by Bella King
“Yes,” she said, smiling brighter.
“Good, because my window is still broken, and my bed is soaked,” I replied, laughing a bit as I said it. Cora joined me, and we giggled together about how ridiculous our lives were.
Chapter 29
There’s always a new problem, no matter how many you’ve laid to rest.
I ran into Apollo later that day, and I knew the moment I saw him that something was wrong. His head was hung low, and he walked like someone was forcing him to, his muscles stiff and movements jerky.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, coming up to him.
Apollo looked at me, his eyes dull, and shrugged. “Everything, I guess.”
“Everything? This doesn’t have to do with Cora, does it?” I asked, worried that he wasn’t over her or something.
“I already apologized to her,” Apollo said, sulking even lower, looking like he wanted to walk away from me.
“Listen, you’re going to have to tell me what’s up, or I’m going to keep asking stupid questions, and you’ll never get any peace,” I said firmly.
Apollo banged a fist on the wall dramatically. “I’m off the fucking team.”
“What?!”
“They kicked me off. My grades fucking suck. This school fucking sucks,” Apollo said, shaking his head. “I’m fucking done. I’m dropping out.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hey, it can’t be that bad.”
“It is! My dad’s going to fucking kill me, and football is all I have. I’m not a Winterlake if I stop playing football. They’ll disown me.”
“Aren’t you a Smith?” I asked, remembering that he always went by Smith at school.
“That’s a fake name, Georgia. Do you think I want people to know that my father is the richest man in the fucking country? They’ll eat me alive. I won’t know who to trust.”
“True. I guess I didn’t realize that,” I said, looking down at my feet.
“It’s not my fault that he’s rich, but I have to live up to the family name,” he said, doing air quotes with his fingers around the last part.
“Isn’t there a way you can get back on?” I asked. “Your father got you back into the school, no problem.”
Apollo laughed, bitterness on his tongue. “My grades are in the national school system. I paid off someone to fix them before, but that got me kicked out. I can’t just get placed back on the team without my grades getting fixed again.”
“Too sketchy, huh?” I said, nodding my head. “There has to be some way.”
“Yeah, getting all As,” Apollo said as though it would be impossible to do.
I chuckled. “You know if you study, that’s pretty easy. It’s high school. They have super low standards.”
“I’m not built for studying,” Apollo whined. “I’m built for football.”
“You’re not going to be doing either if you drop out,” I warned. “We need to get your grades up. We can study together.”
Apollo looked up at me finally, licking his lips and looking into my eyes. “Maybe we can do something else, too,” he suggested.
“If you study,” I said.
“I’m going to fuck you anyway,” Apollo said, “But it’s a deal.”
“Great. See you this evening at the library. Four o’clock sharp,” I said, patting him on the arm.
He already looked disappointed, but I left him like that. He was ridiculous talking about dropping out just because he didn’t give a rat’s ass about school and had been kicked from the team because of it. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that high school had low standards. You could practically guess and still pass most of the tests we got. It amazed me that Apollo had managed to do bad enough to get cut. That was impressive if nothing else.
I told Cora that I would meet her later, and to walk home without me. I didn’t want her to know that I was studying with Apollo, but she could assume that I was with him just by the tone of my voice. I was still walking on eggshells, and I think she appreciated my tactfulness.
I met Apollo in the library, a place he had probably never set foot in, and brought out the material from our classes, only for him to scratch his head and look at them funny.
“I’ve never seen this before,” He said, looking just as puzzled as could be.
“Do you even go to class?” I asked, laughing.
“No, I mean, what grade is it from?” Apollo asked.
“Twelfth,” I replied. I thought that was obvious.
“I’m still in eleventh,” Apollo said, looking a bit shy to say it. “I didn’t go to school for a year.”
I groaned. “Apollo, am I going to have to start college without you?”
Apollo shook his head. “No, my father already got me in. All I have to do is pass the final test to graduate. You can do that whenever you want, actually.”
“You’re not going to pass if you don’t even know eleventh-grade material,” I said, shaking my head.
Apollo smirked, mischief entering his eyes. “You can take them at home and mail them in. I’m going to pay someone else to do it for me.”
Normally I would have scolded him for that, but I didn’t want him to be held back from college. I was thinking about our relationship, protecting it, and guarding it closely already. I wasn’t even sure that we were dating, but that didn’t matter. Apollo was special to me.
“Okay,” I said, looking up at him. “Looks like we need to use your textbooks.”
Apollo made a face. “I don’t have any.”
I groaned, putting my face in the palm of my hand. “Apollo, what the actual fuck? It’s no wonder you’re failing. Jesus Christ.”
Apollo shrugged. “I think they’re a scam. You know how expensive those things are.”
“Your father is the richest man in the fucking country,” I said, laughing. “You sound ridiculous right now.”
“Fair enough. I’m just opposed to the principle of it,” he tried to argue.
“You’re funny, but you need the books. I think we can borrow some from the library until you buy them.”
“Do I have to?” Apollo asked, wincing as though books physically pained him.
“Yes,” I said, not believing the fuss he was making about this. “What’s the big deal?”
Apollo sighed. “I guess I just don’t like school.”
“It comes with the turf, babe. I don’t like it either,” I said, scooting my chair back and standing up.
“Babe?” Apollo asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Am I allowed to say that?” I asked, squinting at him.
“Sure,” he replied, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands behind his head.
“Alrighty then. I’ll be back in a second,” I replied, leaving the table to check out some books on his grade level. I shook my head all the way up to the counter with a heavy stack of books so basic it pained me to think he struggled with the material in them.
When I returned to the table, Apollo was flicking paper footballs across the room that he had made from the paper in his notebook.
“You’ll be back on the pitch soon enough,” I assured him.
“You know what? Even if I have to study a hundred of these textbooks, I’m going to do it. Not even for football. For you.”
I blushed. That was actually the sweetest thing he had said to me, and I felt like it came straight from his heart. I tried to hide my face, but he only laughed when he saw how pink my cheeks were.
“You’re blushing,” he said, laughing and pulling my hair from my face.
I swatted his hand away. “Stop it, you’re just cute, alright.”
“Do I still look cute when my cock is in you?” He asked, changing the energy in the room.
“I’d like to find out,” I said softly.
Chapter 30
Sex is a painkiller.
Apollo and I fucked each other’s brains out when we got back from the library, opting to do the deed in his spacious car before he dropped me off at home. Every time I had sex
with this man, it got better. I wondered if I would ever feel different, or if our life together would keep improving from here.
I was sure that Cora would be able to smell the sex on me when I got to her place, so I took a shower before leaving, running into my parents downstairs just as I was about to head out.
“Georgia, hold up for a second,” my mother said, waving at me to come to the living room where she and my dad were seated.
“What’s up?” I asked, peering in.
“Come, sit down,” my mom urged, patting on the couch between her and my dad.
I walked in, awkwardly sitting down between them. I didn’t know what this was all about, but I hoped it wasn’t anything bad. Last time they sat me down like this, it was when my grandfather died.
“We’re taking a trip to the Caribbean in a few days,” my dad said, patting my leg.
“Your father just closed the deal with Mr. Winterlake,” my mother said, a sparkle of excitement in her brown eyes.
“Oh, that’s great,” I said.
“Yes, and we’ll be gone for a month,” my father added.
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“I’m sure you’re aware that your mother and I have been having some trouble getting along lately.”
“You’ve always had trouble getting along,” I reminded him.
“That’s right, well, I think it’s time for us to take some time to ourselves. After this deal, I don’t think we’re going to need to do much more work. We’d like to rekindle the romance,” he continued, winking at my mom.
I almost threw up. “Gross, okay, I get the point,” I said, jumping up from the couch. “Anything else?”
“Oh, we don’t want you to be here all alone, so I want you to stay with the Winterlakes while we’re gone,” my mother said, smiling innocently up at me.
“Really?” I asked. The surprises just kept coming.
“Yes, they’re a nice family, and you already know their son. So, you should have a nice time,” my father said.
“Don’t change in front of him,” my mother warned, putting up a finger. “You know how young men are.”
If only she knew.
I smiled, nodding sweetly. “Of course not, mom. I’ll behave myself.”
“Good,” she replied, seeming satisfied. “Where are you heading off to?”
“I’m having a sleepover with Cora,” I said, already inching out of the living room.
“Okay, have fun,” she said, moving her hand over to my father and giving his hand a squeeze.
“I will,” I said, rushing out the door to freedom.
As much as I liked that my parents were finally trying to fix things in their relationship, I didn’t want to see all that happen in front of me. They were still my parents; therefore, it was gross. I pranced off to Cora’s house, new energy in my step. I guess everything might be alright after all.
When I got there, she was waiting on the porch for me, bundled up in a thick lavender sweater with a cup of tea steaming in her hand.
“Hey girl, glad you finally got here,” she said, smiling up at me.
“Yeah, sorry it took so long. My parents held me up. They’re apparently going on a month-long trip to rekindle their love or something like that.”
Cora’s eyes lit up. “That’s adorable!”
I laughed. “I guess so. They’ve been fighting too much lately. You know.”
She nodded. “That can be tough.” She stood up, ushering me into her house.
I walked in, removing my shoes in the hallway.
“I want you to know that I’m over the whole Apple thing.”
“Apollo,” I said. “We don’t need to use code names if you’re over it.”
She sighed. “You’re right. Apollo. I’m done with that. I can see that you guys really do have something special going on. I guess I felt threatened by it.”
“Don’t be sorry about anything. It was Apollo’s fault,” I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “He’s a total goof.”
Cora laughed. “True. Besides, I have my eye on his brother.”
“Brother?” I asked, nearly falling backward in shock.
“Yeah, he’s already in college, but I met him yesterday because he was back in town.”
I pressed my fingers into the bridge of my nose, between my eyes. “What the hell? Why don’t I know any of this stuff?”
“Well, to be honest, it’s his half-brother, but still,” Cora corrected, leaning against the wall with me.
“Wild,” I said, rubbing my head.
“I know, right? But he’s sweet. Nothing like Apollo.”
“Hey, Apollo’s not that bad. He can be sweet,” I said truthfully. I had seen a side of him that few had, and I knew that he was good on the inside. The exterior could be a little hard to see through, though.
“As sweet as a crab apple,” Cora said dryly.
I laughed. “No, seriously.”
“Whatever you say, Georgia. I’m not the one who has to deal with him now,” Cora said, walking down the hall. “Let’s watch a movie,” she suggested.
“What do you want to watch?” I asked, following her into the living room.
“Something sappy. A romance,” she said.
I had so much romance in my life, but it seemed like the more I had, the more I wanted. I quickly agreed to her suggestion, plopping down on the long sofa to watch a movie with her and get some girl time together. It was nice to tune out in front of the TV together sometimes. Live was too stressful to stay in reality all the time. We need breaks.
Chapter 31
The pot of gold gets brighter, the closer you get to it. Don’t stop now.
Cora and I had a blast that night, eating massive amounts of pizza and popcorn, crying over the sappiest chick flicks, and talking about celebrities instead of real people. It was easier to have a conversation without it getting too personal that way.
The nice thing about Cora is, no matter what, she’s always willing to make amends for the sake of keeping a relationship alive and well. I suppose the healthy relationship her parents had helped to craft that sort of personality, but I think she, as a whole, was just the kind of person who glowed from the inside out. She couldn’t be mad for long, and she always bounced back, stronger than ever.
I wasn’t much like her, but the things that I lacked were present in her, and that’s why we fit together so well. I was thankful I didn’t have to give that up to have Apollo. I’m not even sure I would have. Us girls have to stick together.
I was sad to have to leave in the morning, but I needed to get back home and have my father fix my window before mold started growing on my carpet from the rain. It was completely out of hand.
When I arrived home, my mother was making breakfast for my father, who was seated at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in his hand and a smile on his face.
“Beautiful day,” he said cheerfully, raising the cup to me as I walked in.
I rubbed my eyes. “Have I died and gone to hell?” I asked, shocked that my parents were in such a good mood this morning.
“Georgia,” my mother scolded, turning around from the stove. “Watch your language.”
I rolled my eyes, and my father passed me a sympathetic glance.
“I’m just trying to figure out why you two are so happy-go-lucky all of a sudden.”
“We’re turning a new page,” my father said, taking a sip of his coffee.
I rubbed my chin. All of this was starting to sound fishy. There was no way that my parents would change so much over a simple deal with Mr. Winterlake. I wanted to dig deeper. “What was this deal exactly?” I asked.
“The Alaskan pipeline. It’s huge,” my father said. “Mr. Winterlake and are signing off for co-ownership of it. The kick is, I’m retiring after that. It will run itself.”
“Oh, so I have to deal with you two at home all the time?” I asked.
“Honey,” my mother scolded again.
My father laughed. “We
won’t be home that much, and besides. You’re going to college next year. You won’t be home either.”
He was right. I guess I never thought that my parents being happy and getting alone would bother me so much. I felt a little bad about judging their recent behavior, but it was odd and unexpected. Could you blame me?
“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting all this. It’s good that you guys still love each other,” I said, pressing my lips together in an awkward smile.
“We always have,” my father said, looking up at my mother.
I sighed. “Okay, well, since you have so much money now, you won’t mind fixing my bedroom window,” I said, hoping I could slip that it without causing a stir.
“What happened to your window?” My mother yelped, nearly dropping the frying pan she was handling.
“It’s nothing. I just broke it.”
“What on earth were you doing up there to break your window?” My mother fussed, overreacting as usual.
My father shook his head. “I guess we’ll have to call someone today because we’re leaving soon. When did this happen?”
“Uh, yesterday,” I lied.
“Did you clean the glass? Did you hurt yourself?” My mother blurted.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s all fine. I just need the window fixed,” I said.
“You should have told us yesterday. We could have had it fixed by now,” my father said, taking a sip of his coffee.
“I didn’t want to ruin your good news,” I lied, hoping that would satiate them for the time being.
My father nodded. “Alright. I guess the only thing we can do now is to fix it. Just be more careful next time.”
“Clumsy me,” I said, rocking side to side in an unconvincing manner. My parents bought it anyway.
“Can I go now? I need to get ready for school,” I said, eying the exit to the stairway.
“One more thing,” my father said, holding up a finger. “Tomorrow, I want you to sleep at the Winterlakes’ place. Your mother and I are leaving in the evening.”
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll pack my stuff tonight then.”
“Be sure to pack pajama pants and a long-sleeved shirt,” my mother said.
I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that in front of Apollo. More likely was that I would be naked in his bed, riding his cock all night. I nodded my head anyway, promising to bring something that I didn’t even own.
