Okay, I'm no actress, but that apology to Bailey? Wow. I knew I was talented but I never assumed I was that good. I got some information, and a promise for more. I was in a good position.
I was almost absolutely sure Percy saved me...or tried to drown me. I didn't want to think about that. Percy was just being humble and not speaking up. God knows why he was in the river, but he was probably deciding the same thing of me, so I decided not to ponder on it for too long.
Percy was thinking about me. He had to be. You wouldn't save someone if you didn't care about them. Puh. You think Austin cares about you, Lexi? Did he jump into the East River to save you because some jerk pushed you in? No? I thought so.
Now for the confrontation. I couldn't leave him hanging. And besides, I couldn't stay single for too much longer. That Almanza punk was getting on my nerves. Who did he think he was, talking to me? Ugh. He made me mad. But once Percy was mine, no more geeks would hit on me, and I wouldn't need a summer fling because I would be with my soulmate. It would be perfect.
I found Percy sitting with some jocks. Brody lightly punched him and chuckled.
"C'mon, dude. Tell us who you like," he said, and I realized he may not have been lightly punching, he may have been beating him up. His tone was dark and a bit sinister. I had never really seen beating up as a bad thing. It was just putting people in their places, and inflicting a little pain to keep it that way. I never beat anyone up, I just used words. A humane bully, Bailey had said in second grade. I scowled at her. Well, I looked up what humane meant, but then I stared daggers.
But Percy was no nerd. He was my boyfriend-to-be. But I couldn't stop them yet. He was about to say who he liked! That is, if he gave into peer pressure, but I had faith in Brody. He wouldn't fail me.
After a few minutes and a few bruises, Percy gave in. He looked around uncomfortably, as if someone invisible was there studying him. I realized he may be looking for spies like me, but I was an exception. I was always an exception.
"She has blonde hair, and grey eyes. Pretty athletic, and definitely a warrior. She's the bravest girl I know," he said dreamily. Brody cackled.
"Sounds made up." But Percy just shook his head, got up, and left. He left me on the verge of tears. He thought of me as a warrior. The bravest girl he knew. I raced after him, but realized I had been crying. He couldn't see his warrior like this. I ran to the bathroom. Phew! I must have been pretty-crying because my cheeks were already dry and my eyes weren't even red. I ran out of the bathroom, and realized that Percy was gone. As disappointed as I was, I knew that I would see him tomorrow, or he'd see me, what with my stunning eyes and gorgeous hair. He loved me. And I loved him back. And somehow, that was everything.
The next day, I found Percy in the courtyard, talking with someone. The look on his face was grim, yet he laughed. I realized it was a girl. She was FLIRTING with him. That's why he was grim. He didn't know how to get out of the situation. I knew what to do. I flew into the scene, and sat right next to him.
"Hey," I said, looking up to meet his eyes. He looked confused and stunned, and looked to this girl, depending on her for an answer.
"Um, Percy, I see you've found a...friend," the girl said distastefully. He looked stunned at her, and then back at me, as if willing me to disappear.
"Um, this is Amelie. Amelie, this is Annabeth," he winced, as if expecting an explosion.
"It's Ashlee," I contributed, trying not to let Percy's forgetfulness get to me. "Nice to meet you."
She nodded, and glared at Percy. He put his hands out in front of him in defense. In defense of what?
I studied the girl. She was built like a runner, with blonde hair and grey...oh my God. It didn't seem possible, but maybe Percy wasn't talking about me.
"Ashlee," he said carefully. "This is my girlfriend."
I could hear my own heart shatter.
Percy had a girlfriend? Not to mention, a hot one? Something inside me broke, but this girl just nodded and grinned at him. She seemed to read my discomfort.
"Maybe we should leave," she suggested. Percy nodded, and lead her away. As they walked away, I could hear her mutter, "You didn't tell anyone that you had a girlfriend?"
I wanted to hate her, but I couldn't she was gorgeous and kind and the kind of person Percy deserved. I immediately knew the reason I liked her so much; she was exactly like me. Modest, beautiful, and kind. Maybe I still had a chance with Percy, but I didn't want to force it. That would do no good.
The next day in English, Annabeth sat next to Percy. Mr. Blofis regarded them both carefully. What was that look on his face? Wonder? Happiness? Whatever. As Percy's step dad, he probably approved of the relationship. I didn't think it was possible to feel that miserable, but it only got worse.
"Okay, class. We have two new students today," Mr. Blofis said, grinning, gesturing for them to come up. Two? I had been so wrapped up in Percy and Annabeth, I hadn't noticed a blonde guy sitting next to an impish kid? Wasn't he new, too? Why didn't they introduce him? I didn't have time to care.
"Annabeth and Jason," Mr. Blofis said, grinning. Annabeth seemed uneasy with all of the attention, but Jason stood up front as if that was his house. If I didn't know better, I would've thought that they were siblings. They had the same blonde hair, and stormy eyes, though Jason's were bright blue. They reminded me of the picnics I would have with my dad, the grass tickling our feet, and the sky cloudless above. It was like the universe wanted us to have the best day ever. That's what I felt looking at Jason. He was muscular, and had an aura of power and leadership. Maybe Percy was taken, but…
"Hey," Jason said, finding a seat next to that Leo guy. They fistbumped like old friends. And Annabeth sat right next to Percy. UGH.
"Okay, class. Today we will be talking about the different themes in The Odyssey. Can anyone…" Mr. Blofis droned on. I saw Annabeth mouth, Seriously? Percy just shrugged like he'd said the same thing. What would they have against a boring, long, annoying book? Oh, wait.
As I was vacantly staring at Percy, something odd happened. A quick picture appeared in front of his face.
"Percy!" they girl in the misty image said urgently. He was as stunned as I was but he quickly recovered. He slashed his hand through the image, and it dissipated. Percy's face was red, but he raised his hand meekly.
"May I please take a phone call?" Mr. Blofis nodded. And he left the room...but Leo, Jason, and Annabeth followed. Okay, that was weird. I tried to relay what happened but I couldn't remember. It was like my brain was tugging at a memory that wasn't there. Percy had said he needed to take a phone call, so it was probably just his phone. Yeah, that must've been it.
As weird as it may sound, they never came back from the phone call. Maybe they ditched. I didn't see them in the hallway, or after that for the rest of the day. It was like they disappeared. When I asked Mr. Blofis what that phone call was all about, he just shrugged, like What phone call? But he was an awful liar. He knew something, but I didn't want to pry. That wouldn't reflect my character. I'd just have to ask that Jason guy when he came back.
Hey, wassup? Why weren't you here yesterday? Er, no. That sounded too pushy.
Hey, you want to hang out? Perfect. Then he wouldn't consider it a date, but I could still ask him what that phone call was all about. That would work! And maybe Jason would even help heal my Percy problem. But of course, nothing ever goes as I plan.
Wow, that was really short, sorry guys. Anyway, I've been watching the Olympics NON-STOP and my main vocabulary for the past 3 days has been "Woo-hoo!" "Yeah!" "USA! USA!". So yeah, that pretty much sums up my life right now. PM me if you peeps have any ideas, or suggestions, or (constructive) criticism. Make sure to like and follow! See ya!