Seeing in Color

Twenty-One

"I bet it's your new boyfriend, Annabeth!" I whispered, and she turned beet red and flashed me the middle finger. I plopped the kitten into her hands.

I got up and made my way through the mess of books and reached the front door.

I opened the door, and to my surprise, it wasn't Percy Jackson.

It was my hopeless crush, the one and only Alex Fierro.

"H-hey, Alex. Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

I could feel my face burning up, and I hoped Alex wouldn't notice.

"Why?"

"Because you and I have a common enemy. Homecoming."

"W-what?"

"Just let me in, okay!" Alex almost pushed past me. I opened the door wider and let Alex in. The outfit for today was ripped black jeans, pink flannel around the waist, a white T-shirt that said 'Nobody Even Cares', and brown hiking boots. Short, green hair was pulled back by a pink scrunchie.

"Hey Alex!" Annabeth waved from the couch. "What's up?"

"Hey, Beth. Can I steal your cousin for a second?"

"Sure. I can breathe for a few minutes now!"

"Hey!" I shot her a glare and she stuck out her tongue.

"Can we talk in your room?" Alex turned and asked me.

Gosh, it was hard trying to guess Alex's pronouns today. The outfit was too neutral.

"Yeah, s-sure." I lead Alex down the hallway to my bedroom, praying to all the gods in mythology and religions across the globe that my room was clean.

Thankfully, I had a sudden urge that morning to tidy it up a bit, and it didn't look half-bad.

My clothes were shoved into my dresser, but at least the drawers were fully closed. There were shoes littered by the closet door, but that was normal for any teenager's room, right? My bed wasn't made, but it never has been in my entire life. Alex raced over to the green beanbag and plopped down, propping the hiking boots up on the edge of my windowsill.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Homecoming is two weeks away."

My heart dropped to my stomach.

"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about it."

I hated homecoming. I didn't have many friends in the area and got nervous when asking anyone out.

"And I need a date." Alex continued.

"Why don't you just take Adriane?"

Alex's heterochromia eyes darkened, and my sister's friend stared at the floor.

"He's not my boyfriend anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry. When did this happen?"

"When he killed himself the weekend before school started. Jumped off the bridge in the next town over. Didn't bother to leave a note."

"Oh..." I understood what it meant to lose someone you loved. But I wasn't about to say that to Alex.

No one who is grieving wants to hear anyone else's sob stories.

"So, who are you wanting to go with?"

"You."

My heart did summersaults. "Excuse me?" My jaw dropped. I felt my cheeks grow warm.

"Yes."

"With me?"

"With Magnus Chase. Is that you, or am I talking to the wrong Magnus Chase? I don't know how many go to our school."

"B-but why?" I sat on the edge of my bed, still gaping at Alex. "Why me?"

"Because you're Annabeth's cousin, someone I can trust. Plus, you're kind of cute."

"Only kind of?" I couldn't help but ask.

Alex crossed her arms – she was definitely giving off that stubborn female vibe right now – and raised an eyebrow. "Well, for one, you never do anything to your hair. I mean, do you even own a brush? Try different styles - dye it, cut it, braid it, whatever. It's just kind of boring right now."

I reached up and felt my shoulder-length blond hair. To be honest, I was hoping to cut it soon.

"Secondly, you don't look people in the eyes anymore, so no one can really see your face. And don't get me started on this whole 'homeless grunge' kind of look. It's not working for you, man."

I glanced down at my red flannel shirt that I had worn three days in a row, and the old pair of ratty blue jeans my mother bought for me in middle school.

"I don't look home-"

She held up a hand. "If you want to go to homecoming with me, you have to let me style you. I pick the outfit and hair, and you get a date."

"Well, if I say no, both of us are out of a date to the dance." I smirked. "You're not thinking this all through."

She smiled, and I felt my cheeks growing warmer.

"Oh, I've thought it through. There are so many other kids at school I can ask. I just thought I'd give you a try."

We stared at each other for a while, and I broke under her intimidating gaze.

"Fine," I sighed and stood up, reaching out a hand towards her. "I'll go to homecoming with you. But I get to do my own hair."

She stood up and shook my hand. Her skin was incredibly smooth, and her fingers were freezing cold.

"It's a deal. But at least trim those dead ends, please."

I shrugged.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow around ten in the morning so we can go buy our outfits. Would you prefer pink or green?"

I laughed. "Do I look like a person who wears pink? With this skin color?"

She laughed too, and I smiled wider. It had been a long time since I had smiled like this.

"Green it is. See you tomorrow, Maggie."

"One more thing," I said as she started to walk out the door of my room. She turned and a strand of green hair fell over her face.

"What is it?"

"Do you like me?"

Alex frowned and stuck her tongue out at me. Then she disappeared into the hallway.

I didn't follow her.