34. Sweep Me Off My Feet

The next few days were kind of boring and mostly uneventful. She had seen Leo trying to approach her several times, but never making it because Cindy was conveniently in the way. Now, Thalia was sure something was going on between them. Only once he was able to talk to her, and it had only been about ten seconds between classes.

"Hey," he had said.

"What is it?" she asked, annoyed to have to stop in the sea of kids who figured shoving was the fastest way to get to their class.

"Maybe we can hang out sometime? Out of school?" he asked hesitantly.

"Leo, I don't think so," Thalia answered. Half because she didn't really need to hang out with him and half because she had sort of promised her weekend to Percy. He looked down at his feet. She sighed. "Sorry," she muttered as she walked away.

She closed her eyes and lay down across the couch. She was losing her touch. She was getting soft. And no matter how hard she fought it, it was still happening. She looked up at the ceiling. Every once in a while she'd remember Percy's face. She chewed on her lip, wondering what could've disturbed him so bad. He seemed so carefree and that was probably what she lik- what she noticed most about him. And she hated it.

She glanced at the clock of the TV; 5:30 PM. She still had about thirty minutes to wait before she headed out to Ms. Whirly's house. She lay on the couch, fully dressed and ready to go, but didn't want to because she didn't want to spend the extra time waiting awkwardly at her house. And she didn't even know why she was invited. It wasn't babysitting and it obviously wasn't "to say thanks", so what was the deal?

"One… 21 guns… Lay down your arms, give up the fight. One, 21 guns…" she sang softly as she closed her eyes and swung her foot. She felt peaceful. No sounds, but her own voice. Her mother was somewhere off, doing god knows what and the streets were surprisingly quiet. She would fall asleep if it weren't for the dinner. She opened up one eye to check the time; 6:00 PM. Time to go. She got up, grabbed her bag at her feet and ran out the door.

She walked swiftly, so it didn't take her too long to get to their house. When she got there, there was a really fancy and bright red corvette next to Ms. Whirly's usual silver sedan. Now, Thalia had a vague idea about what was going to happen. Clearing her throat, she knocked on the door.

"I'll get you it for you!" a man's voice yelled from the inside. The door swung open and Thalia's jaw almost dropped. A man stood in front of her, tall with a dimpled chin, dark eyes and closely cropped black hair. He extended his hand to shake hers and introduce himself. But there was no need.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Tristan McLean."

So this was the movie star Pumpkin had mentioned the last time I was here. They sat at the table, passing around bowls and plates and accidentally dropping food everywhere.

"I'm so glad you could come," Ms. Whirly smiled. And it was a genuine smile too; no faking or forced smiles and laughter. Ms. Whirly was finally happy. She glanced at her boyfriend and her kaleidoscope eyes beamed.

"Me too," Thalia said, as she stuffed a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. She still couldn't believe that Tristan, the famous Cherokee actor, was sitting just across from her. McLean tried to pick a piece of chicken off of Ms. Whirly's plate and she smacked his hand with the back of her fork. He pulled his hand back as he made a funny face and Ms. Whirly just laughed. Thalia looked at Pumpkin and sent her a smile. Pumpkin rolled her eyes, but Thalia could she was happy as she watched her mother.

"So, Thalia, how have you been?" Ms. Whirly asked as she scooped some more peas onto her plate.

"Oh, let's not talk about me. I want to hear about you! How did you guys meet?" Thalia asked, hoping Ms. Whirly wouldn't ask her again. They both chuckled.

"Well, I was starting to close up my shop when he walks in for a haircut," Ms. Whirly began.

"And she says: excuse me, are you blind? Did you not see that I am closed?" Tristan said, adding sarcasm to what she said. Ms. Whirly laughed.

"I didn't care he was an actor! I was closed and closed is closed."

"So I said, I'll give you $300 for a haircut –"

"And I told him he was crazy! I wasn't going to be bought, so I told him to leave –" Ms. Whirly continued.

"But I planted my feet and told her I wouldn't leave without my haircut, but I also didn't want to leave because she was just so beautiful," Tristan said as he grabbed her hand. Ms. Whirly blushed. "But she was stubborn –"

"And I grabbed the broom and started sweeping at his feet telling him to go and come another day with an appointment," Ms. Whirly giggled.

"I couldn't believe it! I'd never been, literally, swept out of a salon!" Tristan exclaimed as we all started laughing.

"So, the next morning he calls for an appointment and, out of the goodness of my heart, I let him come in," Ms. Whirly chuckled.

"And after my incredibly stylish haircut," Tristan said as he passed his hand around his head to show off his wonderful haircut, "I asked her to get coffee with me."

"I said yes and one thing led to another until well… here we are," Ms. Whirly said as she smiled at him. Thalia laughed. It sounded like a story worthy of Ms. Whirly. Thalia leaned back as she rubbed her stomach.

"That's a cute story," she commented.

"Yes she is," Tristan said. Thalia glanced at Pumpkin and giggled. They spent the next two hours exchanging stories (Pumpkin sharing stories of how she tumbled down a mountain when she had gone skiing once) and joking about Tristan McLean's movies.

"I'm telling you. I had nothing to do with the poster!" Tristan chuckled as he raised his hands. "I just pose and smile and it's the other guys' jobs to make me look like doofus," he joked. Thalia laughed as she clutched her stomach that was rapidly getting sore from laughing. She had always assumed celebrities were stuck up snobs, and while that was probably true for most, Tristan McLean was definitely an exception. Thalia glanced at her watch and her eyebrows went up in surprise. She whistled.

"Well, I think I should get going," Thalia said as she stood up and stretched her legs.

"Sure dear, it is getting late," she said as she stood up and started grabbing plates and stacking them up like pancakes. Thalia did her share of cleaning up the table and sat with Pumpkin as Ms. Whirly and Tristan shared quality time in washing the dishes.

"So, how's it feel to know your mother's dating a celebrity," Thalia joked as she tapped Pumpkin's shoulder with her fist. Pumpkin stretched and leaned deep into her chair with her little legs extended.

"It's kind of cool. We even got to ride in his corvette once," she smiled.

"Sounds like fun," Thalia said. Pumpkin nodded happily. Ms. Whirly and Tristan finished the dishes and turned to the girls.

"Well, I think it's time we all start getting home," Ms. Whirly said as she stood behind Pumpkin and ran her fingers through Pumpkin's blonde locks. Thalia stood up.

"I agree. It was a nice dinner, Ms. Whirly," Thalia said as she scooped up her bag and slung it across her shoulder.

"Oh, call me Venita," Ms. Whirly said.

"Will do, Venita," Thalia smiled. She bid a farewell to Tristan and Pumpkin and left for her apartment. It was late, so she walked through the noisiest streets and as swiftly as possible. When she got home all the lights were off and it was silent. She took out her phone, mostly to put alarms to not wake up too late the next day, when she saw she had a message. The very tips of her lips went up into a small smile.

Can you meet me at the building we danced in at 6:00? – Percy

Thalia dropped her bag next to the door and threw herself on the couch, but quickly jumped up when she heard a startled yelp. If she were a cat, she would be attached to the ceiling right about now.

"Don't sit on me!" her mother complained. Thalia's heart raced from the scare. She was so busy on her phone she didn't even notice her mother lying down on the couch.

"Jeez, sorry," Thalia muttered as she shuffled into her room and lay down in her bed. She pulled up her messages and texted back.

At the very top? – Thalia

At the very top. – Percy

Thalia crinkled her nose. She hated heights and she barely made it up the first time. But she wasn't going to show that she was scared.

Cool. I'll see you there – Thalia

Thanks, goodnight – Percy

Thalia's fingers hovered over the screen, wondering if she should text back. She chewed on her lip and decided not to. She placed her alarms, took a quick shower and went to bed.

Thanks guys for the reviews so much! I really, truly appreciate them and they always make my day :) Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and yes, we're getting really, really close to that special Perlia moment, don't worry! Anyways, here's something I was thinking about, though I can't ask anyone else because no one around me has read the book, so:
Here's some Food for Thought:
If Percy and Nico ever had to fight, who do you think would win? :) Everything allowed.

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics. All credit goes to 21 Guns by Green Day.