Loving Apollo

Loving Apollo: C for Catherine

Word about a handsome new student quickly got around. He had accumulated a great deal of attention from the entire student body and it wasn't until lunch when I finally saw him. The glorious blue-eyed stud even the school nurse, Sheila, was talking about. There was never really any expectation for me every morning when I get to school. It was just me, myself, and a bunch of students I hang out with. A parking lot brawl or Sarah Jane's rumors was pretty much the most exciting thing I waited for every day.

Until I met his eyes halfway across the student's lounge when the jocks were tapping his back and surrounding him with praises. They were the bluest pair I've ever seen. News was he got in the football team as the new starting quarterback as soon as he tried out. Quarterback fitted him. Although he dressed like some businessman on a holiday trip in some cabin on the countryside with his cream collared cardigan, simple jeans, his stance showed he was confident. He was proud and that was what distinguished him from the others. He was a man. Not some school boy. I looked away from our stare.

It slightly terrified me, looking at him. He was shining this very bright light and it was hard to look at him as well as to resist looking at him. I lined up for bacon and cheese fries at The Pie - my favorite snack bar at the lounge. And suddenly, I felt someone behind me.

Having someone behind you on a line was one thing. But having someone behind you who radiated that kind of bright energy was downright different. It made my heart stop and then speed up immediately and suddenly, I was bereft of coherent thoughts. It was like being hit by this blast of energy that stripped me off of mobility and comprehension—and I knew... I knew it was him. The new guy.

"Hi." He said in this low, velvety voice that was barely above a whisper, his distance barely inches from me.

I pretended not to have heard him. Just then and there I had a list of things that could go wrong jotted down in my mind if I turned around and faced him. Instead of looking at him, I went on with the line and took my wallet out, disregarding his greeting with all my might.

"I know you heard me." He said in the same velvety voice. I could hear a bit of tease in his words. "It's alright if you don't look."

My eyes widened and I froze on my spot. I could feel life slipping out of my frigid body. His accent was thick, but mellow. Like his words were covered in chocolate but like really, really dark and thick chocolate.

"I just felt compelled to allow myself to come up here and talk to you." He continued.

I walked a couple of steps towards the cashier as the line drew down, still denying him of acknowledgement.

"I'm Cal." He said, still in a soft voice, and then I felt his warm breeze of a breath at my neck. All the hair behind my neck stood up and I knew I was breaking a sweat. And then he slowly said. "And soon, you'll... be... mine. That, don't pretend you didn't hear."

And then he was gone.

Apparently, I was tremendously correct about the confident part.

It slightly terrified me when I found out that he was in all of my classes. There was zero chance of ever getting hundred percent same schedule with another student with the same class. It was completely surreal... And absurd. Yet it happened and we both had it. And the aftermath had been merciless.

The new student—Cal stared at me the entire time. Calculus, Physics, Accounting, Social Studies, Economics. He even offered to walk with me to Gym. He was always there. He was always staring; smirking... Always making his presence known and not even embarrassed about getting caught. It freaked me out. But at the same time, it felt chivalrous. Out of everyone, it was me who caught his eye. Weird as it may be, realizing that gave me some sense of consolidation.

It wasn't until a week after when he talked to me again. And by talked I meant grabbed and dragged me by the wrist through the woods.

It was sunny that day. The perfect kind of sunny; it wasn't too hot neither cold. I always thought the Gods made it so especially that day. Like some kind of special force was making sure nothing would go wrong. Everything was perfect, except I was being dragged by the wrist. We jogged past the tall trees, the ray of sunlight warning to farewell and it was as if Cal was chasing the sunset. This was the only day I decided to wear the yellow polka dotted summer dress Mom gave me for my birthday last year and I was already hauling myself. I remember feeling frightened but excited at the same time.

Halfway through, I was already panting. I was never really up to shape. I was always better at eating. And then we reached an opening - a clearing overlooking a cliff. The sun was on its way down and the sky was filled with pink and purple and azure hues. Every crook and crevices of the clouds splattered with its own shade, like a mural. And I found my breath stuck in my throat.

It was the most perfect thing I've ever seen. One of the most intricate memories I've had in my entire life.

"It's an afterglow. It's rare this time of day that's why I wanted to show you." Cal said, coming up behind me. He placed his nose against my head and then took a small whiff. I hoped I still smelled like my raspberry shampoo. His hands found their way onto my arms and instead of the cold ones I was envisaging, they were warm. Big, warm, soft hands.

I took a deep breath in before speaking. "It's wonderful."

And then I turned around to face him, a good three inches left between our faces. Cal had no reaction other than a soft smirk, but I knew it was genuine. Slowly, I took it upon myself to stand on my toes.

"I'm yours." I whispered before placing my lips softly against his. He was right. He told me soon, I was going to be his. This moment was soon. His confidence was richly deserved.

It was the most memorable day of my life. One of the simplest yet fulfilling day that I could never forget. Somehow, being dragged by Catherine right now felt a little like that moment with Cal. It was hard to explain, but there was this familiarity in her hold. The way she suddenly came up to me, bold and sure, and then dragging me away... It was hard not to be reminded of that day.

"Where are we going?" I asked Catherine, slightly catching my breath.

We were jogging at the side of the Prez' house, and then through their back garden, away from the throng of party people and into a darker part of the garden. We stopped at one lamp post and I tried to catch my breath.

Catherine stepped towards me and then placed her hand on my shoulder and then suddenly, I was no longer panting. Like my lungs were magically stuffed with oxygen and I felt fine.

"What did you just do?" I asked warily, taking a step back. "Why are we here Catherine?"

Catherine carefully looked around, and then placed her hands on my arms. "We can't be seen by her."

"By who?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

This woman was either insane or I was already drunk and hallucinating scenarios that could take me away from that throng of people. I'd be damned if it was the latter.

Catherine glanced around impatiently, like she was waiting for something to happen. Or someone to arrive. Could it be? Was she going to kidnap me? Was she waiting for their white get away van? The thought made my breath get stuck to my throat. I took a couple of wary steps back, eyeing a still pranced Catherine.

"Ariadne," she said, looking at me with a little ease running back to her system. "Have you-"

"Hey guys!" Bryan's voice called out as he appeared from my peripheral view, jogging from the Prez's house with three bottles of beer in his hands. "What are you doing here? I've been looking all over for you!"

Catherine smiled. "I was just showing Ariadne around."

Bryan seemed to have bought Catherine's little lie before handing us our drinks and leading us back into the society pool while I was left baffled about what just happened. What was that about? Catherine seemed to have a different, "invisible" pull on him and it was freaky. No woman has ever made him obey like that. It was usually the other way around. Many have tried to command him but some way, somehow, Bryan—using his charm and wits—would turn things around and it would be the girl doing the errand which was originally her command in the first place. Bryan was smart like that... devious even. But with Catherine, it was totally different.

Something was off about Catherine and I've never felt this kind of eerie ever since I found out Cal was the sun God.

The night went on like a recited poem. I failed to push the Catherine issue to the furthest back of my mind and it made the party more unbearable than I originally imagined it to be. Despite the boxing match Alex Salvann and Timmy Parker displayed across the Prez' living room and Alex flying through the foyer glass wall, the night was pretty bland.

Bryan found me at the back patio alone with my third bottle of beer. My surrounding had started to get blurry due to the rotating shots of whatever every thirty minutes they were passing around but the beer was finishing it off. This was the first time I'd be getting wasted without Cal to help me maintain my sangfroid.

"The ever calm and collected Ariadne." Bryan said as he plopped down at the deck couch beside me, hugging one of the throw pillows. "How is it that you get calmer the more you get drunk? And I know you're drunk now because you're so relaxed."

"I guess I should drink more often then, huh?" I replied, giving him a small smile.

He smiled for a while before his eyes started closing slowly, causing me to laugh. He was completely whacked yet he still have another bottle on his hand. Suddenly, he shook his head vigorously before waking back up.

"What were we talking about?" He asked, his words slightly slurry. "Ah yes. You, drunk, relaxed. You know, I wish you would just stop thinking about Cal."

My head snapped at his sudden change of gravity.

"He left, Ariadne." Bryan continued, straightening out his posture but also leaning back so that he was partly staring at the starry sky. "He asked you to marry him and then left. Who knows if he really meant that proposal? For all we know, it was just his way of breaking up with you. Once he realized that you were actually considering it, he bailed. We're eighteen for God's sake. Who gets married at eighteen?"

I couldn't tell Bryan about Cal being the Sun God, but what if even that was made-up? I'd look even more stupid that I already do. But who can explain Aphrodite coming up to me and threatening me? Yet another way to make me say no and not pursue him.

"Technically, I'm still seventeen." I said. "And who said anything about thinking about him?"

"Don't even think you could pretend with me, you little ninny." Bryan warned, pointing a finger at me before taking another sip of his beer. "I know we haven't been friends for that long but I know you... I know you've been trying hard to keep him off your mind, taking up all these extra-curricular and forcing yourself to go to these parties you barely went to before? But just do it—just forget him. Stop thinking about why he left or where he is right now or what he's doing. Just stop. Maybe that's all it takes."

Bryan was extremely concerned. He had been all along and I was too wrapped up in my own misery that I didn't notice him observing me. All those invites to the parties, and him tagging along with me on all those extra-curricular, even volunteering in the children center... that was his way of helping me occupy myself and move on.

"Thank you, Walters." I told him. "I wish I can... but I promise you, from now on, I'll try not to."

I sent him a smile and squeezed his arm, staring at his grey eyes. "I forgot how sweet you can be, Walters."

Bryan looked at me flatly. "I'm still gay, Ari."

Callie was nowhere to be found when Bryan and I were taking off from the party so we just left. She'd probably left already or were too busy for us. Bryan on the other hand wanted to stay with me and continue the party at our house since mom wasn't coming home until tomorrow night but his parents were on a business trip and his twin sisters had no one to look after them so he too bailed as well.

The driveway was dark when Bryan dropped me off. Mom must've forgotten to switch them on when she left this afternoon, which wasn't like her. She was the most afraid of the dark between us so maybe she had a lot on her mind today. I sighed as I went up the porch, memorizing every step and decorations of the place before switching the lights open.

As soon as I did, I saw a familiar figure lurking by the hammock swing at the corner and once I realized who it was, my heart fell on the floor.

"Cal?"