The Legend of Percy: Book 2 - Through Grief

11. The Beach (Our Campfires Were Much More Fun)

A/N: Happy New Year to you all! Wishing you all the best in 2022 and hope you enjoy! Next chapter might not be out for a couple weeks, although it depends. Either way hope you have a great and safe celebration!

Ty Lee stood in the corner of the room. She'd been around the party a little, talking to some of the Ember Island girls. They seemed nice, if a little short with her. The boys though, they hadn't stopped looking at her. It was unnerving and creepy.

She hadn't so much as looked in Azula's direction since they'd been out on the balcony. Ty Lee had seen her come in at some point, and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the princess sulking by a post. But she was done.

If Azula couldn't even admit why she was acting like she was, then the gymnast couldn't see a point in trying to help her. She'd tried so hard to show her kindness, but only receiving anger and spite in return... Ty Lee could only keep it up for so long.

The princess was so close, so very close, after her trip to look for Percy, but she still couldn't do it. And now, Ty Lee was seeing it as more and more of a lost cause.

"So how do you know Ty Lee?" One of the guys from the beach asked another one, snapping her from her thoughts.

She was already trying to move away from them, but more guys moved over towards her. A bunch of the girls were looking at her. Some in pity, some clearly, spitefully jealous, but it didn't matter. None of them moved to help her.

"I met her at the beach today. She was pretty impressed by my sand pagoda that I made for her."

No, I wasn't! You just offered to fan me and asked if your sandcastle was good!

"Well, I met her first!" The guy who helped with her bag said.

Some more boys moved, surrounding her in the corner. They kept getting closer and closer to her, and she began to feel more and more worried. They didn't take their eyes off of her, looking over her, making her skin crawl.

Ty Lee tried looking for Mai, but couldn't see her over the taller boys. In a last desperate attempt, she tried looking for Azula. Scanning between the kids surrounding her, she saw the golden eyes. But they weren't looking at her.

"Look," she started, nervously, "i-it doesn't matter who I met first, cause I like you all."

"But which one of us do you... like?"

The boy who gave her the shell said. He moved even closer, to the point where her back was pressed flat against the wall.

"I don't like any of you like that." She told them.

Of course I don't! I like someone else. And that shouldn't even matter!

That got a whole bunch of scandalised looks from the boys.

"But I helped you!"

"I gave you a shell!"

"I fanned you!"

"You offered it to me!" She replied, defensively and shyly.

Ty Lee was shrivelling in on herself as the boys crowded ever closer.

"You have to like one of us."

"Yeah! We were nice to you."

"I didn't ask you to do that!" She yelled at them. "And I like someone else."

The gymnast tried to push her way past two of them when the boy who gave her the shell grabbed her wrist. She tugged at it but he held strong. When she tried to pull it away again, her wrist twisted and a pain shot up her arm. Her heart was beating fast and she felt more of the boys moving around her.