He had to leave at about 8:30 pm but he made sure that he said his goodbyes, kissed me endlessly until I had to push him out of my door. I was still sore from the activity but I don't think I could take the actually feeling of him inside me. I wasn't ready to be a mother and what I did was still a huge step. I was just glad that we muffled every single scream, cry, sigh, and whimper that usually would escape our mouths. If mom would find out about this, she would make sure to make this house a Percy free environment.
That night, I slept with the idea of him and me getting married and starting a family together. That's how teenage fantasies would go, especially female ones. They would dream of being with their prince, him professing his love for her, and they would live happily ever after. I know that many girls from my school would dream of Percy as is and I was thankful that he was mine to keep.
The next morning, I had to wake up at 5:15. I sat up, feeling the soreness that seeped through my body before grabbing my robe that was hanging on the foot of my bed, wearing it and heading to the bathroom. After that, I dressed to short shorts and a short sleeved, button-down, collared shirt that Percy picked out for me. He said I looked 'sexy' in it so I teased him if I really did or if he was just saying that. He kissed me as his answer before picking out the rest of my clothes. Okay, so back to reality. Annabeth, don't think of Percy when you know that you're not going to see him the entire weekend.
"Annabeth, honey, Thalia's waiting in front of the house!" My dad called outside. I cursed inwardly before tying my hair into a high ponytail and putting on my hiking boots, grabbing my backpack and running outside my room.
"What took you so long, Annie?" she asked as I sat beside her. "Overslept?"
"You were earlier than I expected." Was my answer. It was the truth and I was hoping that she knew it was the truth. "So, where is this oh so secret camping spot you will bring us to?"
Thalia was smiling as she nudged me, knowing that I might as well have been lying to her. It was really my fault that I wasn't paying that much attention when I was getting ready. It's been three days seen Percy and I are having this secret relationship and it feels dangerous to keep something this serious to Thalia. I almost missed her answer to my question, "You'll see" Well, that wasn't what I was hoping for at all.
I reached in my pocket hoping to find anything I could chew on to see a note. I don't remember putting any letter in there so it got me a little curious. "What is it?" my best friend asked. I shook my head and read it briefly.
Annabeth,
I'm gonna miss you like crazy. You don't know how much. But I hope you call me, even if you just try to.
Forever,
SB
PS: I love you
Seaweed Brain. I snorted but smiled otherwise, putting it back in my pocket. Well actually, I tried to. When it was seconds away from being where it should be, Thalia took it from my grasp and took one quick look at it before looking at me suspiciously. "Who's SB?" was her question.
"None of your business, Thals" I said, taking it back from her and putting it back.
Silena joined in the moment she entered the car. Her honey blonde hair tied to low pigtails and her bright blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She's always been so pretty and I never thought that I would be jealous of her until now. "Come on, Annabeth, who is he?"
"A guy I've been seeing since Wednesday, okay."
"Name?"
I kept my lips sealed. Percy and I aren't ready to go public yet, especially with people like Silena breathing down your neck. She's practically been trying to pair me up with someone but mostly forced Percy and me in a room together. Before, we kept it formal. Now, we would probably go out with most of our clothes torn apart. "Private info"
"You know we're not going to stop until you tell us the truth"
"Well, I guess you have to keep this on forever because I'm not going to tell you"
"Is it Luke?" Well, I did have a crush on Luke Castellan before but why would he have the initials SB?
I looked at her and shook my head, "Luke's initials aren't SB"
They shared some looks before stating every single guy with those initials but they never even thought of Percy's nickname. He was smart enough not to write his actual initials on it. Huh, after all these years of friendship, I was finally rubbing off on him. Finally! "Is it Steven Burkely?"
"No" why would I fall for a guy like Steven, knowing that he was nothing more than a jerk who thinks he's better than everyone. Uh, no thanks.
"How about Sean Barns?"
God, anyone but that guy. Why do the guys that my closest friends stated were all the guys I despised? "You should give up while you're ahead"
Once we picked up everyone (Piper, Katie, Clarisse, and Juniper), Thalia blabbered on about the note. As much as I have that feeling inside me that told me that they were going to find out soon enough, I can't find the guts to tell them. I know they will support it, I'm just afraid that they might think it was a bad idea. There was this possibility that this relationship won't work out and we ended up not talking to each other again. I would rather die than let that happen.
"Come on, Wise Girl" Clarisse teased lightly. "Just tell us. We're not going to make this weekend as peaceful as it should be"
"Guys, just lay off her. It's not her fault she won't tell us who her boyfriend is" Juniper was the best, honestly. That was the only thing I could say about her. She was the best, knowing that she's going to defend what she knows is right. And invading other people's privacy is so against her rule in life.
We all looked at Piper because she was the only one who hasn't said anything at all. She's a year younger than me and dating Thalia's younger brother, Jason. He and Percy were tight, and I mean tight. They were practically brothers, counting Nico. I would be surprised if he didn't give them a hint on what we were hiding right now. Wow, this got a whole lot more complicated. "I think Juniper's right. If she doesn't want to say anything, why force her?"
"You're lucky I don't care much about my little bro's life. If I did, I could be nagging you about how stupid he really is"
I don't know why I was friends with athletes. Percy and Jason both have their own fan clubs. They may not be good in academics but when it comes to sports, they were the only hope my school has. Then, there's Nico. He and Thalia were almost unbreakable. They've been together for about a year now and they've known each other since the seventh grade. Another guy is Charles Beckendorf, Silena's never changing boyfriend. He plays basketball, to describe him the best. But he always had that talent in arts and crafts. The others were along that line.
"Look, we had this trip to be away from the guys. Why don't we do what we have to and forget them for now?" Katie was right.
Soon, there was silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft purr of the engine and the music from the radio. It was playing "Lucky" by Jason Mraz now and Thalia looked as if something just hit her as hard as an anvil in the head.
"Seaweed Brain" she mused, "SB's for Seaweed Brain"
They all looked at me expectantly and I shrugged, trying so hard not to think of him. "Thalia, think of what you're saying. Percy, do you really think I would fall for someone like Percy" I tried so hard to stay calm and cool and I was glad that she was buying it.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. Plus, Percy said he does have a girlfriend. I wonder why we haven't met her yet"
Piper looked confused, as if she hasn't heard about this. "What's her name?"
"Someone named Cassandra. She studies in another school that's why we haven't seen her"
"But how did they meet?"
She shrugged and I almost sighed in relief. This was probably the greatest part of this whole trip.
I stared at the vast Atlantic, the color of Percy's eyes and just as beautiful. The way the sun was reflected in the water made my heart throb in the pain of being far away from him. It was something I couldn't stop thinking about, especially when everything I could see was sea water. He loves being in the water, loves the beach. That was his passion, swimming and he's always found a way to pursue it. The moment I found out that he was already the captain of the swim team, I was so happy for him and watch him train every single day since that moment.
"Tell me the truth, Annabeth." Silena said as she held my hand. That got me out of my trance. "Do we know this guy?"
"Yes" I croaked, "You do" I was in no mood to lie even if I know that I was practically living one each day.
She gave me a look, similar to the one she gave Thalia when she refused to tell us about her and Nico. This was the look I cannot ignore and I had to say the truth unless I want her to hate me forever. "I trust you" she said softly, "But I don't want you to get hurt. So you have to tell me who he is"
"I can't."
She nodded before pulling her hand back and staring on the car's left, where the only thing you could see were trees. "I believe you" she muttered and I sighed in relief, knowing my friendship with her isn't over yet.
There is nothing I want more in the world than having Nico Di Angelo for Christmas. Well, I hope you liked this one because there's a lot more to come! Please review!