SWEET SORROWS│p. jackson

[ 16. ]

II xvi. coffee and dress up... II

"MOTHER!"

Andromeda was suddenly brought back to life, her hands raised in the air and she screamed. Then she was on the floor. "Ow!"

"Oh, god, Andie," The sound of Piper's worried voice made Andromeda move her face from the hard concrete. "I'm so sorry!"

She had fallen out of a chair and face-planted into the floor. What a nice way to wake up. Peeling herself off the hard concrete, her eyes trailed past Piper and to their surroundings. They were all surrounding a table inside a perimeter with a black fence. Bright flowers decorated tables along with the people seated in them. The table beside them had a young couple and they both were looking at her and whispering. Then her eyes fell on the person beside her, Alabaster. He was blinking around the room, trying to regain his bearings from when Piper had yelled.

When his eyes landed on her, the younger sibling scrambled onto her two feet and lunged forward and enveloped him in a giant hug. Her brother grunted in surprise, but immediately hugged her back. "I'm so so sorry, Al." She sniffled. "You were right about mom... I should have just freaking listened to you—"

"Hey, hey," He pushed her back, wiping a tear from under her eye. "You had every right to be angry at me, Andie. I'm just glad you forgive me now."

She smiled, eyes glossy from the previous tears and enveloped him in another hug. "Let's be honest," Her older brother's chuckle hit her ear. "Did any of us really like our mother in the first place?"

Andromeda snorted, pushing herself off him.

"What—?" The wheezed choke made the rest of the group look towards the blonde boy seated back into the chair opposite of Alabaster. His face was red, and he seemed to be struggling with his breath.

"What...what?" Leo raised an eyebrow. 'C'mon, use your words man."

He didn't finish his sentence, only stared forward with a red face. When they followed his gaze, Andromeda practically fell into her chair in awe.

Jason, as usual, had been staring at Piper. She was wearing a turquoise dress , with black leggings and black leather boots. She had on a pretty silver charm bracelet, and a snowboarding jacket. It all looked tacky (but in a cute way).

"Piper, you look adorable!" Andromeda beamed. Piper's face tinted pink.

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen—well, you and Andie," He sent both girls a wink, to which Piper's face quickly turned down and she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What?...oh." All of them had been given a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstripe pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

"Very nice," Coach Hedge agreed. "'Course, I look better." He had turned into a pastel satyr. He had a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.

"How fashionable." Andromeda nodded, receiving a fist bump from the satyr.

"Well," Jason said, "at least your mom overlooked me." He was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt, like he'd worn at the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed. His eyes were the same color as the sky.