The Good and The Bad ~ Percabeth

eighteen

[unedited]

p.j.

"That was some icy behaviour," Becki says as we walk away. I shoot her a look, and she immediately puts her hands up in defence. "Okay, okay, I won't talk about it. Sorry."

"Thank you," I say. "How's, uh, how's your back doing?"

It's like me saying that reminded her that it's sore. She leans back a bit, and rubs it. "It's getting a bit better, I think. Every volleyball player has a fucked up back, though, so I need to learn how to tough it out."

"Well, Beck, if you're hurting, you're hurting, it doesn't matter if other people are, too," I remind her. We walk right past the pool. "Hey, where are we going?"

"For a swim," she says, her low voice hinting at something a little bit scandalous, and I know better than to ask. I follow her. We walk right out of the school and down the sidewalk. My nostrils fill with the comfortable New York stench. It's just the two of us, and I can feel eyes on us. We get a few stares here and there from jealous guys or just students who know Becki but not me. I can't help but wonder if they think that I'm her new man. My gut hurts at the thought. I can't stop other people from thinking what they think, but I can stop fuelling their imaginations, which is exactly what I'm doing right now as I leave campus with this beautiful girl.

"Percy! Becki!" We turn instantly, and Lane is running towards us. My heart rate settles a little bit; at least now, there's someone else with us. "Nadir and Jacob will meet us there. Good to go?"

"Where is there?" I ask in frustration, but their grins ease my worry a little bit. It's nothing bad; it's something fun.

"We're going to Becki's for a swim," Lane says casually. "She's got a dope pool. It's our favourite place to hang out." He looks around. "Where's Annabeth? Becki, I thought you were going to invite her."

Becki shoots him a menacing look, and I can't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable. "She had a thing at lunch already."

"With who?" Lane asks. I can tell by his tone that he's trying to poke holes in Becki's story because I don't think he likes the position I'm in.

Becki shrugs. "Didn't say. Percy?"

"Um, some girls she met in study group. She definitely mentioned the name Olivia..."

"Olivia Gador," they both say with a nod. I look between the two of them, my heart aching a bit at how out of place I still am, even though everyone has been so nice to me.

"Um, maybe," I say.

"Likely," Becki says as we cross the next street. I don't know how far we're going to walk. "Olivia Gador is like, the perfect example of the virgin everyone wants to fuck."

Lane scoffs. "Okay, she's also, like, the smartest senior in the school and ridiculously nice, which probably holds a bit more weight than the story of her sex life."

They go back and forth a little bit, throwing in names of people I've never heard of until they turn into a driveway. It's a regular New York City house, way too close to its neighbour and built on the same blueprint as every other house on the block. This one, however, is hers, I guess. She unlocks the door and we walk right through the house. I take in the pictures of Becki and another girl who looks a lot like her on the walls as well as a father with them. I don't see any pictures with more than the three of them, so I assume her mom isn't around. The house is quite clean, but it's clear that teenagers live here. There are makeup brushes and hairbrushes in random corners of the house and random succulent plants everywhere. She climbs up the stairs and Lane walks over to the fridge and starts eating some leftover chicken with his fingers.

I walk over to the back to get a glimpse of the pool in the back. The yard is fenced in and quite small, but it's more of a backyard than I've ever had. The pool is bigger than it probably should be for the size of property they have, but it's sparkling blue and even the sight of it alone relaxes me. "You can go change in the bathroom if you want," Lane mumbles through a mouthful of food. "Beck is changing and the guys will be right here."

I stare at him blankly, before he laughs.

"Go down the hallway and take the first right. That's the bathroom."

I go and do just that, my heart pounding. I've seen Becki in a bathing suit every day, and it's getting better, but I can't help but think she's ridiculously attractive. I hate that I think that way. I feel unloyalw and dirty. I, of course, would never do anything remotely close to cheating on Annabeth, but these thoughts alone make me mad at myself.

I come out of the bathroom, and Becki throws a towel right in my face. I catch it, and she laughs. "Come on, let's go."

She grabs a box of makeup wipes off of the kitchen island and rubs it all over her face. I can't help but think she looks a lot nicer without the intense eyebrows or dark eyes. She looks happier, more human. I follow her out the back door, and she doesn't even blink before she dives in. I do the same , slightly to her right. The moment I hit the water, my muscles feel a million times less tense and I finally take a minute to breathe. I exhale, floating to the bottom of the pool. I look over to where Becki jumped, and I curse. "Oh, Styx!" She's watching me with bewildered eyes. She's clearly struggling to stay underwater and see properly, but she noticed me breathing and moving fluidly like we're above the water. Fuck.

She darts away from me, and I float up to the top, trying to think of an explanation. Where's Annabeth when you need her?

- - - - - - - - - -

Alright, so can I just say thank you? This story has over 600 views and has had consistent readers all the way through, and my numbers are just getting better. I know there are plenty of stories with millions of comments, votes and ten times that many reads, but these small victories are the same to me. I appreciate the love.

I know I don't get lots of comments, but I'm just curious, if you're reading this, where are you reading from? It's always cool to see where different people are from.

"She smiled for the first time in days, and that made it all worthwhile."
(page 74, The Battle of the Labyrinth)

Thank the gods for everything in your life that brings you happiness.

Love, tumblingupwards