A/N: I could write like a thousand excuses as to why this is so late…but let's just get to the reading 'cause that's what you want to do right?
Disclaimer: I don't own PJatO. Rick does.
Roommates – 8
Annabeth definitely couldn't say that she hadn't been having a rough week. There was so much work and stress and tests and pressure, and to make matters worse, her mother had decided to actually pay attention to her for once. She wasn't exactly happy to discover that her mother was only monitoring her success to make sure she didn't ruin Athena's exceedingly wonderful reputation.
"A 9.9 out of 10, Annabeth? Really? On a calculus quiz, no less. I thought you understood calculus. You do, don't you? Or do you need a tutor?"
Annabeth huffed lightly so her mother wouldn't hear her through the phone. "Mom, it was a miniscule mistake. I don't need a tutor just for that. The teacher is super strict with her grading, and I forgot to go to three significant figures on my last problem. I'm sorry."
She imagined Athena holding her cell phone, listening but not really paying attention to her words. "You should not be making these types of mistakes, Annabeth, especially this early into the academic year. I better see all tens next week then. No pathetic mistakes," she responded in a demanding tone. "I'll call you when time allows it, I have some important business. Bye." Athena then hung up the phone, not even waiting for Annabeth's disheartened 'goodbye.' Not that she cared. Not that everything she did was all geared towards the purpose of impressing her mother.
Annabeth hung up the phone and leaned against the wall, trying to compose herself. She was getting a bit frustrated with Athena, who was getting on her case for nothing. It would be different if Annabeth was not driven and didn't strive to do her best. She wouldn't mind being chastised, but the thing was that she actually did try her best in school and she put forth a lot of effort into her work. Most of her classmates had already pinned her down as the class nerd, the smart one, the know-it-all, etc, etc. It wasn't fair of Athena to fuss over her miniscule mistakes. It was especially unfair of her mother to expect her to be perfect. Would she never be good enough?
As she continued leaning against the wall, she brainstormed some of the things she wished she had told Athena during their conversation when she was interrupted rudely by a girl's voice from the television.
"Previously on Pretty Little Liars…"
Annabeth felt her eyebrows rise as she turned to find Percy Jackson sitting attentively on the couch, eyes focused on the screen in front of him. She couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside of her.
Percy kept his eyes on the television while simultaneously asking, "What's so funny?"
Annabeth could not believe this. "Why are you watching Pretty Little Liars?" she asked amusedly.
"Why can't I? It's Friday night and it's a free country! Plus, I'm bored and this girl in my math class is always talking about this show, so I figured there's a first time for everything."
"You are literally the weirdest person I have ever met."
Percy looked offended. "Geez, it isn't such a big deal. Calm down. If you can't stand me watching this show, why don't you pick something?"
Annabeth snorted. "Fine, then." She grabbed the remote from him and flipped through multiple channels. At last, she found what she was looking for, crossed her arms, and leaned back against the couch with a sigh of content.
Percy's face contorted into one of disgust. "National Geographic? Really?"
"National Geographic is great. It's educational. You should try watching it for a change."
"So I can listen to some old guy talk about potholes? No thanks." He made a grab for the remote, but Annabeth pulled it away.
"He is not talking about 'potholes.' I mean, he is, but he's relating it to the theory of the Great Flood. It's actually very intriguing. You see, the theory is that-" Annabeth began, but not before Percy cut her off.
"We should just watch SpongeBob instead. Come on, Annabeth, live a little!" Percy tried again for his hand at the remote, but Annabeth moved her arm out of reach.
"I'm pretty sure watching SpongeBob is not considered 'living.'"
"Watching National Geographic is worse. It's like getting buried alive in a pothole as a guy with a long gray beard discusses the pros and cons of symbiotic relationships."
Annabeth snorted. She snorted. And the weird thing was, she didn't really even notice. Usually, she would cover her face and feel completely embarrassed; it was just not a trait she was proud of. Snorting is what pigs do. It is not what smart and sophisticated people did. Yet here she was, snorting in front of Percy Jackson to no avail and not even trying to mask it with a cough or sneeze.
As she recovered from her transformation into a pig she pushed back her hair. "For the record, I don't think people get buried alive in potholes. And how do you know that the person who's narrating has a long gray beard? That's so shallow. For all we know, he could be the spitting image of you!"
Percy laughed. "Trust me, if he was the spitting image of me, he'd be an actor or a singer. He'd be a heartthrob plastered on the front cover of all those Hollywood magazines. He would not be narrating for National Geographic."
"Are you calling yourself attractive?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm unattractive! Plus, I have great acting skills!" he protested.
Annabeth just rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. You? Fifty years from now, you will be the guy narrating the next feature for National Geographic."
"Ha! So you admit that the guy does have a long gray beard!"
"What?! No?!" Annabeth denied. She moved her hand higher, as Percy made a grab for the remote.
"Come on, Annabeth, let me change it! You can watch your boring show later!" He reached higher for the remote.
This time Percy got hold of Annabeth's hand that was holding the remote. Annabeth, however, refused to let go. Percy was not making any move to let go either. Annabeth gave a hard tug on his arm and somehow he ended on top of her on the couch, their noses on the verge of touching. Annabeth felt her heart quicken.
"Get off of me before I break all of your bones," she said as menacingly as she could. For some reason, she could not breathe normally.
Percy threw her a goofy smirk and raised one eyebrow questioningly. "Are you going to give me the remote?"
She was having trouble thinking clearly. She had the sudden urge to reach up and brush back his hair. His ocean green eyes seemed to see right through her. "What?" she said. She was surprised at how soft her voice sounded.
He smiled knowingly. "Do I distract you, Annabeth? Have you finally given in to the fact that I am, indeed, attractive?"
She scoffed. "You? Distract me? In your dreams, Jackson."
"So we're on a last name basis now, are we?"
She rolled her eyes. "Just get off before I make you wish you did."
"Just give me the remote, Chase and I'll leave you alone. What are you going to do?"
She smiled sweetly at him before punching him hard in the stomach. He wheezed slightly before rolling onto the ground
"Ow. What the heck?" he rubbed his injured stomach lightly.
Annabeth tried to hide the fact that her hand hurt like she'd just punched a brick wall. She did not know that Percy had abs under that shirt. Maybe he ate rocks instead of actual food? Wait, what? What was happening to her? She was definitely losing brain cells. Eating rocks? Rocks or not, she was pretty sure that the punch hurt her more than it hurt him. Not that he had to know that.
"I warned you," she said as triumphantly as one can when really all she wanted was a bag of ice for her throbbing knuckles.
He got up from the ground and sat himself down next to her on the couch. "Fine, you win this time, Chase. But there will definitely be a next time."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, yet again, but this time she couldn't hold back a genuine smile. In the strangest of ways, Percy had managed to take her mind off her frustration with her mom. It was nice to just be friendly with someone. It was nice to just be herself and not have to live up to someone else's expectations. It was just…nice.
Line Break
After an eternity of watching National Geographic with Annabeth (or more accurately sneaking peeks at Annabeth watch National Geographic), Percy's eyelids started to droop. He shifted so that his head was on the armrest, and sooner than later, he found himself falling asleep.
Annabeth, of course, was still completely absorbed in the theory of the Great Flood (though she already knew most of the facts the narrator was spouting out every few minutes). She didn't seem to notice Percy passed out from sheer boredom, despite the fact that he was literally right next to her. As the feature finished and the credits started rolling, she stretched her arms and legs and was about to tease Percy about how this was probably the most intellectual thing he'd ever watched when there was a knock on the door.
She stretched a little more and adjusted her shirt before going to open the door. The first thing that caught her eyes was the red hair. It was curly and full of life, and she'd never seen anything quite like it before. Annabeth was about to comment on it when the girl smiled invitingly.
"Hi, I'm Rachel. Can I come in?"
Annabeth was utterly confused. She was pretty sure she didn't know any Rachel, nor had she seen this girl around school. She was also pretty sure that she would remember someone like Rachel. Rachel had bright green eyes and a kind, yet mischievous smile. She was wearing a blue Save the Whales! tee-shirt and her jeans had random patches of paint on them. Everything about her was a bit unique, almost to the point of being eccentric.
Rachel must have noticed Annabeth's confusion somehow because she laughed lightly and explained. "Oh, sorry, I'm a friend of Percy's. I go to NYU, and we were planning to hang this weekend, but he probably forgot, being the dummy he is," she joked. Annabeth smiled. At least someone understood.
"Yeah, sure, come on in," Annabeth replied, opening the door fully and letting Rachel in. Rachel and Annabeth walked over to the couch to find Percy sound asleep. Rachel laughed again before tapping him on the forehead.
"Wake up, Percy." Rachel said, still smiling.
Percy jumped up, his eyes flying open and connecting immediately with the first thing he spotted in the room, which was Annabeth. He felt his face flush when he found her looking back, her nose slightly crinkled. He turned around and spotted Rachel, who was also grinning. "What?"
Annabeth spoke. "You drool in your sleep." Her voice held a laugh, but her face was serious.
"What? No!" He quickly wiped his mouth, finding just a little drool.
Rachel sat down on the armrest next to him and tousled his hair. "Duh, you do Percy. Stop lying. Now give your friend a hug, you idiot." Percy slowly got up and gave Rachel a hug.
Annabeth watched, suddenly feeling weird. She felt like she was in the middle of something, like she was interrupting. She also wondered for a millisecond what hugging Percy would be like. Then she shook her head. What was she thinking?
They broke away from their hug and Annabeth tried to muster a smile, but for some reason it was harder.
"Oh my gosh Percy I have so much to tell you about NYU! It's like everything I've ever dreamed of and my dad isn't even freaking out about it! He wanted me to go to some proper girl's university at first, but I convinced him and it's just so great!" Rachel started.
Percy nodded. "Why don't we sit down in the kitchen and you can tell me everything Rachel. Do you want coffee or something?"
Annabeth started heading towards the bedroom as Rachel gave her answer, taking this as her cue to leave. As she started to turn the door knob, Percy called her.
"Hey, Annabeth, where are you going? Come and sit with us."
"No, it's fine, I was just going to-" she started, not really knowing what she was going to do.
"Come on, Annabeth." He pulled a chair out for her.
She nodded and sat down and Rachel began to talk again as Percy handed her a glass of water, grabbed a coke for himself, and took a seat as well. "So anyway, I was making this new vase in my pottery class and-"
Not meaning to, Annabeth felt herself tuning out Rachel and found that she was watching Percy out of the corner of her eye. Whatever Rachel was talking about, it must have been interesting, because Percy's sea green eyes lit up and held a sort of light in them she didn't think she'd even seen before. He laughed at something she'd say every few minutes. Annabeth started to feel left out and slightly angry, but she couldn't figure out why.
Rachel told him about how she'd thrown her trusty plastic blue hairbrush at a professor that was being extremely rude. He'd taken a sip of his coke and couldn't hold it in, so he spit it out. Right on Annabeth. Rachel's eyes widened but Percy was still so caught up in the joke cracking up like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"The same plastic blue hairbrush you threw at our science teacher junior year?" he managed between laughs. Then he seemed to notice the awkward silence and Rachel's widened eyes. He saw Annabeth and his whole demeanor changed. "Oh my, Annabeth, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" he got up and reached out to her, grabbing some napkins as well.
Annabeth felt pissed. There was no other word. He was the one who'd asked her to sit down and talk with them, and then he'd gone to not even noticing her and spitting on her. Now he was acting all apologetic as if that could make up for it. If he'd wanted to hang out with Rachel so much, he could have just said so. He didn't have to make her sit there like a bumbling fool and listen to their inside jokes and memories.
"No, it's fine. I have some reading to do for a class anyway." Why was she lying? She didn't have any homework and here she was, lying. What was happening to her? She tried not to storm off dramatically, managing to walk towards the bedroom.
"Wait, Annabeth, you know I didn't mean to-" he said as he started to follow her, grabbing her arm. She turned and pulled her arm away from her, then locked her eyes onto his. "Percy, really. It's fine. Just go." Then she turned and shut the bedroom door behind her, ignoring the hurt look on his face.
She changed and sat on the bed, trying to read a book she'd picked up for some light reading. Instead she found herself listening to Percy and Rachel laughing in the kitchen and feeling angrier. She put the book away and put on her headphones, blasting the sound of laughter away with music. She lay down on the bed, staring up at the bottom of the top bunk until the music faded and she fell asleep.
Annabeth didn't like the way she was feeling. She didn't like it one bit.
A/N: Ooooh Annabeth. Hope you enjoyed! OMG THERE'S A SPIDER ON MY WALL. Bye.