A/N: Before you read: I have a fan fiction that I wrote in 5th grade-I don't know of anyone would want to read it. It's pretty good and really funny because I was funnier when I was younger than I am now That's sad, I don't know why I put a smiley. So, tell me, please and enjoy the next drama-filled chapter!

Prom

"A small piece of Annabeth's heart cracked and crumbled into a million pieces of dust."

Annabeth Chase somewhat gracefully stepped out of the long black limousine that Thalia had rented. As one long, shaved leg stuck out, the heel of Annabeth's satin shoes caught on the seatbelt and she would have gone tumbling onto the pavement if her trustworthy and loyal boyfriend, Percy Jackson, hadn't caught her by her left arm and waist. His strong hands firmly, yet gently, caught her. He was Annabeth's knight in shining armor. As she gazed into his green eyes that were forever changing, like the sea, the world froze. Now, you hear that in every story with a happy ending, but the world literally stopped. All the students at Goode High froze to stop and stare at Annabeth. "Annabeth Chase is out of the psych ward already?" a blonde junior in a sparkly blue dress whispered to her brunette haired friend who sported a velvety pink mini. Annabeth ripped her eyes from Percy to stare at them. The brunette turned back to her friend and whispered something Annabeth couldn't hear. Both girls laughed hysterically. "C'mon, Annabeth." Percy coaxed her away and led her smoothly out of the limo, "Don't let them ruin the night. Those assholes don't know what's going on." Annabeth nodded at him and kissed him on the cheek as a thank you. She lightly shook her head and arms and linked her arm with Percy's as they walked in together.

"Holy. Shit." Thalia muttered as they entered the gym where the prom was being held. Rainbow streamers draped from the ceiling beams, glitter littered the floor, paintings of a Paris café lined the walls, and a DJ was in the corner, emitting the pounding, modern music that shook the room. Annabeth could feel the pounding boom, boom, boom rattle her bones as she and Percy weaved deeper into the crowd. "This is freaking amazing." Percy stated as he admiringly looked around the room in awe. "Totally, I can't believe it." Annabeth admitted, admiring the snack table that was stocked with French pastries and punches. Over in the corner opposite of the DJ was a photo booth that several couples were lined up at. The night went as smoothly as Annabeth thought possible. Annabeth and Percy took pictures in the photo booth, ate the desserts, drank punch, and danced. It was hilarious watching them dance; they both kept tripping over each other's feet. The one and only problem was the stares and looks Annabeth got. People from all grades, people she knew, people she didn't, even some chaperones gave her looks.

There was the "ha ha look", where they would sneak a glance before smirking and turning away.

There was the "cautious look", where a few people looked at her before giving a nervous glance and shuffling away. Kind of like when a mother covers her baby to protect them from the weird stranger like you see in the movies.

Then, there was the "blank look", where people would just stare with no facial expression at all before walking away backwards, still looking at her, and bumping into others as they did so.

A small piece of Annabeth's heart cracked and crumbled into a million pieces of dust. All that time she spent hanging out and trying too hard to impress people she thought were her friends, it was for absolutely nothing. Nobody really liked her; they were only around her because of her popularity, which was now far from over. The group of freshmen who tagged along with her, gone. The juniors, who looked up at her with pride, were ignoring her. The sophomores her age who used to gaze at her with eyes green with envy, laughing at her. The seniors, who looked down upon her with a knowing expression she didn't quite understand, were right. They all knew what was going to happen. Thalia warned her, she was holding her back because she knew that this could happen, and Jesus Christ, it did. As Annabeth approached the snack table, the swarm of students fled away. She picked up a delicate sugar cookie, frosted with cream and dotted with pink sugar sprinkles, before crushing it with her fist. The thousands of yellow crumbs and specks of sugar crumbled to the floor, along with Annabeth's dignity.

Hot tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the disco lights and happy faces. Annabeth rushed out of the gym, not even trying to conceal her sadness. As she walked down the hallway, smirking faces watched her, she could feel their stares piercing into the back of her head. Annabeth shoved the bathroom door open and burst inside to see the most unpleasant surprise. Drew. "It's so nice for you to join us, Annie-Beth." Drew taunted, "How your prom going? Fun, I hope." Drew turned around to the mirror, slathering blood red lipstick all over her mouth, her reflection quickly looking at her before rubbing her lips together. A girl with fiery red hair emerged from the stall farthest from Annabeth, she had on a tight red dress and high, laced up stilettos. "Is this the girl?" she asked Drew. Drew looked at her and nodded, rolling her eyes. "Do you know what you did to Miranda and Rachel?" the girl practically shouted, "Do you know the pain they both went though because of you?" Annabeth frantically looked around, blinking tears from her eyes, "I-I, no." was all she could manage. "You stole Percy from Rachel, then you killed her!" the girl stated angrily. Annabeth's defense mode kicked in, "Woah! I did not kill Rachel, she tried to shoot me! And Percy didn't even like her!" Annabeth yelled. The girl's hair seemed to be on fire, "Well, what about Miranda, huh? You forced her to do drugs!" she shouted. "Where the fuck are you getting thins from?" Annabeth questioned, "I didn't force her to do drugs, she threatened my friend so I spied on her!"

Drew intervened, "Girls, girls." she interrupted, "Laurie, what did I tell you? One; you can go picking fights and two; that tabloid was incorrect." Laurie was unfazed, "Well then why is Rachael dead and Miranda in rehab?" she inquired. Drew was getting steamed up, she wasn't used to being yelled at by anyone, "Miranda did drugs because she was depressed because another girl stole her boyfriend and Rachel isn't de-" Drew caught herself and nervously glanced at Annabeth. "De-de-deep enough into this link of drama for you to worry about." Drew didn't look like herself, she actually looked nervous. "C'mon Laurie, let's ditch this dump." she said with a final flip of her hair and she was gone. Annabeth shakily walked out of the bathroom a minute after regaining herself. "You did to something to Rachel." someone said, Annabeth turned around, "You hurt her in the worst way anyone could ever be hurt. She'll never be the same." It was a boy. Young, skinny, blue eyes, a freshman, and he just made Annabeth feel like a piece of crap. A person she didn't even know, criticizing her. As she looked back at the hallway leading to the dance, all eyes stared at her, with rude, knowing glares, knowing of something important that Annabeth did not.

Annabeth felt the sudden urge to break down into a ball and cry. She sobbed down an empty hallway, turning her back on her class. Her heels clicked against the fake marble floor, the echoes ringing throughout the emptiness of the hallway, and she sank into an alcove in the wall. A window was nestled in the indent, revealing the stars. Annabeth pulled her knees to her chest and cried for what felt like hours. Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall. Percy emerged from around a corner. He walked over, sat down next to her, and sighed. They sat for a while, respecting the silence except for the distant sound of pounding music. "Wanna go somewhere cool?" Percy asked, "Don't worry it's in the school." Annabeth let Percy help her up and she followed him down many hallways. They ended up at a door that was labeled Boy's Locker Room. "Ew. Why here?" Annabeth asked. Percy only smiled and led her in. It smelled like cologne, sweat, and toilet in the locker room. "Is this what you call romantic? I thought you were better than that." she teased. "Oh, just wait." he said before opening the door to the pool. The room was steamy and hot. Annabeth liked it. They sat by the pool, dipping their legs in the water.

"How can you get in here?" Annabeth asked. "Swim captain." was all he needed to say. After a while he asked, "So, are you gonna tell me why you're so upset?" Annabeth told him everything. The whole time he nodded in understanding. "I see," he noted, "You've been through much more than I thought you did. So, why don't you be the girl I love and walk back into prom with me?" They walked out together.

The journey back to the gym was a nightmare for Annabeth. Even though she was scared out of her mind, she held her head up high and kept walking. They entered the gym just in time for a special announcement by the prom committee captain, who was none other than Drew, who apparently didn't leave. "May I have everyone's attention?" she announced in a fake tone with a fake smile, "Thank you." The microphone squealed, "My name is Drew and thank you all for coming tonight, it was a lot of hard work and it was all thanks to our prom committee. This prom is dedicated to Rachel Elizabeth Dare, thank you. We have put together this slideshow in her honor." A million pictures of a happy Rachel danced across the screen. Rachel riding a bike, with Percy, baking a cake, doing homework, hanging with friends, all happy moments from her life. The final picture only showed for a split second. It was of Rachel, tied up, all in white, in a chair, in a white room. Then, Drew got up to the mic again, looked straight at Annabeth and said. "You bitch. You know what you did." Annabeth felt all eyes aim at her. She ran from the room and out the door. She heard Percy calling her name, along with Thalia, and even Grover. She froze on the black top, with no coat. Her arms were wrapped around her body as she hung her head, her back arching in silent sobs. "Annabeth, please." Percy comforted. Annabeth turned to him and said truthfully, "I just need to be alone. Don't follow me." Then, she sprinted all the way home.

Annabeth's Point of View

After taking two showers, eating five cookies, and painting my nails purple, I sat in my bed with my laptop. My nails were already chipping from the English homework I had just finished. Everyone else was at prom, having a ball. I honestly didn't give a shit. I needed time alone. There was a nagging question I dared not ask aloud. I didn't want to believe it for a second. I didn't want to know the answer. But, my curiosity took over. I frantically typed in her name on my blue laptop that I has stuck Aztec owls all over. My purple chipping nails rapidly but softly clicked and clacked all over the keyboard. My body was so tense with nerves, my fingers grew stiff and kept hitting the wrong letters. With a shaky breath, I closed my smudged-eyeliner eyes and hit enter. A few seconds later, I slowly uncovered my eyes and looked at the now blinding white screen. My eyes burned at the sight as I read the first result. I tucked a blonde strand of hair behind my ear as I read. My eyed grew wide with realization and I gasped when I finished reading. Rachel Elizabeth Dare wasn't dead.

A/N: Just take a minute to appreciate that last sentence…mmhmmm. Yes. That took a lot of effort to write. So, I finished this on Wednesday, but my crappy internet wouldn't work. Again. I know, that was confusing, but I promise by next chapter it will all make sense! So, please note that I have a fanfic from 5th grade that I would like to share, but I don't know if anyone is interested. Still no replies… So reply, Godammit and tell me what you thought of this chapter and review!