A loud beeping sound ripped me from my uneasy slumber. I sat up in alarm, trying to blink the sleep from my eyes. Confused, I looked around until I finally realized the ringing was coming from my alarm clock. A groan escaped my lips and I flopped back, burying my head under the pillow. I guessed the pounding headache marching through my brain was probably what a hangover felt like, since I’d never had much alcohol. It felt like a million horses were galloping from one ear to the other and each annoying call from the nightstand felt like a dagger plunging clear through my skull. Finally, fumbling around without emerging, I managed to shut off the annoyance. Gingerly, I came up for fresh air and sat up. My feelings of disgust had lasted through the night, disrupting my sleep. I felt a little better this morning but was still trying to let everything go.
Jessie was still sleeping, a slight snore coming from under her pillow. It was only the first day of school and already I was regretting signing up for an early class.
Throwing the blankets to the side, I placed my feet on the floor and yawned, scratching my head. I stood and shuffled towards the bathroom, still stewing over having to wake up. I closed both doors softly and turned to my reflection. Last night’s makeup had turned into this morning’s black eye and my hair stuck up like the bride of Frankenstein. I remembered why it was so important for me to wash my face and put my hair up every night before bed. I rubbed the makeup off the best I could, ran a brush through my tangles, and went to eat.
My mom made a hot breakfast almost every morning of my life. Sundays were usually the only day I would wake up and not smell something delicious wafting through the halls. Now that I was on my own, it was becoming clearer I would not be making pancakes every morning. Luckily, I liked cold cereal. I pulled a bowl out of the cupboard and poured myself the first thing I grabbed.
As I ate, I studied my recently begun painting. It was ready for the next layer, and I made a mental note to save time for painting that night. After rinsing my bowl and putting it in the dishwasher, I trudged back to the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Jessie finally woke up as I was sliding my last notebook into my backpack. She wore the same disheveled look I had. Wishing her a good morning, I slung my bag over my shoulder. She mumbled something in return, and I laughed to myself as I stepped out the door.
The college was only a few blocks away, in between the apartment and the Strip. I probably lived close enough to walk, but it was so hot. Now that I’d been hired to work in the library, I wasn’t as worried about money. The air conditioning was now officially my best friend.
The campus was a mixture of architectures; each building was made to suit the department it housed. The physics building confused me the most—I didn’t get why it was shaped like a wave and had a variety of multi-colored banners in the windows. It wasn’t a big deal, though; I wasn’t there to study the buildings. The grounds were fantastic also, combining local desert and grassy areas to enjoy. It had a nice feeling, like most scholarly places, and was relaxing as well.
I had signed up to attend full time, knowing I would be taking more classes focusing on art since I already had my associate’s degree. Thankfully, it worked out that I would only be spending the morning at classes three times a week. After my classes I would go to work and get off around five. It made for long days, but I liked that I had a day off between everything.
I parked my car next to the art building and started towards my first class. I’d met the teacher and was excited to finally start the next step in my education. As I entered the room, I smiled at my fellow classmates. They were all different types—different races, sizes, and personalities—and I liked that. It made for an interesting class. I chose a seat in the middle and settled down for a good first day.
At ten after five that night, I flopped into the driver’s seat of my car. My head was buzzing from the astronomical amount of information that had been shoved down my throat and I was now trying to commit to memory. The classes hadn’t been bad, but I’d been overloaded with information in the library. I’d known there would be some technical stuff to learn, but I had grossly underestimated how much there really was. I hoped I would get it all down soon. Getting things wrong would only slow me down, and I didn’t want the librarian to have any reason to replace me.
I took a deep breath and laid my head back against the seat. It had been a good day— a little overwhelming, but still successful in my opinion. I had high hopes for the rest of the semester. I was especially excited about the art show at the end of November, right before break. I was already considering entering the painting I’d started in the kitchen, if it turned out good enough.
I turned the car on and backed out of my spot, adjusting the air down to low despite the fact the sun hadn’t set yet. Traffic was bad, a combination of students and workers heading home. I was grateful for the radio keeping me entertained and boosting my mood with a few good tunes. By the time I pulled into my spot at the apartment I was feeling less worn out and more like I could go out and party again.
I got out of the car, humming a song from the radio, thinking that I should probably call my mom before she had a panic attack again. I looked up as I approached the stairs and stopped dead in my tracks.
Zeus.
He was sitting on the second step from the bottom, wearing tennis shoes, faded jeans, a white V-neck t-shirt, a goofy smile, and holding at least a dozen of the largest red roses I’d ever seen. When I didn’t move towards him, he stood, still grinning like an idiot and held the flowers out to me.
“I came to beg your forgiveness,” he said in a noncommittal, mocking tone.
I felt sick to my stomach and my lips pinched together, turning down. I remained silent, having no desire to speak to him.
“What’s the matter? Don’t you like them?” He walked toward me as he spoke. “Every girl likes roses.”
I felt rooted to the spot, but my disgust at what he’d said to me the night before was boiling up inside me. I still wanted to punch him in the nose, but I was pretty sure I’d break my hand before I could break his face.
“Here, take them,” he said forcibly, closing the last bit of distance between us and shoving them into my arms.
Their sweet aroma filled my nose as the petals blocked my view entirely. I pulled them away from my face so I could see better. Zeus was still standing right in front of me, his eyes boring into mine.
“Well?” he demanded.
The irritation finally took over, and I threw the flowers on the ground. Tearing my eyes away from his, I did a quick sidestep and ran up the stairs into my apartment. I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I closed my eyes.
He had such nerve, showing up where I live! I wondered for a brief second how he had discovered that piece of information and then brushed it aside. Sure, I’d had a little time to think about what he’d done, but it wasn’t enough for me to forgive him yet. I wasn’t raised to be a one‑night‑stand kind of girl, and I refused to be treated like one by a total stranger.
A muffled yelling started from outside, causing my eyes to snap open. I moved to the window and opened the blinds enough to see what was going on.
Zeus was pacing back and forth over the scattered roses, waving his arms and gesturing from them to my apartment. I couldn’t understand what he was yelling, but his rage gave me some satisfaction. He began kicking the already battered flowers, still yelling at the top of his lungs. Once he’d thoroughly ruined them, he turned back towards the apartment and continued shouting, pointing his finger and stomping his foot. His face was a remarkable color of red, a stark contrast to the cool I was now feeling.
I left the window, Zeus still screaming in the background, and headed into the kitchen. I scavenged for some dinner, settling on Ravioli, and made a note to go grocery shopping. I needed to stop eating my roommates’ food and get some I could share with them in return.
The screaming continued outside as I sat down to eat. It was
impressive how long he’d been going at it, but I was starting to ignore him. It wasn’t until I’d finished washing my dishes that I realized it had stopped.
I went back to the window, carefully peeking out to see if he was still there. The roses were mashed into a pulp and scattered all over the ground, but Zeus was no longer next to them. I quickly scanned what I could see of the parking lot and discovered him sitting on the back of what must have been his car. It was a silver convertible, obviously meant to show his wealth, but I was unimpressed. He had his arms crossed and appeared to be mumbling to himself.
I considered calling the cops, amazed that a neighbor hadn’t done so already. In the end, I decided to keep snubbing him. He had to leave eventually.
I went to my room and pulled out my paint supplies, eager to work on—what I hoped would be—my entry in the art show. Back in the front of the house, I glanced out the window again to check on the situation there. He was still sitting on his car.
I moved my painting into the kitchen and got to work. Soon, a dry, cracked desert ground covered the bottom half of the canvas. I was very pleased with how it was turning out, but knew it still had a ways to go.
I looked at the clock. It was almost eight.
Leaving my work in the kitchen, I got up and returned to the window. Zeus was still there, on the back of his car. His arms were folded tightly across his chest and he stared up towards me with tight lips. I laughed at his continued fury, astonished at how upset he was over a couple of flowers. It was impressive how long he’d been out there. Hopefully, he wasn’t waiting for me to come out for another confrontation.
A car pulled into the parking lot and stopped a couple spaces away from him. Jessie crawled out, coming home from work. I’d never seen her without her sisters, both of whom were still away. I felt a slight panic when Zeus jumped off his car and strode over to her.
He followed her as she walked to the stairs, talking to her and angrily, gesturing from the roses to the apartment. She finally stopped and turned to him, clearly arguing, until he threw his hands in the air and went back to his car. I could see him muttering as he got in, then slammed the door, and pealed out of the complex.
“What happened, what did he say?” I asked as I opened the door for Jessie once she was upstairs.
“Huh?” She looked at me, confused. “Oh, him.” She rolled her eyes and put her bag on the counter. “Apparently, he recognized me from the club and knew we were friends. He was going on about how much the roses cost. He wanted me to tell you he is quite put out that you ruined them.
“Actually, I only threw them on the ground. He’s the one that smashed them to pieces,” I giggled.
Jessie let out a long sigh as she sat on the couch and covered her face with her hands.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, all humor gone. “I’m sorry he took it out on you. You didn’t have anything to do with it—he shouldn’t have treated you like that.”
“It’s fine,” she said, putting her hands in her lap and sitting up. “I had a rough day at work. No big deal.” A tired smile graced her face.
“Oh,” I said softly. “Do you need anything? Want me to make you some food?” I sat on the couch next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I think I’ll just go wait for my sisters in their room.”
She got up and walked down the hall, shutting their bedroom door behind her. I worried I had upset her somehow, but my gut said it had to do with something else.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called my mom, remembering she’d wanted to hear about my first day at school. About twenty minutes into my call, Jenny and Julie came through the door, laughing over something their teacher had said.
“Jessie’s in your room,” I whispered as I covered the mouthpiece of my phone. “She had a bad day and is really upset about something.”
The two girls gave me their thanks and hurried to her.
“Huh? Oh, yeah Mom. I’m listening.”
I talked with my mom about school for another ten minutes then decided to go check on Jessie. I put my phone on the counter and headed down the hall, hearing soft voices through the bedroom door.
“He knows,” Jessie said.
“What are we supposed to do now? Do we refuse to acknowledge him?” Julie asked.
“The time is up,” Jenny added.
Unconsciously, I leaned against the door trying to hear better, and it suddenly jerked open, shocking me.
“Sorry,” I stammered. “I was coming to check on Jessie.” I rubbed my arms nervously and smiled, trying to ease the discomfort of having almost been caught eavesdropping.
“I’m fine, thanks. Just tired.” Jessie smiled at me and I relaxed some.
“Good, good. Is it ok if I take a bath tonight then? Or did you guys need the bathroom for anything?” I said, trying to find another reason for my presence.
“Nope, we’re all good,” Julie said.
“Okay, thanks.” I smiled awkwardly and turned to the bathroom. If I was going to be forced to do something, at least it was a bath.
The tub wasn’t terribly small, but it wasn’t as big as I would have liked either. I turned the water on, letting it warm up before I plugged the drain. Feeling like some extra relaxation was in order, I pulled out some old bubble bath I’d had forever and brought along on the move and poured it in.
While the bubbles grew in size and number, I went into the bedroom and grabbed the two candles on my dresser. They smelled wonderful and would add a new level to my soak. Once everything was situated and the warm water was calling my name, I stripped down and slid into happiness.
The silence gave me room to think over everything that had happened since I’d arrived in Las Vegas. I was surprised to find I was more than happy with the way my life was turning out. I also mused over what little of the girls’ conversation I’d heard. What could they have been talking about? Was “he” Zeus, or someone I’d never even met? Why did they need to talk about it privately if it didn’t have anything to do with me?
Chapter Six
Zeus (The God Chronicles #1) Page 6
