The Runaway Princess

13. Oh Hazel

"You will spend the next 6 weeks preparing your history projects to present to the class, however you will be doing this in partners," Mrs. Hansberry announces. Whispers flood the class as people wonder who their partner will be. I sigh as Mrs. Hansberry begins to list off the partners. "Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase," she says and mouth drops open. I turn around and notice that 3 rows behind me, Stephanie glares in my direction. My shocked expression changes to a smirk as I turn back around. I glance in Percy's direction but he isn't paying attention so I forget it.

Once the class is dismissed, I grab my bag and notice that it's snowing pretty heavily outside. 'Wonderful,' I think sarcastically and pull up my hood before heading out into the snow.
I've just climbed down the steps when I hear my name. I turn my head back, only to see Percy running down the steps towards me.
"Hey," he says when he finally reaches me. "Hi," I reply. "So we're history partners!" He says, stating the obvious. Huh, maybe he actually was paying attention in class. "Yup," I mutter popping the 'p'. "So when are you free to work on it?" He asks with a cute half smile. "How about tomorrow  after school?" He nods. "Here's my phone number so you can give me a time," he says, handing me a small piece of paper before running off. "Okay." I reply but he's already gone. I stand there, shocked for a moment, trying to comprehend what on earth just happened.
~
The boys stay after school for a basketball program every Monday and Susan works until 6 so I've got the whole house to myself for a few hours. Outside, the snow has slowed to a light fall instead of a blizzard. Within an hour my homework is correct and complete, so I decide to read for a while. However, just as I've settled down in the window seat, the door bell rings throughout the house.

Annoyed, I stomp downstairs and pull open the door to find Hazel standing there, snowflakes landing softly in her brown curly hair. "Hey," I greet her, trying to sound as cheerful and not annoyed as possible. "We need to talk," she states, her tone very serious. I nod and gesture for her to come in.
Not moments later Hazel is plopped down on my bed, a coffee in her hands. "Your room is so cold," she says, a shiver running down her spine. "One of the many joys of living in an attic," I reply, sarcasm thick in my words. Hazel shoots me a look of sympathy and I turn away. I didn't need her sympathy. "What was it that you needed to talk about?" I ask, changing the subject. Hazel frowns before speaking.
"My mom got a call from the hospital today," she starts and I gesture for her to continue. "They-they said that her blood test results came in and she's got some type of blood cancer," Hazel finishes, her brown-gold eyes filling with tears. I place my hand over my mouth in shock. It was common knowledge that Hazel's mother hadn't been well for some time. However we also knew that Hazel and her mom weren't close when Hazel was younger, but within the past few years they'd grown close. "Oh Hazel," I whispered, embracing her in a tight hug. That was it. That was all it took for Hazel to fall apart. The tears spilled down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly into my shoulder. A little awkwardly, I tried to comfort her. I'd never been very good at opening up or comforting people, but I tried my best.
~
"Hey," Piper's voice called from downstairs. "Come on up!" I yelled back. It had been a couple of hours since Hazel's reveal and we'd decided to inform Piper. Which turned out to be a good idea, as I Piper suggested we just watch movies at my house.
At the moment, Hazel was sitting on the couch curled in a blanket, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She still seemed pretty upset, however after Frank's call about half and hour ago she's perked up a little. As for me,well I was sprawled out on a blanket on the floor for many unknown reasons.

Once Piper brought up the snacks she brought, she joined me on my spread out blanket.
"Hey...you okay?" Piper asked, placing a hand on Hazel's shoulder. Hazel merely nodded. Piper and I shared a concerned glance, before staring towards the TV. After a while, Hazel calmed down, so I invited them to stay over at my place. Hazel said that it was probably best that she left and Piper had loads of homework.
It wasn't until after they left that I realized just how empty my house could feel. Feeling a little worn, I cleaned up the living room and headed upstairs to my bedroom.
~
I never meant to memorize it, but some how Percy Jackson's phone number had burned itself into my memory. As I brushed my teeth before bed, the numbers ran through my head. The strange thing was, is that it was almost calming. Over and over again the pattern of numbers took over my thoughts. When I finally spit the toothpaste in the sink, I realized that my gum was bleeding from brushing to hard. 'Way to go Annabeth,' I thought and mentally smacked myself.
I'd literally just climbed into bed when my IPhone dinged. I huffed and reached to grab it. The bright screen was almost painful, and I had to squint to see the text.
I sighed, both frustrated and pleased, when I read it.

Percy
Um hi Annabeth, this is Percy. I don't really get the homework....okay I really really don't get it. I was wondering if maybe you might be able to help me???

Annabeth
Fine.

What happened next was not expected. My phone start ringing, indicating that someone was trying to FaceTime me. I answered, completely forgetting that I was in pjamas.

"Hi!" Percy's face popped up on the screen. Woah. Okay then. "Hey," I replied. "Did I wake you up?" He asked. I stared down at my outfit. I was wearing blue sweatpants and gray sweatshirt. I thought of the white t-shirt beneath my thick sweater, and for once I was grateful to have a room as cold as ice. "You didn't wake me," I assured him. "Ok good," he said and let out a breath. "So what do you need help with?" I asked. "Oh, um, nothing actually...I was just bored," he said with a cheeky smile. I rolled my eyes and tried to bite back my smile. "Soooo...what's up?" He asked, leaning against what I'm guessing was a desk chair. I shrugged. "Nothing really." He nodded. "How was the dance?" I asked. 'Smooth Annabeth, smooth' I thought as soon as the words left my mouth. "It was ok...well actually it was great," he stated, a dreamy look in his eyes. "Cool," I said as calmly as possible. "How come you didn't go again?" Percy asked and I shrugged. "Just not my scene I guess," I replied. Well at least it was mostly true. Percy nodded. "Besides, that would require wearing a dress," I said, pretending to be disgusted. Percy laughed. "You don't like dresses?" I shook my head quickly. "Jeans, tights, and sweat pants are my best friends," I said with a smirk. Percy chuckled. "I thought Piper, Hazel, and I were your best friends," he played along with mock hurt. I froze. Did we just say we were friends? Did I just get friend zoned? Was there really anything to get friend zoned over?
"Earth to Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed, snapping his fingers in corny of my face. "Huh-wha?" I blabbed, startled. Percy laughed again. "Stop making fun of me!" I whined in a high pitched voice. Percy just laughed harder and soon I joined in.
When we finally caught our breath, Percy ran a hand through his hair and we sat in a comfortable silence. I glanced at the clock. "It's late, we should probably end it now," I suggest, although part of me wished I could spend all night laughing and talking with the sea green eyed boy on the other side of the camera. Percy pouted but then agreed. "Yes ma'am," he said with a light hearted smile. "Goodnight Percy," I said with a small yawn. "Night Wisegirl," he shot back with a boyish smile. 'Oh so that's how you wanna play,' I think to myself.
I bite back a smirk as I gave a little wave before tapping the end button and crawling into bed. As I fell asleep, I felt a peaceful smile pay across my lips. And for just a moment it felt as if everything wrong in the world had been swept under carpet...hidden from sight.