Warning: Mockingjay Part 2 Spoilers
Chapter 6: My Girlfriend Demands Extra Credit
Percy squinted his eyes as he scanned the whole gym. He stood up on the bleachers so he could peer over all the kids in front of him. He could't find Annabeth and that was a big no-no. Considering the fact that he originally planned to ditch this lame pep assembly. Annabeth forced him not to, and she wasn't even here. He looked around the room, spotting a few familiar faces.
Jason, Piper, and Leo all sat together on the other side of the gym. Piper looked as bored as Percy felt, so he assumed that Jason forced her to come. For as good of friends that Jason and Percy were, they were also opposites. Percy didn't intentionally get in trouble, but he did all the time. Jason always followed the rules. Ya know, unless Piper was in danger of getting in trouble or something. Leo though, wasn't paying much attention to them and busy with the Stolls. They kept glancing in Katie's and Miranda's direction, so Percy figured nothing good was coming out of this.
He scoped the scene again and noticed Frank and Hazel together. They were both peering into a book together. She pointed at something on the pages and perked up a bit. Frank squinted to look at it more closely and then broke out into a grin. Percy was curious to what they were looking at. Next to her sat Nico, who was just slouched down in his seat and fiddled with a ring on his finger. Percy didn't know what Nico's deal was, but continued on before he got too deep in thought.
He passed a few more familiar faces: Clarisse La Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Lee Fletcher, Micheal Yew, Pollux and Castor. He even noticed that blonde kid, the one Annabeth used to tutor, Will Solace. Percy didn't really know Will since Will was a year younger. Jason, Piper, and Leo didn't seem to know him really either. But he seemed really chill that one night, and kind of familiar.. He kinda reminded Percy of the DJ at the dance. Had to be a coincident. Anyways, he was sitting in the front corner with the two other kids, Cecil and Lou Ellen.
He didn't know what the deal was with those three. They were kind of weird, a bit of outcasts really. But from what Percy noticed, they were a little different and did their own thing. And that suited Percy just fine. Percy hardly ever discriminated. At the thought of this, his mind wandered to his own friends. Jason and him were relatively popular. Jason was more liked, Percy knew that. But Percy was known for his screw ups and the problems he caused with both the school and law. He almost wounded up in juvie a few times.
Piper and Annabeth were decently popular. Annabeth was recognized for her smarts, and often people went to her for help. Percy wan't going to lie, he got jealous almost every time she was helping someone else and not him. Piper was mostly popular for her looks. Although she tried to hide it, she actually was very pretty. Guys would flirt and catcall her, but she hardly paid them notice. Of course some people were jealous, like Drew Tanaka and her hate squad.
Frank was kind of clumsy, and people took advantaged of that. He seems like an intimidating guy since he was so tall. Plus, he was pretty good looking, so obviously people thought he was gonna be a jerk, but since he isn't at all, people like to mess with him. Like sticking notes to him or tripping him in the hallway. Hazel was mostly known because she skipped a grade. She was that little girl who should be in eighth grade but is in ninth grade. She actually had some upper class-men friends. Of course Percy also knew some older kids have probably tried to be freaky with her, since she is so young and naive, but Hazel can take care of herself. Percy wouldn't be surprised if she punched a guy or two.
Leo, like said earlier, was the groups pet. He had a big mouth and didn't know when to be quiet. Most kids found him annoying, especially the girls. So he was definitely not very popular. He was better with his gadgets than real people, which was something Percy could appreciate a little, for he was a bit awkward with other as well.
The only person who was probably worse with socializing was Nico. Leo tried with people, although he wasn't too good. Nico didn't try too hard in that category. He was more in the background avoiding attention, most people not noticing the menacing cloud of darkness roaming the hallways. Percy knew he became that way because of his sisters' death. But he also knew there was more to it... he just didn't know what. Anyway, everyone knew Nico wasn't popular. Even if he hadn't became an anti social loner, he still wouldn't be with the crowd. Percy knew he would still be a geek, obsessing over dorky games, books, and comics. It was really weird to think about actually.
So Percy put it all together.
Him, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper: popular.
Frank, Nico, and Leo: Unpopular.
Hazel: in the middle.
It didn't matter what hierarchy group split them up. They were all best friends. Well, aside from Nico. But they were all working on that.
After his in depth thought that came from nowhere, he crossed his arms and plopped down in his seat. He was beginning to grow impatient. He had no idea where his girlfriend was and he was bored. Having a bored ADHD kid is probably not the safest thing ever. Yay.
He felt a buzz and a vibration that followed it up his leg. He slipped it out of his pocket, hoping it was Annabeth. He was a bit disappointed when he opened a message that sent a picture of him. Sitting right in the seat he was on, with his arms crossed. It confused him a bit, but then another message bubble popped up. It read WE SEE YA. It had a winky face. A creepy winky face. Another picture was suddenly sent of Piper and Leo taking a selfie together.
Percy was a bit confused as to why Piper or Leo's contact didn't pop up, but he didn't question it. Have you seen Annabeth! He typed and clicked send as fast as it takes The Flash to get to the other side of town. He then spammed them with fish and book emojis.
I guess she got tired of your seaweed brain.
Now, Percy knew his friends quite well. But he also knew that both Piper and Leo were very sarcastic. So he wasn't sure who sent that. He simply typed, Look up.
He watched as the pair looked over in his direction, and he rewarded them with a not so nice hand gesture. They both threw their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing. Jason finally noticed what was going on and looked over. His blue eyes widened when he saw Percy, and kind of looked like a kid who was seeing his new house for the first time. He signaled for Percy to put his hand down, but even from across the room Percy could see the smirk he was holding back.
The gym began quieting down when Dr. Thorn made his way to the microphone. Seriously, Percy thought. Who even was the principle at this school? Anyway, Dr. Thorn got into the boring lecture about respect, citizenship, other stuff the school required him to talk about. In all honesty, Percy couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. He was too busy trying to decipher what the dudes accent was. Was it like German or something? Percy wasn't quite sure, but it was very distracting.
Eventually, the cheer coach yelled into her megaphone about the cheer routine or something. Silena stood in the front with other girls filling in behind her. Drew stood to her right. Although Percy wasn't really a gymnastic kind of guy, he thought the routine was pretty cool. All the flips and jumps were insane. One girl, a freshman named Lacy he thinks, did like twenty back flips across the gym in a row. He also noticed Drew sticking out her chest and fluttering her skirt all flirty like. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought she was staring right at Beckondorf, who was in the front row.
Sure Percy thought Drew and the other cheerleaders were pretty. But those.. physical attributes weren't what made him like certain girls. Drew wore like ten pounds of makeup. He liked things more natural. Like Annabeth, who never wears makeup. He laughed out loud just thinking of Annabeth in a cheer uniform. Just the expression would be priceless.
Speaking of Annabeth, this was the moment she decided to make an appearance. The cheerleaders finished the performance and the music stopped abruptly. Percy figured that Annabeth was trying to get in without being noticed. She failed miserably. Because when the music went silent, everyone heard the door slam. Like the whole metal door went wham on the door frame. Half the gym drew their attention toward her direction.
Not much happened after that, but she awkwardly shuffled to an empty spot next to Will Solace and his friends. Percy bet Annabeth wished she had something that could turn her invisible because her face was bright red from the attention she got.
He tried getting her attention by waving his arms, staring straight at her, and silently shouting her name across the flood of people. He even tried The Hunger Games four note whistle. She didn't even glance up, not even when like twenty other people answered back. He eventually gave up and decided to wait until after the assembly to talk to her.
He sat back in his seat, looking back across the gym. He noticed Drew and Silena arguing about something off by where all the cheerleaders were. He wasn't quite sure why, but he assumed it something to do with the few times Drew tripped her during the routine or the whole Beckondorf thing.
Finally, Dr. Thorn walked back to the microphone, said some lame stuff, and finished off by saying "Go Orange!" Someone from the other side of the gym, in fact it sounded a lot like Leo, yelled "Psych!"
After being singled out, a complaining Leo was dragged out by a teacher, most likely to their classroom or the office. Then everyone was dismissed for the day. Percy nearly pushed all the kids in front of him down the bleachers and did a ninja flip. But held it back, knowing he would have face planted and died. He saw Annabeth waiting in the same spot, talking to Lou Ellen. She seemed to be waiting for Will and Cecil, who were versing each other in some game on their phones.
He tapped Annabeth on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled. "Hey Percy.''
He grabbed her hand and looked at Lou Ellen. She nodded and said, "Hi." She then turned her head quickly toward the other two boys, her streaked pink hair flipping all over the place. "Will! Cecil! Come on!"
The two boy continued to concentrate on their game until Cecil broke out into a grin and Will let out a loud groan. "Dang it Cecil!"
Cecil threw his fist in the air and jumped onto the floor from his seat. "Dude you suck at video games!"
Will scowled, crossing his arms and pouting. He then maturely walked down the bleachers. That is, he tried. He tripped on a step and almost did a nose dive on the glossy gym floor. Thankfully, he caught himself. Percy was no doctor, nor did he know any doctor around here, so he didn't want any bloody noses or bruised faces on his conscious. The blonde boy pulled himself together and then followed Cecil. "Hey guys." He smiled as he passed Annabeth and Percy. He chased Cecil out of the room, bumping into several kids. Percy was sure some sensitive dude was gonna chase Solace down for knocking into them. Solace was tall with bright blonde hair, he didn't blend in well. Heck, he would't be surprised if was Clarisse who was gonna give him a beating.
Lou Ellen gave them a nervous smiled and followed them out.
Percy looked back at Annabeth. Today, her curls fell around her shoulders. She wore a light pink tank top and a white jacket. She had on jeans and white converse. He tightened his grip on her hands. "Why were you late Annabeth?"
She shrug and lead him out of the now almost empty gym. Her face looked relaxed and her body language sent the same message. But her eyes looked angry. Or.. more annoyed. "I was just talking to my teacher."
"For twenty minutes?"
She pursed her lips and nodded her head. Her blonde curls bounced around her shoulders. Percy couldn't help but love her curly hair. It reminded him off the time she straightened it. Of course she looked beautiful, but it wasn't natural. Everyone knew Annabeth as that really smart girl with curly blonde hair like a princess. How can she be Annabeth, the really smart girl with curly blonde hair like a princess, if she didn't have curly blonde hair? "Yeah, it took twenty minutes."
He grinned. Now it made sense. What took so long, why she looked frustrated. "Trying to convince him to give you extra credit?"
She rolled her eyes and dropped his hand with a smile. She poked him in the chest as they walked to the school doors. "How did you know?"
Percy dragged his feet along the floor making a squeaking sound. He realized how annoying it was, so he stopped. "Because I know you. Anyways, it obviously didn't go too well."
After getting outside, she scowled at the sidewalk. "Yeah, you're right." She picked up her head and watched the parking lot, noticing Ms. Valdez's car pulling in. Probably here to bail Leo out of Dr. Thorn's custody. She smiled and waved at them.
After crossing and piling into Annabeth's car, she continued. "Yeah, dumb Mr. Charon told me he can only give so much extra credit! He's like 'I give you assignments and you get points. I can't just give you extra credit.' Like come on man!"
She started muttering under her breath and started up the car. She chewed her lip in the way she always did when she felt like ranting. Percy furrowed his eyebrows at what she previously said. "Charon?"
Her eyes seemed to cool down and match the rest of her aura. "Mhm."
"Like, that creepy 12th grade teacher?"
"That's the one."
Percy grimaced and shuddered a bit. "Ew. You and your advanced classes. I sure hope I wont get him in 12th grade. That dude really freaks me out."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I wish I didn't have him. Guy doesn't even know how to teach."
Percy reached into his backpack and pulled out a rice krispy he had stashed in there all day. "You should call him out on it." He suggested with a mouth full of the chewy treat.
"Oh I have." She grumbled. "He always says, 'If you think you're so smart you should teach the class.'"
Percy didn't say so, cause he didn't want to sound super lame, but he didn't doubt the idea. If Mr. Charon was as bad as Annabeth made him out to be, Percy did not doubt that she could teach a class. She was really smart and taught him enough things to last a century.
"I wouldn't worry about it Annabeth. You're grades are pretty spectacular."
She stuck her lip out like she was considering his statement. "Yeah that's true."
Percy rolled up his trash and stuck it in a plastic bag full of garbage. Ever since Annabeth got a car, she became the groups coiffure for a while. They made one heck of a mess, so she put a little bag on the back of the front seat. But then Frank and Jason got cars and mostly only Percy and Piper rode in her car. Most of the trash bag consisted of candy, cookie, pop tart, and waffle wrappers. That's right. Percy ate waffles in her car. Sometimes he ate them uncooked, which she found rather gross. "Besides I can't tell my dad the teachers suck otherwise he'll put me in a private school or something."
Percy looked away from her for a moment, his excitement over his delicious rice krispy treat now drained. Of course the thought of Annabeth leaving for some dumb private school made him sad. But what really made him feel depressed was the dad part. Annabeth seemed to notice this, because she put an arm on his shoulder but continued steering with the other one. "Oh Percy I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay." He cut her off. Percy didn't mean to make her feel bad. "I'm just scared. He contacted my mom for the first time a few weeks ago. The last time he called her recently was yesterday. He's gonna come next week to see me."
Annabeth remained silent for a second. Sure she already heard the news about Percy's dad coming back. But then he didn't come, and within a few weeks, Annabeth figured he really wasn't coming. So she disregarded her concern, seeing how Percy was perfect even without a father for sixteen years. "Do you wanna see him? Is your mom forcing you to?"
Percy played with the buttons on the door, making the window going up and down. "No, I don't really wanna see him actually." He shook his head. "But my mom isn't forcing me either. It's just, she looks like she wants to see him so bad. If I'm being honest, I'm only doing this for my mom."
Annabeth pulled up to Percy's apartment building and smiled. Percy was always doing things for others, especially his mom. She thought about the time when he stood up against the bullies for Grover back in fourth grade, or when he comforted her when Connor put a fake spider on her desk in sixth grade, or just a few weeks ago when he helped Jason after he thought Piper was mad at him. "It's fine Percy. I'll have my phone, just call me right after and tell me if anything happens. I'll help you."
"No." He shook his head. Annabeth was a bit taken back. She wasn't gonna lie, she felt a little bit offended and angry that he just rejected he like that. She was trying to be nice to her boyfriend because she loves him, and here he was, telling her no?
He must have noticed the scowl on her face because he just threw his head back with a laugh. "I want you to be with me when I meet him.''
Her ears reddened in embarrassment over how defensive she got. "Oh." She said.
"Oh?" he grinned.
"I mean, oh of course.'' She smiled. She kissed his cheek as he swung his door open. He turned for another kiss, but she shoved him out of her car. "Go study Seaweed Brain."
He rolled his eyes and blew her a sarcastic kiss. "Love ya Wise Girl."
After he turned around, she grinned and reached out the window. She caught the kiss and clutched it to her heart.
Piper was annoyed. Super annoyed. Today, in her photo class, she was paired with Dylan. The most arrogant and annoying douche bag you could ever meet. As Leo puts it, "I'm Dylan I wish I could date myself but I couldn't figure out how! Congratulations you get to!"
Piper could not get over how annoying this guy was. He flirted with her constantly, but she knew it wasn't because he liked her. He flirted with everyone. Piper just happened to be there, and she was decent enough to look at. In fact, Dylan went with Drew to homecoming. He even tried picking Piper up the year before! Whenever Piper thinks of the time Jason threatened to beat Dylan to a pulp if he ever looked at her, made her heart skip a beat. Sure it was violence and all, but Jason and her weren't even dating yet! It was also a time when she thought he liked Reyna. But when he pulled that stunt like that, she got her hopes up.
Thinking of Jason depressed her. Because it was now 6:00 in the afternoon and she was walking through town with Dylan. Looking at his face made her cringe. The guy was tall, with a somewhat handsome face if your into creepy looking vampire dudes, and the fact that his hair looked like Superman's annoyed her further, because her and her friends gave Jason the nickname Superman.
"Okay so here's my idea Pipes." Dylan said.
She crossed her arms and looked across the road. "Well there's a first time for everyone." She mumbled. "And don't call me Pipes."
Dylan seemed to ignore every word she said and continued, "I think we should get a picture of me in front of one of these fabulous statues."
She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess," She took a breath and began taking in her best Dylan impersonation voice, "Though the statues aren't as fabulous as me."
Dylan shrugged and continued walking. "Me. You mean the statues aren't as fabulous as me."
Piper had to chomp her teeth down on her lip to keep from cursing at this moron.
For about ten more minutes they walked around the city finding nice places to take a few snapshots. Dylan numerously tried to swing an arm around Piper or find any way to touch her. She did her best to shove him off but he was strong.
It was starting to get dark and Piper just wanted to get this assignment done. And when she was under pressure, she worked fastest. "I think I have a good place for another pic." She led the creepy kid to a little bridge that went over a small river in the park. The water was shallow but the bridge was at least fifteen feet high, so she was very tempted to push him.
"Oh, you want a picture of me on the bridge in front of the night sky with the calming water behind me? Yes, I must say it is a great idea." He said with a cocky grin.
"No stupid. Just follow me." She walked across the bridge as Dylan lagged behind. When they were across, she climbed down the hill and stood next to the base of the bridge. Since there weren't many people around and the moonlight shined perfectly across the river, it was a perfect place for a picture. Maybe no one would notice her brutally murder this idiot either.
Dylan stood next to her and took in their surroundings. "What is so special about here?"
She ignored him. She pulled the camera from around her neck and checked the settings for darkness. She angled it so it got some of the ivy that was growing up on the side of the brick. She clicked the picture, and the way the light shined through the lenses made it look perfect. "Yes!" She grinned. She was so excited about her picture, she forgot who Dylan was for a second and grabbed his shoulder, thrusting her camera into his face to see her art. If only Jason were here. Then he could be in the picture and it would be one hundred percent. She was broke from her thoughts when she heard a nauseating voice say, "I knew it."
She looked up, noticing she was still gripping Dylan's arm. She made a disgusted face and tried to step away but he grabbed her wrist. "I knew you liked me.'' he said.
She made a squeal that was probably embarrassing, but she was actually a little scared right now. They were in the dark and no one was around. "Um no!"
"Don't lie." Dylan grinned. Before Piper could scream for help, Dylan grabbed her neck and kissed her right on the mouth. She gasped and pushed him away as hard as she could. Of course that didn't stop the creep. He leaned back in a tried kissing her neck holding her arms down. Piper freaked. Without knowing what she was doing, her reflexes caused her to take her hand with the camera and smash it on Dylan's stupid head.
He immediately pulled back. "What the hell?" He snapped and smacked the camera out of her hand. It fell onto the ground. Whatever wasn't broken before, was broken now. He rubbed the spot on his head and took a step back. "Did you really just hit me?" He growled and took a step forward, fisting his hands.
Getting sexually harassed and physically assaulted in one nights? No thanks. This is where she draws the line. Sure she was scared out of her skin. Dylan was like six feet tall and could probably throw her over his head. But her reflexes acted before her brain could process something. What she did took a lot of skill, so she was really proud. She punched him right in the face, making him fall on his little man butt. Then she did the next smart thing. She ran.
Piper didn't know how long it would take Dylan to recover, but she didn't want to find out. So she didn't stop running until she was out of the park and down a few blocks. She figured she was safe, so she took a seat at a bench and pulled out her phone. Only now did she realize she was gonna have to pay for that stupid camera. She was borrowing it form her photo teacher Mr. Asher, and he was very sensitive about his cameras. Whatever. She didn't even like photography that much. She scrolled through her phone and found Jason's number. It rang twice before someone answered.
"Sup'?" The other voice said.
It wasn't Jason, and it was female. So Piper gave it her best guess. "Thalia?"
"Yup that's me! What's up Piper?"
Piper nervously looked around. She assumed Dylan went home to check on his precious face, but she couldn't be too sure. "Umm is Jason there?"
Though she couldn't see, Thalia nodded. "Yeah, he's ordering us some tacos. I'm waiting out in the parking lot."
Piper let out a sigh of relief. "Taco Bell?"
"Mhm!" Thalia replied.
"Can you please come pick me up?'' She said anxiously.
Thalia must have noticed the stress in her voice, because she instantly said, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine. Just please come pick me up?" She gave Thalia her location, which was just a few blocks away. It was only a few minutes until the two showed up in Thalia's truck. Thalia rolled down her window and stuck her head out, while Jason jumped out of the car with two tacos in his hands. He looked alert and ready for a fight, but with the tacos in his hands he looked adorable.
"Are you okay?!" He asked frantically.
She smiled. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Now that you're here." She whispered into his chest. She didn't think he heard her, but that was okay.
They climbed into the truck, and he offered her a taco before remembering she was a vegetarian. She began explaining what happened. Jason already knew she was gonna work with Dylan. He didn't like it, but he knew she had to. Now he was furious.
"I swear I'll beat that guys ass!" He growled and took another bite of his taco to keep from going crazy.
Thalia scowled and nodded her head. "Yeah Jay. I'll help you. That punk-ass sounds like he needs to be taught a lesson. He messes with one of us? Now he has a bigger damn problem to deal with."
Piper looked at her hands and smiled nervously. "Thalia you can't beat Dylan up. He's a minor."
Thalia scoffed. "I don't give a shit. That bitch needs to be taught a lesson!"
Jason nodded. "I'll call Percy and Frank." He pulled out his phone.
"Don't forget Annabeth." Thalia added. "My sister has got some serious strategies."
Jason shot her a knowing look.
Piper snatched his phone. "You're gonna do it now?"
Thalia widened her eyes and made a sharp turn. "Duh. When the situation is still fresh."
"Where are you gonna find him?"
"Go to his house?"
"I don't know where he lives!"
"We can google it."
Piper suppressed a smile. Thalia was really ridiculous. "No guys. Really I'm fine. Please, I don't want you to get in trouble." She shot Jason a look. He stuck out his lip and nodded. He grabbed her hand. If she was being honest. It kind of made her feel really special that Jason was so willing to get in trouble with the law for her. He always followed the rules.
"Okay. Piper we wont fight him.. but I'm gonna get all in his face at school. I swear." Jason promised. "Guys can't treat you like that. It's not okay."
Thalia nodded and finished her taco. "Yeah. I'm picking you guys up from school next week. I will give him the fricken death glare."
Piper grinned. "I can take care of myself you guys. You know I punched him?"
Thalia smirked and ran her hands through her streaked black hair. "I would've paid to see that. "Thalia steered the car into the McLean's driveway. It was an enormous house. "Kay kid. See ya later."
Piper smiled and placed her chin on top of the passengers seat's headrest. Jason sat on his knees in his seat and turned around. "See you tomorrow?" He whispered.
She nodded. "Of course." She leaned in and kissed him quickly, before giving Thalia one more grateful look and leaving.
Jason stared at her as she safely made her way up her steps and through her front door. He hadn't thought about it much, but he liked the jeans she wore. They always had at least one rip, hole, or stain.
"She's a keeper.'' Thalia gently punched his shoulder.
He blushed slightly. "Yeah.."
Nico loved his sister, he really did. She wasn't annoying, but he just did not understand her. Like at all. As of right now, he sat curled up in a ball on the couch while reading a book. On the other hand, Hazel was on the other side of the room on the phone with one of her friends. Nico wasn't sure which one, but he knew for a fact it wasn't Percy or Annabeth. He might not associate with them much anymore, but he remembered them well enough and figured they wouldn't laugh on a phone call as much as Hazel was.
When she finally hung up, Nico only raised an eyebrow at her. She walked to the door and slipped on her Uggs and jacket. "I'll be back later!"
Nico scowled and held up his hands. "Hold up!" She took her hand off the door knob and turned to him. "Where are you going? It's almost dark you know."
Hazel shrugged. "I'm going to Leo's."
"And I don't suppose Annabeth and Percy are walking you this time?"
The dark skinned girl twirled her hair on her finger. "Why do they upset you so much?''
His face darkened and he looked away. "Never mind. Forget I said anything. Why are you going to Leo's?"
She looked hesitant to change the subject, but she didn't push. "He bought Mockingjay Part 2 on Blu-ray! I didn't get to see it in theaters and I'm so excited to see it!"
Nico closed his book and sat up. He read the books and was pretty familiar with the movies. Overall, he thought they were okay. Naturally Hazel liked them. "Oh."
She zipped her jacket and was still fidgeting with her hair. She finally settled on side braiding it. "Me and Leo talk about it all the time. Leo claims he's Katniss because he is always setting things on fire, but I still can't decide if it's him or Frank. You know, because Frank likes archery and stuff."
Nico nodded. He honestly didn't care about that. He was thinking about how the little girl from the first one, Rue, reminded him of Hazel. Not only because they look alike, but because of their gentleness. Rue was a survivor but still youthful. Same goes for Hazel. She trust people cautiously and is extremely smart. Not to knock Rue down or anything, but Nico was pretty sure Hazel would have survived longer or even might have won if she was put in the games.
"Yeah, and Finnick and Peeta.." Hazel started.
Before she finished Nico, knew she was gonna compare the Finnick guy to Percy. They were both most comfortable with water and kind of cocky. Nico, for certain reasons, always favored this character and was really disappointed when he died. At the thought of the character Peeta...well Nico wasn't gonna lie. He did think of his "friend" Will. It was just the blue eyes and blonde hair. Not because they both were kind and always trying to help people at their own expense. Nope, Nico refused to think about that annoying guy for any other reason.
"Yeah Finnick reminds me of Percy," Hazel said, not surprising Nico a bit. "And Peeta reminds me of Jason. Just because of his looks though."
Nico turned to looked out the window to hide his embarrassment. He hadn't even thought of Jason. Of course, he wasn't friends with Jason, so why would he? But he didn't like Will either. Well, not that much at least.
"Yeah, I guess." Nico agreed to change the subject. "You should probably get to Valdez's house before it gets too dark."
She nodded and went to leave. "I'm just happy I know you would never actually go on a date with him." She heard him say.
Hazel forced a grin. "Ew. Why would I?" She hoped he didn't hear the uneasiness in her voice.
Nico shrugged and went back to his book. "I don't know. Call me when you're ready to come home. I'll come get you. Don't walk home in the dark."
She swung the door open but stomped her foot in place. "What if you're asleep?"
"Come on. You know I wont be."
She bit her lip. He was practically nocturnal. "Okay. But you can't walk to Leo's house by yourself in the dark either. You better call someone too."
"Hazel.." He complained. "I'll be fine."
"Promise?"
The pale boy let out a groan of frustration but nodded. "Fine. I'll figure something out."
She nodded and headed out the door. "Good." she smiled to herself. She started putting her foot down a bit more with her brother. At the beginning of the year, she was just trying to get him to open up to her. But now, since that wasn't working, she just wasn't gonna let him push people away as much anymore. That was her plan.
She continued the walk to Leo's house. It was pretty chilly out and relatively dark. Earlier in the day Leo had gotten in trouble at a pep assembly and she was curious to know what happened. During the assembly, Leo texted her a little bit but she was busy reading a book with Frank. Hazel was still flustered with the subject of the two of them. Whenever she was with Frank, she forgot about Leo. But she often found herself thinking about Leo. And then he invites her for movie nights like this and they are so darn fun. She doesn't know what to make of it. So she just chooses not to think about it.
She arrived at the Valdez household and walked up to the apartment building. She knocked on the door and Leo waved at her through the window. He opened the door and pulled her in. His house smelled of popcorn and butter. It smelt delicious. "Leo! Calm down!"
He grinned like a crazy person."Sorry! I'm just super excited for this movie! Katniss is my bae. I would throw bread to her any day."
Hazel gasped. "Wait! I forgot you've never read them!" She pushed him on the couch and stood over him. "So you don't know about the thing that happens?"
He widened his eyes and held his foot out, in case she decided to attack. "What thing?"
"You know!" She shook her hands in his face. "The thing."
He put his hands to his temples. "Let's watch this baby!" he flicked the light off and patted the seat next to him. She sat curled up next to him, and the only thing stopping her from leaning her head on his shoulder was the bowl of popcorn between them.
At first the two of them were so excited, they were laughing. But then it started. Peeta yelling at Katniss about how she was a mutt.
That part made Leo tense. If his friends were ever to get brainwashed and think he hurt them, how would he react? Would he be able to handle it? He looked over at Hazel. It was the very beginning of the movie and she was already struggling to keep in tears. This wasn't surprising though. When they were together, they enjoyed watching emotional movies together. It proves that they are comfortable around each other.
They both held their breath when they saw how much Peeta struggled, Hazel smiled widely when Katniss reminded Peeta who he was, Leo sighed deeply when Finnick died. They gripped each others hands at Prim's death, and Leo gasped loudly when Katniss shot President Coin. Hazel started bawling with Katniss when she started throwing things at Buttercup.
Katniss was staring at her husband in the field of dandelions with their son. She looked down at the little baby in her arms and smiled. "There are much worse games to play."
The music began playing louder and the credits slowly began filling the screen. Leo wiped some of the tears of his face. He didn't usually cry in movies, but The Hunger Games series could make anyone cry. He waited for Hazel to wipe her face before he said anything, "What did you think?"
She gave him a small smile. "I loved it."
The curly hair boy smiled. "Me too."
She crossed her arms. "Was I mistaken or did I see you smile when she said 'goodbye Gale'?"
Leo wiped his eyes again and clicked on the light. He closed his eyes for a second so they could readjust. "What can I say? Soy un ventilador dedicado Equipo Peeta!"
Hazel sniffled and smiled, already knowing what he said. "I'm team Peeta too. But poor Gale! That didn't happen in the books!"
Leo waved a hand and placed the almost untouched bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. "The movies were amazeballs that's all I care about."
Hazel narrowed her eyes softly and typed something on her phone. "Why are you Team Peeta anyway?"
Leo grinned sheepishly. He wanted to say, 'because Peeta reminds me of myself. No one expected him to get that far. Everyone underestimated him and expected him to die. But he made it all the way to the end. He was willing to give up the girl, but he got her anyway.' Instead he just said, "Because he probably makes some really good bread."
Hazel stood up and stretched her arms. "Plus he is super cute and sweet and I would choose Peeta."
"Are you-" He was cut off by his own yawn, "leaving?" He finished.
She nodded. "Yeah I just texted Nico, he'll be here shortly.''
Leo sat criss cross applesauce and wrapped himself in a blanket. "Well what do you wanna do until he gets here?"
She pursed her lips and grabbed the other end of the blanket. "Besides avoiding the thought of Prim and Finnick dying?"
Leo nodded with an eye roll.
She bit her lip and grinned at her Hispanic friend. "What do you have in mind?"
In response, he held up two Xbox controllers.
"So let me get this straight... you want my help?"
Nico let out a loud groan as he could practically hear the blonde boy grinning.
He huffed as he sped walked down the sidewalk. "Trust me, the last thing I want is your help. Especially after we got detention a few weeks ago! Twice in the same day!"
The blonde boy let out a small grunt, that even Nico couldn't deny was kind of cute. "I know! My permanent record is ruined!"
The short boy shook his hair out of his eyes as he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. Oh no he thought. I really am turning into Will. "Whatever Solace! Just come on! I have to pass your house to get to Leo's anyway! And I stupidly promised her I would bring someone so I'm not by myself or something? I don't know just come on!"
On the other side, the line went silent. Minus the crashes and banging in the background. "I suppose my mom wouldn't mind me going out this late.. Okay see you in a few!"
Nico gladly hung up his phone. From Will's house, there were a lot of loud sounds. There were loud banging noises, a children's show, and it even sounded like the radio was on. Nico found it odd that Will was such a laid back person when so much went one at his house. Nico did remember the night in the library, when Will hesitated and said something about how him and his mother didn't see things "eye-to-eye". Nico wasn't quite sure what that meant and had half a mind to ask Will. But then he silently scolded himself for considering it. He hated it when people asked him about his family, so what made him thin he could go around asking other people?
Nico waited in front of the house that Will lived in. He looked at the mailbox and noticed how it read Swanners. Nico assumed that was Will's mom and brothers last names. Will was the only Solace in the house. The only comfort. Nico observed how the house seemed to have every light on. It looked like it was glowing.
It was approximately four minutes later when Will finally waddled out in his bundle of coats. Nico couldn't tell if it was his eyes playing tricks, but the house seemed to get dimmer in his absence. And surprisingly, Will did not trip and fall on his face this time.
"Sup' di Angelo." he nodded as he got closer.
Nico raised an eyebrow and nodded back, but had a compelling feeling to look back at the Solac-Swanner household. In the window stood a little boy with curly light brown hair. Another little boy popped up next to him, they looked exactly alike.
Will followed Nico's gaze. "Oh those are my little brothers."
Nico's mouth was agape. "They look nothing like you."
The other kid shrugged and began waddling down the sidewalk. "Well we have different dads. I look like my father. They look like our mom and maybe their dad. They never met him. At least mine had decency to stick around." He continued to trudge down the sidewalk not bothering to look back at the boy behind him.
Nico ran up to him and walked silently next to him. He could tell Will didn't like the silence. He kept making weird faces like he was thinking of something to say. He finally settled on, "What do you wanna be when you grow up?"
Nico shrugged but didn't disregard the question. "I don't think I have ever thought about it."
Will fake gasped and put a hand to his heart. "I for one-!"
"Yeah yeah yeah. Going to medical school. You're going to became a doctor."
"Yup."
Nico glanced around. No one was here, so he decided to ask something he's been wondering about. "What makes you wanna be doctor so much?"
Will kinda shrugged like it was no big deal, but smiled. "Well, when I was little and me and mom still got along, I told her I wanted to be a heart doctor so I could heal broken hearts." He pushed Nico's shoulder gently. "Gotten any broken hearts that need fixing lately?"
Nico was grateful that Will didn't notice the sadness wash over his face. "No..." he said awkwardly. They walked up to the Valdez's house for a minute. Nico shot Hazel a text. She came out a few minutes later. Leo gave Hazel a hug at the door. Even Will noticed the shy smile spread across Hazel's face.
Hazel met them at the sidewalk and they all looked over their shoulders when they heard Leo yell, "I am Team Peeta! But Team Leo has a pretty nice ring to it don't you think?'
Hazel walked ahead and waved her arm. "You're hopeless!"
Leo grinned and closed the front door.
"Hi Hazel!" Will beamed walking up next to her and poking her shoulder.
"Hi Will," She answered back. She let out a loud exaggerated yawn. "Sorry I'm super tired."
Nico nodded, his own eyelids getting droopy. "I hear that.''
They walked in silence for a few moments before Will's phone made a sound like a triangle getting dinged. He scanned the text before widening his eyes. "Dang it! My mom says if I'm not home in the next six minutes I'm grounded!" He pulled his coat tighter around himself and looked at the two of them. "You guys good?" He patted their shoulders and ran. Ran as fast as he could, which was pretty darn fast, toward his house.
Hazel grinned. "Run Forest Run!"
Nico rolled his eyes and held up three fingers and one by one put them down as he counted. "Cue him falling in three, two, one."
Will faceplanted.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hey guys! I know I didn't update last week like normal! I seem to also update on Fridays or Saturdays even though I dont plan it like that!
Anyway, I made a LOT of Hunger Games references because I love the Hunger Games. Expect more.
Also, the review i got about Lazel inspired me. I started reading some fanfics,, headcannons, and looking at fanart. I ship them so hard. Unfortuatly, Frazel is still endgame. So this story is gonna be Frazel becuz Frank is my son. But I will write some Lazel oneshots! (I have a Lazel, Solangelo, and Jasper one planned but I have no idea when it will happen)
I was gonna make this chapter more Percabeth but I decided to add the others in there a bit. I did not have nearly as much Solangelo as I wanted :( I was gonna write more Solangelo and then end the chapter with Percabeth, but I neede to post this. So next chap will start with Solangelo so I dont get lazy with writing them. Then it will also be Percabeth.
Sorry for lack of Frank, I couldn't find a place to fit him. I'll probably make him, Leo, and Hazel hang out soon. (The three of them were cute. I really liked the Jason, Piper, Leo friendship too, but idk soemthing about the Frazeleo friendship was amazing)
Also the Will thing about breaking hearts was tumblr
Remember Dylan is a creep
Until next time~MyLifeIsALie