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Girls, Good Grades, and Other Things Annabeth Finds Unattainable

Hi @sayhellotothepoodlepercy! I was your feast of fortuna gifter this year, and I’m incredibly sorry for the delay. I think I made the deadline, but I’ve been having internet issues :( . Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait! I was super happy to get a blog that I knew and admired - I hope I did your Pipabeth college AU justice! Thank you for giving me the chance to write this, Ash. Stay amazing!

Read it on A03

Pairing: Piper/Annabeth

Word Count: 6.5k

Summary: Annabeth’s in love with Percy. That’s the way it always was, always has been, always will be …. right? Then Annabeth gets assigned Piper as her college roommate her freshman year, and suddenly Annabeth has to deal with harder schoolwork, messy desks and messy relationships, and, most importantly, that fact that she’s head over heels in love with Piper.

Too bad Piper’s straight.

Annabeth knows Piper’s ID number before she actually meets her. It’s 10 digits long, but Annabeth has it memorized, front to back and back to front, just like she has her own. After all, she’s written it on more forms then she can count. Housing applications, liability forms, privacy sheets … at this rate, just hearing Piper’s name is enough to make her tired.

Annabeth has planned for her transition into college to go perfectly. She arrives two days before the start of classes, and starts to organize her things into her new room. Annabeth spends the entire morning unpacking, adjusting everything so it looks absolutely perfect. She doesn’t have much stuff, mostly notebooks and extra bedding, but she straightens and re-straightens it, trying to delay the inevitable ‘I’m stressed and therefore my room is a mess’ state as much as possible. She bought her linens as white and as plain as she could get them, because it messes with her ADHD to have anything else, but now it clashes with the more yellow than white walls and makes her head hurt a little.

She reaches over and places a jar of Sharpies on her desk - the final touch - then sits down on her bed with a thud. She takes her phone out of her back pocket and punches in her dad’s number. He isn’t here - she insisted on coming to school by herself, happy to leave her slightly overbearing family behind.

Before she can hit call, however, the door to her dorm room gets ripped off it’s hinges.

Well, almost.

Annabeth finally sees her roommate for the first time, and the first thought that flies through her head is ‘oh shit, oh shit.’ The first oh shit comes automatically, from somewhere deep in her stomach, because her new roommate is absolutely stunning. The second ‘oh shit’ comes from her more rational brain, because there is no way Annabeth is going to be able to live with this person. Piper is all bright colors, fast movements, and loud noises, exactly what Annabeth isn’t.

Oh, and Piper is beautiful. Annabeth’s stomach flip flops again as she watches her new dorm mate kick the door closed behind her, arms full of boxes.

“Hey babe,” Piper greets her, already turning away to get more things. “I’ve gotta run back to the car, okay? But hang tight and I’ll be right back.”

And just like that, she’s gone. Annabeth stares at the closed door for a few moments, processing what just happened. Babe? The term of endearment lingers in her mind. What did she mean by it?

Piper comes back a few minutes later, true to her word, and this time Annabeth is ready. She’s tucked her hair behind her ears more times than she can count, trying to make her appearance more neat, and hurriedly scrubs at an old Band-Aid mark on her knee. This time, maybe Annabeth can get a few words in instead of gawking like a fish.

Unfortunately, Piper isn’t alone this time. Behind her follows a boy with perfectly tousled blonde hair and muscled arms that could probably break Annabeth’s bed in half. He’s cute, too, she supposes, but is nothing in comparison to her roommate. The mystery boy puts down even more boxes, then turns to Annabeth, mouth starting to open in greeting.

Piper cuts him off. “Babe, can you grab the tapestry? I think I wanna hang it up here.” Piper points beside her bed, and Annabeth starts to stand, only to stop when mystery boy moves as well, finding the wall hanging easily and handing it to Piper. Annabeth sits back down, cheeks flooding in embarrassment and jealousy. Of course this ‘babe’ wasn’t meant for her. Annabeth didn’t even know what the tapestry looked like, let alone where to find it. Blushing harder, Annabeth takes her phone out and pretends to be immersed in texting somebody to not bother them further.

In reality, she’s playing Bubble Pop.

A good three hours and lots of bubbles later, Piper finally looks satisfied with her decorating. She shoos mystery boy out of her room with a light “Bye, Jason!” and then sits on her bed, facing Annabeth.

“This is so crazy. We’re starting college!” Piper is all smiles. Does she ever do anything else?

“Yeah,” Annabeth answers. “So, uh, what’s your major?” Yikes. Way to bore her new roommate half to death.

“Vocal performance,” Piper says, bouncing on her mattress. “You?”

“Architecture.”

“You’re a mathy person, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

An awkward silence ensues, and Annabeth could kick herself. To hear Piper talk again, Annabeth moves the conversation to the one thing she’s been desperate to know. “So, Jason. He seems nice.”

“Yeah, he is!”

“Are you guys, uh, together?”

“Kind of.” Annabeth feels some of the tension drain out of her shoulders. Kind of was better than yes. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“I -” Annabeth is startled by the question. Yes, yes she does.

… crap.

———————————–

Said boyfriend is a bundle of excitement by the time the activity fair rolls around the next day. He’s signing up for newsletters and email alerts left and right, and can’t stop talking. Percy spends his time in between talking to upperclassmen to tell Annabeth about his quirky, nature-loving roommate, and about how great they got along.

“-so yeah, basically what I’m saying is, Grover’s incredible. What’s your roommate like?” Percy finally stops talking, probably to take a breather. Annabeth doesn’t mind though. Him talking means she didn’t have to talk, and her mind was preoccupied by … other things.

“Oh, Piper? She’s great, I love her. She’s -” Right there! Her mind finishes for her as her eyes focus on a familiar head of choppy brown hair bounding away from a table. Or … maybe not. Whoever it was, the girl was too far gone now for Annabeth to be sure. Instead, Annabeth’s eyes roam around the booths nearby, and her eyes focus on one draped with rainbow colored flags.

Maybe it was because she was just talking about her, but Annabeth’s mind flashes to Piper immediately. Sure, Annabeth has crushed on girls before, but every time Annabeth had brushed it off as a one time thing.

Come to think of it, there were a lot of one time things. Even more glaring was the fact that none of these girls had left her as absolutely breathless as Piper had.

“Annabeth? You okay?” Percy’s looking worried, so Annabeth shakes it off and smiles up at him.

“You wanted to visit that bio booth, yeah? Let’s go there.”

————————————–

It took Annabeth a full month for her not-so-little crush on Piper to disappear, and even when it did, Annabeth still thought she was breathtaking. If only Piper was both breathtaking and neat.

“So what if I did? It was an accident, okay?” Piper stands in the middle of their shared room, hair piled on the top of her head in a messy bun and in a pair of too short pyjama shorts that Annabeth has to keep prying her eyes off of.

“Yeah, but you keep doing this, Piper! I can’t live like this anymore! You’re driving me insane!” Annabeth spits back, pointing at the trash Piper had left on Annabeth’s pristine desk.

“So what are you going to do? Call the housing office on me? Get a new roommate?” Piper stares back at her with cold, albeit pretty eyes.

And that may have worked on Annabeth last time, may have shocked her to the core and made her freak out because she could never, ever, trade Piper for someone else, but this time Annabeth was different. Her poor architecture grades were slowly dipping down, and Annabeth can’t deal with any mess right now. Her dyslexia and ADHD are running rampant right now, and Annabeth can’t study anywhere else but in her dorm. For most people, this wouldn’t be a bother, but Annabeth, whose transition to college was bumpy, can’t take it.

“Maybe I will!” She screams back, and leaves, slamming the door behind her on the way out. But she doesn’t go to housing. Instead she walks around campus, soaking up the sun. Annabeth knows she should just tell Piper why she needed to have everything so neat, but that would mean sitting down and really talking to her, and Annabeth can’t afford that. Who knows what other secrets she might spill?

When Annabeth comes back, the trash is gone, and Piper is getting ready for a shower. They avoid each other’s eyes and don’t say anything.

———————————-

Annabeth has just finished up in the gym when it starts raining, so she walks through the music building to avoid getting soaked. She needs to get back in her dorm and change, as she’s nothing but leggings and a sports bra, hair tied into a messy ponytail on the back of her head.

It’s been about two weeks since Piper and Annabeth had their big fight. Since then, Piper’s side has been uncharacteristically clean, and they haven’t spoken more than a few words to each other. Annabeth tells herself this was what she wanted, but there’s a sinking feeling in her stomach whenever she sees her.

Speaking of Piper, Annabeth stomach swoops again as she passes a practice room. Piper’s voice is coming from beneath the door, loud and clear.

“Assignment 13, submitted by Piper McLean,” she starts.

Annabeth continues walking, but then Piper sings, and all thoughts of moving were thrown out the window. She’s never heard Piper sing before, despite being a vocal performance major, and now that Annabeth’s heard it, she’s not sure how she’ll go on without hearing it ever again. Piper has the voice of an angel, and it sends warmth spinning into Annabeth’s fingers and toes.

It’s over all too quickly. Piper ends the recording with at “thank you,” and then she opens the door, nearly hitting a stunned Annabeth in the face.

“Annabeth!” Piper gasps, surprised.

“That was …” Annabeth starts, but then remembers that they weren’t talking. But Piper’s looking at her expectantly, and Annabeth decides right then that she could care less about stupid granola bar wrappers on desks. “That was beautiful,” she finishes.

Piper blushes, and Annabeth has never seen her so soft-spoken and flustered. It’s endearing. “You really think so? Thank you! I’ve been working on it for a while.”

Annabeth nods, grinning, and is rewarded with a grin back.

“And you look … “ Piper starts, trailing off as she stares at Annabeth’s exposed midriff.

“Sweaty?” Annabeth offers.

Piper shakes her head like she’s trying to clear her thoughts and looks up at Annabeth’s face, instead. “Yeah that’s it. Sweaty and gross.” A pause, then “are we, uh, are we good?”

Again there’s that more unsure Piper that pulls at Annabeth’s heartstrings. “Yeah, we’re good. Only if you promise to sing for me sometime.”

Piper looks happy enough to shoot rainbows out of her ass, and it makes Annabeth laugh. “I promise.”

—————————

‘So much for not crushing on Piper,’ Annabeth thinks, crossing the quad to go and find her scatterbrained roommate. Here she was, trudging through crowds of students when she could have been curled up on her bed watching Netflix, but no. Someone had to go and get their notebooks all switched up with Annabeth’s, on the day of their big music theory test.

She finds Piper in the east hall, waving goodbye to someone with blue hair and leaning and against a doorway, and lazy smile plastered on her face. Annabeth’s heart jumps to her throat. That smile does things to her.

“Annabeth!” Piper calls, pleasantly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to give you this.” Annabeth holds out the faded blue notebook, and Piper eyes it suspiciously.

“That’s yours.”

“No, it’s not.” Annabeth flips it open to reveal Piper’s own chicken scratch handwriting, so different from Annabeth’s neat block print. “I have never taken notes on the circle of thirds in my life.”

“Fifths,” Piper corrects automatically. She trades Annabeth’s notebook for her own, and smiles.

“Yeah, whatever. You weren’t answering your phone, so I had to come and find you manually like a technology hating 80 year old.”

“I was in a meeting, but I’m sure walking will do you hips some hips some good, Granny,” Piper teases back. “You didn’t have to walk all the way down here to give it to me, you know. You could have just handed it over tonight.”

“Mmm, but then what would you have used to study from for your test at two?”

Piper takes a moment to process this, and when she does, her eyes grow wide. “Holy shit I forgot thank you!” Piper hugs her, throwing her arms around Annabeth’s neck. Annabeth hugs back, pressing her cheek into Piper’s familiar soft sweatshirt.

“Where would you be without me?”

“Dead probably. Alright, I gotta dash, but I’ll see you later okay? Stay amazing, hot stuff.” Piper lightly slaps the back of Annabeth’s shorts, grinning, then runs away.

Laughing, Annabeth watches her go. She’s just preparing to leave when she noticed the door that Piper was leaning on. It’s the meeting place for the same rainbow-clad club Annabeth had spotted at the activities fair. Why did it keep following her?

Annabeth is about to turn anyway when she changes her mind and grabs one of the information pamphlets hanging outside the door. She shoves it in her pocket, then turns and walks away quickly. Maybe she’ll finally get some answers about whatever the hell is happening inside her head.

———————————-

Annabeth really hated college parties. Not that she’s ever been to one, but she’s about to find out just how bad they really are. She wouldn’t have come at all, but her sorority friend Silena had practically begged her to come, promising lots of fun.

Annabeth felt that her definition of fun was a lot different than Silena’s, but oh well.

Dressed in leggings, nice boots, and a cute flowy blouse, Annabeth hoped she was dressed appropriately. She had let her hair down and put some product in it, trying to tame the curls, but she still wasn’t sure. She just wanted to go home and take a nap, maybe play a card game with Piper.

Okay, deep breaths. In Annabeth went, and almost instantly she was enveloped by the frat house’s loud music. Someone pushed a warm beer into her hand.

Annabeth wandered, trying to find Silena. Instead, through, she ran into Piper, which was a welcome surprise.

“Oh my gosh, Annabeth, hi!” At this point, Piper was more than a little bit tipsy, but she shone anyway, dressed in a pink fur coat than engulfed her thin frame.

“Nice jacket,” Annabeth teases.

“It’s called thrifting, babycakes. Let’s go.”

Piper grabs Annabeth’s hand, and pulls her along, dodging people and a few flying cups. They rounded another corner, and then -

“Oh,” Annabeth says. “Percy. Hi.”

“Annabeth.” Percy rubs the back of his neck, looking as uncomfortable as Annabeth feels. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I -” Before she can answer, someone calls Percy’s name. “See you later, I guess?”

“Yeah, see you.” And then Percy’s gone.

“Ohhhhhh my gosh.” Piper is staring at Annabeth. “That was the most awkward thing I have ever heard. You guys didn’t come together?”

“No,” Annabeth says. Suddenly, there are too many people here. She needs to get out.

“And he didn’t know you were gonna be here? Did you know he was going to be here?”

“No, and no.” She deposits her untouched beer on the counter. “I’m leaving, Pipes, sorry -”

“I’m coming with you.”

They walk. They walk out of campus, into town, passing late night diners that gave them curious looks. Inside, Annabeth is a hot mess. She can’t remember the last time she actually saw Percy, just the two off them, and Annabeth miserably wonders why he can’t spike the same rush of affection Piper gives her. They’ve been together for years, and Annabeth used to count down the days until dates nights, and suddenly Annabeth is faced with the fact that she just doesn’t love him anymore.

Luckily, Piper’s drunkenness seemed to be mostly fueled by the party, so she was much calmer on the walk, watching Annabeth with worried eyes. She grabs for her hand once, but Annabeth pulls away.

Then end up outside a tiny little public swimming pool. Piper stops to look at Annabeth and Annabeth can’t hide the tears flowing down her face anymore.

“Let’s go swimming,” Piper says suddenly.

“What?” Annabeth is so shocked she almost forgets that she’s having a crisis. Almost.

“It’s warm out, and I’m drunk enough to suggest it but not drunk enough that I’ll die, so why not?” Before Annabeth can say anything, Piper is climbing up the fence.

“Piper, we’ll get caught!” Annabeth hisses. When she realizes her roommate won’t turn back, though, Annabeth follows her. By the time she landed, Piper had already stripped down to her bra and underwear and had jumped in, treading water.

“Come on, Annabeth, it’s like our own special party!”

Deciding that getting arrested won’t make this night any worse, Annabeth took her clothes off and jumped in as well. Piper was right, it was warm, and suddenly Percy seemed a lot further away. Annabeth laughed, dipping her heading under, and came up to see Piper spinning in circles, shrieking with joy.

“Shhh, Pipes, someone will hear you!” Their laughter subsides to giggles as they hold each other close.

“So, Annabeth, what was that about, back there?” Piper grabs Annabeth’s wrists. “I’m worried about you. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just -” Annabeth takes a big shuddering breath. “Seeing Percy there, it made me realize that I don’t love him anymore. I can’t remember the last time we’ve done anything boyfriend and girlfriend-y. I think …. I think I screwed this up. I didn’t want us to grow apart, but now I can’t love him anymore and I don’t know what to do.” Piper watches her sadly while Annabeth gathers the strength to continue. “I’m an asshole. And parties … they’re hard to deal with, too, sometimes, so that probably wasn’t the best place to see him. There’s just so much commotion at parties. It get’s me all confused. I - I have ADHD,” Annabeth blurts out, unable to stop herself. “And I can’t take meds because they make me sleep badly.”

“Oh, baby,” Piper murmurs.

“And that’s why I yelled at you about the whole keeping your room clean thing. I can’t concentrate and think when it’s like that. It hurts. Everything hurts. Everything is so confusing, and I never wanted you to be mad at me.” Annabeth’s got her head tucked under Piper’s chin, and she realizes that they’ve slowly moved down the shallow end of the pool so that they can stand. “And I have dyslexia, too. It’s … It’s really bad, for me. I get okay grades, and everyone always assumes that I’m just smart, but school is really, really hard for me. It always has been.”

Annabeth stops. No point in spilling her biggest secret just yet. Piper doesn’t need to know that the reason she doesn’t love Percy anymore is because she’s in love with her.

Piper’s running her hands up and down Annabeth’s arms and back, and if Annabeth concentrates enough, she can feel Piper leaving butterfly kisses on the top of her head. Annabeth doesn’t move to check if they’re real.

Annabeth doesn’t remember when she starts crying again, but now she can’t stop. She sobs into Piper’s bra until she has no tears left to cry. It’s just that this is the first time since starting college that Annabeth feels she has a real friend - someone to talk to. She sure as hell wasn’t talking to Percy. She doesn’t mean for this all to come gushing out, but everyone always assumes Annabeth is so strong, and she deserves a good cry once in awhile, just like everyone else.

Finally, Annabeth pulls away, wiping red eyes on the back of her hands. “Sorry,” she says thickly. “I don’t know what happened.”

Piper is watching her with a pained expression. “Annabeth,” she starts. There is nothing drunk or playful or loud about her now. “You’re the smartest, most amazing person I know. I want you to believe that too.”

Out here, under the stars, Annabeth thinks she could kiss her. But her mind flashes back to Percy so she doesn’t. Instead, she replied dumbly - “it’s kinda cold now.”

Piper stares at her for a moment longer, then - “Alcohol!” She’s back to her usual bright and chipper self.

“No. We are not going back to the party.”

“Honey, warm beer is for amateurs.” Piper climbs out of the pool, and Annabeth watches the way her underwear clings to the slope of her back. Piper finds her ridiculous jacket, and rummages through the inner pockets. “Aha!” She says, pulling out a handful of small bottles.

“Travel vodka?”

“Travel vodka.” Piper extends a hand to Annabeth to pull her out. The climb back over the fence, clothes under one arm, and then back their way towards the top of a hill. They’re on the outskirts of town - nobody will see them running around like this.

They spread their clothes on the ground and sit, looking up at the stars. It’s a beautiful night.

“Are you sure there weren’t any video cameras at the pool?” Annabeth worries.

“That old thing? Nobody goes there. It can fit, like, a max of ten people and it’s shitty. Why would they need to watch it, when that big water park is about two blocks away? Don’t worry about it.”

Surprisingly, Annabeth stops worrying. “You’re good at that, you know?”

“At what?” Piper says absentmindedly, busy opening all the bottles.

“At making people believe it’s going to be okay.”

Piper beams back. “It’s my talent.”

Soon, Annabeth’s head is buzzing lightly, and Piper has long since passed out on Annabeth’s lap. Annabeth plays with her hair, twirling it between her fingers.

She wants to stay in this moment forever.

But even though they don’t have classes tomorrow, they need to get home. Annabeth waits until the buzzing subsides a little before finally pulling out her phone and calling the one Uber that’s running at this time. It’s well past two in the morning.

“Piper, honey, wake up. We’ve got to go.” Annabeth starts to shake her, counting time until her ride gets here. Since there was only one driver working at this time, they had at least fifteen minutes to wait. Plenty of time to get Piper into a slightly less drunk state.

Piper rolls over and presses her face into Annabeth’s leg. “Don’t wanna,” she slurs.

“Yeah, but I’m making you.” Annabeth forces her back around and suddenly they’re face to face. Annabeth stares at her. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t think of Piper like this anymore, promised that she would really try to patch things up with Percy. So she tears her eyes way, heart beating wildly.

“Annabeth?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re real pretty, you know that?”

“Huh?”

And suddenly, all thoughts of Percy fly out the window, because Piper has lunged and is kissing her, really kissing her, even if the kisses are sloppy and wet. Annabeth can hear her own heart pounding, desperately giving in because this is all Annabeth has ever wanted, so she leans back her hand brushes a bottle and - and she’s drunk. Piper is drunk.

Annabeth pushes Piper away gently, and her roommate greets her with a pouty face. “Maybe when you’re sober, okay?”

It breaks Annabeth’s heart to say this, because she knows this will never happen when Piper’s sober. She turns her face away, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Come on, let’s get dressed.”

They make it to the Uber in time, fully clothed, and Annabeth bribes the driver to take them home despite being drunk. He takes the extra money begrudging and they climb in the back, Piper’s head on Annabeth’s shoulder.

For one of the worst days in the world, Annabeth decides, it was also the best.

———————————-

Annabeth awakes the next morning with a headache, but it’s not bad so she takes Advil and starts to get ready for her day. Piper, who drank a lot more than Annabeth did, was a lot worse. Annabeth could hear her groaning despite all the blankets she had piled on her head.

Annabeth pulls the blankets off her and puts a cup of water and some pain killers on top of Piper’s dresser “Come on, Pipes, take some medicine, okay?”

Piper sits up blearily and takes what Annabeth offers, nursing the cup of water.

“There we go.” Annabeth tucks Piper’s hair behind her ears and kisses her forehead. Feeling her lips press against Piper’s skin was a wonderful feeling, and -

Oh, no. How much did Piper remember?

“Hey Piper?”

“Stop shouting.”

“What do you remember from last night?”

“Pool.” Piper squints at Annabeth. “Hill.”

“Anything else? Do you remember how we got home?” Annabeth was hoping that everything after the vodka was forgotten.

“No,” Piper admits.

Annabeth lets out a sigh. Her secret is safe, for now. Later, she’ll entertain the thought about what would happen if Piper actually had remembered, but until then she’s relieved. “Okay. How’s your stomach?”

“Shut up,” Piper whines.

“Okay, fine, go find someone else to hold your hair back while you throw up, you big baby.”

“Fuck off.”

Annabeth laughs and helps Piper back under the covers. She moves to her desk and starts to do homework, because of course she’s going to be there when Piper needs her.

———————————-

Annabeth closes the door to her dorm behind her, looking around for Piper. She’s not there, because she had a lecture to attend, but Annabeth looks automatically anyway.

She goes to her desk and puts her bag down, stretching as she does so. Their room had been in perfect condition since their night at the pool, and Annabeth can’t think Piper enough. She knows Piper isn’t naturally neat, so seeing her put in so much effort just for Annabeth was touching.

Then Annabeth sees the pamphlet of Piper’s desk, and she nearly stops breathing. It’s the same pamphlet that Annabeth had picks up over two months earlier, dotted in rainbows. Annabeth throws herself across the room, and tosses the pamphlet in the garbage.

Her head is pounding again, and she can’t think. Piper knows Piper knows Piper knows Piper knows

How could she be so careless? Annabeth thought she had tucked it back in her underwear drawer after the last time she looked after it, but apparently not. Maybe she could say another one of their friends left it while visiting?

Piper knows Piper knows Piper knows Piper knows

Annabeth tells herself to calm down. She wasn’t going to pin it on somebody else, that was just rude. Okay, so. Piper knows that she likes girls. That’s no big deal, right? Piper’s never shown any animosity towards people like her, and just because she liked girls didn’t mean she liked Piper, right?

Except Annabeth was madly, desperately in love with Piper, but she didn’t need to know that.

Annabeth’s final decision is to just let it be. She’s tired of running from Piper, so she won’t say anything unless Piper says something. She leaves the pamphlet in the trash, though. And hopes for the best.

———————————-

Piper doesn’t end up saying anything, but right now, that’s the least of Annabeth’s concerns.

She runs back to her dorm, yelling sorrys over her shoulder to people she ran into. She had one goal - to get to Piper. She had to tell Piper.

Annabeth nearly kicks open the door to their dorm. She finds Piper on Annabeth’s bed, busy texting.

“Piper,” Annabeth starts, breathless.

“Hey,” Piper says, not looking up.

“I did it.”

“Did what, babe?” Piper doesn’t look away.

“I broke up with Percy.”

Now that gets Piper’s attention. She drops her phone and is in front of Annabeth in seconds. “Holy shit. Are - Are you okay? Was it bad?”

“I feel great, actually. He said he kind of saw it coming too, and we both agreed that it was for the best. Most high school relationships don’t last until college anyway.” Annabeth shrugs. She feels great. She feels like she could run a marathon.

“And was he upset?”

“Not at all. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who fell out of love. We decided to stay friends.”

Piper shrieks with joy then pulls Annabeth into a bone crushing hug. “I’m so proud of you - I love you!”

“Love you too, McLean.” Annabeth returns the hug and they stand like that for a while.

————————————-

A few weeks later, Annabeth gets a text from Piper while she’s in class. Annabeth checks it immediately, because, well, she’s Piper.

‘Let’s go out tonight. Put on the sexiest thing you own, baby, we’re gonna set the town on fire.’

Annabeth’s fingers fly as she texts back. ‘Dramatic. I thought we were going to the the party tonight?’

‘You hate parties.’

‘True, but you don’t.’

‘Yeah, but I also don’t hate you. Meet me by my car at 7?’

‘Sure.’

That’s how Annabeth finds herself standing in front of the mirror a few hours later, trying to flat iron her hair. Piper hadn’t come home from her classes, so Annabeth assumed she was getting ready with someone else.

That’s fine. Annabeth needs all the space she can get. She nearly burns her fingers multiple times.

Annabeth settles on a peach cocktail dress and some matching pumps. It’s not quite sexy, but it’s definitely not business attire, either. There are a few cutouts on the side that would make any boss faint.

Annabeth feels amazing, however, so she sets out and meets Piper just as the clock strikes seven. Piper greets her by rolling down her window dramatically, leaning out.

“Wow, Annabeth. Killing it.”

Piper’s smile is easy and genuine, and Annabeth hopes that she isn’t blushing. She hopes that a lot, around Piper. Annabeth heads to the other side of the car and gets in, blushing further when she notices what Piper is wearing. She’s got on a short leather dress and a matching leather jacket, topped with her signature combat boots. Annabeth reaches over to brush a stray hair away from Piper’s face, smiling when her fingertips meet familiar feathers.

“Please tell me you borrowed that dress from someone else. There’s no way I would have missed that hanging in our closet.”

“Yeah, it’s Jason’s.” They both laugh and Piper is speeding away.

They end up at a small restaurant downtown, in a small booth in the corner. Annabeth loves it.

“I made sure to find a place that had all your favorites. Nothing like a break from shitty dorm food, huh? To bad we can’t order wine. Maybe I’ll flirt with the waiter.”

Annabeth glares at her over the top of the menu. “Stop using your good looks to get places.”

“You’re saying I’m pretty? Annabeth, thank you!” She gasps in mock excitement.

“I’m not denying it.”

“Thank you.” This time, the gratitude is softer, more genuine.

They eat to their heart’s content and even though they didn’t drink, Annabeth still feels warm and fuzzy around the edges. Piper leans over and grabs her hand as they discuss dessert choices. They end up picking out a chocolate cake, which they share together, arguing over who got the last bit (Annabeth got it).

All too soon, it’s time to leave, so they pile in Piper’s car again and start going towards campus. They don’t get very far when they’re hit with heavy, unmoving traffic.

“Crap,” Piper says. “What the fuck is this?”

Annabeth’s already on her phone, typing furiously. “Looks like there was a big accident.”

Piper’s hand fly to her mouth. “I hope everyone’s okay!”

“We’re in the left lane, I don’t think we’ll be able to get off anytime soon,” Annabeth says, looking out over the crowded highway.

“Aw man.”

“Why, you wanted to head to that party after all?”

“No, I was thinking maybe we could play monopoly or something. I don’t know.”

“Oh. Well, I’d beat you anyway.”

Piper punches her in the shoulder, and Annabeth laughs.

“Was Jason going to be at the party?”

Piper’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. “No, why?”

“I haven’t seen you two hanging out as much. Are you guys fighting? Are you not together anymore?”

“No, we’re not fighting, but we were never together to begin with.”

“At the beginning of the year, you told me you kind of were.”

“Yeah well, I lied. I did that to make myself look impressive. Jason coming in the dorm was all planned out.” Piper glanced over the cars again. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck here for?”

“I don’t know,” Annabeth says, amused. “But that’s okay, we have a lot to talk about. Let’s get back to the part where you were trying to impress me with a fake boyfriend.”

“Yeah, well, that was before I knew you were a huge dork, so.”

This time, Annabeth hits her. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess being a lesbian can scare girls off, sometimes.”

“What?” Annabeth says weakly. The word lesbian whips through her mind repeatedly. Annabeth’s heart stutters and she thinks that she might just be dreaming.

“What what? Oh my God, Annabeth, did you not know? Are you cool with this? I thought you were cool with this.” Now Piper looks panicked, and Annabeth feels bad. She doesn’t want to cause that look on Piper’s face ever again.

“No, no! Of course I’m cool with this. I just … didn’t know.”

“I thought you were the smart one, Annabeth! I wasn’t exactly hiding it. I’m president of the LGBT club.”

“You’re president?”

“Well, vice president. Freshmen can’t be presidents. Don’t tell Alex I said that.”

Suddenly, the club that had been following Annabeth around made a lot more sense. She had only ended up there because she was looking for Piper, after all. “That was your pamphlet on the desk!”

“Well, yeah, it was my desk! Were you the one that threw it out?”

“Yes! I’m so sorry, I thought it was mine!” The words explode out of Annabeth before she has time to process what she’s saying.

“Yours?” Piper’s voice has gone all quiet. It’s the same soft Piper that Annabeth loves and wants to keep for herself. Piper parks - they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“Mine.” This is it, Annabeth thinks. This is the end.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Did you think I wouldn’t want to be your roommate?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Annabeth shoots back.

“I didn’t hide it, though! But you … You dated Percy, and I thought. I thought that you liked guys.”

“I do! But I also … don’t just like guys.”

Piper just stares ahead at the stationary cars, clearly thinking.

Annabeth takes a deep breath. This is it. “And I didn’t want you to know because you’re, uh, you’re you. You’re the reason I took that pamphlet.”

Piper doesn’t say anything for a while, and Annabeth feels as if she’s being torn apart. Finally, Piper speaks. “Annabeth?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re real pretty, you know that?” And that’s it. No buts.

Annabeth is glad Piper parked, because within a minute Piper’s foot is off the break and her hands are tangled in Annabeth’s hair. This time, the kiss feels more real, less sloppy, but just as desperate. Annabeth’s hands sneak up the back of Piper’s jacket, and they pull away from each other, breathing labored and eyes shining.

Piper leans her forehead on Annabeth’s, and her bangs tickle Annabeth’s skin. “I’ve been waiting all year for this. I love you.”

Annabeth’s face is wet, but she’s not sure if it’s from the kiss or front the tears that may or may not have spilled already. “Me, too. Ever since I met you I wanted to do this. I love you, too, Pipes.”

Piper giggles and kisses her again. One of Piper’s hands finds it’s way under Annabeth’s dress, and she grazes her thumb there. Annabeth gasps around Piper’s mouth and arches her back.

They break apart when a car horn beeps, and they glance around, startled to see that traffic has begun to move again.

This time, Annabeth pushes her bottom lip out, and Piper laughs. “Don’t worry,” she says, pulling the car out of park. “We have all the time in the world.”

———————————–

Annabeth runs through campus, shouting hurried sorrys over her shoulder at the people she bumps into. She has one goal - to get back to her dorm, to Piper. She has to tell Piper.

Piper is lying on Annabeth’s bed when she get’s there, on her phone.

“I got it back!” Annabeth yells, waving a paper around. She heads over to the bed and sits down. “Look!”

Piper’s phone is abandoned instantly. “Let me see, let me see!”

Annabeth hands back the architecture test, watching as Piper frantically flips through it to get to the last page, where a shiny red ‘B’ resides. Piper finds the grade and laughs, throwing the desk to the ground. “I knew you could do it!” Piper finds Annabeth’s lips easily, and leans back, bringing Annabeth down with her. They break the kiss and laugh more. Annabeth lays on top of Piper.

“Get off me!” Piper tries to kick Annabeth, but is unsuccessful. Annabeth continues to pin her down.

“No! Name some constellations for me, first.” Annabeth pointed to the tapestry across the room, behind Piper’s bed. It was covered in stars.

“Why you like it when I do that so much?”

“Because I like hearing you talk. I like hearing you sing, too, but someone is on vocal rest because of this weekend’s concert.”

“You’re coming right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Piper looks up at Annabeth, and it’s the same look of wonder that makes her toes curl in delight. Piper looks at Annabeth like she’s the most beautiful thing in the world, like if she tried hard enough she could get lost in her gray eyes and blond hair and never come back. Annabeth suspects she looks at Piper that way, too.

Annabeth moves off Piper, but continues to hold her. Annabeth presses lazy kisses along Piper’s neck, and Piper wraps a hand in Annabeth’s hair.

Next weekend, Piper is coming home with Annabeth to be introduced to her father, three weeks after that, Tristan McLean is coming up to meet his daughter’s girlfriend.

If Annabeth could live in any moment, she’d choose this one, she thinks, as Piper starts to point at rattle off star names.

But then again, Annabeth says that about every moment with Piper.

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