I gritted my teeth, and my heart clenched. What was I supposed to say? I didn’t even know what to do. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I didn’t want to make her sad. Was this how Percy and Silena felt when they tried to become friends with me, but I kept trying to push them away?
But, why did I care whether Annabeth would continue to be my friend or not? Didn’t I push everyone away from me? Why did I even want friends? When…when did I change? Was it when I met Percy at the tree in the park? Was it when Silena declared that she wouldn’t stop trying to become friends with me? When did I start caring about having friends anyway?
Silena glanced at me with an expression that could be read as desperate, curious, but hopeful. I couldn’t be sure what she wanted me to answer, but since it was Silena, I guessed that she wanted me to tell the truth to Annabeth. It was at least better than lying.
I sighed and looked Annabeth in the eyes. “Yeah, he did.”
Annabeth nodded, her expression still unreadable. “I see.” She crossed her ankles and sighed, looking up at the cold gray sky. “How weird,” She said, “that the sky is reflecting my current feelings.” One single tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’m…sorry,” I apologized. Apologizing was something that I rarely did, and the words that left my mouth felt unreal.
Annabeth glanced at me from the corner of her eyes. “What are you apologizing for?”
“I…” I started, but I wasn’t really sure what to say. Why was I apologizing? “It’s…it’s my fault for making Percy like me, isn’t it?”
Annabeth closed her eyes and lightly sighed. She reopened them and turned her body towards me, sitting Indian style. “You were just being yourself. You can’t control how you really act.”
“Then, whose fault is it?” Silena decided to speak up.
It took a while for Annabeth to respond, as she was deep in thought, thinking of an answer to Silena’s question. She inhaled. “No one’s. It’s no one’s fault. You can’t control how you feel towards something or someone. Percy broke up with me because he likes someone else. I can’t control that. Nico can’t control it. And Percy can’t control it. The only way Percy could ‘control’ his feelings is if he wasn’t honest with them.”
“Honest with whom?” Silena wondered out loud. “Honest with you and Nico?”
Annabeth shook her head in response. “Honest with his own feelings. The only way to control his feelings is if he lied about how he felt to himself and everyone else that asked him. And, that’s not even considered as controlling them.” She grasped her ankles with her hands. “And, it couldn’t have been my fault either. I can’t control how I feel about Percy. It’s just how I feel. Like Percy, I can only control them unless I’m not honest with my feelings. It’s just how it is.
“Nico couldn’t have been at fault either, whether he likes Percy back or not, because of his feelings not being able to be kept under control. And, I know Nico wasn’t trying to impress Percy in any way, because he the way he acts around Percy is the same way he acts around me. So, he’s not trying to impress Percy. He was just being himself. And Percy just couldn’t control his feelings.”
“You are the new Aristotle, Annabeth,” I commented in awe at everything she just explained.
Annabeth gave a small laugh. “Thanks, I guess.” She sighed. “I feel a bit better now after all of that, knowing that it’s no one’s fault. But, I’m still a bit hurt.” She glanced up at me. “Do you like Percy back? As in the same way he does?”
YOU ARE READING
The Violin That Started it All
Fanfiction[[Completed]] [[High School AU]] [[Percico]] Nico di Angelo has the worst life he can ever imagine; at school and at home. But, when he's playing his violin under a tree one day in a nearby park, he comes face to face with a certain someone: his cru...
