Annabeth POV
"I don't understand the point of this," I said firmly. We were at the mall, which was one of my least favorite places in our city. I'd rather be at the library or park.
"We've been over this. We're doing this for Rachel," Piper explained.
"I don't understand how splurging money will make her feel any better," Thalia said flatly. "Besides, she should be over that jerk by now."
I smiled at my best friend. We got each other. We may be different in terms of looks and personality, but our thoughts and ideas tend to be similar. We both agreed that we hate shopping and we hate unnecessary drama.
"Girls, this is a part of our job description as friends. Rachel deserves a day out so that she can get her mind off of things," Piper expressed.
Her voice was soft yet persuasive. Thalia and I couldn't help but succumb to her words. We just couldn't deny any requests made by Piper for some reason.
It was quite annoying actually.
Piper smiled before pulling out of the parking lot.
Taylor Swift started playing on the radio, and we jammed out to her music for the entire ride. No one could deny that Shake It Off is one of the best party songs of all time.
We reached the mall in just under 20 minutes. Piper always drove fast, but this was a new record for us.
We walked into Macy's first. Hazel texted the group chat that she and Rachel were at the women's shoe section. Thalia instantly groaned after reading the text aloud as we made our way towards the second floor. It made sense that Thalia was groaning. She only wears one kind of shoes, and those were leather black boots with silver ankle spikes.
Rachel and Hazel were looking at heels when we arrived.
Piper immediately gushed over Rachel's selection of red stilettos. I rolled my eyes as Thalia disappeared to the boots section.
"Annabeth, I'm so happy that you came. I know how much you hate shopping," Rachel said genuinely.
She wrapped her arms around me, and I froze. I'm not much of a hugger. Regardless, I accepted Rachel's embrace and rubbed her back in comfort.
Rachel and I had been friends for years now. She was one of the first people (after Thalia) that I met after moving to New York. One thing about Rachel was that she was more emotional and vulnerable than Thalia or me, but we loved her regardless.
"Annabeth, I found some shoes for you as well," Rachel cheered.
She moved away from me and picked up a pair of strappy gray pumps. While they looked very pretty, I would never wear them.
My face probably looked disgusted as I stared at the heels.
"Rachel, that's so kind, but when will I wear those?" I asked politely.
"You'll wear them at a party or something. You'll wear them when the occasion comes along. I'm gonna buy them for you," Rachel said firmly.
Before I could reject, Rachel turned away and packed the box. Hazel was already holding four boxes in her arms, and she seemed exhausted.
I sighed at Rachel's stubbornness. Rachel was stubborn about her opinions. If she hated someone, she hated them. If she loved someone, she adored them.
Right now, she hated Percy more than any of us.
Piper seemed lost in thought as she gazed at Rachel. I knew where this was going, and I honestly wanted to leave. However, she caught my arm before I could walk away.
Ugh, Thalia was smart about escaping ahead of time.
"Hey, Rachel, I'm glad that you're having a good time. I don't want to ruin that, but how are you doing? Have you spoken with Percy yet?" Piper asked.
Rachel paled as her hands shook beside her.
Great, here we go again.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes because that would be insensitive.
Hazel set the boxes down and gently supported Rachel's arm. Hazel and Rachel were close since they shared a passion for art. They led the art club together at Goode High.
"I haven't spoken to him after the breakup. I don't want to talk to that jerk anyway. I'm just so hurt by him. I thought that we were something special."
I didn't know if Rachel genuinely liked Percy or if she was really naive. Percy Jackson is the player of our school. That was no secret.
Rachel couldn't be dumb enough to believe otherwise.
I decided to stay quiet before I said something wrong or inappropriate. This wasn't the time for an 'I told you so.'
"Yeah, I'm so sorry, Rachel. But, Percy is a good guy. He's an amazing friend to Jason. I think that he just didn't want a relationship. That's all," Piper expressed.
Rachel gave Piper a look of disbelief. "You're defending him," she snapped.
"All I'm saying is that it's not your fault. This is Percy's decision," Piper countered softly. She looked like she was regretting the conversation now.
"Look, I know that your boyfriend is Percy's friend, but you're my friend. Percy hurt me, so you should understand that," Rachel said.
She turned away and continued to shop.
Piper took a deep breath as the conversation died. I gently rubbed her arm to reassure her that it was okay. Rachel was just being emotional again.
While I don't appreciate Piper trying to lift Percy's persona in front of us, I did understand where she was coming from. Thalia, (now) Rachel, and I don't like Percy. As such, Jason's friends could never mesh with our friend group. However, Piper wanted us to meet and get along.
The rest of the evening turned lighter.
We simply walked around the mall like mindless teenagers. Why does the stereotype of girls loving shopping exist? I hated shopping, so I wasn't having fun. However, I was being supportive of Rachel.
I was a little pissed off at Thalia though. Apparently, she called Jason and told him to pick her up. As such, she went home without me.
And, I'm definitely going to get back at her for this one.
***
Helen was currently cooking some food for dinner later today. The boys loved Helen's fried chicken, so she was making the vegetable sides for the dish now. I liked that Helen spread out her work when cooking or cleaning.
"Hey, Helen, I'm going to the library to finish some homework. Is that all right?" I asked politely.
"Of course, Annabeth. However, please be back for dinner," Helen said.
She smiled as I nodded towards her. However, I could see the strain in her eyes. She had been quieter all day, and I knew what that meant. Helen got into another argument with my father, and it had to be about his work.
Helen wasn't a bad person, but sometimes, she could be in an awful mood. Fortunately, she was all right today.
"Is everything okay, Helen?" I asked with concern.
She sighed before turning to me. The vegetables were steaming on the pan, so she turned down the heat. "It's the same old, Annabeth. Don't worry about it."
I nodded again before leaving my home.
My dad was never home, and that led to arguments between himself and Helen. While I didn't like Helen at first, I had grown to appreciate her. She took care of her boys (and me) with minimal intervention from her busy husband.
My dad wasn't a bad person either, but he kept himself busy. Either he didn't understand that his family wanted him around or he didn't know.
At this point, I wasn't sure of anything. I don't talk to him much.
I sighed as the brick and glass library came into view. The public library was only five minutes away from my neighborhood. Our financial status was nice thanks to my dad's job. We lived in a good home in a safe neighborhood.
The library was one of my favorite places to visit.
The architecture was beautiful on the inside. A glass and steel staircase was in the middle of the library and shelves of quality books surrounded the room on all three levels. Large glass windows bordered the walls for an elegant view.
I walked to the second floor and sat near one of the lounges in the back. I watched the birds flying above the trees outside.
After a few minutes of peace, I pulled out my homework.
"Annabeth, I thought that I'd find you here. It's so great to see you," a voice expressed. I knew that voice very well.
Luke Castellan (aka my ex-boyfriend) sat opposite me.
"Luke, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.
The last time that I had seen Luke was when we broke up. It was a mutual decision because Luke was moving away because his dad got a job elsewhere. However, I genuinely felt like we wouldn't last in a long-distance relationship.
Let's just say, Luke was favorable towards physical experiences.
"Honestly, I was looking for you, Annabeth. Wow, you look as beautiful as ever," he said softly. His eyes sparkled from the light coming from the large window.
I felt heat rise and cloud my cheeks. However, I remained calm and collected. I was good at maintaining neutral emotions.
"Anyway, my dad got relocated back here. As such, I'll be finishing my senior year at Goode High with you," Luke expressed.
"Well, you'll actually graduate a year before me," I commented.
Luke chuckled. "You're still a genius. Not a single detail gets past you, does it?" Luke's voice was smooth and confident as he conversed with me.
"No. Not really," I said with a smile.
My guard was getting higher and higher. I don't know why, but Luke's presence was a little off-putting. I didn't have any more feelings for him.
I realized that he was turning me into another person during our relationship. Don't get me wrong, Luke was fine, but he changed me. Luke was my first serious boyfriend and in my inexperience with dating, I found myself becoming the person that he wanted (rather than being myself).
I am my own person, and I'm not going to change myself for the worse for him.
It turns out that my instincts were correct. Luke's next question confirmed why I felt a bit weird about Luke's return.
"I was wondering if you wanted to resume where we left off. I missed you Annabeth, and I'd love to be with you again," Luke said firmly.
"I don't think that's a good idea," I responded a little too quickly.
Luke's smile melted immediately as a scowl plastered his face.
I thought long and hard about who I wanted to be after our breakup. I wanted to be myself (intelligent, prideful, strong, slightly stubborn, determined, etc), and I needed someone who treated me as such.
"Wait, are you kidding, Annabeth?" Luke asked sternly.
"Luke, I am serious. I've thought about everything, and I don't want to be in a relationship with you anymore. There are no feelings left," I said firmly.
I resisted the urge to say "I'm sorry."
Technically, I had no reason to express an apology.
So many people made the mistake of apologizing after saying no. However, there was nothing wrong with rejecting someone or something.
"Is there someone else?" Luke asked angrily. His tone of voice had elevated greatly, and his right hand was in a fist. My eyes narrowed on his body language.
Just then, I knew that I made the right decision. Luke was still the same cocky and egotistical boy, but I was not the same naive and lovestruck girl.
"No, there isn't anyone right now. I made my decision," I said firmly.
I watched carefully as Luke stood up. His whole persona radiated anger, but I didn't care. I just wanted him to leave, and I was happy when he finally did.
I shook my head and knocked thoughts of Luke out of my mind.
Luke was back at Goode High, but I didn't care. I had no intention of bringing him back into my life. He had his chance, and he was not correct for me. So, that's it.
Wow, the last few days were interesting.
I opened my books and started to finish my English essays. Gods, I was ready for my life to get back to normal. However, normal was not my forte.
I realized this in the week to come.
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