A/N: Here we go with another chapter! I forgot to add a part in the last chapter, so I have to put it in the beginning of this one, meaning this chapter will be split into two parts. Sorry!
Review Reply to Gamergirl: I've always imagine Clay and Apollo marathoning old sci-fi shows and movies, especially with all of the references Apollo makes in his game and DD, haha. And yep! His new Daddy inspired him, hehe. I love Maya.
Alright, here's the first part of this chapter! There is no time jump between the last chapter and this.
…
Chapter Nine: A New Life (Part Two)
The next few months saw me continuing to perform at the Wonder Bar, about twice a week. On my days off, I would either hang out with Clay, who began taking me to the Cosmos Space Station (he wanted to be an Astronaut. Go figure), or hanging out with Nick and Trucy.
…
"-ollo. Apollo," a voice called, a hand on my back giving me a gentle shake. I buried my head deeper into my arms with a soft groan.
"No…" I muttered, only to receive a chuckle in response.
"Apollo, I can't carry you, and you really shouldn't sleep at the desk."
I finally lifted my head and blinked a few times, looking around. I was sitting in the living room, at the desk, where the dinosaur computer was. On the screen was a series of newspaper articles. Finally, I turned to the person shaking me awake.
"Daaaad," I groaned, rubbing my eye. "I was fi—" I cut off as Nick hugged me tightly.
"Um…"
"That's the first time you called me 'Dad'," he said.
"Really? Oh… I guess it was," I mumbled. And… that's how I felt. Since learning about his determination and drive for his clients and especially his friends, I've come to admire him. Even trust him… and love him.
Like a father.
"So, what are you looking at?" he asked, looking at the computer screen.
"Oh, uh…" I quickly tried to close out of the webpage, but he caught my hand on the mouse.
"'Zak Gramarye'?" He clicked through the pages. "'Thalassa Gramarye'?" Another page. "'Justice 2004'. Apollo… are you researching your family?" Dad asked. I fiddled with one my spikes.
"More like… investigating…" I admitted. With a sigh, I dropped my hand. "I… need to know a few things."
"Such as?" Dad asked curiously, crouching next to the desk chair to be on the same level as me.
"Well, one, where the hell did Zak go?' I started, ticking them off on my fingers. "More about my biological father. Grandfather never really let Mom talk about him. And finally… what happened to Mom."
"Apollo… Thalassa Gramarye died in an accident," Dad said, his voice gentle. I looked up at him, hesitating slightly, before sighing, shaking my head.
"No, she didn't. Grandfather made it seem that way, but… that same day, I overheard Grandfather saying he would cover it up and send her away." I put a hand to my cheek, that backhand still stinging slightly when I thought of it, even years later. "I… I confronted him the night he died." I dropped my eyes to my lap, unable to meet his.
"You… did?"
"Yes. And when he said 'Thalassa Gramarye is dead'… his eye twitched. It was an unconscious tell, which meant he was lying. Our Mom is still alive. I just… don't know where."
"Wow…" Dad seemed speechless for a moment, before I felt his arm drape around my shoulders.
"Well, going this way, you're probably not going to find much," he said. I chuckled weakly.
"Probably not. It's such broad search terms, and I'm not good with computers," I admitted, making Dad laugh more.
"I'll talk to a few of my connections. Maybe they can look into it, okay?" he offered. I nodded, watching as he closed the web pages. "Now you should get some sleep, young man," he said in a mock, stern voice.
"Yes, Dad," I said with a grin, standing and heading towards my room. I stopped at the door. "Goodnight, Dad. I… I love you," I said with a smile. He looked surprised for a moment, before smiling warmly back.
"G'night, kiddo. I love you too."
…
A/N: Alright, here's the end of the last chapter! Below is the next chapter! Here we go! This one jumps forward three years, so Apollo is 18, Trucy is 11.
…
Chapter Ten: College
Three Years Later
"Are you sure about this, Apollo? You know Ivy University isn't that far away. You could just commute," Dad said as I carried my last bin to Clay's car. I laughed.
"Dad! I don't have a car. How can I commute? Besides, by living on campus, that'll free up some of the financial burdens on you and Trucy. Plus, I paid the deposit for it months ago," I said.
"Don't talk my roomy out of living on campus!" Clay protested, slinging an arm around my shoulders, and we both laughed.
"Say cheese!" Trucy said, getting a photo before either of us could react. I just laughed more, until Trucy pouted at me.
"Polly, you're not wearing your cape or hat," she said. I looked down at the red jacket with the white shirt underneath that I was wearing, paired with a pair of jeans and sneakers.
"Yeah, 'Polly,' where are they?" Clay asked teasingly, quirking an eyebrow at me.
"They're packed. Geez." I patted the bin I had just carried out. Besides, I don't want to stand out like a freak my first day on campus…
Dad sighed, holding up a bag with a Mr. Hat charm hanging on it. "Don't forget your bag," he said. I took it, studying the charm.
"This is new…"
"I made it for your!" Trucy said with bright eyes. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," I said with a smile, putting the bag in the car as well and hugging Trucy tightly. "Thanks, Squirt."
"I'm not a Squirt!"
"Well, I guess that's everything," I said, glancing back at the car. Dad hugged me tightly.
"Guess so. You'll visit?"
"Of course."
"And we can visit?"
"Yes, Dad."
"You'll be good? And careful?"
A groan from me. "Yes, Dad."
"Good. Stay away from girls you meet in the Courthouse Library. And the Pharmaceutical building."
"Huh?"
"Nothing," he said, flashing me a grin as he released me. I looked at him curiously, but he didn't say anything more, so I shrugged, waving to him and Trucy as I climbed into the car.
…
Ivy University wasn't that far from home, but with Los Angeles traffic, the ride took about an hour. In that hour, Clay and I discussed theories for the newest season of Professor Who and what the next Galaxy Wars movie might be about. We then belted out songs we knew that came on the radio, acting like total dorks, until finally, we reached the school.
Ivy U was huge. There were older students everywhere, directing the flow of traffic towards the correct dorms, and that took another half hour before we finally reached North Hall, our dorm building.
"And so, it begins," Clay said as he parked the car. I grinned back.
"Let's make it count."
…
The movies and all weren't lying when they said that college girls were better then high school girls. Honestly, I never got a date back in high school, so Clay made it his personal mission to get me one in our freshman year.
It was almost amusing.
"Come on, Apollo, you can at least try. She's cute, right?" Clay said. A few moments ago, he had invited two girls over to eat lunch with us in the dinning hall, having a huge crush on the one. We were now in line for food, the girls having gone to the salad bar.
"Well, yeah, but still. I don't know," I muttered.
"Pooooooolly…" he whined, prompting a groan from me.
"Clay, she didn't even seem remotely interested in me," I replied.
"That's because you sat there like a lump on a log. Woo her, dude! Come on, please? I want to go on a double date! And if you're alone, then it's just a plain ol' date with an awkward third wheel."
"That poetic. Who is that, Shakespeare?" I asked, earning a punch in the arm.
"Please, Apollo?"
"Alright, alright, fine, I'll… 'woo' her," I said. Clay grinned
"Good!"
When we returned to the table, the girls were already there. One of them smiled warmly at Clay, while the other stayed interested in her plate of lettuce.
"Hey. Name's Apollo. You?" I said, trying to act smooth.
"Jennifer," she said. I nodded.
Cool. One word answers. Now what?
I started to fall quiet, unsure of where to go, when I felt Clay's foot hit my leg, causing me to jump slightly and give him a dirty look. He didn't even look at me, and I sighed softly, looking back at Jennifer. Time to do the one thing I know best.
"Hey Jennifer. Want to see a magic trick?"
Next thing I knew, ice water was thrown in my face.
…
I wearily eyed the house we were walking towards. It was clearly student housing, as run down as it was, and there was flashing lights from every window, coupled with pounding music.
"Now this is a party," Clay said with a grin, Sarah, his girlfriend on his arm. I smiled weakly at him before looking over at my own girlfriend, Jennifer. Once she realized I was serious, and not making a dirty come on, we hit it off pretty good.
"Hopefully it doesn't get busted," Sarah mused.
"Yeah. That would be kind of bad for your law career," Jennifer agreed, looking at me, laughter in her voice.
"And probably my life, where Dad's concerned," I added, walking in.
The party, thrown by one of the fraternities on campus, was wild. There was hardly any room to move between the dancing people, and I could hardly hear myself think of the pounding base of the music.
I could also smell alcohol, which made me a little uneasy, considering the four of us were still eighteen.
"You okay?" Clay shouted in my ear. I turned to his.
"Not sure we should be here!" I yelled back.
"We just won't drink!" Clay replied, giving me a thumbs up with a wink. I hesitated before smiling slightly, nodding. He thumped me on the back, and we waded through the people.
Once I got to dancing, I did start having fun. I was even able to forget about the alcohol… until I saw Sarah and Jennifer with beers. Dread clawed at me as I searched around for Clay, relaxing only when I spotted him talking to a few of his classmates, holding a bottle of water.
I started towards the girls, hoping to stop them before they got drunk or something, when another guy walked over, flirting with Jennifer. Jealousy flared up in me, and I quickly shoved through the people, only to get there just as they kissed.
"HEY!" I yelled, grabbing the guy's arm. It almost felt like holding a grapefruit, and when he pulled back to look at me, I realized it was one of the frat guys.
"You got a problem?" he demanded.
"Y-yes," I said. "You're making out with my girlfriend!"
"Oh really?" he smirked at me. "And what's a runt like you going to do about it?"
"Nothing, he's going to do nothing," Clay was suddenly at my side, holding my wrist tightly before I could punch the guy. "Apollo, come on, lets just leave," he said, pulling me through the crowd. I seethed, but let him do so.
"Why'd you do that?" I demanded once we were down the street from the frat house.
"Because she wasn't worth you getting beat to a pulp. Was she?" he asked. I sighed.
"No. But her doing that still hurts…"
"I know," Clay said, wrapping an arm around me. "Come on, let's go get ice cream and watch Universe Trek."
…
Part of the college experience, I learned the hard way, was playing pranks. I had been out late one night, studying in the library. Clay had went back to the dorm room ages before me, and since it was after eleven, I couldn't help but wonder if he was asleep.
I carefully unlocked the door and peeked in. It was dark, and there was a lump on Clay's bed. Smiling, I came further in placed my stuff on the bed, deciding to get a drink before getting ready to go to sleep myself.
In the mini-fridge was a pitcher of orange juice that I made earlier. Pulling it out, I poured a glass and took a huge gulp…
…Only to spit it back out.
"The hell!?" I demanded, looking at the pitcher. It didn't taste at all like orange juice. Instead it was vaguely… cheesy.
The lump that was Clay started shaking, and I realized he wasn't asleep at all. He was laughing.
"Clay!" I yelled, jumping on him.
"GAH!" he yelped, before laughing as I gave him a noogie. Finally, I released him, and he smirked.
"How was your orange juice?" he asked innocently.
"Jerk," I muttered, looking around. In his trashcan, I spotted a box of stove top mac and cheese. The noodles were still there, but the cheese pack was suspiciously empty.
"Ew." I looked over at Clay. "I will get you back for this."
A few days later, I got my revenge. Clay was out, doing group work with a few friends from a class. I was sitting at my desk, reading one of my many law books, headphones in, though not playing music.
Finally, I heard the door open, meaning he had returned. I didn't look up as he spoke, keeping up the impression that I was listening to music.
My eyes had frozen on the page though, as I listened to him move around behind me, until finally, he sat in his desk chair.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOONK
"GAH!" Clay yelled, jumping up. I finally turned, pulling my headphones out.
"Geez, Clay, if you're going to be so loud, maybe I should go to the library," I said innocently, suppressing the grin that wanted to spread across my face at my roommate's face. It was white, with huge eyes, and he was breathing heavily, staring at his desk chair like it was possessed. He looked at me, then at the chair again, and began to inspect it as he calmed down.
The grin finally broke when he saw the source of the loud noise.
I had duct tapped an air horn just below his seat, close enough for his weight to make it go off. He looked up at me as I started laughing.
"Apollo!" he yelled, diving at me.
…
A/N: And the end of this chapter! I wanted to show a few snapshots of college life for the boys. Needless to say, they kept each other on their toes with this little prank war, but were there for each other when it counted!
Apollo's outfit is his DLC from Dual Destinies, by the way.