Long time no see guys! Sorry I haven't posted I've been super busy with school since it started back up again and I've barely had any time to write. The reviews I got on the last chapter were amazing. I love it when you guys say this is your favorite story, you have no idea how happy it makes me. This chapter doesn't have a new setting like some of you have reviewed I do but just stick with me, I promise there will be a lot more settings in this story than just the rink and school just not yet. Also I want to take a moment to send my best wishes to everyone in the midst of a hurricane. There have been a lot lately and I hope everyone is staying dry. Alright, I'll stop talking now.
Disclaimer: Don't own
Annabeth pushed her way through the other students walking or just talking amongst each other. She was trying to get to her locker where she met up with her friends in the mornings. Usually she would try to get to the school earlier, so as to avoid a backpack to the face or someone stepping on the back of her converse, but today she had woken up late.
It was Monday, meaning not only could you see the glum faces of all the high school students, you could physically feel the resentment in the air. No one wanted to be here. She passed through the front door, finally being able to walk around easier with the added space. Adjusting the strap of her backpack on her shoulder, she started the route to her locker.
She passed some students lazily texting on their phones, probably just texting the person right next to them. Others were grouped with their friends discussing what they did over the weekend. One group of girls stood shoulder-to-shoulder trying to cram last minute information from a textbook into their heads, awaiting a test in first period. She even saw a guy laying down sleeping on the tiled floor in a corner, his black backpack serving the purpose of a pillow. She turned the corner and rolled her eyes when she took note of the two people about twenty feet away from her who were making out near the line of lockers.
Looks like Drew Tanaka was the 'lucky girl' who got to date the famous Percy Jackson. Note the sarcasm. She awkwardly walked around them.
It seemed like Percy had a new girlfriend everyday. Actually, not really a girlfriend so much as someone he just hooked up with before breaking her heart. She gave their relationship two weeks max before he would call it off. On the bright side, while they were dating she could just enjoy watching Rachel practically fall apart when she found out.
She found it really hard to believe that the guy currently French kissing the head cheerleader of the school was the same one who'd been so kind and caring when she needed someone to talk to at Silena's party. It just didn't make sense. How were they the same person? It was like one minute he was caring and sweet but the next he was a cocky player.
Fortunately since the party when they had agreed to be acquaintances Percy hadn't done much to get on her nerves. Like on Saturday when they were practicing together he'd simply said hi to her and they'd had a couple mini conversations about random things, mostly concerning skating, after the team practice when they shared the big rink. Piper and Calypso had immediately caught on to the fact that they weren't fighting like usual and Annabeth had to explain what happened at the party. They didn't believe that such a different side existed to the great Percy Jackson either.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted her friends gathered in a group beside her locker. Nico is the first one to see her. He smiles and waves her over, his obsidian eyes lighting up with delight.
"Hey Annabeth." He greets from his current position under Will Solace's arm.
That was another thing that had occurred at Silena Beauregard's oh-so-famous party. She didn't know all of the details but when the two had gone up to the rooftop together they had apparently shared a romantic moment and now Nico and Will were dating. She didn't mean to brag, but it was all thanks to her that they were together. Ok, maybe she did mean to brag.
Upon hearing her name, all eyes in the group turned around to look in the direction she was coming from. It looked like everyone was actually on time to school today. Wait…no she spoke too soon. Thalia was the only one missing. And as usual, she'd most likely be late to biology.
"Hey guys, Will." She addressed casually.
"What, I have to be greeted separatly from everyone else? That hurts Annabeth. Hurts right here." Will replies in mock hurt, gesturing to his heart. Nico roles his eyes at his sarcastic boyfriend, gently nudging the tan boy's side.
The others laugh and then Will suddenly detaches himself from Nico and pulls Annabeth into a hug. She chuckles and hugs him back.
"I'm just kidding with you girl. It's everyone's lucky day though because I'm probably going to be spending a lot more time with this group. Especially because I'm with this thing now." He says teasingly, pointing sideways to the shorter male who had his arms crossed, his mouth open in shock at the statement.
"This thing? If you know what's good for you you'll stop talking Solace." Nico says insulted, staring pointedly up towards him.
"Make me, di Angelo" Will replies, his face inching closer to the scowling boy. Nico's face loses its frown when he realizes the little amount of space between them. Calypso clears her throat, interrupting the moment between the two males.
"Still here guys." Nico's face flushes and he jerks back, increasing the distance between them once again. Will simply laughs it off.
Annabeth smiles at the two. They were so different but seeing the smiles that donned their faces proved they were meant to be together. There had always been a level of chemistry between them and she was overjoyed that they'd finally gotten together. She could only hope that one day she could be that happy with someone. Nico and Will had just gotten together yet it seemed like they had been in a relationship for years.
"Another person who makes fun of Nico. I like you Solace, you'll fit in just fine with our little group." Piper says approvingly, Nico glaring at her.
Right at that moment the bell rings from the intercom of the school building signaling the start of first period. Annabeth opened her locker, placed her stuff in the enclosed space, and took out her bio book. She turned around to face the others who were still gathered.
"So I guess I'll catch up with you guys later?" She asked, closing the metal door behind her.
She receives a series of agreements in response to her question before they all disperse, each heading in a different direction.
Four periods of agonizing torture later, it's finally time for lunch. The cafeteria is loud as usual and there's a long line of students waiting to buy food. Once she gets her tray, consisting of a Caesar salad and some vanilla yogurt, Annabeth takes a seat at their table next to Will and Piper.
"Three more periods. Three more periods and we get to leave." Thalia comments from across the table.
"Ugh I've got so much homework to do when I get home. I hope I'm not too tired after practice. Man, I hate junior year." Calypso adds.
"Ah junior year. One word I could use to describe mine…hell. Just keep your head up. You'll get through it and before you know it, you'll be a senior." Will encourages, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
Loud obnoxious laughing fills the room. Annabeth looks up to see Percy with a few of the other popular people walking next to him. Drew had an arm around his waist as they walked and she glared at any girls who so much as glanced at Percy. Talk about possessive. They walked over to their table at the center of the cafeteria and sat down.
She hadn't realized she'd been staring until sea green eyes caught her own stormy grey ones. When he saw her his laughter died down. As he stared at her she tried to take in his appearance. His hair looked like he had tried to comb it but failed and he was wearing a black graphic tee with some blue jeans.
He smiled genuinely at her and in response Annabeth dipped her head politely in his direction to acknowledge his greeting.
Percy's broken out of his trance when Leo howls in laughter at something another guy said, leaning against him for support. When he tries to look back up at the familiar blonde, he fails to catch her eye again as she goes back to talking animatedly with her friends on the other side of the room.
"What was that?" Thalia asks in surprise, having caught the short exchange between them.
"What?"
"When you saw my cousin and he saw you neither one of you glared. In fact, he smiled at you."
"Oh yeah well we're kinda-"
"Dating now?! Oh I always thought you two would make a great couple!" Will cuts in excitedly, interrupting Annabeth.
"No! I was just gonna say we're acquaintances now. Nowhere near what you thought!" She responds hastily. Will's face drops in disappointment. Percy and her as a couple? The thought of it was so alien to her.
"Really? Never thought I'd see the day when you two became friends." Thalia replied, her mouth full of burger.
"Acquaintances", Annabeth corrected her best friend.
"Same thing." Nico adds, waving his hand dismissively.
"It is not." She argued.
She then goes on to explain everything that happened at the party Friday night from seeing Luke to Percy finding her. They listen intently without interrupting.
"Wow I'm so sorry about Luke, Annie. Are you ok?" Thalia says once she'd finished.
"Yeah I'm fine. He wasn't mine to begin with so it shouldn't matter that he kissed another girl." Annabeth replied glumly.
"Well who says you need a man in your life to make you happy? You be you Annabeth, and if Luke doesn't see how great you are than he doesn't deserve you." Will retorts, making Annabeth smile in thanks.
"I'm happy you and my cousin aren't mortal enemies anymore though." Thalia adds. Annabeth was thankful for the subject change.
"Yeah we were all shocked when they didn't try to kill each other at practice on Saturday. At least now things aren't as tense between our team and the hockey team. Good timing too, because qualifications for regionals are this Sunday and we don't need anything in our way." Piper explained, getting a nervous look on her face at the end.
"Yeah don't remind me. I don't know what I'll do if I don't qualify for regionals." Calypso says worriedly.
"You'll do fine, Callie." Annabeth reassures.
"Easy for you to say. You're an amazing skater Annabeth. You'll qualify for sure."
"We'll see on Sunday. I'm going to get something from the vending machine, anyone want anything?" She asks, getting up slowly from the table and looking questioningly at her friends.
"Yeah, I want your talent for Sunday." Piper mutters in response, getting an eye roll from Annabeth.
She exited the noisy area and walked into the hallway where the two vending machines sat. One with snacks and another with drinks. She decides on a red Gatorade, pays for it and then waits for it to come down. When she hears it fall she grabs it from the bottom slot and then stands back up. She almost has a heart attack when she sees a familiar face right in front of her after she stands up. She takes a subtle step backwards.
"Hey Annabeth"
"Luke" She says coldly.
This was the first time she had seen him since the party. She knew that technically she shouldn't be treating him so harshly, because they were never together in the first place. Luke had every right to kiss anyone he wanted to at the party but still, she couldn't help but act distant towards him. She thought there was a chance that they had something between them but that clearly wasn't the case. He had hurt her and right now all she wanted to do was get back to her friends.
"Listen can we talk? About what happened at Silena's party on Friday?" He asks hopefully. Annabeth shuffles uncomfortably, not wanting to make eye contact with the person in front of her.
"I don't know Luke. I don't usually like associating with guys who lead me on and then go off to make out with other girls." She says, finally letting some of her anger slip out. She starts on her way back to the table but he runs out in front of her, stopping her retreat.
"Please just give me a minute to explain." He pleads. She glares up at him and crosses her arms, cursing herself for what she was about to do.
"One minute." She agreed.
"I got to Silena's party around 9ish. There were already tons of people there and of course a ton of beer all over the place. I mean you were there, you know what the scene looked like." Annabeth didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue.
"I hung out with a few of my buddies and had a couple bottles of beer but nothing strong enough to make me as drunk as some of the other people there. The third thing I had to drink wasn't beer out of a bottle it was in a red solo cup. Now that I think about it, I can't really remember where I got it from but all I knew was that it tasted kind of funny. I drank it anyways though and after that the night was pretty fuzzy. I didn't realize until the next morning that someone had put drugs in the cups. I only remember certain moments like when this girl, Stephanie I think was her name?, Came on to me and pulled me with her onto the dance floor. Next thing I knew we were upstairs in one of the many bedrooms and she was kissing me. It didn't get too far because I pulled away and opened the door to leave. That's when I saw you and seeing the expression on your face was one of the very few clear things I remember. I tried to go after you when you ran but I got stuck behind this group of people in the hallway and when I finally got around them, you were gone."
Annabeth's scowl slightly wavers but she still stands her ground, trying to process the whole story and debating on whether or not she should believe him. He comes closer to her, grabbing one of her hands in the process.
"I know it sounds kind of pathetic but you have to believe me. I never meant to hurt you Annabeth, and I'm so sorry. In fact, ever since I came back I've been meaning to tell you that…I have feelings for you. I had originally planned to ask you out at the party, but that clearly backfired." He chuckles nervously.
"What I'm trying to say is that I like you Annabeth. You can't tell me that you haven't felt something between us. Do you think that maybe you could forgive me and…give us a chance?" He whispered pleadingly.
Annabeth had been silent the entire time he had been speaking because she was listening but now she was completely rendered speechless by his confession. He liked her. As in he liked her as more than a friend. She had wanted this for the longest time, for Luke to return her feelings but now that he had finally admitted it she was having trouble giving him an answer. On the one hand she could accept his apology and they could be together as a couple like she'd always wanted. On the other hand, she didn't know if she should trust him, because how did she know he didn't make the whole thing up? It seemed genuine but ninety percent of the things that happened in high school were untruthful.
"Annabeth?" He asks in a hushed tone, gently squeezing her hand that was still in his. She sighed, finally managing to find her words.
"I like you too Luke. I have for a long time." He grins widely but she puts her hand up to signal that she's not done speaking.
"But you really hurt me at the party. I know you were drugged and it makes me feel a little better that you weren't completely sober when you let some random girl make out with you but I just don't know if I can fully trust you yet."
His face falls in disappointment but he looks back at her understandingly. She takes her hand back steadily to rest at her side.
"Maybe we should just start out as friends before we jump into anything." She suggests. He nods in agreement, a hint of a sad smile still playing across his lips.
"Friends it is. Well, until you realize that you just can't resist all this." He says, gesturing to himself. Annabeth laughs and, just like that, the awkwardness between them diminishes.
They separate with a casual 'see you later' and Annabeth makes her way back to her lunch table. She must've been gone longer than she thought because all of her friends turn to look up at her with questioning and curious glances as she sits down.
"Where the hell were you? You've been gone half of lunch!" Thalia interrogates. They look at her for an explanation and she tells them everything about her conversation with Luke.
"Well you're just befriending everyone nowadays, aren't you?" Nico says when she's done talking.
When lunch ends Annabeth heads to her next class with Piper after stopping at her locker. They had history and believe it or not that was her favorite subject, especially now because of the unit they just started. They were learning about ancient Greece and the different Gods in Greek Mythology. Mr. Brunner, her favorite teacher, taught the subject as well.
Piper takes a seat at the desk next to her in the middle of the room as the students file into the classroom one by one. One of the last people to walk in (right at the bell, might she add) was Percy. He carelessly tossed his backpack next to a desk in the back as a few of his friends turned around to talk to him.
"Alright class, quiet down." Mr. Brunner calls, getting the attention of most of the class. He waits a few more minutes and then the whole class is silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Thank you. Now, seeing as how we've been studying the Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses for the past week I've decided to give you a project to test your knowledge of what we've studied so far."
A serious of groans and sighs from the students follows the information. Mr. Brunner quiets the class again before continuing.
"Oh shush it's not that hard. The project will be to pick any Greek God or Goddess and give a power point presentation on them according to the rubric I hand out. This assignment will be worth thirty percent of your final grade, so it's crucial that you do a good job on it. You'll be working with partners and no, before you start eyeballing someone in the room, I've already picked them."
Again, the room breaks out into protests at the statement. Annabeth hated working on partner or group projects unless she was with her friends. Even then, she preferred to work alone on assignments because she usually got them done faster that way. Besides Piper, she had no close friends with her in this class so she hoped with everything that she had that she would get partnered with her, but she highly doubted it.
Mr. Brunner grabbed a clipboard from his wooden desk and began reading the list of names.
"Kerry Pierce with Michael Lynch"
"Evelyn Wilson with Christina Scott"
"Jack Evans with Todd Price"
He continues to list names for the partners which Annabeth only half listens to. It seemed like half of the partners were happy to be paired up but the other half looked like they'd rather be with anyone else but their partner.
"Piper Mclean with Jason Grace" All hopes of Annabeth getting paired with Piper flew out the window after that announcement.
"Emily Roberts with Roy Henderson"
"And lastly…Annabeth Chase with Percy Jackson"
And that concludes chapter 9! I hope you guys liked it. I know you are all begging for Percabeth but I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible and truth is, in the real world relationships don't happen in the blink of an eye so you'll just have to keep reading! I'm hoping I won't have to put this story on hiatus but it's college application season so I'm going to be really busy in the next few months. I'll try really hard to find time I promise. In the meantime let me know what you thought of this chapter. Ok see you next update!
REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW!
-M