Chapter 13 - I Have An Announcement To Make
published: Wednesday, 18 March 2020
"Hey," Annabeth said cheerfully, speeding up to walk in step with Percy.
Monday mornings were always the worst, but it was especially bad when Percy was acting strangely around her. And he was.
He'd been weird ever since her date with Brady yesterday, and Annabeth had no idea what she'd done to warrant it.
When he didn't respond, Annabeth brushed past it. "You left your sweater at Piper's yesterday." She pulled out his blue football hoodie and passed it to him.
"Thanks," he said shortly.
Annabeth felt anger bubbling up inside. Well, if he didn't want to talk to her, then she wouldn't bother him.
"Fine," she snapped. "Have a good day."
She didn't see him until lunch that day.
"I'm telling you, it's because he likes you," Piper whispered to her across the table.
Hazel had joined them today, and while it was nice to have a bigger circle, they had to be less spaced out on the table.
"You sure about that?" Annabeth murmured, her eyes catching on the commotion at the front of the cafeteria.
It was Percy and Rachel, hands linked and flirting in a way that made Annabeth wrinkle her nose.
"Oh my God," she heard Hazel mutter under her breath.
"Did you know about this?" Jason asked Hazel.
Hazel shook her head in disbelief. "No. He didn't mention anything. I thought she asked him out after the game on Saturday, but he said no."
Annabeth's ears unconsciously strained to hear the conversations from other tables.
Gazes swivelled to pierce through the back of her head, judgemental and hateful looks making her want to curl into a ball.
"That was quick."
"I know, a couple of days and she's just another conquest?"
"It's typical of Jackson, come on, when has he spent more than a few days on one girl?"
"I wonder if she knew before today."
"She looks sad about being publicly dumped. It's pathetic, honestly."
"Annabeth's just another one of the million girls who fell for Percy. She's no different to the others."
Annabeth released a choked gasp as she suddenly stood up from her seat. Percy and Rachel were steering their way over to their table, and there was no way she could do this right now.
She swept her tray up stiffly. "I need some air," Annabeth breathed, stumbling away from the table as she narrowly avoided bumping into other students.
Whiffs of other people's words encased her as she cleared her tray before racing out of the hall as quickly as she could.
Annabeth was practically sprinting to the lockers by the time she had her bag and bus card at the ready. Students whispered as she passed, the same things she'd always dreaded.
She's a trophy on the wall.
Do you even think she meant anything to him?
What a slut. Putting out for a player? Big mistake.
"Annabeth!"
She slammed into Frank, who caught her before she could fall.
"Th-thanks," she stammered. "Sorry, I-I gotta go." Her eyes were brimming with tears that blurred her vision.
"Do-do you need a ride?" Frank asked tentatively.
Annabeth just wanted to get home, get in her room, and cry until she got it out of her system.
"Yes, please," she hiccuped.
The two of them walked out of the school in silence, neither even attempting to make conversation.
When they got into the car, Frank said quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Annabeth opened her mouth for the instinctive "no", but she recalled Hazel telling her that Frank was like a giant teddy bear. Maybe she could use a confidant.
"Percy's dating Rachel," Annabeth started slowly.
Frank's eyes widened. "And you like him? Are you jealous?" he bombarded immediately.
"No!" Annabeth yelped. "No! Why does everyone think that?"
Frank gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry."
"It's just that because of it," Annabeth explained. "And all the rumours. Everyone's saying stuff about me again. Stuff that I can't exactly ignore." She buried her face in her hands. "Everyone hates me."
"Not true," Frank corrected. "I don't hate you," he added helpfully.
Annabeth laugh tearily. "Yeah?"
"You're actually really cool," Frank admitted. "Hazel and I were worried you'd get Percy into trouble with Jason again, but you guys are different than what we expected." He winced. "Truthfully, Percy's sounds like he's being a dick right now."
"Language, Zhang," Annabeth remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's true," Frank protested. "He's my best friend, but sometimes he can be really, really stupid. If he doesn't see that what he's doing is indirectly hurting you, that someone has to tell him before he screws up the best thing that's ever happened to him."
Annabeth gulped. "You think I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him?"
Frank shrugged. "You stuck around a boy you knew was trouble, just so he wouldn't have to be alone. You might not see it, but Percy's happier with you around. More like he used to be before this whole Gabe situation got so complicated."
Elbowing him in the side, Annabeth swiped at her eyes. "Stop, you're going to make me cry." She paused, folding her hands in her lap. "When I was little, we lived in San Francisco before moving here. I did my first year of middle school there. The girls there bullied me so much, and I know, I was 12, but it still hurt. And I didn't have a single friend."
She shrugged. "Then I came here. Met Jason, Piper, and Leo. And I figured, y'know, this works. This is good. No more bullies." Annabeth bit her lip. "Yeah, that was wrong. They might not realise it, but they're doing exactly the same thing people from my old school used to do. It isn't easy having stuff said about you. And I guess I just always expected my friends to have my back, and I thought Percy was one of them," Annabeth hesitated. "But now it seems like he's mad at me or something, and I hate that he doesn't care — or at least he doesn't seem to."
She wanted to punch a wall. Hell, she wanted to punch Percy. She hadn't cried about a boy since elementary school, and it was shame to break her streak over a seaweed brain.
"The thing about Percy that people don't seem to realise," Frank said slowly. "Is that he's smooth with everyone except the people he truly cares about. But once it's real? He's a stuttering mess."
Annabeth couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up in the back of her throat.
"It's true!" Frank chuckled. "Get him to ask out a girl on the street? No problem. But when it was time to ask Reyna to the dance, you should've seen him, Annabeth! It was like he'd forgotten how to speak English or something!"
He looked over at her. "He's probably realised that you mean more to him than a billion other girls, and it scares him that you're becoming so close to him despite the fact that it's barely even been a month since you guys became friends. So he's pushing you away, because that's just what Percy does."
"He's stupid," Annabeth declared.
Frank winced. "Kind of true. But he'll see what he's done soon, and be prepared for him to beg till you forgive him. The baby seal eyes are irresistible."
Annabeth exhaled deeply. "We'll see."
A few seconds of silence filled the car.
Frank fiddled with his car keys. "Do you still need a ride?"
Annabeth glanced at the clock. Time flies. They had five minutes till class.
"No," she said firmly. "I'm not gonna let them have the satisfaction of upsetting me." Annabeth yanked on the door handle and stepped out of the vehicle.
As they walked back into the school, Annabeth struggled with a way to voice her feelings. "Thank you, Frank," she said at last, when they arrived in front of her Maths classroom. "I don't know why I ever thought you were terrifying. You're like a..." Annabeth chuckled. "Giant teddy bear. Hazel was right."
Frank pulled a face. "Man, I hope that doesn't stick."
She waved goodbye to him as she took her seat in the classroom, the first one in. As she gazed out the window and caught sight of her friends under the tree, Annabeth felt the corner of her mouth tug up.
She counted five people. Her friends were joined by Percy and Hazel, who were in a tight mud-angel competition with Leo on the ground as Piper and Jason cuddled under the tree.
Annabeth pointedly ignored the hushed chatter that arose once a few more students entered the room. Some things were worth it.
+++++
The moment he and Rachel stepped into the cafeteria, Percy spotted Annabeth whisk herself out of the room, probably off to the library or something.
He spied Hazel sitting with Annabeth's friends, and made a beeline for them. As he neared the table, Percy noticed their distraught expressions and low tones.
"Hey, I'll, uh, I'll see you later," he told Rachel distractedly. He caught the curious look she shot him before retreating to her own friends.
"What's going on?" Percy demanded as he slid into the empty seat between Hazel and Leo.
Jason and Piper exchanged worried looks.
"Annabeth took off a little suddenly," Leo explained.
Percy frowned. "Why?"
Hazel winced. "You haven't heard?"
A weird sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him for a moment. "The last time you said that, it didn't end so well," Percy said uncertainly. "What's going on?"
"People are saying things about Annabeth again," Jason sighed. "Because of you and Rachel."
Percy threw a glance over his shoulder and when he tuned into other people's conversations, he really heard it.
Now that Annabeth was gone, the chatter seemed to have only escalated.
"Personally, I think she's the ugliest of all the girls Percy's gone for. I don't get what he saw in her."
"Another notch on his belt."
From their words, Percy sounded like a massive asshole. And then he realised that lately, he kind of had been to Annabeth.
"This is ridiculous," Percy muttered, slamming down his fork.
It was one of his ADHD moments, where he simply did the first thing that came to mind.
In a split second, Percy found himself standing on their lunch table, his friends gawking at him.
"Percy, are you crazy?" Piper hissed.
"HEY!" Percy yelled. "I have an announcement to make."
The silence ripples across the room, every person falling quiet as they turned to look at him.
"Not that it's anyone's damn business, but nothing happened between me and Annabeth," Percy enunciated, his voice reverberating off the walls. "We're just friends, and if I hear anyone else talking about her like that, you'll be answering to me."
Amidst whispers, Percy climbed down from the table and picked up his cutlery again. "So, what were we talking about before?"
Hazel gaped at him.
"Come on," Percy sighed. "It had to be done. In fact, I should've done it sooner. For some reason, they listen to me, so I might as well make good use of it, right?"
Percy counted the seconds in his head before someone spoke.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
"Y'know," Jason broke in. "You're not the worst, Percy."
"Thanks," Percy said, weirdly touched. He hadn't expected that at all.
His gaze rocked the exits for any sign of his favourite blonde, but she was nowhere to be seen. Pushing the concern out of his mind, Percy turned to the others. "Anyway, you can interrogate next about Rachel now." He rolled his eyes as Hazel nearly jumped in excitement. "I know you've been dying to."