Ship in a Bottle

Buy One, Get Four Free

(Edited)

Annabeth's body was perched against the bathroom wall, her bloodshot eyes discarding tears almost every second. The air was intoxicated with the smell of her blood, the razor lying beside her torso.

It was a mistake, and she realized that now. The bathroom was filled with empty sobs exhaling from her sore throat.

She just wanted to scream. Nico Di Angelo had cut a few times before, explaining that to the group. He was so open about his problems, and his friends helped him through it all. Annabeth didn't want to be a menace and unload the baggage on her friends, and self-harm seemed like the only solution.

All her life, Annabeth Chase had been raised in a toxic household. Minerva Chase was her mother's name, and she was the only one to treat Annabeth right. Since she abandoned her family, Frederick and Helen never saw the good in Annabeth's heart.

She wanted to be recognized. The only satisfaction she received was when her test scores came in the mail. Anything below an A+ was disgraceful to her reputation. Repulsive, even.

At school, Annabeth was a role model for younger students. Her extensive grade scores had always been high, based on her intelligence. Students in need always asked her questions, which Annabeth always seemed to have the answer to.

Behind closed doors, the poor girl was a mess. She'd throw away her backpack at night, crying until she only felt one thing: numbness. Insomnia hadn't helped her mood, especially since her parents refused to get her help. A therapist could do wonders for Annabeth's mental health, but nobody acknowledged her anxious personality.

At that moment, lying in the peace of her bathroom, her phone buzzed with activity. She wrapped her fingers around the device, breathing heavily as she checked her messages.

The notification had been brought by a few missed calls from her best friend. Piper had become worried at that point, yearning to hear her best friend's voice after the day she'd had.

Finally, Annabeth mustered up the courage to respond to her friend. "Hello?"

"Annabeth?" Piper squeaked, taking in the stutter in her words. "I just heard what happened to you during the shooting. How are you holding up?"

There were only three ways Annabeth would have broken the news to her. 'Oh, I'm so depressed that I harmed myself to an extent just to prove that I hate myself', or 'I just need a little time to myself'. And finally, the personal favorite of hers, the 'Everyone hates me, so why not just kill myself and get rid of the problem'.

"Hello?" Piper spoke into the silence. "Are you still there? I'll be here for you no matter what, alright? You can tell me anything, or not, if you're not comfortable with that."

"You know the time Nico told us that he harmed himself because of mental issues?" Annabeth sputtered, not able to control her speech. "And he showed us his scars?"

"Don't tell me-"

"I couldn't help it." Absent-mindedly, Annabeth wiped her tears with her free hand. "I wanted to stop as soon as I started, but it just felt so good. There's something wrong with me, isn't there?"

"Everyone makes mistakes," Piper offered, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, like my mom," Annabeth chuckled humorlessly. "She made me."

"I hope you're alright with a few guests because there's no way I'm leaving you alone at a time like this," Piper exclaimed. "I'm inviting a few people to your house, and we're going to take your mind off of everything, or just let you rant about it. Whatever you want. If you just want to watch a movie or something, that's fine too! I'm bringing all the good snacks."