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23: Goode High School Orientation

"Mom, are you sure about this?" I asked. "Percy messes up every school he goes to alone, now both of us? I don't want to mess up Mr. Blofis's school." Percy refuses to believe his name is Blofis.

The last thing either of wanted to do on our summer break was blow up a school. But there we were Monday morning, the first week of June, sitting in our mom's car in front of Goode High School on East 81.

Goode was this big brownstone building overlooking the East River. A bunch of BMWs and Lincoln Town Cars were parked out front. Staring up at the fancy stone archway, I wondered how long it would take us to get kicked out of this place.

"Just relax." My mom didn't sound relaxed. "It's only an orientation tour. And remember, dear, this is Paul's school. So try not to...you know."

"Destroy it?"

"Yes."

Paul Blofis, my mom's boyfriend, was standing out front, greeting future
ninth graders as they came up the steps. With his salt-and-pepper hair, denim clothes, and leather jacket, he reminded me of a TV actor, but he was just an English teacher. He'd managed to convince Goode High School to accept me for ninth grade, despite the fact that my brother had gotten kicked out of every school he's ever attended and I was barely in the system. We both tried to warn him it wasn't a good idea, but he wouldn't listen.

I looked at my mom. "You haven't told him the truth about us, have you?"

She tapped her fingers nervously on the wheel. She was dressed up for a job interview-her best blue dress and high-heeled shoes.

"I thought we should wait," she admitted.

"So we don't scare him away." Percy muttered.

"I'm sure orientation will be fine, Percy, It's only one morning."

"Great," I mumbled. "We can get expelled before we start the school year."

"Think positive. Tomorrow you're off to camp! After orientation, Percy's
got his date-"

"It's not a date!" he protested. "It's just Annabeth, Mom. Jeez!"

"She's coming all the way from camp to meet you."

"Well, yeah."

"You're going to the movies."

"Yeah."

"Just the two of you."

"Mom!"

"And you like her." I giggled.

"Amanda!"

We held up her hands in surrender, but I was trying hard not to smile. "You'd better get inside, dear. I'll see you tonight." Mom said.

I was about to get out of the car when I looked over the steps of the school. Paul Blofis was greeting a girl with frizzy red hair. She wore a maroon T- shirt and ratty jeans decorated with marker drawings. When she turned, I caught a glimpse of her face, and the hairs on my arms stood straight up.

"Percy? Amanda?" my mom asked. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," I stammered. "Does the school have a side entrance?"

"Down the block on the right. Why?"

"I'll see you later." My mom started to say something, but we both got out of the car and ran, hoping the redheaded girl wouldn't see us.

"You saw her too?" Percy asked me.

"Yeah. What was she doing here? Not even our luck could be this bad." Yeah, right. I was about to find out our luck could get a lot worse.