You know you're in love, when you can't fall asleep,
Because reality is finally better than your dreams.
J A M E S
Annabeth sat through the entire movie without blinking or even stirring.
The movie made me feel daunted as fuck, even up to the point that I had grabbed her hand in a death grip at some point and hadn't let go. But her?
She didn't even care when I turned and damn near pressed my face against her stomach so that I wouldn't have to look at the shit going on. I'm pretty sure that I had been clinging on to her like she was a fucking stuffed toy at some of the worst parts but I don't think she even noticed.
She spared me a single glance, patting the side of my face reassuringly, before going back to watching the movie.
I didn't know whether to be impressed or unnerved.
"Bro," Tyler says when the credits play, his face pale.
"Bro," Ethan returns, just as shakily.
"Bro."
"Bro."
"BRO."
"DUDE."
"I'm going to cry," Tyler says, pulling his shirt up and hiding his mouth, "I'm not okay-"
"What the actual fuck did we just watch?" Elliot says, his head in his hands, "I'm not going to sleep for the next three days-"
"What the fuck," Beth mutters, blinking at the now dark screen.
Annabeth, who had started messing with my hair at some point in the movie by running her fingers through it- something that I surprisingly liked very much- decides to pipe in.
"Wasn't that cool?"
Everyone turns to her incredulously.
"What?" she says, defensively, "I thought that was great. That last clip? Florence Pugh nailed it. Terrifyingly good."
"Yeah," Elliot nods, a little sarcastic, "So terrifyingly good that I'm not going to be able to sleep for the next few days."
"Right?" Maia had her face still half-hidden in Ethan's arm, something that had my eyebrows going up slightly. "Annie, how on earth did you sit thr-"
The door creaks open at that moment, making half the people in the room scream.
"Stay back," Tyler threatens, lifting his fingers to form a cross, "I have the power of GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE A-"
"Kids," Aunt Janine admonishes as she pokes her head into the room, "Why on God's earth are you screaming?"
I can feel Annabeth's body shake with silent laughter as they all let out a collective sigh of relief, and that was a sign for me to sit back up straight- before anyone decided to start commenting on it.
Fortunately, I manage to sit upright before Aunt Janine looks our way.
"Dinner's ready, by the way," she says slowly, holding her hands up in surrender.
"I'm scared to eat," Tyler says in a small voice, "After the cult shit I just watched-"
"I'm not putting blood-" nearly everyone in the room grimaces - "or eyeballs in your food! Get up already!"
Slowly, and almost reluctantly- everyone in the room rises to their feet.
I really hoped that no one in the room would provide any further indication of the position I had been in during the movie. I don't think they noticed, and even if they did- the movie probably made them forget about it.
But of course, my aunt decides to add something as we all start to trudge out of the room.
"And James, did you mess with your hair throughout the movie? Run a brush through it or something. "
Well, shit.
*****
Dinner had been quite the affair- with what seemed to be everlasting discussions about the most pointless topics- Tyler's imaginary fish, how everyone loved annoying Mr. Jefferson in school, the fact that Ms. Lindsey was having a secret affair with a student-
You get the point.
While my Aunt hadn't outwardly said anything, I didn't miss the way she'd constantly look between Annabeth and me. It didn't help that we were sitting next to each other either.
Naturally, at the end of dinner, there were carrots left on my plate.
Annabeth noticed them almost as soon as I was finished with the rest of my food and so before she could ask I push them in her direction.
"You're welcome," I quip a little sarcastically, as she scoops it onto her own plate. She gives me a little smile, patting the side of my cheek to annoy me, before stabbing one little piece with her fork.
Unsurprisingly, my Aunt noticed the little interaction too, and it had her eyebrows furrowing.
"Isn't it so cool, how that worked out?" Annabeth says, when she notices Aunt Janine's look, "He doesn't like carrots, but I do- so I can finish it for him! It's a great partner pairing."
The look on my aunt's face turns even more confused as her eyes flicker over to me, but I just shake my head at her as discreetly as I can.
Annabeth didn't know that carrots were the only vegetables I liked. She didn't know that I liked saving them till the end; she just assumed I didn't like them because it looked like I was going to leave them. And because I couldn't bring myself to tell her that, she could have them.
For some stupid reason, that little interaction alone convinced Aunt Janine that I liked Annabeth a lot more than I let on.
That had made me roll my eyes real hard.
Obviously, that wasn't true.
But here she was, sitting at the foot of my bed- right before I was about to go to sleep. They had left ages ago, and I should have known that sooner or later she'd be on my case about it- because now, I was being asked questions that referred to US.
No, not the United States unfortunately, but to Annabeth and I.
"Tell me something about your partner," she insists, as I frown at her from under my blanket.
"Why?" I snip, "You met her today, didn't you? What more do you want to know?"
"I want to know what you think about her," she says like it was obvious, "You've evidently spent some time together and I'm sure you like her to some extent. You don't hang out with anyone other than your friends, and it's nice to see that that's changed!"
"I'm forced to hang out with her because you," I point an accusing finger in her direction, "signed me up for this exchange program. Nothing changed, per se."
"James."
"Fine," I glare at the point across my bed. "She's... nice."
"Astonishing," my aunt deadpans.
"No, she is," I roll my eyes exasperatedly, "She's too nice. Anytime someone's in a bad mood, she whips out candy and hands it over to them with a stupid pun to make them feel better. I told her I don't like candy, and now she carries mint gum around. For me. It's unbelievable."
"Really?" my aunt looks like she's trying to hold back a smile.
"Yeah," I mutter dryly, "and she talks too much. So much that I could probably tell you what she named her fifth plant at home. It's Carl the third- by the way because her older brother killed Carl the second, and she brought Carl the first with her. Then there's Vincent Van Grow, Bella Thorn, Fernie Sanders, Cristofern- all puns, because she loves those- See?" I throw my hands up in exasperation, "I know too much."
"How do you remember their names?"
"What?" I frown over at her. From everything I said that's what she got?
"You're horrible at remembering names," Aunt Janine says, and she looks like she's trying harder to hold back the smile, "Sometimes you even mess up people's names on purpose. How come you remember all her plants' names?"
I truly don't know what to say to that. I'm stumped. An unintentional plant pun- fucking lovely.
"I don't know," I grumble, folding my arms across my chest like a petulant child, "Probably because she talks about them too much. She's real clumsy too. The little idiot trips over air- air- about a dozen times a day, despite me letting her hold on to my arm. I'm pr- why are you smiling like that?"
Aunt Janine shrugs, but there's a big shit-eating grin on her face.
"This is the most I've heard you say in a long while," she says, shaking her head, "and it's about Annabeth, huh?"
I scowl in disagreement, but the tips of my ears burn. "That's not true. I talk to you about books."
"Not like this, you don't," she says, reaching over to brush my hair back, "She's pretty, by the way."
"That was what I thought when I saw her for the first time," I blurt out before thinking my words through, and then I feel myself go red.
I did not just fucking say that. No. Absolutely not.
Fortunately, my Aunt doesn't tease me on it- although her smile gets a tiny bit brighter.
"You saw her for the first time at your school?" she asks instead.
"No," I grumble, sinking further into my bed, "She spilled her coffee all over me. Two days before that. And then I saw her again at that football game against Saint Clair's Academy. She was wearing a T-shirt with a dumb pun about carrots- turns out she has a whole collection that she got on sale-"
I cut myself off. What the fuck? I hadn't realized that she had been right about me rambling.
Aunt Janine just continued to smile at me like she knew something I didn't.
"What?" I scowl at her, a little defensive.
"Nothing," she chirped, a little too happily for my taste. "I'm just surprised that you haven't even realized it yet."
"Realized what?" I say again, as my scowl deepens.
She chooses to evade the question completely as she rises to her feet. "You should go to bed. You have an orientation at school tomorrow, that you're supposed to attend."
I roll my eyes, tugging the blanket over myself. "I'm not going."
"All your friends are going," she tells me with a little frown.
"Still a no."
"Annabeth will be there too," she adds, "I heard her telling Maia that."
I paused.
"Oh....right. Well... "
Aunt Janine, leans against my door frame- looking very much like she was suppressing a smile as she waited for me to answer.
"I suppose I could go," I shrug nonchalantly.
"Oh, really?" her eyebrows go up.
"It wouldn't be nice for me to let her attend it by herself, without her partner," I added hurriedly, not knowing why a part of my brain was adamant on trying to justify the sudden change of heart. "As a matter of fact, it wouldn't be fair for any partner to do that."
"Right, of course," she nods, mirth shining in her eyes, "Goodnight, sweetheart."
"Yeah, night."
*****
This stupid orientation was a waste of my damn time.
Why had I decided to come again? Oh, right- some stupid justification about not leaving my partner alone.
I wanted to go back in time and smack myself for even coming up with that.
Especially because it didn't sit right with the whole I-think-she's-annoying reputation.
"ALL OF YOU PAY ATTENTION, RIGHT NOW!"
"BUT I'M BROKE MR. JEFFERSON!"
Multiple people in the room laugh.
"TYLER, YOU NEED TO SHUT UP!"
"BUT MY MOM SAYS I NEED JESUS, MR. JEFFERSON!"
I feel for the guy, I really do. Tyler was an absolute pain in the ass at most times.
Most people thought he was funny.
My eyes flicker over to Annabeth beside me, who was also hiding her laugh. I'd probably never, ever admit it to anyone but myself- but fuck, she had a pretty laugh and I hated myself for not being able to look away.
When she notices me staring, she stops- putting a hand over her mouth to hide it.
I cock an eyebrow up, giving her a snarky look as if to say- seriously?
"It was funny," she says, defensively, "Everyone found it funny-see?"
The eyebrow that was raised goes up further. "Do I look like I'm finding this funny?"
She scrunches her little nose at me. "You always look like you want to hit everyone in the room with a chair. So, no."
I roll my eyes, looking away- but she taps my arm again.
"We've got an assignment to finish- it's due this Monday," she says, leaning closer. I stiffen slightly as her side presses against my arm and also because I can smell her perfume when she's this close, but I don't move away.
"Okay?" I give her a questioning look because for some reason my mind suddenly fluctuates and I can't seem to form a snarky remark.
"You'll need your file for it," she tells me, "We can go to the diner after, what d'you think?"
I make a show of rolling my eyes like it was the biggest inconvenience ever, while a part of me- a very small part of me- was pleased. "Fine."
"Cool," she leans back with a smile, "You have it with you?"
"In my locker," I mutter, pushing my chair back and rising from my seat, "Be right back."
"Alright," she wiggles her fingers at me, "See you in a minute, Jay-Jay."
I flick her nose before I walk past, making her let out a small whine. "Shut up."
I offer Mr. Jefferson a somewhat sympathetic nod as I walk out of the class and into the empty corridor.
I felt for the guy- most people annoyed me but I didn't have to put up with them as much as he did. If I were in his place, the annoyance would have probably made me punch a hole through a wall. Or multiple walls.
It's a lot quieter outside that room- quiet enough that I can hear my footsteps, as well as someone else's- to which I don't pay much heed. At the moment, I'm just grateful for the moment of peace.
Until of course, I hear him speak.
"So, Jackson, was it?"
The hand that was rummaging through the locker pauses.
This motherfucker.
I turn around slowly, gritting my jaw.
Leaning against the locker like he owned the corridor, the blonde shitface gives me a dumb and not even remotely scary sneer.
"You're the fucker that set me up?" I narrow my eyes at him, and he looks even more victorious. It just makes me madder.
"Strong fists, eh?" he drawls mockingly.
"You'll know what they feel like soon enough," I slam the locker shut, taking a step closer to him, "Instead of setting me up like a weak-ass bitch- try fighting me yourself, yeah?"
"That was just to show you what I'm capable of," he says- and I almost laugh because that has got to be the dumbest threat I've ever heard.
"Clearly not much," I scoff, and he doesn't seem to like it one bit.
"That was a warning," he says, lifting a hand.
"Oh?" I scoff again, crossing my arms across my chest. "Warning for what?"
"Stay away from her," he says lowly.
I narrow my eyes at him.
"I need you to be more specific," I say, enjoying the anger that flits across his face, "Stay away from who? Your pet cat or a girl you supposed fu-"
"Annabeth," he spits out, "Stay away from her."
I have half the mind to punch him in the face just for saying that- but he probably wanted me to get mad first.
"Nah," I give him a bored look although I'm really fucking mad on the inside, "She's with me, and you can't do a damn thing about it."
With me, as my partner for the program. The way I worded might have sounded like it meant something more than that- but if it pissed him off, who cared?
"You wouldn't want to stick around if you knew half the shit she hides behind her smile," he says ominously, making my jaw tighten, "If you knew about her parents, her twin, anything at all you'd keep away. Want me to fill you in?"
"You know what I want you to do?" I take another step closer to him, glaring down at him, "I want you to shut the fuck up and mind your damn business. It isn't your place to tell, neither do I need to know. What I do know- is that you're an obsessive fucker who can't seem to take a hint. Back off, blondie."
"She and I are supposed to be together," he says, proving my last sentence, "Stop messing around with her when she's already spoken for-"
"It seems like you don't understand," I say with a harsher glare than before, and it makes him falter, "She doesn't like you. She wants you to stay away. And you will do that, or I will break your bones and leave you to bleed. What do you say?"
Unfortunately, I don't see it coming until it's too late. He raises his fist, swings it at my face, and while I do manage to dodge the part of my face he was aiming for, it still gets me.
I feel my lip sting and I know- I just know, that it's going to bleed. Fucking hell.
Some of the anger that I was trying to hold back makes an appearance when I flex my jaw and set my glare on him.
He flinches.
Weak-ass bitch.
"You want a fight, pretty boy?" I murmured darkly, and he backtracked further seeing the murderous intent in my eyes and the threat in my words. "You'll get just that."
He goes to back away- but my fingers wrap around his collar and I slam him against the locker behind him.
"Not so brave now, hmm?" I mutter, as my fingers wrap around his throat. His eyes widen and I know damn well that I would have broken his nose right there if it wasn't for the loud gasp that echoed through the corridor.
I don't have to look. I know it's her.
He glances in her direction, and just by the look on his face, I already know he's going to spew some more shit to make me look like the bad guy.
"Your psycho boyfriend attacked me out of nowhere! This is the kinda guy you're ditching me for? Someone this violent- especially after everything you've been through?"
The fucking nerve.
I pull away from him with a scoff. More for her sake than his.
I don't do well with violence, she had said. She had already seen one bout of violence; she didn't need to see another.
For her. I'd punch him in the face and break his jaw another day.
"Are you serious?" she asks lowly, her voice incredulous.
For a moment, I almost thought she was asking him that to confirm whether I had attacked him in the first place- but when I look over at her, she looks angry.
Her eyes flicker over to me, and something on the bottom half of my face has her doing a double-take before she looks even madder.
"You're nothing but a manipulative liar and a jerk," she says, pointing at him as she walks towards us, "You think using that in an argument will make me take your side? I know for a fact that he didn't start whatever this was."
"He's trying to take what's mi-"
"Don't even finish that sentence," she says sternly, now right in front of him as she narrows her eyes into slits, "I owe you nothing. You messed up multiple times, and I don't have to forgive you. You cheated, you tried to do things I didn't consent to, you hurt me- and now, you accuse him of being violent? How dare you."
My eyes go wide.
My mind hadn't even processed what she had said about him because I was stunned.
I hadn't ever thought she was capable of this much anger- especially if it was for something partially on my behalf.
"Annabe-"
"No," she was shaking, and it almost made me reach for her, "I could have reported you. I could have told my brother- a cop- about everything you've done, but I didn't. Because I was naïve enough to think you deserved any form of redemption."
"But-"
"I don't want you anywhere near me or anyone I'm associated with, Reynolds," she says, her voice firm, "You've done enough. I've had enough. Leave."
"Come on, babe," the guy tries again, pathetically. "Don't be like that-"
"I said leave."
He stands there stubbornly. And like the last time, in a single moment- he seems to flip a switch.
"Really?" his eyes narrow, and his lips curl into a mocking sneer, "You're going to make yourself the victim, again? Just because half your family is dead and you've got a deadbeat daddy in jail?"
Annabeth goes still.
If I thought I was stunned before, I don't know what I feel now.
But my mind does finally process it- everything that he said- and then I'm fucking angry all over again. Much more than I was before.
"You did not just fucking say that," I say lowly, and he shrinks at my tone, "You motherfu-"
I nearly lunge, but I feel a palm pressing firmly against my chest.
I have half the mind to swat it away and break his jaw in front of her anyway, but nothing could have prepared me for what she did next.
"You know," Annabeth says quietly, "I've always told myself that no one deserves pain. But you? You deserve this."
And then she whips out her pink, glittery pepper spray and pepper sprays the asshole in the eyes.
thanks for reading ! don't forget to vote and comment :)
had sm fun writing the last bit of this chapter haha!! and we're halfway into the book too TURN UPP
a little note: this is gradually transitioning to editing more than completely rewriting, so some of the old inline comments might not make sense. don't pay them too much heed. also, I used to be super extra and I included all these questions in author's notes , I'm too lazy to be continuing that stuff lol.
Cassie's bucket list #19: During an online class, change my virtual Zoom background to the teacher's face, and refuse to mute myself while playing the song-'Hall of the Mountain King'.