Chapter 43 - Miles Away
published: Wednesday, 26 August 2020

It took all her energy not to tap her foot on the ground.

Classical music flowed from the speakers in the hallway outside the office, where a panel of teachers would decide whether Annabeth was fit to join Harvard University.

Annabeth was the last interview of the day — she had spent the last three hours while waiting wracking her brain trying to figure out how they ordered the candidates being interviewed and still failed to produce a viable solution — which could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

But she was too hopped up on nerves to think straight, especially because she couldn't exactly pull out her phone, could she? Her father had trained her in this — he had attended both Harvard and Yale, after all — and first impressions were extremely important.

Unfortunately, Annabeth had been so agitated when leaving their hotel room that she'd forgotten to pack the book she'd specifically picked out to make her seem a whole lot smarter than she actually was.

Her father had been taking her all over the country for college interviews. Leo's interview with MIT had fallen on the same day as Annabeth's with Harvard, so he'd joined them on their trip to Massachusetts.

They'd spent the entire car ride here testing each other on their various subjects. It was weird to followed up the question "Explain the functions of theory in political inquiry." with "What are the parameters used for synchronisation?", but Annabeth and Leo had pulled it off.

Annabeth checked her watch for what had to be the thousandth time in the last hour. 4.24pm. Leo had to be done with his interview by now. He was probably waiting outside the school with Frederick, rambling on about nonsense to her father. Annabeth was glad that her dad knew Leo well enough that whatever nonsense he was spouting wouldn't confuse him.

Annabeth gripped the edge of her seat as the glass door opened, making the bells overhead jingle.

A blonde European boy exited, looking ready to collapse and shaking like a leaf as he blankly walked away.

A tall, slender woman stepped out from the office, her eyes trained on the clipboard in her hands. "Carmen Patel," she announced. The British-Indian girl sitting across from Annabeth got to her feet and toddled inside, her face pale with terror.

Annabeth's own fear skyrocketed as the door closed, leaving her the only one outside. She was next. In about 30 minutes, her first college interview would take place, and probably determine the rest of her life.

These were decisions that she couldn't take back.

Annabeth closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall behind her, trying to train her breathing to regain a slow rhythm.

She tried to think of the one thing that never failed to calm her down; Percy. Green eyes, dark hair, and his goofy grin.

Except that all that did was remind Annabeth that, if this and the subsequent interviews went well, she would have to leave him.

Percy would have to stay in New York, while Annabeth pursued her own dreams, and she hated the thought of leaving him behind.

Even if they spoke everyday, it wouldn't be the same. Their relationship wouldn't consist of hushed conversations in AP Biology or passed notes in Maths. She wouldn't slide in beside him during lunch like the missing piece of his puzzle. He wouldn't beam up at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Their entire dynamic would be different. Annabeth finally understood why so few relationships survived past high school. Simply thinking about the mileage between Percy and herself made her want to sink into a foetal position on the ground.

Great, feeling dejected wasn't much better than being nervous.

Annabeth couldn't calm her breathing. Every technique her father had taught her went out the window as she twisted uncomfortably in her seat, the room starting to become to claustrophobic for her liking.

Her gaze flickered to her rucksack that sat on the floor with her sparse belongings; a water bottle, her phone, earphones, a power bank, a notebook and a pen.

Could she...

No.

"Damn it," Annabeth muttered frustratedly as she made a split-second decision, grabbing her phone out of the bag and leaping to her feet.

Her hands trembled as she dialled Percy's number while pacing the waiting room, her fingers gripping the phone like her life depended on it.

What she wouldn't do for Percy to be at her side right now.

"Hello?" she croaked.

"Annabeth?" came Percy's bewildered voice. "Was that a pocket dial?" His tone suddenly shifted into one of enthusiasm. "Is your interview over?"

"No, no," she said shakily. "I'm in the waiting room — Percy, I-I don't know if I can do this. I don't think I've ever been this terrified in my life, and I was kidnapped by a drug lord last year." Before she could rise to hysteria, Percy shushed her.

"Woah, breathe, Annabeth," he said gently.

"Easier said than done," she hissed, her feet propelling her from wall to wall. She counted seven steps before she had to make a U-turn and restart. "Percy, every single person here looks smart than me, and probably has a million more extra-curriculars which they're better at than me!" She pressed a palm to her forehead worriedly, shaking her head. "I'm never going to make it. It was stupid of me to dream of becoming some-some hotshot lawyer in Manhattan, especially when I can't even make it to a dumb interview without completely freaking out!"

For a few moments, all she could hear was her own wracked breathing, and Annabeth deliriously wondered Percy had hung up on her.

But then there was a crackling on the other end of the line as Percy began to speak. "Okay, now that you've got that out, you need to realise how ridiculous you sound right now. Annabeth, Albert Einstein could be in that room and not hold a candle to you in brilliance. What sets you apart from all those other people is that you're Annabeth Chase. You think I'm determined? I've never seen you quit anything in my entire life. That includes in middle school, when you insisted on playing the netball tournament with a sprained ankle — which you won, by the way."

"But there's so much weight on this one interview—"

"No, no, look," Percy interrupted. "Harvard might be super famous or whatever, but if they don't realise how incredible you are, then they aren't worth it. At all. Why should you let a bunch of stuffy professors who would probably burn in the sunlight determine your worth?"

Annabeth quieted. "You really think so?"

"Please," Percy chuckled. "You don't need to go to an Ivy League school to be successful. You're going to become the best lawyer the world's ever seen regardless of where you study. I'm more sure of that than I am of anything else."

"Thank you." She hesitated. "Percy..."

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking..." she trailed off. "What if everything works out? As in, what if, by some extraterrestrial miracle, we both get into the university of our choice. I-I don't think we've completely thought through what we plan to do—"

"We'll solve that problem when we get to it," Percy said easily, his voice utterly free of doubt. "Look, we've got the rest of our lives ahead of us right now. All I know is that I love you."

"That's enough." Annabeth smiled to herself. "Thanks for this."

"No problem," came Percy's reply. "Seems like pep talks are kind of our thing."

"I should get back to," she pulled a face. "My agonising wait."

"If you get nervous again, just think about how bad Jason's latest attempt to make blue cookies was."

It worked; she laughed. "Are you ever going to let up on that? It's been a year."

Percy snorted. "Are you kidding? A bet's a bet."

"So, never then," Annabeth muttered with an eye-roll.

"I will get my mum to make some for you when you get back. There, something to look forward to."

"Definitely. Bye, Percy."

"Bye."

The line clicked off, leaving Annabeth standing in the room. Not all her worries had been quenched, but Percy had definitely given her more confidence. Enough, certainly, to make it through this interview with her wits about her.

Come on, she told herself sternly. You've worked days and nights for this.

Annabeth checked her reflection in the trophy display case; long red skirt, off-the-shoulder white blouse. Hell, she looked better than she had at the school dances.

She slotted her phone back into her bag and settled into her seat, adrenaline thrumming just beneath her skin. Talking to Percy felt like the weight of the sky had been lifted from her shoulders.

The fateful bells jingled. The previous candidate — Carmen — stepped out, looking visibly relaxed as she shot Annabeth a look that only someone who'd already gotten the worst of it over could give.

"Annabeth Chase," the same woman as before announced. Annabeth read the badge pinned to her blouse — the Dean if Admissions.

Annabeth rearranged her features in a warm smile. "Ms Harper, it's a pleasure to meet you."