What's this I'm still alive? I am surprisingly, college hasn't killed me yet. So guess what I'm writing an original book! Yes a real book, not only that I'm working on new fan fiction, go vote on my page for your favorite ideas. That's why updates have been so sparse. Sorry guys but the book I'm working on I have a feeling you're really gonna like!

ALSO TWO MORE CHAPTERS!

Jason

"Dreams are only dreams until you wake up and make them real."

"Get in bitch we're going to watch your girlfriend be a hoe!" Percy shouts from his car. Since I drove to Montauk Percy has offered to take us all to Piper's performance. That's right, somehow our crazy clan made it to the end of the school year. I was beginning to think we wouldn't make it either.

It's opening night for Heather's and I can't believe that our school allowed this to be put on because holy Christ is it wildly inappropriate. But I mean, not my place.

I squish in between Leo and Reyna, Hazel and Frank stayed at school with Piper, but Annabeth is sitting in the front seat nudging Percy slightly as we go.

"Well, well, well, look at us. We're a downright family." Percy snorts, "Look at our kids all grown up."

"Mom, Reyna's doing the I'm not touching you thing again!" Leo groans.

"I'm nowhere near you!"

"Play nice." Annabeth says halfheartedly changing the song.

"Yikes, dissed by your own fake mom." I tease.

"I'm used to it." Leo rolls his eyes.

"So, I'm super pumped to watch Piper die in her underwear how about you?" Annabeth chuckles.

"Oh yeah, so pumped to see how she handles her drain-o." Percy snorts.

"Y'all are sick." Reyna shakes her head.

"Yup." Percy agrees.

"Only for the people we love." I assure her.

"You keep saying that, maybe you'll believe it." Leo's voice cracks as he laughs.

"Yikes, still lost your voice?" Percy asks. Prom night was wild, not as wild as usual mind you, but pretty damn wild.

"Nah, I'm just a prepubescent teenage boy."

"As are we all." Reyna laughs. Percy parks quickly, the lot isn't totally empty, this show has a huge cult following, even in our smallish town. I just hope we can get good seats. I brought Piper a bouquet because that's what Annabeth said people do for shows.

Hazel and Frank are waiting outside for us, the way she's standing and seemingly talking to him is very obviously flirtatious, and Frank's discomfort makes it so much better.

"Hey now, we've made it this far without pregnancy, we need to make it until at least the end of the year ok?" I interrupt them.

Frank blushes wildly, Hazel tilts her head back and laughs. "No promises."

"You have to stop that, Frank's gonna pop a blood vessel." Reyna folds her arms over her chest.

"Alright kids, mom has the tickets so stay close." Percy laughs kissing Annabeth's cheek.

"You're lucky you've got a big dick." Annabeth snorts.

"Wow! Not that you love him, or that he's cute?" I laugh.

"What can I say? He's got a big dick." Now Percy's blushing though I can see he's trying to laugh it off.

"How did we end up dating the ballsiest girls in this whole fucking town?" I laugh.

"Because you fuckers got lucky." Reyna shoves my shoulder.

"True." Percy says swinging his and Annabeth's hands between them.

"Let's go inside. We have seats saved and everything." Hazel guides us into the auditorium. The place is filled with a low grumbling sound of preshow chatter. The stage is lit but the curtain still closed. We take up nearly an entire row, except for the last two seats beside me. But we do have pretty good spots all things considered.

The show starts soon enough. Their Veronica is charming and quirky, not as cool as Winona Ryder, but you can't beat Winona man. It's not possible.

A couple takes a seat beside me before Piper even comes on stage. I smile brightly when she does. Even as a bitch character, with big eighties hair and a gaze so wicked it could chill your soul, she just seems so comfortable. So at ease, like she belongs there even though I'm positive she'd rather be anywhere else. She just about steals the show from Winona impersonator.

Every time she opens her mouth, the audience is completely at her mercy, like she really is a Heather, and she really does own Westerberg. Even they are her subjects. Her songs, her jokes, everything she does is absolutely perfect.

I always knew she had this power, I don't think she realized it until this moment. Also, whoever type casted Octavian as the crazy psychotic killer… nice job. Can I just say, +A.

Almost as quickly as it begun, it's all over. The cast comes out for bows, and when Piper gracefully acknowledges the audience, she seems surprised by the amount of cheers she receives.

When the lights come up I recognize the couple who sat next to me.

"Hi, Mr. McLean."

"Jason, good to see you."

"Good to see you too." I shake his hand.

"Oh, you're Jason. Piper's told me so little about you." Her mother shakes my hand as well. I'm surprisingly uncomfortable.

"You do exist!" Leo laughs.

"Excuse me?" Piper's mom asks.

"Well, it's just that we always hear about you, but I was beginning to think you weren't real. I'm Leo. By the way." Leo shakes their hands, the others seem invested in what's going on.

"You know our daughter?" Mr. McLean asks.

"Know her? We've been to hell and back with her." Leo smiles. "She's one of the best most genuine people I've ever met."

"Ain't that the truth." Reyna steals Leo's seat allowing the rest of the gang to scoot down.

"I don't think I follow."

"She hasn't told you about us has she?" Annabeth asks.

"Not really."

"Well, all you need to know, is she's great. Basically she's the best of us."

"Funny and smart." Percy adds on to his girlfriend's comment.

"One of the nicest people I've ever met." Frank tacks on.

"What we mean to say, is we don't really know what your home life is like. I mean we know her perspective, but you know bias and all… We want you to know from an outsiders opinion, you have a good kid." Hazel takes Frank's hand. "I hope you're proud of her."

Her parents seem taken aback by us all. Maybe they weren't expecting a group of teens to be so forward, with such kind words. Scratch that, they definitely weren't expecting it by the look on their faces.

"We were gonna take her out to ice cream afterwards. If that's okay." I tell them trying not to mess with the bouquet still in my hands.

"Well… Yes that seems fine." Mr. McLean looks crazy lost, but I can tell he's not too upset by it.

"Come on, let's go see if she's out now." Hazel leads us up and out of the auditorium. Piper's parents hanging back but still following behind.

Out in the front hall, I see several cast members scattered around in regular clothes but full stage makeup, talking to family and friends. But then there's Piper crouched down to sign a little girl's program. My first thought is who in the name of hell brought a little girl to come see this show? But my second is that she just looks so cute, like a costumed character at Disney she already has a few flowers in hand and her bag strapped over one shoulder.

I think celebrity must run in her veins because she looks again, just so comfortable.

I walk right up to her as the little girl leaves, "Hey pretty girl." I chuckle kissing her bright red lips. The others also crowd around her hugging her and singing her praises. She wants to disappear, but she loves us so she'll indulge it, for now.

"Uhg, fuck me gently with a chainsaw while you're at it." She folds her arms over her chest, giving a humored laugh.

"Not in front of your parents." I tell her.

"My what?" She looks past me to see her mom and dad beaming at her. "Oh my god."

"You did an amazing job, Pipes." Her dad hugs her straight away. "I always knew you'd make a better performer than your old man."

"Dad, mom, I thought-"

"What? We can't surprise our own daughter?" Her mom moved one of Piper's curls out of the way.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd be here?"

"And risk tabloids trying to wrangle you into the performance world? We only let that happen at fashion week."

"You did an amazing job, sweetheart."

"Thanks." She blushes, suddenly a shyness none of us recognizes in her, bubbles to the surface.

"What did I say? I told you she'd make a great actress." Mr. A walks up to her dad and shakes his hand, "I cannot believe the talent she has."

Piper slowly slips away as her parents talk to her teacher, "Let's motor." She smirks at me. "Before they try to get me in some stupid film."

"Noted, but say goodbye, please."

"Uhg. Fine." She wrinkles her nose at me before rushing off to kiss her parents' cheeks. "Bye!" She says quickly before dragging us out of the theatre.

"Who knew you'd make such a good bitch Pipes?" Hazel teases.

"I know right? I didn't know I had it in me!" She laughs loudly.

Frank takes shotgun, 'this way you can't distract the driver by feeling her up.' and we drive out to the ice cream parlor. At the end of the night, after laughs and hot fudge, Piper drives some of us home.

"You know, Pipes, your parents aren't so bad." I tell her.

"I know, the losers have been holding out on me." She smirks.

"I like them."

"Me too, I guess. I mean, I did get into San Francisco because of a killer letter of rec my dad got me."

"No way, you're going to San Francisco?" I feel dumb asking her because you know, after dating for eightish months I should know that by now. Oops.

"Yeah… I wasn't ready to have this conversation I guess."

"I'm going to Stanford."

"Wait really?"

"Yeah, it's only an hour's drive away." The two of us smile at each other before I lunge over the gear shift to kiss her.

"Wow so… we don't have to stop this then, huh?"

"I guess not." I chuckle.

"Good." She kisses me again, "Because if we can manage it, I'd like to never stop."

"Me too… I love you Piper Elizabeth."

She snorts. "I love you too Jason Samuel."

We kiss again for a long while, us just sitting outside my house. Until my sister knocks on the window.

"Can I have my brother back?" She teases.

"I guess." Piper rolls her eyes kissing me one more time before sending me on my way.

"How was the show?" Thalia asks slinging an arm over my shoulder.

"Good, you'd have liked it."

"I'm sure I would have." When we walk inside, I immediately notice something is off.

"Thalia?"

"Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"Well… It's movie night."

"What the-… Why?"

"Come on baby brother, can't we have family night?" In the living room I see my dad with my mom laying in his lap, fast asleep.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"If I'm not mistaken, you graduate in two-ish weeks, right?"

"I mean yeah but-"

"I'm not a perfect man, Jason, but this is important." He looks down at mom, "All of this is important… I need to start trying again. Maybe I can't fix this family, but I can damn well try."

He gently places my mom on the couch before standing up and hugging me tightly. "I'm going to try. I promise."

Maybe it's naïve of me to say that I believe him. Or maybe it's just stupidly hopeful. But I do believe him, if for no other reason than that I want to believe him. Everyone is capable of change, and I'm hoping deep down inside, that he is too. He just had to wake up to change the world.