Annabeth's Mortal Friends

Chapter Seventeen

Caleb Pierson's POV:

I sat back down in my chair, practically bouncing. I probably had a stupid smile on my face, but I didn't even care at this point.  It's done, I did it.  I put the papers in Annabeth's locker, which means the countdown to the end of Percy and Annabeth's relationship has started.

I was feeling a little too antsy for this class to be over.  There isn't much time left, but I'm worried that I'm going to miss Annabeth's reaction.  What if I get to her locker and she's already gone?  What if I miss the breakup?  I need to be there to be her shoulder to cry on when she dumps that jerk.

Sitting in my desk, I've got nothing better to do than figure out how to get out of here early.  I just got back from the "bathroom," so I doubt Ms. Clements would let me go again. It's too early in the morning to tell her that I'm getting out early for swim.

Or maybe it's not? I could tell her that the coach wanted to meet with me before second period. No, she might ask the coach about it later. Maybe I'm setting some kind of advertisement up?

That's perfect! I'll tell her I have to set something up for swim after school, which means I have to leave early. It's just a little white lie, no harm done. I raise my hand as soon as she looks in my direction.

"Caleb?" She called on me.

"Coach Wilson wanted me to set something up for swim in between first and second period. Can I go do that?" I asked.

"Really?" She questioned me. "He's asking you to leave class early to set something up?"

I wince at her disbelief, but nod anyway. "Yeah, not sure why, but I have to get it done. I just want to get there before the bell rings so I'm not fighting the hallway traffic."

Ms. Clements hesitated for a bit, glancing at the clock for sighing and looking back at me. "Fine, class is almost up anyway. Go ahead." She relented.

I smiled at her, saying a quick thank you before tossing my books into my bag and bolting out the door. I didn't have a second to lose. Stopping at my locker and tossing in my books, I heard the bell ring. I cursed under my breath slammed my locker shut, continuing down the busy hallway toward Annabeth's locker.

She's not there.

Okay, don't panic, maybe she just hasn't gotten out of class yet. My eyes flicker nervously around the hallway before noticing Annabeth. Her long hair is tied away from her face, and she's wearing a light grey sweatshirt and denim shorts. Casual yet flawless, like she required no effort to be beautiful. Yet still, her arms were covered up...I hate the fact that I know why.

Emma was walking next to her, but I was trying not to interact with Emma much until she cooled down. I still don't get why she blew up at me. I just want what's best for Annabeth, and Emma should see that.

I leaned against the far wall from Annabeth's locker, attempting to blend into the crowd. Apparently it worked, because she and Emma kept joking around with each other, completely oblivious to my presence. My heart jumped as Annabeth starting unlocking her locker.

I took a few paces closer, wanting to be within earshot. Annabeth swung her locker open, jumping back a bit when the pile of papers fell on the ground. She stared at them in confusion for a second, bending down to pick them up. Here we go...

"What are those, Annabeth?" Emma asked, gesturing at the small stack of articles. Annabeth shrugged in response, flipping one of the papers over and frowning down at it.

Suddenly, her eyes widen. Her face tightens, and she frantically shuffles through the rest of the articles. She almost looked panicked. It was perfect, this is exactly what I wanted! There's no way a smart girl like Annabeth is going to stay with a criminal like Percy. It's almost done...

"Annabeth..? You okay?" Emma pressed quietly, touching Annabeth's arm. Annabeth yelped in surprise, analyzing the concern on Emma's face. She put on a smile, but anyone could see right through the fake happiness.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just have to go talk to Percy really quick. I'll be right back." She says, so quickly that it practically sounds like one sentence. On that note, she shut her locker and started off down the hall, walking slightly faster than normal.

Emma stood there, her mouth slightly agape. She thought quietly for a bit, probably wondering what got Annabeth so worked up. She was so lost in her head that she didn't even notice Andrew come up behind her.

"Hey Em, you alright?" He asked.

Emma nodded silently, a conflicted look still present on her face. Andrew studied her a bit more before looking around awkwardly. He noticed a loose paper on the ground and picked it up. Annabeth must've dropped one of the articles.

"Did you drop this?" He asked, holding out the paper to her. Crap! I really didn't need Emma to see that; she's already mad enough. Please don't notice it...

"Oh, no, I-" she began, before swallowing nervously. She gingerly took the paper in her hands, reading over it slowly before gasping. The corners of the paper crunched under her tight grip. Yeah, she's definitely mad.

She whips her head around, searching the hall for something. Was it me? Was she coming to kill me?

The murderous look on her face when she noticed me answered her question. She stared me down, and, despite being at least a head taller than her, I felt pretty small there.

She shook her head at me disapprovingly, a sad look flashing onto her face. She grabbed Andrew's hand, muttering something to him and pulling him down the opposite end of the hall from me.

Ouch. I might've preferred her staring daggers at me, but she just looked so disappointed. It's almost like she's trying to tell me that I'm doing something wrong. That's not the case, though. She just doesn't realize that I'm doing this for Annabeth's sake. She'll see eventually.

Whatever. I'm just going to brush it off and focus on the main goal, which is saving Annabeth. That's all that matters, and Emma will come around eventually.

Speaking of Annabeth, where did she go? She's probably on her way to break up with Percy now, and I can't miss this! I have to find her, fast.

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thank you all for waiting patiently for this next chapter, school is almost over for me which means teachers are PILING it on. i also hit a bit of a writer's block with this story, but i think i've figured it out!

on a much higher note: 16k reads and #1 in percabeth??!!?!!!

5/13/20