"Please!"

Nico quickened his pace, but Lou still trailed persistently after him.

"No, Lou." He gritted out.

"But you had fun! I saw it!" She huffed after him, matching his long strides, "Maybe this year will be different. Obviously, they don't hate you even though you are all broody and emo-"

"Is this you trying to make a case for yourself? 'Cause it's really not working."

Lou sighed dramatically, "You are such a bore! Why do I even try with you?"

"I was thinking the same thing." He grumbled, now irritated, "Maybe you should just give up."

Sensing Nico's irritation, Miranda grabbed Lou's arm, "Maybe we should talk about this later."

Lou ignored her and continued pestering Nico, "Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. My mission in life is to make sure you have fun! Please!"

Nico gritted his teeth, "Lou, you know I'm not good around people, so what on earth makes you think I'd want to go to a party?"

"It isn't just any party! It's Percy's party!" Nico's body turned rigid and he stopped walking. Lou turned to face him, insisting, "Besides, it isn't until tomorrow. All I'm asking is that you at least think about it before you get all mopey. All of our friends are going to be there!"

"I don't have any friends." Nico sneered. Ever since the match, she'd been pestering him to go to Percy's party. They had spent all day together, Lou dragging Nico from one place to the next as if the scenery had changed since last summer. After enduring an entire day of Lou dropping not-so-subtle hints regarding his more-than-platonic feelings for one Percy Jackson, Nico's head throbbed and his heart hurt. She didn't seem to understand how heartbreaking false hope was. Now, the sun was beginning to set and he just wanted to go to his cabin and die. Why couldn't people just take the hint?

He turned to walk away before Lou spun him around and slammed him into the wall of a nearby cabin. He tried to catch Miranda's eyes which were wide while her mouth was covered by her hands, but the girl wasn't staring at him. Shock was written all over his face as he stared down at Lou. Her pixie face was contorted in a deadly rage he'd never seen before.

He went to move away from her, "Lou, what the hell do you think-"

"Don't bitch about not having friends because we both know that's bullshit." She slammed him into the wall again and held him fast with her forearm at his throat and her eyes cold, "You are surrounded by people who care about you, but you push them away! You isolate yourself. I've been really patient and waited for you to open up, but I'm done listening to you whine about something that you do to yourself. So, I'm going to Percy's party because they're my friends and I want to be with them. If you get your head out of your ass, you should come too. I'm sure they'd be very happy to see you."

With that, Lou detached herself from Nico and grabbed Miranda's hand. The astonished girl gave one final worried glance at Nico before being dragged off in the direction of her cabin.

Nico slid down the wall and stared at the retreating form of his best friend. Mira had her head bent low and was whispering into Lou's ear. He could see the smaller girl slump and allow Mira to lead her the rest of the way to the cabin. Nico absent-mindedly touched his throat where her forearm had held him in place.

Nico kept replaying the last few minutes, trying to process her words.

"Wow," He said to himself, "I'm an ass."