Chapter Text
Percy's head hit against the desk, and he woke up suddenly. He blinked twice to adapt his eyes to the classroom light, and remembered why he had fallen asleep in first place.
English had never been his favourite subject, he had an hard time reading due to dyslexia and remembering names and texts due to ADHD. This combo, together with the hate the teacher held against him (Paul always said that, even if they shouldn't, professors always had favourite; the most important thing was not let it influence teaching and grading), made it so he never got more than a C if he was lucky.
He was really tempted to go back to sleep, when Mr Castellan called his name.
"Jackson, may you read the next paragraph? Take on from where Chase stopped, please."
Wonderful, he would have to admit he wasn't paying attention and then he would be forced ro read. Double embarrassment, take two pay one. And he'd have to read after no one but Annabeth Chase, who was not only a genius, but also one of the most popular and athletic girl in the school. Three quarters of the class had a crush on her; the remaining quarter wasn't attracted to girls. Percy was in the first category, and wasn't exactly enthusiast at the thought of looking stupid in front of her.
What had he done to that teacher?
At the beginning of the year, he had seemed nice: he was quite young, maybe 25, and he seemed intentioned to help Percy with his accommodation. Then, halfway through the year, he had stabbed him in the back: he could no longer use his maps, was denied his extra time in tests, couldn't stimm, was asked to read aloud in front of the class. Hell.
"Jackson, are you with us?" Mr Castellan was increasingly annoyed.
"I... yes, I... was...," mumbled Percy, trying to think of an excuse.
The bell rang, saving him for a second. As the teacher dismissed the class and exited, and everybody started getting up and chatting, Percy put his head on his desk to recollect himself. As he was doing this, he saw with the corner of his eye something being dropped in his opened backpack, that was dropped against one of the desk leg. He lifted himself rapidly and saw Annabeth Chase walking away as nothing happened.
He searched for what had fallen, maybe she had unconsciously lost it?
The class was empty, as it was break time.
The thing seemed to be a little handwritten note. He opened it impatiently and read.
Percy,
I dunno whas vole it,
But whin E sou yee, I cet gofnudes and I fell my heart baetign fatser.
Teem me atfer cshool?
Ok, it didn't make a lot of sense, but she didn't know he was dyslexic. He should be gratefull it was so short, she could have written a monologue instead and then it would have been even worse.
The next hours passed in a blurr, as Percy tried (unsuccessfully) to understand the note.
When the last bell rung, he got up and realised it had started raining.
Wonderful.
He had gone to school with his skateboard that morning, so he could either wait for Paul (that meant at least three hours more in there, as his step dad had to work, without eating) or go home under the rain. No way he would call his mother to ask her to pick him up, risking that Estelle got sick staying outside with those temperatures. She couldn't stay at home alone, obviously, as she wasn't even one year old yet.
His stomach answered the question for him, and he got ready to face the storm.
While he walked (the streets were too wet to skate on them, he did not wish to break his arm again, thanks) he kept thinking about the note.
I dunno whas vole it.
Whas vole it.
Wha s v o l e i t
Whal si leov?
Whav Leo's I? (Leo was one of Annabeth's friends, but it didn't really make sense)
Thas wil veo?
What li sole?
What is love? (It wasn't a question)
What love is?
I dunno what love is
Hey, that made sense. But maybe it was only Percy's four-years-long crush on Annabeth.
But whin E sou yee
Whin E sou yee
W h i n e s o u y e e
Wine she yoe up?
Show yeen I ue?
Yeah seen wuoi?
When yei house? (When would he arrive at his house? He was basically swimming on the sidewalk)
When you see I? (His elementary school grammar teacher would not agree)
When I see you?
But when I see you,
Ok, that was great, it was probably going to turn out being an insult or a clever worded joke. She didn't seem that rude, but bullies never did from outside, and he had to admit he was pretty easy to mock.
But a little part of Percy could only hope.
I cet gofnudes
I c e t g o f n u d e s
Ice and fungies?
I funds goth ce?
I pent (was that a "d" or a "p"?) unsain?
I gret (I regret doing this) fun eggs?
I get cunfazet?
Confused?
I get confused
Me too, thought Percy, me too. Only two more phrases and he would have been done, thankfully.
And I fell my heart baetign fatser.
I fell my heart baetign fatser.
I f e l l
I leaf? (No)
I fear? (Possible, but probably wrong. Not a lot scared Annabeth Chase, and surely not him)
I fae? (Nope. Even if it was still more proobable than him scaring her. Seriously, the girl was a force of nature)
I feel?
I feel my heart beatign fatser
Baetign fatser
B a e t i g n f a t s e r
It bear zat en?
Bags great infetar?
Regret fangs? (Improbable)
Beateg in farst?
Teabag in fast? (She liked tea, but what fast?)
Beater fasting? (Why would they?)
Beating faster?
I feel my heart beating faster.
On a word level, it made sense. On a meaning level, it didn't. Why would that happen?
Last phrase, last hope to understand something.
Teem me atfer cshool?
T e e m m e a t f e r c s h o o l
Meat tee French halo? (Again, improbable. Even if maybe Annabeth spoke French. One of her friends, Piper, did.)
Zoom (was that a "z" or an "s"? Who made all those letters that similar?!)
Team near fetch school?
Me meat after hols?
Meet me asher cool?
Meet me after school?
Meet me after school?
So the whole meaning was:
Percy,
I dunno what love is,
But when I see you, I get confused and I feel my heart beating faster.
Meet me after school?
Percy stopped abruptly in the middle of the road. A passing car honked at him, but he didn't even ear it.
If it was true, and she was honest, maybe he was still in time.
If it was a joke, with all that rain they would have gone home already.
He turned around and run.