Percabeth at high school

Chapter 11

"So I just don't know what to do."

Will Solace looked at Annabeth in complete shock.

He and Annabeth had a very peculiar relationship. They were only friends because of their shared economics class, but for some reason, they always spilled their darkest secrets while gossiping in class. Annabeth had been there throughout Will's entire "talking" stage with Nico di Angelo, and she was ecstatic to see them end up together. She soon found herself explaining the Percy-Luke situation.

"You had me duped," he admitted. "I thought you and Percy were, like, pretty solid."

She scoffed. "Percy isn't solid with anyone."

Will shrugged. "I mean, he usually drops girls after the first week. You guys have been going out for, what, a month now? Longer?"

Annabeth nodded. "Longer."

"If I'd known this was a deal situation, I would've stopped operations a long time ago."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Babe, you're obviously into him. Like, actually. " Will scribbled down some notes for the first time in the entire semester. "And by the looks of it, he likes you, too."

"Don't say that!" Annabeth scowled. "I just...okay, yes. I like Percy. He's fun to be around and I know he cares for me, but he's not ready for a relationship. We kissed the other day and he called me breathtaking and I just-"

"He called you breathtaking ?" Will cried. His blue eyes seemed to bulge out of his head. "You're better than me because I would've pulled out a ring right then and there."

Annabeth laughed. The teacher hushed them, but it was an independent class day. As was everyday during that pointless period.

Will leaned in, muffling his voice the tiniest bit. "Look, I'm certainly not team Percy or anything due to...obvious issues, but I despise Luke. I seriously think he's gaslighting you!"

Annabeth sighed. "I thought so too, but my parents agree with him. They want what's best for me, even if they're shitty at times. Maybe it was just a dumb mistake and they see something in him that I don't."

"Yeah, they see that his parents are loaded," Will said. "Would you really be happy with a guy you can't trust?"

Annabeth pondered that. Soon enough, class ended. In reality, Will was just a school friend. She didn't even have his number. How could his opinion be more valid than her parents'?

...

"You're quiet today," Percy said on the drive home from school.

"Just thinking," Annabeth said. Lately, she'd been feeling immense guilt around Percy. She knew in the back of her mind that their time together was coming to an end, and even though they'd agreed to something with no labels, she still felt disloyal.

He hummed in response and tapped his hand on the wheel to the beat of the song. The radio was playing Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince by Taylor Swift, and as the song progressed, Annabeth felt a couple of tears fall from her eyes.

She tried her best to hide it, because if she was going to cry about a Taylor Swift song, she'd prefer it to be from the album Evermore, not Lover.

The song was just so them. She couldn't rationalize it to herself; why she was feeling so sad about the end of her fling with Percy.

He caught her crying and pulled over to the nearest parking lot, the place where they'd had their ice cream kiss a few nights prior.

When he parked, Annabeth tried her best to blink back the tears. She turned down the radio, that godforsaken song, and cried some more because she knew she'd never be able to enjoy it the same ever again.

Percy watched her, and when she was calm, he wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"I'm sorry," she said. She wasn't sure what she was apologizing for.

"It's alright." She couldn't ignore the way his eyes turned sad. "So, who is he?"

Annabeth pursed her lips. She couldn't tell him. Not now. She wanted their goodbye to be full of understanding and trust, not turn into an argument.

"I don't know why I'm so sad," she said instead. "I know we agreed to not label anything, but..."

"I get it," Percy said. "It was different. I'm not mad at you." He stayed quiet for a few moments before saying, "I'm seriously gonna miss you."

Annabeth's bottom lip quivered, and she finally gave into the temptation to kiss him. His hands held her face desperately, and she could tell that he wasn't ready to let her go.

When they pulled away, Percy's eyes were red. She planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I wish things could've been different."

He nodded, which kind of broke her heart. She had half-wished that he would proclaim his undying love for her right there, asking her to be his official girlfriend. She wished their spark could be lit into the flame it deserved to be.

Oh, how arrogant she'd been to think she wouldn't fall to Percy's charm.

"It's Luke."

His eyes darted up to look at hers. "What?"

And the moment was shattered. Annabeth knew it was inevitable, but she really wished she hadn't said anything. "I'm going to give him another chance. My parents have been convincing me-"

"Annabeth," Percy interrupted. "I thought—god, I thought you were ending this for a decent person. You can't seriously go back to that douchebag?"

"He was a decent person before cheating on me," she said, sounding like she was convincing herself. "Besides, my parents are right. I want a date to prom, Percy. I want to go to the movies and hold hands. I want ice cream dates to be real dates. I want someone to be proud of me being their girlfriend."

He sat in silence, absorbing her declaration. He looked out the window for a few seconds before facing her once more. "You're right. You deserve the world, Annabeth. If I could give you everything you want, I would. I just need more time."

"Percy-"

"Hear me out," he said. "Of course, I was sad about you finding someone else, but if it were someone good for you I'd just suck it up and be happy for you. But I cannot in good conscious watch you be destroyed over Luke again. Just wait for me, please."

Annabeth gazed into his eyes for a long time. He seemed sincere, but he couldn't even spit out what he really wanted to say. He couldn't even tell her he liked her. Besides, how much time did he want? She refused to wait around for anybody.

"Can you drive me home?" she asked.

"Please." His voice broke, and it tore her heart to pieces.

"Now, please."

Percy tried to keep her gaze, but Annabeth turned away from him. He began driving to her house in silence.

When they arrived, she tried to get out of his car quickly, but he grabbed her hand.

"Annabeth," he said. She turned to see a red-eyed boy, his bottom lip quivering. She thought back to the first night when he had taken care of her, and she realized that this was the scene that had been his worst nightmare.

"Yeah?"

He opened and closed his mouth, sincerity bubbling on his tongue and dying there. "I hope he can make you happy."

She smiled. " You made me happy, Percy." And with that, she closed his car door and ran straight for her house.