Leo Valdez:
I walked home from Goode High School, my head hanging low. How could I have let this happen? I thought sadly.
It was the beginning of Junior year. Thalia was walking over to me, and I smiled at her, glad to have a friend.
Every morning we would meet by my locker just to talk. She was one of the only people who understood me, even if only a little bit.
However, my smile soon faded as the familiar group approached me. "What do you want Martin?" I asked, trying to seem more confident than I actually was.
He just laughed, shoving me hard against my locker. "You know exactly what I want Valdez," he spit at me.
"I don't have any lunch today Martin," I tried to explain, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.
He pinned me harder against my locker, his friends blocking any slim chance of escape I had.
"Any lunch money Valdez?" he asked aggressively, still pressing me to the locker.
"N...No Martin," I stuttered, closing my eyes in terror as to what would happen.
I crumpled to the floor in pain, surrounded by laughter. Pain erupted from where he kneed me in the stomach. I tried to get up, to defend myself, but he just kicked me back to the ground. "You're a worthless nothing Valdez, and you'll never amount to anything," Martin spit at me, about to kick me again. But at that moment, everything changed.
Thalia had somehow made her way to Martin and punched him hard in the face. She picked him back up by his shirt, putting her face close to his. "Don't you ever beat up one of my friends," she told him, fire burning in her eyes. "He isn't worthless just because he doesn't have anything to give you. You're the worthless one Martin." She threw him to the ground without another word, his friends watching wordlessly, and then she helped me up, dragging me away from the scene.
"Hey Valdez, why can't you face me on your own instead of getting your little girlfriend to come save you?" Martin spit, a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth. I turned around to confront him, but Thalia had already beaten me to it.
She kicked him in the stomach, sending him back down to the floor. "He didn't get me to save him. I saved him on my own accord. That's what *friends* do. But you wouldn't know that would you? Because none of your 'friends' standing here are helping you right now," she yelled at him, making sure her point was clear.
Martin's 'friends' just watched silently, backing away from the scene in fear of the fuming girl in front of them.
Thalia glared at Martin for a moment, waiting to see if he would say anything else. When he didn't, Thalia dragged me away again, the only thought going through my head being, wow.
A little farther down the hall, I spoke. "I...uh...thanks Thalia," I said, blushing.
She didn't say a word for a few minutes, but when she did, she said, "Don't let him pick on you anymore, ok?"
I smiled at her and nodded my reply. She then said goodbye and went to her class.
That was the day, the day where I, Leo Valdez, fell in love with Thalia Grace.
But it doesn't matter anymore, I now thought grimly. She loves someone else.
The only girl who understood me, the only person to stand up for me, the only person to care, was in love with someone else. And as I ran that thought through my head tears slowly ran down my face.
I heard a rustle in the leaves and looked up. Thalia was looking at me, her deep blue eyes filled with questions, anger, and a sadness that I couldn't understand. She looked beautiful, her black hair falling perfectly into place. I smiled, but I knew it was a sad smile, so I looked away again, feeling her blue eyes watch me as tears fell out of mine.