The Olympian Of McKinley High

Chapter 20: A New Friend

Happy Thursday!!

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Percy arrived at school the next day and went straight to his locker. After he had collected his books he turned around and started to head towards his first class. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Finn and the dazed expression on his face again. Slightly worried about the kid's mental health, Percy approached him and waved a hand in front of his face. Finn snapped out of whatever trance he had been in and looked at Percy with confusion.

"Hey. What's up?" Finn said as he returned his eyes to where they had been looking before Percy had interrupted his train of thought.

"What is up with you?" Percy couldn't help but ask. Finn glanced at him quickly before diverting his eyes again.

"That kid is weird." Finn said as he motioned in the direction he had been staring. Percy followed his gaze and spotted the Irish kid they had seen talking to Brittany yesterday. He was at a locker farther down the hallway. As the two boys watched, he closed the locker and walked into a classroom. Percy turned to face Finn again.

"We are all weird Finn. You're obnoxiously tall, and I go to a summer camp for gifted children. Everyone has something about them that makes them weird." Percy spoke quickly and didn't quite realize exactly what he had said before it was too late. Finn looked confused again.

"What do you mean, a camp for gifted children." Finn didn't see the mass panic that had taken over Percy's mind. He did however sense that something was going on.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Percy's brain. He smirked slightly to himself at his own genius idea. He sighed to add dramatic effect. "I have ADHD and dyslexia. By 'gifted' I mean other kids with the same problems." He used air quotes around the word gifted. He could see understanding start to shine in the eyes of the not very smart teenager.

"Hey man, there's nothing wrong with that. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." Percy shrugged it off and smiled softly. He was happy he had avoided the truth. He would rather fight monsters than have to actually try and explain his life to someone.

Finn looked down the hallway again and seemed to be considering something. He glanced back at Percy once more before starting to walk down the hallway. Over his shoulder, he motioned for Percy to follow.

They walked together a few steps before Percy realized what Finn was thinking. He hesitated outside of the classroom the Irish kid had disappeared into and watched Finn enter without thinking about it. After a moment, Percy followed.

When he walked in, he found Finn standing at the front of the room and the mystery kid sitting and sorting through a box of cereal. Percy was instantly worried about the kid's mental health as well.

"Hey." Finn said. Instantly, the kid looked up and smiled widely. He went to stand and Percy got a good look at his bright green eyes. They were almost as vibrant as his own.

"Finn Hudson." The kid said with a thick Irish accent. Finn backed away slightly, confused as to how he knew his name.

"You know who I am." He responded quickly. Percy just stood back and watched the scene play out.

"I've seen you on YouTube, loosing Glee Club Nationals after tongue-kissing your girlfriend for ten minutes." The kid still stood with an oddly creepy smile on his face.

"Uh."

"I'm a big, big fan."

"Thanks." Finn said quickly as he stepped forward towards the kid some more. He went to sit but saw that the kid was still standing. "At ease?" Finn said sarcastically and the kid finally moved to sit down again. Percy slowly approached the two and went to sit beside Finn.

"So. Who are you?" Percy said in an attempt to join the conversation. The kid went back to sorting his cereal.

"Me name's Rory Flanagan. I'm a foreign exchange student from Ireland. What's your name?" He said directing his question towards Percy.

"Percy Jackson." He said simply. Finn inched his chair closer towards the table.

"What are you doing in Ohio?" He asked carefully as he watched Rory sort out all of the marshmallows in the pile of breakfast food.

"I love everything about America." Rory started. He didn't look up as he spoke but remained focused on his task at hand. "Especially NASCAR, your half-black president, and Victoria's Secret Catalogs."

"Yeah. Cool. Me too." Finn said in an attempt to make it more of a conversation and less of a dialog.

"I'm staying at the home of Brittany S. Pierce, and she thinks I'm a leprechaun." Finn and Percy both blanched at that comment. Finn was the first to recover.

"Yeah. She's kind of like Rain Man with boobs." Percy couldn't help but chuckle at Finn's reference.

"She said if I grant her three wishes, I can get into her pot of gold." Percy actually snorted as he laughed hard and loud. He really enjoyed the Irish kid's bluntness. Finn just seemed surprised.

"So I am pretending to be a leprechaun. Her first wish was for an all-marshmallow box of Lucky Charms." Finn nodded in understanding and Percy tried to control is fits of laughter. He looked up to see the serious expression on Rory's face. "I really want to snog her. I'm still a virgin."

Finn and Percy stared at the kid for a moment before Finn tried to make him feel better. "Don't worry about it dude. I mean, I'm not a virgin but I wish I had waited to do it with someone I really care about." He turned to look at Percy. "What about you Percy."

Percy blanched again when Finn put the spot light on him. He scoffed lightly. "Dude, I've been with my girlfriend for over a year."

Finn paused for a moment before he decided to direct the attention back at Rory. "Have you made any friends yet?"

Rory shrugged slightly as he continued to throw marshmallows into a box. "Not really, except for Brittany. I'm really lonely, you know? I thought America was all about different and unique people coming together and accepting one another."

"That's a pretty old brochure dude." Finn said a little tactlessly.

"I could really use some more friends." He looked up suddenly and glanced between the two boys across from him. "Would you be my friends Percy and Finn? It would be an honor."

"In America, dudes don't ask dudes to be friends. Except on Facebook, but even then it could take years." Percy watched as Finn tried to explain how things worked in America and he couldn't help but feel like Finn was being a bit rude and heartless.

"I'll be your friend Rory." Percy said with a smile. Rory flashed his overly bright teeth and went back to sorting out his food for Brittany. Finn was quiet for a few moments before he glanced at Percy and then back at Rory.

"Okay. I'll be your friend." Finn said as he started to help Rory pick out the marshmallows. "But first, you've got to help me." Percy watched on silently, completely clueless as to what Finn was up to. "One of the best singers in Glee Club quite recently, and there's talk of more defections. You're staying at Brit's house, right? If you hear anything, let me know."

Rory nodded enthusiastically. "I will."

"All right." Finn smiled. Percy tried to smile too but was still caught up by what the taller boy had said.

"Thanks!" Rory said as Finn started to get up and out of his chair.

"No problem. See you around." Finn headed towards the door before he turned around and glanced at Percy. "Are you coming?"

Percy nodded and said a quick goodbye to his new Irish friend. When they reentered the hallway, Percy stopped Finn in his tracks. "What do you mean 'more deflections?"

Finn glanced around the halls real quick before returning his gaze on Percy. "Not here. I'll tell you later." With that, he was off down the hall, leaving Percy far behind him.

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Isn't Rory just adorable!!