Project Apollo: Book Two ✔️

Chapter Twelve

Jason Archer

Apollo walked out of the house, likely against his will, but he still did. It was the first time I'd seen him since my Mom showed up yesterday. I hid in my room with Axton for most of the night. Emery came to check on me during that time, wordlessly wondering why Axton was willingly in my room, but not mentioning it. But I didn't leave after that. I was emotionally drained, and I couldn't put forth the effort to engage in conversation.

I continued wrapping the Christmas lights I'd just untangled around my arm to prepare them for Matao to put on the house. Apollo's gaze found mine, and that was all it took for him to cross the yard. Yeah, I still couldn't process that we knew each other. Did either of us remember it? Well, I sure didn't. I doubted he remembered either.

"It's fucking cold out here," Apollo grumbled. "Mom said you'd need my help."

I looked at the lights I was unraveling. "I mean, I'm not in any kind of emergent predicament here."

Still, Apollo grabbed another twisted strand of lights and started untangling them. He was silent. I saw the exhaustion in his eyes as he focused on his task. It didn't matter what anyone did, he was going to drop into his depression. It was he who had to pull himself out of it.

The most I could do was offer friendly conversation. Except, I had no fucking idea what to say to him. Did I explain why I ran out of the room like someone burned me? Explain my apparent temper tantrum? Well, I was most certainly not going to bring up...

"So, we were friends when we were kids."

...when we were kids. Okay. We were going to talk about this. Seemed insignificant, in my opinion. Not when I didn't have any memory of it. "We did, I guess." I chuckled as I rolled my shoulder, causing the strand of lights to fall. Damn it. I was already sore from this task. "I don't remember it. At all. But it seems this world keeps getting smaller."

Apollo nodded, tearing the lights away from another strand. "I kind of remember it. Not...really. But there is a bit of memory there."

"I figured. We were kids. Not really significant now, though, right?"

I hated how my question slipped in without my permission. It was like I wanted to know if he cared about the information. Maybe it wasn't fair considering I had no prior memory of him before meeting him outside the coffee shop in town. I felt like I was a child–desperate to know if the boy I had a...connection with...cared about that connection.

"Significant enough for me." I froze halfway to grabbing the lights from the ground as he continued. "I wasn't a trusting child either, Jason. I trusted you back then. At least I can tell my instincts aren't fucking me over."

I stared at him as I stood up with the lights, holding them instead of doing the job I'd been given. "Axton said you trusted me." Nope, whoops. That probably wasn't a good idea to mention. "Well, I mean, he was just..."

Apollo chuckled as he removed his attention from the lights and gave it to me. Damn it. His eyes should be memorable. "Ace tells me everything, Jason. I already knew he told you. It's fine. It's not some big secret. Mama told me I gatekept you when we were kids."

Shocked, I asked. "You asked your Mom about it?" And then. "I'm sorry, you gatekept me?"

He laughed at my confusion. "She told me that Axton was jealous of how I wanted to hang out with you instead of him, apparently. And I wouldn't let him be your best friend because you were mine." There was a smile on his face that oddly reached his eyes despite his lingering depression. "I don't remember it at all, but it's kind of funny."