thanks for all the support, as always!
Enjoy chapter 4 33
...
The cafeteria was flooding with students, teeming with laughter, filled with rowdy teens letting loose while they could and teachers who were too tired to intervene. The entire situation was much too chaotic for Nico to handle, so he would eat lunch in his car.
In a similar vein, Piper, Leo, and Jason ate their lunch in the hallway outside of the cafeteria. Their conversations echoed through the halls, snippets of laughter being audible through classroom doors. It was a good thing they didn't eat in the cafeteria, really, especially after Piper's complaints pertaining to the lack of vegan options, Jason's frequent ketchup packet usage, and Leo's general Leo-ness .
"I'm telling you," Piper insisted, waving her fork wildly. Leo yelped as the utensil traveled dangerously close to his eye. "Ms. Chu has it out for me."
"Really? She's nice to me," Jason said with a shrug, taking a bite of his PB&J. Piper vehemently shook her head.
"No way!" She stabbed her fork into her salad aggressively. "I'm telling you, she's mean to me specifically. I mean, maybe it's because I constantly tell her why the presidents were bastards, but she needs to stop feeding us this pro-America propaganda."
"Word," Leo pumped a fist. He stuck his hand into a bag of Hot Cheetos. "She called me a thug!"
"I guess it's just because I'm white. The woman always tells me to stop hanging out with those hooligans." Jason snorted.
Leo snickered. "Whatever. You won't, will you?" Leo asked. He had tried to look clandestine, but there was a hint of worry behind his eyes like he was genuinely afraid of Jason leaving him.
Jason shook his head. "No way, Leo." He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Piper grinned. Her teeth had bits of lettuce stuck in them. "Good."
"Yeah," Leo chimed in. "You need me. Both of you do. Y'all'd've been toast without me here to guide you in life."
"Y-y'all'd've been?" Piper stuttered through a mouthful of salad.
"What the fuck does that mean?" Jason asked, terrified of Leo, emphasized by his swear. The word 'fuck' almost sounded foreign coming out of Jason 'Class President' Grace.
"It's a Texas thing," Leo shrugged unapologetically. "Y'all wouldn't've -"
"Aaaanyway," Jason said, trying to burn the word 'y'all'd've' from his memory as fast as he could. "What movie should we watch tonight?"
"I have work," Leo said, glumly, flopping against the wall. "I'm a working man now, remember?"
"Oh, right. Mr. Movie Man is too good for us now," Piper sang airily. She carded back a loose bit of hair, tucking it behind her ear, oblivious to Jason's eyes tracing her movements.
"Hey! Believe me, I wish I could go with y'all-" Jason clenched a fist. "-but I gotta repay my debts quickly. And working isn't fun. I thought it would be fun annoying di Angelo, but I'm not even a week in, and I'm booorrreeeddd." He stretched out the word obnoxiously and leaned into Jason's shoulder.
"Well," Jason said, patting Leo awkwardly. "You won't be paying off your debts anytime soon. You're making five bucks an hour."
Leo groaned into Jason's side. "They need to raise the minimum wage. Fight the system!" Piper's eyes sparkled at the prospect of activism.
"Hell yeah! Better worker's rights! Let's go!" Piper pumped a fist. She was huge on fighting for rights- going as far as becoming a vegetarian. Leo had to admit; the protests were quite fun to attend.
"You're acting like you're ever going to have to work a day in your life. I don't know why you want to be an environmentalist or whatever. You could just mooch off of daddy McLean for life," Leo pointed out.
"I don't like that you're calling my dad that," Piper muttered. "And I wanna make my own money; I don't wanna rely on my dad. I wanna prove I can make it on my own."
"I digress! Anyway, back to my problems," Leo said before Piper could go on another one of her signature rants.
"Right." Jason straightened up, signaling to Leo he needed to move.
"I'm still single. Which sucks." Leo begrudgingly removed himself from Jason's side.
"Quit your moping," Piper chastised, adjusting her hair barrettes. "I'm not exactly making out with people left and right."
"It's different. I think, at least," Leo said quickly.
"Have you tried to flirt with anybody?" Jason asked.
Leo scoffed. "Not unironically. Speaking of which, Jason, your glasses make you look utterly sexy today. And have you been working out?" He pressed his hands into Jason's biceps dramatically.
Jason laughed. There was a reason Leo was his best friend: he was funny. "Shut up, man. I'm not going with you to homecoming."
"How about a pact: if I can't get a-"
"No way, Leo. I love you and all, but I'm into someone else," Jason said seriously, setting down his sandwich and staring at his Air Jordans.
"Really? Who is it?" Piper asked, her curiosity peaked. Jason's eyes widened- for a second, he had forgotten that Piper was right there.
"..."
"Is it someone in our Algebra class?" Piper asked suddenly, racking her brain for a list of girls Jason would frequently talk with. "Ooh, is it Dina P? She is in Honor Society with you…"
"Is it me?"
Jason looked up. Drew Tanaka, the ringleader of the Verbs, was sauntering down the halls, a strange look prominent in her eyes. She was dressed like Phoebe from Friends, with a mesh top, black camisole, and a mini-skirt. Chunky sneakers stamped down the hallway, her footsteps echoing down the halls, warning everyone in a ten-mile radius of her presence.
"What?" Jason asked, baffled (and wondering how he hadn't seen her coming sooner).
"Fuck off, Drew," Piper said, rolling her eyes.
"So hostile! Honestly, Pipecleaner, you should be lucky I'm even interacting with you losers." Drew glared pointedly at Leo, who was mouthing the word Pipecleaner - no doubt a nickname he was going to adopt.
Piper clenched a fist and grit her teeth. "You really think you're all that and a bag of chips."
Drew laughed, the sound pitchy and hollow. "No, Piper. I know it." She liked to emphasize her words like it would amplify her point. Her words were clean and firm, almost pleasant if you didn't pay attention to the words she was speaking.
"Why are you even here?" Piper asked, turning her head away. Piper's voice was beautiful and light, carrying a similar effect to Drew's but in a much more subtle manner.
"Well, I was just getting back from a lunchtime meet-up with some of the other cheerleaders." Her voice was syrupy sweet. "Of course, you got kicked off the cheerleading squad freshman year, Piper, so you wouldn't-"
Leo burst out laughing. "Oh my god. Piper, you were a cheerleader?" Drew glared at Leo. She didn't like it when people interrupted her, especially when said people were as below her as Leo.
"Yes, before we met, and I don't wanna talk about it right now, Leo," she hissed, nails digging into his arm.
"You couldn't even tell your friends that, huh? You only got on the team because of your daddy." She stretched out the last word and made it higher-pitched, mimicking a small child.
"And you were only nice to me because you wanted to meet my dad!" Piper retorted.
Jason and Leo shared a look of concern. Jason decided to diffuse the situation, a skill he was well-versed in. "Drew, why are you here?"
"Well!" She said, dragging Leo away from Jason's side forcefully and sitting cross-legged in the spot Leo was just in. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to come to my Homecoming party. It's going to be way better than the lame-ass school dance!" She squealed. "It's part Halloween-costume party and part Homecoming. What do you say?"
"Um…" Jason trailed off. He shot a look to Piper for help- she refused to meet his eyes. Shit.
"We're in!" Leo said, throwing an arm around Drew.
"Ew!" She whined, shoving Leo off of her. "I wasn't asking you. You're weird." She added like she had an insult quota she needed to fill. The retort was programmed in her like a machine, Leo could tell from the way the words didn't meet her eyes.
Even with that knowledge, Leo was upset. He crossed his arms and sulked quietly with Piper, whose eyes were downcast.
"So what do you say, Jason?"
"Sorry, Drew, but I don't wanna go. Especially if it'll just be me and not Leo or Pipes." Leo grinned and shot Jason a thumbs-up from behind Drew's back, receiving a strained smile in return.
"Fine. I'll give your lame-ass friends an invite if it means you'll come." She looked at Leo and Piper, sizing them up and nodding. "You're invited. Losers." There was that insult quota again.
Leo grinned. "Yes!" He pumped a fist and hit his elbow against the locker with a bang. "Ow."
"But don't be an idiot about it. Bye Jason!" Drew said, giving a little wave and going into the cafeteria. She stumbled in her chunky shoes as she walked.
Leo pumped a fist dramatically. "Woohoo! Nice one, Jason," he said, holding his hand out for a high-five and getting a weak one in return.
"We're not actually gonna go to this thing, Leo," Piper scoffed. "Are you crazy?"
"Well, it could be fun," Jason mumbled, a vision of dancing with Piper suddenly materializing in his mind. "More fun than the actual Homecoming dance."
"Yeah!" Leo exclaimed. "Piper, there's gonna be popular people! Hot people! Hot and popular people! We've never gone to a high school party before. We should go." Leo decided.
"No!" Piper threw up her arms. "Drew is a bitch. She's going to- she's going to-"
"I don't see the harm in it, Piper," Jason said, tentatively.
"Well, I do. Drew is evil. She told everyone I slept with Mr. Talinsky during freshman year."
"Nobody believed that," Jason reassured her carefully.
"Oh, shit, that was a rumor?" Leo said at the same time. Piper glared at him. "Never mind, no, I didn't!" Leo took a deep breath- he was going to die on his hill. "Kay, but how about we just give it a shot, Piper. I mean, you don't have to go, but it would be so much fun. Drew changed! I think."
"She literally shoved you out of the way and called you a loser."
"I digress." Leo's standards were lower than the underworld.
Jason sighed. "How about we just give it a try. If it's lame, or if Drew is a jerk, we'll go home or go to the Homecoming Dance at the school. Does that sound good?" He was tired of this conversation already.
Piper looked into Jason's eyes solemnly. She made her decision and nodded. "Okay...Okay. Maybe I was overreacting," Piper admitted.
"Yes! Now all I gotta do is find a date. Or at least make out with someone at the party," Leo decided. Jason laughed.
"Yeah. Date." Leo didn't miss the way Jason's eyes flickered over to Piper.
…
Jason went to the usual spot where they would meet up after school. Leo was already there, idly making loops around a stray cone on his skateboard. Leo could never sit still - his ADHD was off the charts. When he noticed Jason, he waved and stopped his board. "Sup, dude?"
Jason nodded, unlocking his bicycle and sitting on the bench idly. "Not much. Same old, same old."
"Well," Leo said, a hint of mischief in his eyes. Leo had no tact- Jason had long-since memorized the look Leo had before he would do something stupid. "You never told us who you were crushing on."
"I just didn't want to say it at that moment," Jason said honestly.
"Is now a good moment to tell me?" Leo asked pointedly, adjusting his beanie.
Jason grunted. "Leo, I just don't wanna say it. There's a reason I didn't tell you before." Leo thought about all the reasons Jason wouldn't and gasped.
"No way. Is it because-"
"What?" Jason flinched. No way. Leo wasn't supposed to know. He couldn't know.
Jason loved Leo. He genuinely did. They had been inseparable freshman year, and every year after that for fuck's sake. Leo was a lot of things: he was funny, he was handy, he was smart- but Leo Valdez was not good at keeping secrets. "...You like Piper. Holy fucking shit, you like Piper McLean. You like our best friend. You like-"
"Okay, okay, I get it. Shut up now," Jason said, nudging Leo with his knee. Leo looked at Jason- they were eye-level when Jason was seated because Leo was ridiculously short.
"Oh, man. Okay, but like, when did it start? Have you made any moves?" Leo asked rapid-fire. Jason forgot how big Leo's mouth was.
That didn't bode well with his secret.
"Shut up, she's coming," Jason muttered, nudging Leo again. He was never going to hear the end of this from Leo.
"Hey, Pipey!" Leo did his signature obnoxious wave towards Piper. She raised an eyebrow at the nickname. She looked beautiful that day, despite not having done anything special with herself. Same old Piper, with her adorable barrettes and her tight crop tops and her men's jeans. "I was just admiring Jason's legs- they're very toned from all that, uh, sexy bike-riding."
He bent down, caressing Jason's denim-clad legs sensually.
Jason was going to kill Leo the next time he had the chance.
Piper looked amused- excellent. She probably thought Leo was just a dumbass. Not out of character for him. "Nice. Anyway, Leo, can't you just blow off work and come to movie night?" She whined, slumping on the bench and putting on her electric-blue skates. "It won't be the same without you."
Leo gave Jason a "wink" (Leo couldn't wink, though, so he had to scrunch his face to one side and force the other eye to stay open with his left hand) and shook his head. "Nope! Guess it'll just be you and Jason. A shame. A damn shame."
Leo had the subtlety of a rhinoceros.
"Aw. Well, can you at least ride home with-"
"Oh, look at the time," Leo said, checking his bare wrist. "There's di Angelo. He's gonna give me a ride. Bye!" Leo jumped onto his skateboard and sped up to Nico, whom Leo had noticed in his peripherals.
Piper frowned. "That's weird. I thought di Angelo, like, hated him." Piper's lips tightened, and she looked down. "Is he mad at me for the Drew-thing? Why is he blowing us off?"
"I don't think he is," Jason said anxiously. "He has to go to work. Remember?"
"Yeah, but Leo seemed like he didn't wanna go. Now he's jumping off at the opportunity to abandon us. I hope he's okay…" she said, chewing her lip concernedly.
"I'm-" Jason struggled with what to say. Screw Leo for leaving him alone. "I'm sure he's okay. Let's just go."
…
"Hey, Neeks!" Leo sped up to Nico on his skateboard. Nico snapped his head up, looking around for the source of the sound and landing on Leo. He frowned.
"What do you want?" His voice was crackly from disuse. "Why are you talking to me?" He looked strange without his Blockbuster uniform. He was wearing a Green Day sweatshirt and black jeans, with long chains dangling from his belt loops.
"Because," Leo said. Nico tried to speed up his walking, but Leo's skateboard allowed him to catch up. "You agreed to give me a ride to work," he said firmly.
They weaved through cars together, around sophomores with learning permits and mom's in their cars. "I didn't."
"You did," Leo insisted, putting a hand on Nico's shoulder to stop him from walking into a car. Nico's skin was cold through his sweatshirt.
"Did not," he retorted, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Leo had saved him from eating shit.
"Did too," Leo responded, immaturely.
"Did not," Nico replied, equally immaturely.
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did not."
"Did too-fuck."
"Yes!" Leo cheered. Nico sighed, walking to the driver's side of his car. Nico slid into the seat and locked the vehicle a second too late- Leo had opened the passenger door already. He set his skateboard in the backseat and sat down like he owned the place. "Nice ride."
"Sure." Nico was curt. He wasn't going to argue anymore; he was just going to stop humoring Leo. He fiddled with his belt loops just to have something to do with his hands.
"Got any CDs?" Leo asked, rooting through the passenger compartment and finding a book full of CDs. "Ooh, Nirvana!" He put the CD into the car and hit play. Nico wasn't going to complain- he liked the album.
They drove together, Nico bopping his head subtly to the beat of the song. "Why do you need a ride? I thought your board was your ride."
"Well, Jason likes Piper, so I wanted them to be alone because then they might get closer, then that might lead to a relationship, and then they'll both be happy, and then I'll have a cool story to tell in my best man speech," Leo rambled.
"I don't care," Nico said firmly. "But okay. Meddle in your friends' lives. Not my problem..."
"Feisty! Someone's playing hard to get," Leo snapped his fingers. "I know you have the hots for me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be giving me a ride. The backseat is pretty big, so I mean, if you wanted to ride something else, the offer is open."
Nico took in as much oxygen as humanly possible and exhaled. "Leo, you disgust me."
"Ah, so you've discussed me?" Leo was quick to shoot back, coupled with a charming grin. Nico didn't say anything, instead opting to stare at the road pointedly.
"That was clever, and you knew it." More silence.
"So...how was your day?" Leo seemed determined not to let the silence die. He tapped his fingers against the car door.
Nico looked at Leo for a second. "It was alright, I suppose," Nico said, feeling like he was speaking to his stepmother. He was expecting Leo to say something annoying afterward, but he merely hummed.
"Glad to hear."
"...I'm sorry, Leo," Nico suddenly said, slamming on the brakes. "But why do you keep doing this?"
"Keep doing what?"
"Why do you keep actively trying to piss me off? What's with the flirting? You're so fucking weird- you just approached me, and now I'm driving you home, and we just had a kinda civil exchange right after you said all that, and it's just weird, okay?" Nico unleashed all the confusion he had been harboring.
Leo shrugged. They pulled into the Blockbuster. "It's just funny to me. I like messing with people. I like practicing my pick-up lines on dudes with fragile masculinities to watch them get pissed. Lighten up, man. Haven't you ever had friends before?"
"No." He said. Leo was, unfortunately, correct in his statement. Nico's last friend was his sister, and she died.
Leo gawked. "No?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Never had a friend?"
"No, Leo. God, can you stop trying to make me feel bad about everything I do?" Nico slid out of his car, slamming the door and storming off into the Blockbuster.
Leo frowned. He had pushed too far. But that was what he did. Leo pushed, and he pushed. He felt strange, alone in what was virtually a stranger's car. Leo took a deep breath and waited a couple of minutes before entering the store.
Throughout Leo's shift, Nico didn't spare a glance in his direction. It would remain that way for many more shifts to come.
…
"So," Piper said. It was strange hanging out with Jason alone, without Leo there to banter with and fill in empty gaps of their dynamic. "What should we rent? We're still going to Blockbuster, right?"
Jason remembered Leo and how much he had fucked up before. "Uh, I don't think that's a good idea right now. I have VHS's at home."
Piper squinted, spinning in her roller skates idly. "Are you sure everything's okay with Leo?"
"Yes, he's fine," Jason said, keeping calm. "L-let's just go to my house. Thalia bought more Dunkaroos."
...
there we are!
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Piper looked on suspiciously but said nothing.