"…So you don't mind?" Katie seemed concerned for Apollo.
"No, no, not at all. I'll pick them up after work today. About five?"
"Sure sweetie." The line went dead. He closed his cellphone and pushed it into the pocket of his trousers.
"What was that about?" Ema and Cass asked in unison.
"Oh
nothing…just Flynn and Roxie."
"It must be a shame to know
your dog has more action than you." Cass giggled.
"H-hey!" Apollo yelped.
"Good
luck for this morning." Ema seemed…distracted that
morning.
"Thanks Ema."
That morning was the start of Spencer's trial. The only problem was, Apollo wasn't sure who the victim actually was. His name was Kevin but Apollo couldn't match a name to his face.
"Um…Apollo."
Ema was about to wonder off to the prosecutor's lobby, yet she'd
just remembered something. "Can you meet me here? In the first
recess?"
"Of course I will Ema…" he watched as she ran
off.
"Time to get started…"
-x-x-
"Ah Fraulien." Klavier seemed to have a dark expression.
"Klavier." She kept her distance from him, but her expression was stern. "I want to talk to you, alone."
"Ja ok." He left the witnesses and made his way out into the hall with her.
"I want
to leave you." She was blunt about it, like Lana had said the night
before he'd be blunt with her if in the same situation.
"Excuse
me?"
"I'm breaking up with you fop."
"Nein
mien liebe, that's not happening."
"Yes it is." Ema
retorted.
"Nein."
He waited for a moment. "If we break up. I will be breaking us
up."
"Why!?" Then it dawned on Ema, his reputation. "Your
reputation?"
"Ja that's right." He tried to close the
distance between him and Ema but she was weary and stepped even
further back. "And I see no need to break up with you…ja?"
"I fucking hate you." She then ran off.
-x-x-
It was halfway through the trial, Cass was up to testify.
"State your name and occupation Fraulien."
"Hmph.
My name is Cassie Madigan; I am a fashion designer for my father's
company."
"Madigan…" The judge seemed to think for a
moment. "Mad Fashion?"
"That's right your honour. How do
you know about my father's company?"
"My niece…she's a
fan of the clothes you make."
"I'll be sure to tell my dad!"
She smiled.
As she finished her testimony she was asked about Apollo and Spencer's past.
"Well…the strange thing is…Apollo and Spencer hated each other." She seemed to be in deep thought. "I'd only met Apollo that same week…" She reached into her pocket. "I was making a video of Apollo at the time Spencer met him." She produced a video camera.
In the video, Apollo was practicing some karate, Spencer challenged him and failed miserably, eventually being kicked across the gym hall.
"After that, Spencer calmed down a little and accepted Apollo. Since then, me and the two boys have been the best of friends."
-x-x-
At the recess, as Apollo waited for Ema to appear, he was shocked to actually see Lana.
"Apollo."
Lana tapped Apollo on the shoulder. "I'm here instead of
Ema."
"Oh, ok." He sat down in front of the chair she had
taken. "What can I help you with?"
"Ema wanted to tell you
her feelings…I don't think she has the courage right now. Come to
my apartment tonight ok?"
"Alright."
The victim
had turned out to be the man who tried to have sex with the girl on
Spencer's front lawn. The next person to testify was the girl he
was trying to have sex with.
"My name is Cindy Lawson." She
glanced over Apollo. "I haven't got a job I'm afraid."
It was her who dropped the bombshell.
"You do realise…the lawyer was at the party too. Doesn't that make him a witness?" The glares that were shot Apollo's way made him feel like he was being assaulted.
"Were you at the party Mr Justice?" The judge silenced everyone.
"Yes your honour."
The cry of objection split the silence. Everyone scanned the room for the source. It wasn't Apollo, Klavier or even the defendant. Ema was stood on the witness stand, her hair had fallen out of place slightly.
"Your
honour Apollo wasn't at the party at the time of the murder!" She
screeched. "He was…" She caught the glare off Klavier. She
closed her eyes. "I rang him…he came to meet me."
"Where
were you Fraulien?" Klavier knew where she should have been.
"You were at home with me…"
"pssh you were asleep by then.
I was stood out on the balcony when I rang Apollo…" She looked to
Apollo. "What was the time of the murder?"
"11-12
at night."
"And my phone says I rang you at ten o'clock. I
recorded the call too."
"Play the call if you can Miss Skye."
The cellphone bleeped before playing the conversation between the
pair:
"Apollo…"
"Hey
Ema, what's the matter?"
"Where are you?"
"Huh, oh well I'm at a party."
"I
need to talk to you…but if you're half drunk it doesn't
matter."
"Do I sound half drunk to you?"
"Well…no."
"Do
you want me to go over there and talk to you? I'm not that far away
tonight."
"Oh
but Klavier."
"Pssh screw him, you're as much my friend as
he is."
"What's going on?"
"Yo Spence! You might wanna get them off the lawn!...Ema I'll be over in five minutes."
"Call
recorded, ten p.m. 2nd August" The metallic voice on the
machine concluded.
"I can even prove he got there." She showed
the photo she had taken of Apollo as the lights illuminated him.
"Where did you go?" Klavier demanded, slamming his fist into the wall behind him.
"We didn't go anywhere!" Ema yelled back.
-x-x-
"What the fuck were you doing to my girlfriend!?" Klavier was set for an all out brawl with Apollo. Fortunately, Apollo had won. He turned away and tried to escape the courthouse as fast as he could. His cell began to buzz as he got to the defence lobby.
'Stop right where you are. Ema x' He spun round to see Ema in the doorway, along with Lana and Cass.
"Thanks for the bailout there Ema." Apollo blushed.
"Not at all." She took the folder from under Cass' arm. "When were you planning on telling me about your second job?"
"Second…? Oh, the modelling?"
"Yes, the modelling."
"What is there to say. I work part time for Cass and her dad at Mad Fashion. Cass hand designs some of my clothes in return."
"Like your suit." Cass pointed out. "I have to be off, I'm taking this folder to one of my dad's clients."
"Oh Cass. Hang on a sec. What do you want for your birthday?"
"My birthday's not for a week yet. Even so, you know what I want."
"Spencer in a box?" Cass giggled at Apollo's suggestion before nodding.
"Apollo…come over for dinner at six o'clock sharp tonight." Lana winked.
-x-x-
"She's so shy sometimes…" Lana noted as Ema locked herself away in her bedroom. "Maybe I should just tell you Apollo…"
"Tell me what?"
"What she thinks of you."
"Ok…" Apollo lowered his fork to the table and listened intently to Lana.
"Ok, so
I should tell you about that day she first met you. You know when she
came home that night…she told me she'd met a cute boy in a red
suit…"
"You're messing with me." Apollo smiled.
"No. She
really did say that. Anyway…everyday she saw you she'd come home
and shout about it. It was really cute. You remember that prom
Klavier took Ema to? She wasn't going to go with him. She wanted to
ask someone else…she was too scared to though…"
"Who was
this person?"
"You." Apollo waited to see if his bracelet
would tighten, yet it didn't.
"You're not lying…" Apollo closed his eyes, let his mind wonder… "Well I-"
"She and
I need your help."
"Why?"
"I want to leave Klavier." Ema emerged from her room.
"What?"
"I
want to leave him. I can do so much better." I'm leaving him
for you…
Apollo had a lot to think about as he made his way home that evening. When he caught sight of the smoke rising from the building where he once lived…he would make a rash decision which would only make Ema want him more…
