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Percy should have known better. He should have guessed he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t afford such an expensive textbook. But most of all, he should have gone to the library earlier. He should have come here the day he had been given this assignment, it would have avoided him so many troubles.
"Come on," he pleaded "I really need it! I have an assignment to do for tomorrow and I'm failing this class!”
"I need it too man," the blond guy responded.
"I found that book before you!"
"We literally touched it at the same time," the blond guy deadpanned.
Percy bit his lips not to yell at the other student. He had already seen him in the corridors. The student had caught his attention because he was exactly his type: young, blond, blue-eyed and he was wearing glasses which made him look cute... however, Percy hadn’t had the guts to come and talk to him because he was hot and he had been afraid to embarrass himself in front of him. That's why now, he was trying to remain calm even though that guy was refusing to give him the damn book he needed to do his assignment. After this discussion, Percy wanted to use this situation as an excuse to talk to him again.
Their hands were still holding the same history textbook. The blond guy was trying to take it from Percy's hands, but the brown haired-guy wasn't having any of that. He looked at the other student with puppy-eyes but the blond only raised an eyebrow, questioningly.
"Stop looking at me like that. It's not working," he said.
Percy rolled his eyes.
"Can't you just take a picture of the things you need?" the blond offered. "I need the whole book to study."
"Me too."
The blond sighed, "I'll give you five bucks."
"Are you kidding? I don't want your money, I want this book!" Percy smirked.
"Ten?" the blond insisted.
"Why don't you take your bribe to go buy the book?"
"It’s too expensive!"
Percy looked at the book longingly, "Please, I really need it!"
The blond scratched his head, nervously, "We could flip a coin?"
"Really? We're talking about my grades. I'm failing man... My whole future is in play! I can't afford to repeat a year."
"Me neither, but if it's so important to you, why didn't you start your homework earlier? You probably had a few days to do it," the guy argued.
"Shush!" someone whispered.
Both students turned to a blond girl, who was starring dagger at them.
"You're in a library! People are trying to study here," she said.
Percy rolled his eyes. He had so many things to do and this situation was starting to get on his nerves.
"Sorry," the blond guy responded.
Percy shrugged. He was trying to study too but he couldn’t without this textbook.
"Okay, I have a proposition to make", he started. "Just give me that book and I promise I'll give it back in two hours max!"
"You're not the only one who needs it right now."
"What's your name?"
"Jason, why?"
"Listen, Jason. I'll do anything you want. I could help you with an assignment whenever you ask. I could do your shopping, clean your room, do your laundry-" he pleaded
"I just want that fucking book, not a personal servant!" Jason laughed.
"Shush!" the same girl repeated.
"Oh, come on!" Percy sighed. "Leave us alone Goldilocks!"
Jason smirked and the girl frowned.
"What did you just called me?" she seethed.
Percy loosened his hold onto the book and turned completely to face her. He had enough things on his mind: he was stressed because he was failing this class and two other ones both majors, his mother had paid a lot of money so that he could go to college and didn't want to disappoint her. She had spent many years raising him and protecting him from an abusive stepfather. Percy had always been her priority. He wanted to make her proud and it wasn't by dropping out of uni that he would do that. Anyway, if he wasn't thinking about all of that right now, he probably would have made another joke but he was tired and really needed this textbook.
"Hey, really. I'm not in the mood for that. Just stop," he murmured. "Please."
"Who do you think you are?" she hissed.
"I swear I'm gonna-" Percy started.
"Calm down," Jason interfere. "We're sorry, okay? Let's not make a big deal out of that."
The girl looked at Jason and started to nod.
"Yeah, you're right, I'm wasting my time with that half-wit."
"What?"
Jason grabbed Percy by the arm and dragged him to one of the rare empty tables at the opposite of the girl.
"Don't touch me," he whispered yelled.
It was Jason's turn to roll his eyes, "Hey listen- hum..."
"Percy," he said while crossing his arms.
"Okay. So, Percy, maybe we could sit at the same table and share this book?"
The brown-haired guy seemed pleased with that solution until-
"Wait! I need to read specific pages."
Jason sighed.
“You said you had an assignment can’t you just take a goddamn picture?”
“I have ADHD,” Percy explained. It wasn’t something he was proud of, but he needed to convince this student to give him this book. “I’ll have to read some pages which sum up my teacher's lecture because I can’t listen to my him talking for three hours straight... so, I’ll have to flip the pages a few times and I know I tend to do that a lot…” Percy mumbled. “But please, just give me two hours, I’ll write an outline and my intro. Then, the book will be all yours, I promise!”
The blond scratched his neck nervously as if thinking about what Percy had said.
"Okay... You know what? Take it. I'll- I’ll find another solution." he said with a blush - which made Percy smiled.
Percy took the textbook reluctantly, "You sure?"
"Yeah. But you owe me one."
He was ready to leave when Percy grabbed his arm.
"Wait! Give me your number," he blurted.
Jason frowned but took the phone Percy handed him and wrote his number. "Here you go," he said with a smile.
Percy decided that he loved that smile.