Rachel threw a red dart. "Die."
A yellow dart. "You."
Another yellow one. "Stupid."
"Bitch," she said as she threw another red dart into the blonde hair of the picture.
Her bedroom door creaked open. "Rachel, dear, dinner's ready."
Rachel spun around. "Oh hey mom. What are you doing?"
"I came to tell you about dinner…" Mrs. Dare stretched to see the picture on the dart board. "Is there something you need to talk to me about?"
Rachel's shoulders drooped. "Mom, have you ever liked a guy who already has a girlfriend?" Rachel asked.
Mrs. Dare nodded. "Honey, I had to steal your dad from his girlfriend because I was in love with him. Why?" Mrs. Dare walked into the room and sat on the bed with Rachel.
"But I'm not like you."
Mrs. Dare laughed. "Rachel, I have red frizzy hair just like you. Have you ever noticed?" She held out her locks. I was good at school, but I was quiet and kept to myself; I wasn't a snob. I was creative just like you are," she said while gesturing at a canvas. "You paint, and I wrote. We have so many things in common. Who is it anyways?"
Rachel turned redder than her hair. "Percy," she muttered.
"So who's the girl in the picture?"
"His girlfriend," Rachel spat.
Mrs. Dare raised her eyebrows. "I thought you said he didn't have a girlfriend."
Rachel shook her head. "He doesn't, but he might as well have one."
"How so?"
"Well, his best friend is a girl, and they are so obviously in love with each other even though the other one can't see that. They flirt all the time. He told me that sometimes when he grabs her hand, she throws it back at him and gets annoyed, so that's all he holds her hand for. One time, he grabbed her hand, and neither let go. He's just confusing and infuriating," Rachel replied.
Mrs. Dare smiled sympathetically. "Rachel, all boys are confusing, but by observing different boys behaviors, I learned a lot about them." She winked. "And don't worry if you can't figure them out completely because I have yet to know everything. Look how old I am, and I'm not finished!"
They both laughed at that. "Mom, you're forty. That's not old."
"I'm still old," she responded. "Now, come on; dinner is waiting."
As they walked down the stairs to the main floor, Rachel ranted about Annabeth, "Besides, she's not a ray of sunshine, and she's mean, cruel, menacing, horrible, gorgeous, smart, cannot draw a cat head to save her life, and she flirts all the time," Rachel said and continued to list off adjectives about her. As they arrived in the living room, Rachel stopped short. "What's up guys?"
Standing in Rachel's living room, Percy smiled in relief, and Annabeth's face was stone cold.
"What are you two doing here?" Mrs. Dare asked. She leaned into Rachel's ear and whispered, "Isn't she the one in the picture?"
Rachel nodded in response.
Percy didn't notice though. "Well, I was hanging out with Annabeth when you're dad called. He invited me for dinner and said I could bring her with me."
"Oh joy," Rachel said sarcastically.