Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. I was on vacation and then I hurt my ankle and had to get x-rays and stuff in the hospital. Anyways I'm really happy with this latest chapter and it was really fun to get back to writing again so here it is!

As soon as I got home I sprang through the door and right up the stairs, ignoring the "How did tryouts go?" from my dad and then the "Get back here, young lady!" from Hannah.

I slammed the door of my bedroom behind me so hard it made some of my pictures of celebs from my magazines flap a little from the walls.

I climbed into my bed and tears started falling. I had talked to Coach Jen before she left and she said there were no spots available. Plus she said she was just reminded by some 'anonymous person' that once tryouts are over, no one could make them up. No exceptions. Not even if you were as talented as Annabeth Chase.

I certainly wonder who that 'mysterious person' was who reminded her of that stupid rule, I thought.

Is that what friendship is all about? Getting stabbed in the back by the people you care about the most? I thought I could trust them.

I turned over on my belly and scrolled through my phone, to see if I got any apology texts from the girls. Or maybe one saying that the entire thing was a joke and that I'd been given the role of captain.

But, there was nothing.

Wait, what?

I had to do a double take. I frantically searched through all my contacts on my iMessage app, but it was true. I, Annabeth Chase, had no new texts. No one wanted to talk to me.

Does everyone know about the cheerleading mistake? I thought, Does everyone think I'm such an idiot that they won't talk to me anymore? Does not being a cheerleader kick me out of my crew? Will they ever treat me the same again?

All my thoughts kept swirling up around me. Churning and twisting into a tornado in my head. I couldn't get anything straight. Why would they do this to me?

Buzz, buzz, I jerked up from my bed. The noise was coming from my vibrating phone. To me it was the happiest sound in the world. It meant everything was going to be okay. Someone still wanted to talk to me!

But my face fell as I reached over to see who it was.

Percy: Hey so do ya wanna come up with some times we could meet up to work on the project for Hedge? I just looked at the rubric and it seems pretty intense.

I had forgotten that I had given Percy my number. Was he going out of his way to try and make me upset? Or was it just that he hadn't heard about the news yet? Maybe I could find out…

Me: Whatever. Anyways have u heard any, idk, weird gossip going around about me?

My phone buzzed again soon after I sent the last text.

Percy: Do u mean the cheerleading thing?

My jaw dropped. It felt like icy hands were closing in on my stomach. If someone as out of the social standings as Percy was knew about the tryout disaster, then the whole school must know!

Me: HOW DID U FIND OUT!

Percy: It's all over Facebook and Twitter. I'm sorry- some people can be real jerks.

Was Percy Jackson trying to console me? Was I really as low as going to a nerd for help in this sticky situation? I promptly shut off my phone and slid into my desk chair. I opened my laptop, minimizing the essay I started writing for English, and logged into Facebook. My hand flew to my mouth in shock. My wall was full of nasty comments. Things like She's been bragging all this time about being captain and she's not even a watergirl. And LOL it's karma everyone!

Tears sprung to my eyes again. Why was this happening? I had never done anything to make any of these people mad at me. Right? Why would Rachel even want to hurt me like that?

But then an idea took shape in my head. I knew exactly how I could show the school that was still the same awesome Annabeth Chase I always was. And it involved some scissors, feathers, and a hot glue gun.

I decided to power down my laptop as I got out my supplies. When I showed up to school wearing my cute white colored outfit for the code tomorrow.

~Textbook 13~

I figured that the girls wouldn't need a ride from me the next morning, and if they did they weren't getting one.

I scanned over my outfit one more time in the mirror. I had on a cute white sequin crop top that I wrote the word 'ANGEL' on using fabric markers and stencils. Then I pulled on a pair of white jeggings and silvery flats, but that wasn't all. I had stayed up until midnight working on the rest of my costume and it looked good.

I had looked up online on how to make angel wings by nesting crescent moon-shaped paper plates on top of each other and then hot gluing feathers onto them. They looked really cool. I also had made a halo out of a headband attached with some bendable wire I found in my dad's garage. I covered the wire with some ribbon with fringe.

To complete the look I put on some sparkly silver eye shadow and I applied my eyeliner with a wing on the end.

I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a cute idea that actually looked good. I knew everyone was going to be fawning over my outfit and begging for forgiveness in no time.

As my car pulled into the lot I was creating my walking-in montage in my head.

First, I'd step into the lobby and smile as all the students who were waiting for me to arrive pulled out a red carpet for me to walk on. Everyone would clap and ask where I got the amazing idea for my outfit. Then Rachel and Luke would come out from the crowd, looking disgusting in their clothes and Rachel had done her makeup all wrong. They'd get down on their knees, begging for forgiveness and say-

"I don't know if you should go in like that."

"Huh?" I jerked my head up to see Piper McLean, or Choppy Hair, as some people call her behind her back.

She sighed, "What I mean is," Piper continued, "No one's wearing white anymore. It was all a big trick to make you look bad."

I looked behind her to see an entire carload of the nerds. Percy was there with an apologetic look on his face. Why was he sorry for me?

"No offence, but I'm pretty sure people just told you that to get you off the right path." I shrugged, "My friends don't want just, um, anyone to know about the code."

Piper raised her eyebrows in astonishment, "I don't know-"

"Well I do know." I said, "I came up with the whole white idea myself. If anyone would know a change it would be me because I would be the one making it. Plus, it looks like none of you got the real memo because you're all wearing different colors."

It was true. While Piper sported a pink and purple flannel shirt, Jason was decked out in a Yankees jersey, meanwhile Thalia was dressed in leather and studs as always, and Leo had on a Just Do It t-shirt with a Nike check.

"Maybe some of us don't care about being in on the code." Piper snapped back, "And I'm trying to help you here and you've been nothing but rude to me so fine- go on in if you don't believe me, but don't blame me for not warning you."

I was shocked as Piper stomped back to her friends. She said she was trying to help me? If anything I should be helping her. None of them know the real code. They should be asking for help from me!

Whatever, I thought, who cares what they think? They're the one's who have no social life.

With that I promptly opened my car door and started towards the school.

I started walking to the front of the school, walking through the middle of lines of cars. In addition to my backpack I had a Starbuck's latte in my hand that I was waiting to cool.

"Oh my god, look at Annabeth." I heard someone say to my right as I passed. I smiled and swaggered a bit as I walked. She must have loved my outfit.

"I can't believe she's wearing that." Came another voice to my left. I know, I look good, I thought as I smiled and held my head high.

"Do you think she knows?" Someone said. Knows what? I thought. That my outfit looks amazing? I flashed a grin at the girl who said that and she immediately burst out laughing.

What's going on? I thought as I continued on my way.

Just then a bus pulled up in front of me and kids started pouring out. My jaw dropped when I saw them. They were all wearing black. Black t-shirts, black jeans, black baseball hats. One guy was even wearing a crow outfit.

As I mixed in with the crowd I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. My clothing made me really stand out from everyone else and I felt like everyone was staring at me. And it was hard to move around with giant wings on my back.

"Hey, watch it!" I told a boy who was zipping by in front of me on a skateboard. He almost caused me to drop my latte.

"Do you mind?" I scolded a girl who bumped into me from in front.

It was weird, normally people would run to the sides of the halls to make room for me. Even wearing such an outstanding outfit, I was invisible.

RIP! The sound made my heart sink. Someone had knocked off my costume wing.

SPLASH! The wing fell into a pile of dirt next to me and got me soaked in mud. I looked at the ground in shock, my right wing was completely detached from my costume and I could feel the wet sludge covering my pants and shirt. I frantically tried to wipe it off.

"Ohmygosh Annabeth!" I heard a fake voice behind me, "I'm so sorry."

I turned around slowly to find myself face-to-face with Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She looked smug as always in a tight ninja outfit. Drew and Hazel stood on either side of her wearing similar costumes.

"You don't really seem sorry." I snapped, "Why is everyone wearing black?"

Rachel laughed, "Oh, we all decided we'd switch the code. I don't know how you didn't find out. It was all over Facebook. Unless…" She smirked, "Unless you logged out because of some mean messages on your wall."

My eyes widened, "That was you? Why? I've always been so nice to you. I thought we were friends."

Rachel looked at Drew like can you believe her? and then turned back to me, "Sorry, but that's over. Now that I'm cheerleading captain- I'm in charge. Hate to say it, Annabeth, but you're officially out of the group."

"Are you kidding me?" I retorted, my voice growing louder and louder as I continued, "I made this group! I'm in charge! I'm supposed to be cheerleading captain!"

Rachel's expression told me in an instant that getting me all worked up was exactly what she wanted.

All around me kids were looking at me and snickering and gossiping. I knew that I had made a big mistake. I heard bits of conversations like spoiled brat and the little baby's having a tantrum. Tears welled up in my eyes again and I took off in the direction of the lobby.

As I rushed into the school I could still hear the kids laughing from the outside and I hated myself for starting to cry as I charged into the bathroom.

The first stall door shut behind me and I leaned against the wall, shaking and shivering as I sobbed. What did I do to deserve such cruelty? My entire life was falling apart where I stood on the tile bathroom floor.

"Annabeth?" I heard a voice outside my stall, "It's me, Piper."

"Go away!" I sniffled.

"Sorry, but I'm staying." I saw Piper's beat-up Converse from under the door pace around the bathroom.

"If you've come here to gloat about being right I don't want to hear it." I grumbled.

I could practically hear Piper rolling her eyes, "I'm just here because I thought you'd want someone to talk to. And I got Thalia to guard the door so no one else is coming in."

I raised my eyebrow, "Why? I was so mean to you back there. Wouldn't you be happy to see me so upset?" I said bitterly.

"Some people are just nice." Piper replied, "And I don't blame you, you went through a lot last night."

"You know about that too?" I said miserably.

"The entire school knows." Piper stated, "But that means that you shouldn't give them another reason to make fun of you."

"What do you mean?" I slumped further on the wall.

"I mean that you need to get your angel-winged butt out of that stall and clean yourself up!" Piper laughed. "I have an extra pair of gym clothes if you want. You probably want to change out of your muddy ones."

I delicately slid open the lock and stepped out of my stall/hiding place. Piper was leaning against the row of sinks. In her hand she held one of the girls' Goode High gym uniforms. I had never been so happy to see one in my life.

"You're a lifesaver." I told her as she handed me the uniform.

"No prob." She replied, "Happy to help."

I changed quickly in the stall into the gym clothes. When I emerged, Piper handed me a tissue and I dried my eyes. Turning to the mirror I saw a girl I didn't know stare back at me. She had mascara and eyeliner pooling in circles under her eyes. Her blonde curls stuck up at odd angles from running to the bathroom. She was wearing a lumpy t-shirt and basketball shorts. She was a mess.

I sniffled, "I don't even recognize myself."

Piper stood next to me. "Just clean up, okay? The whole raccoon look is so last season." She joked. She turned to walk out of the bathroom.

"Thank you." I said. I meant it too. I'd never been shown so much kindness and especially to someone I'd been a jerk to.

Piper shrugged, "All in a day's work. Oh, and Percy said that if you needed a place to eat at lunch today, our table is open." And with that she pulled open the door and walked into the sea of kids heading to class.

Please review! I really would love to hear what you think of the story. So ya… glad I could share my writing with you and I'll start on the next chapter.

-NotUrAverageMusician