Loverboy (PERCABETH AU)

Chapter 16

Annabeth POV

I didn't sleep much.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again — Leo on the pavement, clutching his ribs and gasping for breath, Luke standing over him like it was nothing. And Percy... stepping between them, shoving Luke back even though he was outnumbered, taking hits meant for Leo.

The shouting. The crowd. The heat in my chest that felt like something breaking.

I kept trying to tell myself Luke had just lost his temper. That maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. But the truth was, it wasn't just yesterday. It was every time he brushed off something I cared about. Every time he thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it.

By morning, I knew exactly what I had to do.

The courtyard was its usual Monday chaos — students rushing toward homeroom, swapping weekend stories, yawning over coffee. Luke was leaning against the side of the science building, his friends nearby, laughing like nothing had happened.

When he saw me, he grinned. "Hey, beautiful."

I stopped a couple feet away. "We need to talk."

His grin slipped just slightly. "Sure. What's up?"

I glanced at his friends. "Alone."

He followed me toward the back of the gym, away from the noise. "You look like you didn't sleep," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Everything okay?"

"No," I said flatly. "Yesterday wasn't okay, Luke."

"If this is about Leo—"

"It is about Leo," I cut in. "You and your friends beat him up for no reason."

Luke scoffed. "No reason? He's been—"

"There is no reason that makes it okay!" My voice was sharper than I intended, but I didn't pull it back. "You didn't have to hit him. You didn't have to hurt him. You chose to."

His expression cooled. "So what, you're taking Percy Jackson's side now?"

"This isn't about sides," I said, though my pulse jumped at Percy's name. "It's about what's right. And what you did yesterday was wrong."

He gave a humorless laugh. "You're overreacting."

That was it.

"I'm done, Luke."

The words felt final in my mouth, and they were. His eyes narrowed, like he was waiting for me to take them back.

"You're breaking up with me... over this?"

"I'm breaking up with you because yesterday showed me exactly who you are," I said quietly. "And I can't be with that person."

Before he could say anything else, I turned and walked back toward the main building. My heart was pounding, but it wasn't regret. It was relief.

"You're gonna regret this Annie"

Behind me, I thought I heard him call my name.
I didn't look back.

By the time I slipped into my seat for third period History, I'd managed to convince myself my hands weren't still shaking from the breakup. I wasn't going to give Luke the satisfaction of knowing he'd rattled me. Not after yesterday. Not after this morning.

Mr. Garrison was already in the middle of his usual pre-lesson ramble about "history being a living conversation with the past" — which was his polite way of saying we're about to get another group project. I pulled my notebook out, more for something to do with my hands than because I planned on writing anything down.