Apollo’s words silenced all doubt in the minds of the older women about the future he wanted. He was making it clear that he didn’t want to be involved as a baby daddy only but maybe more. But considering how Claire and Apollo were like a cat and dog eyeing the same piece of fatty meat whenever they met, was that even possible?
Wilder rocked herself back and forth, eyes gleaming like she was scheming.
Claire maintained her glare, even sneering at Apollo. "If you think that I am allowing you to hold my hair back as I puke, then you don’t know me as well as you think you do, Apollo." She patted her chest confidently. "I have known you all my life. You have never done anything nice for me without a catch."
Apollo leaned back, keeping that serious look on his face. "I thought we were moving away from the past."
She ignored him. "Remember when we were seven, and you offered me your ice cream because mine fell in the dirt? Sweet, right? Except you had stuffed chili powder inside the cone before ice cream was added on top. You watched and waited for me to take a bite of that cone and laughed when I cried because my tongue was on fire!"
Apollo raised his hands. "That was payback for when you sold me a popsicle that you had already licked. Besides, you made it your mission to become accustomed to spicy foods after that. You should thank me for broadening your palate."
Mrs. Ashford slapped Apollo on the arm. "Shut up," she hissed.
Apollo sighed. "I promise never to pull such a prank again."
Claire’s eyes narrowed. "How about when you offered to carry my books on our first day in twelfth grade? Everyone thought you were being a gentleman but I knew better and rejected your offer. Mrs. Beagle insisted that I let you help and then you ’accidentally’ dropped my books in a fountain. I had to fish out The Great Gatsby with a stick while you filmed it on your little flip phone."
Apollo hid his face behind a pillow while his mother looked at him with the eye of disapproval only a mother could perfect.
Claire pressed on. "Or the time you gave me your jacket in the rain. I thought wow, maybe he’s not so bad. Then I realized you had stuffed the pockets with ketchup packets that exploded. It was prom night Apollo! My white dress looked like a crime scene."
Apollo winced. "Okay, that one was.....a dare."
Wilder exploded into amused laughter. "Sound like you two had quite the friendship."
"It wasn’t a friendship." Claire’s tone grew sharper. "I do not consider my bullies as friends. He asked me to help him with his homework once. I thought he was turning over a new leaf. But he swapped my answers with doodles of ducks when he was turning in the homework. I got an F! That was the only ’F’ I have ever got in my life. Mr. Caskey called me ’Miss Quack’ for a month."
Apollo chuckled nervously. "Ducks are cute and sweet. Besides, you have an F. Your lousy ex boyfriend is a human ’F.’"
Claire’s voice grew deeper. "And I am sure you will rub that in for the rest of my life. Just like you offered to help me rub medicine on my ankle at the school dance. Everyone clapped while you carried me to the nurse’s office. But halfway there, you dropped me on purpose so you could bow like some kind of hero. I limped for weeks."
Wilder’s eyes narrowed.
Mrs. Ashford smacked her son on the back.
Apollo leaned forward, his smirk fading. "Okay, that one was a genuine accident. The rest were simply pranks. Not in bad faith--just to get a rise out of you. Don’t forget what you were like when we were growing up Claire.
You were always acting like some kind of genius goddess....untouched by ordinary humans who were a waste of air. I had more money than you and I was just as clever but you made me feel like I was never good enough.
Don’t forget that you targeted me on different occasions as well, Claire. Neither of us is innocent. But, this is all in the past. Our goal now is to plan for our future, not hold grudges over ketchup."
"Yes, yes." Mrs. Ashford nodded eagerly, moving her head up and down. "Claire, you have my permission to prank Apollo in any way you want, as much as you like, from now on. I promise that he will not retaliate."
"Mother!" Apollo exclaimed in horror. "That’s like giving her the keys to the kingdom."
His mother hissed at him. "You deserve it. Ketchup explosion on her white dress! On prom night! What were you thinking? You ruined a precious memory for her."
Apollo rolled his eyes. "She went with Andrew loser F as a her date. He sneaked away to kiss Cissy Lister while she was fiddling her fingers near the punch bowl. It wasn’t that precious. That ketchup explosion was the highlight of her night."
Apollo was sure that the incident was Claire’s biggest or only memory from that night.
Claire wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Indeed, it was not a precious memory or day. She was just learning that Andrew had long been a scumbag behind her back. But, she didn’t have the energy to get angry anymore.
Wilder leaned forward, chuckling to herself. "A white dress that ended up a bloody red mess. It reminds me of that movie--you know, the one where the poor girl gets a bucket of pig’s blood dumped on her head on prom night. What the hell was it called? Doesn’t matter. Scared the piss out of me the first time I saw it. Thought the devil himself was going to crawl out of the screen."
She pointed a finger at Apollo, her voice rising. "You think you are clever with your little ketchup bomb? You are lucky this is the real world and not that movie."
The room went silent, half-shocked, half-amused.
Claire crossed her fingers, hoping that the next words out of her grandmother’s mouth were not related to Lemon and the damn witchcraft degree.