how to fall in love - jercy

23 - smoke

p.j.

"jason, i made you soup," i murmur, placing the warm bowl on his bedside table.

he groaned and sat up on his bed.

"thanks, perce," he mumbled. his voice was raspy and hoarse. his cheeks were pink. i placed my hand on his forehead. still burning hot.

"how are you feeling?" i ask him while he sips the soup quietly.

"still bad. but getting better. head hurts like hell. hey, don't you somewhere to be?"

i averted my eyes. "since you were sick, i thought... i'd stay home with you?"

"percy!" he exclaimed. "go to your highschool reunion! i'm (cough, cough) fine!"

"are you sure? your fever's still really high, i should stay here-"

he waved me away. "i can take care of myself, percy. go see all your old friends."

bold of you to assume i had many friends, i thought to myself. nevertheless, i relented and decided to leave jason at home alone.

"give me a kiss before i go-" i lean forward, puckering my lips playfully.

"stoooop, i'll get you siiiiiick!" he whined, trying to push my face away. i gave him a peck on the forehead anyway.

"i'll miss you, disease boy," i said lovingly before leaving.

he groaned and rolled his eyes. "i'll miss you too, percy."

as far as highschool experiences go, i had a below average one. most of the kids at school paid little attention to me and the only friend i had from highschool that i still care about now is annabeth. and she hardly counts. we aren't just highschool pals. she's stuck with me since we were ten and she'll be stuck with me for the rest of her life. the only reason i'm going is because annabeth and jason insist that i do. they both had more sociable and memorable highschool experiences than me. they both participated in sports and clubs. they had more leadership personalities and their peers looked up to them. meanwhile in highschool, i was just trouble. no one other than my close friends paid me any attention. i don't think they understand that highschool for me was a time that i'd rather forget.

i'm already at least half an hour late and everyone's already there. some faces were vaguely familiar and others were hardly recognisable. i feel as if i was weighted down by dread as i looked around at everyone. my stomach churned with leftover anxiety from when i was a teenager. ugh. highschool.

"look who decided to show," annabeth said snarkily as i approached her. she was chatting to some members of her old volleyball team. "cathy, kendall, remember percy?"

"percy jackson? wow, you look so different!" cathy piped with her annoyingly high voice that hadn't changed a bit since highschool.

"i could hardly recognise you, you look so good!" kendall chimed.

"thanks. good to see the both of you again," i lied, scanning the rest of the area for anyone else to talk to or at least a corner where no one could notice me. and in the corner, perfect for hiding, i saw him. he saw me too and for a split second, we made eye contact. he turned around and vanished somewhere outside. "excuse me, i have to go speak with someone."

"is it just me, or did percy get hot?" kendall whispered to cathy and annabeth while i was still in earshot. i rolled my eyes while i walked away. i will never understand why annabeth was friends with them. i'm sure they're okay people at heart but i can't imagine ever being close to people like them. i'd go insane.

where did he go? i pushed open the door and peered around. the sun was already slowly setting, sending long shadows behind me. there was a distinct smell of cigarette smoke. i followed the stench until i reached the back of the building.