Chapter 12 – You'll Never Know
Percy's POV
When I woke up, I found myself lying on a stiff, low cot. There were plaid cotton curtains hanging in the windows, but they were each pulled away and the sunlight trickled in.
I shifted a little and groaned. I still felt nauseous, but not the get-away-from-me-I'm-about-to-throw-up type of nauseous, more of the I-just-threw-up-and-i-have-that-weird-taste-in-my-mouth-and-the-taste-makes-me-want-to-puke-all-over-again type of nauseous. I shifted again.
"Careful." I heard a soft voice say.
That's when I realized that I wasn't alone.
Both Rachel and Annabeth were sitting on plastic chairs across the room.
Oh my god… could this get anymore awkward?
"Percy?" I heard another voice call.
Shit… it could.
Piper walked into the room, carrying a cup of water. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. She knows my feelings about Rachel… shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
Please excuse my language, but I assure you, you've never had your ex, your crush, and the girl who you told your secret crush to (who just so happens to be your ex's best friend, mind you) all in the same room at the same time before.
And I sure as hell don't recommend it.
I wiped a hand over my face and sat up. I noticed that I was wearing only an under shirt and my PE shorts.
"What happened?" I asked Piper, blinking hard, trying to get the black spots out of my eyes.
"Nurse says that you had a stomach bug that's been lying dormant for weeks. Earlier today it finally "attacked," Piper did the bendy finger gesture, "you. Since you hadn't had lunch yet, all you threw up was pretty much bile."
I nodded. "So, I see I have many fans." I threw a teasing glance at the blonde and redhead sitting on the chairs.
Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled while Annabeth bit her lip before looking down to study the floor. Something about that made my feel even guiltier.
I locked eyes with Piper; silently pleading for a favor. She understood and nodded.
"Rachel, why don't we give these two some space." She reached for Rachel's hand.
Rachel looked at her like a deer caught in headlights: wide eyed. Piper sent her a pointed look. Rachel caught my eye and I nodded.
"I'll catch up with you later, Rachel. Save me a seat at lunch, okay?" I raised a hand.
She nodded and gave me a soft smile before she disappeared behind the door.
I ran a hand through my hair and looked over at Annabeth. She was sitting on the chair, staring back at me. Her gray orbs swirled with undefined emotions. She bit her lip again and turned away.
I sighed again and stood up. Her attention snapped to me as I made my way over to her. I stooped and grabbed her hands.
"Annabeth," I whispered. She turned her head and stared right into my eyes.
"What do you want, Percy?" She muttered back.
I could tell she was fighting tears. "I'm sorry,"
"What for? Are you sorry for getting mad? Are you sorry for overeating? Or are you sorry for breaking up with me in front of hundreds of people?" She stared down at our interlocked hands.
I didn't respond. She got the message and pulled away.
"I know you like Rachel, Percy. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at her, or talk to her. It might not be as big as… as what we used to be, but it's still noticeable." She sniffed. I noticed her eyes were a little red rimmed.
And was it me or was she looking prettier than before?
I mentally shook my head. I couldn't think like that. I wasn't fair to Annabeth, and especially not Rachel.
I sat down on the floor. We sat in empty silence.
"Percy," Annabeth started.
I looked up into her eyes. They were soft.
"What are we doing here?" She whispered.
I fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Annabeth?"
She waved at the distance between us. "What are we doing? Where did we go wrong? It's just…" She trailed off and looked down.
Never before in the ten years that I've known Annabeth has she acted like this. Gone was the feisty girl who wasn't afraid to kick anyone's butt, and in her place was a subdued broken hearted who went by the name of Annabeth.
Did I break her heart?
Judging by the way she was acting, I most likely shattered it.
I raked a hand through my hair and sighed heavily. Annabeth remained silent.
Outside, I could hear the traffic roaring down the street: tire screeches, car honks, and faint curse words being yelled between drivers.
Annabeth stood up. My gaze cracked back to her form.
Only then, did I notice her outfit. She had changed out of her gym uniform and traded them for a pair of light blue jeans, light gray Converse, her favorite gray owl tank top, and a light thin sweater. Her wavy blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and her thundercloud gray eyes that were usually sparking with intelligence and wit, were now dim and emotionless.
She fiddled with the hem of her tank top. "Look, Percy. I don't know what we're doing here. Like, one second I'm ready to slap you in the face and the next you make me want to kiss you."
I blushed a little at that. Straight forward and to the point, like always (A/N: I know, Annabeth isn't really like that, but oh well. Life goes on).
Annabeth continued, "But you… you're like a complicated math problem. I know I can figure you out, but something's holding me back. We need to figure out where we stand, Jackson. And until then… I think I'm going to need a little space,"
I was dumbfounded, to say in the least. "Are you… breaking up with me? After I broke up with you?"
She shrugged. "If that's how you want to take it,"
"How is this going to work, Annabeth? We live in the same house, for crying out loud."
"It's possible for us to stay out of each other's way, Percy. We literally have only two classes together and one of those is with Rachel. I'm sure she'll keep you busy." She muttered sarcastically.
The way she said that made me feel even guiltier. What was I doing? We've only been single for sixteen days and already I'm crushing on another girl.
I stood up and reached for Annabeth. She jerked away, but I could see what was happening.
Her red rimmed eyes were watering a lot quicker now. I gently took her wrist and pulled her towards me. She struggled, but after a few moments of hesitation, she gave up.
I encircled my arms around her and she sobbed into my shoulder.
Now, you might be thinking: Percy, what the hell are you doing, you idiot? You're screwing things up! She's your ex! You crush (who just so happens to have a crush on you, maybe) is waiting for you in the cafeteria!
Well, I have an answer to that: Just because Annabeth and I aren't dating anymore doesn't mean we still can't be close. Sure, we'll never be the same again, but still.
I patted her back, "Hey, it-it'll be okay."
"No it won't! You ruined everything! We were supposed to go to college together, you idiot." She bit back through her tears.
My guilt only grew more and more. She sobbed out all her plans for us. And the dread in my stomach turned into a cement lump.
And then something changed. I can honestly say that I didn't know how it happened. One second we were holding each other in our arms, and the next our faces are two inches apart and I'm staring into her eyes.
I could feel her breath on my cheek. Her hair smelled like lemon soap, as usual.
I don't know who moved first. I think we both did, at the same time.
We leaned in and our lips touched.
I won't get into all the details and eternally scar you people (I'm not heartless), so I'm only going to say this.
I really, really, really, really, really missed kissing Annabeth.
Now, you might say that I'm being a complete player, and I'm ashamed to say that I agree with you. But… what can I do? Annabeth's amazing, and I was a complete idiot for breaking up with her.
The next thing I knew I had gently pushed her against the wall and her arms were wrapped around the back of my neck.
Everything felt so right.
But all of that ended when the door flew open and Rachel Elizabeth Dare walked through.
Rachel's POV
To say I was surprised when I walked into the nurse's office would most likely be the understatement of the year.
There they were, trapped in a full blown make out session.
Percy had pushed her against the wall. Her arms were encircled around his neck and her left leg was itching upwards. He had his hands sent onto her waist and was driving her closer.
As soon as I stepped in they pulled away, but it's was already too late.
I felt miserable.
Annabeth's face was red as she maddeningly attempted to straighten her shirt. Her lips were a bit swollen and her hair was mangled.
Percy was pretty much the same way. Except he had the decency to look down.
I was speechless and my voice got caught in my throat.
There were so many things I wanted to say, but they wouldn't come out. They refused to come out.
I felt like I had been cheated on, which didn't make sense, as we weren't even dating in the first place.
Annabeth stared right at me. I stared right back. Her eyes swirled with many emotions: regret, guilt, shame, but worst of all, a hint of triumph.
Some part of me wanted to call her a heartless, conniving, witch. But that was the girl side of me, the jealous side, the unreasonable side.
If anything, I was the heartless, conniving, witch. In a way, I had pulled Percy right into my arms. As soon as he broke up with her, I approached him.
I lied to him. I pretended that I didn't know about their fall out. But I knew, boy I knew. And I trapped him.
My miserable ness faded away and shame replaced it.
I had played them like a basketball. I practically stole him away from her.
She had every right to get him back. She had every right to kiss him.
And I won't stop her.
But that doesn't mean I won't stop liking him.
Author's Note:
I was hoping for more drama, and this didn't end as well as I planned. But it's okay, because I have something even more dramatic. Do you guys think I sort of need to include their fame more in here? I think I do. The next chapter has a gig in it, by the way.
ANNOUNCEMENT: I have a new story coming out! It's called Enchanted Raven. It's about a daughter of Hecate, who struggles to get over her fears. Be on the look out! I'll try to keep you guys updated ;P
So yeah, that's all.
Thanks for reading! Love you!
XOXO,
JeynaxPercabeth
