Finding it

Edited: KATIE 10

I watch as Travis walks away. I try to shake away the confusion that keeps growing, but as I turn my head my eyes land on Mae. She, too, watches as Travis walking in the opposite direction.

My lips form a line as her eyes finally land on mine.

"He's your boyfriend?" Mae raises her eyebrows.

"Yeah," I nod. "That's Travis. The one I had lunch with at your restaurant."

"The one that hates me!" Alex adds as he comes up to us.

Miranda notices the sudden tension. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

Connor shifts in his place. "Is you're name Mae?"

The daughter of Ceres turns her attention to him. "You're Connor. . ." She starts, "We've met?"

Connor fiddles with the hem of his shirt. "Gods," he curses then turns to his girlfriend. "Mir, come here."

I watch as he drags her away.

"Why was that?" Angelo makes a face. "You know them?"

"I'm—I don't—" Mae stumbles over her words. A frown on her face. She looks at me with panic in her face.

"Whatever it is, it isn't anything bad. Let's not interrogate her," I come to her aid. "Right? It can't be anything bad, Mae?"

"I'm not even sure what going on," Mae admits, hesitant.

"See," I emphasize.

"If it's bad, I swear that I never intended it."

"Everything's going to be okay. This has just been a strange first day. We caught hard, we're all tired, let's go back to the fifth cohort."

The others nod and we make our way back to the cohort. Angelo and Alex go to the bathroom for the boys and Mae shows me to the one for the girls. Despite our earlier friendship and alliance, we settle into a silence that I can't tell if it awkward of comfortable.

"She doesn't know?"

My sister's familiar voice perks my ears. I stop in my tracks. Mae looks back at me, "You okay, Katie?"

"No she doesn't, that's why Travis was freaking out earlier." Connor's voice responds to Miranda.

"Yeah, go ahead without me," I tell Mae, "I'll be there in a minute." She frowns but continues walking.

"But they're literally dating, why can't he just be like, we know each other, Mae and I used to be together?"

"Because Katie won't understand."

My frown deepens.

"Yes she will—"

"Mir, come on. Things are more complicated than that."

"Guys?" I step around the corner to see the two. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah!" Connor jumps. "Nothing!"

"You don't scream like that if you're talking about nothing," I raise my eyebrows. "I hear mine and Travis' name. Mae and him have history?"

"It's nothing," Connor says. "I gotta go, I'll see you later." He gives Miranda a nervous peck on the cheek before waking away.

"Are you going to tell me?" I ask.

"They have history, but it's a long time ago." Miranda winces.

"Are you going to tell me the whole truth?" I press.

Miranda begins to drum her fingers on the side of her leg. "Mae and Travis have a history . . . but I'm not even sure what there much I can say. All I know is that it's a complicated past."

How complicated?
• • •

I lie on my side in my bed that was given to me. Facing Miranda's bed, she doesn't face me back in return as I assume she is still asleep so without anything to do I let my mind wander.

These things I know for certain: People I trust, seem to be hiding some piece of information from me. Travis found the need to hide the fact that Mae and him have history. Miranda, my sister, isn't even telling all that she knows, and I don't understand how to decipher why she has told me. And who knows—maybe Railyn and Jake are in on it too. Nobody tells me anything apparently.

They're protecting you. I try to convince myself. So that you wouldn't be hurt. But why would I be hurt? They aren't together anymore. He's my boyfriend. Then why do I still have this strange gut feeling?

I shouldn't care what their relationship was because it is not happening anymore. Between the two of them, there is no them. But there is an us and an is between Travis and I—that is all that should matter. There is not reason for me to be upset.

But I am. My friends and family are hiding something from me. Even Aphrodite's saddened face comes to mind. They know more about this relationship and my gut is telling me that I don't know the truth. And as a demigod, our gut instincts are usually correct.

~
short chappie but idc fight me.
i still will update though im already working on it so calm ur tit.s, alright.?
or i won't update.
lol im playing
❤️
7/23/2017