Pippin POV
Mr. Blofis seemed really nice. I could assume that he was just living with the family or something, since Holly had said that her last name was Jackson.
"Watch this," Mr. Blofis said, and winked. He then turned to Percy. "Don't you have your driver's test today after school?"
He nodded.
"Well, since your mom is working, and I'll be with you..." Holly, who had been drinking water, choked. She swallowed then walked over.
"Are you seriously making me go with you guys?" She asked.
Mr. Blofis shrugged. "You aren't allowed to stay home alone yet."
She groaned. "Say something nice at my funeral." She turned and walked back into what was probably her room. I had a feeling that Percy wouldn't be the most responsible driver.
Percy grinned. "Is she actually coming with us?"
When Mr. Blofis nodded, Percy laughed. "That'll be fun."
"Well, we'd better get going. Pippin has school. Wait, do you think Holly would go to the same school as him? If so, we could take her." My dad said. I secretly did a happy dance. Was he serious?
"Probably, what school is he going to?" Mr. Blofis asked.
I didn't actually know the answer to his question, so I let my dad answer.
"PS Junior High, I think."
Mr. Blofis nodded. "That's her school. Holly!" He called. "Do you want the Ashmans to take you to school?"
Holly peeked out. "Sure, but give me about two minutes." She slipped back into her room.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Girls," I heard him mutter.
"I heard that." An older woman appeared. She looked kind of like Holly, but older.
"Hi," she said to us. "I'm Sally Jackson, Holly and that idiot's mother." I almost burst out laughing. Their mother had a sense of humor. (A/N Sally and Paul are not married but dating, since this takes place after TLO but before TLH. Maybe I should have said that before...)
"Hey!" Percy protested.
Holly laughed. "Finally, you understand me." She had apparently come out of her room.
"You ready?" Dad said to her. She nodded, and grabbed her backpack.
"Percy, your school starts in five minutes," Ms. Jackson said.
"I don't have to go to school until my driver's test." Percy piped up.
Mr. Blofis and Ms. Jackson exchanged glances. "Yes you do!" They said simultaneously.
Percy laughed nervously, then grabbed his bag and ran out the door.
Holly laughed. "He's lucky his school is right across the street."
I nodded, then Dad said, "Well let's go." We left, Holly closing the door behind us.
It was awkwardly silent until we got to the elevator, when I decided to strike up a conversation. "So what's it like living in New York?"
She thought about this. "There's a lot of traffic," she decided.
Dad laughed. "No kidding."
"Where are you guys from?" She asked us.
"San Francisco." Right after I said that, I heard a phone ring. Holly groaned. "I thought I turned that off." She checked to see who it was, and her expression changed from slight annoyance to confusion. "I didn't even know I had his number..." Her voice trailed off but she answered it. "Hello? ...hi Grover, what's up?" My face burned as I wondered about something. Who was Grover? Was he her boyfriend? My heart sank.
Holly sighed. "The link's with Percy, so how do you-" She listened, and after a few seconds she paled. "Crap. Well, I've got school, so we'll figure it out after. Talk to you later." We got out of the elevator, and she turned her phone off and put it in her backpack.
"Who was that?" I tried not to sound too nosy.
"Grover. He's Percy's best friend."
"Are you two dating?" I hoped I sounded curious.
She stared at me as if I'd grown a third eye. "I'm pretty sure he's in his thirties."
I relaxed, but hopefully not visibly.
"Here's the car!" Dad said as if we'd won the lottery. We had this red convertible. It was pretty cool.
Holly smiled slightly and got in the back. I sat in the passenger seat.
We drove in uncomfortable silence. I knew that Grover had told her something in that phone call. And it probably wasn't something good.
When we got to my new school, Holly thanked Dad for taking her.
He grinned. "Oh, please. Call me Loki. I'll see you guys later." He drove off.
She turned to me. "I'm assuming your grandparents like Thor?"
I laughed, and we walked inside.
