Iridescent
Author's Note
Hey, guys...um, okay. I'm still trying to choose a beta reader because all of them are just so amazing! Yeah.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. At all.
Despair and Invitations to a Girls' Night
A collective gasp came across the gathered people, and Kelli smirked at me, tossing her dark hair. Calmly, I assessed the situation. I wasn't angry that Kelli framed for something I hadn't done. She was desperate, and desperate girls would do anything, which really didn't help her. "Oh, please. You want me to try singing again? Besides, if I really did lip-sync, do you think I would've predicted you'd pick me? And how would I set it up so quickly?" I asked, meeting her gaze. Kelli's look of surprise vanished as she replied quickly, "C'mon. Considering your current relationship with Percy, you probably KNEW I would pick you."
"What relationship? Percy and I are just friends. Are you honestly picking me because you're jealous? I didn't even know you before this," I said. Kelli gaped at me, anger flaring in her eyes. "How - dare - you! Why would I be jealous of the brat! I'm the one who dumped him!" She screeched.
For a moment everyone was silent. Then things turned chaotic. I smiled and leaned back to examine my handiwork. Whatever I had done had helped take the attention off of me and my supposed wrongdoing. The spotlight was now on Percy and Kelli. "Kelli! You said Percy broke up with you. No one dated him for a month because of you!" a
girl cried.
Kelli frantically turned to her friends, but they were busy pretending they couldn't hear her. My friends and I fended off the other questioning celebs, leading Percy out of the cafe.
"Annabeth, I'm going to have people investigate! If that's get out, the beginning of your career is ruined!" Kelli screamed at the top of her lungs. I turned slowly. "Nothing will happen to my career. I never lip-synch. I would never play a stupid trick like that. Now, good-bye, Kelli. I hope you're happy with what you've done."
Then we all got out of the madhouse and went home.
"Thank the gods that's over," Thalia said, walking into our house and placing the keys down. Confused, I noted how she said 'thank the gods' and not 'thank God'. "So, why do you say 'thank the gods' instead of...you know," I asked her. Thalia cracked a grin. "We're all so weird. Everyone used to have an obsession with Greek mythology because of Mr. Brunner so we say 'thank the gods'. We call Mr. Brunner Chiron. He's still the Latin teacher at our school, so you're going to have to meet him," Thalia replied. Jason busied himself by going upstairs to play some video game.
Thalia said, "I'm going to the movies with Luke, and Mom's not home. So, I'm putting you in charge." I shrugged. "Sure, why not? I'll be upstairs chatting with my friends back home," I replied. Thalia smiled. "Cool. I gotta change first," she said. We went upstairs, and I entered my room, calling, "Have fun! Be careful!"
She laughed and walked into her own room, nodding. I turned laptop on and went on video chat with Juniper. Grover wasn't there. "Hey, Juniper! What's up?" I asked, smiling. My friend shrugged, twirling her light amber-colored hair. "Nothing. I really miss you. How's family?" she asked. I tilted my head. She looked upset. Worried, I asked, "Juniper, what's wrong?" I studied the room behind her. There were white tiles and room numbers, illuminated by the bright lighting of a hospital. Why was she at the hospital?
"Junie, what happened? Why are you at the hospital?" I asked fearfully. She placed her head in her hands, tears tracing down her cheeks. "Oh, Annabeth," she sobbed, her delicate body moving from huge cries. "Annabeth, I'm so - Grover, he - " she cried, hiccuping. I shivered, fear running down my spine. Something was wrong with Grover.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm Juniper down. "Okay, look. Juniper, whatever happened to Grover, he'll be fine. Don't worry about it. Grover's a big boy and he'll pull through," I said. She looked up, eyes red. "Annabeth, that's the thing! You don't know what happened to him so you're saying these things!" she yelled. More tears ran down her cheeks.
"Juniper! Snap out of it. Grover wouldn't want to see you crying. Tell me what happened and let me help you through it. I'm your best friend, and I'm telling you. Spill!" I barked in a commanding way. She stopped crying, wiping her remaining tears away. A determined look crossed her face, and I smiled in approval.
"O-okay. So, Grover a-and I, we w-went on a date to the m-mall, but we had to take my baby cousin be-because, you know, I had to babysit him. So I sat in the back row with my b-baby cousin. A-and, Grover drove us to the mall. S-so we were almost there and we w-went, and this giant pick-up j-just rammed into the car! And i-it was on his side of the c-car. The c-car hit me and Grover, thank God it wasn't the baby that got hit. B-but, most of the pick-up hit the front of the car. A-and, now...now G-grover's in a critical st-state, and we don't even know who did this to him!" Tears filled her eyes again, but she tried to hole them back.
I stared at her, not knowing what to say. I couldn't even imagine what she felt like right now. How would I feel if my boyfriend got hit by a car and was in a delicate state? A lump filled in my throat. I was so selfish that I was thinking about me and not Grover, who could possibly die, or even my heart-broken best friend. What if he really died? Juniper would never be the same. I felt tears well up in my own eyes.
"Grover...Juniper, I...I'm sure he'll be fine. Are you okay, though?" I asked, concerned. I couldn't believe my best friend was actually coping. She was strong, that was for sure. She dismissively waved my question away. "Oh, just a few scrapes and a broken leg. G-grover, though...I d-don't what I'll do. He's not awake. H-he's stuck in a c-coma, and I j-just - the doctors are trying their best. You should have seen him! H-his face was r-ruined, and he was bleeding all over. Oh, Annabeth! It's all my fault. I should have called the ambulance in time. All I did was just sit there. Someone else called the hospital, three minutes later. I-I, Annabeth! Grover's going to die and it's all my fault," she cried. She gasped for breath, sobbing.
"Junie, please. It's not your fault. Not at all. It was that moronic asshole who hit Grover. He's such an amazing guy, and he never deserved this. Don't blame yourself. Grover's strong. He'll be up in no time and you will wonder why you ever worried about him," I reassured, wishing I could reach out and hug her.
The door next to her clicked open, revealing a man in a white lab coat and a clipboard. He was middle-aged with graying hair and sad brown eyes. "Mr. and Mrs. Underwood? And , ah, Ms. Juniper?" he asked, looking at Grover's parents and Juniper. Juniper nodded, grabbing her laptop and standing up to greet the doctor.
"How is he?" Mrs. Underwood asked anxiously. The doctor sighed. "We've bandaged all of his injuries. He will wake up when it is time for him. Luckily, no vital organs were punctured but he did break some ribs and an arms. He'll heal very soon. As for his brain injury...there is nothing wrong. We believe he is stuck in his coma out of shock since there isn't any damage to his brain. I won't sugarcoat it. Some people will wake up, and some don't. For now, hope for the best," he said.
I sighed in relief. So he wasn't permanently in his coma state. Mr. and Mrs. Underwood nodded and thanked the doctor, asking if they could see him. He nodded, and all of them shuffled in quietly. Confidently, I said, "Juniper, he'll wake up. Grover is strong and he will never give up on you. I promise, you'll get to talk to him very soon. All you have to do is believe in him."
Juniper nodded, smiling through tears. "I know," she choked out. Mr. and Mrs. Underwood leaned over to look at Juniper's lap top. "Oh, hello, Annabeth," they said, waving. I smiled. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Underwood. I know your son will be fine. Grover is just the kind of guy who will persevere through everything," I said. They smiled and looked over at Grover's sleeping body.
"Grover, wake up for your mom, okay? I know you're still there and you can hear me. Everyone misses and loves you. Even Annabeth is here. Juniper and your father hope you'll come back to us, okay?" his mother whispered. She pressed her lips to his forehead and backed away, a soft look in her eyes.
Mr. Underwood cleared his throat. "Son. Snap out of it. I know you can. I...miss you. Your Uncle Ferdinand says hello. He hope you'll get better. Promise me you will wake up. I know you will because you never break your promises." He patted his sons arm gently and brushed his hair down.
"Can I...can I?" I asked Juniper softly. She nodded and brought the laptop closer so I could see him. I sighed, speaking up.
"Hey, Grover. It's, uh, Annabeth. Now, I know you're a stubborn douche and all. You need to wake up because everyone here needs you. Your parents need you, I need you, Juniper really needs you, and even your least favorite teacher Mr. Ronalds needs you to annoy him. I know you will come back to reality. It's in your blood not to disappoint. So, so...just wake up, okay? Wake up because you're my best friend. It would really be selfish of you to not wake up," I finished, holding back the tears. I saw the corners of his lips twitch with amusement, and then I knew he could hear us.
"Okay, Annabeth. I'll call you back later. Enjoy your day, okay? Don't worry too much about me being depressed or Grover's condition. Like you said, Grover will get through," Juniper said, grinning. I nodded. "Bye, Junie."
"Bye, Grover," I said softly.
The video call ended.
I turned in my chair, stretching. There was nothing to worry about. Grover would wake up because he was a stubborn douche. End of story.
I sighed, and grumbled when I heard my computer ping, signaling a new alert. Looking, I saw I had received a new e-mail. Clicking on it, I opened it and revealed the message.
From: *Piper McLean* queenofpersuasionandallthatjazz
To: *Thalia* animallvr , *Clarisse* iwillkillyou , *Silena* beautyqueen2therescuelove , *Hazel* lovelyjewels , *Bianca* darkandquiet , *Annabeth* wisegirl_hearts_owls , *Rachel* willturnRED , *Katie* missgardener
Subject: IMPORTANT MUST READ
Message:
You have been cordially invited to a girls' night out hosted at the very humble home of Miss Piper McLean.
It will be held this week Sunday at 6:00 PM and finished on Monday at 11:30 AM. Dinner, breakfast, and lunch will be served accordingly. Please bring sleep wear, as many changes of clothes as you need, laptops, phones, music players, pillows, and anything else you believe will help you become comfortable. RSVP ASAP.
Be forewarned: You will probably have to spill your guts to your BFF'S at this spectacular slumber party!
Yours truly,
You Know Who I am AKA Queen of Persuasion and all that jazz AKA Princess of Love AKA twinsies/sisters with Silena AKA Daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of love AKA Your Personal Betterment Girl YOUR BFF AKA Piper :)
P.S. IF YOU DON'T COME THAT EXCUSE BETTER BE GOOD.
P.P.S. Did I mention that Nico is having a boys' night at his house? Hazel and Bianca said so...that means we'll have to prank them.
I shuddered, looking over the message. 'Spilling your guts to your BFF's'? Not exactly on my to-do list. I sighed mournfully while feeding my owl Sora. She chirped, landing next to the picture of Juniper, Grover, and me at a water park. I took the photo, sighing.
Don't worry too much.
"Okay, I'll go to the party, Sora. Thalia's definitely going so she would drag me there anyway," I relented, stroking Sora's feathers.
She hooted and snuggled into my hand. I smiled, sighing.
Then I prayed for Grover even if I was atheist, just in case. But, you know, I wouldn't have to worry about him. Love was a powerful thing and he was so coming back for Juniper.
OKAY! hope you liked that. Anyway...IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
Write in the reviews , 'cuz I think I'm ready to write me some PERCABETH:)
Love Percabeth,
FLYING