Chapter 26 - Homecoming
published: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Annabeth stared blankly into her closet. She'd always thought her clothes were fairly fashionable, but now, looking at them, Annabeth didn't know what to wear for her first day of school.
Once glance in the mirror told her that she pretty much looked the same, albeit it with lighter hair and tanner skin from Europe's blaring sunlight.
"I have a problem," Annabeth announced, when her bedroom door clicked open. Her gaze flickered to the right, spotting Helen leaning bemusedly in the doorway.
Helen remained thoughtfully silent as she pursed through Annabeth's outfits. "Hear me out on this," she warned, pulling out a flowery dress Annabeth had bought in London. "This and your black boots with the heels?"
Annabeth paused. "Good idea," she agreed, grabbing the dress from Helen. "Thanks."
Helen regarded her with a dramatic expression. "Oh, you're turning into a girl!"
As she got ready, Annabeth couldn't help the curiosity that overwhelmed her when thinking about seeing her friends again. Her summer trips had kept her too busy to see any of them. Piper had facetimed her from her holiday houses all over the world — Greece, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, you name it.
Frank's exploits in Canada were documented by terrible pictures he sent to their group chat, while Leo spammed them with new pictures of his inventions.
Hazel attended a summer camp for Literature and History — a right nightmare in Annabeth's opinion. Jason, on the other hand, spent half his holidays in Australia, and the other half hanging out with Leo and Percy.
Now that she thought of him, Annabeth wasn't able to get him out of her head. Percy was, without question, the person she was most nervous about seeing again.
They'd parted on kind of a strange note, not speaking to each other for the week prior to prom. Annabeth could still remember the kiss, though she wasn't sure if she'd just built it up in her head over time.
It was an understatement to say that she'd thought about Percy over the holidays. Sure, they'd texted — at least once a day, as promised — but seeing him face-to-face was a whole other story.
What if that kiss had ruined their entire friendship? Two months was a long time to spend apart. What if they forgot how to behave around each other?
These were the worried that plagued her as she got on her bike and cycled to school, a massive duffel bag attached the the back of it.
Tonight was Homecoming for seniors. Annabeth couldn't believe that this was her last year of high school. At one point, she'd been excited for it to be over and to move on to college, but now, she wasn't quite ready to give it up just yet.
Piper had invited Hazel and herself over to get ready, so Annabeth had her dress and shoes in the bag.
"Annabeth!" Leo was the first person she bumped into. He used the locker right next to hers. They shared a hug after Annabeth shoved her new books inside the locker. "How're you doing?"
"Alright," she said with a grin. "Weird to be back here."
"You're so tan," Leo informed her enviously.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It was our vacation, Leo."
"To the sun?" Leo muttered disbelievingly.
"Annabeth! Leo!" A shorter girl with frizzy brown hair skipped up to them excitedly. Hazel attacked them with hugs.
"I like your hair," Annabeth remarked.
Hazel flashed her a cheery smile. "I spent July learning how to braid my hair." She was wearing two Dutch braids today that dangled down to just brush on her shoulder. Her hand was linked tightly with Frank's, who didn't look as excited as the rest of them to be back in school.
Another body nudged into them from the left, forcing the three friends to stumble. "Good morning," Piper sang, Jason in tow. She leaned down conspiratorially. "Have you seen him yet?"
Annabeth fought off a blush. "Who?"
"Don't act dumb," Piper snorted, pulling her aside. They'd spent the entire summer texting back and forth, and Annabeth had eventually confessed her true feelings about the kiss over the phone.
"I'm over him," Annabeth hissed back. "Two months was more than enough time for me to get over a silly crush."
Piper frowned. "I just hate that you guys missed out on such a great opportunity."
"Oh, okay, just because you're convinced that we both liked each other at the same time doesn't mean you're right," Annabeth said decidedly.
"But you did!"
"You've said that about every crush I've had since freshman year," Annabeth deadpanned.
Piper gave her a sheepish look. "Yeah, well, I was just trying to make you feel better. I actually believe it this time!"
Annabeth shot her an accusing glare. "You lied to me?"
"To make you feel better!" Piper's exclamation was cut short by her own gasp as she elbowed Annabeth in the ribs so hard she yelped in pain. "Look!"
Annabeth's gaze followed her gestures to see Percy emerge from the crowds of reuniting students, all friendly smiles and fist bumps.
Windswept black hair, lopsided grin, mesmerising green eyes? Yeah, Annabeth definitely wasn't over him.
Suppressing the thought, Annabeth faked nonchalance when Piper looked over at her expectantly.
"Oh, forget it," Piper grumbled, leaving to go bother Frank and Hazel.
Annabeth swallowed. If it was even possible, Percy looked better than when she'd last seen him. He was taller — taller than Frank now — how was it even possible that he was still growing? — and his shoulders were broader.
Percy was wearing a t-shirt with a trident on it, one Annabeth had seen him wear a thousand times, but now it clung to his figure.
Annabeth sent a silent prayer to Helen for making her wear this dress.
The two of them stopped in the middle of the hallway, about a foot apart.
"Hi," Annabeth breathed, almost shyly. Her heart had skipped a beat upon seeing him, but she hoped she'd regained her composure enough for him not to notice it.
Yeah, definitely not over him. She'd hoped that seeing him again wouldn't bring back all those feelings, but it did, and Annabeth promptly realised that she'd never really moved on.
There was something about Percy that always reeled her back in.
"How was Europe?" Percy asked, at the same time that Annabeth blurted out, "Did you spend summer taking steroids?"
Percy burst out laughing at her incredulous question.
"Sorry!" Annabeth protested. "But, seriously. No one should be allowed to grow this much call this time. It's not fair. Donate some tall genes to me, please."
"Wish I could," Percy feigned a sympathetic expression. "You need the help."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut up."
"It's that swimming club I joined, remember?" Percy reminded her as they walked side by side towards the assembly hall. "Practice was four times a week during summer."
Annabeth's eyes widened. "I'd hope that you're an Olympic swimmer after all that," she informed him.
"Mm, not just yet."
+++++
"Looking out for a certain someone?" Jason said suggestively, hovering by Percy's shoulder.
Percy gulped down his fruit punch to hide his reddening cheeks. "Just our friends."
Leo coughed to hide his mutter of "Annabeth."
"I heard you."
"I meant for you to," Leo told him.
Homecoming was boring, in Percy's opinion. They'd practically just had prom before the end of school, and now they were back again. He was using the same suit, which was now a little small, but had borrowed a red tie from Frank.
The four boys were sitting on one of the tables, impatiently waiting for the rest of their friends.
"They're thirty minutes late," Leo complained.
"It's called being fashionably late," someone piped up.
Percy shifted in his seat to see Piper sliding into the chair beside him. Her short purple dress was tucked under her thighs as she smoothed it out.
"Oh, you look beautiful," Jason murmured, kissing her on the cheek.
"Gross," Leo mimed throwing up, which made Percy stifle a snort.
Hazel and Annabeth trailed behind, Annabeth constantly tripping as she stiffly made her way to their table.
"This is your fault," Annabeth huffed at Piper once she reached their table. "If you hadn't made me wear such tall heels I wouldn't have nearly died about three times from the car to here."
Her hair was brushed out to smooth the curls, which hung down to her waist from lack of a haircut. The red dress she was wearing rippled and shimmered as she moved.
Percy eyed Frank suspiciously. He yanked on the red tie around his neck. "Really?"
Frank winced apologetically. "Sorry. Hazel said I had to, and you know she can be scary when she wants to."
Well, Percy couldn't exactly argue with that. Homecoming was nice in the idea that it gave everyone a chance to catch up and discuss their respective summers.
They even took a group picture in the photo booth with a copy printed for each of them.
And of course, Percy danced with Annabeth.
"It's a tradition at this point," she noted, resting her hands on his shoulders.
Percy was glad to know that whatever awkwardness had been between them was now gone. Except that he still liked her. A lot.
Even more than before if that was possible. Percy's head had gone all dizzy and faint when he saw her for the first time this morning. No one should be allowed to look that pretty.
Summer had been a nightmare. Swimming and exercising had been a much-needed distraction Percy had thrown himself into, mostly to escape Gabe, but also to get his mind off of Annabeth.
He'd hoped that his feelings would fade over time, but they hadn't at all. It was like being apart from her only made him build her up in his head so much more, and then when he saw her again, Percy knew that she surpassed even his imagination.
"Did you meet anyone new this summer?" Annabeth asked, a nonchalant facade plastered across her face.
Percy tried to smile when she asked that. As good a liar as Annabeth was, she couldn't hide the slightly jealous tinge to her voice. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but it made him want to laugh just thinking about it.
"Well, there was this girl Sadie," Percy admitted. "She's the lifeguard at the pool. But she's just a friend — well, actually, I think she might be a minor criminal."
And it wasn't like he could see himself with anyone except Annabeth.
Annabeth visibly relaxed. "Oh."
"What about you?" Percy returned, hoping he didn't sound too eager.
"Nah," Annabeth said easily. "I spent most of the time with my family." Her face seemed to droop when she mentioned it.
Percy frowned. "What's wrong?" He clasped her hand and spun her to the right.
"Helen and my dad seemed really...tense," Annabeth confessed. "But it's not like they're fighting, it's just...they're not really speaking to each other. I thought a long family holiday would fix it, but if anything, it just seemed to push them apart more."
Percy pulled a face. "That sucks. I'm sorry."
Annabeth shrugged. "No, it's fine. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." She eyed him suspiciously. "What about Gabe?"
Percy flinched.
"That bad?" she said anxiously.
"Only a couple of times," Percy tried to sound reassuring. "There wasn't anything major except for when he made me waiter for their poker game and I refused."
"I thought we discussed you not being impertinent."
"It slipped out," Percy said, the implied "oops" in his voice.
"Did you patch yourself up?" Annabeth asked.
"My mum helped once. I told her I slipped and fell in the pool."
"Your excuses never fail to impress me," Annabeth said sarcastically. "And she believes you?"
"I think she'd believe anything to deny that her husband's hitting her son," Percy pointed out.
"Well, fair enough."
They moved in silence, more coordinated and in sync than actual couples.
In the back of his mind, Percy recalled the charm bracelet he'd bought from the store across from his mum's candy shop. He'd got it impulsively to give to Annabeth, but the more he thought about it, the more Percy realised that that might give her the wrong idea.
Or, make her realise that he still liked her.
"I still have your jacket," Annabeth said abruptly. "From when we saw 'The Lion King'."
And we kissed.
The missing words hung in the space between them.
"I doubt it'll fit you anymore," Annabeth grumbled. "Seriously, my neck hurts from having to tilt it up to look at you now."
Percy chuckled. "I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate."
"That's right. You'd better be."