* * *
She had just moved to New York with her entire family in tow. Dad had received a promising job at a law firm up there, but it had been anything but a step forward for Morgan. It wasn�t that the kids there were mean to her; in fact, she had made a couple of girlfriends within a few weeks. The thing was that Morgan just didn�t blend in quite right, like the mysterious puzzle piece that refuses to fit anywhere you place it . Just by appearance alone, Morgan stood out. Dark brown hair, tan skin, eyes like the night desert sky, and last but not least, a mouth full of metal that covered her teeth like rusted railroad tracks as compared to the rest of the strawberry blonde, shimmering blue-eyed, straight-teethed student body.
It was 6th period. Chemistry. Something about stoichiometry and excited carbon ions. She hadn�t really been paying much attention, but rather had focused herself on counting the number of tiles that lined the lab room floor, while occasionally staring at the wall clock. It was when Morgan had reached her 237th tile that she noticed the guy sitting to the left of her. It was the first time she had really looked at him. Slightly slouched down, but scribbling in his notebook nonetheless. Messy spikes of gelled brown hair, the same color as hers, with a pair of deep set chestnut eyes and flawless, golden skin. He was cute to say the least.
�Staring is a terrible habit, you know?� He smiled at her, the glow of his eyes shining into hers, almost enough to light every crevice of the classroom.
Morgan could feel her mouth curve into a smile, returning the favor. �Yeah. Sorry. I�m just extremely bored in this class.�
�Don�t worry, same here.� He paused. �My name�s Apolo.�
�Apolo?� Morgan couldn�t help but snicker. �I�m sorry. Again. That was rude of me.�
�Nah, that�s alright. I get that a lot during introductions.�
�It�s a cool name. It is. Really. Out of the ordinary, but I guess that what�s makes it special. I�m Morgan by the way.�
�Nice to meet you, Morgan.� He stuck out his hand and this time, grinned wider, revealing the blue and green brackets of his own braces.
Morgan, for the first time since arriving in Lake Placid, smiled with her mouth open, letting the fluorescent light reflect off her railroad tracks. �Nice to meet you, too.� All it took was one look at each other, and both of them struggled to muffle their laughs.
Apolo scooted his desk closer to Morgan�s, so close that their shoulders nearly touched. �Do you even understand what�s going on in this class?� Apolo whispered.
�Not a clue,� replied Morgan, shaking her head.
�Yeah, chemistry�s a very funny thing��
Morgan nodded. �Yes, it sure is. Just the smallest spark can set off a chain of reactions.�
* * *
7:29. Okay, that�s it, I�m getting out of here. I wouldn't wait for any other man this long. Why should Apolo be any different? Morgan sighed. Because he's my Apolo. However, he is still late and I'm sick of waiting. Yes, screw it. Morgan grabbed her denim jacket off the back of her chair and swiped her purse from the empty chair adjacent to hers. Standing up, Morgan sighed heavily, while flinging a few crumpled dollar bills onto the table. �Fuck Apolo,� she cursed under her breath as she pulled her hair back into a hasty bun.
�Whoa baby, slow down. We�ll get to that after dessert.�