36. Doctor Who

He had offered to walk her home, but she had refused it. She needed time to think. They parted ways and she was immersed in her thoughts on her walk home. She thought about the kiss. Was it right? Was she beginning to feel something for him? No, that… that can't be right. She shook her head, but she couldn't escape the thought that she wanted to feel him again. She chewed on her lip. Ever since her parents screwed up everything they had, she had taken a secret vow to never be vulnerable, to always be strong in the face of any danger. If she stayed with Percy, she'd be breaking the vow. Nothing was more dangerous than staring heartache right in the face.

But the tiniest voice rose above all others, saying "maybe it's worth it". But what if it was a mistake? That was the biggest question. What if it went terribly wrong? What if Percy wasn't the guy he seemed to be? Caring, nice, sweet and occasionally rough? What if. Her brain was hurting from so much thinking, so she shrugged it off for now and tried to focus on the more important task at hand; life.

She walked up the stairs and into her apartment to find her mother eating the last of the pineapple at the island. She was wearing sweats and her hair was pulled into a messy bun with a white bandana holding back loose strands. She had dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't had the best night.

"I was wondering where you had gone," her mother commented as soon as she walked in.

"I was out," Thalia said as she left her bag next to the door.

"No shit," her mother said and Thalia just rolled her eyes. She walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge for something to eat, though there wasn't much. She decided on cereal. She pulled out a bowl, poured in some Apple Jacks and ate them without milk. She sat at the island, across from her mother.

"You have to go to the doctor soon," she commented as she grabbed some Apple Jacks and tossed them in the air, trying to catch them with her mouth.

"Ugh, doctors. No thanks," her mother said.

"You have to. You're pregnant, if you remember," Thalia said sarcastically.

"But I don't want to!"

"I don't really care if you want to. You have to," Thalia countered, exasperated with her mother's stubbornness, though she couldn't say much because she was the same.

"I'm not going," her mother said as she stood up and pulled a coke out of the fridge.

"Yes you are. Even if I have to drag you there," Thalia said, not bothering to look at her mother as she played with Apple Jacks.

"Don't I get the say so?" her mother said. Thalia looked at her.

"You used to. And don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for the baby," Thalia said, not really worried about her rudeness. Her mother's eyes closed to slits. Thalia shrugged.

"If you would've kept your act together, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. And you can take out all your anger on me, but you're still going to do what you have to do. So like before, get an appointment and if you don't, I will," Thalia said as she finished her Apple Jacks. She stood up and chucked her bowl into the sink.

"Just remember!" Thalia called out again as she walked into her room. It was dark and she had to turn her light on. She kicked her shoes off, but she wasn't quite ready to go to sleep. She bit her lip as a tiny smile came to her face. She shuffled to the side of her bed, fell to her hands and knees and pulled out the guitar from under her bed.

She placed the case on her bed and took off her pants and shirt to change into something a little more comfortable; a pair of yellow cotton shorts with the number 23 on her rump and a black tank. Once comfortable, she opened up the case and pulled out the guitar. She pulled out a small clip in her hair that was holding her messy bangs back and shook her hair so it fell loose around her shoulders. She sat cross-legged on the bed, thought a second about what to play, and started strumming.

She almost couldn't believe the song she was playing. But she didn't want to stop.

"What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive. I can't keep up and I can't back down, I've been losing so much time," she sang. She felt her body move with the music and she smiled. This time, she sang without restraint; without haunting memories or uncomfortable flashbacks or the fact she had given this up. It was finally fun.

"'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose. And it's you and me and all other people and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you." She fell back and pulled the guitar to her side. She slid under the covers, checked her alarms for the morning and lay down. She wasn't too sleepy, so she used her fingers to randomly pluck at the strings. There was no real music playing, she just wanted to hear the sounds she had excluded from her life so many years ago. But before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Her alarm blasted in the morning and she sat up, looking around like she didn't know where she was, before she relaxed. She moaned and rubbed her eyes. She looked around, and realized her guitar was resting in its case in front of the closet. What? She could've sworn she hadn't gotten up and put it away herself. Shrugging it off, she got dressed for school and headed out.

She got one of those mini headaches as soon as she stepped out of the building.

"Blach," she moaned as she massaged her forehead and made her way down the sidewalk. It was nice and warm outside and this time she wore shorts, converse and a flowy black spaghetti strap shirt. Though she wished she had picked a lighter color when she could almost the heat absorbing itself into her clothes.

Then, the inevitable happened. She started thinking again. This time about everything. Wondering if her mother would really call for an appointment, what would happen between her and Percy, the baby, school and for some reason, even Leo and Cindy. She walked into school, into the herd of teens waiting for the bell to ring. Leo was standing across the lobby and he waved at her. Thalia waved back but then shook her hand as if she was trying to set off fire. Did she just wave back? I'm going insane! I'm going soft!

She had to walk passed him to get to his class and she was hoping he wouldn't stop her. But of course, he did.

"Hey Thalia!" he said, sending her his mischievous grin.

"Hey Leo," Thalia replied unenthusiastically.

"Hey, I was wondering…" he said, as he looked at his feet. Thalia had an idea where this was going. "Can we, um, talk?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"What about?"

"I can't say right now," he said as he gave a quick scan of the lobby. Thalia wasn't sure what was so important he couldn't tell her now, or why he was looking around as if someone unpleasant would show up. Thalia shifted her weight to one foot as she fixed her backpack.

"Leo, if you can't tell me now, I'm not going to waste my time," Thalia said as she began to walk away. Leo caught her arm.

"Please. It's nothing really bad, but I just… I just want to get it off my chest," he said, sincerity dripping off his words. Thalia hesitated. She gritted her teeth as she knew what she would say.

"Okay, how about today after school?" He nodded. "Meet me at the arcade Fun and Games."

"Thanks, Thalia," he said, cracking a small smile. Thalia forced a smile, though it probably looked more like she was in pain. He let go and she walked away, wondering what Leo wanted to tell her, what "secret" he wanted to reveal.

Hey guys! Sorry I took so long for this chapter! So, I'm glad everyone liked the last one. I actually enjoyed writing it a lot :D Just a warning though, this week I probably won't update 'cause of school and some things I have to make up, etc... So! Be patient, lol And like always, let me know what you think about this!

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics. All credit goes to You & Me by Lifehouse