DEMIGODS. (Percico/Pernico)

˚‧º·Chapter Fifteen‧º·˚

I glimpsed back at Nico from the front of the class as he stared off into space. He had been doing that the whole period. On the sole occasion that we did share glances, I waved back at him. He ignored my gesture and crossed his arms, staring off in another direction. I lowered my hand and frowned. I really hurt him, and I didn't even mean to.

The bell rang, and I stayed in my seat, waiting for Nico to pass me on his way out the door. I grabbed his wrist, stood, and, despite the confused looks, I led him to the nearest empty classroom and shut the door. I just wanted to sort this out. I didn't want another band to crumble and fall at my feet. They were all my family. I didn't want to lose another person I cared about.

"Nico, I'm sorry," I told him. "I didn't mean to make you feel this way."

He stared at the ground. "I guess it's fine."

"No, it's not," I said. "It's not okay. I've been negligent of your feelings and... I want to make it up to you. You're practically my best friend, and I don't want to lose you. So, maybe don't go to prom with me if it will make you feel uncomfortable. I'll tag along with Thalia."

He smiled softly. "But I do want to go to prom with you. I thought it over, and I decided I do want to. I'm the one who should be sorry. I was just overreacting."

"No, you weren't. Feelings are hard to deal with. I'm glad that you're willing to still be my friend."

"Well, crush or not, you're my best friend, too. I've never had so much fun hanging out with anyone before."

I smiled, offering my hand. "May I escort you to class?"

"But won't you be late?"

"It's nothing new."

He smiled, hesitantly accepting my hand and allowing me to guide him to his second period.

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯

I walked down the hallway with a smile on my face. I ignored the girls who stared at me from my other classes, wondering if I was going to ask them to prom. Unfortunately for them, I already had a date. The best one in the whole school, if you asked me.

I opened my locker with ease—it didn't jam this time, thank God—and I took out my Algebra book, along with my blue notebook. Okay, I'll admit it. Alike Nico's obsession with the color black, almost everything I owned was blue. My blankets were blue, my towel was blue, my guitar was blue. I think even my socks that day were blue.

I made my way upstairs and sat in my usual seat in the Algebra classroom, seeing that a substitute teacher was sitting in the chair in which Mrs. Dodds usually sat. At least I would be spared a day without her stern, bird-like face glaring at me.

I pulled out the homework from the night before—Paul helped me with it again. It was one of the few assignments I actually finished in her class. I was pleased with myself as I turned it into the box in front of the class, feeling a strange confidence as I strode back to my seat. I felt a gaze on the back of my head, so I turned around to face Luke, who was staring at me like there was something he knew that I didn't. I felt somewhat unsettled by it, but I paid no mind. Instead, I turned to face the kind-looking substitute, who was now standing before the white board in the front of the classroom.

"My name is Ms. Iris, and I will be your substitute teacher today."

At least it was last period.

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯

"Come state?" Nico asked.

"Bene, grazie."

He smiled at me. "You got it."

I fist-pumped in the air, hissing out a breath of, "Yes!"

Nico shuffled the cards with a smile of accomplishment blessing his lips. Then, he set them aside, a question on his face. I looked at him attentively, prepared for his question.

"Percy, I... Dad's gonna be pissed."

I laughed, knowing it was true. I could see the menacing glower already.

"We can just not tell him."

"I can't do that to him. He'll find out eventually and he'll be twice as mad."

"Well, we can wait until after this next test, right?"

Nico laughed to himself, and I found myself staring at his cute features. His eyes held the warmth to which I was just recently introduced, his lips looked soft in the smile he was wearing, and his hand shyly came up to push his glasses up his nose. The desire to brush the hair out of his face overwhelmed me and I had to utilize all my willpower to keep my hand on the bed.

Nico raised a curious eyebrow before I sat back and cast a smile at him.

"I suppose you're right," Nico said before engaging himself back into his study mode.

"Hey, Nico."

"Hm?"

"I'm actually really excited to go with you."

He smiled. "Me too."

I knew his dad was skeptical about me coming over after the "incident," but I came over anyway. I mean, Nico came over to my house for band practice. It was fun, really.

We hung out regularly, but now I was wary of Nico's crush on me, so I held back on the compliments. I was the happiest I've ever been in my entire high school career. My crush liked me back, I had my friends, and we were closer than we had ever been. Our practices were sounding better and better, and the piece that Nico wrote was surely to win. It was slowly starting to fit together like perfect puzzle pieces, and it sounded incredible. I was confident in it, and I even started to ignore Luke's glowering in seventh period. It didn't intimidate me anymore. If we were going to win, we were going to win fairly. I was going to be able to go to music school, and my life wouldn't be wasted. Maybe, if I played my cards right, I would have Nico on my arm, too.