Jɪɴx ➪ 𝙡. 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙯

social skills

chapter eight; social skills

"THIS IS GREAT." Hazel's smile brightened the cabin.

Hazel never had the chance to bond with girls around her age. Not with all that happened in her past and her dying... But now an opportunity has been raised.

Everyone's been down in the dumps, so Hazel proposed the idea of the girls coming together to hang out while none had guard duty. Piper jumped at the chance and Jinx was forced to attend by Coach's insufferable taunts.

"Go make friends, cupcake. Be more human than a demigod." He had said, "it's embarrassing watching you try to make small talk." He told Jinx.

She argued that it was still daylight and the fun stuff happened at night, but Coach still shoved her away.

The three girls were in Hazel's cabin. The door was closed and each was uniquely sat on Hazel's bed.

Hazel sat upright, fiddling with the covers and thinking of a good conversation starter. Piper leaned on the cabin's wall, legs on top of Jinx's. She had her arms crossed and wondered how Jason was doing and if he would be okay. Jinx was lying down, underneath the blanket. She seemed like she could be fast asleep at any second, which Hazel and Piper did not doubt.

"It's like a sleepover," Hazel exclaimed. "What do you do at sleepovers?"

With dying and being a few years out of date, Hazel had no idea how to lead this supposed sleepover.

Piper sighed, she never really had friends for that. Having a rich dad never helped her out and neither did getting in trouble all of the time. Friends were something Piper didn't have until Leo and Jason, though she wasn't going to say that to them.

"I didn't have friends. Jinx said with her eyes closed. They both looked at her, shocked that she would so boldly state that when neither wanted to admit it aloud.

"That makes sense on why your social skills suck." Piper snickered.

"Yeah, yours do too. I don't know why you're talking." Jinx didn't have to open her eyes to tell that she was staring. "I didn't care about having friends. I wasn't in any groups 'cause I barely attended school."

"Then how did you pass?" Hazel pulled out a paper and pen to play hangman with Piper as Jinx opened up.

Although it wasn't going exactly according to plan, Hazel was set on learning as much as she could about Jinx. After Nico, Jinx was the hardest to learn about. She was not one to be called an open book like Leo was.

"I don't know. Teachers love me? Good grades."

Piper guessed a letter, twirling a piece of hair when Hazel drew a head. "My dad's assistant sent me to a delinquent's boarding school. I met Leo there."

Jinx opened her eyes, "really?"

"Yeah, he was sent there after he ran away from his foster family and an officer caught him." Piper eyed Jinx, "we became friends quickly."

"You know, Jinx, I've noticed your interest in him." Hazel drew a mouth.

"'Dunno what you're talking about."

Jinx didn't want to have this sort of conversation with them. Not because she didn't trust them, because she was learning to, but because it would be awkward. Coach and Piper have already said that she sucks at socializing, there was just no way she would be roped into this type of topic.

They were two average teen girls who wanted to know the latest gossip. But they were rudely reminded that they weren't average and that nothing about their situation was normal. They didn't have the luxury of having sleepovers and playing hangman while they discuss crushes and boyfriends.