His Lifeline

Chapter 19: I Get Assaulted By Donuts

Over the next few weeks, I got maybe four hours of sleep in total. The preliminary competition was tomorrow, and it was going to be a huge deal. Most kids got kicked out, so the school made the competition a big deal and invited literally everyone. The debt collectors still plagued me; the only way I knew that their trail had not run cold was because I was still at school.

As the weeks passed, I tried to slowly distance myself from Annabeth. Now that she had Rachel around during the mornings, I didn't feel bad when I told her I slept in. Also, since I had gotten accepted at a convenience store, it was basically accepted that I couldn't stay after school for long.

However, since the competition was getting closer, she had begun to have me sit in front of her friend group again after school. I could only practice for around half an hour, but she still dragged me out to practice. I knew she was noticing how exhausted and sluggish I was, but I had to keep my distance. No debt collectors needed to use her as leverage.

As I finished my 30 minutes of practicing in front of her group, I quickly packed up. They shouted words of encouragement for the next day and told me I sounded good. Which was complete bull because I was so sleep deprived I wasn't even sure my fingers were moving the strings on the guitar or if I imagined the whole thing. I waved goodbye and walked out of the house before Annabeth could talk to me, and jogged to my work.

It was a 7/11 near the school, so a lot of high schoolers went there. I worked as a cashier and had the longest shift I could get. 3:45 to 10pm. I quickly threw on my apron and walked out to get to work.

My shift is pretty uneventful. Except for those weird instances when someone comes in and rambles their life story or gives me tips on cheating for a test. Most of the time, it's a random passerby or high schooler with too many Slurpees.

Around 9:55, I started counting the money in the register when someone walked in. I continued what I was doing when the customer slapped a package of donuts on the counter. I quickly scanned the package and kept my eyes on the register. The person handed me a five-dollar bill, and I gave them their change. I heard the door close as the customer walked out.

I finished counting the money in the register and then signed out. The next worker came in to relieve me as I put my apron on the hook. I walked out into the crisp night air and almost jumped out of my skin when someone moved a package of donuts in front of my face.

I yelped and jumped back. "Man, you're out of it. I called your name like three times" I slowly looked up and took a second to register the voice and person looking at me. Annabeth.

She sighed. "Come on, Rusticitas, let's head home." She grabbed my hand and pulled me. Around the time we got to her car, I registered what she said.

"Wait, you mean my house, right?" she looked at me and nodded. I got into the car and put my seatbelt on. She got in after me and then started the car, pulling us out of the parking lot. I looked out the window, happy I wouldn't have to walk home in the dark. But I grew worried when she missed my turn.

"Um, Annabeth, you were supposed to turn there" I was getting nervous, and my sleep deprivation made my mind jump to conclusions. Maybe this was a debt collector in disguise. Maybe she was going to kill me. What if I placed trust in the wrong person. What was she thinking?

"I know, Percy," I started to freak out," but listen, you haven't been sleeping, I can tell. I'm not taking you back to a place you won't be able to sleep at. Just let me do this, you have your competition tomorrow, and if I'm able to help you, I will" my heart slowed a bit when I realized she wasn't going to kill me and drop me in a ditch.

But then the debt collectors issue hit me. If I stayed at Annabeth's house, they would know I was close to her. But once Annabeth parked, she was out of the car faster and made sure I followed her into the house. When we got to her room, she made me take the larger bed, saying that she wasn't the one running on three hours of sleep.

I couldn't argue, especially when I smelled her lemon-scented blankets. I was literally unable to escape. My sleep-filled brain wasn't helping as I drifted off. I was aware that when I started falling asleep, Annabeth threw the package of donuts at me but I was too far gone to eat them.