2.37 What Happened?

If you haven't voted on who you want to be heir, you can vote here: Heir Poll. Just scroll all the way down for the actual poll. Even if you have voted, you can vote again. I will close the poll on Wednesday. Please vote, the boys are tied right now! If they stay tied I'm going to have to pick one at random! 
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"That looks like the cheesiest green screen I've ever seen!" Caleb grinned, handing the postcard back to Noah. 

"Come on, it looks believable!" Noah protested.

"It doesn't even look like that's a hotel in France."

"I think it's cute. Even if it wasn't our hotel room, it still portrays our family vacation well," Leia smiled.  

"Why are we standing out here?" Ambrose asked grumpily. The group had just arrived back to their house in Sunlit Tides and Caleb was promptly blocking the door. "I want to go in and take a nap." He yawned.

"For once I agree with him, a nap would be nice." Apollo stretched out his arms.

"Well, I guess you guys could come in." Caleb shot a look at Noah who nodded back in return. He stepped back and let them into the house. "Now, before you say anything, this was all Noah's idea."

"Is that a puppy!?" Ambrose exclaimed before dropping his bags and running to the furry little creature.

"A puppy?" Leia asked, clearly not in on the surprise.

"Yep, her name is Coco Gray. What do you think?"

"Wow, I think this is amazing!" Apollo grinned and began to pet the puppy as well. "She's gorgeous!"

"You guys are lucky to have a dad like Noah," Caleb added.

Ambrose looked up at Caleb, as if something had suddenly snapped in him. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. Maybe it was because he didn't want to be told that this man, who was gone for Ambrose's entire life, was his father. Sure, he had fun in France, mire than he'd like to admit. He even was ecstatic to have a puppy, but this stuff could have been done by anybody. What set him apart from the rest, and made him his father? Ambrose still didn't see it and every time someone tried to force that idea down his throat, he became angry. How many times did he have to tell them, no matter what Noah did, he wouldn't make it passed the friend stage, let alone father. "Thanks for the puppy, but you can't buy our love."

"Ambrose, come on!" Apollo scolded. "We just got back! Don't do this." Apollo couldn't understand his brother. They had just gotten home from a surprise trip to France, only to be surprised again by the presence of a puppy. What child wouldn't be thrilled by all of this?

"I'm going to take a nap," He mumbled before walking away.

"I think this was a good effort dad," Apollo said.

"Thanks son," Noah sighed, fixated on the spot that Ambrose was just standing in. He had thought he was finally getting to him in Champs le Sims.

Leia placed a hand on his back and rubbed it affectionately. "I agree Noah, you did something wonderful. He's excited, even if he won't admit it."

Months had passed, and gradually, Noah had moved back in. Ambrose wasn't too happy, but he eventually got used to Noah's presence in the house. Leia wished that he wouldn't just tolerate Noah. She wanted something more than the slight acknowledgement Ambrose was giving. Not even Caleb could snap him out of it.

"Do you have any homework?" Noah asked Ambrose at the table.

Ambrose scowled, "What's it to you?"

"You know, school is so important. I want you to do well. If you need any help with it, I'm here."

"If it's so important, then why do you only work at the grocery store? Apollo's friends work there and they're teenagers!" 

Noah sighed, "Your degree means nothing in the medical field if you have a bad record. They don't trust me to save people's lives..." He said more to himself than Ambrose. He had been making a comfortable living for his family, now he was living on minimum wage, The hospital had looked the other way as if he never worked for them at all. It was disgusting, but he understood their wariness.

"They're not the only ones who don't trust you."

"Ambrose!" Leia shouted. "Stop it right now and do your homework! I won't have any more of this!"

Ambrose was struggling even more with his school work than ever before. He completely shut out anyone who offered to help, even Caleb. "Stupid homework.." He mumbled as he erased the answer to the first problem for the seventh time. He hated school. He was constantly being picked on by the teacher, as if she didn't get the hint that Ambrose never knew the answer. Even though it had only been a few months into the new school year, his teacher asked to speak to his parents, in which both Leia and Noah were present. She had suggested something along the lines of boarding school for Ambrose, it would surely snap him out of his laziness. Noah quickly refused. He had been to a boarding school. It was intense. Cutting Ambrose off from his family until he was practically an adult would not help him at all. Leia agreed, not wanting her son to leave the nest so early. She had no idea how to get Ambrose to take school more seriously, but she desperately wanted him to.

Ambrose had quickly attached himself to Coco. They had become best friends quickly. Whether Ambrose realized it or not, Coco was the best thing to have happened to him. SHe came at just the right time. When he was upset, which he often was with Noah around, Coco would come bounding over to him and lick his face affectionately, as if to say "I'm here! I love you!" He treated her as if she was a human, insisting that his mother buy her gourmet pet food. She was one spoiled pooch.

Apollo was a different story entirely. He hadn't went to the summer prom with Katherine. She had went with their mutual friend Tommy. Once school started, they never saw each other anymore. KAtherine was taking regular classes, while Apollo was enrolled in the higher level courses. It wasn't a choice by him, but by the counselor who thought he'd do much better that way. Katherine had made new friends easily. She had hung out with an all girl group now, rather than her usual crew that was filled with nerds and gamers. Apollo had lost touch with most of his friends in the short few months he had been in high school. They had all moved on to different groups of people. It was originally Apollo, Katherine, Tommy and John who had become close friends in middle school. Now, Tommy was a jock and Katherine was a girly girl. John was still the same gaming nerd he always was, but being in different level classes, Apollo never saw him. They had all moved on and Apollo was by himself. Sure, he could probably make new friends, but why would he want to? All of his classmates were older than him. He was the only first year in all of his classes. One day, he had bumped into Katherine in the hallway, and he asked her if she'd meet with him one day. She smiled, saying only if he took her to this new bakery. Apparently it was a replica of one built in Lucky Palms or something. Apollo didn't care where they went, he had just wanted to see her again. The conversations were awkward, her always giving one word answers.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore and he blurted out, "What happened to you?" He examined the girl in front of him. No longer did he see the tom boy hidden behind baggy clothes. She was different. She wore a bright purple dress, matching headband and those girly flats that she always complained were uncomfortable. The biggest change was that she was actually wearing makeup, something Apollo and her had used to make fun of other girls for wearing in middle school. He wasn't seeing the same Katherine he knew only a few short months ago.

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"You're a totally different person than the one I knew in middle school. You're dressing all girly, and you don't even say hi to me anymore, let alone call me everyday like you used to. I barely ever see you anymore. I don't talk to John or Tommy either."

"I see Tommy all the time. John, is in his own world, always has been. You know that. I'm sorry if you feel like I've been neglecting you or something, but it's not my intention. We're just in different social groups now."

"Why does that matter?" Apollo frowned. "You can' t talk to me because I'm not a jock like Tommy?"

"That has nothing to do with anything Apollo, it's different from before. You and Johnny have your own friends now, and me and Tommy have ours. We just grew up."

Apollo couldn't even look at her anymore. She had completely adapted to the high school sub-culture, while Apollo was socially drowning. He had always been the one introducing her to his friends, now she was the one happily chatting away at lunch while he was in the library studying. He hadn't ever cared so much about his work, it usually came naturally to him, but now he needed an excuse to not sit in the lunchroom alone. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I hope this isn't awkward for you. I really do want to be friends with you still," Katherine said. He didn't know if he believed her.

"If you really mean that, come with me. If you're just saying that not to hurt my feelings, then just go home."

Katherine hadn't wanted to hurt Apollo at all. She had wished he had clung to Tommy, that way she would actually get to see him more often. She hadn't been making the effort to talk to Apollo as much as they used to and that was both their faults, not just hers. She had her own friends now and he had his. That was the social order. She was finally treated like the girl she wanted to be, not some tom boy. Despite all this, she couldn't stop her feet from dragging her towards Apollo's fleeting figure. "Wait up!"

"Your uncle is singing again?" Katherine asked.

"Yeah, he's making a comeback, and this is his first show," Apollo answered.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked.

"This is my real life, not the one you think I have at school. If you want to be friends with me, I want you to know what you're getting. I'm not changing myself for any social group."

She looked away from him and turned her attention to the stage. She was glad the show was starting. She didn't know what to say to Apollo. She had held him in high esteem once, now she was debating on whether or not he was worth losing her new friends over. Was he? She didn't know. Her long time friend or the attention she always wanted?

Everyone was at Caleb's first show in ten years. He wasn't the same teen heart throb he once was, but he had amassed a decent sized crowd. He was finally ready to face his fans once again and turn to the most important thing in his life, music. The show was a success in his opinion. Leia was dancing wildly in the crowd, Apollo had been cheering, Noah was casually swaying next to Leia and Ambrose was watching in awe. Kayden had offered to babysit Tasha, and Daisy and Cyrus were in the back watching as well. Katherine had told Apollo she had to leave early to finish her homework, not wanting to face him after the show was over. Apollo didn't care. He had gotten the answer he needed from her. He would just have to find some new friends.