"Annabeth," Luke spits coldly.
"Um..." She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you here?"
"Your shift ended ten minutes ago and you hadn't even texted me, so I came to check up on you since you can't be bothered to take some responsibility."
Everyone looked at each other nervously.
Percy's face distorted into a scowl. Luke Castellan was a master in Asshole-ery. How could he speak like that to her? Over practically nothing?
Annabeth scoffed in annoyance. "Sorry I was with my friends. I can drive myself home, Luke."
He rolled his eyes. "Did you not just hear a word I said? I was worried about you."
"Your tone sure as hell doesn't support that."
The energy at the table was tense. The situation remained awkward, yet everyone was on edge, especially Percy.
Luke's nostrils flared. "Let's go, Annabeth."
Demanding. Rude. Possessive.
Percy had seen this very behavior before with his own eyes. With his abusive step-father. Percy flooded with worry... But there was no way. The golden boy at school couldn't be such an awful human.
But the thoughts wouldn't leave Percy's mind. If he could ever prevent it from happening to anybody else, he would.
As Annabeth was about to open her mouth again, Percy spoke instead.
"And where do you go around speaking to her like that?" he inquired. His words spiked with sass and challenge.
Percy loved a good challenge.
"And where do you go around speaking to me like that? Stay out of this, Jackson."
"No, really. I wanna know." He crossed his arms and leaned back. Percy knew the perfect times to be an ass.
"Percy," Annabeth whispered, and shook her head. A warning.
But Percy didn't care.
Luke's fists clenched as his apparent anger rose. "Jackson, you are really pushing it."
Percy smirked devilishly. "Good to know. Still haven't gotten my answer though."
"Percy, stop. There's no reason to fight; I'll go," Annabeth said. She clearly didn't want to go, but she also clearly didn't want Percy picking a fight.
He stared into her wondrously gray eyes for a moment before nodding. She smiled gravely and got up from her seat.
As the couple was turning to leave the restaurant, Percy spoke some final words. "Hey, Luke!" he called out.
Luke turned halfway and looked at Percy awaiting what he had to say.
"You're an asshat."
With those three simple words, Luke's rage boiled up inside him and completely sent him over the edge. He came racing towards Percy, but he was prepared. As Luke's fist came swinging at Percy's face, Percy swiftly ducked and grabbed his fist. He pushed Luke back which left him stumbling.
What? You didn't think Percy only knew how to swim, did you?
"Try it again," Percy challenged. His face no longer resembled a mischievous boy, but rather someone completely pissed the fuck off.
Annabeth sprinted in between the two boys. "What the hell, Luke?!" Her face was red-hot with fury.
"He started it, Annabeth." He pointed a blaming finger at Percy while he was still trying to catch his breath from his adrenaline rush.
Percy held his hands up in defense. He expected Luke to react with aggression- he'd been taunting him just so he could piss him off. But now Percy was pissed off too.
This encounter proved two things: Luke is aggressive and doesn't handle anger well. But Annabeth didn't seem to expect that type of reaction... Which brings back to the original question: Is Luke is some way... abusive?
"We're leaving," Annabeth demanded as she dragged Luke by the arm and out of Olive Garden.
Grover looked around puzzled and astonished. "Okay... I'll say it. What the literal fuck just happened?"
After that night, Percy and Annabeth didn't speak much. They exchanged few words during second period, and that was it. The number sitting in his phone with that silly picture, seemed to be forgotten.
Sure, Percy wanted to talk to her. A lot, actually. But interfering with Luke was going to cause problems nobody needed. Although distancing himself, Percy still kept a close eye on Annabeth because of his recent suspicions. Nothing caught his eye though.
But now, he sat on his couch at home, munching on leftover pizza while watching The Office on Netflix; One of his favorite pastimes, truly. His mom was out at work- She was a publisher, and in her free time, an author. His step-dad, Paul, worked at the high school but he always stayed late.
Percy would normally be at swim practice right now, but Coach had an emergency, so now he had a whole free two hours. Luckily, he had just about no homework... Except for chemistry. Mr. Harper just didn't know when to stop handing out assignments.
Percy planned on procrastinating, obviously. So for now, he would enjoy himself in junk food and TV.
Until his phone started blowing up with messages.
Leo: perce wanna come to the movues tonight
Leo: movies* sorry
Leo: hey, u suck at texting back
Leo: helloooo its been like 7 minutes
Leo: P ER CY
Percy: sorry i was watching netflix lol
Leo: well get ur ass up bc im almost at ur house
Percy: what
Leo: i said we're going to the movies
Percy: okay.. whos driving
Leo: jason
Percy: good. u driving is a complete disaster
Leo: ok chlorine head bye
Percy chuckled as he set his phone back down onto the table. He clicked off the TV and went to go get ready (which meant touching up his hair and throwing on some shoes).
Soon, Leo was furiously texting Percy to "get ur ass down here" as he sat in Jason's car outside the building.
The ride to the theaters was awful; Percy sat in the back, annoyed out of his mind, as Leo sang off-key to every song that came on and Jason was driving way too far under the speed limit.
Once they arrived to the theater and bought their tickets, all was going well until they sat right in front of her.
Rachel Dare.
Percy was praying she didn't notice, that maybe she was too busy on her phone or talking to the friend beside her. He scoured around the theater to see if there were any more seats, but Thor: Ragnarok was getting real popular real fast.
He nonchalantly leaned over to Jason and whispered, "Rachel is right behind us."
Jason chuckled.
"This isn't funny!" Percy scolded, still in a whisper.
"Yeah it is."
Percy rolled his eyes and turned facing frontward again.
He couldn't believe this. What are the odds? And why does he keep getting seats right in front of her? Did the world want to tease him like this?
Percy sat lazily in his chair, hoping his head could no longer be seen from the row above.
Leo turned to the black-haired boy. "What are you doing?"
Percy's eyebrows cocked. "Huh?"
"Why are you sitting like... that?" Leo gestured frantically to Percy.
Percy sighed heavily and motioned for Leo to come closer. "Rachel's behind us," he whispered.
Leo started giggling, but held his hand over his mouth.
"Why does everybody think this is funny?!"
This situation was not funny. Percy just wanted to go out with friends and have a good time, yet this is out it turned out.
Still slumped in the chair, Percy munched on popcorn as he sat in silent anger.
As the movie went on, the continuous humor seemed to melt away Percy's anxiety. Soon the popcorn was gone while Leo and Jason only had two handfuls.
The movie ended and a weight was lifted from Percy's shoulders. He was so relieved Rachel hadn't noticed him- or if she had, she didn't bother him.
But right as the weight lifted, it came crashing down again. Honestly, Percy has the worst luck. Rachel caught his eye as he was exiting the theater. And much to his disappointment... she approached him.
"Hey, Percy," she greeted with a grin.
"Uh, hey." Can she go now?
"How'd you like the movie? I thought it was awesome."
"Uh, yeah it was pretty good."
She nodded her head and stuck between them was stiff, awkward silence. Rachel decided to break the ice after a minute or so. "So, how've you been?"
Percy shrugged his shoulders. "Good." The conversation made him want to die.
"Yeah..."
Again was the awkward silence. Percy's hands laid in his pockets as his looked around to avoid Rachel's gaze.
Out of nowhere, Rachel leaned up, placed her hands on Percy's neck, and smashed her lips into his. He was so taken aback, he stumbled backwards and tripped over his feet- luckily, he didn't fall.
"What the hell?!" He demanded.
"What? I thought we were like... having a moment." Percy couldn't tell if she was lying or not, to be honest.
"Well we weren't. At all." He straightened out his clothes and let out a deep breath. "Why would you even want to kiss me, Rachel? We're over. I thought I made that clear." His look was stern.
Her face fell a little. "Oh. I just... felt something, I guess."
Percy had zero idea as to how she thought they were having a moment or how there was even something to feel. Did she mistaken awkward tension for sexual tension? How does someone mix that up?
"There's nothing, Rachel. Clearly you need to sort out whatever feelings you still have for us." Percy began walking away. "I gotta go."
So much for a fun night out with friends.
Percy walked inside his home to find no one was there. He concluded that Sally and Paul went out, which was no problem.
He slumped onto his fluffy, blue bed. The day was going fine until tonight, and now he's exhausted. Remembering he had chem homework, he groaned loudly and slid onto the floor and began rummaging through his backpack.
He took one look and knew he couldn't do all of it by himself. Another groan.
And then an idea popped into his head: He could text Annabeth for help; They hadn't spoken in a while and now felt like the right time.
Percy: hey annabeth... could u maybe help me on my chem hw?
Percy sat anxiously, waiting for a reply.
Annabeth: sure :)
Percy: thank u!! i'll send u pics now
Annabeth: u can just facetime me lol. it'll be a lot easier
Percy: oh yeah haha
Percy wasn't expecting that response, but nonetheless, he switched over to the FaceTime app and called Annabeth. He waited for only two seconds and suddenly her gorgeous face appeared on his screen. She was sitting at a desk, and seemed to be doing homework as well.
"Oh!" Percy exclaimed. "If you're busy right now I can-"
"No! No, I'm almost done. It's just some easy physics stuff."
Easy physics stuff? Easy and physics do not go together.
"Oh, okay." Percy held up his homework so Annabeth could see. "I just don't get how a valence electron-"
Annabeth laughed.
"Are you making fun of me?" Percy teased. A smile started cracking from his face too.
"I'm sorry," she said between laughter. "Percy I learned this stuff freshman year!"
Now Percy was laughing too. Freshman year?
"Hey! Not everybody can be as smart as you, Wise Girl."
Annabeth looked confused, with her eyebrow cocked. "Wise Girl?" And that teasing tone was back.
Percy knew it sounded stupid. It just came flying out of his mouth. Wise Girl? Really? Of all the names, he said Wise Girl?
"I don't know, it kinda just... came out." A chuckle ensued.
Annabeth contemplated for a second. "I kinda like it."
They shared smiles. Although looking at each other through a couple of phones, Percy felt a connection. Like a bond was growing, out of nowhere. Why did I wait so long to talk to her again? Percy truly felt like he could be himself around her, like he didn't have to try, and no matter what, she'd still understand him. Obviously she made fun of him a lot, but can you blame her? It's nothing but playful teasing, but that's what makes their relationship even stronger.
Monday, 4th week of school
Percy was making his way to 7th period chemistry (praying that the studying with Annabeth helped), when Charles Beckendorf came up behind him.
"Hey, man!" he greeted. Percy jumped slightly.
"Hey, Beckendorf. What's up?" Why was he approaching Percy anyway? They don't really talk.
Beckendorf frowned. "I expected you to be a little happier."
Percy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"
"You know... Friday night..." He looked almost giddy.
"Friday night..?"
Beckendorf punched Percy's arm playfully and gleamed, "You and Rachel are back together, dude!"
Percy stopped in his tracks.
"I'm sorry- What?"
"C'mon! I saw you two kissing!"
Percy grew infuriated. But he managed to keep his cool enough. "Rachel and I are not back together. She kissed me. I want nothing to do with her."
"Oh..."
"Yeah."
"I kind of told everyone at my lunch table that y'all were kicking it again..."
Steam seemed blow from Percy's ears. He wants zero association with Rachel, especially after the stunt she pulled at the movies. He couldn't muster up enough words to express his immediate anger, so he just stormed off, leaving Beckendorf in the middle of the hallway.
Seventh period was already bad enough due to sitting right in front of Rachel. But now he had a boiling type of anger from not only Friday, but just now. Luckily, the red head didn't say a word to him; He guessed she was too embarrassed.
Relief washed over Percy when the bell rang, knowing his next period was athletics and he could actually blow off some steam- He definitely needed it.
Once changed into gym-wear into the weight-room, his mind started to calm down. Thankfully, Monday's were free days, which meant every athlete who had eighth period athletics got their own choice of how they wanted to work out. Percy spotted an open punching bag, and decided that was just what he needed right now.
Sweat trickled down his forehead after each blow he threw at the punching bag. His knuckles were numb and his lungs grasping for air, but he continued on. Every angering thought flowed through body and out with a single punch.
He was in a zone.
...Until a finger tapping his shoulder interrupted him.
He spun around, to find a pair of fierce gray eyes staring up at him. Annabeth.
She smiled. "Hey."
He mirrored the smile. "Hey."
"You were looking a little intense over there," she teased. "Almost brooding."
He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess."
"So..." She elbowed him playfully. "I hear you and the ginger are back together!"
Percy ground his teeth. This time fortunately though, he didn't burst into hot flames- He handled his emotions. "That's actually, not right."
"What do you mean?"
Percy looked around for a second. "The coaches will get mad if we're not working out. Let's go to the track and talk there." Annabeth nodded in agreement.
As they stepped onto the track surrounding the football field, Percy asked, "Wait, why are you out here?"
"I'm in girls' track and field, Seaweed Brain."
Oh yeah. But that nickname caught him off guard. "Seaweed Brain?"
"Yeah, 'cause I'm tired of calling you a moron. And you're a swimmer," she explained.
"Oh." Percy laughed. "That's kinda a weird name, ya know."
"And Wise Girl, isn't?"
"Touché."
"Okay stop trying to avoid my question. What's going on between you and Rachel?"
The two continued jogging on the track.
"She kissed me at the movies, but I didn't want her to." Annabeth intently listened to Percy. "She keeps missing the hints that I don't have feelings for her anymore."
Annabeth contemplated Percy's words, then responded, "What did you say after she kissed you?"
"I told her we're over."
"So you made it absolutely clear this time?"
"Absolutely."
"Good."
Percy took a deep breath. God, did he really want to let everything out. "Ugh, sometimes I just wish her and I never-"
And then the bell rang, signaling school had ended.
The two stopped jogging and Annabeth looked up at him. "We can continue this chat-"
"Yeah, I'll call you."
"Actually, I was gonna say you could come over to my house tonight," she corrected. "If that's okay with you, of course."
Huh? "Is that okay with Luke?"
She rolled her eyes. "Probably not. But I don't care; He and I haven't been seeing eye to eye with everything lately."
"Do you wanna... talk about it?" Is this connected to what Percy predicted earlier?
"No, no, we don't really have the time anyway. I gotta get to practice as I'm sure you do too."
"Yup. I'll see you later then."
They both smiled.
And God was her smile a sight to see.
A/N: sorry this chapter was kinda sucky lol (next chapter will be coming out really soon!! it will be in sync with my Wattpad, meaning right now, there are no additional chapters on my Wattpad. xx)
