Joker

SEVEN - Axel

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Ophelia asked me as soon as I stepped through the door, drenched with rain. Her short hair was tied up into a ponytail, the bright pink ends looking more vibrant than before.
"Did you dye your hair again?" I asked.
"Stop changing the subject."
"Are you not happy to see me and my gorgeous face?"
"Of course we are," Oliver quickly answered. "We're just confused as to why you're not in school."
"Uh, day off?" Ophelia raised an eyebrow at my poor attempt to lie. "Fine, I didn't go to school today because I don't feel too good after yesterday." I surrendered. Ophelia squinted at me before smiling and telling me to take a seat next to her. "Oliver told me about what happened." I didn't know how to respond, so I sat in silence. "Thank you for standing up for him." she said.
"Of course! You guys have had my back for years, I mean, you're the only reason I go to Maple Park, so I was more than happy to help."
"I hope it didn't cause too much trouble." Oliver said kindly. He and Ophelia may be twins, but sometimes, the differences between them were painstakingly clear.
"Don't worry about it, it was nothing."
"Do your friends know?" he asked timidly.
"Do my friends know what?" Oliver looked at the floor, his pale face now red with embarrassment; that's when I realised. "No, I wouldn't do that to you. If you want to tell them, you do that when you're ready."
"Did they ask who Olivia was?"
"Nope, they haven't got a clue, but I'm sure even if they did, they'd be respectful and understanding."
"As understanding as you?"
"As understanding as me."
"You're the best." Oliver's smile was genuine.
"Alright, no more sappy stuff." Ophelia cut in.
"Actually, I have something to tell you guys."
"What is it?"
"I'm-" I was cut off by the ringing of the bell on the door. I spun my head around, and was shocked to find him standing there.

"Aiden?!" I'd dragged him to the bathroom. His uniform was absolutely soaking. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" He seemed just as confused as I was.
"I didn't feel like coming to school today."
"Yeah, well guess what? None of us ever feel like going to school, but we don't just disappear without telling anyone!" He was starting to raise his voice.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Of course I'm mad at you! I was worried about you, Axel. Can't you see that? I thought something bad had happened to you."
"You left school to come and find me?"
"Yeah, I did." His voice was quieter now. "You mean a lot more to me, to us, than you realise. Look, I know sometimes you might feel like you're just in the background, but I promise you that you are front and center in my life, and you always will be. We've been friends since we were little kids, so I'm not just going to sit back whilst you could be in some sort of danger."
"Aiden, I-" I choked on my words and could do nothing but look at him, drinking in every tiny detail on his face. The next few seconds happened in a blur. My lips were pressed against his, our breath colliding as my heart raced and my stomach flipped. I'd wanted this moment to happen for so long, but I knew from the very moment the fantasy slipped into my head that it'd never last. Aiden pulled away and stared at me in shock and disgust. Only when I saw the tears forming in his eyes did I realise I was crying. Impulsively, I grabbed his wrist as he turned to leave. He yanked away from me, leaving the door to slam shut behind him. I fell to my knees on the cold and wet bathroom floor, surrounded by emotion. My throat tightened and my body racked with an onslaught of tears. Shaking hands slowly rose to my mouth as a great sob escaped my lips. The sound of wailing and suffering echoed through the whole ice cream parlour. My eyes were bleeding with pain, but the tears kept flowing down my ashen face like a river escaping a dam. The bathroom door swung open and Ophelia and Oliver hurried to sit next to me. "Axel, what happened?" Ophelia tried asking. I couldn't manage to form words between the loud, involuntary howls. ""Did he hurt you?" I shook my head and the sobs got louder. She cradled me in her arms, protecting me from the whole, entire world, but the damage was already done. I felt cold and empty: helpless. Oliver rushed to get me a cup of water, but I didn't know how that was supposed to make anything better. I would never forget about what had just happened. What had I done?