"Stupid Girls"

Song: "Stupid Girls" by Pink

Pairing: Annabeth/Thalia (I know it's not popular, but I just sort of ran with the song)

Notes: AU. Again. Ah, well. Thanks for reading!

First day at the new school, Annabeth thought, cradling her books in her arms and slowly climbing the stone walkway. Yes, it's rich and preppy and you're not. But you can do this. 

She'd never been to a private school before, let alone an all-girls' school. She just wasn't cut out for it. Most of the other girls she'd passed were gorgeous, and she was, well, not. Her large glasses took up half of her face and her hair fell everywhere. The uniform had to only be for sizes three or less, as she'd barely fit into it. Annabeth was a classic example of a nerd. So, no, she wasn't cut out for private school.

One girl, standing at the opposite end of the yard, caught Annabeth's curious eye as she kept walking up the very large staircase. If she had to climb this every day, she'd be a size three in a week. The girl in question had long, black hair, and blue eyes that seemed to lighten up the sky. She carried herself with confidence, and even though she was applying makeup (Annabeth's worst nightmare) she still looked beautiful. 

That was one thing every girl had in common. Makeup. Annabeth could see it so clearly on all of their faces, caked on in piles and piles, creating walking dolls. Makeup didn't enhance them; it degraded them to the point where they no longer looked human. If Annabeth had to wear that to fit in, she'd never succeed. 

As her head was in the clouds, thinking about animated dolls, her feet caught on the staircase and she fell forwards, her books flying everywhere and her glasses falling off her nose. She groaned a little as she found her glasses (she was a bat without them) and realized every single person was staring at her and laughing. Well, she was sorry she couldn't carry herself with the grace of a princess. Muttering several curses under her breath, she got up and kept walking to her new class. 

The girl she'd been staring at was looking at her. Even though she was surrounded by people, she wasn't focused on any of them - she was watching Annabeth intently, and winked once when she realized Annabeth was looking right back. Blushing, Annabeth dropped her gaze. Tucking her head down, she picked up the pace and tried to blend into the background. 

It was only then she realized that she didn't actually know where her classroom was. 

***

After class (which she'd found after about half an hour of aimless wandering) she was met by - the very same girl she'd been watching outside. Annabeth's breath hitched a little and she tried to hurry along, figuring the girl was there for one of her own friends. Annabeth didn't want to be in the way. She really wanted to avoid all of the rich, snob types - she had no patience for them. If they had no independence, she didn't want to talk. 

"Hey," the girl said, grabbing Annabeth's shoulder to stop her from leaving. She was giving her the same look Annabeth had seen outside, after she'd tripped, the kind the made her heart race. "I remember you. New girl, right?"

Annabeth swallowed a little. She hadn't realized the lump in her throat existed until then. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's me." Visibly cringing, she wondered why on earth she'd been given the awkward gene. 

"My name's Thalia," the girl said, extending a hand. Her grip was tight, and her shake strong. "We should hang out some time."

"I'm Annabeth," Annabeth found herself saying, marveling at how the words were actually forming. Thalia was just so pretty...she'd never spoken to a pretty girl before. It was a miracle. "And why? You barely know me." Ah. Nevermind the whole non-awkward thing. It was only ever a couple sentences before she said something she didn't mean to say. 

Thalia just laughed, though, and took it in stride, which was rather impressive. "I know you well enough to know you're different," she commented, turning to walk down the hallway. Annabeth made a split second decision and ran a little to catch up and walk beside her. "You got up."

Annabeth blinked. She thought a little before figuring that it wasn't rich girl lingo, and said, "I did. I got up and out of bed this morning." 

Thalia laughed again. Her laugh was perfect, just like the rest of her. Wait. No. Annabeth totally did not just think that. "I mean," Thalia said, "When you fell, you got back up."

"Was I supposed to lie there all day?" Annabeth asked incredulously. 

"Most people would cry, or run, or do something drastic with all that attention. Especially the girls here," she explained. "You, though. You just got up and walked on, acting like nothing was wrong. I liked that."

"Like I said," Annabeth said, shrugging, "I couldn't lie there all day. I had to do something. It wasn't that much attention."

"The girls here are so shallow, though," Thalia sighed, coming to a stop in front of one of the classrooms. They looked at each other, and Thalia was giving her that look, the piercing look, the look Annabeth liked. She didn't want it to stop. "The slightest thing will set them off."

"I know," Annabeth agreed. "Where's the independence? The amibtion? The strive? The desire?"

Thalia scoffed and shrugged, blinking, ending the look. "I think you've got it."

There was silence while Annabeth realized her palms were sweating and she desperately tried to make them stop. 

Finally, Thalia said, "This is my class."

Annabeth looked down at her timetable, and broke out into a smile. "This is my class, too. I think. I really hope."

Thalia smiled as well and looped an arm over Annabeth's shoulder, making little butterflies explode in Annabeth's chest. As they walked inside, Thalia gave her that look and this time, Annabeth hoped it could become something more.