Re-written. I read it for myself and saw some flaws with my writing. Hopefully when I finish cleaning it up I can be better at keeping it neat.
His eyes were green, but not like grass green or hazel or even a turquoise. No, his eyes were a beautiful sea green. And I wonder how someone could have beaten or said no to someone with eyes as beautiful as his.
...
"What may I get you?" I asked the green-eyed boy in front of me.
He looks up, his face tired. Too tired. He needs a pick-me-up; I decided and some extra hours of sleep.
But instead of ordering some caffeine he simply comments on my hair, "I like your bow; it is very pretty. I love the color especially."
Surprising myself and probably the guy as well; I tease, "Got a thing for blue?"
He blinks, then slowly, almost shyly he smiles "Maybe a little."
I smiled, encouraged by his playful response. That is until I notice Will, openly staring, his eyes shining with glee.
I swallow nervously then ask the boy again, "What can I get you?"
He tilts his head, almost like a dog who does not understand a command word. "Would you mind sitting down for a while?" He asks hopefully, his eyes reminding me of a baby seal, huge and adorable. Then he adds seemingly almost on impulse, "And talking to me? I'm feeling a little low."
"I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go." I say grinning and I'm rewarded by his smile. It wasn't small, or a smirk. It was sort of the most expressive thing about him, besides maybe his eyes. But even his eyes were closed off. His smile was sort of like taking a hammer to a dam and all of his emotions flooded his face.
It was gorgeous.
It took Will purposely shoving me to snap me out of the trance. His obvious hint made my ears turn the color of strawberries.
"Your order, sir?" I ask, my face hot.
He frowned, opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but decided against it. He simply said, "A small doppio macchiato, and uhm, do you have any blue food?" He asks sheepishly, his shy smile once again gracing his face.
I tried not to show my confusion, "Blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, and blueberry smoothie."
He frowns thinking and, stupidly, I say, "If you like, we can add blue dye to our muffins if you like. But that will take at least half an hour."
He hesitates, then nods. "If you can, that'd be awesome. I have time."
I nod and write down his order.
I blush as I ask for his name, for the coffee of course, and blush even more when he laughs. "Percy. Percy Jackson. It's nice to officially meet you Annabeth..." he trails off and I give him my last name.
He tested the words on his lips, my name sounded much better coming from him.
I gave him one last smile before heading back to a snoopy Will, who was leaning on the counter staring at us dreamily.
I can feel his eyes on my back as I tell my obvious co-worker his pancakes were burning.
Will shrieks and dashes towards the stove. I look over my shoulder and see him chuckling, his eyes shining with childish mirth.
He was clutching his shirt, his army green uniform shirt.
...
"He's hot." He comments as he flips the new pancakes, he burned the last batch, which were blue. I take out the blue muffins.
"Yes, I noticed."
"Ok. But you do know that he is going to the military, marine probably."
"How'd you figure that?" I want to know.
"Seems like the type."
I left with the plates knowing fully well that Will will continue this conversation as soon as I was within earshot.
Percy was reading a thick-looking packet when I came back.
He looked up at me and grinned automatically. I couldn't help the tug my lips felt when he looked at me.
"Here you go."
He grinned, his confidence growing at seeing my flustered state. "I'll be waiting."
I turned quickly trying to hide my blush.
...
"Where are you taking me?" Percy asks the young blonde who has previously decided he was walking to slow and has grabbed his hand, tugging him along.
Eventually they reached a pretty area, well it wasn't pretty in the conventional sense. It was pretty in the sense it was different. There was graffiti everywhere, and not a single person in sight. Annabeth plops down, dangling her legs over the restless sea.
Noticing his questioning glance, she explains. "The kids who hang out here only come past 7." He chuckles, then joins her.
They talk a lot.
She talks about her friends, her job, her family.
She even talks about her workaholic mother and cheating father. Her mom was in the middle of divorcing his sorry ass.
He talks about his abusive step-father and his angelic mother, now at the hospital. He talks about his absent millionaire birth father.
He even talks about hoping to serve his country to make up for the sins that have occurred in his home.
Eventually it starts nearing 7, but before they can leave their pier-escape he holds her hand and holds her still.
Percy looked at her sparkling grey eyes, he said "I bet you have a boyfriend but I don't care, I have no one to send a letter to. Would you mind if I sent one back to you?"
Annabeth grins and nods. Percy grins back. Before she can lose her nerve, she kisses his cheek. And whispers that she is single. Then races him back to the café, 2 hours before his bus is due.
Never going to hold the hand of another guy. Too young for him they told me, waiting for the love of a traveling soldier.
Everyone doubted us, well not Will, but everyone else did. I was too smart. Too talented, too young, to have foolishly fallen in love with the one guy that was forever unattainable.
They didn't understand; he was beautiful in all the right ways.
His smile lit up the world around him.
His eyes were enough to make the strongest man turn to jelly.
His laugh made you want to retell the same joke, in hope that he would laugh again.
His letters were enough to make me fall in love with him; despite only meeting physically once.
All of his letters were sweet, but his last letter made me want to jump for joy.
My beloved Wise Girl,
I am so glad you got into NYU Early Decision, that's brilliant. You're brilliant. I hate to make this about myself (oh, who am I kidding?) but I'm coming back. I'm sorry this letter is short, but I will see you again, and I'll make up for it.
Forever yours,
Percy
He lied, he said he was coming home. But he wasn't here, he wasn't by my side at all. He was somewhere else, very far away. My Seaweed Brain went somewhere I couldn't chase him.
He lied and I love him so much.
I let Piper hold me as sobs racked through my body, I took in gasps of air as I held all of his letters, hugging them mercilessly to my chest. Piper also lost someone, she knew the pain. If not all of it, at least a fraction.
I gave my heart to him and he died holding it. I was never getting it back, and I didn't want it back.
I want him.
Only him.
The letters came from an army camp, from some part of the country to another.
He went to my school, asking around, I found out he was a loner. But all around a good guy, he was on the wrestling team, and track team. He was a really low-key guy, said some. He never dated anyone before me, I don't know why that little tidbit of information meant so much to me.
He was the Jesus Christ of highschool, sticking up for the little guy. And girls of all the types fell at his feet. But he never spared them a glance.
It didn't surprise me, he told me of his reluctance towards love. What surprised me was why he would notice me.
"It might be love, and all of the things I'm so scared of. I don't know what this is, wanting to know how your day has been, your voice replaying in my head the only thing getting me through the day. I like you so much it might just be love. You don't have to write it back, just know.
When it's getting kinda rough over here, I think of that day sitting down at the pier. I close my eyes and see your pretty smile.
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for a while."
The fact that he was so guarded but he broke down his own walls, for a chance with me? That made me feel like a goddess. That was my favorite letter, I had it sealed with glass and pinned it on my wall. He admitted to liking me so much it might be love! That was a dream. This was just a dream. Nothing this good ever happens to me, but then I close my eyes and remember his smile and I know it's real.
He was real. And I liked him so much that it might be love too. I let him know it when I responded with my own letter.
My eyes felt hot and heavy, but despite that my tears kept coming in a hot steady stream. He was one of the most amazing boys I've ever met. He was dorky and sweet yet mysterious and handsome.
He was perfectly imperfect.
He was loyal to a fault, scarred. But he also had a passion for blue food and a hatred for his slimy stepfather that ran deep.
I took a deep shaky breath, I had stopped crying at some point and I was just sitting on my bed.
In all honesty, I don't believe that he's dead. I think this is all some dramatic mix up and some OTHER girl has lost her boyfriend. Not me.
I'm sorry but I'm not selfless.
That was always him, my sweet selfless soldier.
I burst into dry sobs, my body shaking, my fists pounding on the mattress. He didn't deserve to die. He was too good. The world threw enough shit at him, why more?
I still remember the day I found out that my green-eyed marine was gone.
I hate that day; I hate how happy I was with his previous letter. I hate how blind-sighted I was.
But I love him, way too much.
...
I tug at my bow, it was bright blue, the bow I wore when I first met Percy.
"Hurry up! We're leaving!" Hazel, a sophomore, urges waiting impatiently by the door.
"Almost done!" I say as I jog past her and we sprint to the rest of the band, just in time.
We do our piece, and sit aside on the benches. The announcements start and I start to tune it out when Hazel elbows me.
Alert and injured I start to listen.
The anthem sang and when they were done a smartly dressed man soberly said "Folks, would you bow our heads for a list of local Military dead. A tragic bombing-"
I freeze, listening. I needed to NOT hear one name.
Just one.
"...Leo Valdez."
"Dakota Bacchus"
I wait.
"Percy Jackson."
No. NO, no, no, no, no, no, NO!
That is not possible, Percy told me he was coming home. He told me he would be back.
I ducked further under the stands as sobs racked my body, his name was the last one, 12 dead. And no one really cared.
"Percy." I gasped as I clutched my sweater, Hazel followed me and held me. She just softly offered me her shoulder and forgetting my pride I took it, I sobbed. I screamed. I cried under a roaring football game.
I passed out.
...
I woke up to my mom telling me what happened, and even though she never approved of Percy, she held me and loved me the way only a mother can.
You would think I would stop crying and denying after the first week, but I didn't. I kept myself together and did a 180 on my life. I whithdrawled from NYU, and enrolled in the military, the marines.
I worked out with Piper and that's how I found out about her best friend.
My mom, Athena, yelled at me, cried, screamed, begged me to change my mind but I was resolute. I was going to avenge Percy Jackson, my one true love.
I took out my dagger, and looked at the target set up in the backyard.
I had a year to prepare.
A year to try and heal.
I curse and yell into the wind, the darkening sky matching my mood.
That wasn't enough time.
Keep patience with our Annabeth. There's gonna be a huge time-skip and you will have to bear with her to see how she thinks of Percy. And Percy isn't as perfect as he seems...
Shoot me a comment?
