This Is Not A Drive By [Shaaaaaaaaaan <3]

ℐ wasn't really interested in the music.
Some kids from the Apollo Cabin were nearly finished with their little show, singing songs from 2012, each worse than the last. Right now they were singing Call Me Maybe, by Carly Rae Jepson.
Not the song on top of my list of ones to hear, and that was saying something.
It wasn't like they were bad at singing. They were amazing, incredible, all them words. It was just the actual songs. Couldn't they sing something that, by definition, was old? Backstreet Boys, Boyz 2 Men, them sort of people?
'I'm not even an oldies person,' I sighed, knowing that it was the truth.
I wasn't someone who listened to old songs all the time. I just preferred them sometimes to the terrible songs that had taken hold of the world and would not let go.
Looking around, I realized that there wasn't a lot of people here. A few were sitting a good way away, a couple sat behind me, and some more people were scattered around randomly.
I wasn't the only one alone, but that wasn't exactly a comforting thought.
I hadn't dressed up today. Instead I had worn some faded skinny jeans, which had some holes in random places. I wasn't sure anymore had they been apart of the design or not. My top was a baggy shirt that was splattered with paint from one of my more recent art projects, and my black converse had some white gloops on their side. I wasn't even wearing much jewelry, just my charm bracelet and some superman symbol earrings.
Finally, they stopped singing. The song was over...
Only to be replaced with another one that was a tiny bit better. Drive By, by Train, hadn't been one of my favorite songs this year, but it had a catchy tune, and at least it wasn't Call Me Maybe.
Fighting a smile, I remembered the little talk me and Anya had this morning. Her mare was beautiful, the only problem was that Anya wouldn't let me near her when she was around her. What Anya didn't know was that me and Mocha had had some fun little bonding sessions over Christmas, mostly because Anya hadn't been coming over to the stables and I had been.
Then I sighed, leaning down to a small bag tucked under my seat. Inside, I rooted for a few moments before taking out a small pad and pencil.
Then absently, I started to draw, a picture of a car, or was it a horse?
It kinda resembled both.

ℐ scribbled over the horse car and started sketching something that from what I could tell was a cat. Or maybe it was a dog.
The ears were kind of too big for a cats, so I rubbed them out quickly, then started to draw in little pointed ones, little ears with a black design on their tips.
When the mini little cat was done, I started on something I could produce in a bigger version. Just a simple C.N, but with the graffiti design, making it small on page but perfect so that when I went to a wall, it would be massive.
For a moment, I thought I heard something. A hi? But even as my ears registered it, there was no more sound, and I ignored it, sure that it was probably just the wind making some strange noises.
That or the couple making out in the back had decided to start talking instead of necking.
“Hello. I’m Chase”
This time I heard it.
Putting the pencil down carefully on my lap, I looked up, expecting to see someone talking to the girl just down the way. Instead it was a boy, with a shirt and jeans on, hi tops...
He was pretty good looking. I could give him that much.
'Hi! I'm Cole. I'm sorry, were you trying to say hi earlier? I didn't hear you,' I smiled, keeping my voice light, keeping it nice.
The song stopped, changing to something different.
This time however, it had changed from the songs of 2012 to another. The Power of Love? Made by Frankie Goes To Hollywood in the 80's. No, wait. It had been reproduced this year by Gabrielle Aplin, for some TV ad in England.
I'd seen it on the internet the other day when I was trying to find out something about other singers.
So they were still on 2012 songs. Sigh.
'Good song, isn't it? As much as I hate to say it, I prefer it to the original, cause its making it sound nicer, not as dark. But I wish they could play something older anyways, instead of people like Carly Rae Jepson. Something like The Petshop Boys, Maybe some Beatles, Backstreet Boys... I'm rambling. Sorry,' I apologized again, smiling sheepishly this time.
How nice Cole. He probably likes all of these songs. You're pretty much the only person you know who likes Backstreet Boys. I doubt he does, I thought, along with a huge mental sigh and eye roll at myself.

ᔕmiling again, I was about to say something about it probably being because of the music.
'The old music is good, I just think that she makes it sound so much more haunting. I like the "Keep the vampires from your door". I mean, Half-Bloods get pretty close to vampires when we're fighting Empousi, even if they were only what that myth was based on...'
"My daughter loves the song Nellie the Elephant.”
That stumped me for a few seconds.
His daughter? He couldn't have been more than my age... maybe 16? 17 at most. Unless...
It wasn't like I should have been all that shocked. Single girls around my age had children all the time, there were even shows about it. 16 and pregnant to name one.
I guess I'd never thought about a boy being single and having a child at 16. Wait. Who said he was single then? If he was at Camp, maybe his girlfriend was too, and they had their little Legacy baby here...
Too many thoughts.
'That sounds really cute! Little kids are gorgeous when they sing and dance,' I said, before continuing, 'Its the song that goes "To Bombay a travelling circus came. They brought an intelligent elephant and Nellie was her name", right? I grew up in an Orphanage, and me and the other older kids would sing it too the littles when they couldn't sleep, or when they were bored.'
Whoa. Where was the "You have a daughter?" part in there.
I realized then I didn't care. He had a daughter, so what? She was probably beautiful, mannerly, and just like a child born to someone who was 28. Its not like because her Daddy is a teenager she's weird, or he's weird.
Its kinda like me being in an Orphanage till I was ten. People automatically think trouble, which of course, when it comes to me, is right. But not everyone is like that...
'I don't mind that you have a daughter. Just cause you're a teenager, its not like you're odd, or horrible,' I gushed, without realizing I was speaking out loud this time.
Oops.
Trying to cover up my slip of the tongue, I continued quickly.
'Is her mom here at Camp?'
Even worse Cole, I thought, giving myself a massive mental slap.
'I mean, you don't have to tell me anything. I'm just some random stranger. If it does make you feel more comfortable about spilling that though, I'm Cole Notte, Daughter of Nyx. 16 years old.'
Ducking my head then, I kept my eyes focused on the page with my writing, my drawings. Avoiding eye-contact. Very not pathetic.

Watching him nod, I gave myself a mental cookie for not totally ruining this conversation.
I also slapped myself again, because I felt like crap when he seemed kind of hesitant about his daughter.
'Mortal... did she find it weird you were a half-blood? Or was it something els-' I stopped myself, trying not to drop myself into a bigger hole than I was already in.
I'd heard of those parents who couldn't handle their child. Of course I had. I was the child of one of them parents who "Couldn't handle their child". My own father had been a jerk, and left me in an Orphanage. For my own good? No, more for the fact he'd had a child and not known how to deal with her.
Realizing I had probably been staring into space for a few seconds longer than normal, I smiled brightly and held out my hand.
'Nice to meet you Chase Whitebirch, Son of Lyssa. Happy Early Birthday.'