Chapter One
Let the Games Begin

Guidance counseling at Shallow Lake High was a big fat joke.

When you found yourself stuck in that small room of death known as the counselor's office, it was usually for one of three reasons. I've been there enough; I should know.

The arguably most pleasantly horrible scenario is taking personality tests. You know, those dumb ones that ask you if you like reading to deaf children, walking dogs, volunteering, or maybe just spending your entire summer feeding homeless children in Peru – stuff no teenager actually does. The guidance counselor forced me to do one once so he could get some deep insight into my true personality. I doubt he really cared. It's probably another one of those things the state forces staff to do, just like serving healthy food.

The second usually closely follows the first. It's going over the results of your personality test. This is immeasurably worse than the first, because it involves some interaction with the guidance counselor. I doubt that he even wants this job. The only reason he got it is because his dad is the principal.

He told me that my tests indicated I would be best suited to something that involved little emotional attachment and required a low IQ. I could have told him that without taking a test that took nearly three hours. He recommended a job at McDonald's. I recommended he do a better job of hiding the fact that he was hung over.

Now I suppose you want to hear the third reason - the reason I was currently in the room of death.

Let me just start by saying that Kelsey Forester started it. She may have ended up with a few broken bones, but it's nothing she didn't have coming. I refuse to say more until a lawyer is present.

But apparently the disciple committee didn't care, because it was me sitting in the small room of death, and Kelsey was probably either at her fifth hour class – or the hospital.

The guidance counselor was in charge of all discipline referrals. Usually you talked for a few minutes about how what you did was wrong and you should never do it again, and then you got a detention. You got three discipline referrals and you were out – literally. I don't mean you got expelled – you had to do serious shit to get kicked out of a public school – but you did get suspended for at least a few days.

Yet for some reason, I was still in the hellhole known as the guidance office, and I had a suspicion my punishment wasn't going to be as simple as a few days off of school.

The guidance counselor sighed and sipped something from his mug. Judging by the smell that was permeating the room, I deduced it was a little stronger than coffee. "This is the third time you've had a discipline referral, Lucas."

"Really? You know I can count. And it's Luke."

"Being a wise-ass isn't going to help."

"Oh, and you're going to?" The way I figured, there wasn't anything worse they could do to me, short of making my suspension longer. And really, was that such a bad thing?

He cleared his throat. Cue a long speech that he didn't want to give and I sure as hell didn't want to hear. It was time to resort to my tried and true method of tuning him out: find a poster on the wall and stare at it.

It was one of those abstinence ones, something about how if you kiss a frog, he is still just a frog. I had no clue how that related to abstinence. Maybe it meant if you have sex with a guy, he would still be a guy when you woke up the next morning. But still, if you didn't know that...well then you needed more help than the guidance counselor could give you.

"...and then the hooker took off the jacket and I saw her giant – oh good, I figured that would get your attention."

The temptation to make a snide remark was overwhelming, but I had a feeling something important was coming.

"Listen, Lucas. I know your attention span is short, so I'll keep this quick. Instead of suspension, you've been given an alternative," droned Mr. Raging Alcoholic. "There's a new student, a freshman named Peter Johnson, starting next week. It'll be your job to be his 'big brother.'"

"That's an alternative, right? Because I'll take the suspen-" I started to protest. I'd never been a big brother to anyone, nor did I want to find out what it was like.

The guidance counselor interrupted me. "No."

"But you said-"

"I lied. Tried to make it sound a little nicer, like you had some choice in the matter. But this is a good opportunity." The tone of his voice showed that he thought otherwise. "You show Peter around, help him make friends, and keep him out of trouble."

"And if I don't?"

Apparently I wasn't supposed to say that. The guidance counselor's face turned red, even more than normal. "Then you're expelled. If Peter gets in to any trouble, you're responsible."

I folded my arms and gave him the look of death. I've been told I'm quite good at it – at least, my mom usually gave in when I used it on her.

"Try it on someone who cares, Lucas. The new kid shows up tomorrow. Be welcoming or get expelled," the counselor said. "Now leave."

God, the discipline system at Shallow Lake High was a big fat joke.

Annabeth Chase: synonymous for overachieving perfectionist, class president, and girl who would go places one day.

Giant ego? Not me. My friends would definitely tell me if being so successful was going to my head. That is, if I had friends. But whatever. You can't have everything.

Okay, sometimes I was lonely. Big deal. It was a phase. As soon as I got out of this small town and went to a big college, I'd make plenty of friends.

Shallow Lake had a population that had never topped a thousand, including livestock back in the days when all the families farmed. Everyone knew everything about everyone. Sometimes it was painful, but other times it was surprisingly convenient.

Like in sixth period geometry.

"Kelsey Forester has a concussion and a dislocated shoulder," Lea, the class diva, stage whispered to Jeff. Everyone in the entire room was able to hear her. "I don't know what she said to make Luke mad, but he was pissed."

Sad but true – my attention was piqued at the mention of the school's bad boy. In my defense, every girl in Shallow Lake had at least a small crush on him.

Becky, my biggest competition for valedictorian, turned around to face Lea. "She said he was a stuck up bastard who thought he was too good for everyone here," she said in her annoying nasal voice.

"Actually, they've been having a secret love affair, and Luke called it off. Kelsey attacked him and everything he did was in self-defense," Kasey chimed in. She was Kelsey's sister, so one would assume she'd have the story to trust. Unfortunately, she was also the star of the drama program and had a knack for making things more theatrical than they were.

"Class!" Ms. Wesley shouted. "Pay attention!"

We all pretended to listen about parallel lines and transversals for, oh, three seconds. Then it was back to gossiping.

"This is his third referral. You know what that means," Lea continued, leaning towards Jeff so he had a good view of her cleavage.

"We're not going to have anything nice to stare at until he's done with his suspension," Megan, the girl sitting next to me, sighed.

"That's it! I'm doubling the homework assignment," Ms. Wesley shrieked.

Great. That'd be no problem.

If only I'd been listening to anything she'd said.