Page 56 of Through You
Apolo’s expression turns from defiant to confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Artemis, shut up. Don’t say anything else,” she says tersely.
“Apolo, she belongs to me.”
Apolo’s gaze turns to her. “Claudia?”
Claudia immediately shakes her head. “No. I’m not anything to him.”
“That’s not what you said when you were riding my fingers, Claudia.”
Claudia throws me a murderous look. If she hated me before, I’m pretty sure she hates me even more now.
“You . . . with him?” Apolo is at a loss for words. Claudia moves toward him but I take her arm and bring her to a halt.
She shakes my hand off and screams, “Stop grabbing me and treating me as if I’m a fucking object! I don’t belong to you!” She grabs Apolo by the hand. “Come with me, and let me explain.”
And that’s when everything turns red.
It feels like she’s choosing him over me, so I walk to where they stand and I pull them apart.
“Why do you need to explain anything to him, huh?”
Apolo gets between us. “Enough.”
I stare at her over Apolo’s shoulder. “Claudia?” I say through clenched teeth.
She looks back at me and tells me without a hint of hesitation, “Apolo and I kissed today.”
What?
My world comes to a stop. My anger boils. My chest rises and falls rapidly. I have never felt this furious. I grab Apolo by the collar of his shirt. “What did you do?” Apolo grabs my wrists and tries to free himself.
“She’s made it very clear. She wants nothing to do with you.”
“So, to hell with the bro code?” I remind him of the pact we made years ago when we each promised to stay away from girls any of the others were interested in.
For a brief moment Apolo seems genuinely guilty. “I didn’t know that you and her . . . I didn’t—”
“Fucking hell!” I tighten my grip on his shirt.
Claudia stands next to me.
“Artemis, let him go.”
I look my brother straight in the eyes. “You and Ares havealwaysknown that I’m interested in her.”
Claudia grabs my shoulder. “Let him go!”
I can’t get a hold of myself. The thought of her kissing him makes my blood boil. Apolo speaks to me with an icy coldness that perturbs me. “She said she’s not with you. It’s not my fault you’re stuck in a one-sided obsession.”
His words burn, fanning the flames of my anger. I punch him so hard that my knuckles make a cracking sound when they make contact with his chin. Apolo tumbles and falls backward.
“Enough!” Claudia slaps a hand on my chest. “Stop it! Leave!”
I grab her by the wrist. “Only if you come with me. I’m not leaving without you.”
She hesitates. I can see she wants to protest, but she knows that would trigger Apolo. He’d jump to her defense and all hell would surely break loose between us. Apolo has crumpled to the floor, where he remains seated, holding his cheek and wincing in pain. This doesn’t make me regret my reaction. He broke the bro code and knows he had that punch coming; it’s likely the reason he didn’t fight back.
