This chapter is ok ish (at least in my eyes) but enjoy reading anyways! Also, thank you for all these reads!! We hit 1k recently! ❤️

Monday, September 3rd
7:50 am - the main entrance of Goode High School

"I can't do it." Annabeth stared at the mob of students flooding into the school. She felt anxiety building up inside her, a lump in her throat threatening tears. She tried to swallow it.

"Yes you can," Thalia convinced her. "I will be at your side the whole time. Well, if we have the same classes," she pointed out.

"That doesn't really help," Annabeth said, trying to take deep breaths.

"Right. Sorry. Anyways, you'll be fine, Annie. Come on," Thalia tried to reassure her, dragging her up the grand steps and into the school.

You've been here a million times, she told herself. You even like this place a little. She decided to believe herself. She was still worried though. However, the loose shirt and ripped jeans she wore seemed to do a good enough job at hiding her barely existent baby bump.

"No one knows, or is gonna know," Thalia whispered to her. "You will be fine."

Annabeth tried to focus on where she was going.

After weaving through large crowds of students, they finally made it to the main office, getting their schedules and locker numbers. They made their way to their lockers, which were luckily side by side.

"Oh, look who it is," Thalia said. Annabeth closed her locker, looking to her left. She was met with a familiar pair of striking green eyes.

"Hey," Percy said, smiling kindly at Annabeth. His gentle expression somehow gave Annabeth a second of clarity. She gave him a small smile back. "You okay?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I think I'll be fine." She nodded. She began organizing her locker just like every other year. Her tiny mirror was stuck to the inside of her locker door, as well as a picture of her and Thalia. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a picture of her and Luke. Suddenly, she wanted to cry. She swallowed her tears, thinking of how she would probably never see him again. Yet at the same time, there was a sense of relief. Annabeth still couldn't figure out why. Of course, she was hurting. It was a different kind of pain, though, not the worst she's felt. No, the worst she had ever felt was many years ago. She decided not to think about that.

"Hey," Thalia said, appearing behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't look at that." She took the picture from Annabeth. A few tears slipped from her eyes. "Come on," Thalia said with a kind of New York accent that made Annabeth laugh. "Don't do that," she said, wiping Annabeth's tears away.

"Thanks,"

"Are you okay?" Percy asked from behind her, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. Annabeth couldn't help but think he looked a bit cute.

"Yeah, I... I'm actually okay now." They all chuckled.

Suddenly, they were swarmed. This tended to happen when you're the popular kid. Percy's friends came first. A scrawnier boy walked up to Percy, "long time, no see, huh?" Annabeth identified the boy (or really man, at this point—he had been held back a few years) as Grover Underwood. He wore the same clothes that Annabeth had seen before; baggy jeans and a tie-dye t-shirt. Next up was the Stoll Brothers—Goode High's star troublemakers. She had heard of some of their pranks. A lot of them weren't her style but she had to admit, they were well planned, which was something Annabeth could appreciate. The identical boys clapped Percy on the back and poked him in the side in greeting. A familiar face suddenly smiled at Percy next—Charles Beckendorf. He was one of the kinder kids on the football team. Annabeth only knew him through Silena Beauregard, for the two had been dating since freshman year, and were completely in love. She noticed Nico DiAngelo lurking quietly off to the side, his presence brooding and dark. Finally, a face she knew quite well; Jason Grace. A few more kids, mostly from the swim team, joined the group. She was barely in acquaintance with half of those people, but she was a very observant person.

Annabeth watched as they all talked in one big circle. She noticed how Percy's face lit up as everyone said hello and conversed. She had been in the same class as Percy since the fifth grade, and despite the fact that she had never known him very well, she had always known that he was probably the most loyal person you could ever meet. She really saw that now. She found herself smiling.

"Annabeth!" She turned her head to see Silena rushing towards her. Before she knew it, she was engulfed in a hug.

"Hi, Silena!" Annabeth greeted her back. "How've you been?"

"Good! How was your summer? You kinda disappeared at the end there," she laughed.

Annabeth took a deep breath. She needed an explanation, and fast. "Oh, I... took a trip to Montauk. I really needed to just relax, so that's why I wasn't really around." Annabeth said a silent prayer thanking her parents for her quick mind.

"Oh, well good for you! Self care, am I right?"

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah." She nodded. "Katie!" She engulfed her friend in a quick hug.

"Hey, Annabeth!"

"How was your summer?"

"Oh, the most beautiful petunias finally bloomed in my garden, and they look so pretty with the tulips!" Katie Gardner was obsessed with gardening, which was fitting, considering her last name. Her green eyes suit her well, too.

"Annabeth, look at what happened!" Suddenly, Drew Tanaka pushed her way through the crowd.

"What now, Drew," Annabeth said with joking disinterest. Drew Tanaka was definitely the Barbie girl of Goode High. A lot of people didn't like her because they thought she was shallow, but of course she was associated with the popular kids—she just looked the part, with her tan skin and long black hair. However, Annabeth really knew her, and she could actually be pretty cool sometimes.

"This stupid nerd bumped into me, and now my nail is chipped!" Drew stuck her hand in front of Annabeth's face, a pouty expression on her face. "I'm gonna sue!" Other times, Drew got a bit... fussy.

"No, you're not," Annabeth gently pushed her hand down. "Take a deep breath," Annabeth inhaled and exhaled, having Drew do the same. She was one of the few people who was able to calm her down. "Better?"

"Better," Drew said, her expression more calm.

"Now, how was your summer?" Annabeth smiled at her.

"Oh my god, my mom's private yacht is so great. We went to our private island, and I threw the most amazing party, you would not believe the guys that were—"

"Help!" Suddenly, Will Solace ran in and hid behind Annabeth. Drew glared at him, saying, "Rude."

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"The football guys are after me again, and I may have insulted their hair," He squeaked.

"HEY!" Suddenly a voice boomed down the hallway. "SOLACE!"

"Oh no." Will clutched Annabeth's shoulders a little tighter.

A path cleared immediately, and Matt Sloan and Ethan Nakamura came barreling down the hallway. The two boys were only familiar faces to Annabeth because of how much she loathed them. They were your stereotypical asshole jocks, and unlike Beckendorf, they were the mean kids of the football team.

"Where did that fag go?" Matt walked right up to Annabeth, glaring at her. Ethan stayed close behind.

"Excuse me?" Annabeth asked. She hated that word. Everyone in the hallway fell dead silent, even her friends, but they knew that she could handle herself. The boys did tower over her, even though she was 5'9. However, Annabeth's confidence made her feel like she was looking them right in the eyes.

"Move out of the way. Let the fag come fight for himself," Ethan chimed in. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Percy trying to step in. She almost smiled. Nico DiAngelo grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"I don't think so. Why don't you go back to sniffing each other's asses, and leave my friend alone." Annabeth glared right back at them with even more intensity. Everyone seemed to appreciate her insult, laughing and 'ooh'ing.

"Oh, she thinks she scares us." Matt turned Ethan.

"Not a chance," Ethan retorted.

"Oh, really? The dark spot on your pants says otherwise."

"That's water!" Ethan insisted. "It IS!"

"Sure," Will snickered from behind her.

"What was that, runt?" Matt got closer to Annabeth, trying to get to Will.

"Back up!" Annabeth yelled. Everyone went silent again. She didn't know where it came from. It just... happened before she could stop it. She was surprised with herself slightly. However, her expression stayed self-assured.

"Ooh. She thinks she's still safe even though her little boyfriend Luke is gone." That hit Annabeth harder than she had expected. "Well, I'm the new quarterback now." Matt got in her face. "You better watch your back, Chase." Then, the two boys walked off.

Annabeth didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she exhaled. Her mind was plagued once again, with thoughts of him. She felt a ball of tears get caught in her throat.

"Thanks, Annabeth. You're the best."

Annabeth ran.

Before she could start crying in the middle of the hallway, she ran to the bathroom. She just barely heard Will behind her, "Did I say something wrong?" as well as her friends calling after her.

She sped into a stall, just barely having time to close the door before she vomited. It was a few minutes before she gained her bearings. She wiped her mouth, but silent tears streaked her cheeks. Of course, someone had to mention Luke. She was lucky enough to get through without her friends bringing him up. It still hurt. He might have left weeks ago, but it didn't matter. He broke her heart, and despite the smile she plastered on her face, there was still pain behind that mask. Of course, she stuck it out anyways. Like she had just proved, her friends needed her to be strong. She wasn't going to let them down now, even though her life was a mess, because they are what's going to get her through this.

"Annie?" Thalia's voice rang through the bathroom. "Are you okay?" She found her stall, and Annabeth saw as her black combat boots appeared in front of the stall door. "Let me in," Thalia said a little quieter.

Annabeth unlocked the door.

"I shoulda kicked him in the balls." Thalia was, once again, wiping Annabeth's tears. She chuckled. "This whole emotionally unstable thing is kicking you in the ass, huh?"

"Yep," Annabeth sighed. "I don't know if I can do it, Thals." Annabeth looked forlornly at the ground. "I mean, if I break down at everything that happens, people are eventually going to connect the dots, I mean..."

"Hey, what you just did out there, was what I like to call fucking awesome." Thalia looked her straight in the face. "I know things are rough right now, but Annabeth listen to me." She paused for a minute taking Annabeth's hands. "Luke is an asshole. What he did is awful. And yeah, it sucks because he was a big part of our lives but, that doesn't mean he gets to control them. You are the only person who controls your life. Not Luke, not me, not your dad, not anyone... but yourself."

Annabeth hugged her best friend. "Thank you," she whispered.

"God, all this sentimental shit is too much for such little time." Thalia joked. "Really, its disgusting," she said, smiling.

Annabeth laughed. They walked out of the stall just as everyone else came bursting in. "Annabeth, are you alright?" Silena ran up to her as she stood in front of a mirror.

"I'm fine," Annabeth sniffled.

"Oh!" Drew exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Your mascara is a mess! Get over here." Drew started to fix Annabeth's barely-there make up.

"Why were you crying?" Katie asked.

"Well..." Annabeth debated on whether she should tell them about Luke. Thalia gave her a look, raising an eyebrow; are you sure? Annabeth looked around at the faces of her friends. She's known these people almost all her life—she had been able to trust them then, so she had all the reason to trust them now. "You have to promise not to say anything." They all nodded. "Luke went away to college, so we broke up." Annabeth tried not to start crying again.

"Oh, hun," they all said their sorry's, hugging her tight.

"Its okay," Annabeth said. "I just need to take my mind off of it."

"Is Annabeth okay?" Will called through the door. They all laughed. Annabeth led everyone out of the bathroom.

"I'm fine, Will." Annabeth smiled at him.

"Great," He said, grinning back. "The bell rang five minutes ago. Can we get to class now?"

"We better."

~*~

"Are you okay?" Silena looked at Annabeth worriedly. Annabeth looked about as green as the peas that were making her nauseous.

"No—" Annabeth put a hand to her mouth, trying not to vomit. Squeezing her eyes shut, she swallowed. "It's fine," she said.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go to the nurse." Katie eyes were wide and her eyebrows were furrowed. "You look just about the same shade as my favorite apple tree leaves," Katie said.

"Guys, it's fine, really." Annabeth waved them off.

"Hey guys," Thalia sat down with her sandwich. Just Annabeth's luck—it was tuna fish. At this point, she really couldn't handle it. Quickly running out of the cafeteria, she made her way to the nearest bathroom, not paying attention to any signs.

She beelined to a stall and shut the door. Once she was finished puking up her guts, she leaned against the stall wall, taking a deep breath. That was when she noticed it—the stall wall was blue, not pink like the girls' bathroom.

She was in the boys' bathroom.

And there were other people in there.

Shit.

She immediately tried her best to be as quiet as possible. She heard a few voices—including... Percy's?

Annabeth wasn't quite sure how to feel. Should she ask him for help to get her out of here? Or should she do this on her own?

Just then, she heard the door open and more footsteps approach the stalls.

Why do so many people use the bathroom at lunch? Go eat your food! she thought. She took a deep breath, quietly of course. She pulled out her phone from her back pocket. Annabeth ignored the conversations as she texted Percy.

Annabeth: I need help. I'm in the same bathroom that you're in, and that's the problem. I'm in the third stall, I think. I ran into the wrong bathroom.

She sent it, hearing someone's phone buzz, and she assumed it was Percy's.

"Hold on," she heard him say. Yes! He sent her an ok.

"What is it, bro?" Someone asked.

"You know Kelli? She keeps asking me if I want to 'hang out' with her and her friends tonight. I don't want to though." Annabeth had no idea if Percy was actually telling the truth or not, but part of her, a part she couldn't explain, hoped he was lying.

"Hey, can I fill that slot for you?" The other guy asked.

"You got room for two more?"

Gross, Annabeth thought, making a face subconsciously.

"Go for it. She said she wants to work out details like, right now in the back of the school near the vending machines," Percy gave them instructions. "But you have to go, like, now."

"Alright man, thanks." The three other boys left the bathroom.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked.

She sighed in relief. "Here." She opened her stall door a crack. She smiled when she saw Percy's face—she couldn't help it.

"You can explain how this happened on the way back to the lunch room."

•••