Fun Fact:
This was originally only supposed
to be a one-shot. However, it was too long
to be described as one, but also too short for it to be anything like my previous projects.
~~~
Years later
It's just school.
During the first couple of grade levels, dressing up for the first day of school is completely okay. Normal and fun, too. However, once you reach junior year, you realize how overrated the first day is. The first day is basically just a sentencing for months of absolute hell.
Don't get me wrong, I like learning. But there comes a point when learning about the Revolutionary War and the mitochondria just aren't on a student's radar. Teach students about life skills and how to get a job. Just because we spent three months learning about polynomials in ninth grade, doesn't mean I am going to remember it.
The only reasons that half the student body hasn't already dropped out are because of caffeine, school friends, and high school credits for a diploma. At least, those are the reasons I'm still there.
And why I chose a sweatshirt as my back to school outfit instead of a dress or nicer, more effortful form of clothing.
Despite my bitterness for the first day, I still found myself working up the courage to go in and face the student body. What if my friends weren't in there yet and I would have to sit by myself like a loner? What if the mean girl from third grade decides to dump her coffee on my lap? What if my junior schedule is harder than my sophomore self bargained for?
My thoughts continued like that until I heard the warning bell. Even from outside, you could hear the familiar shrill from the old hunk of junk. The sole reason the bell was as loud as it was courtesy of the Stoll brothers, Connor and Travis.
During the very first week of my freshman year, the two morons did something to enhance the already very annoying bell. Whatever that thing was, the janitor was unable to remove it. Let's just say that after the students found out about their actions, Travis and Connor Stoll became really popular.
And not in a good way.
Fortunately for them, they redeemed themselves by pouring slime-like substances on the rude teachers as a prank and getting students out of class to have a party in the teacher parking lot.
My thoughts began to wander off so much I almost didn't hear the person running towards me at full sprint.
"Best friend!" Piper McLean shouted as she wrapped me in a bear hug. I could not help but laugh at her childish antics.
Piper.
My BFPP as Leo Valdez, one of our mutual friends, called it. Best Friend Post Percy. Leo liked picking fun of the stereotypes of teenaged, white girls, and one day, BFPP just came out. At first, I used the term solely as a joke. Then, I fell in love with it. Sort of like Tik-Tok in a way.
"Stop! Everyone is gonna think you're a freshman." I laughed as we walked into school together. Somehow, Piper and I managed to get our first class and study hall together. You would think getting kicked out of chemistry multiple times together the previous year would convince the faculty to make sure our schedules never intertwined.
Guess they had bigger issues than us jumping in trash cans and acting like five-year-olds.
"Great," Piper said with a serious tone, "Now the seniors will finally notice me."
She laughed as the shell-shocked look came across my face before insisting she was just kidding.
"So I heard from a little birdie that your new neighbors have a son our age," Piper said, winking in my direction.
I shoved her playfully. "When did you become so interested in guys? What ever happened to boys being trash?"
"Two words; Jason Grace. He finally stopped wearing those ridiculous contacts and looks like a blond Clark Kent." Piper said. "Thank the gods his looks match his personality. Dude looked like a douchebag before his glow up."
I proceeded to mock the way she was talking about Jason. Then decided to make fun of her for her slight obsession with the guy and his glasses.
Our conversation continued on like that with us teasing each other.
All until the sound of punching interrupted it.
We looked over to find the source as soon as the sound of a fist hitting a face reached our ears. In the direction it came was Tyler Pharmel, infamously known for his racist and homophobic comments, holding his eye.
"If I ever hear those words come out of your mouth again, I'm gonna give you a hell of lot more than just a black eye," the guy in front of Tyler yelled, presumably the same guy responsible for the hitting sound. Behind him stood an impressed Nico di Angelo and shocked Will Solace holding his mouth agape.
A bunch of teachers and faculty members ran over to stop what was happening, but the damage was already done. Every time Tyler attempted to get up he fell back down. A few sophomores claimed he blacked out for a second.
Students clapped and cheered for the guy who punched Tyler as he was led down the hallway by a janitor and a foreign language teacher.
As his raven hair came into focus, I was able to get a better view of the guy. At first, he just looked like any high school boy; t-shirt, sweatpants, bookbag. But as he drew closer and closer, those regular blue eyes turned sea-green and the small smirk became a troublemaker grin.
He looked like Percy.
An older, more attractive version of Percy. But he still looked like Percy Jackson, my childhood best friend.
"Go to class!" A teacher shouted. The freshman ran away like their asses were on fire, while the upperclassmen and sophomores groaned and walked away.
~~~
(Probably should've ended it right there, but I'm gonna add a little extra for the wait.)
The possibility of the guy being Percy kept me distracted throughout all of my classes. Despite it being the first day, the teachers actually taught and assigned homework. Fortunately for me, I would not fall behind since it was my mom's week and she works as a professor in college.
"Shit!" I said, realizing I had forgotten my heavy workbook in my locker— choosing to use a locker this year was beginning to seem dumber and dumber each second. The sudden outburst scared the living daylights out of Piper and Hazel, our sophomore friend we helped out the year before. "I have to run back to my locker real quick."
"Want us to wait?" Hazel asked.
"Go ahead," I told them. "I'll catch up."
(A/N: I'd be a great Hallmark screenwriter, I swear.)
I made my way down the empty hallways, the sounds of my footsteps echoing off the walls. Despite it being completely deserted, I still had a strange feeling I wasn't alone.
Finally, I reached my ugly, cherry red locker. Put in the combination to unlock the locker and...
Nothing. It stayed shut.
"C'mon!" I muttered to myself, trying the combination multiple times. "27... 12... 18–"
BANG!
Groaning followed the opening of my locker. I looked over to find a guy on the ground holding his forehead. When I opened my locker, I had hit this poor dude.
"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, holding my arm out to help him up. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good," he said, chuckling to himself, "things aren't going so great for me today."
I pulled him up and apologized some more for possibly giving him a concussion.
"It's okay, it's okay." He said before finally looking up at me. His sea-green eyes in view.
"Annabeth?"
***
A/N: did i base the homophobic/racist boy on a real-life person i know who just so happens to also be my cheating ex-boyfriend that deserves to go to hell? (Republished Version: gonna be completely honest, i have no idea who i was talking about? Pretty sure I lied about that. There have been plenty of shitty assholes I've met, but I've never dated any cuz i'm socially incompetent.)
Definitely not. Couldn't be me. That's just rude.
(i totally did) (RV: i totally didn't)
Gonna be completely honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of this chapter except for the punching scene and end.
Be sure to vote and comment!
Word Count: 1437 words