Chapter Text
February
Piper gets out of Jason’s car, happier and lighter than she’s ever felt before. She wants to look back, knows Jason is still looking at her. Oh god, Leo’s going to say, ‘I told you so’.
With all the willpower in the universe, Piper doesn’t look until she’s closing her front door, hidden in her house.
“Why are you smiling so creepily?” Drew says, scaring the shit out of Piper in the process.
“I-I am not smiling creepily,” Piper protests. She can’t exactly say that Jason kissed her, and it was so undeniably romantic because Drew doesn’t know the truth. So, she says, “Jason just did something really nice for Valentine’s Day, that’s all.” It’s not exactly a lie.
Drew hums in response, apparently satisfied with Piper’s answer. She lets out a sigh. She’s getting too close; everyone is getting too comfortable. It’s going to be even harder when they inevitably have to break up.
Piper has to freeze Jason out, if only for a little while. Because he doesn’t like her like that, and she doesn’t like him like that, and that kiss was a one-time thing.
Because it’s all fake.
March
“Are you ready for the trip?” Annabeth calls from downstairs, ready to drive Piper to the school. Piper had thanked every possible god when she found out Annabeth is also on the student council. She can successfully avoid Jason and not be completely alone.
“I just have to pack my backpack,” Piper shouts from her room, having to pack way more than just her backpack. She had meant to do it a few days ago, but she truly hates packing.
Piper hears footsteps coming up the stairs and doesn’t even try to speed up the process. She just shouldn’t go at this point.
“Oh yeah, this,” Annabeth points at the pile of clothes on Piper’s bed, “is just having to pack your backpack.” The clock on Piper’s desk blinks 7:45 and the bus is supposed to leave at 8:15. Yeah, she really shouldn’t go.
“You know, maybe I can just stay in my room the entire trip and just not do anything,” Piper suggests, knowing Annabeth wouldn’t totally be opposed to the idea. But Annabeth just shakes her head, disappointment radiating from her. Piper groans; she hates it when Annabeth is disappointed in her.
“C’mon, I’ll help you. Just give me whatever you want to bring.”
“Have I ever told you that I love you?”
Fifteen minutes later, the bags are in the trunk of Annabeth’s car and Piper’s saying goodbye to Drew and her dad.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Drew says, adding a wink that she thinks is discreet. Their dad catches it though, adding,
“Just be responsible.”
Piper knows three days isn’t long at all, but she’s going to miss them. She’s slowly gotten used to it being just the three of them (well, just the two of them until recently) and being away feels wrong. Like it shouldn’t have to be just Drew and Dad, not yet at least.
Annabeth parks and they shove their bags under the bus, rushing on at exactly 8:13. Piper sees Jason near the front, and he waves. She knows she should be sitting next to him, for appearances and all, but she can’t. She’s been avoiding him for the past couple weeks and can’t bring herself to tell him why.
I’ve been catching real feelings for you recently and don’t know what to do about it. Yeah, right. That would end just about as well as her friendship with Charlie.
“I’m going to sit with Annabeth,” Piper says as she passes him, barely looking him in the eye. She pretends not to notice how he deflates a little, leans against the window like he’s in a sad music video.
“Are you two okay?” Annabeth asks once they find seats. Piper just nods. She won’t break rule number whatever. Not after they broke rule number one.
“Yeah, we’re fine. Just need some distance. I can’t have my entire life revolve around my boyfriend, now can I?” Piper says. Annabeth nods, puts on her headphones. Piper sleeps the entire way there, refusing to look at Jason again.
The first day consists of watching people pretend they know how to surf, a thunderstorm starting two hours after they get there, and Piper forcing Annabeth to watch Scrubs.
“Can I legally change my name to Slagathor now?” Annabeth asks, eating the chocolate Piper had packed. Piper snorts, scrolling through her Instagram feed.
@jason_grace posted a new picture.
The notification makes Piper’s pulse quicken. It’s a picture of him on the beach with the school’s treasurer Juniper and the vice president Carter (who, Piper learned, is Sadie Fucking Kane’s older brother).
@jason_grace: hi, I'm here to audition for the role of the little mermaid.
The caption makes Piper smile, until she sees one of the comments.
@khionetheicequeen: I'll be your prince eric ; )
“I’m going to throw myself into the sea,” Piper says and shows Annabeth her phone.
“She’s just trying to annoy you, don’t let it get to you.” Easier said than done.
“But it is getting to me. Ever since I started dating Jason, Khione’s been flirting with him and taunting me. I’m tired of her stupid snake eyes following me all the time.”
If we broke up it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
Annabeth snatches Piper’s phone, types something, then hands it back.
@lightning.mclean: @khionetheicequeen why not try out for ursula? You already look the part.
Annabeth’s smiling, and Piper says, “Before I throw myself into the sea, I'm going to kill you.” Annabeth runs out of the room and Piper chases her into the lobby, their laughter echoing off the cabin walls.
Piper can tell Jason wants to talk to her mostly because she’s desperate to talk to him too, but he’s being respectful and keeping his distance. Piper wishes he wasn’t an amazing person sometimes.
But them freezing each other out is good ammo for when they break up. As dramatic as possible.
Piper’s plan is to break up with Jason before the get on the bus, so she won’t even have to look at him on the way home.
“Okay, something is definitely wrong,” Annabeth says as they’re getting ready for bed. The second day of the trip passed Piper by in a blur, filled with tight-lipped smiles and awkward amounts of eye contact.
“Nothing is wrong,” Piper lies. “I just think the spark is gone.” Piper tries so hard to avoid Annabeth’s gaze, to not just come out and say the entire relationship is a sham.
Annabeth breaks her in five seconds.
Piper explains her entire situation, first the letters, then the complications with her sister, and how Piper thinks she has real feelings for Jason now, right before they’re supposed to end it.
“You’ve put, what, eight months into this fake relationship?” Annabeth asks. Piper nods in confirmation. “That’s longer than most people’s real relationships. Piper, he wouldn’t be doing all of this if he didn’t have feelings for you.”
Leo’s said it, Annabeth is saying it. Why can’t Piper just trust that they’re right?
Because I'm too scared that they’re wrong.
“You can’t run from this forever. You can either pretend to end it or start a relationship for real. But the longer you wait, the worse it’ll get. Trust me, I speak from experience.”
“What if he doesn’t want me?” Piper asks, fear in her voice. Piper can see pity in Annabeth’s eyes, but something else. Hope.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Piper finds Jason on the beach, sitting in front of a long-abandoned campfire. He doesn’t see her at first, giving Piper an extra second to calm herself. She can do this.
“Can I join you?” Piper asks. Jason looks up at her, scoots over to give her space.
“I thought we were ignoring each other. Preparing for the big break up and all.” He sounds hurt and Piper’s saddened that it’s because of her.
She takes a deep breath, hoping that Leo and Annabeth are right. Annabeth usually is right though, so she’s right about this.
“I’m sorry I've been avoiding you lately. And that I didn’t sit with you on the bus.”
“You think I'm mad because you didn’t sit with me?” He’s not looking at her, staring at the fire.
Piper doesn’t know how to answer. Yes, she thought that’s why he’s mad at her. Maybe she doesn’t know him as well as she thought she did.
“Piper, I'm mad because you didn’t give me a warning. You just stopped trying. I thought you wanted some big dramatic breakup.”
I want the exact opposite of a breakup.
But she can’t say those words. She’s spent too long hiding her heart in fear it’ll get hurt. She can’t risk it again.
“Hell, I tried so hard to figure out why you’d be mad enough to stop talking to me. I even asked Drew what your favorite snacks are so I could get them for the bus ride,” Jason continues, unaware of Piper’s internal monologue.
Drew knows for a fact that Piper’s favorite snack is fry bread, a Cherokee recipe that Grandpa Tom had passed down to Silena the last time they had visited.
“Did you make fry bread?” Piper asks. Jason looks away from the fire, at her, and nods.
“Drew helped, of course.”
Screw being careful. She cares so much about this boy, about this relationship. He feels the same way, Piper’s sure of it. They both want this.
Piper leans forward, uses the bench they’re sitting on to propel her up, and then she’s kissing Jason.
If she thought their kiss on Valentine’s Day was perfect, this kiss is like something out of a fairytale. Jason’s hands are in her hair, keeping them both steady. Piper needs air, but she never wants this to end.
They break apart, foreheads touching. Piper thinks she could make a career out of kissing this boy.
“I know we’re supposed to break up tomorrow, but I...” Piper starts. “I don’t want to. I want this to be real.”
Judging from how Jason’s looking at her, he wants it to be real too.
He leans down, kisses Piper. Every love song ever written makes complete sense now. Jason shifts so he’s facing Piper, and she’s brave enough to end up in his lap.
Piper’s sure her face is bright red, but she doesn’t care.
They kiss and kiss until the campfire dies down, until Piper gets a text from Annabeth asking if she’s been kidnapped or something.
Jason walks her to her room, holds her hand the entire way.
“Sit with me tomorrow?” Piper asks, hand on the doorknob.
“Obviously,” Jason answers, pushes up his glasses.
Piper goes to bed that night feeling like she can touch the stars.
The bus welcomes Piper with cheers and claps. Someone even whistles as she takes the seat next to Jason.
“What was that all about?” she asks. Jason looks just as confused.
“I’m sure it’s nothing. People do that with couples on these kinds of trips.” Piper accepts his answer, as vague as it is. But no one cheered when Katie Gardner and her boyfriend got on the bus.
“Can I use your shoulder as a pillow? I didn’t get much sleep last night,” Jason says.
“Yeah, and whose fault is that?” Piper asks teasingly. Two girls sitting in front of them giggle, obviously listening. They peak behind the seats and share a look, like they know something Piper doesn’t.
Jason falls asleep as soon as the bus pulls out, leaving Piper alone with her thoughts.
The entire bus ride people keep shooting her looks, whispering to the people around them. It makes her feel uncomfortable. The instinct to run is overwhelming.
By the time they get back to the school, it feels like everyone’s eyes are on her. Did Jason say anything about last night? No, he wouldn’t. He respects her privacy and would never betray her like that.
“I know I say this a lot, but are you okay?” Annabeth asks as they wait to get their bags. Piper just nods, her shoulders scrunched up. She feels nauseous, jaw clenched tight.
Mr. Brunner, the chaperone, hands Piper her suitcase, wishing her a nice spring break. Piper murmurs a thanks, ready to just go home and sleep.
“Piper! I didn’t think you’d be going on the trip.” Son of a bitch.
Piper turns to see Khione waving, sunglasses perched on the top of her head.
“I don’t mean to sound sleep deprived and cranky, but why are you even here?” Piper asks, totally meaning to sound sleep deprived and cranky.
“My brother’s the senior rep, silly!” Of course, he is. Even when Piper was supposed to relax and be on vacation, Khione was still making her miserable. “Oh, and I think it’s really big of you to be cool about Jason being at my place for Christmas and New Year’s.” What? “Most people wouldn’t be so nice about their boyfriend’s hanging out with their exes.”
Piper’s going to explode.
“Between that and him facetiming me the other night, I'd thought for sure you’d dump him. But then I heard about you two,” Khione drops her voice to a whisper, “ doing it at the beach last night. Best girlfriend of the year award goes to you.” Khione winks, either not noticing or not caring that Piper has completely shut down at this point.
She’s really going to murder someone today.
Piper doesn’t notice that Khione’s left until Jason’s standing right in front of her, asking if she’s okay. Apparently, no one can tell that she’s not okay. She is the furthest thing from okay.
“Did you tell people about last night?” Piper asks, unable to keep the anger from her voice. Jason takes a tiny step back.
“No, of course not. I would never do that, you know that.” Piper’s not sure anymore.
“Were you at Khione’s for the holidays? And did you facetime her the other day to tell her about us?” Her voice is getting louder and people are looking at them, but Piper’s too upset to care.
“I was with Khione for Christmas and New Year’s, and I was talking with her the other day, but I didn’t tell her anything about us. I swear, Piper.”
Jealously has never been a good look on Piper but she thinks it’s warranted now. She doesn’t care that he was with her, he’s allowed to hang out with whoever he wants. It’s the fact that he didn’t tell her, as if he needed to keep it a secret.
“Am I just a joke to you?” The question takes Jason off guard, but Piper needs to ask. She’s been scared for the first few weeks of their relationship, worried that he only agreed to make fun of her. But Jason would never do that. At least that’s what Piper thought.
“I thought for once that someone wanted me , not my sister or my friend or some random girl in my math class! But apparently I was wrong. I’m tired of being someone’s second choice, Jason.”
She never should’ve put her heart on the line like that. It was stupid to think that Jason would stick around or agree to be with her without any ulterior motives. It might’ve worked for Annabeth and Leo, but not everyone is so lucky.
“Piper, please just let me explain. I’ll drive you home and we can talk.”
“I’d rather walk than be in a car with you. No, actually I’d rather drive myself home.” Piper texts Annabeth letting her know she needs a ride. She just wants to go home and pretend the last eight months never happened.
It’s early enough that everyone’s still asleep when Piper gets home. She flings all her bags onto the couch and stomps upstairs. Piper flops onto her bed, a million thoughts running through her head.
Jason must’ve told people, right? That's the only way they could’ve found out. Unless someone saw them and then told everyone else. But who could’ve seen them? No one else was out last night; if anyone was out there, Piper would never have kissed Jason.
It feels like hours of contemplating her entire relationship go by when there’s a knock on Piper’s door.
“Hey little sister.”
Silena.
Piper wasn’t expecting to see her until summer break started.
“Oh my gosh. What are you doing here?” Piper’s so overwhelmingly happy, all thoughts of Jason leave her mind.
“I’m off on spring break. Thought it’d be nice to see everyone again.” The way she says it is so causal, like she was just in the next state, not another country. But Silena’s smile is as big as Piper’s and it gives her away. Silena missed them. It makes Piper’s heart soar.
Once everyone has woken up, Silena suggests going out shopping. Drew explodes with happiness, claiming how she hasn’t gotten any new clothes since Christmas and she’s dying. Piper wants nothing more than to stay home, her hatred of shopping and her terrible mood too strong to motivate her to spend time with her sisters.
“You know how much I would love to go shopping, but the beach left me kind of sick,” Piper lies, coughing to make them feel guilty.
“No problem, we’ll bake cookies and watch movies,” Silena suggest as Drew pretends to pout. Piper likes that plan.
The cookies are in the oven and The Princess Diaries is playing when someone knocks on the door.
“Were you expecting anyone?” Silena asks. Piper and Drew shake their heads. Piper’s partly scared it’s Charlie; what if he heard that Silena’s home and wants to talk? Piper can only imagine how terrible that conversation will end.
Piper goes to get the door as she’s the one who’s closest to it (a fact pointed out by Drew because of course). It’s not Charlie, but Jason.
“Can we talk?” he asks. Silena yells from inside, asking who it is.
“It’s no one! Just some mail guy,” Piper shouts back. “Outside,” she hisses at Jason, closing the door behind them.
She already saw him today, told him she wanted nothing to do with him. So why is he here? To apologize? To win her back? She won’t give him the satisfaction.
“I want you to leave,” Piper says. She stuffs her hands in her pockets, mostly so she can resist the urge to grab Jason’s hand.
“No, I need to explain myself,” Jason says, urgency in his voice. She doesn’t want his explanation; doesn’t want anything he has to offer.
“My sister is here, and I want to spend time with her, not hear some half-assed apology. As of right now I don’t want to be with you or around you. So please, just leave.”
Piper turns to go back inside, but Jason catches her by her elbow.
“Let go,” Piper says . His grip isn’t tight so she can easily stomp back inside, but a part of her wants to stay, hear what he has to say. A small part, but a part nonetheless.
“ She told you to leave,” a voice behind her says. Piper turns, Jason’s hand leaving her elbow. Charlie Fucking Beckendorf . Of course.
Jason’s face falls . Confusion is etched on his features until they melt into anger. Why is he, of all people, angry?
“I get it now. This was never about me; it’s about you still being in love with Beckendorf !” Jason accuses.
Piper opens her mouth to say how impossibly far off he is, how she hasn’t thought about Charlie like that in months, but s omeone else speaks up first.
“You’re what ?” It’s Silena, hand on the doorknob, Drew semi-hidden behind her. Piper’s heart shatters into a million pieces.
“No, Silena, that’s not what I…” Silena’s stomping into the house before Piper can finish, her sobs stabbing Piper in the gut. “Both of you, please just leave .” Piper pleads, ready to chase after her.
“I didn’t know she was home,” Charlie says, and he sounds so defeated it breaks Piper’s heart .
“Yeah, it was supposed to be a surprise.” She’s done, just so done.
Tears are in her eyes as she walks back inside. She thinks she hears Jason say she was never second best before she closes the door, but she’s too heartbroken to find out .
Piper lays in bed, tears sliding down her cheeks. Drew has been alternating between her room and Silena’s, bringing them food and trying to get them to talk. Piper’s not sure if Drew wants them to talk to her or each other. Maybe a bit of both.
The third hour of Piper’s Sad Boi Hours playlist hits as Drew comes in again, a cup of sleepy time tea in her hands. Drew always managed to make it exactly like their mom used to.
“You two need to talk. Explain things to her, and me too. I’m at a loss.”
She wouldn’t listen even if I tried.
“She doesn’t want to talk to me.” Tissues litter her bed and the floor around it.
Drew sits on the bed, takes Piper’s hand in hers.
“ She’s sad, not angry. If you just explain things, she’ll understand.”
“ She can’t understand this . I can’t even understand this.” A sob leaves her, and Piper buries her face in her blanket. Silena will never forgive her.
Drew squeezes her hand, leaves the room. Piper doesn’t even touch the tea, just grabs her phone and scrolls through Instagram.
@overheardatGoode tagged you in a post.
What?
Piper clicks on the notification and it takes her to a video. Two people are sitting near a campfire, one in the other’s lap. Piper’s heart stops because she knows exactly who those people are. Her and Jason.
@overheardatGoode: the sand isn’t the only thing getting wet at this year’s student council beach trip.
What. The. Fuck.
Piper’s shrieks, her depressed mood replaced with extreme horror and anger.
Who could’ve taken this? No one was around that night ; how could this happen?
Piper looks at the comments, which is a mistake. The words slut and skank make a n appearance, along with not as prudish as I thought.
First of all, what the fuck? Second of all, what the fuck? It’s not like anything happened, they didn’t actually do it. Besides, even if they did, it’s not anyone’s business. It’s not like half the school hasn’t done it already, so why is she being called out? Nothing even happened.
She needs Silena.
After taking longer than necessary to decide whether to knock or just run back to her room, Piper’s asking Silena to let her in, that she needs her help.
“Well, it’s dark enough that you can’t see your face, plus your back is facing the camera. If you weren’t tagged, it could be anyone.” And just like that, Silena is her big sister again.
“But it wasn’t just anyone; it was me. I filmed a sex tape without even having sex. How messed up is that?”
Silena takes Piper’s hand, reports the video as it violates child pornography laws. It’s taken care of, but not really. Everyone has seen it by now, everyone knows it was her.
Jason isn’t even going to be talked about, he’ll just get congratulated. Piper’s the one who has to deal with the ridicule and the whispers. She’ll be catcalled, whistled at even more now . Because being half Native America, half Japanese wasn’t included with enough fetishization.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. This will blow over in a few weeks, maybe a month tops,” Silena says, rubbing small circles into Piper’s back.
Through her tears, Piper manages to choke out, “I’m sorry. For not telling you about how I felt towards Charlie . I thought that if I kept it bottled up for long enough then it would just go away .”
“ Piper, you don’t have to do this. I understand why you kept it from me. But I thought we could always be honest with each other.”
“I know, and we can. I was just scared that you would hate me. ”
“As much as you can get on my nerves, I could never hate you . And I never want to let something as stupid as boy drama come between us again. I won’t lose you like that.”
How is Silena so good at saying the perfect thing? The two girls hug and it’s like the last few hours never happened. Too much has happened today, and Piper’s glad that at least one thing was fixed.
So, Piper explains . Everything. And it’s surprisingly easy to put her feelings into words now. Maybe keeping everything bottled up isn’t as healthy as Piper’s believed. It’s okay to rely on others to help .
“Um, Piper?” Drew says. She’s standing in the doorway, hidden in the shadows. She scares the crap out of Piper.
“How long have you been standing there?” Silena asks, just as frightened.
“About the entire time,” Drew confesses. Piper rests her head on Silena’s shoulder, surprisingly relaxed for the first time in weeks .
Drew joins her sisters on the bed, taking Silena’s hand. The McLean girls, together again . It’s enough to make Piper realize how different her life is compared to just a few months ago. How different she is, how different they all are.
“I was the one who sent the letters,” Drew says. All sentimental thoughts leave Piper’s head. She’s going to murder her.
“I will kill you,” Piper whispers, and Drew’s flying across the room to put space between them. Piper launches herself at her, ignoring Silena’s attempt at a barrier.
“I thought that if,” Drew stops, panting. “I thought if you had more options then you’d have a better chance at getting a boyfriend.”
That does absolutely nothing to calm Piper down.
“That doesn’t mean you had to send all of them!” Silena grabs onto Piper’s arm, yanks her onto the bed. Drew dives under Silena’s desk.
“Hey, hey,” Silena says, practically sitting on Piper. “Her heart was in the right place. Maybe she went about it in the wrong way-”
“ Maybe ?”
“But she was just trying to be helpful. C’mon Pipes, if I can forgive you for writing my boyfriend a love letter, can you forgive Drew for sending it?”
Of course she can forgive Drew. She’ll pretend she’s holding a grudge, but those letters being sent out have given her the happiest months of her life. Also the most stressful, but it’s fine.
“You owe me,” Piper says, giving Drew a death glare. Drew nods, muttering how she just wants to make it to sophomore year.
Silena suggests they finish the movie and eat some cookies. Piper can’t exactly say no to that.
Piper knows she’ll have to face everyone at school soon enough, but she wishes spring break went on for the rest of time.
Monday rolls around and Silena’s left by now which has not gotten any easier.
Piper leaves earlier than usual, actually driving herself in case Jason thinks he still has to drive her and Drew. It’s not easy and she hates the school parking lot, but she gets there in one piece.
As soon as she steps in the building, she wants to go home and cry.
Whispers fill the halls, comments made by everyone she passes.
It’s not even that bad compared to what awaits her at her locker.
A huge crowd of people are gathered around it and taped to it is a picture of her and Jason on the beach, the words it’s always the ones you least expect written on it.
“ Oh my god, she must be so embarrassed,” Piper hears someone whisper in the crowd. Well, no shit.
Piper tears the picture down, pushes through the crowd, and makes her way to the bathroom. Might as well cry in a semi-private place.
She doesn’t get very far as someone grabs her elbow. Jason.
“Woah, woah, Pipes. What’s going on?” Like he cares. Piper just shoves the picture at him . “Shit.” Jason turns to the crowd now gathered around the two of them. “Not that it’s anyone’s business, but nothing happened on the beach. For fuck’s sake, just leave Piper alone.”
People start to leave, heading to their first period classes. Jason crumples up the picture and reaches out for Piper but thinks better of it.
“I’m going to find who did this and punch them,” Piper says, her anger simmering to the surface .
“You know who did it?” Jason asks. You’ve got to be kidding me.
“It’s obvious. I know and so should you.”
Piper finds Khione in the bathroom, applying makeup.
“Why’d you post that video?” Piper asks, not even bothering to confirm that Khione actually did post it.
“You’re smart enough; figure it out.”
Jealousy is the only word that comes to mind. Jealousy is the main reason anyone would do something that extreme.
“Were you jealous of me?”
“Ding ding ding! We have a winner,” Khione says, and Piper can just picture steam coming out of her ears. “For so long I’ve been invisible, to my family, to everyone. Jason made me feel seen for the first time in so long.”
Piper can understand that. Hell, Piper’s been there too many times.
“Then he meets you , and I’m invisible again. ‘Oh , my new friend Piper is so smart!’ ‘My new friend Piper is so funny!’ Do you know how much he would talk about you?”
Piper did not. For the longest time she thought Jason only saw her as a friend, but maybe that wasn’t the case. They could’ve been dating for real if she wasn’t such a coward.
“ And now, I have to beg him to spend time with me, and I know he only does it out of pity. I just wanted him to see me again.”
Piper let’s Khione’s words sink in, realizes that they’re not exactly that different. Jason had always made Piper feel less invisible, talked her through things and made her feel better. Khione just wanted that again. It didn’t justify her ruining Piper’s reputation or being a huge jerk, but now Piper has the origin story.
“ Listen, I know what that feels like. My dad used to be so uninvolved in my life and my sisters’. It sucks, it really does. But you’re a powerful, intelligent , and scary woman. You do not need your entire life to revolve around some guy. Soon you’re going to find where you belong, with people who care about you. Hell, I did. So can you.”
Khione doesn’t look at her, just stares at her shoes. Minutes pass where neither of them say anything, just letting Piper’s words hang in the air.
“You don’t need to make other people – especially other girls – your competition just so you can feel better about yourself.”
Another beat, and then:
“ I’ll take the video down. But not for you, or for Jason. I’m doing this for me,” Khione says and leaves the bathroom.
Piper thinks they just went from enemies to acquaintances. That’s enough for her.
A week later and things have mostly calmed down. Some people still make comments, but it’s nothing compared to when the video was first posted. Khione even waves at Piper in the halls now.
Piper still feels miserable though.
“You should talk to him,” Drew says, feet in Piper’s lap. Piper pretends not to hear, too invested in Gal Gadot’s shoulders.
Drew throws popcorn at her, repeating herself.
“What would I say? ‘I’m sorry I thought you lied about us having sex, but you still lied about your ex-girlfriend'? It’s not that simple.”
“It’s always that simple, Pipes. You just don’t want to get hurt. It’s fine to protect yourself, but not at the risk of your own happiness.”
When did she get so wise?
Cut to five minutes later, Piper’s finger hovering over the call button. Jason’s contact picture stares back at her, a selfie he took the night of Khione’s party.
She can’t do it. It’s better to just leave everything they way it is.
Sure, she and Leo sit on the bleachers by themselves now, and Percy doesn’t text her as much as he used to, and she and Jason pretend the other doesn’t exist. But it’s fine.
Her dad knocks on her bedroom door, offering advice and milkshakes.
“I could always use a milkshake.”
“Did you know I used to be an actor,” her dad says, as Piper slurps up her Oreo milkshake. She almost chokes on it, turning in her car seat to look at her dad.
“Why’d you stop?” Even though Piper has an idea of why, she needs to hear for herself.
“The only roles I could get were Native chiefs or an idiot sidekick. I never got to be the hero. Everyone told me who I was and what I had to do. So I quit, met your mom. ” Then she left.
“Why are you telling me this?” Piper asks, wondering how this is supposed to make her feel better. It’s only making her feel worse, and she feels bad that her dad had to go through that.
“Because, I let people’s opinions of me dictate who I should be. I don’t want you to make my mistake.”
Is that what’s happening to Piper? She has been retreating further away from everyone, too scared of what they’ll think of her.
“Recently, I got to see another side of you, Pipes. Your sisters already see that side, but me and everyone else in your life finally got to see it too. I know running seems like the best answer because it’s the easiest. But at the end of the day, you’re just hurting yourself and the people who care about you.”
Piper doesn’t realize she’s crying until her dad hands her a tissue. She’s no better than her mom, leaving everyone behind like she has been.
“I just don’t want to get hurt,” she whispers. A little too late for that though.
“I know, trust me when I say that I understand. But I don’t want you to become like me and your mother. You deserve to have a happy life.”
Piper slurps up the rest of her milkshake and pulls out her phone. She’s going to make things right.
“Thank you for coming over,” Piper says as Charlie sits down on the couch. She’s terrified as all hell, but she has to do this before it’s too late.
“Yeah, uh, I’m glad you texted me.” He sounds tense, but it’s all about powering through. Piper’s done running away.
“I never wanted you to see that letter. The only reason I wrote it was so that I could get over you. I liked you when you first moved here, but when I saw that you and Silena got along so well, I didn’t know how to feel. I guess when I started dating Jason, I finally realized that I got over you a long time ago.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that before?” Charlie asks, fidgets on the couch.
“I didn’t know until I broke things off with Jason. By the time I figured it all out, I was scared that you wouldn’t listen.”
Charlie looks at her, the way he’s looked at her for so many years: like she’s his little sister. It used to hurt Piper more than she wanted to admit, but now she’s elated that he’s looking at her like that again. Things are almost back to normal.
“So, what happens with you and Grace now?” Charlie asks.
“I’m not sure. I used to think he was the perfect boyfriend, but that’s probably because he was my first boyfriend. I think it’s best if I just leave him alone.”
“Are you sure about that?” Drew asks, scaring the shit out of Piper once again. She has a letter in her hand with Piper’s name printed on it. “It was in the mailbox this morning.”
Piper snatches it from Drew’s hand, opens it. It’s dated the day before New Year’s.
Piper,
I figured it was time you got your own love letter. I’m not as good with words as you are, so bear with me.
I’ve liked you for a really long time, probably since the day I met you. You’re smart, and funny, and have great taste in movies.
I know we’re supposed to break up soon, but I don’t want to. You’re probably one of the best things in my life, and I don’t want to give you up. Also yes, we do have chemistry together.
You’re a wonderful person, and I hope you feel the same way.
Oh, I have your ribbon from that party.
Love, Jason.
Piper looks inside the envelope to see her mother’s ribbon. She had tied it to Jason’s wrist when she was too drunk to know what she was doing. And she forgot about it. He kept it.
“This is from before New Year’s,” Piper says. “Does he still feel that way?”
“Pipes,” Charlie starts, “he wouldn’t have given it to you if he didn’t.”
“You have to talk to him,” Drew commands. “He has lacrosse practice until five today. If you hurry, you can make it before he leaves.”
“How do you know he has lacrosse practice?” Piper asks.
“We text regularly,” Drew says, running to grab Piper’s shoes and car keys. Weird, but okay.
Piper feels overwhelmed, like if there’s one more thing on her plate, she’ll explode. But she can do this, she has to do this. They’ll talk, they’ll make it work.
Oh god please let Drew be right.
“Go, go!” Drew and Charlie both yell , ushering Piper out the door. Piper checks her phone: 4:46 PM . Oh god, oh fuck what if she doesn’t make it? She almost asks Charlie to drive her but decides that wouldn’t be good if Jason saw him.
Piper starts the car, blasts Queen to calm herself down. Well, more like pump herself up, but she’s about to explode.
4:56 PM.
Piper parks near the field, doesn’t even bother to lock her car. She just has to get to Jason.
His teammates are putting their equipment away, some wave as Piper runs by. Others whistle at her, but she ignores them. It doesn’t matter right now.
Jason is the last one on the field, and Piper stops dead in her tracks. He doesn’t see her, too busy picking up cones.
“Hey!” she shouts. Jason turns around and Piper feels like there’s a huge spotlight on her. She barely registers that she’s clutching the ribbon in her hand like a lifeline.
“What are you doing here?” Jason asks. Piper’s ready to declare her feelings, ready to listen to what he has to say.
Instead, all she can say is, “I drove myself here.”
Jason’s smile is small, but it’s still a smile.
“Uh, congrats Pipes.” The nickname makes her heart glow.
“Okay bye,” she rushes out. Bad idea, bad idea.
“Hey, what’s in your hand?” Shit.
Jason steps into her space, takes the ribbon from her hand. He knows she read his letter.
“Do you still feel that way?” Piper asks. No more running. Running is the worst; it makes you all sweaty and your lungs catch fire. Except Piper’s lungs are already on fire from this conversation, so running can’t be that bad.
No. I won’t be my parents.
“Depends. Are you still mad at me?” Piper pretends to think about, shakes her head no. “The only reason I was hanging out with Khione was so I could tell her to leave you alone. I didn’t tell you because I was scared you’d think I was cheating, which you thought anyway. So, no more lies and secrets. I’m in love with you Piper McLean.”
In what now?
“You’re what?” Piper asks, mostly because she wants to hear him say it again.
“I’m in love with you and only you.” He’s smirking, knows how Piper’s checked out at this point. Her eyes should just be replaced with hearts now.
“I’m in love with you too Jason Grace, and not in a fake way.” Piper’s shocked at how much she means it. She is in love with him, probably has been for a while now.
Jason leans in, and Piper’s heart is in her throat.
Before he kisses her, he asks, “You gonna break my heart, McLean?”
Piper would never dream of it.