• Chapter 18 •

                                    

                                          
A few weeks had passed since the agonizing incident.
                          
But as soon as he dared to think he could finally live carefree again, it jinxed him.
                          
A Goode High School student was coming soon. Too soon.
                          
And there was a huge chance it would be Percy Jackson.
                          
*   *   *
                          
As the first breaks of sunlight dawned in, Nico was already awake. It never happened. As rarely as he slept, when he actually did, he slept like the dead. He would lay immobile for the whole night, his shallow breaths barely audible.
                          
Last night, Nico wasn't so lucky. He twisted and turned, groaned and sighed, but nothing would help. Not even WikiHow's answers. And WikiHow was only used in drastic measures and desperate situations.
                          
Nico groaned. It was Saturday morning. As sunny as it looked outside, it was freezing. He could almost feel the chilly breezes announcing the icy embrace of winter. Glancing outside his window, shivers were sent down his spine. 
                          
The wind roared despite the serene looking view. Well, serene from Nico's point of view.
                          
Nobody was outside. Birds chirped from their nests up in the trees, sheltered from the gale. Cicadas were growing dimly silent, quieted by the roars of the strong air currents. No vehicle was in earshot, which Nico was grateful about. Nothing was worse than the sounds of cars screeching past, ignoring the safety of any other pedestrian outside. The road was faintly illuminated by the first rays of sunlight, but it was still dark enough for shadows to be unnoticeable.
                          
Nico sat upright in his bed, wondering what he could do. If something like this had happened five weeks ago, his first thought would have probably been to text Percy despite being sure he wouldn't reply until a few good hours later. Nico mentally scolded himself for that.
                          
He shouldn't be thinking about Percy. Not when things are going so well. Nico had befriended Reyna. Thalia had finally spotted Nico, and it was time. Will had finally got the guts to ask Connor out, which he happily agreed to. He was getting decent grades, even though it was slightly harder than Goode.
                          
But Nico couldn't possibly pass a day without his mind unconsciously drifting off to Percy Jackson's subject. It was making involuntary connections with him, or fantasizing more contact. Nico didn't enjoy elaborating.
                          
Worst of all- the school board hadn't even announced the exchange student's name yet. Nico's lack of patience killed him. The only things he was informed about was that it was a Goode High School student, a male, and a year older than him.
                          
All the teachers were well informed, but they didn't tell a single student. "It's a surprise!" his music teacher had replied in a sing-song voice when he asked him, a little too cheerfully.
                          
Nico had even tried to get something out of his Italian teacher, who absolutely adored him. After all, Nico got the best grades, being half Italian. She didn't know that though, of course. But the only thing she had told him was that he had ADHD.
                          
What was Nico supposed to do with that  information?
                          
Wanting to get his mind occupied on other subjects, Nico leaped out of his warm bed, unrolling himself from his blankets of constant warmth. Sliding on a black hoodie and, you guessed it, black ripped jeans, Nico skidded down the stairs.
                          
Unplugging his phone from the living room charger, Nico turned on the lights and hauled himself onto the comfortable, large couch. Barely looking up from his screen to admire once more his exceptionally vast living space, Nico settled himself in a comfortable position that would ruin his posture for sure.