The Hate Between Us (Percabeth&Solangelo)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Tour

Percy POV:

"You know, if I didn't know any better I think I'd call you a hypocrite," I smirked. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because you always preach about being a perfect student and a perfect citizen, but from what I saw in the library, you are none of the above."

"You're right, you don't know any better," she tried to turn away from me, but there was hardly any space to move. My smirk deepened.

"No, seriously, it's like I don't even know you-" I mocked.

"-You don't-"

"-Cheating on your friends' essays? Punching Octavian? Doesn't sound like a perfect student to me."

"I didn't cheat on their essays," she protested. "I was just helping Katie out-"

"-And Frank? And Piper? And Selena? There's helping with their homework, and then there's actually doing it for them. That sounds like cheating."

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled. "You'd do it for Grover if you could."

I closed my mouth, unsure of how to answer. She wasn't wrong.

"Besides, Octavian's a creep. He deserved it."

"I don't disagree with you – for once," I nodded. "What'd he do this time?"

"Groped Hazel," Annabeth muttered. My hands flexed into a fist involuntarily as I felt a wave of anger rush through me. She looked down at my hand but said nothing. I blushed.

"So, um, I guess I'm not the only one in this school that's beat up that kid. Do you believe me now? About what he said about my Mom?"

She looked at me for the first time in a while. I quickly looked down.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," she said quietly, surprising me. Annabeth... apologising? "I guess I just didn't want to believe that someone in this school could say something so horrible. I think the easier option was convincing myself that you were just upset about the game and wanted to beat some poor kid up. But Octavian's not some poor kid, he's a monster, and I should have believed your side of the story... I guess I still struggle to believe that he could have said what he did. Why? Why would he say that to you?"

I chuckled. "I don't know, I'm pretty prone to being bullied. It's been happening to me all my life."

"What do you mean?"

"My ste-... um, forget about it," I hesitated, unsure as to why I had been so ready to reveal to Annabeth what had been going on in my private life. "Nothing that a popular girl like you would understand."

"You'd be surprised," she challenged.

I scoffed. "Look, there's a reason I've been kicked out of so many schools. You wouldn't get it – you've got a perfect record-"

"-That's not true. I got kicked out of plenty before I found Goode."

I swivelled slightly in my seat, staring at her properly, trying to tell if she was lying or not.

"I don't believe you!" I goaded. She smiled.

"It's true... ah, you should have seen me... I was a mess! Couldn't ever make a school last a year until I was eleven and I found Chi... Anyway, yeah, I was never perfect. Bad grades, bad behaviour, I always struggled to focus or say the right thing or sit still. I got into fights, I threw food in the canteen, I argued with more Principal's than you can count on your two hands. I think it's why I try so hard nowadays," she sat back against her chair, looking forwards, so absorbed in her own thoughts that I knew she couldn't see me here.