Jackie: You SHOULD! You gotta get a picture of that. I mean, how often does a city give you your own billboard?
Apolo: I know
Jackie: That is cool. Now are you dating anybody?
Apolo: Uhhhh.. you know it�s� definitely I mean with short track and being at the games, it's real hard to keep it real steady, you know what I mean?
Jackie: So you sorta have a girlfriend but it's been real hard to see her lately?
Apolo: Yeah
Jackie: Gotcha. Is she pretty patient about it though?
Apolo: Yeah. A li'l bit
Jackie: He's so keeping mum on this whole thing. Are you trying to keep your options open Apolo?
Apolo: Yeah!
�Oh my GOD! He has a girlfriend you guys!�
�But he said he�s keeping his options open�.He�s only six years older than us, and my parents� friend�s cousin is twelve years apart from her husband, so we like, totally have got a good chance.�
�I hope his girlfriend�s a bitch, because, you know, that makes her easier to hate.�
�I bet you are sooo way cuter than she is, Angie.�
�I think we�re probably all totally prettier than she is. Once Apolo sees us, it�ll be bye bye to Miss Apolo snatcher!�
�We�ll all have to share him.�
The girls� screamed out in giggles as they lectured String Bean for the sexual suggestion.
By this point, Morgan could not keep a straight face as she watched the girls analyze Apolo�s every word. They had moved on from the girlfriend trip and were now discussing whose mom would be willing to take them down to Mercer to get a picture of the billboard. Not wanting to interrupt their plans, Morgan quietly placed her headphones back on, and took off down the beaten path.
She stopped and turned around when she heard the girls� high-pitched scream echo over her mp3s. There was Apolo, exiting the radio station, swarmed with not only the five girls from the park, but many more. It was hard to tell what was going on between all the commotion, and Morgan strained her eyes to watch the mobbing. Some were grabbing at his chain while others were tugging on his shirt, jeans, hell even his hair. None of them seemed to give a damn that the rain was still pouring down on them; for them to touch Apolo, talk to him, or get his autograph was well worth it. As his security guard got him past the crowd, she noticed that he whispered something to him, and then disappeared from the station parking lot. Only the guard remained, quickly dispersing the rowdy crowd of girls.
Wiping the water away from her face, she surveyed the area for Apolo. He was nowhere to be seen. Had he forgotten to meet her? Suddenly, out of the bushes from her left, she watched him bound out into the main clearing of the park. Morgan smiled as she saw him brush the leaves and twigs out of his hair. She felt herself get a tad bit wet, and it wasn�t just from the rain. His shirt stuck to his wet skin, revealing his toned and muscular upper half while the steady drops of water dripped down his face down to his neck. He ran his fingers through his thick, brown hair as his eyes searched for hers. Damn.
Feeling her gaze on him, Apolo finally spotted Morgan some yards away. He jogged toward her, careful not to trip on his jeans. She rolled up the sleeves on her hoodie and breathed in deeply. The wind chill factor mingled with the heavy rain felt nice against her sweltering body. Morgan pulled the rubber band out of her hair and let the tendrils roll down her back.
�Hey. How�ve you been?�
Morgan rested the headphones around her neck. �Well, these last four days without you have been hell. And you?�
�Same here. You know, saying that we�ll be friends is different from actually doing it. Doing it means spending time together, not avoiding each other.�
Morgan nodded, spotting the gaggle of five girls curiously staring in their direction, wondering if that guy could be�
�Yeah, I know. That�s why I wanted to talk to you. I�ve missed you. Dreadfully. And you know, I�ve been thinking about this whole thing, and I�ve come to one conclusion. You�re a huge part of my life and whenever you�re not around, I feel as if I�m empty and incomplete. I�m tired of being empty. I�m tired of agonizing night after night about our status as friends. And you�re here only a little while longer. So you know what? Screw it all.�
Morgan wrapped her arms around Apolo�s neck as she leaned in to kiss him. The warmth of his salty lips and the cold drops of rain that rattled the trees and fell down upon their two bodies was enough to beat out any lightning bolt illuminating the sky that morning. He tasted her mouth with such passion, his hands running through her damp hair, then brushing away the droplets from her face. Neither could have asked for more, not even the bewildered looks and high-pitched screams of teenie boppers in the near distance.