saturday?" She handed me my bath towel. I grabbed it.
"Yeah, the one that sells out all the time?"
"Yes, that one. I saw that they needed another journalist, so I applied. They called, said I was eligible, and signed me up for an interview. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go make some breakfast while you freshen up." I watched as she left the room and turned to look out the window where I saw a flash of curly blonde hair.
I craned my neck to see where it went and saw a girl running down the street. She stopped, looked back, and looked in every direction. I immediately felt my face get hot. Annabeth Chase. She's basically what any guy would look for in a girl. Annabeth was smart, beautiful, talented, and athletic-my kind of girl. The sad thing is that I don't think she even knows I exist. After all, she is dating that jerk Luke. Sometimes I just wish…
"I don't think I hear that shower running!" My mom called from the kitchen. I rushed into the bathroom in the hall and stripped my clothing. I set the shower and entered soon encompassed by the hot water on my back and sighed. Here, I feel completely at rest. Water soothes me. It helps me focus. I guess it's sort of like my energy source and I don't know what I'd do without it.
After I finished my shower, I entered my room and began changing. I sloppily put on my black Converse, cargo shorts, and a dark blue shirt. I didn't bother with my hair because I didn't care. As I got downstairs, I saw that it was empty. Mom probably left for her interview. I grabbed my backpack and a blue rolled pancake (it's a long story) and left.
The unsettling sound of honking horns, taxi cabs, and chatty pedestrians paraded through the street. I quickly scurried through the crowds and slowed down when passing the Chase household. I saw Annabeth exit and I hid behind I trashcan.
She looked nice. Her loose curls were let down past her shoulders and she wore a simple graphic tee, a gray skater skirt, and black vans. I crouched deeper behind the trash can so she couldn't see me but miserably failed.
"Hey, you! You go to my school right?" She looked over at me. I slowly stood up and began walking away. She began to follow me.
"I'm talking to you! Peter is it?" She stopped and thought hard. " I got it! Your name is Percy! I remember you from last year." She caught up with me.
"Do you even talk?" She poked my side. That spot felt like it was on fire.
"Umm, yeah, You're Annabeth right? Annabeth Chase?" She smiled and I felt a blush creep up my cheeks.
"The one and only. How was your summer? Go anywhere special?" She flipped her hair to the side and I started staring. She snapped her fingers.
"Oh, uhhh. We went to Montauk. We go there every summer." I gathered myself.
"We meaning you, your dad, and your mom?" Me head felt dizzy.
"No, I don't have a dad. Actually I do, like you do, and everyone else do-I mean does," Annabeth giggled."He's just not around." Annabeth nodded in understanding.
I then realized that she wasn't like the rest of her group of friends. She wasn't mean to me. I felt like she was really interested in what I had to say. She actually noticed me for crying out loud! The rest of her friends usually just point and laugh when they see. They usually just say things like:
Ew! Drew, did you see his hair today! It looks like a rat's nest.
He's so ugly.
Hey Jackson! You probably need to gain a few pounds. You look like a pole!
Ready for another beat down, wuss?
Maybe Annabeth wasn't like that. Maybe she and he could be friends one day. Or maybe even something more...
"Hey, um Percy? I was wondering. Have you seen Luke around?" Annabeth glanced in different directions. My heart dropped. I forgot she had a boyfriend; And of all the boys in our school, she picks Luke. That devil spawn. I swear, that guy is evil. Ever since we became ex-bestfriends, he vowed to make my life horrible. He shows off everything that I have ever wanted in my face and ususally, he and his group of friends hit me. I still have fresh bruises from the last encounter.
"No I haven't-" As if on cue, Luke and his posse showed up ahead.
"Hey babe! What are you doing talking to that loser over there?" I looked at Annabeth and saw her roll her eyes.
"Luke, be nice. He's not a loser. Percy's actually pretty nice. You should get to know him!"
Annabeth called out. She looked over at me and smiled, then ran over to the group. From up ahead, I saw Luke glare at me with pure hatred. I watched as he mouthed:
Stay away from her, fag.
I turned and sped down the road to Goode Middle School in the opposite direction.
Quick recap: School hasn't even started and Luke already thinks I'm trying to steal his girl. That's just my luck. By the end of today, I'll probably encounter atleast 6 black cats, a broken mirror, and spilled salt. Let's just hope Tyche ( greek goddess of luck ) is in my favor for about seven more hours. Please, just this once.
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SO WHATSUP?! I'm totally new to writing and I really want to know how you feel about this story so far. I hear out any suggestions to improve my writing! Lets get this to at least 5 reviews!
-AMT
