Sorry about the long wait, I couldn't get this chapter how I wanted it to come out. It still isn't the greatest but I hope you like it. I own nothing.

Kristen's POV

When I first came to Goode I didn't have any friends, I was an awkward, shy freshman that liked to swim. I was picked on in most of my classes and stayed quiet and too myself. That was my routine until one day I happened to see a poster for swim team tryouts. I stayed after school went to the pool and swam my heart out. For the first time in my high school life I felt like I had found where I was meant to be. The coach told us where the next practice was and after I left I went to my locker to get the rest of my books before going home.

Wouldn't you know it that as soon as things start to be going good for once, things turn bad. At her locker next to mine is my mortal enemy, Liz Pierce. Liz is the cheerleading captain, and over the first month of school she has made it her personal goal to make my life a living hell. I wonder if I can turn and leave unnoticed is what I was thinking right as she turned and looked at me with a sneer no I guess not.

"What are you doing here so late? I know they would never let someone who looks like you on the cheer squad." she questioned me. I tried to ignore her but she noticed my swim suit. "Is that a two piece, I figured that with a chest as flat as that you might just wear trunks, it's not like you have anything to cover with that top anyway."

I grabbed my books and closed my locker trying to think of where the closest bathroom was so I could go cry without being seen when my savior appeared. "Hey!" a boy's voice yelled, "What did she ever do to you? Why don't you just leave her alone?" he said in an angry voice that demanded attention.

I turned to see who it was and it was a god. I don't mean literally, but he was probably 6 foot with an Under Armor shirt on that showed off all of his perfect six-pack. He had cute messy black hair, great arms, and these stunning green eyes that right now looked like a hurricane was brewing in them.

Liz apparently had the same impression of him as I did because she put on her most flirtatious smile and sauntered closer to him, "Hey gorgeous, I don't think we've met. I'm Liz and you are?"

"Percy, but you didn't answer me why were you picking on her?" he answered.

"Oh don't mind her, she is just some swim team loser." She said gesturing to me, "Why don't we go get some coffee or something?"

"First off I have ADHD so coffee is a no for me. Secondly, I was just named captain of the swim team so I'd appreciate you not calling my teammates losers." He said angrily. He then came over to me, "Come on lets go. Do you need a ride?" he asked while walking towards the exit, and I quickly followed.

"Sure I could use a ride." I said when I caught up to him. "I didn't notice you at tryouts so how could you be the captain." I questioned him.

"Oh, I went early and swam for Coach Hedge, I had a detention with Mrs. Payne I had to be at." He told me while smiling sheepishly. He seemed to want to change the attention off of himself so he changed the subject, "So I never did get your name."

"I'm Kristen it's nice to meet you Percy." I said while smiling.

He smiled back, "Nice to meet you too Kristen, give me just a minute to run into the office and grab Paul to let him know we're ready to go."

"Paul?"

He laughed a little, "Uh, I guess you would know him as Mr. Blofis, he is my ride home."

"Why is a teacher giving you a ride home?" I questioned confused.

"He's kinda dating my mom." He said.

"Oh, well that kinda sucks" I joked back.

"No, he answered Paul is great. I mean he teaches English which is awful with my dyslexia but he's alright."

"Glad to know I have your nod of approval," Mr. Blofis says with a laugh walking out of the office. "Ah nice to see you Miss Rowe how are you?" he adds when he sees me.

"I'm doing well thank you, I made the swim team today." I said smiling. "Percy here has volunteered your taxi services to me if that's okay." I joked. They both laughed and we walked out to Paul's Prius. The next day I found out that I had most of my classes with Percy. He was my first real friend at Goode. Slowly I started to make more friends with people on the swim team, and with Percy's help I was opening up more.

It was three days before summer break and I had decided that I was finally going to ask him out. We were sitting there in the hallway talking and I was just about to ask when Mr. Blofis came out and called to Percy, "Hey Percy, your mom called and said somebody named Beckendorf said that you needed to know plan Omega 36 at the bus station and that you would know what that meant."

"Oh shit." Percy mumbled under his breath, "thanks Paul" Percy called starting to leave. He turned back remembering me, "I'm sorry Kristen I know you said there was something important you wanted to talk about, but I really have to go. I'll call you and we can talk about it." Then he was gone. I never got that phone call, he later said that he had some family issues he had to deal with and that he didn't have time.

Over the summer I grew my hair a little longer, my body finally developed, and I'm not ashamed to say that I looked good coming into sophomore year. I also decided to dress nicer now that I felt better about how I looked. I was in my locker when a familiar voice came from behind me, "Um, excuse me but I think you're in the wrong locker that's my friends locker."

I turned around to a shocked Percy, "That hurts Perce I thought that we were friends." I teased him.

He just stared at me, "Wow Kristen, you look…" he paused apparently at a loss for words. "Different." I supplied. "I was gonna say Great but yeah different too." He said causing me to blush. He had toned up more over the summer and had this almost physical aura of power and confidence about him now.

Of course, we had to be interrupted by Liz, "Hey Percy, I didn't think it was possible but you look even better this year, how about a movie this weekend."

He groaned in what I hope was annoyance, "Liz I can't, sorry but I have a girlfriend."

"Who her?" she asked pointing to me.

"No," Percy said quickly, I'm sure he didn't mean for it to sound like he was disgusted at the thought but it still hurt a little, "she doesn't go here she goes to my summer camp."

I decided to bring the subject up again at lunch with all of our friends around to make sure he wasn't just trying to get off the hook without being mean to Liz. "So Percy you have a girlfriend now, you don't think that we all have cooties anymore?" I teased him.

He blushed and laughed, "Yeah I do, her name is Annabeth." He went off into his own little world and had a goofy grin on his face as he told us about her. Shit that could've been me, oh well how long can a relationship last when they are on different sides of the country. I planned to just wait it out and bide my time. Percy was still my best friend and we spent a lot of time together, I know more time then he spent with his girlfriend. That's why I was hopeful that something would happen over the summer and when he came back as a junior he would see me as a more viable option for a girlfriend.

Junior year is my year I thought before the first day of school. Liz Pierce was on a 2 week suspension for being caught with alcohol at a party, so I didn't have to worry about her for a while. I would get to see my friends again especially Percy. He couldn't still be going out with that girl anymore could he? I mean they went like 8 months without seeing each other in person, that would make anyone grow apart.

Just when things appear to be going well in my life and I'm discussing my summer with Percy, a new girl with curly blonde hair and gray eyes walks up with Jane. Next thing I know Percy is kissing her right in front of all of us. He introduces her as Annabeth his girlfriend and she says that she transferred here. Fan-freakin-tastic. Her and Percy appear to be doing great, and to top it all off my friends all seem to like her. As I've gotten to know her it drives me even crazier, because I know that even though she 'stole' Percy from me, she is nice and I'm starting to like her.

I maintain my plan and just play the friend; after all it always works out for that character in the movies. The guy eventually realizes that he belongs with his best friend rather than the girl he is dating. Of course the girl he is dating in the movies is normally some dumb, self-centered, evil, skank not Annabeth who is smart and nice.

It's been two weeks since school started and I was about to give up hope, but then she threw a party. Somebody spiked the punch, and we all had to leave quickly because her mom showed up, but what he said that night wouldn't leave my brain. It just kept rolling around in my mind, "If I had to choose somebody else to have sex with it would be Kristen." Not the most romantic thing or the most caring, but at least I knew that I was second on his list. If I was the next person he said he had clearly thought about it a little. These thoughts were tormenting me all weekend. I had found my new sliver of hope.

It was with this new hope that I went to school on Monday with a smile on my face. I had gotten there early so I quickly went to my locker and wandered around looking for somebody to talk to. To my luck I found Percy all by himself.

"Hey captain, some weekend huh?" I said walking up to him.

He turned and gave me his goofy grin, "Yeah, I'd say it was one of the more memorable weekends I've had in a while."

"So did Annabeth survive her mom?" I asked. I hated bringing her up, but my curiosity got the better of me.

"Yeah she's fine," he answered then mumbled quieter so I probably wasn't supposed to hear, "I'm a little more worried about me surviving her."

I did hear it so I asked what he meant, "Why what did you do to her?"

He gave a shy smile and opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a voice I didn't want to hear. "Well, well, well, look what we have here, if it isn't my favorite to people in this school." Liz voice came from behind me. "Percy I should keep going away because every time I come back you look even better. How about we go out to dinner to catch up? Or are you still going out with your little camp girl?"

"He won't be able to go with you to dinner, we already have plans." Annabeth spoke icily she came up behind us very quietly while Liz was talking.

Liz turned to her and gave her a scrutinizing once over, "Who exactly do you think you are?"

"Annabeth, I'm his little camp girl as you so eloquently put it."

"His? I don't see his name on you, which means he's free game." Liz shot back.

She raised her hand and I thought she was going to backhand Liz, "No, but this is much better than his name on me, and means he's not free game. It means he is mine."

That's when I saw the ring on her left hand. Crushed, Destroyed, Shocked, these are just a few of the emotions I felt in this moment. I stared in shock at her hand, bye-bye my sliver of hope, I couldn't hold it in anymore and just blurted out, "Holy Shit Perce, what did you do?"

He blushed a little, "I ah, well ah, we kinda got engaged." He eventually got out. Jessica walked off pissed at that comment.

"Huh" is all I could muster up. I was falling to pieces; I had to get out of here. "Congrats, I guess." I muttered and then spun and speed walked to the closest bathroom and stood at the sink.

After a minute or two the door opened, again I was interrupted by one of the last people I wanted to see. Annabeth walked up and stood at the sink next to me, and we both just looked at each other in the mirror. After a minute she cleared her throat. "Alright look Kristen, I'm not stupid. I've known since the moment we met that you have a thing for Percy." I open my mouth to protest but she cuts me off. "Don't, just don't. I don't blame you; anyone who is lucky enough to know him likes him. He is one of the best people I know and his happy outward personality is infectious. I like you Kristen, and I think we could be friends. I didn't want you to find out like this, but I couldn't warn Percy to tread carefully because he is oblivious to the fact that you like him. Then I saw that slut out there all over Percy and I snapped. I'm sorry you had to find out like that, you deserve more than that from friends." I had started to silently cry a little and she shocked me by hugging me.

When we broke apart I she gave me a small smile, "Don't worry Kristen, everything is going to work out, you'll find somebody." I gave her another quick hug then we exited the bathroom and I walked straight to my car. I can't be near her right now she is being nice, and I just want to hate her right now. I know it was the start of the day but there is no way I was sitting through the torment all day.

I feel like such a terrible friend. I should be happy for Percy, he is happy and that's what should matter, right. Annabeth is trying to be friendly too; I should give her the benefit of the doubt. I know these things are what I should feel, but as I put the car in gear and drive off, all I can think about is how good Percy and me would be together. I know it makes me a terrible person but I've got to try and break my best friend up with his fiancé.