Disclaimer: Do I even have to do this? I've disclaimed this story like eighty times already. I OWN NOTHING, DAMN IT.

A/N: WHAT THE FUCK. FAN FICTION IS A DOUCHE. Okay, last chapter, Connor was supposed to have yelled "HEY!" in Percy's ear, but they made it "!". WTF. I really hope the Fanfiction gets its shit together. This is bothering me.

ANYWAY, ON TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF.

57 reviews guys! YAY!

AND BY THE WAY:

VintageRose503: Thanks for the offer, but I'm getting my license soon so I'm afraid I won't be needing your brother. Appreciate it though!

Waterwaves27: Thank you so much for adding me to all of your alerts and reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy my story so much!

Matthew . is . my . Percy: Sorry about the spaces, but I don't want to take that chance again for FF to be dumb. OMjello? Oh my peanutbutterandjelly. =] (Good? GOOD? I THINK SO!)

More swearing will ensue. Good thing it's rated T.

By the way, Luke doesn't have his scar, okay? Don't flame me, damn it. I don't want to make it where his dad threw a bottle at his face or some freaky thing like that, so his face is perfect, okay? OKAY.

I love you all, my story readers. SLTF!

..:..:..

"I never punched her. I swear. This is such bullshit." I stormed at the end of Civics, wanting to punch someone, something, anything, but knowing it wouldn't be a good idea. I already have evidence of that on my left arm.

"I know you didn't, but the rest of the school obviously doesn't believe you." Nico shrugged.

"Please, don't be concerned. My reputation being ruined isn't a big deal or anything, Nico." I snapped.

"Don't take this out on me – I'm just telling you what I heard." he retorted.

"Sorry." I sighed heavily. "This is just so fucking annoying."

"I know. Just try to ignore it." Nico clapped his hand on my good shoulder. "C'mon."

We (more like me) trudged into our Math class. The bell had just rung, so there were a few sparse teens already sitting, including Annabeth. Nico and I sat next to each other. Annabeth glanced over, smiled at us and went back to playing with her phone.

"Annabeth!" Nico called. She looked up, surprised. "Come over here."

"Oh – uh – are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Why wouldn't I be? Come over." Nico waved at her. She gathered her things quickly and sat in front of Nico.

"Do you guys know any particular reason why girls have taken to sneering, calling me a bitch and slamming their shoulders into me?" she asked, eyes moving between us. My face flamed in anger.

"Are you serious?" I hissed.

"Wouldn't be asking otherwise." She told me.

Fuck. "Honestly, why the hell – I just – I hate her." I fumed quietly. High school is supposed to be for kids from 14 to 18 to learn subjects and skills that would help them later on in life for careers. I'm beginning to think that it's there for the sole purpose of spreading rumors about people and laying waste to their reputations.

"It's because of your fight with Rachel yesterday, right?" she said softly. I looked up at her.

No. Yes. No. "Yes. Probably. Look, Annabeth, I'm really sorry." I felt like shit. "This is my fault. I can't believe this is happening."

"Percy, it's not your fault." Annabeth shook her head. "If anything, it's Rachel's."

"So you were there?" I said, my voice cracking.

"Um... yeah." She muttered, avoiding my eyes. She played with her fingers.

"You were there?" Nico tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah... I told you I'm too nosy for my own good." She glanced up at me and gave me a quick smile before dropping it. Her eyes looked sad. "Sorry. I shouldn't have."

"Why are you sorry? It is what it is." So she knows. "I'm sorry you had to hear it."

"What exactly did you guys say to each other? You told me you yelled but nothing specific." Nico asked.

"I'm not going to spell it out for you right here, Nico. Come on." I leaned back in my seat. More students had been pouring in gradually. There was no way in HELL I'm going to reiterate that whole scene in this classroom. Especially since Rachel just walked in.

She was surrounded by a small group of girls, all of them laughing and shaking their heads or shooting nasty looks over at us. Rachel was giving us the worst. The contempt and hate in her heavily made-up gaze was enough to make me want to sink down in my chair and hide under the desk. But I didn't, for two reasons. First, I would look like a huge wimp in front of Annabeth. Big no-no. Second, it would be giving Rachel what she wants. And I'm not going to let that happen.

I thought she was going to sit down with her cronies near the front of the class because they set their TNA or Lulu Lemon bags on desks near the door. She crossed the room and started to walk down the aisle to my left, for whatever reason. Nico, Annabeth and I watched as she sauntered up to my spot. I tensed.

"Hey, Percy," she smiled at me, her glossed lips pursed. It looked like her eyes were a little red. She'd been crying. That's why she looks like a clown. She's trying to hide the fact that she was crying. She leaned forward a bit, her hand on her jean-clad hip.

I didn't say anything. In fact, I averted my eyes and clenched my jaw. I stared straight ahead and tried to ignore her.

"Hellooo?" she bent down and put her arm on my desk. She was less than a foot from me. I glanced at her. Her light blue shirt was just a little revealing. I easily removed my eyes and continued to pay no attention to her. I leaned down and brought out my cell phone and started playing with it.

She grabbed my phone and held it out of my reach. "I'm talking to you, Jackson." She barked like the bitch she is.

"Give me my phone, Rachel." I snapped.

"Come get it, Percy," she teased, a sneer on her lips.

"Give me my phone." I repeated tensely.

"Come on, come and get it." She dangled it in front of me. I tried to grab it and she jerked it away. She took a few steps back. I didn't stand up, but my good hand curled into a fist.

"I bet that if I was Annabeth, you wouldn't have any problem coming and getting it. I'm sure you'd be all over that, wouldn't you, Percy?" she goaded me as she swung my phone between her fingers. Why is there an unwritten rule that guys can't hit girls?

I immediately stood up, walked up to Rachel, took her by her shoulder and pushed her all the way out of the door. I tugged her around the corner so the teacher wouldn't see us when he walked in. Once we were in the next hall, I slammed her against the wall, my good hand still on her shoulder.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I snarled.

"You're my fucking problem!" she spat back, eyes narrowed.

"No, you're my fucking problem. Why are you tormenting me and my friends?" I retorted.

She craned her neck forward. "Because I can. You made my life shit so why not the other way around?"

"What, just because I broke up with you?" I scoffed.

"Yes!" she seethed.

"How does that make your life shit? It happened yesterday. You still have friends, you're still popular. The only difference is that you're single – "

"It's shit because I still love you, you stupid jackass!" she screamed at me. I let go of her and took a step back. She advanced, leaned up and grabbed the back of my head. She brought my face down to meet hers, her lips finding mine. I was taken aback, so I had a delayed reaction with shoving her away. She clung to me like I was her last hope.

"Percy, please – " she gasped, trying to kiss me again. I pulled away.

"You've got to be kidding me." I fumed. I wiped my arm across my mouth and saw the trail of lip glass on the back of my hand. Disgusted, I rubbed my hand on my jeans. "You're pathetic." I told her icily. "You completely humiliate me in front of basically everyone who knows me yesterday and today and now you say that you still love me? And you expect me to respond? Pathetic." I repeated. "Leave me the fuck alone, Rachel. Don't even touch me." I started to turn before remembering my cell phone.

"Give me my phone."

She clutched it, her eyes tearing up. Her lower lips trembled. "Percy – "

"Give. Me. My. Phone." I said slowly and deliberately, my hand outstretched. She gently placed it in the palm of my hand and trailed her fingers over mine. I snatched my hand away. I spun on my heel and once I turned the corner, I almost ran to the nearest guy's bathroom. The stench is just as bad as usual. It doesn't seem to affect other guys that came in here, but this shit makes me gag.

I shoved my phone in my pocket and washed my hands a couple times. I lathered up and tried to wash of that stupid lip gloss from my face. I eventually got it off and wiped my cheeks and mouth with a paper towel before chucking it in the trash can.

I looked in the mirror and ruffled my hair a bit, thoughts tangling and snarling in my mind. Conflicted hatred, annoyance, and other emotions with any thoughts of Rachel, and confused feelings for Annabeth. The poke at the back of my mind that I should just skip Math. It would be so unbelievably awkward to walk back into that classroom.

Just whatever. That's how it's going to be, so why not just get started now?

But when I walked back into Math, (after waving off Mr. Miller's remark about lateness) she wasn't there. Her bag was gone too. Her friends were in their seats and glaring at me. They were texting behind their giant name brand bags and whispering to each other.

"Yo, Perce. What the hell happened?" Nico hissed at me.

"Everyone quiet! If I hear another word, I'm calling down the principal down and he'll be sitting in the back of the room for the rest of the year!" Mr. Miller roared. Short fuse? I think so.

"Lunch." I told him quietly after glancing at Annabeth. She wouldn't meet my eyes. Great. Just fucking great. She won't even look at me.

Throughout Math, I kept to myself. I dropped my phone in my bag and tried to pay attention. Did I actually? What do you think?

Finally, after a painful hour, the bell rang. I threw my things in my bag and waited for Nico and Annabeth. We walked out together. One of the girls almost tripped Annabeth, but got my death glare and retracted her foot.

"Where were you? You were gone for like, fifteen minutes!" Nico prodded. Annabeth padded beside us, her shoes making the flip flop flip flop noise as she walked.

"I was trying to tell Rachel off and for her to leave me and my friends alone. I'm sick of it. She told me I made her life shit because I broke up with her and she kind of..." I trailed off, the words stuck in my throat.

"Kind of what?" Annabeth spoke up, eyes trained on me. I met them. They were like thunderclouds.

"Told me she still loved me and kissed me." It came out in a rush of words and I felt breathless.

"Oh." She said simply.

"Wow. Okay. Awkward." Nico cringed.

"What did you say to that?" Annabeth asked, surprising me.

"I told her she was pathetic." I responded, my eyes never leaving hers. She looked stunned for a second. I wondered why.

"Intense." Nico pursed his lips.

"I guess." I shrugged and turned away. I ignored all the looks from people brushing past me and the laughs and the sneers and the whispers. I ignored it all.

We put our things away and met with everyone else in the cafeteria at our usual table.

"Party tomorrow!" Luke announced, pumping both fists into the air.

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot!" Grover said, rolling his eyes as he twirled his Coke on the table. Ah. The ever-present soda can.

"Seriously? Dude. Un. Cool." Luke's brow furrowed.

"Joking. I'm joking." Grover rose an eyebrow.

"Butt munch." Luke insulted.

"Go home."

"I am. Tonight. To prepare for my party." Luke emphasized. Thalia laughed. Nico managed to snag the seat beside her and smiled when she giggled.

"Why are you so psyched about this party?" Annabeth asked him, taking the chair next to me. My heart skipped a beat.

"Because my parents are gone for a week and I'll have time to clean the mess up, and we're going to have FUN!" he practically yelled.

"Calm down, man." I shook my head.

"How many people are going to be at the party, Luke?" Bianca asked, tilting her head to the side. She was beside her brother again.

"Like – "

"What party?"

"When is it?'

"And where is it so we can crash it?" a pair of voices interjected. We turned and saw the Stoll brothers there, grinning like dunces.

"The party at my house, tomorrow at nine and you can definitely crash it." Luke smiled.

"Sweeeet." The brothers chorused. Connor sat next to Annabeth and Travis sat next to Luke.

"How are you, my fine Annabeth?" Connor cooed.

"I'm alright, Connor. How are you?" she said politely.

"I'm hoping that you're going to be going to this party that Luke's having."

"I will be." She laughed.

She's going?

"Perfect. I'll see you there." He stood up. "But before I go, can I get your number?" he gave her a half smile. She pulled out her phone. A couple minutes later, he and his brother walked away.

"Luke, text us the address!" Travis called before they disappeared. Luke whipped out his iPhone and started typing a message. I sat there like a bum and twirled my water bottle that I'd found in my bag.

She just gave him her number. Maybe she likes Connor. He seems into her. Could it be the thing where a guy likes the girl and she doesn't like him at first but then he grows on her? Is he texting her now? Is he going to text her tonight, or even tomorrow? Is he going to ask her out at the party tomorrow?

I wanted to break the bottle in my hand. I clenched my jaw and let out a slow breath. I am overthinking these things WAY too much.

The number exchange shouldn't have bothered me. It really shouldn't have.

But it completely screwed me up for the rest of the day.