Tired didn't even begin to describe how Jason felt. 9 days Piper had been in this "coma" from what the doctors said. And every single day he had been waiting for a sign that she was okay, or she was even alive. He had given up sleep, showering, even eating at times. Jason wanted to be the first person she saw when she woke up, and hopefully, she wasn't still mad. He didn't even know why she was mad, but she obviously thought Jason should know. Whatever it was, she was livid. He hated that Piper could be so mad at him and he didn't have a clue as to why. But he knew one thing: he needed to resolve this is. And soon. He was really starting to miss Piper's warm embraces, her cute little giggle when he kissed her cheeks. Most importantly, her kisses. Jason could really use some of those right about now.
So he sat. And sat. And sat. He looked around her room to kill time. She kept it very organized, to his surprise. Piper had lots of plants scattered across her room, giving off a very California vibe. Pictures hung all along her walls, especially ones with Jason. He longed for those times when everything was normal, and Piper was happy.
Jason looked at her nightstand. She had a book about Cherokee history on the corner, a light gray lamp beside it. A torn up piece of paper was hidden underneath the book. He gathered the shreds and pieced together what it said: 'Beauty Queen.' Jason's heart sank to his stomach. He was so lost in his own sorrow, he almost didn't realize when Piper had awoken. Jason quickly put the torn-up note back where he found it when he heard the most hurtful thing he could ever imagine.
"Get away from me!" Piper screeched, trying to move away from him. He looked up at her, hurt and betrayal in his eyes. Not only his, but her eyes gleamed with the same emotions. What could he have done to trigger this? Jason thought back to everything that occurred before: the restaurant thing, the pantry, and now this. Nothing stuck out to him.
"Pipes, what di-" Piper glared at him.
"Don't you ever call me that again. Ever." Her teeth were gritted as she spat out the words. Jason sat there, staring at her. What could've triggered this rage and hatred towards him? He must've said something, done something. But he just couldn't remember. And that was one thing Jason hated above all else. Not remembering vital details.
After a while, Piper started to relax. They sat uncomfortably, and eventually, she broke the silence.
"Do you not remember what you said? In the pantry?" Jason thought hard. He went in there to help her, comfort her. He thought that's what he had done. Apparently not. Jason took a deep breath.
"No." Was all he could muster. Maybe Piper would realize that he truly didn't remember and explain this whole thing to him. Maybe it was all just one big miscommunication. She looked up at him.
"Convenient, isn't it? The one thing that hurt the most and you can't even remember that you said it. Typical." Piper said as she tried to get up from her bed. She started to fall and Jason rushed over to catch her. She gripped his arms tight but pushed him away.
"Well, come find me when you bother to 'remember' and we can have a nice chat about how you broke my heart." Surprisingly, Piper marched out of there, full speed. Jason didn't bother to go after her; he knew she did her best thinking alone. Not necessarily the same for him. He stood there, dumbfounded once again. That's when the tears came. He couldn't help himself; the girl of his dreams just told him he's the reason she's hurting. He sank to the ground, letting his emotions take over.
He felt a hand on his shoulder after a few minutes of endless tears. He looked up, only to see the one person he didn't want to see. Reyna.
Jason scooted away from her, not wanting to cause any more conflicts.
"What do you want?" He put so many feelings of bitterness, anger, and hatred in those words, even he was hurt by them. Reyna didn't seem to react the same way though. She straightened up, locking her eyes on his.
"I came here to... to fix things. I don't know if I was the reason you and Piper are..." Reyna trailed off, obviously trying to choose her wording carefully. She continued.
"Anyway, my feelings towards you won't change, but I still want you to be happy. Regardless of who that involves. I'm really, truly, terribly, honestly sorry. I don't know how to express my sorrow, but I really am sorry for this. I'll do whatever it takes to mend things with you and Piper. I promise." Jason couldn't help but be taken aback. How can she go from being all over him to backing off within days? Once again, it didn't make sense. He stood up, careful to keep his distance from Reyna.
"I-I appreciate you wanting to help. I really do. But I don't think you're the main reason she's mad. I must've said something, but as always, I can't remember. And I'm pretty sure I'd remember saying something so hurtful to her." Jason sighed.
"I just need to rest on this. Thanks for trying to help." He walked out, frustrated that he could never keep anything good in his life. He turned, and Piper was there. She was turning as well to go downstairs. They stared for a moment, and he saw in her eyes what he was hoping he never would. She truly hated him. She broke off the eye contact and moved around him, not even looking back as she went to the kitchen. Jason went to his room and slammed the door, making sure to lock it. He immediately went to his bed, and he collapsed on it. He was so tired, exhausted from holding his hopes up too high. He went into a dreamless sleep, and it almost felt like he was a normal teenager again.
~
When morning struck, Jason was tempted to pretend he was dead so he could stay in his room for the rest of his life. But he knew he had work to do. He hastily got up from his bed, grabbed some clothes and hit the shower. It felt good to shower and not have to worry about missing something he was never meant to be a part of.
He got out, brushed his teeth, did his routine for getting ready. As he opened the door, he scanned the hallway, hoping to not run into Piper without a game plan. Jason needed to figure out a way to apologize and get her to tell him why he was apologizing at the same time. The whole Reyna thing might play a role in it, so he could start with that. But what else?
Jason went downstairs, grabbed an apple, and walked up the steps, each seeming to rise 10 ft higher each time. As he approached the final steps, he heard yelling. It was coming from Percy's room. Jason crept by his door and, against his nature, eavesdropped.
"Percy, I came to you for help! For some advice maybe? Anything! Gods, are you even going to look at me or should I text you about my problems?" That was obviously Piper yelling at Percy. He could never forget her voice, even if he wanted to.
"Pipes, give me a break, bro. I just... I just need some quality alone time with myself."
"Alone time? You've been alone for days, trapped in your room! Can't you just help me with one thing? You owe me this." Piper was probably trying to relax, but not doing a very good job of it. Percy laughed, but not a laugh like he thought this was funny. More like the laugh of a sociopath. It seemed almost... Forced.
"'You owe me this.' Priceless!" He busted up laughing. If it were Jason in Piper's shoes, he would've decked him by now. From outside the room, Jason could feel Piper's rage radiating through the walls.
"Every freaking time you came to me for advice about the simplest, stupidest things I gave you my time. And now, when I really need you, you couldn't care less. What is wrong with you?!" Percy laughed again, that crazed laugh that made you crawl out of your skin.
"I've been through a lot Piper. Give me some space will you?" Jason didn't need to see Piper to know that she was infuriated.
"You've been through a lot? YOU? I just got a visit from a guy who raped and beat me back at Wilderness! He took advantage of me when I was weak and alone! And he beat me to keep me quiet! Don't worry, I didn't let him go without a bruise or two. He was too strong, too commanding. I screamed, I fought hard. In the end, he still got what he wanted. But I guess he didn't think that destroying my life once was enough, so he came back to finish the job! Along with that, I just got my heart broken by the one person I have never loved more in this world, and he doesn't even remember it! So you want space? You've got it."
Piper stormed out of the room. She got to the doorway and ran into Jason. She inhaled sharply, looking like she was about to burst into tears. Her eyes were full of fear, and it all made sense. Jason didn't even care that she hadn't told him. All he wanted to do was hold her, and kill this guy who used her. Jason opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't think of the right words to say. Before he could recover, Piper ran past him to her room and slammed the door. Jason felt like a complete idiot. She had been fearing this guy for so long, how could he have not seen it? She needed someone, even him, to be there for her no matter how much she wouldn't admit it.
Yay an update! What do y'all think?? Hope you weren't expecting that(: oh my goodness thanks for 750+ reads! I wasn't expecting this story to get so much publicity... Thanks! Comment your thoughts and keep on voting and reading!