Why Me?

Percy POV

The holiday season was a good time, but I was ready to get back to school. That was a thought I'd never thought I'd have, but I missed seeing my friends every day, specifically (you guessed it) Annabeth.

At first, I tried to fool myself into thinking that my crush was a small thing that came about because I had been vulnerable. Then, I tried to convince myself that it was a simple attraction fueled by a teenage make-out session. But, I realized very quickly that I was not only attracted to her physically but also in every other way. I wanted to be with Wise Girl, and I longed for her. I was waiting until school started again to ask her out.

I was nervous about it, which was weird for me. One of the perks of being a star athlete was that it usually made you confident.

However, I couldn't deny my feelings for Annabeth. I knew I was very close to the "L" word despite not even being together yet.

It was the last day of winter break, and I was walking home from my car with several bags of groceries. We (I) had finished all the food during the break, so mom made me go shopping.

The parking garage was very airy and dark. The concrete didn't stop the cold from creeping in, and the dark only emphasized the isolated vibe. However, I had been in this garage many times even at night, especially after learning to drive, so I was used to it.

Loud footsteps behind me caught my attention. I was about halfway to the apartment building's door that led inside.

"Jackson," a deep voice sneered.

I turned around to a group of men; all of them were wearing black masks and hoodies. Their baseball bats gleamed in the minimal lighting of the garage.

My stance immediately changed to a defensive one. "Who are you guys? What do you want?" I readied myself to run.

The leader of the group only chuckled. "Why do you think we're here, Jackson. We came to teach you a lesson." The tall guy said while cracking his knuckles. There was something familiar about him, but I couldn't see his face and therefore didn't know his identity.

I started to run, but a punch knocked me to the ground. The six of them surrounded me from all sides. I managed to get back on my feet, but the leader brought his fist down upon my temple. The hit was much harder than it should've been because of his brass knuckles. I felt blood seep down the side of my face as stars spread across my visual field.

I fought back or at least tried to, but there were too many of them. Regardless, I managed to drop two of them before their real attack started.

Quivers. Trauma. Pain. Those things were all I felt as steel baseball bats and harsh kicks collided all over my body. I stopped fighting back after a minute. It was too much pain.

I wasn't sure exactly how long the attack went on, and I didn't know who they were either. They stopped after what felt like an eternity. My body was violently shaking in pain as the leader stepped around to my front side. His rough hands gripped my hair to make me face him. Pain exploded through my head as he sneered.

"This should teach you not to mess with me, Jackson," he spat with an evil laugh.

Even after they left, I couldn't get myself to move. To get up.

My first thought was Gabe, but that was impossible. One, Gabe was sent away. Two, none of those guys could physically be Gabe. And three, Gabe didn't have any associates either as he burned every bridge he had.

It wasn't Gabe, but it was someone that I knew or that knew me.

I couldn't get up, but I used all my energy to stretch to get my cell phone. I groaned in pain as my fingers wrapped around my phone.

My body curled into a ball as the phone rang.

"Hello, Percy?"

"Mom. Mom, I- I need help."

***

"Percy, I am not going to let you swim even though you're my best athlete," Coach Hedge said firmly.

"But, Coa-"

"Your mother, step-father, and doctor all individually called me to tell me the same thing. Your injuries have to fully heal before you can enter the pool and compete again."

"Coach, I don't think I'll heal without swimming."

"Percy, I cannot in good conscience let you continue training. Things could get worse if your body doesn't fully heal. Hell, you're still limping and the bruises are still visible for god's sake. I've seen it happen to many students before, and you are too talented to risk your career right now."

"Coach, yes, I'm not good this week. But, the time is too long. I feel like I'm being punished for something I didn't even do."

"Percy, you are not being punished. The only people at fault are those bastards who attacked you. This is for your own health and safety. You cannot train, swim, and compete for six weeks."

I sighed as I left his office.

My walk back to my study hall classroom was aching. I've noticed that by the end of the day, the ibuprofen and Tylenol wore off. It was my first day back after missing three days of school. I hadn't seen most of my friends all day. During lunch, I had to go to the library to finish some of my work. I shared a couple of classes with a few friends, but most of us had different schedules.

As much as I wanted to see Annabeth, I didn't have any classes with her. She was a genius, so most of her schedule was filled with AP classes or musical theatre electives. That was not me.

After what happened, I lost what little confidence I had in regard to asking Annabeth out on a date. Honestly, I didn't want our relationship to start off on a negative note. But, my life right now was pretty messed up, so it seemed best to wait.

The start of the rehearsal was not good. Everyone kept asking questions, especially Annabeth. They were asking questions because they cared, but I didn't want to talk about the attack. Eventually, people moved on as Apollo made everyone review the scenes we had worked on thus far.

"Bro, are you sure you're okay?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but the pain level's been increasing for the past hour or so."

"What did your doctor say about how long it'll take for you to completely recover?"

"Six weeks. Six freaking weeks without swimming."

"Bro, I'm sorry man. That's rough, but it is for your own good."

I sighed. I was so angry that I couldn't swim. I knew why I wasn't allowed to, but I hated it.

Luckily, the rehearsal went on with acting out different scenes. I didn't do any singing today, which was good. I don't think I would've been able to sing well right now.

My last couple of scenes were with Annabeth, thank the gods. Just being around her made me feel better. Besides my mother, Wise Girl was the only one that made me feel that way.

Even though I didn't want to talk about the attack, Annabeth still managed to pull information out of me. She had that power and will over me.

She examined my bruises while making conversation; Her fingers grazed over different areas of my body while the conversation emphasized her caring/strong/intelligent personality. That combination was probably how she was making me talk about something I didn't want to talk about.

Despite Annabeth's comforting presence, I couldn't resist my pain and anger. My ability to swim was gone for 6 weeks, which greatly diminished my chances of performing my best at the regional and state competitions this year.

I couldn't do the thing I loved, which hurt a lot.