Just Go With It

Annabeth was NOT about to sit here and rot in all of the pity these strangers had for her. She survived with an absentee father, she survived high school alienation, and she’d gotten into a top school without anyone’s pity and she certainly didn’t need it now. The bell clanged once more as she steeled herself to leave with dignity, digging her wallet out of her coat pocket and preparing to leave cash on the table for the coffee she hadn’t touched. She went to slam the change on the linoleum tabletop and remove herself from this suffocating booth when all of a sudden-“Sorry I’m so late babe, you know how New York traffic is.” A shockingly handsome man with a calm but loud voice interrupted her walk out, and as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek he whispered, “I’m Percy. Just go with it, yeah? Whoever didn’t bother to show up is a dick.” The nosy diner-goers shrink back, their pity receding with them.