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Jamie squinted at Nico for a minute. There was something - off. He seemed slightly more bubbly than usual, which was an incredible improvement over his usual grumpy demeanor, but what still inexplicable.
After another minute of being unable to figure out what was up with Nico, Jamie huffed slightly and focussed back on her Algebra teacher. Mr. Let-Me-Tell-You-My-Life-Story seemed to finally have gotten on with the lesson, to her immense relief. Jamie liked math more than she ever expected, but that didn't mean she could get away with not paying attention.
Another half hour of learning how to factor equations, and finally the bell rung. It was the last class of the day, and Jamie wanted nothing more than to go home and run so that she could take a nap without her mother bothering her. (Not that Jamie would ever tell her mom that he actually liked running as long as her mother didn't nag her about it.)
Jamie looked at Nico, who practically shoved his stuff into his bag and leaped out of his seat. Jamie grabbed her bag, and followed him out of the room. He could walk really fast if he wanted to. Perks of being a demigod, Jamie supposed.
She jogged a bit to catch up with him. "Nico! Why are you so happy?" Jamie grinned.
"What?" Nico said as he slipped last a girl in a pretty blue hijab. "How did you notice?"
Jamie rolled her eyes fondly. "You don't usually get so antsy in class, which means that you were either really excited or anxious. I went for excited since you weren't glaring at anything."
"Fine," Nico said. "You'll see in a moment, I'm sure."
Jamie shot him a confused look as they stepped outside. She had no idea what he meant by that, but since he was very dramatic Jamie knew that she wouldn't be getting anything else from him. Nice was her friend, and she loved him, but never would she deny his habit of being vague in order to be dramatic.
Jamie would later deny the undignified squeak that escaped her as they were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of unruly demigods.
"Happy Birthday, Nico!" They were calling out happily, joy infused in their very presence.
Will stepped forward and swept Nico into a bear hug, kissing his cheek. Nico chuffed and returned the hug, burying a smile on Will's shoulder.
Jamie smiled widely, overjoyed to see her friend so clearly happy. He likes to hide his smiles and his joy, but Jamie could see the difference.
The demigods, as suddenly as they appeared, started to split up once more and head for their vehicles. A gentle smile found its way into Jamie's face as she watched Will and Nico hold hands while they walked back to his car.
Jamie was still smiling as she stepped out of her house an hour later, clicking play on her music, and starting to run. "Happy Birthday, indeed, Nico," she thought.