"I can't remember exactly when, this longing began, but I know it wasn't before, the day you touched my hand," -Rise Against, Torches


Have you ever wanted something you couldn't have? Percy had that feeling. He was jealous of what Jason and Reyna had. Moreover, he was jealous of Jason. He thought he had a chance with Reyna, but when he realized she still loved Jason, he was hurt, but he had expected it. He had even approached Reyna and confessed that he had feelings for her. She smiled sadly, but said she couldn't be with him. She was with Jason before Percy came along, and Percy could quietly accept that, but that didn't mean he liked living with it. But, I suppose it would be better to start at the beginning.

Percy was in class, getting his assigned seat from the teacher. He of course, was assigned to the front, because of his ADHD and knack for trouble. He was all alone in the front row, but he was fine with that. He was used to being alone. Then she had walked in. the teacher looked up, and of course, put her next to him. That figures. Out of all the days he wanted to be alone, Life was just going to play its cruel little joke on him. Whatever. He would put up with what was thrown at him. She sat down next to him.

"Hi." She said. He was surprised. Nobody talked to him, he only had two or three friends, so who was this girl to come up and nonchalantly greet him. But, she was a lady, and he remembered his manners, something nobody else in the damn school had.

"Hello. I suppose you're new here? I'm Percy." She smiled at him.

"I'm Reyna. Nice to meet you."

Then from out of nowhere, he found himself liking her already. He didn't know what it was, but if he wanted one thing, it was for her to be his friend. She seemed to share the sentiment. He gathered up his courage.

"Would you like to sit with me and my friends at lunch? You can't know too many people yet, its only second block." She nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be great! I look forward to it." Then the teacher shushed them, and class began. Percy couldn't wait for lunch.


"Guys, this is Reyna. I've already checked her out, she can sit with us." Reyna rolled her eyes. Percy smiled. He was liking her more and more.

"This is Nico, Grover, and Malcom, my friends." He said.

"Nice to meet you." They said in turn. They sat and talked as they ate.

"So, where did you move from?" Malcom asked.

"I moved here from San Francisco." She said. Grover looked at her.

"Quite the trip, all the way from Cali to here." He said. She shrugged.

"It wasn't too bad. Saw a lot of the sights on the way, kind of a road trip/moving mix."

They ate until the bell rang. They took their cue, and headed off to class.


Percy and Reyna became the greatest of friends as the months passed. Percy really liked her, not just as a friend, he wished they could have something more. One day, several months after Reyna's first appearance, he asked her the question that had been nagging him since day one. Class was over, and everyone had a little bit of free time to chat.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Percy asked innocently. She nodded.

"His name's Jason. He's a really nice guy! Part of the reason I moved here to Long Island was to be closer. He's only about an hour's drive from here. Oh I know! You two should meet, you would be the best of friends!" Percy put on his 'happy' face, and agreed with her. On the inside, he was dying fast. He had been prepared for a revelation, but it still hit hard. The bell rang, and they left the class, students chattering beside them


It had been another month. Percy had been dropping hints to Reyna every so often, but she never seemed to notice. He was dealing, but it was near torture to be next to her. She was perfect for him, but forbidden. Percy had also thought that Life was done its cruel jokes, but when you're not looking, Life will come back and bite you in the ass. The big formal dance for his school was coming up. Now usually, Percy didn't care. He wasn't really the type for dressy events, he would stay home and play games, or go into the woods. He still planned to do this, until Reyna came up to him one day. She was smiling hard about something. Percy decided to bite.

"What're you all happy about?" He asked her. Her smile (if possible) widened even more.

"What would you say… if I asked you if you wanted to go to formal with me?" She asked sweetly. Percy was thunderstruck. He saw the irony in all of this, and had to restrain himself from laughing with mirth.

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't do dances. Sorry." She just shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'll drag you there if I have to." She said innocently. He just kept staring.

"You know what I believe you when you say that… ugh… FINE I'll go…" She cheered.

"Yay! It'll be so fun! I swear, you won't regret it. Oh! You should come with me on Friday and help me pick out dresses. The dress store is even near where Jason lives, we can get his opinion too. Annabeth and Piper need dresses too, it could be one big group date." Percy chuckled darkly to himself about her choice of the word 'date'.

"You'll go?" She said, with a puppy dog look in her eyes." Percy sighed.

"Ah hell… fine." He responded.

"Great! Then I suppose I'll see you Friday!"


Friday arrived, and Percy met the others at the dress store. Everybody was already there, Jason included. Reyna looked up and waved.

"There you are! Keepin' us waiting like that. Psh. Well, no matter, we're all here let's go!" She led the way into the store. Percy fell in step next to Jason.

"Oh, hey. You must be Percy. Reyna talks about you all the time, I kinda get jealous. I suppose you're the replacement boyfriend for the dance?" He held his hand out.

"Yeah, I guess you could call me that…" He shook his hand, and they hurried to catch up with the girls, who were all admiring the dresses.

"Well, ready for boyfriend practice?" Jason asked. "We get to carry all the clothes."

Percy groaned, but he had other things on his mind. He liked Jason, and if he wasn't an obstacle blocking Reyna, he thought that they would've made great friends. In his mind, he knew Jason had done nothing wrong, but that didn't stop Percy from hating him anyways. They found a spot to sit down at, as the girls tried on all kinds of dresses, form long flowing ones, to simple, short ones. Percy's favorite was a beautiful long green dress that Reyna looked amazing in. The green even matched the green tie Percy was going to get, to bring out his eyes. Eventually, the girls finished shopping. Jason was right of course, he and Percy had to carry the clothes to the car.


The night of the dance had arrived. Percy drove to Reyna's house, she came out, and Percy's jaw dropped. She looked godly in the dress, her long hair falling behind her shoulders. Percy opened the door for her, and she got in.

"Ready to dance?" She asked. Percy groaned.

"Don't remind me." He said.

Secretly, he couldn't wait to slow dance with her. It let him pretend that she was his, at least for a few precious moments. Percy drove them to the school, the dance was being held in the gym. The school couldn't afford to rent any place, but they had done well with the decorations. The gym was unrecognizable underneath the streamers, balloons, and tables all over. In the middle, there was space for dancing. Percy found them a table with Malcom, Piper, Annabeth, and Grover. Malcom and Piper had come together, so had Grover and Annabeth. They sat and talked for a while, and then the moment that Percy had been wishing and dreading for, arrived. A slow, romantic song came on. All the girls at the table smiled at their dates, and dragged the weakly protesting boys onto the floor. Percy reluctantly followed Reyna. They got to the dance floor. Percy rested his hands on Reyna's waist, and she put her hands on his shoulders. They swayed in tam with the beat of song, a very slow one. When the song neared its end, Percy quickly glanced around to see all the couples kissing. He looked at Reyna. Was it his imagination or was her face actually…it was! She was moving her face closer to his, eyes closed. Percy mentally shot himself for what he was about to say.

"Reyna… wait…" He said. She stopped moving, and looked at him. He whispered so nobody could hear him but her.

"I really like you. These past months have been… torture for me. I kept hinting that I wanted something more, even though I knew you had a boyfriend. I know it's wrong, believe me, have I suffered. I've wanted this moment for a long time… but… not like this. I'm truly sorry…"

The song ended, and the couples went back to their tables for dinner. Reyna hadn't said a word since Percy's small speech, but they both knew, that it would never work.


So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed, a review would be much appreciated, and they make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Have a nice rest of your day!

PS- This song helped me to write the story. It's called 'Dear Agony' by Breaking Benjamin.

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