Senior Year

Chapter Five

CAN'T RELATE
POV: Haven

The thing high school girls blabber about the most is boys. Something I had no interest in anymore. It was actually the least of my worries. So, when all the girls went to the bathroom I decided to tag along. I regretted it immediately because I couldn't relate to any of them. I just smiled and nodded.

"Say, Haven, haven't you been getting into fights? How come?" Addison asks as she reapplies her lipstick.

I nod sheepishly. "Yeah, I've been having problems with Sadie," I admit.

Addie sneers. "That girl is always causing a fuss. She needs to grow up." I scratch the back of my neck as she continues. "Whatever she did I know she deserves it."

"Yeah, it was nothing," I say shrugging.

"What's going on with you and Landon? I know you've been crushing on him since we've been kids." Addie has moved on from her lipstick to her mascara.

A blush sweeps across my cheeks and the tip of my nose. "It's not like that anymore. We're just friends," I explain as I spit my sentence out.

Addie smirks at me. "You always say that and you never mean it."

I shake my head. "This time I do mean it." My face is hot for some reason. I really do mean. I feel like the spark I had with him died along with my parents.

"Yeah right, Have," Alexa chimes in. "You loved that boy."

Girl talk really got on my nerves. Now more than ever. "I don't I swear," I say shaking my head. "Anyway did you hear that Apollo and Sadie broke up?"

My eyes widen at that. They've been together since he got here. It seemed like a match made in hell. Both arrogant and self-absorbed. "Damn really? I'd love me some QB!" Addie says.

My face burns at the thought of Apollo. That spark ignited in me when we made eye contact. I can't stop thinking about what he said to me.

"Let's go watch him. Half-time is over," Alexa says fixing her brown hair. All the girls pile out of the bathroom and towards the football field.

We're welcomed by the warm smiles of the boys. Landon, Owen, Mark, and Deshaun. "Are you having fun so far, Have?" Landon asks me.

I nod. It was kind of fun. It's not like how it used to be. Everything has changed. I have changed. "Yeah, just like old times," I say bumping his shoulder.

His white teeth shine brightly at me. "I'm glad to hear that. We should do this more. I like seeing that smile on your face." The old me would have died at that, but the new me only plasters a grin on my face.

"Woah, look at Apollo!" Deshaun shouts and points toward the field. Apollo runs fast across the field clutching the ball in his arm. People jump for him, but he dodges them all. He's fast as he plows through all the men.

Something moves in my chest. My heart beats faster, faster, and faster as he runs into the end zone. Cheers erupt as points are added to the scoreboard. He's amazing. I find myself smiling. A real smile. Adrenaline runs through my blood just from watching him.

My smile falls off my face when Addie smirks at me. "I believe you now," she says winking at me. I roll my eyes at her. I do not like Apollo fucking Laurant. He's got a bird brain with a greek god's body. I mean a pig's body. My face reddens as I try to convince myself. He probably forgot my name by now.

At the end of the game, our vocal cords burn from screaming. We won the game 46-15. Our team was unstoppable. This was the most smiling I've done in a while.

"I'm going to get a drink," I say as my throat screams for water. Landon said he'd wait for me so I thought I'd buy him a bottle too.

The machine eats my money and spits out two water bottles. My throat cools off as the burning sensation dissipates. I almost choke when I see Apollo making his way toward me. A droplet of sweat drips down his forehead and he rakes his hand through his disheveled hair.

My heart skips a beat. His dark eyes rake down my body and my stomach churns. The side of his mouth tips up at me. He says nothing as he streaks past me. He's always been a dark horse.

I stand there blinking like an idiot. Watching his back number 21. My favorite number. That's when I realized I realized. I had a big fat crush on Apollo fucking Laurant. And it wasn't going away any time soon. Even if I wanted it too.

A shiver runs up my spine and time feels as if it stills. I watch the muscles in his arms tense as he looks back at me. His jaw ticks as his eyes capture mine. His smirk grows across his lips. It's almost as if he's a mind reader.

"Haven, are you okay? What's taking you so long? I thought you were lost," Landon says chuckling. I wipe the drool off my lip and try to act normal. Landon looks at me with a weird expression. His eyes follow where I was staring off at. He spots the number 21 as Apollo disappears into the tunnel.

"I-I got you water," I say holding the cold bottle in my hand. Landon smiles at me warmly, but I see a glimpse of hurt in his eyes.

"There's an after-party if you want to go. It's at Apollo's mansion," Landon says as he sips the cold water. A ping in my chest. Apollo's house.

"Yeah, let's go," I say apprehensively. I don't know if going to his house is the best idea. I already feel like I'm falling down a wormhole.

We pile into the cars and the roads are filled with cars all headed to the same place. Apollo's fat mansion. My stomach twists and turns the whole way up to his house. A part of me is excited to go to a party. I haven't been to one since I didn't leave my house.