Night and Day

The Note

I sit there shocked at what Jake just said. I don't know what to think about that.

"Y-You what?" I ask trying to make sense of it.

"I like you, Artemis, and it's ok if you don't like me back," Jake says in a rush. Zoë has her mouth open in shock.

"No, no I like you too, Jake, but I'm just shocked because I didn't think I would ever be loved by anyone but my brother," I say, and Apollo rolls his eyes.

"Artemis there are plenty of people who love you besides me," Apollo says.

"Sure doesn't seem like it," I say.

I look at Zoë, then Apollo, and then my eyes land on Jakes eyes. I do something I might regret later, but whatever, I run over to Jake and pull him out the door, and shut it behind us.

"Jake are you seriously in love with me?" I ask him.

"Yes, I am," he says back.

"Since when?" I ask.

"Since this morning, in History," he says.

"Jake, I need to tell you something and DON'T tell Apollo or anyone ok?" I tell him.

"Ok, what is it?" he asks.

"This afternoon, at school when I went to the bathroom and got beat up and everything, it was all because you and Apollo let me hang with y'all, and I told them that Apollo is my brother, and you're his best friend, but that only made them madder. Grace will just get even madder if she sees us together, don't get me wrong, I love you, Jake, I really do, but what if Grace sees us together, and her, Leah, Lily, and Ava make up something about us, that could ruin your whole High School career and not to mention your popularity, are you really willing to possibly destroy all of that for me, because I know for a fact, that's what they'll do, they do it to anyone who hangs around me, just ask Zoë, they destroyed her Junior High life," I say tearing up, and my voice breaking.

"Artemis I don't care about that, I don't even care about being popular all I care about is you," he tells me, pulling me into a hug.

"Jake I like you too but I don't want to be the reason that your high school career gets ruined," I say.

"But Artemis I don't care about that," he tells me.

"Jake I'm sorry but can we just be friends?" I ask him.

"Sure," he says.

Jake smiles. When we walk back into the house, Apollo is talking to Zoë, and they see us.

"What are y'all talking about?" I ask.

"Nothing," Zoë says.

The next day
When I wake up for school the next day, I get dressed, and me and Apollo leave for school.

We arrive at school an hour early, and so did Jake and Zoë, and me and Apollo walk over to them.

"Hey guys," I say.

"Hey Artemis, Hey Apollo," Jake says.

"Hey how about we go sit at one of the picnic tables," Jake says, and we all agree, so we go and sit down me and Zoë on one side of the table and Apollo and Jake on the other.

We sit here for thirty minutes and I feel something hit me in the back of the head, when I turn around, I look on the ground and see a crumpled up piece of paper. I uncrumple it, and it's a note.

Artemis,
We warned you, to not be around Apollo or Jake, so now your life is going to be miserable from here on out.
-Leah and Grace