3-2: Monster

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"I heard she ran off with some random guy, and is in Las Vegas.

Wherever she is, I hope she stays there."

"That's not what I heard.

I heard she died and her parents are trying to cover it up."

Apollo rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, letting out a long, slow breath. The girls standing in the line in front of him were clearly caught up in more rumors of where Harpia really was. 

And he was more than sick of hearing all the speculation. 

"Can the two of you stop fucking gossiping and move the fuck forward in the line."

His voice was cutting, cold. They both looked over their shoulders at him, taking steps forward to close the gap to the check out line.

They bent their heads closer, talking in hushed voices.

"I heard he's the one who made her leave."

Apollo curled his hand into a fist at his side, stepping closer to the two of them. Vampire blood came with a few perks. Heightened hearing was one of them.

"I can still fucking hear you."

His tone increased in volume, almost a growl.

They glanced at him with wide eyes, putting distance where he had closed it. Whatever they had ordered was quickly forgotten as they dipped out of the line, rushing away in the opposite direction.

Hale sighed behind Apollo, watching them walk away.

"You gotta get over this. Or calm the fuck down about it. That's the third time today you've lost your shit and scared teenage girls."

Apollo followed his gaze and then shrugged a shoulder, tossing a bill on the counter when he reached it.

"People are fucking stupid."

The girl behind the counter handed him a bottle of water and he pushed past the guy next to the display a little too roughly.

Hale said something to his receding back, but he neglected to pay attention to whatever it was. This entire disappearing act was already old. Harpia could have at least fucking warned him. He was dealing with a fallout that wasn't even his.

Hale caught up to him a few minutes later, some random coffee in his hand.

Apollo raised an eyebrow, looking around the emptying hallway.

"You know, less cocaine, more sleep, and you wouldn't need that."

Hale lifted the cup to his lips and took a drink, making a loud slurping noise.

"I don't know, I think this might taste better than sleep."

Apollo chuckled, shaking his head.

"Alright, Hale. You're going to kill yourself."

They sat at the table they always did when classes ended, waiting for Blake to finally appear. Tomorrow was graduation and then all of this bullshit would be over. But Apollo couldn't help but think Harpia should be here for it.

"I'm already dead anyway, son."

The air between them grew quiet, and Paige's voice preceded their appearance.

"I'm really worried about her. She hasn't even texted me since she left. What if she's dead, Blake? What if something really bad happened to her?"

Apollo groaned, dropping his head against the surface of the table.

Hale laughed, but Apollo just let out a breath, his forehead still against the table. He despised Paige as it was, and of course she'd be talking about Harpia. He couldn't escape it.

Blake nudged Apollo's shoulder when he sat next to him, his eyebrow raised when Apollo looked up at him.

"Cheer up, Vampire. She'll be back."

Apollo leaned back in his seat, his grip increasing on the bottle so tightly that the lid popped off and water spilled onto the table.

"I don't even care. I just want people to stop fucking talking about her. For one day."

Blake let go of Paige's hand when she sat down, his eyes on the crushed water bottle Apollo had set on the floor.

"Clear indication that you don't care."

Paige sighed, her voice cutting off whatever Apollo's reply would have been.

"Just let him pretend.

 It's whatever anyway. She isn't here."

Paige looked worse for wear. Like she hadn't slept much. It would concern Apollo if he cared about her well being. But he was convinced they were all worrying for nothing. 

Harpia would show up at graduation, perfectly fine, with a story to tell.

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Apollo kicked the doors to the auditorium open with the heel of his shoe, pulling the stupid cap off simultaneously. He tossed it in the garbage can next to the door, his eyes scanning the crowds waiting outside. 

Harpia hadn't shown. And he had tried not to notice, but he had.

Blake pulled something out of his pocket, and the cap off too. He held it out, bringing the lighter in his hand to light. The material caught fire and Paige's voice spoke up over the chatter around them.

"What the fuck are you doing, Blake? We're on school grounds."

Blake tossed the burning cap into the trash can, and it continued to burn, catching Apollo's cap on fire too.

"What are they going to do? Suspend me?"

Paige stared at him for a second before taking her own off and tossing it on top of the other two. She'd graduated a year early, so she could graduate with her boyfriend. It had run her ragged, doubling up on classes, pushing herself. But Paige never let it show.

"You have a point. This stupid thing messed up my hair anyway."

Hale put his arms around Apollo and Blake's shoulders, watching the fire as it grew.

"Y'all looked adorable."

Apollo shrugged his arm off, pushing him away. He pulled the gown off and tossed it in the trashcan too, Blake and Paige following suit.

"Good fucking riddance to this place.

I'm so glad I never have to see any of these idiots again."

Paige pressed herself into Blake's side as she said the words. They all watched the flames, comfortable silence growing between them.

For once, Apollo agreed with his best friend's girlfriend.

He was done with this school, done with this town. 

He was always ready to leave, and now he had no reason to stay.

This band was going to be something, and he could feel it in his bones.

Something bigger than this place.

Apollo turned for the parking lot, clearing his throat.

"Alright. We need to practice."

Paige let out a loud sigh, her eyes dropping to the pavement.

"All you guys do lately is practice."

Apollo turned to face her, continuing to walk backwards as the others followed him.

"That's the thing about a band, Paige. 

You practice. You get better. You succeed."

Paige scowled at him, linking her fingers with Blake's.

"Shut up, Hunter. I know that. I just miss my best friends before you all became so serious about this."

Apollo narrowed his eyes, opening the door to his Challenger when he reached it.

"I've always been serious about this."

He leaned against the open door, looking at Hale and Blake in turn.

"You two coming or what?"

Hale and Blake exchanged a look, nodding once. Blake pulled Paige to the side, pressing a kiss to her lips and talking in a soft voice.

Hale took a pack of a cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting one and climbing in Apollo's passenger side. Apollo glanced at him, slamming the driver's door shut.

"Did you not bring your car?"

Hale shook his head, blowing smoke out the still open door.

"No. I walked. Which was a bad idea, because then the high wore off and I fell asleep in the chair while y'all were up there."

Apollo shook his head, turning the engine over.

"You're fucking losing it, Dalton."

Hale slammed the passenger door, nodding once.

"Already lost it, Hunter."

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The door to Apollo's bedroom opened and the last face he wanted to see entered. Rhea dropped onto his bed, poking him roughly in the side.

"Why the fuck are you in my room, Rhea?"

Apollo glanced at the red LED lights of his alarm clock, groaning. It wasn't even noon yet. He did not want to be awake. Especially awoken by his little brat sister.

"Your girlfriend is home! Mom and dad are downstairs talking about it right now."

She opened the door of his dresser and Apollo sat up quickly, slamming it shut milliseconds after she moved her hand.

"Harpia's back?"

Rhea nodded, a wide grin spreading over her face.

"Yes, your girlfriend is home. But from what I hear, she's not staying in the city."

Apollo shoved her off of his bed and onto the floor, getting to his feet. He was exhausted, and he just wanted to sleep.

But he wanted to know what the hell was going on more than he wanted that.

"Get the fuck out of my room, Rhea."

Rhea glared at him as she got to her feet, leaving the door standing wide open as she exited.

Apollo ran his hands over his face, grabbing a random t shirt off of the floor and pulling his shoes on.

When he was downstairs, the first thing he heard was Harpia's name in his father's voice.

"She was in Ohio. They took her car, and she's leaving sometime this week for Sparrow's sisters house."

Apollo entered the living room, looking back and forth between his tiny mother and his tall as fuck father.

They didn't even look like they belonged together, but they somehow clicked like two puzzle pieces. 

With no jagged edges. The only other place he'd heard of a love like that was in songs.

But at least there was proof the sappy shit existed. Even if it was few and far between.

Ryan watched him with careful eyes, but they had stopped talking. No more information was going to be given unless he asked for it.

And Apollo wasn't one to do that.

"Good morning, Apollo."

His mom's gentle voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he smiled at her.

"Yeah, I know, sleeping until noon. But it's actually eleven thirty, so I'm up early."

He backed up towards the front door as his mother laughed, pulling it open and exiting it before anyone could ask any questions.

He knocked softly on the O'Conners' door when he reached it, waiting with as much patience as he could. Which wasn't much. He didn't even know why he was standing there. What he would even say to Harpia when he saw her.

He heard footsteps on the other side, they grew closer to the door and he grew more apprehensive.

Harpia had left for a reason, what if that girl had actually been right? And she had left because of seeing him again.

He let out a breath as the door swung open, looking down into the bright teal eyes of Harpia's mother.

"Hey there, Apollo. It's been a while, what are you doing here?"

He tried his best not to look over her shoulder, but did it anyway. Lucian's face did not look anywhere near happy to see him. Like this was somehow his fault.

Shit, maybe it is.

He spoke with hesitance, his tone soft.

"I was just wondering if I could talk to Harpia for a minute."

Sparrow looked over at her husband, and Apollo couldn't read the look they exchanged.

"Er... I'm not so sure that's possible right now."

Apollo took a step away from the door, ready to accept what she had said and go back to his own house when Lucian spoke up.

"She's leaving in a couple of days. And I don't think she wants to talk to you."

Apollo turned back for the sidewalk, not even trying to come up with an answer to that.

He didn't know what he had done, but her reaction was akin to what he had expected in the first place.

He approached the front of his house, stopping right before he hit the concrete steps.

He tried to stop himself, but it never really worked. He slammed his fist so hard into the mailbox that the iron support bar snapped in two.

He walked back into the house, straight into the garage. He picked up his guitar and played until the hours ran together.

Until he forgot why he was playing in the first place.

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If I told you what I was
Would you turn your back on me?
And if I seem dangerous
Would you be scared?
I get the feeling just because
Everything I touch isn't dark enough
That this problem lies in me