Chapter 18: Trouble Brewing
Annabeth
The weather was brisk cold on Friday.
There wasn't a single sign of the sun. No light coming from the skies above as an overcast of grey and dark rain clouds stretched from one end of the city to another. There wasn't a single drop of rain whatsoever either. Just a gloomy and dreary day for everyone. It came as a smack in the face too when it was supposed to be a sunny and warm day, and no weather forecast predicted this sudden onset. I awoke this morning just baffled by it as anyone else.
Even my mom who never really cared for the weather- rainy or sunny or snowy, threw in a few words about the weather today at our breakfast time. A foreboding feeling enveloped me, it seemed like I was just helplessly waiting for something bad to happen.
Blanketing just above the city and beyond, it really seemed like God wasn't in a good mood today.
And either was I…
"Hey, Annabeth…" I felt the end of his pen poked at my cheeks.
I grumbled and smack his hand away, "Cut it out, Percy… you are annoying."
"Sorry, but you were daydreaming again." He apologized.
After we got through our separated classes today, Percy and I met up like we've talked about and now we were both inside the front office again. Seated in a cushioned chair diagonal facing the mahogany office desk with its fancy carvings and expensive-looking material design, Percy sat in a similar-looking chair beside me. Both of us were alone in the same room, a set of completed paperwork lay in front of us as we await her return.
Getting my attention, he asked for the third? No. It's probably the fifth time he asked me the same question since we got to school this morning, "So, you still haven't told me?"
Not hiding behind subtlety, he was clearly referring to what happened last night, yet I had been avoiding it for as long as possible today. It's probably obvious to his clueless brain by now that I wasn't ready to talk about it. Oh, how I hoped that'd be the case…
"And for the last time, Percy." I sighed exasperated, "I am not telling you, so you can ask me as much as you want. You just be wasting your breath."
I expected to see him back down, but of course he knew just how to push my buttons. Again, when did we meet? Oh! That's right. It was only last Friday when we met by accident, and now we were known through the whole school as the newest couple to gossip about.
Just like Piper wanted, my worst nightmare came true and now everyone was shipping us together. I doubt it would have happened if my best friend didn't start fanning the flames in the first place, and I most certainly was going to chew into her for unintentionally making this whole mess possible.
… Except she didn't come to school today. Apparently, she was hit with a bad case of the flu and had a fever above 100 degrees. Of course, being her best friend I texted her right away and wish she would get better soon, but deep down, I know I would strangle her to death if she did come to school today. Her absence was only delaying the inevitable, and she most definitely deserved as much of the 'blame' as me and Percy did, regardless of her being sick or whatnot.
Percy smirked instead, "Just so you know, princess… I can keep asking for as long as possible. I have incredible stamina, after all."
Of course he does. Just my luck…
I snorted, "I can tell since you didn't shut up about it for the whole day…"
This morning after Owlfred dropped me off, I wasn't able to set foot more than five meters away from the entrance before a younger girl with light brown hair came up and asked me if I was Percy's girlfriend. I recalled blinking in shock at her out of nowhere question and managed to slip away only for another girl in a group to stop me dead in my track. It easily drew a crowd of multiple girls as they fawn over how jealous they were because of how close and attach Percy and I seemed already.
Of course, the stares didn't escape my notice. Given that I've always drawn more unintentional and unwanted attentions from the boys of this school, I wasn't surprised when some of the girls looked a bit hostile too. I didn't ask for this, but when I was hanging out with the newest boy in school since the beginning of our first day, then unintentionally getting so comfortable with him, it's only expected that some would hate me for it.
Envy of the time I've got to spend with their new crush, they were shoving questions at me left and right about Percy and my 'real relationship' with him, and I remembered literally suffocating in the middle of the circle when…
"Hmm… you are especially moody today." Percy blurted it out much to a shock in my system. Surprised when he didn't even look alarmed by what he said, it was as if he didn't find his sudden tease at me to be a big deal or something to worry about. I shot him a quizzical look as he asked me, "I take it you are still worried about that thing this morning?"
Throwing me off my thoughts, I looked over and saw his curious emerald eyes fixed themselves onto mine. I gulped back without much effort, my senses caught onto his spell effortlessly as well.
I really hated how fast the rumors about us spread. I also hated that I couldn't do anything about it as much as I was compelled to. And most importantly, I hated that Percy seemed to know what I was always thinking about. In fact, our relationship was about to become much more linked with a formal written agreement from our dear principal herself: Mrs. Farron.
It was my first time meeting her in person, and in retrospect from how I had envisioned, Mrs. Farron was actually a nice woman. She spoke in a soft voice, but everything she said has an authoritative and commanding aura behind them. Firm in her words but genuinely kind deep down, she seemed like the type of person I wouldn't mind knowing.
I blushed at his reminder, "I am not…"
I knew exactly what he was talking about because I was thinking about it just seconds ago.
"Oh? Is it about what happened at lunch?" If he was guessing down a list, then he must be a genius when it came to figuring me out.
I hide my face further away from him, "It's not, you dummy."
It totally was. He was right about both, but I couldn't admit it… especially to him. There was something else though... a third thing…
In fact, it was because of those two events that led to my head being in such a cloudy state. Just like the skies today, the grey overcast matched how my mood had been making me feel: utterly confused by what had happened between us. Yet, there was a strange tinge of happiness mixed with it.
"Oh." Percy said and his voice grew deep, "Is it about me then?"
Of course it is about you…
I couldn't look back at him or give him a response right away. Struggling to react to his question, my mind went back to what happened after the girls swarmed me. Asking for any juicy details about Percy, I was ironically saved by the boy they were all gossiping about.
Wrestling for my freedom this morning, it was when I thought getting out was impossible before Percy called my name out of nowhere, surprising even the girls around me. Standing behind everyone, he only looked right at me- no one else, and asked if I was okay. Wild pink blushes were creeping up uncontrollably on my cheeks, and I remember squeezing away from everyone and rushed toward him, resulting in a half tackle. Afterward, it was the most embarrassing part of my morning because I wrapped my arms around his and push us forward. I heard at least a dozen gasps when we walked away from the entrance.
In the end, we were able to get as far away from all the lively and giggling stares around us. Luckily, he was being a gentleman and didn't say a single word to annoy me, which I was grateful for, but it still didn't help lessen the rising heat within me, within him. For lack of a better word, we were both growing red at what I've been forced to do.
As for what happened at lunch, it was very much a similar situation to my morning. Since Piper wasn't here today, I was left with the freedom to sit anywhere. Yet, I knew something similar was going to happen like this morning if I was alone by myself. To an almost comical degree, I chose a bench as far away from people as possible, unknowingly bumping my lunch tray with another. I remembered looking up and spotted those annoying but playful green eyes, and wordlessness settled between us.
Yep. I had lunch with Percy Jackson, the boy who could make me blush wildly when I was with him. We were both alone by ourselves, and it was the most awkward meal I've ever eaten- of course, minus the dinner date I had with him. I couldn't look at him while taking bites out of my sandwich, and neither could he. The many different stares from all corners of the cafeteria didn't help us in that regard, and it was unbearable enough that I wanted to hide in a closet and never come out. With everyone watching as we sat together alone, it's most certainly the final nail in the coffin before the whole school would come to a conclusion that we were dating already.
In situations like this, it was when I really appreciate Piper's straightforwardness and bold attitude. Given how she's been protecting me from a lot of the drama in school, I was sure she would stand up on the table and shout atop her lungs, telling everyone that Percy and I weren't a couple or dating just to save me the embarrassment. Now I almost wished my best friend didn't skip school today so she could do exactly that.
"Did I make you feel uncomfortable?" Percy asked with a bit of insecure anxiety in his voice, "I mean, about this morning at the entrance? And what happened at the cafeteria?"
And not to mention when you asked me about yesterday night too, you dolt!
Every attempt to resist our memories was futile, and I couldn't stop thinking about them at the latter part of the school day. Absolutely distracted, I could barely focus on the last three lectures, and every time someone mentions or whisper something about Percy, I would get a random chill all over my body. It's very much a cliché, but it felt like electrified tingles were moving down my spine whenever thoughts about him came up in my head…
Percy waited silently for my reply, and just before I could formulate my response, the door opened behind us with a click.
Saved by our principal…
"Sorry to make you two wait…" Mrs. Farron came in.
A woman in her early 40's at most, Mrs. Farron always looked too young to be in such a high-level position for the most prestigious school of New York City. She had deep almond brown hair and soft gentle features, and one could definitely mistake her for a middle school teacher, so it's no surprise that being the principal of a famous school drew her a lot of attention, both good and bad. Married and had a few kids already- the pictures of her family on the desk were a dead giveaway- surely her work and life responsibilities were stack tables full, yet it seemed like she managed somehow because her table was organized and clutter-free.
"Well, I've spoken to a few senior staff members and they all agreed that this arrangement was for the best, so…" She turned to me and smiled, "Please keep it up, Annabeth. I know you will work hard to tutor Percy into a fine student at Goode."
She turned to Percy next, "And I am sure you won't let Annabeth waste all her efforts, so please work just as hard and study smart, okay Percy?"
I nodded my head in a deflated manner while Percy replied in a goody two-shoe way, "Uh-huh… I will make sure to study as hard as I can, Mrs. Farron."
I rolled my eyes at his cringey response but he caught onto my reaction and frown back.
Right away, a smirk grew over my lips at his reaction.
For some reason, I was feeling a bit playful than I should have been- especially in an environment like this- because I stuck my tongue out at him without second thoughts and made a silly expression with my face, "Pbbbt!"
It was literally a frown turning upside down because I left him speechless and semi-shocked. I couldn't stop grinning either before I finally turned away from his awkward-looking half-grin. I was all smiles and totally oblivious in my own bubble with him, but that happiness suddenly faltered when I remembered where I was, and that we weren't alone. Smiles disappeared, I turned grim at the realization and snapped my head to face our principal again. I wondered what else she wanted to say about our tutoring arrangement when a delightful smile crept up ever so slowly on her lips.
It was very subtle so I barely even caught on to it, but the gentle smile that followed on Mrs. Farron had an inkling of something hidden beneath them. Was it amusement? Joy, perhaps? Or maybe it was coming out from something about me and Percy?
Uh-oh…
"Oh my Gosh! Not you too!" I snapped without thinking or checking my tongue, "It's not like that, Mrs. Farron. We are not-"
I almost couldn't pause halfway at my sudden outburst. Leaving her wildly shocked, Mrs. Farron's expression took on a slightly befuddled look. Now that we were left with utter silence, I abruptly plant my butt back down on the chair, staring at the hardwood floor and purposefully avoiding both Percy's and her reaction. Surely, Percy's head must be turned sideways from me because I was doing the same thing to him, unable to shift my gaze pass one inch down the left side of her office.
"I see," Mrs. Farron's surprise dimmed and a humorous expression replaced it instead.
There was a playful look in her dark brown eyes. Her lips grew into a half-smirk after getting through the perplexity that I involuntary blurt out at her, "Well, it's not something I have any right to say about, so let's leave it at that."
Thank God! At least there is someone with common sense in this school!
Mrs. Farron quickly picked up the pair of paperwork on her desk and stacked them together, "Well, now that I've got the required signatures I need for the city. You two are free to go, but…"
Mrs. Farron gestured for us to keep our seats…
Ever since classes ended half an hour ago, Percy and I met up on the third-floor hallway like we said we would. We were going to discuss where we could have our tutoring session, only for the school PA system to call us down to the principal office. I had no idea why at first, not until now.
After a friendly greeting with Mrs. Farron, she revealed the sole reason why I was given this impromptu responsibility to tutor Percy: it stemmed from him being that one insanely lucky student who was chosen to study here. The city required our school to assign an ideally academic excellent tutor for whoever it was, and given the way we came to school that first day, that's how I was involuntary picked on the spot, why Evelyn the old lady told me about the same.
Frankly, I was still struggling to piece it together even now.
The coincident of meeting him that day, even I couldn't deny how fateful our encounter must have been. If Piper was here, she would definitely smirk and said I told you so in a not so subtle way.
If for some reason I decided that I wasn't going to get that cup of morning coffee on my first day of school, then maybe none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have met Percy in the most awkward way possible by covering him in caramel. I wouldn't have gotten injured when we crashed into each other at the school entrance. I wouldn't have the chance to get to know him at all, to become his tutor, or have myself growing uncomfortable close to him for the past week. None of that would have happened.
Instead, I would have gone to school like normal, doing everything the same way, and maybe become one of those girls who overheard about a new transfer student and get jealous of another girl who got pick to be his tutor.
To think that Percy was lucky enough to be picked out of millions of other students in the city, I couldn't even imagine another boy replacing his spot now. Rather, I didn't want to imagine a scenario where that could actually happen. I've grown to like him so much just this past week that the very real possibility of him not being picked was… as scary as it was unfathomable in my mind.
Honestly, I was lucky too. To have such an odd yet fateful opportunity to meet him that day, I was grateful that we were somehow brought together by the fate of the universe, as cliché as it sounded.
Of course, I wasn't going to let him or anyone else hear it. Safe in my mind, I wasn't ready to admit any of the stuff in my head out loud, but at least I could honestly tell how I felt about Percy and our first encounter and that's all that matters… for now.
Hence why we were here now, to fill out a paper form that officially made me Percy's tutor over the rest of our two years in Goode. I still remembered the smiles on my lips when I scribbled my signature on the piece of paper, and just like that, we were another step closer than before.
Ever since we got to Mrs. Farron's office, it's been almost an hour since school ended, the campus should be relatively empty by now. I wasn't in a hurry though because Alfred wasn't coming to pick me up today. Like Piper, he was sick with the flu so he took the day off. It meant I could summon Owlfred instead, and that's as easy as telling him that I needed a ride on my phone, and he would steer our car wherever I needed.
Mrs. Farron continued...
"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you two are okay with this." She voiced her concern, "I mean, I realized that I have unfairly put this responsibility on you the most, Annabeth, so it's okay if you decide to let someone else take up the tutoring."
I felt a very slight and subtle tremble over on my left side. The boy with a messy mop of onyx hair didn't try to glance over at my direction, but I felt what he was feeling. After all, I felt the same way and trembled too at Mrs. Farron's suggestion.
Can I really let another person tutor Percy? After all that's happened with me and him?
If I was actually offered that chance from the start, I wouldn't hesitate and let another person take care of Percy. But after a full week of getting to know him now, and spending time with him every single day after school, that clear decision became much fussier. My heart was beating real fast as I imagined taking up her suggestion before fear gripped me still. I couldn't…
In the end, I made the decision that I was most suitable for his tutoring needs than to let someone else take care of his studies. But hidden underneath, I knew it was also because I liked him way too much now to let someone else take that responsibility off me. I wanted to be by his side in any way possible, and given the excuse to study, it was perfect.
I turned to our principal and said with firmness in my voice, "No. I like to keep tutoring Percy. Besides, someone's got to keep him in line and make sure he isn't doing anything stupid, so…"
Percy gasped at my uncalled-for tease, "Wow… says who, Annabeth?"
Effortlessly making me giggle, he couldn't help but giggle too after watching my reaction. A soft sigh left my mouth in between laughs and I felt a boulder being lifted off my chest. Sharing the same response to our principal's unthinkable suggestion, it was easy for relief to find its way onto the both of us, and that subtle change in our demeanor didn't escape her notice. Again, her lips twirled up- this time she wasn't hiding it behind subtly- and gave us her sly smile.
"Good, that's why you are my favorite in school, Annabeth." She admitted and made me blush on the spot, "So hardworking and honest…"
"Plus, you two are pretty cute if I do say so myself…" Her smile grew into a smirk as she threw in a casual unexpected tease about us as well. It blindsided me when I thought…
Never mind! I take back my comment about there being a single person with common sense in this school… Gosh! How many times do I have to tell people that we aren't like that?!
I stayed quiet and played with my fingers over my thighs and skirt. It couldn't be helped as I refrain from speaking and causing more misunderstanding. Percy was about the same way, avoiding his gaze in my direction and not doing any better when his body shuffled awkwardly on the chair. He cleared his throat softly and just out of Mrs. Farron's hearing range.
"Well, are you two going to the library to study?" Mrs. Farron asked, probably just out of curiosity.
After calling him stupid and an idiot so many times, Percy found a way to pay me back for all those comments and the countless times I've embarrassed him. His green eyes twinkled as he turned to me for a brief glance, then he smirked and revealed to our principal, "Actually, we were banned from the library indefinitely because Annabeth was stupid enough to play tag with Piper, so nope. We can't go to the library even if we wanted to."
Mrs. Farron raised her eyebrows, but her amusement was more apparent than any other emotion before she let out a small simpering laugh, "I see… That must have been fun for you, right Annabeth?"
I blushed at what she trying to imply. Instead, I turned my anger toward the black hair boy idiot who was lucky he wasn't a sobbing mess on the floor right now. Making another mess with my emotions, I was just about fed up with him- annoyed and frustrated, but also happy and glad for someone like him to unexpectedly come into my life.
It came as no surprise to me that deciding on which was the hardest part of having Percy next to me.
"You should have seen how fast she was-"
Being a cheeky bastard, I finally turned at him and stared without breaking away eye contact. He was laughing so much at me, so blatantly unaware of my fists clinching up, that once he caught his green eyes onto mine, his laughs abruptly stopped. I expected as much, burrowing deep into his soul as my glare reached beyond subzero temperatures. He shrunk back as if I was about to attack him any second now.
"Ahh… never mind." He sighed and gave up.
Smiles and grins sparkled like fireworks inside my head, my satisfaction grew and I loved how easily I was able to play with his feelings. Mentally laughing with joy as I held my snickers back, I held him still with an even deeper disapproving frown. I made sure he knew exactly how I felt about that uncalled-for comment about the library incident.
Percy suddenly clapped his hands together and bowed, "I am sorry! Please don't hit me!"
"Hum!" I crossed my arms and turned sharply away from him after.
It was so childish and such a cliché outcome- something that had become a regular occurrence between us recently- that I couldn't stop myself from grinning ear to ear. Almost like a hamster stuffing as much food into its mouth, my cheeks were puffed out and I was ready to burst out laughing or crying, or maybe even both at the same time.
"Hmm…" A self-conscious voice broke us away from our little bubble, "Well, it was nice to meet you both, Annabeth and Percy. But I've got everything I needed so off you two go now… Besides, you two can flirt all you want without me as an audience, and I feel like I am just interrupting you two for being here, which is why..."
She stood up and reached out her hand, "I hope you two will take good care of each other. Of course, I am referring to your academics, but I wish you both good luck in other departments as well."
Adding a wink, we shook hands quickly and I didn't fail to notice the red faces on both our cheeks.
-Line Break-
It was Friday still and I found myself sitting in a booth, drawing random and strange gazes from all over.
"Uh-uhh… something wrong?" His body leaned over the table as he shifted his careful glance on me.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Thud!
Surely he must be thinking that I went crazy, but I paid him no mind as I continued to slam the rectangular piece of glass in my right hand, desperately wanting it to work properly again.
"A-Annabeth…?"
Ever since we parted from school and our -shivering wildly- encounter with Mrs. Farron, the struggles had been real as we sought after a place where we could study without too much distraction. Like always, I knew he was expecting me to solve the problem, but in a rather surprising twist, he came up with the ingenious idea that we could go to the pizzeria again and have our tutoring lesson there.
I recalled blinking in shock that he could actually use his brain, before agreeing with him. But at the same time, I felt really embarrassed because I didn't think about it before he did.
And I thought I was the smartest... I guess being around Percy is making me dumber...
Of course, I never would have agreed if I didn't already have some experience with having dinner with him, so his random suggestion eased my worries a bit as we went to our second dinner date/tutoring session.
I didn't think about this as a dinner date though, and I wasn't sure how Percy was viewing this as we went inside the restaurant. Right away, we were greeted by the same girl who worked there the last time we were here. Her smiles grew much more rapidly when she saw us coming in.
Surprised not surprised, she actually remembered us and brought us to the same table as last time. The store was pretty empty except for one or two groups of guests spread around, so we were basically alone again. This time, we didn't splurge on our orders.
Thud! Thud! Then a sigh of resignation left my throat, "Darn it!"
It was literally impossible. There was no helping it anymore. It was broken beyond repair.
"Uhh… Did your phone do something to you?" Percy finally asked me when his intrigue won out, "You know it's not going to work more if you keep slamming it on the table like that, right?"
I shot him a warning glare.
While hitting my phone on the tabletop filled with notebooks and papers, a basket of fries, and two cold drinks on the corner, I grumble back at him even when I knew he was only trying to help and be concerning, "Ugh, I give up… stupid phone."
I finally left it alone and slide it back on the table. I huffed in annoyance too, resting my head on my elbow and looked out the window. It was still pounding against everything outside, creating a sight that I wouldn't have believe fifteen minutes ago. It was impressive enough that a waterfall began to form against the transparent glass, gallons of water all pouring back to the cement pavement.
I still couldn't believe how lucky we were…
"Maybe I can take a look?" Percy asked with an amusing chuckle and brought my attention back to him.
At first, I was hesitant. After all, it's my personal phone and I've got stuff on it that I didn't feel at all comfortable for Percy to poke around in. But it's not like the phone could work when I tapped it, much less turn on and off, so I figure it wouldn't hurt.
I nodded and handed it to him with huge skepticism, "I doubt you could get it to work again, not unless you are some god-tier electronic engineer or something that I don't know about?"
Percy took the phone and examined it while a chuckle left his mouth, "Nah-ah… that's where you are wrong, princess… Plus, there's no such thing as a god-tier electronic engineer."
"Huh?" I didn't understand if he was messing with me or being serious.
He didn't answer back.
After spending a few meticulous minutes inspecting every side, he took another closer look and flipped it around on its front, "Ah-ha!"
His impulsive shout jolted me with an intense fright and piqued my interest at the same time, enough for me to lean over, "What? What is it?"
"You dropped your phone in water, didn't you?" He smirked and pointed to a corner spot where I notice nothing out of the ordinary, "Plus, it seemed like the crack on the screen made the water damage even worse."
He surprised me to the point where I heard a soft gasp left my mouth, "H-How did you…"
His smirk grew, "I felt water seeping out from inside the phone. Plus, only water could have done that type of damage on the screen, especially when it's crack."
He pointed at the slightly rainbow discoloration on screen, "It's not unfixable, but it'll probably take more to fix than to replace it."
How did he know? Is he really a god-level— Shaking my head out of that stupid thought, I wasn't looking to fix my phone, and I wasn't worried about replacing it either. The reason why I was so desperate for my phone to work again was because… well, it was my only way to contract Owlfred, or even my mom, for a ride back home. Without it and its location function, they wouldn't know where I was, which presents a huge problem of finding me in this huge city.
I scoffed at how knowledgeable he suddenly seemed, "Are you offering to fix it for me?"
He laughed and handed the phone back to me, "Of course not. I'll probably just do more damage than actually fixing it. Plus…"
He smirked again, "I am not a god-tier electronic engineer."
Casually making fun of me for saying something stupid, I snatched my phone back and glare coldly at his direction. Usually, Percy would back down the moment my gaze turned menacingly at him, but this time my harsh stare had no such effect. He kept his smirks despite the angry and annoyed looks I was giving him, and somehow, his amusing reaction soon had me wanting to smile too.
Taken back by how much of an influence he had on me, I bit my lips quickly to force it away.
However, my lip-biting response got an unexpected reaction out of Percy. His humorous grin grew so wide, almost like it was taking all of him to resist from laughing more at me. It was at that point I realized it was useless to resist myself.
Watching him twist his facial features with unfamiliar and silly expressions, I wasn't able to keep them hidden away anymore. Smiles threatening to plaster across my face, they finally took shape on my grinning lips before I complained, both at his tease and the irritating effect that he always seemingly had on me, "Don't make fun of me, you jerk!"
Instead of recoiling in fear like I had hope, Percy actually laughed wholeheartedly without holding back his delights anymore, in which case he spontaneously made me blush on the spot. I had to hide my face quickly and pouted so hard to avoid a total meltdown. It didn't take very long before I was chewing on my inner cheeks in embarrassment, grinning back at him despite myself, and yet he just couldn't stop laughing at me. I had enough eventually and whined loudly.
"Muuawww… you are literally impossible, Percy." I was ready to grab a few fries in the basket and throw it at his smug-looking face as well.
Lucky for him, he saw my intention with my outreaching hand and forcefully stopped his wild laughs. He even choked a bit at the abrupt pause and clamped his left hand over his mouth, enough to leave himself in a series of lighthearted chuckles instead, "Okay-okay… I am sorry, princess. Please don't throw fries at me…"
After surrendering with both his hands up, he finally caught his senses and brought his amusement under control. It was too late though, and he had already left me with a feeling that I wasn't sure how to take in, a rather unpredictable feeling I've felt before but had very little good experiences with.
With huge pink blushes lingering over my face, I huffed and turned away from him with another small pout, "You are lucky I am not sitting next to you…"
Able to look at me now without those mocking laughs, Percy brought forth a cheerful smile on his lips when he quipped back, "Aww… come on, you've got to admit that was a stupid thing to say. I mean, a god-tier engineer? I've never heard anyone-ee…"
Gosh! How many times is he going to keep teasing me? Making my face grow bright red again, I reached out with warp speed to grab a fry from the basket and threw it at his chest, which earned me a satisfying shriek from catching him off guard, "Hey-Hey! Don't ruin my school uniform. Is my jacket not enough?"
The audacity of him… He's really looking to get hit, isn't he? I crossed my arms and ignored the sly smirks on his face after mentioning the coffee incident, "You deserve it for being stupid."
He brushed the spot on his button-up shirt where the fry hit him, then he picked it back up from his lap and left it on the side of the basket. Shaking his head in mocking despair, a giant exhausted sigh left his lips and Percy sulked with an exasperated smile, "Man, you are so violent all the time, princess… I wonder if I'm ever going to stop getting such shabby treatments from you."
"Never, you dummy…" That's what I wanted to say, but instead, I turned to look at him with a smug and superior grin. Percy sighed, then responded with a soft smile that brought the same looking expression on my lips too.
Finally back to how we were without teasing each other endlessly, we shared that gentle gazes for longer than a moment and I felt warmth spread throughout my body. I shivered subtly in delight.
Eventually, Percy brought up something that I wasn't sure what he meant by.
"You know, I didn't mean to laugh at you so much, but you just look so…" He paused suddenly without finishing his sentence and gave me a pretty awkward smile.
Wait, what was he going to say? I just look so… I wonder what?
"Ahem… Anyways," Percy said with a hint of pink blushes on his cheeks, "Is that why you didn't text me last night after you said you would? You know I was waiting for you, right? How did you break your phone in the first place?"
It was the sixth time he asked me about yesterday night, and by now I knew there was no way to avoid his curiosity. Even I was growing a bit annoyed by his constant reminder. As embarrassing as it would be to reveal why, I knew I would have to clear it up before it could get into a needless misunderstanding between us. I steeled myself for the upcoming blushes, that's if it wasn't already obvious on my puffed cheeks.
I said in a shy manner and whispered so quietly, "-rrassing…"
"Huh?" He struggled to hear me properly.
Trying to be brave, I abruptly met his confused expression fully and said without stammering my words, growing beyond a shade of bright pink at the same time, "It's embarrassing…"
Once I got it out of me, I returned to being that shy and timid girl from before. Percy didn't look like he understood what I've been trying to say though. No surprise there… I mean, I didn't really say anything meaningful with that outburst, but at least he realized the topic was embarrassing for me.
Taken back by my sudden bold reaction, Percy only got more confused, "Come again?"
I bit my lips, "D-Don't you remember what you text me…?"
It seemed like he was still a clueless idiot after all the hints I was giving him, "Of course, I said I was taking a shower and then I asked what you doing… Did I say s-something-" Then realization finally dawned on him and his words falter. He mouthed simply, "Oh."
Thankful that I didn't have to spell it out for him, I blushed and hid my gaze as far away from his emerald wavy eyes. They looked a bit tilted now than the gentle calmness that always filled me with warmth, and it seemed like the reveal led him unexpectedly into rocky waves.
"Yeah… well, I- I was doing the s-same thing…" I definitely couldn't say this with a straight face.
There was nothing but speechlessness at our booth…
Frozen in place, Percy couldn't move so much an inch throughout his whole body. Staring at me with a wild and incomprehensible look, I felt so uncomfortable that my innate reaction told me to shrink back and hide my face away. I couldn't dare to look at him yet he was doing his utmost best to look at me without pause, his deep shaded emerald eyes not peeling away from my blushing figure anytime soon.
"Uhh…" It was all Percy to manage.
If this was somehow an anime coming to life, I wouldn't expect anything less than a still picture of our blushing figures sitting opposite in the booth. Percy would be too shocked to the point where his eyes were white and his jaw was hanging off, and I would be completely red from head to toe, just a pink shade over my entire head. Awkward BGM would play behind us, while a cartoonish silly bird flew over our heads, leaving metaphoric black dots behind him while cawing awkward with every flap of its wings. It would disappear from the side of the screen, leaving us just as awkwardly with no changes to our dynamics. Then there would be a long moment of silences before…
Since he couldn't do anything besides staring at me, I might as well used this opportunity to find out what he meant earlier and also break the massive awkwardness between us.
"Percy-yy… what did you mean? Y-You were waiting for me?" I asked without looking at his face, my blushing gaze pushed sideways at his direction.
Despite the question, I already had an idea in my head, but I still wanted to hear from him.
Taken back when I opened my mouth, there was a long pause… then his sudden and rapid reaction surprised me so much it made me flinch back into my seat, my eyes grew wide at how much effort he was putting into his explanation.
"Awahh!" Percy was absolutely nervous behind that joking attitude. I could tell from the moment his awkward-sounding laugh tried to cover it up, "W-What do you mean? I wasn't waiting for you… No-no... It's not- of course not!"
Then an excuse came up; I didn't know how it was an excuse but I just knew, "P-Plus, you said you wanted to meet up this morning, right? So it made sense for me to wait. Hmm... That's right. It's nothing- nothing out of the ordinary at all. Mmmph!"
Percy did make a solid argument and when he ended it with such a strong conviction, even hitting his fist on his palm, I didn't see why I should argue with him, or regrettably poke into a sensitive subject that neither one of us was ready for.
"I see," I bit my lip and was glad that this whole thing was over.
After a rather impulsive and impromptu reaction, Percy was able to calm down a bit; he leaned back against the cushion seat, his body not as tense as it was before he broached a topic that made the redness returned on my cheeks. In fact, on both our cheeks.
He hid his emerald gaze, "Um… Just FYI, I wasn't thinking about anything- um… any inappropriate things with- uh… um… you know, your ba-"
I knew it was a lie. There was no way he wouldn't because- well, after all, he was a normal guy and I bet that's all he could think about right now. Still, his modest nature as he reassured me did ease my heart a little bit, and at least I could feel better about my own inappropriate thoughts of him in the shower too.
"Right… and just so you know, I wasn't thinking about you in the shower either. Ahem…" I told him the same lie as straightforward as possible.
Now that we know everything; how I broke my phone, what we were doing last night when we messaged each other, and why I didn't text him back, everything was out of the way for us to actually get some quality time to study- that's if we could even do it after how awkward we still were…
"I guess that's a relief then…" Percy said nervously, yet I couldn't help but wonder if he realized we were both lying to ourselves; about almost every single thing between us and not to mention, the vivid mental images we both had about each other's shower/bath.
"Mm-hmm." I agreed while playing with my fingers hidden underneath the table, both hands sweaty atop my skirt as I fidget around on my seat.
Almost an hour had passed since we sat down at the table, yet I didn't remember an instance where we were actually focused on studying. It's a shame really, all that talk about wanting to help him get better in school yet I've been anything but laser-focused on it. I decided to change that.
"Ahem…" I brought my hand up and cough a few times, "So, how about we actually try to study for a bit?" I suggested and just at that moment, a very loud boom clashed on my right side before an especially strong gust of wind blew in our direction, shaking the fragile glass and forcing rain to pound abusively against the window.
Both Percy and I jolted at how sudden it was.
Thunder happened again and again and I counted five consecutive times before it finally stopped. Each time it happened, I would flinch because it was such a powerful and loud-sounding reverberation. It kept me on my toes with goosebumps on my arms.
Just outside, the gloomy weather that's been plaguing the city all day finally brewed into a proper thunderstorm. We were very lucky too as it began raining the moment the girl lead us to our table and we took a seat. Growing ever more intense, gale winds and a blanket of heavy rainfall suddenly engulfed the entire streets. Even the glass windows of the pizzeria were trembling violently against the powerful nature of the living world. It was enough to wonder if we were suddenly inside a hurricane warning area.
Meanwhile, my question about studying didn't get a total response.
Looking over, I saw Percy mumbled slowly without any hint of the awkwardness that surrounded our interaction before. He was looking out the window while winds and heavy raindrops slammed into the glass endlessly. His gaze seemed mildly foreboding yet he still looked calm and collected in the face of how strong the raging storm was.
"Do you think we should go home… just for today?" Percy asked and held his gaze on the streets outside, "Not that I mind studying more with you, it's just- I've got a bad feeling about something…"
I looked out beyond the window too.
"I- I can't…"
Percy turned to me and asked, "Huh? Why?"
There was no reason to hide my dilemma. Besides, Percy might be my only hope to be able to get home safely. I sighed and told him the truth, "Owlfred doesn't know where I am right now. I can't ask Alfred because he is sick and took the day off. And besides, no one knows where I am because… my phone's broken."
I continued with a soft rosy blush, "That's why I was trying to- you know… If I can't reach my mom, I don't know how to get back home."
Out of nowhere, I heard more than a few sniffles from myself and my eyes grew watery…
"Whoa hey…you are not going to cry, are you?" Percy looked beyond surprised.
Sure, I was panicking about getting back home safely, but at the same time, I wasn't a little kid anymore. Having such a childish emotional reaction wasn't something a sixteen years old should be doing. Still, I wasn't able to stop these innate reactions of a little girl who was lost in a huge city.
I grew pink at his assumption, only to grit my teeth and punch his chest rather roughly, "Shut up! Just because I am getting teary eyes doesn't mean I am going to cry about it, you jerk."
Half relieved and half recoiling from the pain, Percy sighed in a brotherly way and said, "Okay-okay… I get your problem. It's not like I don't feel what you are feeling right now."
He reached into his pocket but stopped halfway, "Wait, don't you live in the city? Why don't you just take the subway or wave for a cab?"
There was no way the subways aren't flooded right now. I shook my head, "It's the weekends. I don't live here on the weekends. We have a place by the Hamptons."
Percy's eyes widen, "Hamptons? But that's so far away."
I blushed, "It's not like I can't take a cab either, but I don't feel- comfortable with some stranger, you know? Driving so far away… and who knows what they'll…" My words faltered.
Percy seemed to understand my problem now, "Okay, I get what you are saying now."
Reaching further inside his pocket, Percy took his own phone out, "I guess we'll save studying the next time we come to school. Anyway, you can use my phone to call your mom. It should solve all the problems, right?"
Percy reached out and handed his personal phone to me, "Here. I'll wait here with you until someone comes to pick you up."
I was so relieved by his friendly and reassuring gesture I almost forgot another important problem with this solution. I hesitated, then I withdrew my hand just as I was about to take his phone.
"I can't…"
Confusing him, I wasn't surprised when Percy replied in the same manner as before, only with a lot more emphasis behind his puzzlement, "Huh? Why not?"
The reason was so shameful that I barely got it out of me. My mouth whispered softly to the point where Percy had to lean over with his hand over his ear, "I- I don't know my mom's n-number…"
"Huh?! H-How can you not?" Percy grew ten times more surprised than I was expecting.
I shot him a mean-looking glare at his reaction, "It's not my fault. I mean, who remembers stuff like this when it's already saved on my phone. I never..." My response slowed when I brought a rather critical yet humorous disbelief look over Percy's expression. I bit my lip hard, "Like, come on… Do you really remember all your family's numbers inside your hea-"
A set of numbers came out of his lips at the speed of sound, "854-664-9324. 854-663-9450. 854-672-"
"Fine! I get it!" I shouted to hide my embarrassment, "Gosh, you jerk! I hate you!"
Earning myself a similar laugh from moments before, Percy smirked and said jokingly, "Wow… I'd never imagined that you could be… hehe- you are so spoiled, princess."
I threw another fry at him and hit his face this time. Still, it didn't make me feel any better.
Wiping his face off the oil and salt, he smirked, "Well, I guess I could-"
Ding!
It was so abrupt that we both glanced at the black and white phone on the table, vibrating in intervals. A notification came on his phone, and I wondered if…
"No way… your mom isn't a talented hacker or something, is she?" Percy asked.
Having the same intuition I had, I shook my head.
Surely, my mom was a genius when it came to technology and computers; the existence of Owlfred all the more proved it, but there was no way that she could send a message to Percy when- First: she didn't know who Percy was even if I told her his name. Second: she didn't have Percy's number in the first place. And finally: even if she did manage to overcome those two things, there was no way she could know I was with him. It was impossible.
Percy shrugged at my reaction and looked inside his phone.
"Maybe it's my famil—"
Right as he began to say something, Percy froze the moment he read his message and didn't bother to finish his sentence. Perplex and curious, I peered over at him from the left side of my seat and notice every single muscle was tensed on his face. There was a blanketing look over his usually lively emerald eyes. As if all his energy had been sucked out of him, I could tell the blood was draining from his face and that slightly painful worried look gave me a sense that something troubling must have—
"I am sorry, Annabeth. But I've got to go." Percy said with a low voice. Not giving me a clue what's going on, there was no hint of anything from his words before he began to pack up his stuff.
"Huh? Wait a minute, where are you going?"
The painful look showed a great deal of distress on Percy and I knew immediately it must be serious.
"I am going home." Percy said and I realized he'd already packed up in less than a minute, "I'll see you Monday, okay?"
"Wait!? Percy? What's going on?"
Before I could get my answer, Percy was rushing out the door into the raging storm outside. I shouted his name again, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever. He was gone.
"Damn it."
Whatever might have happened, it must have spooked him with insane worries. Leaving me alone as I sat in my seat, I tried to keep my composure and be calm. It didn't last very long before my reasoning crumbled into pieces. I was overtaken by a sudden worrying feeling now. I didn't know why, but I wanted to chase after Percy despite the rain and gale winds outside. No, I needed to follow him and make sure that whatever it was, he wasn't…
Hurriedly, I packed up too and slapped two twenty-dollar bills on the table.
"I am sorry. Keep the changes." I yelled across the shop to the girl.
After I've got everything of mine, I rushed out into the pouring rain and made my way back to the place where we left from.
