AN: Hey, thanks for reading! This chapter may seem pretty OC orientated, but don't worry, Percy and Annabeth are important characters in this and others you know will make appearances, I just like using a lot of OC's. Also I didn't realise till around chapter 20 that my pen name is the same as one of my MC's, this is not a self inset, but it's a little late to change it now. I've just always liked the name (clearly I like it too much), so we're just two separate people with the same name. ~ Emma
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Percy Jackson
He took a deep breath in. Rory had never moved schools before, not since pre-school. He'd grown accustomed to his group of rowdy jocks from LA. New York was a very different city, not to mention a very different temperature. Wishing he'd worn a long-sleeve shirt, he pushed open the car door and headed to the front of the school. He felt like pulling his hood over his messy brown hair, but he couldn't let anyone know how scared he was, not if he was going to reclaim his old status as captain of the swim team.
Once inside, he followed signs to the school office. He'd expected some pathetic, nerdy student to be waiting to show him around, but when he was called into the principal's office, he couldn't have been more surprised. The girl who waited inside was tall and blonde. With a body like that, it was clear she didn't just sit around all day. He guessed she was on the cheerleading squad, but he then found himself wondering why she had been chosen to induct him. Most schools didn't put cheerleaders in front of new students, but maybe New York was just odd.
"Mr McKenzie, take a seat." The old bat called from behind the desk. She had a thick New York accent, and the wheeze of a long time smoker.
He did as he was told, signing the relevant paperwork, nodding when required and taking his new principal kept commenting on how it was 'so unusual to get a transfer student half way through High School'.
Not that he would tell her why, the woman seemed about as sharp as a spoon. He did not need to sit there as she showered him with questions. No, better to say nothing at all.
"Miss Annabeth Chase will be showing you around for the rest of the day." She raised a shrivelled finger at the beautiful girl to his right. "She transferred here herself last year, didn't you, dear?"
"Yes, Miss Albery." The girl grimaced, despite her sweet natured response.
"She settled in nicely with her 4.0 GPA." Miss Albery laughed in a way that came out as a single shout, "Ha!"
The room became awkwardly silent as she typed away at a painstakingly slow pace on her computer.
A few minutes later, she looked up and almost jumped at the sight of them.
"You're still here?" She peered at him over her glasses that hung on an ancient beaded string, looping behind her neck. "What are you waiting for? You'll miss first period! Go!"
The blonde girl, whose name escaped him, stood up and quickly walked out of the room.
"Thank gods that's over." She smiled in a way he thought was almost flirty.
"Good, now it's just us." Rory let out his most dazzling smile in return.
She snorted with laughter, and turned away from him. A challenge. He liked a challenge.
"Well, we better get to class. First up is Mr Matthews and he hates it when students are late, even newbies. It's Rory right?"
"At your service." He gave her a mock salute.
If he kept this up, maybe his new school wouldn't be so bad after all.
~l~l~
The morning's classes were dull, with special thanks to an actual teacher called Dr. Boring. Like seriously, who has a name like that? His English teacher was cool though—he actually tried to make 'A Tale of Two Cities' seem semi-interesting.
He walked out of the classroom and saw the hot blonde girl (Annabel, was it?) coming towards him. She was eager.
"I'm guessing you don't have anyone to sit with at lunch?" She gave him a friendly smile.
"I didn't before you came over." He ran his hand down her arm.
Girls usually liked a little flirtatious touching, but she looked at him, bewildered, and took a step away. "Okay buddy, maybe take it down a notch."
"Too forward? My bad, LA must be more different than I thought," he said smoothly. Not a cheerleader then, too uptight. "So, I gotta ask, what's the swim team like here?"
"It's actually our best sport. The Goode High Seals are top of the tables, thanks to our captain."
"Guy must be good then." Rory raised his eyebrows. He needed to understand the competition.
"Yeah he is," she said with a subtle smile. He wanted to ask more but wasn't sure how.
"When are tryouts?"
"This Thursday."
He nodded "Nice."
She led him into the cafeteria explaining the system as if it weren't just like every other school. When they sat down, he took the moment of silence as a chance to work her out. She was constantly fidgeting and looking around as if she were nervous. Rory began to worry he's played the situation wrong. First impressions really mattered at high school.
"Can't sit still?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"ADHD, and no, I don't take meds for it."
"Why not?"
She looked at him with wide eyes, as if he'd asked the dumbest question of all time. "Why would I take meds that change who I am? Besides, it can be useful."
"I'll take your word for it. Why did you transfer from San Francisco?" He stabbed his salad with a plastic fork.
"Urm. Family stuff, I suppose." She shifted in her seat. Not her favourite topic then.
"Have any siblings?"
She laughed. "Urm, a lot."
"How many is a lot?" Rory pressed in response to her strangely vague answer.
"Well I have a few on my mum's side, but two half brothers on my dad's."
"Wow, that's quite the family." He chuckled, cracking another smile. "Any interesting hobbies?"
"You could say I like drawing."
"Boyfriend?"
"Yeah, she does." A loud voice echoed from behind them. It's owner was tall, taller than Rory—but only by a bit—with black hair and vibrant green eyes.
"Okay, Percy, calm down, you don't have to fight the new kid." The blonde girl rolled her eyes.
"I'm Rory McKenzie." He stuck out his hand in an attempt to smooth things over. So much for first impressions.
"Percy Jackson." The boy shook it with a firm grip.
Rory looked the guy up and down, noticing an extremely annoying detail. The kid was wearing a Goode High Seals sweater, and embroidered on the right below the logo was the little word 'Captain'.
Well shit.
"So, you swim." Rory was careful not to sound intimidated. Though the terms of their introduction were less than ideal, he still needed to be on good terms with this kid. "That's cool, same here."
"Rory was actually looking to try out on Thursday," the blonde girl said, giving a hard stare to her boyfriend.
"Think you can make the cut?" Percy surveyed Rory in a way that made his jaw clench.
"I was the best swimmer in California. I can't be too far off." Rory flashed an arrogant smile.
"Best in California versus best in New York state, sounds like a challenge." The boy matched Rory's smile with one of equal vanity.
"Sounds like a beauty pageant." The girl laughed. "Miss California versus Miss New York for the title of Miss Goode High Seal."
"I'll have you know I'm a fabulous Miss Seal and do not need replacing." Percy winked playfully at his girlfriend before sitting down. "See you on the stage, Miss California."
"See you there, Miss New York."
~l~l~
As soon as he was out of the dining hall, he called his dad to let him know he wanted the car to come later than usual. He had to train, he had to make sure he was in top form to show this Percy kid he didn't know who he was messing with. Predictably, it wasn't his dad who picked up, but his PA, Melissa. He sometimes thought it would be nice to have at least one competent parent, but on the bright side Mellissa did pick up the slack. It could be worse.
"Have fun training," she said as he hung up the phone.
"Not bunking off the first day back, are you?" A sweet voice came from behind him. He turned to see a girl in a purple and white cheerleading uniform, her curled hair perfectly framing her face. With her big blue eyes and sharp cheekbones, she might just have been the hottest girl he'd ever seen.
"Not now I've seen your pretty face," he said with a smile. At least this one was interested in him.
"I like you." She cocked her head. "I'm Betty, Betty Gardner. Captain of the cheer squad."
"Rory McKenzie." He raised his hand in greeting. "New kid."
"Thought I hadn't seen you around here before." She smiled brightly, lowering her eyelashes. It wasn't half subtle, but he liked to know a girl's intentions.
"I've got a cheer team meeting now, but I'll see you at my party, right?"
"And where might that be, sweetheart?" He leaned toward her. If flirting with her got him an invite to the back to school party, he would do it all day.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and held her hand out for his phone. He placed it in her palm and watched as she created a contact for herself.
"Seven thirty on the dot, be there!" Betty beamed before turning on her heel and walking off, adding, "I put my number in there too, just in case you get lost," over her shoulder.
"Oh, of course." The corner of his lips curled up as she walked. "See you then."
"Bye!"
Jeez, that girl was loud.
~l~l~
Rory rocked up just past eight as the place was starting to fill up. He wandered through the crowd looking for Betty, hoping she'd save him from meandering awkwardly. His hair had only just dried from spending hours in the pool. Each of his muscles still ached from pushing himself so hard. It was always the best way to work out his anger and frustration and since moving to New York, he had no shortage of those feelings. Besides, he'd flirted with the captain's girlfriend. If he didn't make himself essential to the team, his life there would be very difficult. He'd made a promise to himself years ago that girls would never get in the way of his swimming and that wasn't changing now.
As Rory stopped to fill up a red cup with beer he started to wonder why he'd come. He just wanted to collapse in his bed after an exhausting first day. But then again he was the new kid and new kids stopped being new kids when they made friends. So far he was at one and she was only being friendly because she wanted to get with him. He needed to find the group of guys who he knew he would fit in with. Every school had them: the Jocks.
"Rory!" He heard her high pitched squeak come from behind him.
He whipped his head around and smiled at her. "Hey Betty, how's it going?"
"All the better now you're here." She winked. "You have to come meet everybody."
Betty grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the crowd to where a bunch of guys in purple varsity jackets were sitting on the sofas watching another do a keg stand. Now these were his kind of people.
"Hey," Betty shouted and the guys looked up instantly. Rory made a note not to get on her bad side before getting on their good sides. "This is Rory, he's new at Goode."
"Hey buddy," one of the bigger guys said, shaking his hand. "I'm Mike. You up for a keg stand?"
Rory knew that initiation test all too well. "Hell yeah!"
So he did, and he did another. Drank some shots, belted some party anthems, and generally made his presence known. The guys loved him; it was like he was one of them already.
He knew Betty was watching him, but if girls were too interested it just wasn't as much fun. While scanning the room, he caught sight of Jackson and Blondie having a good time, not that he cared much, but at one point he saw them exchanging panicked looks and running out the door.
"What was that about?" he asked Betty, noticing that she'd also seen it.
"What?" she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Never mind, got any more booze?"
"In the kitchen."
He didn't have to be told twice heading straight for it. When he walked in he saw a girl standing in front of the fridge pulling out a beer.
"Hit me up," he said, though he knew it must have sounded slurred from the way she laughed at him. She told him her name but he didn't remember it. All he remembered was the fact that by the end of the night, they were making out on the bench on the balcony and he couldn't give a damn. His first party and it had been a huge success.
Rory McKenzie had arrived.