Chapter 17: Percy
I was grinning like an idiot all the way back home. I couldn't believe I had the courage to actually hold her hand and kiss her cheek.
"You really like this girl, don't you?" my mother asked, when I entered the car.
All the excitement, all the smiling was sucked away with that simple sentence. I noticed that my heart wasn't rushing anymore. "I don't like her, ma!" I argued. "I mean — it's not that I hate her. I don't dislike her, I mean. But I don't like like her, you know?"
"I just heard a whole bunch of 'like' Percy," she laughed.
"Oh whatever, ma. That's what you would hear anyways," I teased. She laughed.
"Just don't hurt her, mkay?" she said.
"I already did," I chuckled.
"Percy Jackson! What do you mean?"
"Remember that girl I hit at the park? That was her," I said and quickly bit my lip.
"Well she's certainly forgiven you," my mother smiled. Her eyes were so big and happy in the rear view window I could almost see small hearts in them. I rolled my eyes. Oh mother.
~a couple of days later at a tutoring session hehe~
"So. I guess you're my new regular, huh?" Annabeth asked, as I sat down on the desk in front of hers. She looked different today, better. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail except a small curly strand that hung on the side of her head. She was wearing the camp t-shirt again, it was orange, and jean shorts, but today she had added a bandana tied around her head.
I grinned. "I guess so." I hadn't seen her in a while and I had to get used to the feeling of my heart wanting to escape my rib cage all over again.
"So what did the evil Mr. D assign for homework?" she giggled.
I laughed with her. My heart was light and happy. I don't think I ever felt it that way. "Um he assigned us about 5 pages of work," I rolled my eyes. "But that's why I came! You're going to do all of them for me!" I smiled like a dork.
"You mean help you do it. I don't do it for you," she argued.
"Oh right. Sorry, my bad, Wisegirl," I drawled.
She rolled her eyes. "Okay then, let's start!" She looked so excited to do math and I smiled, wanting to share every fraction of that excitement with her.
She dove into yet another lecture of math. I, as usual, couldn't keep up with her. "So that's why we use U to help solve polynomials," she concluded.
Her grey eyes flew over sheets of paper and math problems, her arms gestured what she was explaining, and every so often she would reach up and check that her bandana was in place. Her princess curls bounced with excitement and she sat straighter up in her chair. Then she dove in. And I, of course, could only see the gleam in her eyes.
"I kind of got it?"
"Oh come on! I explained it so well!" Her face dropped and she put her hands on her head.
"Sorry," I shrugged.
She looked at her phone. "It's getting late. They are going to close up the school, soon. We should go do this someplace else," she groaned.
I studied her carefully. All of her energy from before was gone. Her face was drained and she looked ready to pass out. "I think you need a break," I told her.
"As if I have time," she argued, packing up her stuff in neat binders.
"There is always time for relaxation during the summer. Come on, let's go!" I said and pulled her arm out the door.
"Bye Will! Bye Nico!" she called out. The two boys blushed and looked at her. Will Solace winked at Annabeth and smiled slyly.
"Where are we going Percy?" she squealed.
"Wherever the bus will take us."
"But how?"
"Choose a number between 1 and 10," I told her.
"Okay, 9!"
"Fine. In 9 stops we will get out and see if there's anything interesting in the area. You need a break, and I am good at breaking things."
She laughed again. "Wow what a line, Percy."
I grinned.
"Is this what you tell other girls?" she continued.
"What other girls?"
"I don't know. Other girls." She bit her lip and looked at the floor.
I studied her carefully. She was avoiding my gaze. "Are you asking me if I have a girlfriend?"
"No!" she exclaimed quickly. But her cheeks were turning red and I knew better.
I moved my head closer to her. We were only one inch apart. "Well, since you're not asking me, I can tell you that I am one-hundred percent available and free," I smirked and turned away. My face was hot and I couldn't get the smug smile off my face.
There was a moment of silence. "To punch?" she suddenly asked with a sweet grin on her face.
I spun on my heel. "What?"
"You said you're "one-hundred percent available and free." Can I punch you?"
I rolled my eyes. "Is this what you tell other boys?" I laughed, stealing her line.
"Percy Jackson!"
"That's me," I laughed. She slugged my arm. "Come on let's go, Beth," I grabbed her arm and pulled her with me.
"Don't touch me Jackson!" she pushed me off.
"Well you won't walk, so..." I looked at her with a pointed look, but we soon both burst out laughing.
We reached the bus stop and waited a couple minutes before getting on the bus. "So in 9 stops we'll reach our destination," I said in a robotic voice, mimicking the voice of the lady of the bus that said the name of the stop. Annabeth burst out laughing.
"Okay how about we play 9 questions. One for each stop?"
Annabeth smiled. "Sure."
"Okay you start," I told her and rubbed my hands together.
"Let's see... favorite song in the whole universe?" she asked.
"Ummm... well my favorite band is Imagine Dragons, so literally any song by them." I blushed. I thought teenagers were very judgmental in one's taste in music, but then again, teenage years were all about stereotypes: the nerds, geeks, or jocks, etc.
"Good choice," she nodded.
"What about you?"
"Um... I love Green Day but The Killers is pretty darn amazing."
"Yes! I love American Idiot."
She made a face. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams is better."
"Fine, fine. Next question," I smiled. Somehow the ride on the bus didn't seem so boring or smelly as other times.
"Okay favorite Disney movie."
"That's so easy. Nemo."
"Ugh, of course Seaweed Brain." She rolled her eyes. "Since I already know you're going to say 'what about you'," she teased, "my favorite Disney movie is Mulan or Tangled. Now it's your time to ask a question."
"Uh okay. If you could have a superpower what would it be?"
She stopped to think. "I would say the ability to know everything. That would be so cool. No more studying for me!" She pretended to dance in her chair, and I chuckled.
"I would choose the ability to control water," I slowed, already anticipating that she was going to interject.
"Is everything about water for you?"
"Pretty much," and we burst out laughing.
"So your favorite color is blue?" she asked.
I blushed and nodded quickly. "Percy Jackson!" she squealed.
"This is our stop," I told her and we boarded off the bus. I offered my hand to her as she stumbled down the steps of the bus.
"Thank you," she giggled.
"You're welcome, Your Majesty. Now, where are we?"