A/N- I KNOW what happens to Rachel in the Last Olympian which is probably what held me back from updating this. So for now, can we just forget the fact that she's the oracle? Please and thank you! I know this chapter is short, but it's effective.

I must admit though, I'm kind of in a rut here… Don't really know where to take this story after this chapter. Suggestions are very much appreciated!

-Rainy

It had been a year since Allele was shot. One bullet to the head… It had taken place at her own high school while she was taking an extra credit swimming course. A student, supposedly under the influence, broke into the pool section of the gymnasium and shot everyone who was in the water. Three students, dead, gone, and one of them were Allele. Allele Marya Jackson, the one who was almost guaranteed early admit to a special university where she would study marine biology, the one whose goal was to become valedictorian of her class… Annabeth had been torn apart since that day. There were days when she would call me up on the phone sobbing for no reason. On these days I would drive over to her house, make her some tea or something, and we'd watch Allele's favorite movie- Free Willy. I had seen Free Willy a little over twenty times that year.

Percy was equally as devastated, but they needed an income, so he continued working. When Allele died, Percy had changed. His sea green eyes weren't as bright as they used to be. He didn't smile like the way he used to smile. His expression was more solemn and serious now, as if he looked at the world in a different light. As if there was no one in this world that would make him think there was hope. Does that even make sense?

Darien had become a lost case, and to be honest with you, he always had been. He spent most of his time alone, or away from his family. As secluded as he was, he was still sticking to his guitar. I hadn't heard him play too much, but when I did, it was quite sensational.

As for me, nothing changed. I was still working diligently at the set shop, which gave me opportunities to view plays and musicals that went on there, but from the wings. I was never fully apart of the viewing experience, but if something fell off a set piece; I was always ready to help fix it. I couldn't help but relate these situations to my actual life.

One spring day, I got a call from Annabeth.

"Hey Rachel! Can you watch Darien for a while? I've got a few job interviews downtown today, and Dare needs someone to drive him to his basketball thing." Like I did every time, I agreed to help her out. The fact she was getting job interviews was a good thing. When Allele died, she quit her job as an architect to stay home.

I had never heard Annabeth refer to Darien as "Dare" before.

Once I got to the beautiful house, I stepped right in, not bothering to knock. I knew Annabeth had already gone, and that Darien was probably up in his room.

"Darien! You up there?" I called. "Darien?" I repeated, not getting an answer. I walked upstairs to his room. His door, plastered with a handmade memorabilia of Michael Jackson, was shut. I knocked a few times until the door opened.

I was faced with a sad-faced boy, who was obviously a bit enraged.

"Mom, I told you to… Oh… Rachel?" Darien's mood seemed to go from mad to almost relieved. I pushed a strand of curly red hair from my face. This poor boy obviously needed help.

"Darien…" I said. "Can I talk to you?"

"I feel like… Like I'm invisible sometimes." Darien opened up to me. I was shocked that, for once, he was talking to me like a real person. "You know what last week was?"

I shook my head. "No, what?"

"It was my birthday. My fourteenth birthday and my parents forgot. Yet they celebrated Allele's birthday when she's fucking dead." He suppressed, anger filled his expression on the words "Allele's Birthday"

We were sitting at the kitchen table. Darien was in basketball shorts and a t-shirt, but it didn't fit his persona. The long haired boy looked as if he should be playing a gig somewhere, not playing basketball. "Darien, your parents, they have a lot going on right now. You can't blame them." He shook his head.

"If I had a dime for every time they told me that." He mumbled. "I bet they signed me up for basketball just to get me out of their hair for a while, until they can send me back to that stupid camp."

I could only nod at his assumption. What he said next took me by surprise.

"It's like… I dunno, it feels like we're so freakin' dysfunctional. My mom's been depressed, my dad refuses to even talk to me, and admit it, you want an affair with my dad." He stared at me, with the same enraged expression he had when he talked about Allele. I tensed, standing up.

"Darien, you have no right to make a comment like that." My voice quavered as I tried to yell at the boy, but I couldn't bring myself to. He stood up as well.

"Oh, don't you dare lie! I see the way you look at him, and the way you act around my mom! I've seen it ever since you've been coming over! It's just like those stupid LifeTime movies my mom watches, just watch."

"Darien…" I didn't yell at this boy, I couldn't. What he did next was just as spontaneous as he had been all day. He sat back down and rested his head on the table. Next thing I heard were soft sobs. "Oh…"

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around the broken body.

"I… I just want everything to make sense…" He sobbed.

It was here that I realized me and this kid had more in common than I thought. We were both lonely, we were both lost. Both of us were trying to make sense of this crazy life to our best ability We lived life, on the outside looking in.

On the outside… Looking in.

I'm telling you to your face
I'm standing here behind your back

You don't know how it feels
To be outside the crowd
You don't know what it's like
To be left out
And you don't know how it feels
To be your own best friend on the outside looking in