The Olympian Of McKinley High

Chapter 4: Back To School Shopping

"Good morning Percy!" Judy said when she saw him enter the kitchen. He was dressed in jeans and a camp t-shirt like the day before, only this time she noticed a beaded necklace that stuck out over his shirt collar.

"Morning." Percy said as he sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen. The room smelled delicious. He watched as she flipped a pancake on the stove, a stack of done ones already in a pile off to the side. She looked up and saw him staring.

"Are you hungry? Please, help your self!" Percy smiled at her kind words. He had decided that he enjoyed the company that came with the house. Both Quinn and her mom had shown that they were really nice people. The only downfall that came with living with them was that he was expected to attend school too.

Percy got up off the stool and collected a couple fresh pancakes on a plate. They looked good, even if they weren't blue. Percy reclaimed his stool and started to eat. He hummed happily as the flavor-filled bite hit his taste buds. "These are delicious!" He said before putting another piece into his mouth. He hadn't meant to say his thoughts aloud, it just happened. From the stove, Judy smiled again.

"Thank you! If you find you're still hungry when you finish the ones on your plate then help yourself to more. Don't be shy, eat as much as you'd like." She said as she placed more onto the done pile.

Percy grinned widely. "Thank you Ms. Fabray!"

Judy turned to look at him with a little frown on her face. "Oh no! You are to call me Judy. There will be none of that proper mumbo jumbo." At first Percy was worried he had seriously offended her. He relaxed exponentially when she gave him her warm smile again.

Percy went back to eating his pancakes. He ended up filling a second plate, but he figured he should stop at that. Judy may have told him to not be shy, but Percy didn't want to be impolite either.

A few minutes later, Quinn walked into the kitchen. She was dressed in a pair of tattered shorts and an old flannel shirt. Her pink hair was unkempt and messy, as if she hadn't run a comb through it in days. She offered a hello to Percy and her mother before she walked past the pile of pancakes and opened the fridge. She reappeared from behind the door with an apple and then went to sit across from Percy at the island.

At Percy's odd look she smiled a little. "I'm not a big breakfast eater." She took a big bite out of the tiny apple. After she swallowed it she glanced down at her watch. "So what are you doing today?"

Percy shrugged his shoulders. He had no clue what his plans were. As he thought about it some more he realized he had forgotten something. "Where's mom and Paul?"

Judy turned away from the stove after she placed the last of the pancakes onto another plate. "They ate breakfast earlier this morning. They went out to visit the school and get you enrolled."

Percy groaned slightly and earned himself a laugh from the women in the room. Quinn smiled at the sad boy in front of her. "You're cutting it kind of close too. The first day's tomorrow." At this, Percy's face changed dramatically from sad to overly annoyed and disappointed.

"Are you serious!" He exclaimed. He didn't want to believe it. It wasn't some far off thing in the distance, it was happening now. He groaned again.

Judy finished putting the remaining pancakes in the fridge before joining the teenagers at the island. "Actually Percy, your mom wanted you to go school shopping today." She turned to look at her daughter. "Quinn, you can take him to the store, right?"

Quinn's eyes bulged a little as she was put on the spot. She didn't have any plans already made so she nodded her head.

"Good." Ms. Fabray said with a smile. She got up from the table and left the kitchen without another word. Percy and Quinn were left staring at each other silently from across the table.