The Deep End

Chapter 3: Part 2

From Percy: hey if you want to come over to my house at 2:30 saturday that be great address is....somewhere underwater?

The bell rang and Nico grinned to himself until he got home. The place, as usual, was empty the only noise was Mrs. O'Leary heavily snoring in the living room. Nic walked into his room soon after Mrs. O'Leary following closely. Nico tried to get some work done, but Mrs. O'Leary kept crawling onto his lap demanding attention, so as any responsible teenager would do. He dropped all his work to play with his dog.

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Percy

It was finally Friday, but Percy was dreading today. He was glad he made friends with Nico yesterday, though he never got to question him about why he was at the Pool the other day. Percy doesn't have swim practice Wednesday's, Friday's, and Saturday's, but he always went to school an hour early to get some extra time in the Pool. He was allowed to do this as he was captain and there weren't any other water sports. Percy dove off the board imagining the blare of an airhorn. The splash echoed through the empty area. Percy just closed his eyes and floated around under water. He always loved the water. As a kid he would often pretend he was an actual merman and convinced his parents he was, well tried. Percy opened his eyes underwater chlorine stinging slightly as he stared at the still, dark, blue.
****

School went by in a blur. He didn't want to go home though. Home meant party. Party meant alcohol. Alcohol meant messes, and no one likes cleaning.

Percy lay flat on his bed. Staring up at the fish hanging from his ceiling. It was already 3:30. The party was at 8. Which meant Percy had 5 hours before immediate regret. He sat watching the History channel on his laptop at his desk cuddling his manatee and blobfish stuffed animals. He sighed audibly.
****
Percy pulled up to the party in Tyson's car and he could already hear the music. Why did he do this to himself? He physically looked fine, but his mind was coming up with so many ways this could turn out. Most ways were bad.

The room blared with ear bursting pop music. The worst kind. Music like Charlie Puth, and Kendrick Lamar. Songs you would here horribly played over and over again until you'd rather sit in the car with nothing, but silence other than what the radio offered. Percy saw kids grinding in the middle, while others made out on the couch. His head already hurt. He stuck by Tyson's side the two walking into the kitchen. He thought he saw Tyson handing him a cup, so he took the drink, and let it slide down his throat tasting purely of coca-cola. Little did he know there was a little something else poisoning that cup, that now made its way into Percy's bloodstream.