Don't Judge a Book by It's Content Too Often

Sawyer fell back into her stride, her hands in her pockets. "Who's your girlfriend?" she asked. She didn't really keep up with all the gossip.

The light was falling just right through the canopy of leaves, not too intense, but warm enough to seep into her skin. Flies and bugs buzzed around lazily. Some naiads were playing hide and seek with the tree nymphs. Pegasi soared away over their heads. Normal day at camp.

"Oh, she's one of the Norse kids around here. Her name's Astrid, one of Loki's. We got off on the wrong foot at first, but now we're dating. It's those kinds of weird relationships, but I sort of found that we had a lot in common." Aiden began. Their relationship, began with Aiden's futile attempt to flirt, then a friendship. Then a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship began. Aiden thought it was complicated somehow.

"Do you have a boyfriend? Because if you do, I guess he must be someone who judges a person by their personality, their inside rather than their appearance." he asked.

Sawyer had been called ugly so many times in her life statements like that didn't even bother her anymore.

She shook her head, smiling. "Guess I'm still looking."

Of course she'd be a liar if she said she didn't care. She was seventeen and she hadn't even kissed a guy yet. All around her, people had dates. Lindsey, her best girl, was dating Falko. Livia, at school, had a guy. Even Zane, who was so shy he couldn't say three words without stuttering, had found someone.
Ah, she missed Zane, his black hoodie and his soft voice. Her eyes traveled to the outcrop of rock they would sometimes sit on, watching the lake, away from the others. She missed talking to him, having a laugh, seeing him blush every time she teased him. Sawyer had never been romantically attracted to him, but sometimes, he was like the little brother she never had.

Aiden shrugged. "Meh, you still have a couple more years." he said. "I started dating really late. At 19, you were supposed to have a partner for a few years now. We've only been dating for a few weeks."

"Hope you find someone. Someone good." Aiden muttered, but audible for Sawyer, whilst his lips formed a thin smile.

"A couple more years until what?" she smirked. "Someone turns me into a lobster?"

She didn't know if he had seen the movie, she herself had seen the trailer but it hadn't really appealed to her.

The girl shuffled through the undergrowth until they came out in full sunlight, campers starting to stream towards the Mess Hall. The conch was still ringing. "Ah, I am starving. I'm thinking a big pepperoni pizza or some burritos. You?"

"A couple more years to find a guy." he explained, giggling. "Forgot to clarify that."

Aiden shrugged. "Big pepperoni pizza sounds great. It's been a while since I ate one, trying to have a healthy diet. But today I didn't have breakfast, so heck, why not." Then Aiden saw that they were close to the Mess Hall. Campers streamed up, chattering burst out in four directions.

Ah yes, Aphrodite kids and their diet. With all the working out Sawyer did plus her work in the forge, she could eat as many burgers and fries as she wanted. She wasn't going to lose her bodybuilder frame so easily.

"Bet I'll finish my pizza before you," she grinned as she went to the Hephaestus table. "See ya round, man."