The Library Book

#21 - Dodgeball

Chapter 21 - Dodgeball
published: Sunday, 19 April 2020

Annabeth's lower lip dropped as she gaped, Hazel's voice drowning into background noise.

"One moment," she muttered through gritted teeth, marching up to a certain Percy Jackson and pulling him by the shirt into an empty corridor. She slammed him against the wall before stepping back and crossing her arms.

"What the hell is this?" Annabeth said breathlessly, glaring pointedly at his sheepish expression. She gestured to the cut on Percy's right cheek. "Explain."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too."

Realising how closely they were standing, Annabeth felt the blood rush to her cheeks, and she retreated hastily.

"I told him to stop," Percy admitted. "He wasn't even that angry, but after that..." He shrugged.

Annabeth shook her head. "He's getting more violent," she insisted. "A cracked rib might soon be the least of your worries."

He was significantly better than on Friday, and the rib seemed to have healed up enough for him to move around normally.

"I didn't think it was important enough to call you," Percy explained, pointing at the cut. "I cleaned it up myself."

"These kind of things are always important," Annabeth said firmly. "Can't you stay away from the house? Stay with Frank?"

"I can't abandon my mum," Percy said exasperatedly. "She'd be alone with him—"

"Well, isn't this lovely?"

Drew's abrupt interruption forced Percy and Annabeth to spring apart instinctively.

Annabeth averted her gaze as Percy pointedly studied the tiled pattern on the floor.

She scowled. "What do you want, Drew?"

"Calypso's leaving next week," Drew sniffled disdainfully. "I'm just making sure that Percy doesn't return to..." Her gaze raked painfully from Annabeth's head to her feet. "...old habits."

As her vision tinged red, Annabeth nearly lunged at the other girl before she felt Percy grasp her wrist and tug her back.

"I'm going to kill her," Annabeth murmured as Drew rejoined the rest of her friends.

"Then you'd go to jail," Percy pointed out. "And I'd never see you anymore. So let's not do that."  He relaxed his grip and pulled his hand away from Annabeth's.

The first bell of the day sounded, and Annabeth pulled a face. "See you at lunch, I guess."

She barely had any classes with Percy, which used to be a blessing, but had since turned into a disappointment.

+++++

The hands on the clock went round in a blur, and before Percy knew it, it was the end of the day.

Coach Hedge had looked ready to murder someone when Percy relayed that he'd fallen off his bike and cracked a rib.

"You can go over the plays in the bleachers," Hedge grumbled in response. "Bah, teenagers are so fragile these days."

Percy sat on the bench in the locker room as he waited impatiently for the rest of his teammates to get dressed.

"She broke up with you?"

It wasn't like Percy was trying to eavesdrop, but Matt Sloan and Luke were speaking loudly enough for the entire team.

"Yeah, rushed off in a hurry," Luke replied forlornly. "Wouldn't say why."