He's A Jerk, But He's Cute

Devon Strips

( Told yall I was updating tonight.♡)

Once Piper and I got back to school after picking up some crap from her expensive stores (PacSun, Urban Outfitters, H&M...) and some string lights her desk, she finally passed out in our dorm.

Thankfully, Annabeth wasn't around. I figured she might be hanging with Percy again or something, which I was more than fine with. I just wanted a little while to shut my eyes and relax with some Neutral Milk Hotel and ASMR.

But of course, like everything at this point in my life, that didn't happen.

4 timid knocks interrupted my relaxation.

I got up from the couch, sighing and putting down my iPod. I hesitated suddenly once I got to the door.

What if it's Hunter? I think and pull my hair back out of my face, suddenly flushed and angry. I whip open the door only to find wide brown eyes staring back at me.

"Hey, Rachel, I hope you're feeling better anyway I have something really important to tell you and it's something that I don't want anyone to know I told you so you have to swear you'll keep your mouth shut and also not bring me up to the principle because I have enough going on, anyway, Hannah says you and Piper almost died, sorry about that, also Octavian's nose is broken," the tall boy from the party said, almost too fast for me to catch.

I blinked, considered closing the door, then stepped outside, slowly closing it behind me instead and looking down the hall then back to the boy. "What's your name?" I asked quietly and tried to rub away the goosebumps rising on my arms.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Once, twice. "Devon. I've been the captain of the basketball team since 9th grade... you even made us a poster once and the entire team pissed on it as a ritual or some shit."

I pursed my lips, praying for him to get to the point.

"You don't remember that? I put the poster back in your locker! Obviously, I feel bad about it now but..." Devon seemed exasperated with me but I couldn't care less right now.

"So what did you come to tell me?" I asked impatiently.

Devon took my hand in his and pulled me towards the back exit, and held it until we got into the yard and for some reason, I let him. Maybe it was his fashion sense or his eyes, I'm not sure.

"I'm not kidnapping you and raping
you, by the way," he mumbled and continued walking. He put his hands in his pockets and looked back at me. "Are you a real ginger?" He asked.

I narrow my eyes, "Are you going to tell me anything?"

Devon shakes his head as we approach the gym and quickly walk past the three measly students using the weight room. Finally, it seems, we get to our destination. The pool.

Like any other normal person, I expected Devon to sit on the bench but he walks past it and strips down to his underwear. "I thought I wasn't being raped," I mumble to myself and don't look away. If he was going to make me uncomfortable, I would do the same to him.

Sadly, Devon only gave a small smile and jumped into the pool, throughly soaking my jeans.

Mildly annoyed, I got up from the bench and walked carefully towards the edge of the pool and sit, staring into the water until Devon resurfaced. A few seconds later he did and rested his head on his hands onside of me. "So, Octavian's nose is broken," he starts and spits out a little water.

"And Octavian's a little cunt," he adds and pulls himself up next to me and suddenly, I'm overpowered by the smell of chlorine and weed. Well, I guess Hunter isn't the only stoner here.

I nod regardlessly, feeling bile creep up in my stomach just from his name. "Tell me something new, Devon."

Devon shrugs. "Octavian snitched, basically. And Hunter went with him and probably mentioned what you did the other nigh—"

"I didn't do anything!" I shoved Devon back into the pool, or at least tried to, he stayed solid on the poolside next to
me.

"Well, the principle doesn't think that now," Devon said.

I couldn't believe this. Not only did Hunter and Octavian destroy my chances for ever making any friends here ever again, but also turned me in to the principle for doing nothing wrong! I was going to be expelled for nothing! And there's no way in hell that my dad would ever let me talk to Piper, Annabeth, Leo, Hazel... none of my friends, again.

Once again, all my emotions; anger, fear, sadness... They all hit me at once and Devon had to catch my hand before I slammed it into the concrete. He held it as I let out a feeble scream and then pulled me into his arms as I sobbed for what had to be way too long to sit on the concrete and let someone snot on you, but he didn't seem to mind.

"If it makes you feel any better," he said, using his spare hand to rub my back as I hiccuped and sniffled pathetically. "Octavian's nose is still broken."

I laughed, bitterly, but laughed and inhaled his foreign but weirdly comforting scent, chlorine and cannabis. "How bad is it?" I asked, voice hoarse.

Devon snorted. "He looks like Ruldoph ran into a chimney. Which is to say, pretty damn bad."

I sighed, knowing that I couldn't hide in the pool with Devon forever and started to pull away but Devon caught my chin under his hand and leaned his head in, almost a kiss but not close enough.

I was staring into big brown pools and he stared back. "Why'd you go to Hunter's party anyway?" He asked softly.

I tried looking away but couldn't seem to manage it and flushed when I felt his cool breath on my lips. "I—I thought he liked me. No one's ever liked me."

Devon didn't close the space between us but rested his forehead on mine for a second, eyes closed. "Well, I don't think that's true anymore," he whispered and pulled away.

At first, I was just shocked, pleasantly. But then I realized...

"You..." I said, voice trembling. "You only did that because you're going to go behind my back and tell everyone I'm a slut too. What?!" I stood and marched over to his clothes. "Are you going to go report back to Hunter?!" I kicked his pants and his shirt into the water.

"Well, fuck you, Devon!"