Half-Blood High

XI

Piper

DING

DING

DING

My alarm clock sounded like a little bell, pulling me out from the clutches of Sleep, and into the arms of Awareness.

I groaned and rolled over to glare at the infernal machine. I had been having a really good dream, and was sad to have been interrupted.

I was at the Half-Blood High annual dance, dressed in a blue and green number that matched my eyes. I was dancing in the middle of the room with...

Jason.

He had smiled at me as we spun slowly, following the music. Then, Principle Brunner had brought out the crowns.

Half-Blood High King and Queen.

He had been on the verge of announcing, when my dream had been interrupted quite rudely by the stupid clock.

I sighed as I got dressed, still thinking about the dream. Would it come true? Would Jason ask me to be his date to the dance?

Don't get ahead of yourself, Piper. Not all dreams come true.

But, I argued with myself, Some dreams do become real. I still have a chance.

"Piper!" Are you up yet?" My maid, Sandra, knocked on my door.

"Yes. I'm almost ready to go!"

"Don't be late!"

I sighed and tugged on a white shirt with my camo snowboard jacket. A pair of ripped jeans, and my hair pulled into a braid completed my school outfit.

I skipped down the stairs, ignored the fancy breakfast the cook offered, grabbed a bagel, and rushed out the door. Between bites of my breakfast, I calculated the time it would take for me to walk to school before the late bell. I could make it.

I finished the bagel by the time I hit St. Patrick Street, and waited at an intersection, scrolling through SnapChat feeds on my phone. The light turned red, and the sign with the tiny man lit up, saying I could walk.

Still scrolling, I walked into the road. Halfway across the crosswalk, I dropped my phone.

This wouldn't have been a problem if the light hadn't turned green.

I froze as a semi-truck barreled straight for me, the driver honking furiously. My feet were practically frozen to the gravel. I was too terrified to move.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the end, when something grabbed my waist. I was pulled across the crosswalk to the sidewalk, and to safety.

"Are you okay?"

I know that voice.

I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself face to face with a pair of sky-blue irises.

Jason Grace.

He was holding my waist, oddly enough, the same way he had in my dream. My checks flushed at the thought, and I realized his face was only a few inches from mine.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, thanks."

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Jason

I was so glad I got lost on the way to school.

I was walking as fast as I could, trying to remember the way from yesterday, when I saw her.