While going to Jason's house after the game and hanging out had been fun, Annabeth was beyond grateful to have some time alone with Luke.
He pulled her against him as they walked to his car, and she felt happy and content. She tucked up against his side, and was so close she could faintly recognize the scent of the deodorant he always wore. They only parted once they reached the car, and she eagerly hopped into the passenger side.
She had a lot of good memories of her and Luke in that car. Late night drives listening to music and talking about anything and everything that came to mind, going on dates to the old drive-in theater over the summer, road trips to the beach and the fair with their friends...the list went on and on.
As he climbed in and started up the car, some music started playing softly on the radio. Luke pulled out and started driving off towards his place before he reached over and slipped his hand into Annabeth's, causing her to grin like an idiot.
He had that effect on her...he always had.
They began to talk about anything they could think of. They discussed Luke's classes and his roommates at college (apparently one consistently tried dealing pot out of their dorm room) while Annabeth talked about her own school misadventures, though mainly about volleyball.
He glanced down at her and gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to any of your games this week, babe," he apologized with a shrug. "I have to head back upstate on Sunday. I have an early class on Monday, so..." He trailed off and groaned. "I've been so excited to see you play."
She gave him a smile and shrugged her shoulders, squeezing his hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. We have a few tournaments on weekends you could come to!"
She always loved when Luke came to her games. After it was over, he'd give her the brightest smile and a big bear hug, talking about how proud he was of her. They'd had a tradition last year of taking a picture together after every game, and it killed her that she couldn't do it again these past years since he was in school.
He nodded instantly at her suggestion and grinned. "Of course!" he laughed. "I can't wait." They both grew quiet for a moment, and she could feel his fingers gently tighten around her own. "Uh...I do have a question though," he said unsurely.
That's how she knew it was bugging him...he was never unsure of himself.
She trained her eyes on his, watching his profile as he concentrated on the road. It was late, and therefore dark out. The only light available was the lights cast from the radio and the instrument panel and the occasional streetlight that turned his features a dim shade of orange. "What is it?" she found her voice as she saw him bite his lip, practically seeing his gears turning as he considered what to say.
"I don't...have anything to worry about with Percy, do I?"
His voice was quiet in a way Annabeth had never heard of before, and she found her grip on his hand tightening a bit as a form of reassurance. "Oh, Luke..." she said in a soft voice before it trailed into a sigh. "Of course you don't." She let her gaze drift down to their intertwined fingers, his hand so much bigger and tougher than her own.
"We're just friends and nothing more. I'm all yours, don't worry." As her eyes trailed back up to his face, she could see the hints of a smile forming on his lips. "Good," he said with a grin as he came to a gentle stop at a red light.
Just as he stopped, he let go of the wheel and turned to her, taking her face gently into his free hand and pressing a soft kiss to her lips, causing her to immediately relax and close her eyes.
They'd kissed so many times before, but all she could focus on was how soft his lips felt, and how her cheek fit so nicely against the palm of his hand, and how his lips tasted like minty chapstick.
When he pulled away, she knew her face was red and she had the most stupid smile on her face. Her eyes opened and she was greeted by his bright blue ones, visible and clear even in the dim light of the car, as well as his bright, handsome smile she'd fallen in love with. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bright green portion of the light glaring at them from above.
Neither of them seemed to care as they leaned in for another kiss.
Fast forward a few days later to a Wednesday that happened to be one of Annabeth's favorite times: game day. Every game day had its own excitement and perks, but home games had always been her absolute favorite. A gym full of blue and white Shark fans, the home-court advantage, and the feeling of making your home town proud.
They were in the the final set of the game, and every single part of Annabeth felt on edge and on high alert as she shifted eagerly back and forth the balls of her feet. She had been watching the team on the other side of the net set up the ball, latching onto every single movement and call to one another the opposing girls made.
As one girl set up the middle hitter, Annabeth let her instincts take over as she leapt up, her arms outstretched to try and block the hit. Looking back on them, she'd always say those moments went by in slow motion. Straining to get as high as possible, positioning her hands and splaying her fingers at the correct time to maximize the area she covered, even the way she gritted her teeth as firmly as possible.
On this particular attempt, her timing and location was right on and the ball met her hands, bouncing right back down at the unprepared girls where it struck the court with a thump and went bouncing away. The blonde hitter was greeted by the loud, resounding tweet of the whistle and plenty of cheers from the stands as the block marked the 25th point for the Goode Sharks.
Since they'd won both of the first sets, it also marked their win over the visiting Bay Area Wolves. They went to shake hands with the other team before they all gathered into the center of the court, cheering happily as they celebrated their sixth straight win of the season.
"Great job, ladies!" their coach said, trying to remain composed, even though her players saw the big grin threatening to overtake her face. "Alright, let's keep this momentum going through this week and take it all the way to states!" They all whooped loudly, letting out one last "SHARKS" cheer before they dispersed to meet up with their friends and families.
Since Luke had gone home the night before, and her dad and step-mother were both occupied at her brothers' soccer game, none of them could make it. Piper immediately ran over to see Jason, who'd come with some of his friends to fill out the Goode student section. Even Hazel had her older brother Nico that she headed over to after the end of the game, both of them smiling as they talked.
Annabeth? She really didn't have anyone.
After the game concluded, she simply headed off towards the locker room. She was stopped here and there by students or her teammates' parents, all telling her how good she did that night. She smiled and thanked them, though all she wanted to do was change out of her sweaty uniform and get home. She was almost to the locker room doors when someone behind her tapped her arm to get her attention.
"Uh, hey, Annabeth."
She turned around to see none other than Percy Jackson hanging back behind her, giving her lopsided smile. While the blonde would never swoon over him like other girls did, she could appreciate that he was attractive with his windswept black hair and those sea green eyes of his.
He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and some black tennis shoes with a blue Goode sharks hoodie, and he was all smiles. "You did amazing," he praised her through a laugh. "Like when you hit the ball so hard at that girl that she fell over? That was badass."
Annabeth managed a smile for what felt like the millionth time that night as she shrugged her shoulders, a small laugh escaping her lips. "Thanks, Percy," she said genuinely as she gave him a nod. "It means a lot." He gave her that smile and shrugged his shoulders, brushing his fingers through his hair to push it back from his forehead.
His lips parted and by the look in his eyes it appeared as if he wanted to say something else. A moment later it appeared that he decided against it as he closed his mouth again and gave her a nod. "No problem." He reached out to pat her arm before he turned to leave, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie.
He glanced over his shoulder, his signature lopsided smile gracing his lips. "Have a good night, Annabeth." He walked off again, presumably to rejoin Jason and his other teammates that had come to the game.
She didn't know if she should find him talking to her weird or not. They'd rarely talked before beyond during class about English homework or what was for lunch that day in the cafeteria. Maybe it was because of Piper and Jason, like he felt some kind of pressure to talk to her because their best friends were dating. That was probably it, right?
She turned on her heel and walked into the quiet locker room, still deep in thought. As she sat down on a bench beside her black duffel bag, she began to unlace her volleyball shoes.
It's not like it was a problem, the two of them becoming friends. She'd always liked Percy. He was respectful and obviously a hard worker, and she liked those qualities in her friends. But it confused her nonetheless. He was obviously putting in effort to become friends with her, and she didn't mind it.
She stuffed her shoes into her bag and slipped on a baggy pair of sweatpants over her black spandex before she tugged off her white long-sleeved jersey, tossing it into her bag as well.
She always felt so sweaty and grimy after games. She worked hard, and it showed. But it also meant that in every post-game picture, she looked disgusting. Athlete problems, she thought to herself with a grin as she slipped on a clean t-shirt and a light jacket. She threw on her favorite white Crocs and grabbed her keys and her bag before she stood up to head back out to the gym.
After games, she always felt so shaky and full of
adrenaline. But the walk back to a quiet locker room always helped clear her head and relax her. She'd found herself making this walk more and more as of late. While all her teammates were talking to their families and their boyfriends, she left early.
She never had anyone there to specifically see her. She snorted slightly at the thought and rolled her eyes to herself. You're acting really emo right now,she thought to herself with a shake of her head as she pushed the locker room door open and headed back out to the gym.
Nonetheless, it was really nice of Percy to talk to her after the game. She enjoyed actually speaking to someone like that. She grinned at everyone as she walked through the gym and said goodbye to some of her teammates and their families when she passed them.
As she pushed open the gym door and the cool fall air hit her in the face, she let out a soft sigh.
Hey, maybe she did have someone there to support her that night. It's just not anyone she would have actually suspected.