Soulmates

Chapter 63

Annabeth didn't know if it was okay for her to drive. However, this was New York, and no one there should be driving. Annabeth fit right in.

    Percy stayed on the phone with her until she saw him across the street.

    And she just stopped and stared. Someone cared about her and wanted to help her. That had never happened before. No one's ever taken care of her before. Why is that? She couldn't help but wonder that singular thought. Clearly, she was unworthy of it. Annabeth was already a burden; her father and clearly absent mother were proof enough. They didn't love Annabeth.

    Parents always say they adore their kids. Logically, Annabeth must be unloveable. It was the only explanation that made sense. Percy was simply an outlier, and he'd realize it too one day.

    What did Annabeth do to make people like her anyway? Piper, just kind of, materialized out of nowhere, but they aren't really friends. More like an acquaintance that you see in passing. God, did Annabeth even have any friends? Ha, no, she didn't. That was all interesting, wasn't it?

    What did Annabeth really think people liked her? Why would they? All she has is an inability to read and an unhealthy Taylor Swift obsession. What did Annabeth bring to the table?

    Annabeth couldn't answer that.

    So, Annabeth was worthless. Come on, it didn't take a rocket scientist to come to that conclusion. Annabeth wasn't stupid. Well, she was, but that didn't matter. She was stupid in the brain but logical enough to draw basic fucking conclusions. Big fucking deal. Congrats! Annabeth had the smarts of your average kindergartener. What a truly phenomenal accomplishment.

    And what did Annabeth think people loved her? She'd never even heard the phrase "I love you." Not even by her dad; everyone said that Frederick Chase was the nicest guy, so Annabeth was unloveable in the eyes of the nicest guy. And it's not like Helen would do anything other than giving her a hug and let her watch shitty movies. That's common courtesy, not love. She'd never said love to Annabeth. Annabeth's mom fucking left and only came back to run a study on ADHD, then left again without a word. Athena Chase was a fucking legend to everyone, but she didn't love Annabeth. Don't get her started on Percy. Don't get her fucking started.

    That soulmate mark doesn't matter. Frederick and Athena were supposed to be soulmates, and look where that ended up. That mark isn't the end all be all; it's just a tattoo. Hell, the author of this even forgot about the fucking soulmate marks for the past, like, five chapters. Percy won't care about her soon enough. Annabeth was just there for him a few times. Percy was just being friendly and probably felt indebted to Annabeth. Besides, three dates and a few kisses didn't make the fucking holy grail of relationships. He hadn't said he loved her either. Percy probably thought that this was temporary because why the fuck wouldn't--

    Someone touched her shoulder, and while Annabeth may be worthless to other people, she did not want to die. And she did not want to die in fucking New York. So, she swung at the guy.

    "Woah, wise girl," said Percy as he dodged her fist.

    "Oh!" Annabeth's face was wet. Was she crying? She didn't remember doing that. "Oh my God, Percy. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to--"

    Percy just hugged her. "I know," he whispered into her braids. "It's okay."

    Oh. That had never happened before. Annabeth wrapped his arms around him, doing her best to not cry into his sweater. "Can we go to your car?" she asked, her voice almost silent.

    "Yeah," Percy muttered. "It's not far."

    "How far is not far?"

    "It's just across the street."