chapter eight: chalk lines
For as long as she's known him, Annabeth has wondered why Percy never talks about his parents. She isn't stupid—she knows not everyone's lucky enough to have parents like her own. When she first met him, she wanted to know why he never invited her to his house. Still, that mystery was solved when she laid eyes on the trailer park. It seems stupid that he thinks she'd judge him for living there, but she understands. Kind of.
Without much celebration, January blows over and becomes February. It's weird that they're already in their second year of middle school—it feels like she was only ten not long ago, stumbling over a bruised boy in the road that'd soon become her best friend. Now, they're nearly teenagers.
Percy comes round to her house on most weeknights after his shift at the machine shop. He always has late homework to get done, which isn't a surprise; Annabeth doesn't think she'd ever be able to finish any if she worked even half as much as Percy does. It's become a routine that he comes over, Annabeth helps him out with homework, and then they sit around and chat for a while before he has to leave.
Recently, Annabeth's noticed that Leo's been acting weird. Avoidant. And when she does see him, he always looks downcast and exhausted. She mentions her concern to Piper and Percy, but neither of them have any answers. "School's probably just wearing him out," Piper suggests.
Annabeth accepts the excuse, even though she doesn't think that's the reason. She tries for a while to put it out of her mind, but then she'll notice the dark circles printed beneath Leo's eyes, or his chewed-up fingernails, or the way he'll randomly zone out when they're having a conversation. She resolves to confront him.
One day after school, she jogs up to him outside the school bike shed. He's facing away from her, busy forcing a bike helmet over his nimbus of black curls. "Leo!"
He turns around, offering her a faint smile. "Oh. Hi, Annabeth." Somehow, he looks even more tired than usual. With a pang, Annabeth is reminded of the way Percy looks sometimes.
She tries not to look too stern. "Okay. I didn't want to have to ask this, but…" She sets her jaw. "What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" he asks, confused. "I'm about to head home."
She rolls her eyes. "I know that. I meant—lately, something's up with you. I can tell."
Leo glares at her. "Nothing's wrong. If you don't mind…" He swings a leg over his bike, but Annabeth grabs his arm just as he kicks off. With a yell of protest, he zig-zags forward before falling into a heap on the tarmac. Below him, his bike wheel still spins. "What the hell was that for?" he demands, nursing his elbow.
Annabeth folds her arms, sheepish. "Well, I was talking to you!"
"Jesus Christ," he mutters. "You're a psycho."
"No, you are," she shoots back.
"Real mature."
"Hey, I'm not the one who started randomly cycling off in the middle of a conversation."
"Wasn't much of a conversation, if you ask me."
Annabeth stamps her foot—which, okay, isn't her proudest moment. "Would you stop being so prickly and talk to me?" she shouts. Relaxing her balled-up hands, Annabeth lets out a shaky breath. Quieter, she says, "I just want to know what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong."
"Bullshit." She learned that one from Helen.
"Get off my back," he argues. "Why's it any of your business, anyway?"
His words sting a little. "Because I'm your friend. Why else would I be asking?"
At that, Leo seems to deflate. "Everything's fine," he tries again. "I—I don't…" he starts, trailing off. Even his voice sounds unconvinced. He shuts his eyes, shoulders hunching up. "Just don't worry, okay?"
Annabeth softens. She picks up his bike and starts wheeling it along. He stands behind her, a little shocked. "You coming?" she asks. He nods—a stuttering, aborted thing. After a moment, he follows her.
They walk back to Annabeth's house together. Leo stares blankly in front of him, hands deep in the pockets of his grey hoodie. He scuffs his feet on the concrete with every step. "I hate them," he mumbles.
"Who?"
"The older guys. Jeanne never does anything because she can barely control them as it is."
Annabeth watches him carefully. "What do they do?"
"Hide my stuff. Piss in my bed. Little things, but…none of it ever stops. It all just builds up, and up, and up." He shakes his head, resigned. "It's never bothered me before. I dunno why I'm so—so weak, now."
"You're not weak," she insists. "You're not."
He scoffs. "It sure feels like it."
"Don't let them get to you, Leo. They're nothing."
Leo looks at her quietly. "Am I nothing too, then?"
Annabeth feels furious, but not at Leo. "No, that's not what I meant! I meant they're nothing because they bully you." Her mind whirls, grappling for a solution before coming up empty-handed. "God, I just wish you could come and live with me."
He laughs, bitter as anything. "I don't think your parents are gonna want some Mexican foster kid from the streets."
"Helen loves you," she protests. "She'd be happy to take you in, if it weren't for my dad working so much."
"It doesn't matter, Annabeth." He kicks the ground, sending gravel flying. The silence that follows is heavy. Suffocating. "I wanna leave," he says suddenly. "Get away from here."
Annabeth whips around to face him, halting in her tracks. "No. No, you can't."
"Why not?"
"Because you haven't got anywhere to go!"
He shrugs. "That doesn't matter."
"You still can't leave. I'd miss you too much. So would the others."
"Well, I can't stay, either." Above them, clouds have amassed. Rain begins to fall hesitantly, as though the clouds are aware each drop they release is less welcome than the last. Annabeth doesn't know what to say. It's not often that words fail her, but right now every single one has deserted. Leo stares for a moment at the chalk-white road lines beneath his sneakers, then lifts his chin heavenward and closes his eyes. Droplets of rainwater trickle down his brown cheeks, falling away once they reach his jaw. "Tomorrow," he decides. "I'll go tomorrow."
That, right there, is a wake-up call. Annabeth steps forward and touches Leo's shoulder. He opens his eyes, startled. "The end of the week," Annabeth offers. "Stay with me until then. Then you can leave, if that's what you want."
He's already shaking his head. "No, I—"
"Please," she interrupts. "I need you. You're one of my oldest friends. I can't…" Her voice stops working. "I can't lose you. Please, stay."
Leo stares at her, expression indecipherable. "Okay," he relents. "Until the end of the week."
Helen easily agrees to let Leo stay with them for a few nights. "We're always here for you, sweetheart," she reminds him. "Now, do you need me to drive you to get your stuff? I'll talk to Jeanne, let her know where you'll be."
That night, Leo and Annabeth sit at her open window. One of Helen's fluffy blankets is draped around Leo's shoulders. Her room's on the highest floor; they're looking out across miles and miles of Virginian countryside. Though the rain's stopped, the stars are still concealed by cloud cover. The moon is a pale imitation of itself, faintly visible behind the clouds. "Wouldn't it be nice to have wings, so we could fly right out of the window?" he muses. "Sail over the plains, end up wherever we want."
"Yeah," she agrees. "I thought flying was boring, though? I mean, that's what you told Percy ages ago when he said he'd have flying as his superpower."
He goes quiet. "Now, I see the appeal."
It's three in the morning when Annabeth wakes up. She didn't really expect to sleep through the night, anyway. Heaving a sigh, she throws off her covers and gets out of bed. The floorboards are cold against her bare feet. Leo's sleeping bag is crumpled and empty. Dimly, she wonders where he's gone. She opens the door, squinting through the rude light in the hallway. "Leo?" she calls quietly. He's probably in the toilet or something. Stifling a yawn, Annabeth pads down the stairs to go get some water.
Voices echo from the kitchen. Curious, she peeks through the half-open door. Leo's sitting at the table, and she registers with a jolt that there's tears on his face. Beside him, Helen murmurs words of comfort. Annabeth almost feels guilty for intruding—she doubts Leo wants her to see him like this. In the kitchen, Helen pulls Leo into a hug. He buries his face into her shoulder, shuddering.
After a moment of hesitation, Annabeth silently goes back upstairs.
By the end of the week, Leo's marginally better. His humour returns and his eyes don't look quite so hollow. Even though he has to go back to his group home, he doesn't mind too much. Reluctantly, he agrees to stay for another week. Then another. And another. At the end of each new week, Annabeth has to convince him anew. It becomes a feature of their friendship. She comes up with new reasons not to run away every time: Helen's brownies, the skate park, even the collection of vinyl records in his room he'd have to abandon.
If this is all it takes to keep him here, then she thinks she's okay with it.
Throughout the rest of February, Virginia's bad weather only worsens. It whips itself into a vicious storm, all blustering wind and lashing rain. Every night, a few more of the terracotta tiles on the roof of Annabeth's estate house are torn away, ending up in their garden. It's Friday, and Annabeth is staring out the condensation-covered glass window of The Winehouse, watching sheets of rain come down from the moody skies above. She's in a booth opposite Leo and Piper, both of whom keep stealing slurps of her milkshake. "Quit it," she complains.
"Ours haven't come yet," says Piper. "It's only fair." She keeps fiddling with the fringe of one of her Cherokee earrings. Just then, Percy appears from around the corner of their booth. He's wearing an apron, and two milkshakes are balanced on his tray. With practised ease, he slides them onto the table.
"How much longer until you finish your shift?" Annabeth asks him.
He grimaces. "An hour. I said I'd cover for Tallulah 'cause she had to look after her baby brother tonight on short notice."
"Can't you finish ten minutes early?"
He shakes his head, tucking the empty tray under his arm. "No, sorry," he answers, turning to walk away. "See you guys in a bit."
Leo takes a sip of his milkshake. "Mm. Can't beat banana."
Piper makes a face, sliding her own chocolate one towards her. "I'm not gonna start an argument because we've already gone over this, but I hope you know you're wrong."
"I am not," Leo says, glaring at her. Piper doesn't say anything, only mouths yes, you are. He stands up. "Right, that's it."
"Guys," Annabeth interrupts. "Can we please not get kicked out over milkshakes again?"
"Whatever." Leo sits back down, then perks up as he remembers something. "Hey, didn't you say you were gonna bring your photography portfolio with you to show us?"
Annabeth blanches. "Oh, yeah. Pass my backpack. It's under your feet." She takes it from him and unzips it, pulling her portfolio out of it. "Mr Lee helped me compile it last week. It took hours." Opening it to the first page, she turns it around so the two of them can see. "Most of them are done with an analog camera," she tells them. "It's taken forever to learn how to use it properly."
"So cool," Piper breathes, flipping through the book. She's on a page with photos from last year. After the harvest festival when she and Leo dressed up as Edward Scissorhands and the Corpse Bride, she wanted to try and take more photos like the one Helen took of them. Her favourite is one of Leo sitting cross-legged in a dark tunnel with blood all over his hands. He's grasping a kitchen knife, and his face is bereft of emotion. There's something about the atmosphere of the image and the cruel gleam in Leo's eyes that Mr Lee liked. He called the photo captivating, powerful. Annabeth did a whole series of images like it, and every single one is Halloween-esque and completely disconcerting.
"Huh, those ones came out nicely," Leo remarks. "I look like a serial killer."
Piper elbows him. "Maybe 'cause you are one."
He grins. "Yeah, McLean. Watch your back." She just swats him, returning to the portfolio. Annabeth laughs.
She shows them the rest of her portfolio. Their reactions are gratifying—even though she knows they're her friends and probably wouldn't tell her if her work was bad, it's nice to know her photo sequences are fun to look at. It's strange because although she obviously started photography because of Piper, it's kind of evolved into her own thing. Annabeth goes to the club alone now; Piper's too busy focusing on learning guitar and training her voice to come. Music is her obsession, while photography is Annabeth's.
As though Piper was hearing her thoughts, she suddenly says, "Hey, you know I've started learning piano now?"
"For real?" Leo asks. "I thought you were learning guitar."
She rolls her eyes. "You can learn to play more than one instrument, dummy. Once you know how to read music, it's easy to pick up another one." Her eyes spark with excitement. "Miss Amran's been showing us how to arrange songs, too."
Annabeth slurps up the rest of her smoothie, tilting her straw to get the last dredges. "Are you any good at it?"
"Not really," Piper admits. "I've gotta start somewhere, though."
"You know, I used to play ukulele," Leo muses.
"No way," Annabeth laughs. Leo's about to shoot back a reply, but he's interrupted by Percy walking up and leaning against their table. He looks exhausted. "You alright?" she asks.
"Fine," he responds, re-tying his apron behind his back. "Just want to be done." He raises a brow. "Why does Leo look like someone just killed his dog?"
Piper grins. "Probably 'cause Annabeth laughed at him for being a ukulele player."
Percy gapes, turning to him. "You play ukulele?"
"Look at that," Leo says, heaving a sigh. "I'm being bullied."
"You're so dramatic," Annabeth groans.
"Is it dramatic to want friends that aren't mean?"
"Hey! Who are you calling mean?" Piper argues. "You could do a lot worse than us, by the way."
"That's depressing."
"You're depressing," Percy crows. When Piper fist-bumps him, Leo drops his head onto the table.
Feeling some semblance of pity for Leo, Annabeth decides to change the subject. "What time's your dad picking us up for the fitting tomorrow?" she asks Piper.
She beams. "About ten, I think. I'm so excited!"
"What colour dress are you gonna get?"
"No idea."
"I can't believe we're gonna see Percy and Leo in suits," says Annabeth. "It literally hurts my head to try imagining either of them in formal wear."
"Hey," Leo complains. "Just because we're not high society like your posh ass—"
"I'm not posh," Annabeth protests. "Wait…I am, aren't I?"
The other three burst out laughing. Percy elbows Piper, smirking. "Why exactly are you laughing, again? Your dad's a movie star."
Piper glares at him. "Guessing you'd rather not come to the premiere, then."
He scoffs. "You already gave us the tickets."
Piper's about to bite back a reply, but she's interrupted by a tall, tawny-haired waitress who leans over the bar surface with an irritated look on her face. "Jackson! Stop messing around with your friends and take some goddamn orders. There's customers waiting."
Percy grimaces. "Just a sec, Marianne!" He turns to Piper. "I'll cycle around to yours before your dad drives to pick up Annabeth and Leo, yeah?"
"Sounds good."
"Bye, guys." He gives Annabeth a soft smile, waving as he steps back. A warm blush definitely doesn't rush to the heights of Annabeth's cheeks, and her gaze definitely doesn't linger on Percy as he hurries away.
leo obviously runs away from home several times in the books, and the idea of annabeth having to convince him not to in this AU is so sweet but sad. let me know what you thought! the next chapter will be up on sunday as usual :)