Percy Jackson

Swimming started on Monday, my next date with Nico was Tuesday, school started that Wednesday, and I ended up having to do a mental health screening on Friday because of concerns from my parents, Emalie, and teachers.

It was a lot.

Luckily, I didn't have to go stay in a psych ward.

But if I have another meltdown? I might have to, so that's a scary thought.

Like, I know the people there would mean well, but if they don't know about the gods then it becomes weird and complicated and then I sound like I have psychosis or schizophrenia when I actually don't.

I was right in predicting that school would get lonely without Rachel being there, though.

Sure, I was on the swim team and there were kids on the team that I talked to. People that were friendly, but not that I'd call my friends because we don't hang out outside of swim related events.

After about a week, I started sitting in Paul's room during lunch since he didn't have a class at that point in time but he was usually doing like, evaluations or whatever so he's also not in his room. It's quiet and better than being alone in the lunchroom.

Another week and a half or so after that, one of the dudes I swim with popped in to turn something in and didn't see me as he walked in and put whatever it was in the turn in bin on Paul's desk, but he saw me after he turned around and almost jumped directly out of his skin.

"I— holy shit dude, you scared me," Andrew said as he leaned against one of the desks closer to him. "have you been there the whole time? Why are you in here right now?"

"I mean... Yeah," I figured, motioning to my food. "Just eating lunch."

"You eat lunch in here?"

I nodded my head.

"What about your friends?"

And I scoffed, but I was proud of myself for not laughing at that.

"I don't have any friends, dude," I reminded Andrew. "not that really go here, anyways. Rachel goes to some Academy boarding school now, so... Plus, the cafeteria is so loud."

"Oh, yeah, you're right, it's unbearable most of the time," he agreed, now just sitting on the desk he was leaning against earlier. "You can't tell me you don't have more friends, though. None of your middle school friends are here? I know the team isn't super close but... Nobody?"

I shrugged again.

"No, not really," it felt kind of bad to confirm that for Andrew, I won't lie. I don't like not having friends, but it's hard to make them as a demigod in a mortal school and not feel like a fraud doing so. "i bounced around schools a lot as a kid and the only reason I got in here so easily and was able to stay is because Paul's my stepdad now. I didn't really... Make friends in middle school. I guess I have a couple, but they're not from school, it's friends from this summer camp I go to and none of them live in New York so..."

I let out a sigh.

"It's whatever, I'm used to it," I tried to reassure him that it doesn't bother me and usually it doesn't. "Kids never seemed to like me and adults liked me even less, but eventually I'll graduate and never have to think about high school ever again."

So much for the best years of my life, right?

"Hm... That's dumb, though," and shout-out to the moral support that just flowed out of him. Almost like talking to a therapist. "You shouldn't be used to it, just because you were around the gym at orientation doesn't make you trouble, it just means you have shitty luck. Most kids thought it was funny. And adults are just stupid about that kind of stuff anyways. I don't know you put up with having a teacher as a parent."

Thinking to myself, I took a bite of my sandwich.

"It's... Not easy," I wasn't going to lie to him about it. "especially because of how people tend to assume that I'm a trouble maker and whatever, it took a while for him to trust me and I'm still not convinced he really does but I also didn't think I'd be at home still when they got married so... He's nice, don't get me wrong. He's a good dude, we just don't blend well together, especially because he has high standards that I'll never met because I'm not going to college and I'm not that smart. I have common sense, street smarts, but like... I'm also dyslexic and have ADHD so school has never been my forte."

And then I realized that I was kind of starting to trauma dump. Overshare.

"Sorry," I apologized. "That was a lot."

"No, it's okay!" Andrew insisted as I realized he also had his lunch out right now. "I get it, me and my mom always butt heads because I don't do as good as she wants me to. I don't have ADHD or dyslexia, but I'm just not interested in most subjects because it's boring and monotonous year after year, so it brings my grades to B's and C's, which isn't that bad, but I was a straight A kid back in elementary and middle school so that's what my mom expects and yeah."

I scoffed.

"I think Paul would throw a party if I got more than one C," I told my teammate. "it's usually mostly D's, an F in like, math or science, if not both, and a C in usually an elective class, but sometimes like, history or English depending on how cool the teacher was about my dyslexia and ADHD. I'm already behind on credits because of it, which Paul thinks it's ridiculous and impossible but... It's not. I'm proof that it's not."

We both agreed that it was stupid before he got up and figured he should return to his friends before they get to concerned, offering an invitation to join him.

I knew his crowd, though, and while him and like one other friend of his is chill, a lot of his friends have tried picking fights and are just assholes to me.

Especially if I beat them in a practice race. Like holy shit, it's just practice, calm down. I gain nothing from beating you right now, or really ever because we're on the same team.

Sorry that I'm a fast swimmer. I get it from my dad.

It's the only beneficial thing he's ever given me, and technically he didn't give it to me because I was born with it.

I guess that seashell ended up being useful, too, but it was a wager tool in a war so really...

Leaving Paul's room a few minutes early, I threw my stuff out and started walking to my locker when a senior from the team bumped into me and then proceeded to shove me into the lockers, asking how I dare have the audacity to touch him even though it was an accident and then he taught me a lesson, apparently, by punching meal few times and then kicking me on the ground

And not only did I know that it'd just get me in more trouble if I did it, but I just didn't care enough to fight back.

The punches were almost numbing, but the kick hurt. Right to the ribs.

So so much for Paul not knowing that I spend lunch in his room, because that happened right by his room and he's the one that found me on the ground and in pain.

At least this time when I had to sit in the principles office I wasn't in trouble.