TASTE OF YOU . . . percabeth

nine

"YOU OKAY, EM?"

"Hm?" Emmy snapped back to her senses, realizing she was just staring off into the distance. She looked down at the chessboard and realized that Annabeth had gone, so she put a random piece forward.

She and Annabeth had decided to take advantage of the nice day to go out to the park and play chess instead of staying in Emmy's apartment. That wasn't the problem; Annabeth was never the problem.

It was Emmy, and her stupid kiss with stupid Percy that was stupidly taking over her mind.

It wasn't real. He just wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone, and she gave him that opportunity. Then why did she still feel the tingle of his lips on hers, and the piercing stare he'd leveled at her after their kiss? She'd never felt this way before.

No. Don't think about that. It was nothing, just a favor between friends. He wanted to know if his Annabeth was doing it wrong or not.

Meanwhile, Emmy's Annabeth ruthlessly took out the piece that she'd just moved, that she hadn't wanted to be taken out. She cursed internally. How'd she get so distracted that she hadn't noticed that? She needed to get her head in the game.

Annabeth gave her an unimpressed glance. "What's going on? Does it have something to do with why you couldn't have me over yesterday?"

Automatically, a smirk rose on Emmy's lips as she examined the chessboard, piecing together a new strategy in her head. "I spend time with other people than you, you know." She nudged Annabeth's leg under the table teasingly as she moved one of her knights.

Annabeth coughed, a blush rising on her cheeks. "I know that. But you don't normally act like this after you spend time with Kylie or anyone else."

Emmy's smirk grew. A blushing Annabeth is a cute Annabeth. "What about after I hang out with you? How do I act then?"

"You don't zone out nearly as much," said Annabeth, staring down at the board for a moment before moving her piece.

"You make me focus," Emmy shrugged. "Like Adderall."

"Charming, Em."

Emmy snorted. "That's the ADHD in me."

This time, Annabeth was so shocked that she made a wrong move. "You have ADHD?"

"Yes, but I take Addy for it," Emmy took out Annabeth's queen, smirking as she added it to her side. She loved the queen. In chess. Though she did love herself as well. "I know, I'm basically flawless, if it weren't for my ADHD and dyslexia. The world hates me."

Annabeth stared at her as she moved her last piece. "Checkmate!" she chirped. 

When Annabeth didn't move, Emmy frowned. "Who's the one zoning out now?"

Annabeth snapped out of it, moving the pieces back to the start. "The world doesn't hate you," she said. "Have you looked at yourself?"

"What?" Emmy snorted. "Rich? Can't read? Can't focus?"

A killer, a voice said in her head, one that she heard from time to time when she least wanted to hear it.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Rich," she agreed. "Pretty. Smart. You've got the whole package."

"Aw, you think I'm pretty?" Emmy puckered her lips at Annabeth. "You're too sweet, Tesoro."

Annabeth flushed, her gaze dropping to Emmy's lips for a split second before flicking back up to her eyes. "I mean it, you know. You're the most beautiful person I know."

Emmy snorted — she found she was doing that a lot today — and watched Annabeth take the first move. "Even with the alienlike purple eyes?"

Because it was true; her eyes were out-of-this-world unnaturally purple. She didn't know anyone else with purple eyes, just her. It brought up rumors about her father: who was he? Who was this unnatural being that gave her these unnatural eyes and dipped? She'd learned to tolerate her eyes over the years; it's hard to pretend like they don't exist. She doesn't love them. They're good for intimidating people, though, which was all she needed them for.