Chapter 3: Late For School
Annabeth
It's not happening… This cannot be happening again!
And with another loud screeching of metal against metal, leading to a gradual halt which shifted everyone on their feet, the train stopped moving inside the pitch-black tunnel.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are delayed because of train traffic ahead. We apologize for any inconvenience." The infamous announcement was heard throughout the train cart. No surprise when almost everyone shook their head in disbelief, including me.
After all that time I spent silently praying to God in the station, I now wondered if he really hated me today. Then again, I should have at least expected it. After all, New York City was well known for its ionic and also crumbling subway system. But more importantly, given the coffee incident earlier, it could be said that praying for good luck would most likely end with more misery for me.
"Ugh… come on," I mumbled, desperately waiting for the train to start moving again.
Repeatedly glancing at my wristwatch, I got increasingly anxious as the clock jumped closer to 9 am with each passing second. I could almost feel them pulsing on my wrist like it would never stop, the turning of interconnected gears one step at a time, marching endlessly to push time forward.
What I wouldn't wish for a distraction to pull me away from checking my left wrist every other second. I fought with the repetitive urges as best I could, yet time kept going though, and no matter what I do it wouldn't have mattered. It's moments like this that made me wish for time to slow down or even stop, paused in time so I could have some time to breathe. Unlikely as best, literally impossible at worse, I knew there was no way my wish would come true. Besides how physically unrealistic it was, being able to stop time was only my wishful thinking.
At least the train wasn't too crowded, and that gave me more than enough space to lean on the corner railing without people pushing up against me. Even though there were more than a few empty seats far away from others, I couldn't bring myself to sit. The agitation and anxiety I felt now wouldn't go well with it. Besides, the station I needed to get off on was only two stops away, that's if only the train could do what it was supposed to do in the first place…
Ever since the train halted in place, this was probably the eleventh time where I lifted my left hand to check the time on my watch. During its seven minutes delay; I was counting every second after it stopped running because what else was better to do in a situation like this. In any case, the stranded train was still stuck in the dark tunnel with no sign of any movements.
It was now 8:58 am.
Faced with the inevitable conclusion, I would need a huge miracle and also the invention of teleportation to have even a remote chance to get to school on time. Unfortunately, neither one of these solutions was actually possible in the real world, which meant that I was going to be late for my first day of junior year at Goode High school. Yea!
If only I'd gotten up from bed earlier... or decided to leave the store without the coffee… If only I'd been a little more careful with myself, then that whole mess with him would be avoided- probably…
My lungs couldn't hold back a defeated sigh from escaping, ready to dig down a rabbit hole of what ifs scenarios. However, I've learned a long time ago that there was no point in wishing for the past. It's only going to bring back negativity and irrational thoughts that I didn't need. Yet, I couldn't stop but play it again in my head; the events that happened in the shop, thinking back to that one part where I threw a large hot coffee at his face.
A picture of his face that was dripping with heavenly roasted brown liquid goodness and that lopsided smile when he…
"Stupid," I mumbled.
Wishing that I had never gone to get coffee in the first place, I wouldn't have thought a cup of caramel cappuccino would lead to so many complications and pave the way for so much trouble to follow afterward. At the very least, it would prevent me from chewing on my bottom lip while leaning on the rails. When I realized what I was doing, I stopped by taking a long sip from the very thing that made this whole mess possible.
As the cup tilted back over my lips, my eyes suddenly caught up to the sticker stuck on the side. A scribble of a black marker drew me in, and a strange feeling built up inside me as I stopped drinking to get a better look.
There is something written on it…
The handwriting was clean and legible, and after a while reading the message I realized it was a ten-digit number. I was most definitely confused at first, but shock ran through me like a lightning strike when it finally clicked. It was a phone number! My breath instantly got caught in my throat as I stared at his message with curious intrigue. Hiding in plain sight, there was a weirdly drawn smiley face behind the last number along with his name written below the row.
Percy.
How in the world did I manage to miss this written message was beyond me. Actually startled by the unexpected discovery- that he gave me his phone number in the most cliché-est way possible, it caught me off guard in a way that I've never experienced before. I was left flabbergasted as I stared at the not so hidden message now that my attention had caught onto it.
Oh my God.
From that moment forward, my random thoughts couldn't be brought into words, yet the words in my head were racing on overdrive.
Why did he- Oh. Does that mean he-
Recklessly jumping from one train of thought to another, any rational reasoning were thrown out the window. My muddled perception of what this meant was all over the place, and I was most definitely doing my best to complicate it with no real aim. It's all happening automatically too and not for my lack of trying to stop it either. Any real or organizable conversation about his surprise gesture was honestly an impossible feat for me.
Amid all these noises in my head, at least there was one thing that I was sure about. It was the one thing I kept repeating to myself.
Oh no, what have you gotten yourself into, Annabeth? Stupid! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!
As idiotic as I was being about something as simple as a phone number, I somehow managed to speak but the words that came out of my mouth were sadly utter nonsense. I couldn't do anything meaningful either, and the stupid debate raged on inside me…
On a subconscious level, I was desperately scolding myself for having any hopeful ideas, knowing it was better to just ignore the revelation completely. He was a stranger after all and there wasn't—
And yet, physically I was doing everything opposite of what my mind was saying. No matter how much I was berating myself, my right hand was reaching into my bag. I dug around until my phone was within reach.
You better know what you are doing…
On the surface, I wasn't even sure why I was doing it. There was no sound reason for it, I just took my phone out, selected a new contact option from a few menu swipes. The easiest explanation would be that I've gone insane, but perhaps…
It's only a number, Annabeth. No big deal, I think….
Maybe I was overreacting. It's not like he gave me his number for any nefarious reason. If anything, my hopeful mind was saying- No no no. Don't even go there… And it wasn't like I'll ever see him again, so it wouldn't hurt. I guess in some way or another, maybe I wanted a laugh too.
As I typed in his number, his name, added coffee boy for his contact nickname, everything was saved in my phone in the blink of an eye. It was all said and done.
Not looking back, I shoved my phone back in my bag and took another sip from the half-empty cup. A rush of sweetness hit my senses as the cup got lighter and lighter. Right around that same time, the train began moving underneath my feet too. Weirdly, I felt myself smiling even after losing so much time.
-Line Break-
It's currently 9: 26 AM.
Being one block away, I did my best to hurry on my feet without rushing too fast. It was close to being half an hour after school anyway, so it didn't make much sense to run anymore. I was late already. Given that, I didn't see a single other Goode high students walking along the street with me.
I was alone.
Before long, I escaped from the tall concrete jungle on either side of the street. The familiar bell atop the school's brick tower came into view, eventually leading me on the long traffic crosswalk, the last obstacle to the prestigious Goode campus along the pier.
Located right beside the Hudson River, Goode high school had some of the largest facilities and buildings around its private school ground. First, there was the main school building itself with its rectangular design that split 90 degrees in conjunction. Six stories tall, most classrooms could overlook the river easily. It was one of the many benefits of being admitted into Goode. There was also roof access too, but sadly it was restricted ever since a few students almost fell over and got into trouble for it.
Able to see the river from every corner of the campus, it easily led to the pier which served as a long pathway that ran along with every facility for the school. Further down south, a large green park followed. It had branching paths that one could take to come and exit the school. There was also a huge dedicated outdoor lunch area right next to the park. It was way more amazing than the indoor cafeteria inside the school. Two separate school café served students just about anything they would want. Sadly, it's not free like most other schools in the city.
Over on the north side of the building was where many sports fields were placed, along with the parking lot for teachers and students who were able to drive to school. Of course, teachers and staff would always get the privilege first, leaving any leftover space for others to fight over. Hence, you'll most likely hear a few honk beeping at least a few times in the morning.
I wish I could learn to drive too, but I've already got Alfred.
Separated by more than fifty feet, my eyes reluctantly caught attention to a group of people gathering around one yellow car. It was the only car in the whole school I despise catching sight of. I saw smoke vapors were coming from within- maybe ten people or less, and even though I wasn't across the street yet, I could already detect the nasty scent of weed coming from that direction.
My nose twitched uncomfortably.
Luckily, I was far enough away so they didn't notice I was alone. I used that to my advantage and move across the crosswalk once the signal turned green, speeding over without sprinting as it would make more unnecessary sounds. When it was certain that I was out of their sights, I let out a sigh of relief.
Sadly, no matter how prestigious the reputation of Goode high school was, there certainly were some bad, very bad elements mixed with the people who were doing everything they could to succeed. It wasn't like this by pure coincidence either. There were many students in this school where most would classify them as those spoiled rich kids with overcompensating parents that don't know how to parent. Most, if not all, were only attending this school because their parents' got deep pockets, and they probably have an irrefutable ego that refused to see their kids not end up in the best school in the city.
To be honest, it's kind of disheartening since there must be others who have good enough grades and lost the chance to study here. Adding the fact that all of this was hidden from the public just made it even more depressing.
Turning left towards the park, I figured it was better to enter the building through the main lobby instead of the side entrance up north. It was the slower path to take, but then again I would no doubt avoid another confrontation with him- the single person I despise and hate the most.
I turned around the corner in a few steps, and just as expected, there was not a single soul around the front entrance of the school either. No other students were here, and as much as I hope for someone to be as late as I was, it was clear now that I was the only one.
Of course, being a private school with a high reputation to uphold, there was a beautiful design lobby hall- built with high-class architecture and glass structures. It wasn't too fancy for my taste, but enough to give off a prestigious vibe.
I began to make my way toward the front doors…
But then—
"Hey! Watch out!"
Loud footsteps seemed to have come out of nowhere from behind me. Startled by a sudden piercing scream, I flinched and tried to avoid his rushing momentum. Instinct took over my body as I looked back halfway at whoever was warning me. I was fully alert as I predicted his movements, sidestepping to the left and thinking that I've avoided a crash with him.
"Oophhfff…"
It was the wrong choice. I picked the wrong lane because the person behind me was also avoiding to the left. Just like that, this guy crashed into me full force, his body slamming into mine with such a powerful jolt that I was immediately falling along with him.
Lucky for me, he grabbed my outstretched hand and turned me around before I could face-plant into the hard cement ground. Flipped over, I tried to see who this clumsy klutz was but I was too busy falling on my butt to get a good look. Meanwhile, this guy also lost his balance and collapse right on top of me, squeezing all the air out of my lungs.
"Oww-ouch!"
"Oh my god! I am so sorry!" He said after breaking his fall on me.
Well, at least he had the decency to apologize quickly.
At least for a moment, I could feel our bodies tangled up as he hurriedly pushed himself off of me- his heavy figure was at least one-third more than my weight. He pressed his hands on either side of my head and hovered. Once freed, I shook my head and blinked a few times. The world suddenly felt flowy, like I was spinning in zero gravity despite laying on the concrete walkway.
"You okay?" I heard his voice drone over my ears.
Dazed beyond my control, any focused on centering my balance only made my head hurt even more. I couldn't concentrate, but I tried to give this idiot a look nevertheless. His features were obscure behind a blurry background. The only thing I could recognize was his onyx messy hair.
As mad as I was and a part of me almost wanted to curse him out, there was something else- no, I definitely recognize him— it was undoubtable because…
"Wait, your…" His green eyes glint for a second.
Even with my head under a sweeping dizzy spell, I could finally make out his defining feature well enough to see that it was the same boy I bumped into this morning! It was Percy! I was so certain that it was none other than him because he still smelled like caramel from out accident.
"Crap, your head is bleeding!" He exclaimed.
I barely heard his worries because the sweet scent of his body was the only thing I could think about… that, and of course, meeting him again. Stuck with the same cycling thoughts, my eyebrows scrunched up, perplexed to hear him grumbling like a caveman.
Whatever he just said sounded so far away. The constant ringing in my ears didn't help make his words any clearer, leaving me confused at what he was asking me. It must have been important because he looked dead serious.
"W-Waat?" I asked.
It didn't seem like he was hurt because he got up easily enough. Unfortunately, I probably was hurt and didn't even know it. Also, I still couldn't understand what he was saying.
"Y…Yu ahh h…rut…" He replied.
I saw him getting on his feet only to kneel right back down beside me, and when he extended his right hand, I at least understood that and let him help me on my feet. My fingers reached up and brushed over his. He held my hand, pulling me up very gently. My feet fumbled a bit for steadiness, then I immediately stumbled forward.
"Whoa!" He pulled me back in place.
Crossing right into the borderline of a cheesy romantic movie, I stumbled and fell into his arms instead of the floor for a second time. He held me close by, his hands halfway across my waist.
In any other situation, I would have blush like mad and pushed myself away. Uncomfortable in every sense, I realized what just happened, but my helpless body couldn't find a way to flinch away even if I wanted to, not when I finally felt a sharp stinging pain at the back of my head. I couldn't force myself to stay balanced, and the only support I have was him.
"I guess you go to this school?" I thought that's what he asked me.
I didn't understand what he meant, then again it could have been his dumb question that caused my confusion atop my already wobbly state of mind. I nodded anyway.
"Is there a nurse at the school?"
I mumbled, "Yea… it's down b-by the principle—"
Suddenly losing my vision to a growing misty fog, things were starting to become real blurry. It seemed like he sensed what was happening because he threw his right arm around my back and help me forward.
"Come on…"
As hazy as I felt, I wasn't that far gone to not realize how close we were together as he led me away to the foyer of the school building, and every step I stumbled along with him made me feel impossibly awkward. Without a center of gravity, it was difficult to get a few steps and not feel like I was going to collapse and fall over. I even felt like I wanted to throw up. Yet, I had to rely solely on his support.
He pushed the front doors open and helped me inside the lobby.
My steps were beginning to feel a lot more wobbly. Again, he sensed this and held me closer. Pretty sure I blushed at one point, and now having my body against his like this- not to mention him smelling so good from the caramel- I might have inadvertently gotten even shakier.
"Hi. Can you please tell me where the nurse's office is? She's hurt pretty bad…"
It must have been the difference between laying down and standing up, because now I could hear him a lot better, except his words still had a constant ringing tone accompanying them. I heard a woman reply.
"Yeah, turn right around the hallway and it's the last door on your right."
"Thanks." He said and shifted us away.
A bit reassured that he was taking me to the nurse's office like he said he would; since I was so helpless in his arms, it was better to be safe than sorry, I relaxed and let him bring me toward the main hallway. I could still recognize the pathway he took, albeit with a less than focus mindset, and every other step he helped me take progressively eased my mind.
"Whoa! Hey, come on…"
My eyelids felt so heavy about halfway through that my vision was closing in on me. He tried to bring me forward, but I couldn't move my feet anymore.
"Hey! It's not that far away now… Come on,"
I shook my head and could barely stay conscious.
Once again, his voice started to drone away from me. Everything turned dark and afterward, I didn't know what happened next.
