Toxic Pair

ANNABETH'S POV

It is 10AM on a Saturday morning and despite the fact that I woke up six hours ago, I haven't left the comfort of my bed since. Well that is if you didn't add me getting up to splash water on my face, trying to get rid of any evidence of the sour dream I had. I don't believe in nightmares.

And yet you've been having them every night. My inner voice countered.

if you don't acknowledge them it isn't real. That's what I've been telling myself for the past few weeks.

I flipped unto the next page of the book I was reading, shutting my inner voice out. I fully intend to spend my whole day like this, especially since I'm avoiding the fact that on Monday i will be going to school but it wasn't the school i was attending. My dad is making me transfer schools, well I'm making my dad make me transfer schools. It's complicated.

The point is... it's my last year of high school and I'm doing it in a complete foreign place. Not that I have anyone from before to miss anyway.

The sound of my door being pushed wider made me look up from my book and shut it.

My Dad folded his hands over his chest and stared at me with disapproval for ten solid seconds and then he said the words I disliked the most. "Annabeth Nadine Smith"

Instant cringe.

"Eww Dad, eww."

"Those are very beautiful names Nadine, they..."

"It's Anna." I said cutting him off.

He looked at me pointedly, "Annabeth N..."

"Dad!" I cut him sentence off again.

"Young woman if you don't let me speak!" I made a hand gesture of zipping my lips, he inhaled and continued, "Those are very beautiful names Nadine they were given to you by your parents, very wise parents I might add. I snickered. You shouldn't feel embarrassed by them; you should embrace it."

I gave him a look that said 'beautiful indeed', and muttered "It's Anna." I'm sure he heard me but he decided to drop it and focus on why he walked into my room in the first place.

"Have you filled in the application for colleges?" he asked. I shifted on my feet.

"Well..." I drawled.

"For Christ's sake you were supposed to be through with this, we talked about this Nadine." Again with that name.

"I'm working on..." He cut me off and with every bit of sarcasm and said "Sure you are."

He turned his back to make his way out of the room but not before adding in a flat and firm voice "get it done."

Did I bring out my laptop to start filling the applications? Absolutely not. I crawled into the corner of my bed and picked up the book I was reading, into my safe heaven.

▪▪▪

Monday morning, I still hadn't filled those applications, my dad was nowhere to be seen, probably halfway across the country, and I was late for my first day on a Monday. How splendid.

I got to school after the first period was over and the second was about to begin, and as It was my first time, it didn't matter much to anyone. Luckily they didn't make me give any introductions and I sat at back of the class.

I'm not anti-social, nor do I have any social anxiety, neither am I an introvert, ok maybe I'm a little bit introverted. The point is, I'm a very social person and I could possible make tons of friends instantly but I'm way too tired to have any conversations, emotionally and mentally drained. So I decided the moment I stepped my foot into the school building that this would be like appearing and disappearing, that I'd hang on for the few months remaining for this year to be over, until I can leave, go to college, start over. The last thing I'm interested in is forming any bonds, especially when all I wanted to do was run away.

It's a new school, a foreign place and I'm not going to lie and say I don't currently feel like I am wearing orange in a place where everyone is wearing white, that I don't feel extremely uncomfortable. That was why I walked around trying to find the one person I shouldn't be looking for.

Samantha.

Samantha and I attended the same school but then she left after junior high for reasons best known to her. We hadn't really been best of friends, ever. It was the opposite and I remember us having to call it a truce later at some point cause her best friend had been dating mine, my former best friend, the boy who I had a crush on.

All that is now old story though. Samantha and I became friends after the whole drama, considering the fact that my former best friend and hers also broke up. 'Former' because his relationship had torn us apart, caused a whole drama that I couldn't do it anymore so I left him.

I approached Samantha and her croons in the dining hall. Of course she would have formed a squad. I'm well aware of the toxic person she was, she still is.

"Samantha." She looked up at me, her face widening as she smiled, a smile so fake that it made all my nervousness slip away. My face contorted with disgust "please no, stop, stop it."

She broke into a grin and laughed, true laughter this time as she snorted "I just wanted show how happy I am to see you."

Laughing, I replied "there's no need to over sell it." Her friends around the table looked at us weirdly, I knew what they were thinking, but this was what Samantha and I were, a toxic pair and it made the friendship easier knowing it wasn't that deep, that there's really not much emotional bond between us she gets what she wants, to feel important, wanted, idolized, and I could be left alone. I knew with Samantha beside me, I'd have no other friend. Not while she drags everyone's attention to herself.

I'd be invincible beside her, and that was exactly what I wanted.