Friends With Mental Issues (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

A Dance, For Memories' Sake

Drew stared at Piper, not with a look of disgust, but something more along the lines of mild worry. "Hey, it's already been two days."

Piper looked up from her food, which she had been stirring around with her fork. "What?" Drew stared at Piper a moment longer, the worry she felt tugging at her stomach very frustrating and unnatural.

"Whatever. Never mind." They sat in silence for a moment longer, and Drew's eyes wandered around the cafeteria, where she saw most of Piper's friend group sitting and talking quietly, and Leo, who was sitting with a girl named Calypso. Two days. Their fights never lasted this long. Despite the fact that Drew pretended to vigorously hate Piper, the truth was quite the opposite. Piper was like the annoying younger sister Drew never wanted, and so, of course, she felt it was her responsibility to be both rude and nice to her.

"That young therapist is leaving soon," Drew said casually, as if she wasn't trying to get Piper to show some emotion.

"Summer is almost over. I knew he'd be leaving soon."

"Chiron is throwing some stupid party for him around dinner time. Every stable patient is invited." Piper clenched her jaw, scraping her fork along her plate. Drew pretended not to notice. "I always thought he was kind cute, you know. It's shame he's leaving. I didn't have a chance to tap him." Drew slid her eyes over to Piper, who was still not showing any emotion. TIme to bring out the big guns. "Well, I'm going, and no way am I going alone. And besides, I'm tired of you sulking your way over to my table everyday."

"I don't want to go."

"Wasn't that therapist your friend? You're not going to say goodbye to him?"

"Guess not." Drew's already thin patience snapped in half. She grabbed Piper by the collar of her shirt, dragging her out of the lunch room, catching the eye of all of Piper's friends.

"Don't give me that shit," Drew hissed, bringing Piper's emotionless face up to hers. "You know as well as I do that you're dying inside, and it's all because of some stupid fight between you and some piece of shit I don't care about." A flash of anger crossed Piper's face, and Drew felt a momentary feeling of satisfaction. "That therapist guy is your friend, and if you don't talk to him on the last day he's going to be here, I'm going to beat your ass, got it? And if you don't make up with your friends, then I'm also going to beat your ass. Do you seriously want two ass-kickings?"

Piper stayed silent, her eyes trained on the floor, no longer looking defiantly at Drew. She dropped Piper's collar, and walked back to the lunchroom, acting as if nothing had happened. It was a while before Piper returned, and when she did, her eyes were sort of red. The only thing that made Drew feel a bit less guilty was when Piper finally spoke up. "I'll go."

~

"Are you going to the party?" Calypso asked, setting down her paintbrush, and looking at Leo with interest.

Leo, who had been staring at the wall for a while now, blinked, finally acknowledging Calypso. "Probably."

She smiled, giving his knee a pat. "Good." She paused, sighing a bit as she picked up her paintbrush again. "You know, as much as I appreciate the fact that you've kept me company the past two days, I know it isn't because you want to. It's because Piper and Jason and the rest of them are your best friends, and now that you're fighting with them, you have no one else."

"That's not..." Leo trailed off, stopping in the middle of his protest because what Calypso was saying was in fact very true. Without Piper and Jason and everyone else, Leo didn't really have anyone.

"It's okay, Leo. I knew this ever since you came to me two days ago." She gave Leo a sad smile, and it nearly broke his heart, but then she turned back to her painting, that same serene smile back on her lips. "All I can hope for now is that you'll give me a dance at that party."