�I can�t find him right now,� shouted Morgan over the raucous music and screaming. �But let�s go look around for awhile.�
Lauren and Morgan slowly made their way through the living room and toward the patio entrance. The sweltering heat of the different bodies getting up on one another seemed to rise to the ceiling and linger, leaving the a sauna-like aura to fill the house. The cold breeze sweeping in through the screen door connecting the patio beckoned the both of them nearer.
�Dude, is that him?� Lauren handed Morgan a bottle of Evian from the cooler as she pointed towards the corner to a bunch of flushed jocks.
�Which one?�
�The one with the blonde hair and broad shoulders. Ooo, look at him dance. Those arms. That ass. Damn.�
Morgan laughed. �Okay, that�s for sure not J.J. I don�t have a blonde fetish, remember?�
�Well, good,� uttered Lauren, taking a gulp of the refreshing water. �Cause that stiffy beneath his pants is beckoning to me. Do you mind?�
�Not at all. Swoop in.�
�You sure you�ll be alright?�
�Yes, I�ll be okay, Mom.� Morgan rolled her eyes as she pressed the perspiring bottle to her glistening chest.
�Fine, call me when you see J.J. now!� Lauren flipped her reddish hair and pulled down her low-rise jeans to her pelvic bone, working her way toward her godly conquest.
�Hot in here, isn�t it?�
�Yeah.� Morgan refused to turn to the voice looming behind her as her eyes scanned the blurred faces in front of her for J.J. Or Apolo. She hadn�t thought about seeing him since the drive over. It should�ve saddened her, but surprisingly, there were no feelings of regret to contemplate.
�So, you wanna take off all your clothes?�
Morgan spun around and her furrowed brow quickly relaxed into an easy smile. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and sighed.
�Hey Apolo, you sexy thang you.�
�And hello to you too, Gorgeous.� He wrapped his arms around her sticky body, then kissed her softly on the cheek. The taste of salt mulled on his taste buds, yet somehow, he didn�t seem to mind at all.
�Who�s this?� asked Morgan, gesturing to the petite girl embracing his waist. As if I don�t already know. C�mon Morg, you can be nice for 2 minutes of the night.
�This is Sarah, my girlfriend. Sarah, this is Morgan. She�s a good friend of mine from New York, you know, the one I was telling you about the other day.�
�You talk about her all the time, Apolo,� she remarked, emphasizing each syllable of his name, the sound of it like metal ricocheting off her tongue. �It�s a pleasure.�
�Same here.� Morgan offered her hand almost as if it were a symbol of civility and peace. A small bout of anger and shame enveloped her as Sarah stared blankly at her bland and bitten nails. Morgan bit down on her lip, trying to distract herself from what she thought was a smirk.
Morgan seemed to be all Apolo talked about lately, and it pissed the hell out of Sarah. If she had to hear him say her name again, she swore there would be some serious ass-whooping. From his anecdotes and stories, Sarah knew from the get-go that Morgan was trouble. The teeny boppers didn�t bother her; she could fend them off easily with merely one sharp glare. However, Morgan was different. She wasn�t going to put up with her shit and scaring tactics. But Sarah had worked too hard and long to make this relationship work. It gave her a rush to see the Apolo Anton Ohno beg to cross her bases. And Sarah wasn�t going to let some brainy, clumsy skank steal her prized Apolo. She glanced over Morgan�s linen shirt and faded jean capris. Piece of chocolate cake.
�Uh�umm�oh!� Apolo exclaimed, desperately trying to break the tension. �Sarah, Deanna was looking for you earlier, I think she�s in the kitchen if you want to��
�Apolo, stop being so rude. I didn�t even get to talk to Morgan yet, and I would love to chat with her for awhile. The best friend and girlfriend are meant to get along.� A smile crawled across Sarah�s ruby lips, searching for a topic of discussion as Apolo squirmed in his jeans. Morgan had a feeling it wasn�t from the heat.