The Good and The Bad ~ Percabeth

twenty five

[unedited]

a.c.

"Hey."

Wyatt comes over and sits beside me on the bench. We stare at the water for a long time without saying a word. The roar of the party is muted by the closed doors, but I can't forget what's going on in there. It's not my scene; it never will be. It's Percy's, and I have to respect that, but I just can't stand to be in there anymore. 

Finally, he says, "Look, I'm sorry you had to see that. Percy's chewing Becki out pretty hard right now by the sounds of it. He never should've done that."

I look at him and nod. "I know."

"And, honestly, Anna, I don't know your story. The two of you seem to have some weird, deeply rooted connection and you both seem completely naive about how high school works. I'm not going to call you stupid, because we both know you're not, but I want you to know that something like that isn't a big deal. People who hang out with groups like Percy's and Becki's do that kind of thing all the time. They'll kiss someone on a dare, or make out with them at a party, or just do it for fun and never remember it again. It means nothing. You have to know that."

"You don't like him," I say firmly, turning to look at him. His shoulders are turned in and his head in hung low like he's ashamed or something. "Why are you defending him?"

He stares at the pool for a long time. I watch the lights reflect off of his dark eyes. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes. I like the silence. It allows me to think. Finally, he turns to me and says, "Because I like you and you seem happy with him. You two connect on some level that I never could and I'm okay with that. When you're happy, I feel like the world isn't so bad. I can't explain why; I just do. I'm sorry if that's a weird thing to say or if I've made you uncomfortable, but I just wanted you to know."

"Thanks." It's quiet for a bit longer, and then he stands up. He opens his arms, and I don't hesitate to pull him into a curt, platonic hug. He pulls away and strokes my hair. 

"You should go talk to him, but don't get upset if he isn't very receptive." He gives me a grin. "If you haven't noticed, your boyfriend is absolutely tanked."

I exhale and nod. "Yeah. I'm catching on."

He lifts his cup in a small toast to me and walks back inside. I take another breath of the clean air (or as clean as New York City air gets) before walking back into the house. It's loud and stuffy, and I don't know where Percy is.

I find Olivia, and she grabs my arm. "Percy's passed out on Nadir's bed if you're looking for him."

I find it in myself to chuckle. "Of course he is. Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah, Becki's with him right now..."

I bunch my fists together and turn to get a good look at her face. She looks surprised to see my ire. "Becki is in there? With my drunk boyfriend?"

"I don't think she's doing anything, Annabeth, I wouldn't worry..."

"Yeah, well, that's what I said to myself when we sat down to play Fuck You, and she ended up sucking his lips right off his fucking face, so I think I'm going to worry." I snap, turning on my heel and running up the stairs. I throw open every bedroom door. There's a couple having sex in one, but it's not Percy, so I don't care. At the end of the hall, I bust open the last door. Percy is sprawled like a starfish on the bed, and Becki is perched on a chair in the corner like a little angel. "Get out."

She stands, and her eyes are glassy. "I didn't want him to be alone, so I sent Olivia to find you. Look, Annabeth, I'm sorry. It was just part of the game. I didn't realize it would upset you so much. If I'd known, I swear I never would've done it; you have to know that."

"Why are you still in here?" I ask, voice curling with anger. "You didn't want him to be alone and now he isn't. Get out."

"I don't want you to be upset with me. I really don't. I liked hanging out with you tonight and my judgement was so poor tonight. I take full responsibility. I'm so sorry."

I feel the heat in my cheeks and I turn away from her. "Get out of here, Becki. I don't want to speak to you right now."

I hear her sniffle, and she gets up and brushes past me. She cracks open the door, and turns to me. "I know I'm in the wrong here. I am. But I really thought you were the kind of person to understand and work to forgive. Please be that kind of person."

She closes the door behind her, and I feel worse than I did before. I trudge over to the bed and lie down beside Percy, lifting his arm to drape over me. "Becki," he mutters. I'm about to slap him when he says. "Leave me alone. I want Annabeth."

"It's me, baby," I say, hooking my thumb on his bottom lip. Like a big sack of potatoes, he flops over on me and squeezes me almost too tightly. He leaves a kiss on my neck for so long that I think he falls asleep doing it, but he lifts his lips to my ear.

"You're a better kisser than her anyway. I love you until we die." He rolls back over, pulling me with him. He keeps his arms tight around me and eventually, we both doze off. I'm piled on top of him, which can't be comfortable, but being close to him brings me such a sense of comfort that I can't care. We'll talk about the Becki thing tomorrow, I remind myself, but the pressure of his long fingers holding me close and the warm air from his nose blowing into my ear makes me forget all of the reasons I can be mad at him.

I fall asleep

- - - - - - - - - -

Hey all! I realize I take so many chapters to get through anything, but you're so kind about it that I'm just going to keep going! Thanks for 900; let's see if we can hit 1k by Christmas!

Thanks for the love.

Thank the gods for everything in your life that brings you happiness.

Love, tumblingupwards