𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 - 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐔

Annabeth

Well, this might be mildly interesting.

Not gonna lie, I didn't really want to move all the way out to New York from San Francisco, leaving basically my entire social circle there, but I guess I could appreciate the change. 

I just didn't really expect to find a guy my age, and well, I'm not really inclined to start anything, so this IS NOT going to evolve to anything more than what it is: just neighbors.

Now, you might ask, why am I so opposed to a relationship with the guy? Well, I had a little history, and it's best for the man and myself if we kept it a little slow for now. Besides, my best friend, Thalia, has always hated boys with a special passion, and it might have influenced me a bit too.

It didn't help when that Percy boy and his mom showed up. To be honest, I was a little taken aback by his looks.

He had raven black, messy hair, and it was swept to one side, like he came back from a walk at the beach. He had a bit of a tan, was very tall, and had a sharp jawline, and toned arms. But what stunned me the most was his eyes. Those eyes, those bright, bright sea green eyes. 

I studied his eyes when he wasn't looking, and it was like a painting.. They had a navy blue ring around the edge, and were ranging in different shades of blue and green. The navy blended into a real forest green, and the colors became lighter as they reached his pupil. Definitely the eyes of a troublemaker, judging by the not-so-discreet twinkle. 

He smiled genuinely over at me, and I noticed it was a lopsided grin. He was kind of cute, in a scruffy way. But very much not my cup of tea.

Dad introduced us, and I hope I came off as a human being who was raised by other human beings. Things still felt awkward, so I just went inside.

"You could give him a chance, you know", it said. 

"Maybe get to know him a little better before unnecessary conclusions are reached", some logical part of me argued, and frankly, I agreed.

I walked to my room, where everything was set up already, and slumped on my bed, scrolling through my phone, and rifling through the pictures with me and my friends: Hazel, Thalia, Frank, Will, Nico, Bianca and Luke.

Luke, Luke, Luke.... maybe getting away from him wasn't such a bad idea.

I glared at my phone, before just scrolling ahead with a sigh.

********************

It was 8, and we were at the Jackson's house for dinner, and I had to admit, it was great.

Sally was a great cook; her food was delicious! Percy was sitting next to her and we were sitting opposite them. Sally had prepared chicken with a salad side, and we were all given water, with the exception of juice to my twin brothers.

Speaking of them, Bobby and Matthew had taken a liking to Percy. They kept talking to him, and asking him about the houses and his own life. Then, Bobby asked," Where's your dad?" At this point, I was interested. I looked up.

Percy's smile thinned a little, and he said, "He's....not here right now."

They kept staring at him, even though he looked visibly uncomfortable with the question. I elbowed Matthew, who was sitting next to me. "Don't ask." I whispered.

Bobby moved on with another question, and the other Percy returned. He smiled his goofy grin, and almost effortlessly moved on. I was surprised, and that little action earned him a bit of respect. I wondered what happened to his dad that made him so uncomfortable.

I was smacked out of my thoughts, when Dad said "Well, Annabeth, why don't you, Percy and the twins go to the backyard? They have a park."

At that, Bobby and Matthew perked up and Percy smiled weakly. He looked over at me, and I shrugged. He shrugged nonchalantly back, and picked up his and their plates. He came around to me to pick up mine. "Thanks", I muttered, and he just grinned at me. He had a nice smile.