A/N: Hey, it's Akela (Duh.) Here's just a random story I thought of.

I always felt it. Since I was a child. The looming feeling of distrust.
One of the he first times someone else noticed was when I was seven years old. I was at a summer camp, with my school. They were making us do a stupid activity called 'the trust test'. Basically what you did was stand with your back to someone, and then fall back, trusting that person to catch you. Fun, huh?
I was paired with one of my classmates. Pretty blond girl named Jenny. I took a deep breath and fell backwards...
Time slowed down. Halfway downwards, I realised what I was doing. Did I really trust Jenny to catch me?
I jerked upwards, took a step back. My heart was beating wildly, my eyes darted around in panic.
"No! I can't!"
A teacher came over.
"What's wrong Tara?"
I frantically tried to explain. "I can't do this. I just can't. It's just, I'm too..."
Too what? Scared? Frightened?
They didn't understand, not that I expected them to. After trying and failing to get me to do the trust test, they let me sit aside for that activity.
They said it quietly, but I still heard.
"That girl has some major trust issues."

As I grew older, I grew more and more introverted. I had my fixed rules.
Don't talk, don't look up, just stay by yourself. And don't trust anyone.
My father and step mother tried to help me. To get me to talk. I could have told them to just save their breath.
I didn't know why. I just knew that I was on my own. All alone.

When I was thirteen years old, a strange boy found me. He was really pale, with black hair and brown eyes. He carried a black sword, and called himself Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. He said I was a demigod too, like him. Like others. He said that he could take me to a place called Camp Half-Blood.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.
His reply surprised me, to say the least.
"I should hope you won't." He said, smiling a creepy, weird smile. "Not many people do."
I went with him to this camp. It was okay, I guess. I was claimed as a child of Nemesis, goddess of revenge. I had three sisters and two brothers, but I didn't speak to them, or they to me.
I refused to make friends with any of the other campers. But Nico and I grew closer. He interested me, and he pushed people away too, just like me. He became my best friend. We were always together, watching the sunset, playing on the beach, you name it. And I opened up, but only to him.
And slowly my feelings for him grew. I no longer thought of him as a friend. I wanted something more from him.

"What are you drawing?"
I looked up to see one of my half-sisters. Samantha, her name was.
"What are you drawing, Tara?"
"Nothing." I said defensively, closing my doodling book.
She smiled, then pulled the book away.
"Hey, give it back!"
"Come one, sis. Let me see." she leafed through the book, stopping on my last drawing.
It was of Nico, of course.
"I knew it." Samantha sighed. She sat down next to me.
"Listen, Tara. You like Nico, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, he's my friend."
"Not that way." She waved her hand impatiently. "You have a crush on him, don't you?"
I bit my lip. "Well, kind of."
She sighed again. "Tara, I'm really sorry. But Nico won't like you back. He's in love with Percy Jackson. Nico is gay. "
I drew in my breath sharply. "You're lying."
"Ask him." She said. "I don't mean to hurt you. But maybe you should move on."

"Do you like Percy?" I asked Nico bluntly.
"Yes." He said. "But he doesn't like me back." Nico sounded bitter, but at that moment, I couldn't care less.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He didn't reply.
"Was it because you didn't trust me?"
Still no reply.
"Okay, I get it." I muttered. "I don't trust you either."
That shook him.
"Tara..."
I turned and ran, ignoring Nico's shouts behind me.

I avoided him for days. Weeks. Nearly a month. I couldn't face him. Not now.
I felt so stupid. I had broken my rules, spoken up, gotten close to someone. And all I got was pain and sadness.
"Tara!"
It was Nico.
"What do you want?"
"I'm sorry."
"Save it."
"No really, I should have told you. I do trust you. You're one of the few people I actually trust."
I sighed. "Okay. "
"Did you mean it? That you don't trust me."
"I don't trust anyone. It's been a problem for me since I was seven."
Nico laughed. "We need to try something then. Have you done the trust test? Where you fall back and let someone catch you."
"I did once. And failed."
"Turn around then."
I turned and took a step forwards. I calmed my racing heart, steadied my breathing. Then I tipped backwards.
Again, time slowed down. I had the same thoughts. Did I trust Nico enough?
Yes, I told myself. I trust Nico with my life.
I fell into Nico's waiting arms, laughing. He pulled me up gently, hugging me.
"See, you trust me." He murmured.
"I always did." I answered.
And it didn't matter anymore, that Nico wouldn't ever love me back. Because he was the best friend ever, and I was happy that way.
And maybe I could learn to trust people after all.

A/N: I got this idea while I was doing the trust fall thing with my friends. I freaked out and jerked away. Kind of weird, but at least it gave me this idea.

Review! Encouragement is awesome and flames will be used to light my barbecue bonfire. ;)