Pretty Girls

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

MUCH LIKE MOST days, school was a bore. Time ticked by torturously slow and when the last bell had blared through the halls, I had to use all my strength not to throw my hands up in delight with a praise. Apollo, who sat beside me, had a knowing glint in his eyes when he observed my expression.

"It's not that bad, you know?" He commented, packing up his notebooks. "Math is a pretty okay subject."

"And yet you don't seem to find some time to tutor me although I oh-so-graciously allowed you to copy all of my homework," I retorted.

"I hadn't referred to your work in weeks, Dessa. There's no need anymore," he deadpanned.

Although our original deal many months ago was to have Apollo give me a stunning transformation in exchange for school tuition, Apollo had outgrown that. The subjects in school were nearly too simple for him and more often than not, he had been pointing out the mistakes I've made in my work instead of blindly scribbling down the answers. In addition to that, he couldn't help himself but rub it in every once in a while that he was just perfect at everything.

"Yes," I nodded while shoving my pencil case into my bag. "Because you're naturally talented at everything."

"I wouldn't say everything."

"How humble you are."

He chuckled, standing up. The legs of his chair scraped the floor noisily as students started to flood out of the doors of the classroom. Chatter filled the place of classroom silence, gossip flying through lips and ears left and right.

On a normal day before Apollo and I became friends, I might have listened in on all the gossip. It was nice to be able to hold something over other people in case I ever need to fight back. Leverage was difficult to find in a place that operated by a food chain system and I was below everyone else.

My heels clicked against the floor, its sound nearly drowned out by the chaos of the student body. We were nearly at the main entrance of the school, nearly out of the mayhem when one by one, students started to come over to us.

"Love your shoes, Iridessa," one complimented, smiling at me for a split second before turning back to talk to her friends.

"Cute outfit!" said another.

"Amazing as usual, Iridessa!" A blonde winked, resting a perfectly manicured hand on my shoulder before walking right on by.

"Do you know these people?" Apollo wrinkled his nose, his eyes following after the last girl with confusion.

"Not in the slightest," I muttered under my breath. I pulled at my skirt nervously, hating how all of a sudden, all of their eyes were on me even when they weren't interacting with me. "I've suddenly become the center of attention. It wasn't as insane before."

"Did you change your hairstyle or something?" Apollo joked.

"Not that I know of."

"Isn't that what you wanted, though? To be the next Victoria Snow? The queen has been dethroned and the student body is just looking for her successor." He shrugged, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

I was about to reply, about to argue that having such a sudden bout of attention even though I had been dressing up differently for months already was unusual. However, before I could, a voice had risen about the others, my name on the speaker's lips.

The crowd parted for him as if he were a god, allowing him to weave easily through the mass. Jacob made his way over, expression a little more friendly as compared to what I was used to. On the other hand, Apollo, who had set eyes on who it was that stopped me, placed an arm protectively over my shoulder. He pulled me closer to his body, grip tightening the nearer Jacob got.