"Do I look good?" Frank asked as he studied himself in the mirror. His arms felt too large for his jacket, and the tie looked like it was crooked. He tried to fix it but only made it look worse. Frank frowned and looked down at his shirt. His middle button wasn't done.
"You look fine, Frank," Hazel reassured. Frank turned to look at her, and his breath was torn from his lungs. Hazel looked absolutely gorgeous. Her dress was red and went down near her knees. There were a few jewels near the neckline.
"You look amazing," Frank said. Hazel blushed.
"I feel overdressed," Hazel admitted.
"So do I," Frank agreed. He tried to fix his tie. Hazel stepped up towards him and fixed his tie for him. "Do we really have to dress up for this?"
"You don't have to," Reyna said from the corner of the room. Frank jumped and quickly turned his head. Reyna was sitting in a chair and was wearing her hoodie and blue jeans. She rubbed her eyes and slowly looked at them. "What time is it?"
"We're leaving in twenty minutes," Frank replied. Reyna groaned and laid her head back. "I didn't see you in the corner."
"I think I fell asleep. Should not have taken pain medicine," Reyna said. She rubbed her forehead and then slowly stood. "Hazel, do you mind helping me change when you're done helping Frank?"
"Of course I'll help," Hazel answered. Reyna nodded and walked out of the room. Hazel looked at Frank. "Don't mess with the tie anymore. And loosen up. You look so tense."
"I don't wear suits often," Frank admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, why are we dressed up again?"
Hazel studied Frank for a few moments and then let out a small smile. She chuckled, "The party? We were invited last week for it. Though, I guess it probably slipped everyone's mind with what happened."
"Oh! For the anniversary party," Frank realized. "I think I saw the invitation for half a second before Octavian started lecturing me about dressing up."
A knock at the door caused Frank to turn, and Annabeth stepped into the room. She was wearing a gray dress and was holding onto her heels. Her hair seemed even more curled than normal, and her makeup perfectly highlighted her face.
"You look great," Hazel complimented.
"You do," Frank agreed. Annabeth smiled at them and approached them.
"Both of you look amazing," Annabeth said. "Is Reyna coming? I saw she wasn't dressed up."
"She fell asleep," Hazel answered. "I was going to help her. I'm not sure if she's wearing her suit or a dress."
"Probably her suit. Hopefully not the one you vomited on," a voice commented from behind them. Frank turned around and studied the two newcomers. Piper was wearing a pink dress that made her look almost as gorgeous as Hazel, and next to her stood the man that had spoken: Jason. "I've only seen Reyna in a dress once before."
"I should go help her, but you and I are going to catch up after that, Jason," Hazel promised.
"I look forward to it," Jason said. Hazel left the room. Frank watched Jason, who wore a black suit with a pink tie. He looked right at home in what he was wearing. "I can't believe they gave me an invite for this party."
"Your father is pretty important," Piper commented. "I guess you are as well."
"Not really," Annabeth said, but there was a smile on her face. "I can't believe no one told me until yesterday."
"Hazel knew about it for a week or so," Frank accused in a joking tone. "So blame her."
"I will," Annabeth promised, laughing a moment later. "What does this party entail anyway?"
"It's going to be a lot of interviews and publicity stuff," Lupa said as she walked into the room. Frank turned and almost laughed as he saw that Lupa was wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. With everyone else dressing up, he expected Lupa to do the same. "The real party will be when the cameras turn off and the alcohol flows. My place isn't far from the venue, so anyone who wants can sleep at my place."
"Hey Lupa," Jason greeted. Lupa walked toward him and pulled him into a hug. Jason hugged her back. "How have you been? I'm sorry I haven't visited more."
"I've been doing well, Jason," Lupa replied.
"Good. Thalia is out of town, but when she comes back, she wants to go out to dinner with you. And go on a motorcycle ride. I agreed only if I could ride with you," Jason said.
"I'll keep you safe," Lupa promised. "I've missed having Thalia around the gym."
Out of the corner of his eye, Frank saw that Reyna had stepped into the room. She was wearing dress pants and a suit that she somehow pulled off better than Frank did. Her hand was playing with her tie, and Hazel stepped in behind her to adjust it.
Reyna's eyes were focused on Jason before she turned to look away. Her gaze stayed on the ground. Frank walked towards her, "You look good."
"Thanks, Frank. You do too," Reyna complimented. She looked down at her wrist. The jacket sleeve was carefully rolled up to show the small splint on her wrist. Her gaze moved to Hazel. "Do you mind giving me a ride home after the event? Nico keeps yelling at me for wanting to drive."
"You shouldn't be driving," Hazel agreed.
"I've only done it a few times," Reyna argued. Hazel gave her a look, and Frank joined in. Reyna rolled her eyes. "I'm a good driver with just one hand."
"Is everyone ready to go?" Lupa questioned. Everyone agreed, and they started to walk towards the exit. Jason stayed next to Lupa, talking with her. Piper and Annabeth trailed only a foot behind, and Frank didn't miss how Reyna drifted to the back by herself.
A look at Hazel, and the two took a step back to be in line with Reyna. She glanced at them.
"You can't have alcohol with your pain meds, can you?" Frank asked.
"I wasn't planning on having anything to drink," Reyna said with a shrug.
"You told me to always take alcohol from an open bar," Hazel said. Reyna remained silent. "Oh. I was hoping to have my first drink with you."
"You were going to drink?" Reyna asked in surprise as she looked at Hazel. Frank looked at her in surprise as well.
"Something small," Hazel said after a few moments. "With not a lot of alcohol in it."
"Alright," Reyna muttered. Her gaze focused ahead, and a small scowl came to her face. She then looked at her arm and studied her wrist as if that was what was causing her pain. Frank knew better, though. He followed the others outside.
They weren't taking a limousine, so they were going to carpool. Annabeth offered to drive, and Lupa was going to drive as well. Reyna's bad mood was starting to make sense. Piper and Jason were going to want to drive with Annabeth, and Reyna would either be the fourth wheel with someone in the car who probably hated her or be in a car with Lupa.
As they made it outside, Reyna glanced between the two cars and then seemed to make her decision. She made her way to Lupa's car but sat in the back and immediately pulled out her phone. Frank sat in the back seat, and Hazel sat in the passenger's seat immediately engaging Lupa in conversation.
Frank focused on Hazel, and a smile came to his face. He loved how sweet she was and how she was always trying to help other people. Hazel was just the sweetest person he had ever met.
And Frank totally had a crush on her.
He had this crush for a while now. It was something that always rested in the back of his mind, but he was scared to voice it. Frank didn't want Lupa to get upset at them for dating, especially since Reyna's relationship with Thalia had already caused some waves.
It wasn't Reyna's fault by any means. It just didn't work out with Thalia, but if Frank and Hazel dated and broke up, things would be worse. The two still went to the same gym every day, so it wasn't like one of them could leave the state like Thalia. The awkwardness and tension wasn't what scared Frank the most.
Frank did not want to lose Hazel. He enjoyed being her friend too much to take the next step and lose her because they didn't work out. Frank could not lose his best friend. At the same time, this crush wasn't going away. Nothing he did worked, and he just wanted to be with Hazel.
"Reyna," Frank whispered softly. Reyna glanced at him, and Frank moved closer. "Can I have relationship advice?"
"I think I'm the last person you want it from," Reyna muttered.
"Please," Frank whispered. Reyna studied him and finally nodded. Frank's eyes moved to Hazel before focusing back on Reyna. "When we're alone."
A look of confusion came to Reyna's face, but she nodded and went back to her phone. Frank spent the rest of the drive staring at the ground, and when they finally made it to the large building where the party would be, he felt his heart starting to race.
They stopped at the door, where a valet was taking vehicles. There was a red carpet that led to the entrance, and of course, reporters stood on the other side of the velvet rope. Lupa walked first with Reyna following behind, and plenty of reporters were quick to ask Reyna about what had happened with her being arrested.
Instead of answering, Reyna kept moving forward. Hazel walked with Frank, and her hand brushed against his. Frank felt his heart flutter, and a smile came to his face. It was followed by a frown. What if dating Hazel caused them to be distracted while training?
Frank didn't want to distract her from her fight or even be the reason she lost. He swallowed painfully as they stepped into the building. His worst fear hit him as well.
What if Hazel only wanted him as a friend.
They stopped at the lobby while they were greeted by an official of the Olympic League. Frank nodded to him and shook his hand. Then, he looked around at the numerous fighters from the past and present that line the large banquet hall.
There were servers walking around offering champagne, and a few tables were lined with all kinds of different food. Frank felt his stomach growl. Lupa cleared her throat.
"All of you have fun," Lupa ordered, but there was a gentle smile on her face. Her gaze moved to the side. "And Reyna, if you're feeling good enough to spar tomorrow, we can."
"I won't be," Reyna said almost immediately. Lupa frowned slightly.
"If you do want to spar sometime," Lupa began.
"Yeah," Reyna muttered. She turned and walked towards the table of food. Frank followed behind her.
"You okay?" Frank asked.
"Perfect," Reyna muttered. She sighed and grabbed a plate to put some food on. Her gaze moved to Frank. "What did you want to talk about?"
"There's this person I like," Frank began. Reyna studied him and nodded. "And, I don't know what to do. She's a really good friend, and I don't want to lose her if things don't work out. How do I get rid of these feelings?"
"Frank, I am really the wrong person to ask about this," Reyna said, filling her plate. "You saw what happened in my relationships."
"I know, but you have the most experience," Frank said. "I'm just not comfortable asking Annabeth."
"Is it Annabeth?" Reyna questioned. Frank quickly shook his head. Reyna frowned. "...Me?"
"No," Frank said quickly. Reyna nodded, and her gaze moved over to Hazel. "Please don't tell her."
"I won't," Reyna promised. A sigh left her, and she looked at her plate. "I can't tell you what to do or what not to do, Frank. Just know there is a chance of losing Hazel if you guys don't work out. But who is to say that you won't hit it off?"
"I know you said you can't tell me what to do, but do you think I should chance it?" Frank questioned. Reyna seemed to think about it. She didn't have a chance to answer as Hazel walked over. And, she was holding a glass of champagne.
"A waiter asked me if I wanted this, and I felt too awkward saying no after everyone got one," Hazel said, and there was a slight blush on her face. "Does this have a lot of alcohol in it?"
"I'll get you a mixed drink, Hazel," Reyna offered. She glanced at Frank. "And, you should go for it if you want it, Frank. Take the time to think about it and do what feels right."
"Thank you," Frank said. Reyna nodded and led Hazel away. Frank watched the two leave. A smile came to his face. He did like Hazel, and he did want to ask her out. But, he would not distract her from her fight.
Maybe, he would just ask her after.