Ink and Bruises (Heroes of Olympus Soulmates AU)

Hazel

This is for @ruby_mcandrew for being the first person to vote on this fix, and for anyone and everyone who reads it. Now, on with the story!

I'm dizzy.

I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday. I can't even remember the last time I slept for more than three hours at a time. I actually can't even remember the last time I slept. Wow, I'm so sleep deprived, and the hunger isn't helping.

Right now I'm sitting in my science class writing a test I missed yesterday because I was working. It's my lunch hour but I don't mind. It's not like I have lunch to eat anyway.

I can't remember anything about the optics unit which isn't great since that's what I'm being tested on right now. It's not my fault! I never have time to do the homework since I'm always picking up extra shifts at the restaurant I work at. And I miss class a lot too, since I work part time instead of student hours. Science is also my first class so I'm usually half asleep when I'm here.

I scribble down a few bullshit answers that are at least half right. It doesn't have to be perfect. I just have to pass. Grades don't really matter until next year when I'm in grade eleven. Colleges and universities only look at your grades in grades 11 and 12. Oh who am I kidding? I have to work myself half to death just to pay the bills and rent and get food on the table. There's no way I'll ever be able to pay for post secondary education, even if I did get my grades up. And there's no way I'd ever win a full scholarship to anywhere, or even a partial one at that. People who win scholarships are people like Jason Grace the star of Goode High's football team. Or people like Annabeth Chase, the smartest girl in school who's enrolled in every AP class she can and is top in all of them. When I see her around school she looks almost as tired as me, she's working herself to the bone too, just in a different way than me. At least she'll have some good come of it. With grades like hers there's no way she won't wina full scholarship, maybe even to an Ivy League school. The best I can hope for is a promotion at the diner, with better pay. The best I can hope for is to afford the bills and rent. 

The bell rings and I practically sprint to my math class. Math is my second best subject, second only to English so even though I'm behind I manage to catch up relatively quickly. The hour passes in a blur and when the bell rings I rush out of class, the first one out the door. I still technically have one more class today, but it's only gym and since I already have a gym credit from last year I'm not really worried about it. I only took gym again because they refused to give a grade 10 a spare. Besides I wouldn't be skipping if I didn't have to. I'm not a kid who just ditches class for the hell of it but I have to get to work.

I make a quick stop at my locker grabbing my textbooks and extra binder before rushing out the door of the school. I walk as fast as I can to get to the diner on the other side of town before my shift starts. I can't afford to be late.

I finally reach the place, modelled after a traditional diner from the 1950's. The writing on the sign reads "Sally's Diner." I smile at the familiar sight and temp inside. The interior is cheerful and bright as always. The walls are painted a light yellow colour, the regulars sit in booths sipping milkshakes or coffee. I wave at the woman behind the counter, the manager and owner of the diner, who is also my boss. Sally Jackson. She'd inherited the diner from her father after he died. The diner was her pride and joy, and she did her best to keep it the way her father kept it. It was his great love and it was hers to.

I step into the back and grab my uniform off my hook. I say uniform but everyone who worked at Sally's had a different uniform. Boys wore button down shirts tucked into slacks. Every girl got a custom made 50's style dress, white apron and simple heels. I loved my uniform. It was probably the nicest clothing I owned considering that Sally paid for all the uniforms and it costs a lot more than I allowed myself for my clothes budget. I step into the washroom and change into the yellow dress. As I tie on my apron I catch a glance at my arm in the mirror and smile.