hey guys I'm back with another update! This will be a pretty long chapter so I hope you enjoy it. Summer vacation is almost over and I have to go back to school by September (gag) but I'll still try to update as fast as I can. Sorry if the characters are a little OOC. Oh also check Chapter 1 because I'll edit it to change the time from summer to Christmas
Disclaimer: i don't own anything. Characters go to Rick Riordan and plot goes to Simone Elkeles. Even the outfits aren't mine!
Piper
I smile at Jason after he kisses me. I watch him as he leaves, thinking how lucky I am to have him as my boyfriend. Yes, I do have to deal with the glares, the teasing, and the death threats from jealous girls (mostly from Drew) and I still hate the attention, but it's all worth it to have Jason.
When I first met him in August, he was a transfer student and I was working in the office as punishment for a prank Leo and I pulled and I was his guide. He didn't ask any questions; he didn't talk at all. I only showed him around the school and I didn't want to bother him so I didn't try to strike a conversation with him.
For two weeks, he made no attempt to talk to people and he had no friends. Other than the girls checking him out, no one else paid much attention to him. Eventually, I got the nerve to go up to Jason at lunch and started talking to him. He was hesitant at first, but we gradually warmed up to each other. I found out that he was a really nice and caring guy with a sense of humor. I invited Leo to sit with us and we all became fast friends. About a month later, Jason and I started going out. That was the October of sophomore year which is about year and two months from today.
As I watch Jason leave, I almost called him to ask him to stay for a minute. I had something to tell Jason, something important. Despite my happy mood, my mind keeps nagging at me as a reminder that something's wrong. I just keep pushing that annoying thought out if my head.
I get off my stop at the bus station and walked down the block towards my house in Beverly Hills. Well, I say house, but it's really a mansion. My dad is the famous actor Tristan Mclean and my mom is the famous model/fashion designer Aphrodite Amare. I live with my dad because my parents are divorced. My mom married so many guys so now I have a lot of half-siblings and step-siblings. She's getting married again in a few weeks so that means even more siblings for me! Wonderful.
I enter the house and take in my surroundings. The house smells like pine trees which is from our Christmas tree in the living room. We hastily decorated it with a few glass ornaments and we placed stockings over the fireplace. The house is decorated with a few ribbons and wreaths, but we were all so busy that we didn't have much time to decorate the house.
My biological sister Lacey walks down the spiral staircase. I look more like Dad with the same tan skin and straight chocolate-brown hair while she looks more like Mom with naturally curly blonde hair in pigtails, crystal blue eyes, and braces to match. She's only about thirteen, but you can tell that she will grow up to look very beautiful once the dentist removes her braces and her hair is newly styled.
"Hi, Piper. How was school?" she asks cheerfully. Her positive attitude is so infectious that I forget about my worries and start to smile as well.
"Great. Jason, Leo, and I pulled this hilarious prank on our gym teacher. Speaking of Leo, is he home yet?"
"Yep, he came home about ten minutes before you."
"Where is he?"
"In the kitchen, working on something."
"Oh dear, let me check on him."
I walk into the kitchen and find Leo fiddling with the toaster. Usually Leo finds something to fix or improve instead of doing his homework because he has trouble concentrating with his ADHD.
"Hey, beauty queen," he says to me.
"Don't call me that, repair boy," I reply, grabbing some fruit from a bowl on the island. "Is the toaster broken?"
"Yeah, the toast doesn't pop up when it's done. Also, the toaster doesn't make the usual beeping sound when it's done."
"You know, Dad doesn't like you fixing stuff especially after the exploding oven incident."
"Whatever you say, little sister," he smirks at me and continues working on it. I shrug, leaving the kitchen to find Lacey if he succeeds in making it explode.
Leo and I aren't really brother and sister. His dad, Hephaestus, and my mom were married, but his parents divorced and his dad ended up remarrying. During elementary school, while my mom and dad were still married, Leo showed up at our mansion, claiming that he was the son of Hephaestus and his new wife. Both of his parents died in a fire and he had nowhere else to go. My mom wanted nothing to do with him, but my dad convinced her into taking him in. When my parents split up in middle school, my dad took custody of Lacey, Leo, and I.
I find Lacey in her room at her desk, drawing something. I plop down on her pink queen-sized bed.
"So how was your day, Lacey?" I ask.
"It was fine. In art, we were allowed to draw whatever we wanted. I drew a pegasus," she says shyly. I get up and I look over her shoulder at what she is drawing.
"Is this what you worked on?"
"Yep. You can look at it if you want," she says, handing it to me.
I gasp at the amazing artwork. "Wow, Lacey, this is beautiful."
Lacey drew a precise drawing of a grey pegasus with white wings. There is so much detail that it almost looks real.
"Thanks," Lacey says shyly as I give the drawing back.
"I'll let you keep working on it. I'll be in my room if you need me."
Once I leave Lacey's room, I head straight to the bathroom. After my bathroom break, I sit in my room as my worries resurface. I haven't had my period for almost a week. I would usually assume that I'm late, but there's also the fact that Jason and I had sex last month while my dad was away at a photo shoot.
A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts. I tell the person to come in and it's Leo who walks in.
"No, I don't have any spare parts-"
"No, I wasn't going to ask about that," Leo cuts me off. "Are you still going to Drew's party tonight with Jason?"
"Oh! Thanks for reminding me," I exclaim, rushing to my closet. Although it's a huge walk-in, it's barely filled in and there's only simply sweaters, cardigans, T-shirts, sneakers, boots and jeans. "Actually, Jason and I agreed to meet up at Drew's so I'll need a ride."
"Hey, why didn't you tell me that you have a party?" Lacey asks, popping into my room and looking at my closet with a frown on her face. "You know how badly you need my fashion advice."
"Why? It's just a party at Drew's."
"Drew? As in Drew Tanaka?" Lacey exclaims, her mouth dropping so low that I almost told her that she's going to catch flies like that. "My classmate Mitchell is her neighbor and he says that Drew is known to have the best parties in the neighborhood. So your usual outfits are totally unsuitable for a party like that."
"Ugh, I don't want to go anymore. And why do you want to go to Drew's party anyway?" I ask Leo since he and Drew aren't exactly close buddies ever since he replaced her lip gloss with gasoline and her mascara with oil.
"She asked me if I could get her some fireworks. I don't owe her any favors, but she was willing to pay me," he shrugs. "I might as well go and see what the big fuss is about."
"We definitely need to go shopping. Wait for me while I grab my purse," Lacey says, leaving my room. Normally, I'd groan and protest since I hate shopping but I really needed a completely new outfit. This is Drew Tanaka's party and I want to look presentable if not my best.
Leo drove us to the mall and just stayed in the food court. After what felt like hours of shopping, Lacey settles on a simple yet pretty turquoise dress, black leggings and a new snowboarding jacket so I don't freeze to death. My shoes are black leather boots because I can't and won't walk in heels. For accessories, I stick with only my favorite silver charm bracelet. At home, she curls only the ends of my hair. For make-up, I insisted that she doesn't overdo it so she applies a little lip gloss and mascara.
After Lacey finishes fixing my hair and make-up, we walk downstairs to Leo's workshop. He turns around to face us, carrying a box in his hands. When he takes a good look at me, his mouth drops and so does the box. I laugh nervously and I kneel to help him pick up the fireworks.
"It's that bad huh?" I ask, dropping fireworks into the box. He chuckles.
"If by bad you mean completely hot then yes it's that bad," he smirks.
"Ew, you did not just call me hot," I smack him playfully. "We're practically brother and sister. That's incest."
"Hey, when I called you hot, that was meant to be a compliment. It's not like I was trying to hit on you."
"Well then thank you. You clean up nicely too, Valdez."
Now that I take a good look at Leo, there is no longer any trace of oil or grease on his face or hands. His curly hair is also slightly wet so he must have taken a shower while waiting for me.
"Although, as your brother, I have to warn you that there will be lots of guys that will be hitting on you. I don't think Jason will be happy about that."
I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go, repair boy," I say, packing the last of the fireworks into the box.
"Me going to a party. Beauty queen dressing up. This will be one hell of a party."
Before we head over to Drew's place, we drop Lacey off at her friend Mitchell's house which was conveniently right next to Drew's house. There are already a lot of cars parked near her house so we have to park somewhere far away. I'm thankful that I insisted on wearing boots instead of heels because we parked about a block away and the weather is starting to get a little windy and cold. Music is blasting throughout the neighborhood despite how far we are. Leo and I exchange a look and we shrug as if to say "It's just a party. What can go wrong?" We start walking down the block.
Once we walk through the door, we're already ambushed by drunk teenagers. A classmate of mine, Clovis, draped an arm around and starts talking to me then decides to take a nap on my shoulder. Surprisingly, he's not drunk; this is something he does often. I shove him off, trying to hide my disgust as he plops to the floor and continues napping. It's not even ten and people are already wasted. I sigh and continue walking, looking for Jason. The place is decorated like mine with a few ribbons and wreaths and a white artificial tree in one corner. I bump into more wasted people and I hear whistles coming from guys I don't even know, but I see no sign of Jason.
"Do you see him?" Leo ask behind me as we walk on to the dance floor. He's trying to get through the crowd while keeping a grip on the box. I keep craning my head, but there is no sign of familiar blond hair. I shake my head and turn around to bump into someone, almost spilling her cup of beer. I'm about to apologize until I look at who I bump into. I scowl and so does she.
"Ugh, watch it, dumpster queen," Drew sneers.
Drew is wearing a red tiered silk jeweled neck dress with black leggings and gold high heels. Gold teardrop earrings dangle from her ears and gold bangles jingle on one hand. I start to feel under-dressed. Her bright red lips curl in a sneer as she looks me up and down.
"I must say, you make a nice effort, hon. Yet no matter what you wear, you always seem to dress in dumpster clothes," she smiles sweetly but her eyes are cold and steely. She'd probably kick me out if she didn't invite Jason. I smile sweetly at her. I'm not going to let her get the best of me.
"Why, thank you, Drew. And I love your outfit too. I think my mom designed something like that, oh, sometime last season." Her smile drops and she steps in closer, towering over me. I hold my head high and look right back at her. Drew doesn't scare me.
"You are so lucky you have your precious Jason, otherwise you wouldn't even be here. But remember that he won't be yours forever. And trust me, hon, the minute Jason dumps your sorry ass, he'll come crawling to me and I'll do whatever it takes to make your life a living hell. Now run along, run along to your bf while you still can, cousin," she snarls out the last word before giving me a fake smile and stalks off, pulling Leo and muttering something about the fireworks. Leo shoots me an apologetic look before he's dragged off by the she-devil.
Yes, Drew Tanaka, the biggest bitch in Jupiter High, is my cousin. Sue me.
I sigh and turn around to be greeted by Jason. I sigh in relief and hug him. He chuckles and returns the hug. He seems a little tense, but I ignore it. I'm feeling a little nervous myself and it's not just because of what Drew just said.
"I'm glad you made it and you look great," he compliments me, giving me a small smile. "You're making me feel under-dressed."
"No, you look fine," I assure him and he did. He's wearing a simple purple T-shirt, dark jeans and track shoes. His hair is also newly trimmed. His eyes are the same blue as the strobe lights above us.
"Hey, can we find a place to talk? Just the two of us? It's a little loud in here."
"Sure."
I let him lead me through the crowds of people. I start thinking about what Drew said. He won't be yours forever. Run along to your bf while you still can. I try to shake off any thoughts of her. Maybe he just wants to talk. Or maybe he wants to make-out. It wouldn't be the first time. Or maybe he wants to give me my Christmas present.
We step out through the backdoor into the backyard. It's huge, big enough to hold a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi on one side and a garden with a gazebo on the other. We head over to the gazebo. We sit down and it's a beautiful view of the flowers and the night sky. I lean my head on his shoulder and he slowly puts his arm around me. He still feels a little tense so I look up at him, but he isn't even facing me.
"Jason, is anything wrong?" I ask. He bites his lip nervously and looks down at me. Now I know there is definitely something wrong. I sit up.
"Tell me. Tell me what's wrong."
'It's- It's nothing, Piper. Just forget about it," he says and tries to grab my hand but I pull it away.
"No, I won't just forget about it. So you might as well tell me what's going on."
He sighs and runs a hand through his light blond hair. I bite my lip nervously. This is it. He's really going to break up with me. After all this time together, he's going to break up with me.
But maybe he won't if I tell him that I might be pregnant.
"I'll tell you something too if you tell me what's wrong first," I blurt out before I lost the courage to confess to him. He raised an eyebrow and sighs again.
"Okay, so do you remember when I told you that my mom got an interview for a job?"
I nodded.
"Well, she got the job."
"But that's great, Jason. So why do you look so nervous?"
"Because," he takes in a deep breath. "It means that we have to move back to New York."
Oh no. This is even worse. Not only will he have to break up with me, he'll have to move across the country! Damn it. I really hoped that if I was pregnant, Jason would be with me every step of the way. Now that can't possibly happen. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I look away from him while I force them to go away.
"Pipes, you okay?"
"I'm fine," I choke out, taking in a deep breath and forcing on a small smile. "So when are you leaving?"
"I'm not sure. Soon though. Maybe in a few days."
My heart sinks. I was hoping that he wouldn't leave for weeks, months but no. He's leaving in a few days.
"Oh."
"I'm really sorry," he says and he does sound truly sorry. I look at him for what might be the last time, taking in every detail from the blue of his eyes, his blond hair to the small details like the scar on the corner of his lip. "Now, um, what was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh." Crap I can't tell him now. He'll feel even more guilty than he does now. Think, Piper, think. "Um, my mom is getting married."
"Again?"
"Yeah again and I was going to ask you to come with me but..."
"Oh. Right."
We sit in an awkward silence, only our shoulders touching. We were never uncomfortable around each other except before we were dating.
"So, I guess this means we need to go our separate ways," I say more to myself than to him. He nods.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine." It's not. I give him a smile and look away. "I'm just, ah, going to look for Leo then."
"Yeah okay. I'll um tell the others about, you know."
"Okay." I stand up and so does he. He pulls me into one last hug and I fight the urge to pull him back when he pulls away. He kisses the top of my forehead and that was almost enough for me to break down. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying.
"Merry Christmas, Piper."
"Merry Christmas," I mumble meekly.
Wow that was a long chapter. Hope you liked it or not.. Anyways there will be two more chapter with Jason in Los Angeles and by chapter 6 he should be in New York. Now reviews make me really happy so click that review button below. Constructive critiscism is welcome.