Annabeth's POV

I could hear Percy calling after me, but I didn't want to turn back. I was an intruder to them. They were never going to accept me. I run, not knowing where I'm going, then collapse to the floor, tears taking over. Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Annabeth? Hey, look at me. I don't care what they think about you. It's how I feel about you that matters, and I'm crazy about you. You amaze me Annabeth, you really do. How could someone as smart as you care about other people's opinions? I don't care what they say. I want to be with you." Percy had appeared beside me and taken me in his arms. "Crap, Annabeth, you're freezing!" He took his varsity jacket off and placed it over my shoulders. I looked up at him. Seeing the worry and the passion behind his eyes reminded me that I had to be with him. He made me feel safe. "Percy. I don't want to be "That Girl". The one who ruins her boyfriend's friendships. I can't. Everyone already does their best to move to the other side of the hall when they see me coming. I don't want to add fuel to the fire." I say looking down at my feet.

"Annabeth. You make me a better person. Being with you is like I finally know what I'm doing with my life. Don't you ever say that you are "That Girl". You're my girl." He lifts me up and kisses my cheek, then nuzzles into the crook of my neck. We stay that way for a while, locked in our embrace. "Do you wanna stay here? We could just ditch the rest of the day if you wanted." I contemplated that for a minute. "Yeah," I started. "Let's just go back to mine." We got up and walked down the hall, avoiding the stares, and out of school.

Percy's POV

"Okay Annabeth, you have to teach me how to cook. I want to be able to make you something other than pop tarts!" I shouted, scanning her cupboards. "Okay. But anything but two minute noodles." She said back sarcastically. She got up off the couch, looking incredibly hot still in my jacket, and started pulling boxes out of the cupboard. She held up a box of cookie mix. "You up for the challenge?" she said, tossing me the box. "Bring it on!" I replied. Several minutes and a flour fight later, we collapsed on the couch, getting flour everywhere, waiting for the oven timer. "Annie, you got a little bit of flour, like everywhere." I said jokingly to her. Which makes her slap me around the face, leaving a hand shaped flour print on my cheek. "Could say the same to you." She laughed.

I look over to her. How could anyone possibly look so beautiful covered head to toe in flour? "Staring is rude Seaweed Brain." She says, noticing me staring at her. "Sorry." I say sheepishly. "You're so beautiful Annabeth Chase." I say to her. "And you're full of it." She says back. "I'm serious. How can you not see it?" I say lifting her on top of me. "Percy, I've been told my whole life how dorky I am. It's just all I've ever known." I look up at her face, so close to mine. "Annabeth. You're the most amazing girl I've ever known." Within seconds, her lips find mine and we become perfectly synchronised. Her hair falls off her shoulder and brushes against my cheek, creating a sort of barrier, blocking everything out. My hands find their way to her hips, pulling her closer to me.

"Percy?" she says, pulling away from me. "What is it Annabeth? Am I going too fast?" I said back, worrying that maybe I had overstepped. "It's not that Percy. This is perfect." She replies, looking away. "What's on your mind babe?" I say, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, which always makes her blush. She looks down at me, running her fingers down the side of my face. "Nothing. Don't worry I'm just being paranoid." She says, leaning back into the kiss. I went to try and ask her to tell me what she was thinking, but the oven timer went off. "CRAP the cookies are gonna burn!" she said, jumping to her feet and running towards the oven. She pulled out a batch of perfectly cooked cookies, the put them on the bench to cool down.

I got up and walked into the kitchen. Looking at her, I could still see the worry in her eyes, dread even. "Annabeth, tell me what's wrong. I can see you're trying to hide something. What is it?" I was concerned, not because of the fact that she wouldn't tell me, but because whatever it was, was making her so upset. "It's just…" She started. "I don't know. Your friends. They're never going to like me. Especially not Thalia." She said. I was confused at that last bit. "What do you mean, 'Especially not Thalia?'" I questioned. She looked up at me incredulously. "You don't know? Wow you really are a seaweed brain! Thalia's in love with you. It was so obvious today in the quad." She looked at me as if she had just been slapped. "Annabeth, Thalia's just a friend that's all. And anyway, I've known her since preschool. That would just be weird. There's nothing to worry about. I'm yours, always will be." I say, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Annabeth's POV

I felt so close to Percy. I wanted nothing more than to be able to be intimate with him, but every time things get intense, all I can see in my head is that night. I wish I could just forget it all, but things like that will never really leave you. They stay trapped in the back of your mind, just waiting for a chance to show their face again. To quote John Green, "That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt." I loved Percy. I loved the way his smile could make even the darkest room glow. I loved the way he held me. I loved the sound of his heartbeat, sending me to sleep. I was never going to be included in his little trio. Thalia hated me to begin with, now I'm with Percy, things will only get worse. Ugh why couldn't life be simple?