Pretty Girls

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

IN NO TIME at all, the fragrant aroma of the chicken broth filled the entire kitchen. The vegetables in the broth were starting to soften, its fragrance sweeping into the small pot of soup that I had left simmering over the stove.

I whistled a song, hips swaying slightly to the imaginary rhythm in my mind. By the time the noodles in the soup had cooked and softened, footsteps started to echo from down the halls again. The walls of this house was starting to come back to life.

In mere seconds, Apollo appeared in the kitchen. His hair was wild and disheveled, eyes filled with fatigue as he rubbed the sleep out of them. With a long exhale, Apollo looked around the kitchen as if he were a child lost in the dark woods.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, leaning against the wall for support. His voice was still husky, ridden with tire, a clear sign that he had just woken up.

I gestured to the stove with a smile. "You said you weren't feeling well so I thought we would eat in today. I doubt you'll be fit enough to go out and get some food for yourself." I ladled a hearty portion of soup and noodles into a bowl before I continued, "It's not good to skip meals, you know."

Apollo raised his arm, the back of his hand pressing against his lips as he desperately tried - and failed - to suppress a yawn. When he stretched, his shirt rose a little, exposing a bit of skin before it came back down. Smacking his lips together, he eyed the bowl I held in my hands before sighing, shaking his head.

"You didn't have to. I would've made some instant ramen later on if I got hungry."

Although his words were prepped for an argument, his feet brought him to the dining table. I laid the bowl down, along with a soup spoon and a fork. Hesitantly, he sat down, picking up the utensils gingerly between his fingers.

"What, are you afraid that I'm a terrible cook or something?" I humored, sitting down on the chair right beside his. "Or that I've poisoned the food?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"I would never! Besides, they use a lot of preservatives on those instant food. The MSG in the flavoring packets will cause all of your hair to fall out." I pretended to be offended, palm pressed against my chest in mock shock. Apollo chuckled at that, dipping the spoon into the soup.

"Then prove it. That you didn't poison the food, I mean. Eat with me?"

"Sure," I nodded, "I'll go grab a bowl. Be right back."

I worked quickly to scoop myself a portion, closing the lid of the pot once I was done. Hot soup in hand, I waddled back into the dining room only to hear the clink of utensils hitting against the edge of the bowl. By the time I had returned to the dining table, Apollo had already finished the soup, eyes closed and head leaned back.

"That was quick," I commented, setting the bowl down onto the table. "Do you want more?"

"I'm not disabled, Dessa, nor am I royalty. You don't have to serve me as though I am king." He cracker one eye open, the corner of his lips twitching in amusement.

"No you are not. But most of the student body think that you are a king. Especially after what happened when you first joined. I think you might've permanently broke Jacob's nose with that punch you threw."

"He deserved it back then. And whether we like it or not, he's still the king of the cafeteria."

"And now?" I asked quietly. Dipping the spoon into the bowl, I scooped a little of the hot broth before sipping at it. "Does he still deserve it?"

"Now I'm not too sure. I don't interact with the punk enough."

"Well, I for one think he's changed. Maybe it's because Victoria isn't there to boss him around anymore."

Apollo snorted. "It's true that people change. But unless I see it for myself, I won't believe it. Believe what you will, Dessa."

"You ought to have a little more faith in people, you know?" I teased. "Some people, however mean and crooked they are, can still turn over a new leaf. It's just unfortunate that it usually takes something huge to affect their lives before they are willing to change."

"I could say the same about people turning for the worse. However, the changes don't even have to be that big. Society is amazing at changing people and burning their old values."

"Speaking from experience?" I asked, referencing the time when Apollo was the media's favorite teen villain to report. "You were once the epitome of teenage rebellion."

Apollo turned, staring at me. Slowly, his lips spread into a soft grin, then widening even more when I raised a single eyebrow in questioning. He grabbed his empty bowl in one hand, pushing himself up from the seat with the other.

"I would like to think that my old values were ones that should be trashed and burned. My new ones, however, I might just hold onto them."

There was a sparkle in his blue irises, glinting under the electric lighting of the house. The way it dazzled, it was very clear that Apollo kept a secret tightly sealed behind those lips of his. A dimple formed in his cheek, pearly white teeth showing when he spoke. And when silence returned to engulf us, I had to remind myself to reply.

I had been staring for too long.

"And what are your new values, oh wise one?" I laughed, dipping my head into a mocking bow.

I tried desperately to bury the awkwardness that churned in the pit of my stomach. There was a flash of hope that struck me like lightning, almost praying that his new values had something to do with me- or at least was influenced by me. My cheeks bloomed red and I had to convince myself it was because of the hot soup and not because of my own wishful thinking.

Instead of giving me a proper answer, Apollo merely shrugged.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out, young tadpole."

With that he turned away from the table, patting my head just once before scuttling away and into the kitchen before I could cut a word in. The conversation, much like almost every conversation I've ever had with this boy, left a flutter in my chest that I could not seem to shake off.

[A/N]:

Y'all, I am so sorry. I know I promised more efficient updates but boy I forgot how hard it was to churn out teen fiction chapters with consistent character personalities. (This being a new chapter that wasn't in the original and how - before this editing project -I've not written a single thing about these babies in a long time.) Kudos to all those teen fiction authors out there. You're amazing for handling writing hormonal teenagers well.

QOTC: do you guys prefer reading descriptions, dialogues, or (character's personal) thoughts more?

xx aurora

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