Chapter 4
Percy was very shocked. He did not expect that laugh from Annabeth. He actually expected her to roll her eyes at him in her haughty fashion.
But that laugh made him wonder whether she had to suppress her inner feelings. Maybe, just maybe, she had to mask her pain and inner feelings to prevent herself from getting hurt? That then made him wonder what she was hiding from. What was she scared of getting hurt from? What prevented her from getting out of that sarcastic and cold shell of hers?
He decided that, whatever it may be, he would help her come out of her shell. Why? He didn't know, but he was determined. That's why, he went up to her and asked her to become his friend.
He blamed it on his past crush on her, that was probably why he felt this innate desire to get to know her. To break her shell and let her see the world in a different light. Kind of like how Paul helped him. Not entirely, the nightmares never ceased despite the change, but it helped him trust and believe people a little more than ever.
Now, after six months of shooting, he had to admit, that making Annabeth his friend helped him tons. For one, she had way more experience than him. Another was the fact that she knew how to manipulate a scene to enhance it.
For example, they were shooting the part where Liza and Ryan were finally falling in love. Ryan had already told Liza about his past, where his parents were shot by a rival gang member of his. Told her the reason for him to get so hooked to drugs, and not bother about his future because of the darkness he saw in the world. He admitting to his foster parents never caring about his life, as long as he didn't disturb theirs. Liza in turn told Ryan about how her parents never cared to ask about her life. How they would flip if she came home with a grade below an A plus. She told him about the pressure she felt and how many times, she felt that ceasing to exist would be better. Ryan had empathized with her, but confessed that, every time they met for practice, he would feel a little better. He would begin to feel safe and see a bit of brightness in the dark world. It told her it because of her.
Now the scene would show the love the two felt towards each other. The sneaky glances and purposeful brushes of one's hand on the other. Annabeth had smartly manipulated the scene, by asking Zeus to show it from the eyes of a third person. Zeus immediately agreed, and took this as a chance to include his son and Piper to the mix. Hence the scene showed both Ella and Harris, and how they realized the change in their best friend's relationship.
No matter what, Percy would always admit to anyone that Annabeth was smart. She knew how to enhance a scene to it's best.
Finally, she helped him remember his lines quickly. He had dyslexia and ADHD, a fact he hid to prevent him from loosing important roles. She scoffed when he admitted it to her. She told him she too had dyslexia and ADHD, so to quit whining.
All in all, his level of acting improved ten-fold.
But there were disadvantages to this friendship too. Now that he wasn't constantly trying to get back at her, his crush on her returned. She had started coming over to his place to practice lines. On one such occasion, she came back with him, but it had unexpectedly started to rain. Since his hotel was really close to the site of shooting, he usually walked, to get his daily dose of exercise, and to get some fresh air too.
As it had started raining unexpectedly, neither had an umbrella. They made a mad dash for it, and as soon as they entered the lobby of the hotel, burst into fits of laughter. Percy let her take a shower first while he waited outside, and offered his clothes to her. She blushingly agreed.
He shouldn't have.
She looked so adorable, wearing his shirt that was at least two sizes too big for her. And in his sweats, she made it really hard for him to control himself. So, he quickly excused himself and went to take a shower himself.
She ended up spending the night in his condo. They sat up till midnight, preparing for the shoot the next day, cups of coffee in their hands, Percy lying on the sofa, while Annabeth sat on the bottom of the couch, with her knees up (Percy would be lying if this scene made his heart skip a beat). At twelve, they decided that staying up longer would be pointless, and decided to call it a night.
Percy told Annabeth to take his bed, and he said he would sleep on the couch, ignoring her requests of taking the couch. He told her that he wouldn't hear of it. Also, that his mom would be utterly disappointed in him if he let her take the couch. She smiled and agreed.
Honestly, he was so glad for his inability to sleep that night, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hear her soft sobs. As soon as he heard it, Percy made a mad dash for his room, and softly pattered inside, only to see Annabeth clutching her blanket, knuckles white and sobbing quietly.
"Annabeth", he whispered, not knowing exactly what to do. He shook her gently, and called her name again.
She awoke suddenly, gripping the blanket to her chest. She seemed to have forgotten where she was a moment. Percy reached out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, heart clenching when she flinched. He then grabbed her trembling hands, and placed them on his heart (which was covered by his shirt, because he wasn't one to sleep shirtless when a girl was over, because he wasn't an idiot).
That seemed to calm her down, and she leaned into his embrace. He noted how small she felt at that moment.
When he felt her calm down a bit, he got up to go back to the couch. He couldn't have been more surprised when Annabeth reached out an arm to stop him. In a small voice, she said, "Please stay."
Percy nodded, and went under the covers. He could feel his thumping heart when she snuggled closer to him. He then turned and pulled her closer to him, until her head rested over his chest, and started stroking her blonde locks.
She sighed, and Percy closed his eyes to the best sleep he had in a long time.
