Pretty Girls

CHAPTER 5

A/N:

Thought that I might give an early update since I have the next chapter done already. Hope you like it.

Thoughts on the new cover?

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CHAPTER FIVE

I WASN'T TOO sure how long it had been, me just sitting there semi-under the rain, but there came a creak of the door opening from behind me. I could feel the warmth of Apollo's body just radiating towards me as he sat right on the dirty porch, elbows resting on his knees as he smacked his lips together a few times. From the corner of my eye, I could vaguely see the piercing blues of Apollo's eyes glancing over at me, scanning me over for a few mere seconds before he sighed.

"Am I allowed to ask why you are sulking down here in the rain instead of sitting in the shelter like a normal human being would?"

I wanted to say 'no'. I wanted to deny Apollo the satisfaction of receiving an answer. Truly, I did. But then again, I was also a girl that had not had a proper friendly interaction in years and loneliness was a scarring sickness. It left a wedge in my heart and made me more afraid of never being able to find someone to talk to again.

So I answered.

"The rain has calming properties. It soothes my mind and allows me to think. Sort of like having shower thoughts," I replied, still staring far away into the distance as a red car zoomed by on the streets. "That and also the fact that I had twisted my ankle and I am unable to walk back home from here."

"Shit," Apollo cursed under his breath.

There came another thump as Apollo got to his feet, towering greatly over my seated figure. When he reached down, his hands slipped under my knees, the other supporting me from my rib. Just like that, I was hoisted into his arms and off the ground, my eyes widening with horror at the sudden abrupt action. I yelped, hands immediately moving to wrap around Apollo's neck as I held on for dear life. He paid no attention to my discomfort, simply striding into the house before kicking the door shut behind him when we were finally in.

To give him credit, he laid me down on the living room couch as gently as he could before taking off my soaked shoes and flinging them at the door. Before I could even slip in a question or a simple conversation starter, Apollo had disappeared into the kitchen without another word.

Even though he had pulled up this bad boy façade for the entirety of the world to see, Apollo Hunt had proved that he was more than what met the eye. He was portrayed as a criminal in the eyes of the news, the cause of many great scandals and illegal acts but he also made it so that no one stopped to assess if those were, in fact, the truth. Apollo had no responsibility for my wellbeing; he was not my friend when we had first unofficially met and yet he cared for my injuries instead of leaving me on the road to die should another vehicle drive past my unconscious body. Why would someone want to hide the caring side of themselves?

'It is a defense mechanism,' a voice inside of my head reminded me. 'You are like this yourself, aren't you? You close yourself off so desperately just because you are afraid of letting someone in. The both of you are just two halves of one tortured soul, left to face the brunt of society. And by a stroke of miracle, those two halves finally met.'

How true it was. I wanted to desperately to fit in with the 'it' crowd. I wanted to be popular, I wanted to be liked, to have friends and be adored. I wanted to be in Victoria Snow's little gang, to have people stare and gawk at me whenever I walked past as if I were a living goddess among simple mankind. I wasn't satisfied with just observing from the sidelines, hidden in plain view. The world spun without stopping, never waiting, and thus I was left behind and alone.