scales and arpeggios

chapter thirteen: annabeth (part two)

"Percy! Mom got me a Frosty!" I wake up to Estelle running into the room.

"I figured there was a reason you wanted us gone, so we ate our food there," Sally says as we sit up. She hands me a bag and a strawberry lemonade, and I thank her. I scoot to the edge of the bed and bite into a spicy chicken nugget.

"Estelle, what did you get?" Percy asks her.

"Well, Mom said I could only get four chicken nuggets," Estelle starts, holding up four of her fingers, "but then Dad got me six." Percy nods and takes a bite of his burger. Sally steals a few of his fries before we hear a knock on the door. Paul opens it to see a woman in scrubs. Her name tag reads Dr. Grey.

"Okay Percy, we're going to get a few more x-rays, then we'll cast up your leg and release you. Sound good to you?" Percy nods and she rolls a wheelchair over to the bed and helps him into it. Estelle seems to find this fascinating. She walks next to me as we follow the doctor, who's pushing Percy's wheelchair. She leads us to a set of double doors labeled x-ray and tells us we can wait outside while the x-rays are completed. After a few minutes of occupying Estelle, Dr. Grey and Percy exit the room, and we head into another room with half a dozen metal tables, and Percy boosts himself onto one. A tall man comes in and wraps Percy's leg in the wet roll of fiberglass. As we wait for the cast to harden, Dr. Grey brings him a pair of crutches and Sally tells Percy and me to bring Estelle to Sally's car while they handle paperwork. I nod and she hands me the keys. Percy hobbles out to the car as he gets used to his crutches while I hold Estelle.

"How do you plan on getting to school?" I ask him as we're walking.

"I haven't thought about that. I can't drive myself. Paul works at a different school, and Mom's busy with Estelle and her school. I'll probably just hitch a ride with someone."

"I mean, I live close. I could drive you to and from school. If you don't mind sticking around for volleyball practices." I unlock the car and help Estelle into her seat before turning back to Percy.

"I'm not going to turn down that offer," Percy says with a stupidly endearing grin.

"Okay, just make sure you're ready to go at 8:15." He agrees and we stand there in silence for a second before his phone dings.

"My mom said that they're going to be a while with the paperwork, so we can drive home if you want. They'll take Paul's car."

"Tell her okay," I say, and he nods before answering Sally. He sticks his phone back in his pocket and I help him into the passenger seat. I grab his crutches and put them in the trunk, then sit in the driver's seat and start the car.

"No music?" Percy asks, and I glance at him, noticing his pout.

"Well, what do you want to listen to?" I ask him, pulling out of the giant parking lot.

"I don't know, I only listen to what Estelle likes. I like to stay up-to-date so I can sing along with her." I look over at him and realize he's completely serious.

"Okay, so Taylor Swift?" I ask him, and he shrugs.

"Sure, but I pick the album." He chooses Speak Now, shuffling the music on my phone. "Dear John" comes on, which he somehow knows all the words to. We jam out as we head back to his house, Estelle laughing at Percy's singing.

By the time we get home, Percy's pretty exhausted from the eventful night, so I help him get comfortable on the couch before I head home.

I give my dad and Helen a more in-depth explanation of what happened before I disappear into my room, having been deprived of my books for too long. I plop down on my bed and open The Hunger Games, disappearing into the reaping ceremony.