Wherever The Mind May Roam

12 ~ Fight For Yourself, Asshole

Note: Axel, Leo, and Azar (perspective of Azar) are OCs from the book waiting to publish. This scene did not happen this way, I changed it in the book. Please do not use my characters for anything.
Background: they're all friends. Axel has a crush on Azar. Leo knows. Axel and Leo live together because Leo's parents suck ass. Axel has many physical deformities. In this clip, he's intersex and won't swim because Azar doesn't know about his chest, but that never happened in the book. Axel is albino and has Coloboma and Polycoria.

Respect him or die.

-

Axel walked beside me, and he watched the ground with every step. After a few minutes, I noticed he was avoiding all the cracks. Not the ones brought in by tree roots or other causes, but the man-made creases where the cement blocks met. Mostly, he took two steps per block, but sometimes he messed up and shifted his pace minorly to correct himself. It only took about ten more minutes of walking after the place Axel and I met up - the park down the road - and we were at the small pond.

The setting sun reflected off of the water and I had to squint. We spotted Leo leaning against a tree, on his phone. He didn't look up until we'd gotten a few feet away. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and looked from Axel to me, then back to Axel.

Axel glared at him and crossed his arms. "Why are we here?"

"Didn't realize you needed backup," Leo said, side-eyeing me. "But, since your little boy toy came along... Why don't we go for a swim instead? What I mentioned in my text can wait a little, can't it? I felt the water earlier, it seems fine to me."

"No," Axel replied firmly, in a way that had me positive nothing Leo said would make him change his mind.

"What, don't know how to swim?" Leo puppy-dog-eyes him with a sly grin.

Axel took a deep breath and balled his fist, then released it. I looked from his fist to him as his anger rose. "You know exactly why."

"Come on, show your boyfriend what a little freak you are!"

Axel lunged forward and balled his fist into the fabric at Leo's shoulders, shoving him back into the tree. Leo winced and gripped Axel's wrists, but didn't fight back. I couldn't move. I could only stand there.

"I said I don't want to," he said in a deep, low voice. "You got a problem with that?"

Leo grinned smugly. He looked over Axel's shoulder, staring right at me. I swallowed.

"Don't look at him, look at me." Leo's gaze snapped back to Axel and I felt a weight being lifted. "Now, you listen to me, you limp bag of dirt. I don't have to do anything you tell me to. Do you understand me?" He pushed Leo harder against the trunk of the tree. Leo didn't respond. Axel released the grip on Leo's left shoulder and slammed his fist into Leo's cheek. Leo groaned and leaned forward, but Axel seized his shoulder again and flung him back into the tree. His head hit the bark. "Do you understand me?!" He yelled.

I couldn't see Axel's face, but from the fear in Leo's eyes he tried to hide, I knew I never wanted to be in his shoes.

Finally, Leo opened his mouth. His gaze had called to the grass and he mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"What was that, pig brain?" Axel tilted his head closer to Leo.

"I said I understand!" Leo yelled. Axel took a few steps back, releasing Leo. Leo carefully brushed his fingers over the bruise already forming on his cheek. "Jesus, you're a little ball of anger."

I finally found my feet, and when Axel tilted his head menacingly, I stepped between them. "I think both of you have had enough." I couldn't bring myself to look at either of them. "I don't know what I'm doing here, and I don't know why I had to be the center of some sort of problem with swimming, but it's over."