THE NEW KID

o n e

NOTE: Annabeth calls her drink order "Chai Tea Latte" because when I wrote this, Starbucks called their chai lattes "chai tea lattes"!! I PROMISE you I know it's not chai tea—no need to comment letting me know!

When the bell finally rang, Annabeth was grateful. Finally, she could go to the bookstore! And, better yet, she could see her boyfriend Luke. They had been dating for a few months and Annabeth was happy. But something inside of her wanted more than Luke. It was like her instincts were telling her that Luke wasn't a good guy.

What good were those anyway? Annabeth shook off the feelings and walked to work. Her 16th birthday was coming up, and she and her best friends Piper and Thalia were planning to meet up after her date with Luke. It was bound to be a great day.

When she arrived at the bookstore, Annabeth unlocked the back door leading to the storage room and walked inside. Today, she was unpacking some new books and putting them on the shelves. She grabbed a few copies of some children's books and went to the kids section to shelve them, until her manager came up behind her.

"Hi Annabeth, how's it going?" Hermes Castellan said. 

Annabeth turned around and smiled. "Hey Mr. Castellan. It's going well. By any chance, have you seen Luke? We were supposed to meet here."

Mr. Castellan shook his head. "No. He said something came up, so he would meet you at the cafe for your date. And also, would you mind working the checkout? Drew had to leave early."

Annabeth nodded. "Thank you, sir." She headed off to the checkout station. After bagging books for a few customers, she said bye to Mr. Castellan and headed to the cafe. She had a gnawing feeling in her gut that something was wrong, but she ignored it. Luke was a good guy. She was just being paranoid, he would never cheat on her or anything. But was he hiding something?

Annabeth shook off the feeling and walked into the cafe. She ordered a chai tea latte and sat down at the booth, trying to calm her nerves.

After a few minutes of reading a book, Annabeth looked at the time. 4:27. They were supposed to meet at 4-o-clock! Annabeth frowned and called Luke. No answer. She got out of her seat, ready to go to Luke's house and figure out what was going on. Was he okay? Was he in danger?

Annabeth picked up her latte and her things and was about to go outside when she saw something that made her heart temporarily stop.

It was Luke.

In another seat.

Kissing another girl.

Annabeth was at a loss for words. Her heart was just broken. Normally, she could cope with anything, but seeing her boyfriend kissing someone else was a lot. She clutched the edge of the booth, using it as a support to stand. Luke must've heard her movement, because he turned around. Annabeth was at least satisfied by the look on his face; he looked so scared and frightened.

"Annabeth! I-I can explain-"

"No way! I'm so done with you, Luke! I thought that you were actually a good guy. I should listen to my instincts more. Don't ever speak to me or come near me ever again!" Annabeth spat. She didn't even care that everyone was looking at her. She just ran, ran past Luke and a smirking Drew Tanaka, away from everywhere. She didn't even notice where she was running, until she had arrived at the bookstore. Once she was there, she quickly unlocked the back door. The bookstore was going to close in a few hours, but Annabeth knew that around this time, it was practically deserted. She just continued restacking books, slamming them onto the shelves. 

I can't believe Luke did this to me! He betrayed me....how could I ever trust someone now?

Annabeth's thoughts were clouded with anger. She just rhythmically continued stacking books, aching with pain and seething with anger over Luke, until suddenly her phone rang.

It was her best friend, Thalia. "Annabeth, where are you?? We were supposed to meet up 20 minutes ago!!!" 

Annabeth checked her watch. 5:20. "I'm sorry, Thalia," Annabeth said. She debated on telling her what happened, then decided that telling her friends was definitely a good choice. They always stood up for her and supported her through anything. "I have some news. I'll be at your house in 10." With that, Annabeth ended the call, finished stacking the few books left, and headed back outside.

Once again, Annabeth was glad that she walked from place to place. Walking helped the feelings she was going through. Of course, she was still mad, but it helped her focus on something new. 

When she arrived at Thalia's house, Annabeth let herself in. Since they were best friends, the two of them and Piper usually didn't ring the doorbell or anything.

Annabeth walked upstairs and into Thalia's room. The walls were completely covered with posters of Queen and other 80's rock bands, and Thalia's open closet was filled with black clothing. Her two best friends were sitting on the bed. 

"Annabeth! What took so long?" Piper said, patting the space next to her. 

Annabeth sighed, sitting down, and did her best to hold back her tears. "Luke...he cheated on me. With Drew Tanaka." 

Thalia groaned. "Seriously? I knew he was bad news, Annabeth. Are you okay?" 

Annabeth nodded, then shrugged. "Honestly, not really. I seriously thought he was a good guy."

Piper frowned. "Wait a minute. Did you say Drew Tanaka?" Annabeth nodded. Piper's eyes filled with hate. "I loathe her. She's an idiot. Serves them right, being together."

After about half an hour of comforting, random talking, hysterical laughter, and Thalia's brother Jason walking in (and Piper's face turning red) Annabeth's spirits had been lifted, and she felt much better. "Thanks guys. I'll see y'all tomorrow at school," she said, getting up from the bed and picking up her things. 

"Of course, we're your best friends. We're always here for you." Thalia replied. With that, Annabeth left and started heading home for dinner.