"Is this everything?" Piper asks as she brings in the last box.
"Yeah. You can just leave that on the table," I reply.
"Do you want me to stay a little longer and help you start unpacking?"
"No. I'm okay. I know you are planning on going out with Jason tonight. Don't worry about me. Have fun!"
Piper looks at me anxiously. "Annabeth, you've never lived in your own before. I feel like I pushed you out."
"No! I think it's good that you and Jason are living together. Anyway, I like having time to myself." I pull up my hair in a messy ponytail and began tearing open boxes.
Piper sighs and grabs her stuff. "Just call if you change your mind."
"Ok, mom."
Piper sticks her tongue out at me as she closes the door behind her.
I spend the rest of the evening unpacking.
Around 11 pm, I finish with the last box, grab a glass of wine and sit on the fire escape outside my window.
I think about Piper's overprotectiveness and chuckle. Piper and I met in college and have lived together ever since. Her boyfriend, Jason, asked Piper to move in with him, but his apartment is too small for two people so Jason and I traded apartments. His apartment may be small, but it is very nice.
A window sliding open distracts me from my thoughts.
"Jason! You're never going to—wOAH!"
A guy with messy black hair and sea green eyes falls through the window.
He sits up and looks at me confused.
"Ummm... You're not Jason. Sorry," he says and rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I just saw blonde hair and assumed... Are you his girlfriend, Piper?"
Before I can reply, he corrects himself. "Wait! Piper is not blonde! Uh, are you a sibling, cousin... friend?"
I awkwardly explain, "Uh, no. Jason moved in with Piper. I'm Piper's roommate who switched apartments with Jason."
He stares at me, dumbfounded. "Jason...moved out?"
I nod.
"WhAT THE HELL?! Jason, you son of a b—"
A car horn cuts the guy off.
He remembers that I'm still sitting here and awkwardly leans over, hand extended. "Hi, I'm Percy Jackson. Your neighbor. Sorry for the outburst."
I shake his hand. "Annabeth Chase. And it's okay."
Percy leans backs against the wall. "I can't believe Jason moved out without telling me!"
I awkwardly reply, "I guess he did."
Percy puts his head in his hands and whimpers, "Our bromance is dead."
Ooohhh, I do, I do, I do, I doooooo! Hey!
Boy, you got me helpless—
Percy answers his phone. "JaSOn?! How could you leave me? I thought we had something special?"
I decide to go back in my apartment to give my neighbor some privacy.
I kissed a girl, and I liked i-it—
"Piper, you need to stop changing my ringtone," I complain.
"Haha, I can tell by your tone that you like it! Anyway, I just found out that you met Percy," my best friend replies.
I suspiciously say, "Yeah... how did you—"
"Do you like him?"
"What?!"
"You do!"
"Do not."
"Do too."
I sigh. "This is not up for debate."
"We'll see... But! This isn't the reason I wanted to talk to you. Do you want to have dinner with Jason and I tomorrow night?"
"Ummm, I think I'm free."
"You are. I checked your calendar. Oh, by the way, Percy will be there too. Bye!"
"Piper, wait!!"
I groan in frustration and throw my phone on the couch.
"Uh, is this a bad time?"
I turn around and see Percy's face pressed against my window.
"On the outside, always looking in will I, ever be more than I've always been? 'Cause I'm tap, tap, tapping on the glass. WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW!!!" Percy sings while acting like a goofball.
I walk over and open my window again while laughing with Percy.
"Did Piper invite you to dinner?" he asks me.
"How did you guess?"
"Because Jason just invited me."
My phone starts to buzz.
"Oh, I think that's my boss. I really enjoyed talking to you, but I have a lot of things I need to do," I say.
Percy grins and stands up. "It's all good. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
I smile. "Tomorrow."
