Dancing With The Devil || COMPLETED ✓

n i n t e e n

THREE MONTHS LATER

AYLA

I sat in the cafeteria, trying to shove the food down my throat but I just couldn't. Not when Axel was at it again.

“Yo, motherfucker.” He forcefully made Dustin sit on his table.

I clenched my fists together and glued my eyes back to my food. I know very well what's going to happen next. I know.

“Christ, I really feel bad for Dustin.” Selena murdered low enough for only us to here.

“Man. Had I not been friends with you, Axel would've fucked my life too.” Xavier said to me.

I chewed my inner cheeks and peeked through my lashes at Axel who was now stuffing bagels in Dustin's mouth. The bagels were crushed under his feet which he was then forcefully stuffing into Dustin's mouth.

Everybody in the cafeteria looked at them as if it was some sort of entertainment for them.

They laughed, shouted, called names and clicked photographs.

Dustin ended up throwing up on the table and then in no minute, Axel smashed his face into the vomit. His glasses cracked but he didn't say anything. The side of his face was bruised.

I can't see this anymore.

I pressed my eyes shut and exhaled a shaky breath.

I remember sharing history classes with Dustin back in middle school. Though I never talked to him, I noticed him because he was always this happy kid.

“Finish your lunch, Ayla. This isn't your fight to begin with. Don't you fucking dare to meddle into Axel's mess. He's out of his mind, he will hurt you too and you know that.” Xavier hissed.

No. You're wrong Xav. “He'll never hurt me.” Even if he hates the whole world, he'd never hurt me. I don't know how to explain this. And even if I try to explain, nobody will understand.

“P-Please don't....Axel...P-please...” Dustin's voice echoed in the cafeteria.

He was about to shave Dustin's head.

“I won't lie, seeing you this helpless, it's such an adrenaline spike for me.” Axel chuckled, turning on the trimmer and was about to run it over his head.

I gasped, covering my mouth in disbelief.

“Axel, don't.” I blurted out his name accidentally and all of sudden every pair of eyes turned to me.

I froze at my place realising the mistake that I've committed. It's been first time in three months since I've spoken a word to him.

He stopped in middle after hearing my voice but his eyes didn't flicker in my direction. He simply dropped the trimmer to the floor and walked out of the cafeteria with zero expression displaying on his face.

I gulped the saliva down my throat and sighed.

I hastily stood up and walked to Dustin. Everyone was clicking his picture and laughing at him. I grabbed his arm and took him to the bathroom.

“Please clean yourself and I apologise on behalf of him. I...I'm sorry...” I whispered, not being able to look into his eyes.

“Right. Boyfriend making my life living hell and his girlfriend trying to apologise for it. You're fucked up, you know that right?” He said, coughing.

I know.

He drenched his face with water and the took a shaky breath. The water sticking on his face didn't hide the tears which were streaming down his face. “What's my fault? What's my fucking fault that he's making my life miserable?”

I clenched my fists to the side and fixed my gaze on the floor. What am I supposed to say?

That just because Dustin accidentally spilled his drink on him, is the reason why Axel's doing all this to him?

“I'm sorry.” I whispered, not knowing what else to say and then walked out from there.

Once alone, I took a moment to compose myself.

That night was supposed to be the start of our relationship. That night when we had sex and I lay in his arms, I was happiest. He was happy too. But then with one call from the hospital everything came crashing down.

When he heard that his mother is no more, he didn't say anything to me. For hours, he just wrapped his arms around me and said nothing. He hugged me tightly as if his whole world had collapsed and I was his only hope. He didn't shed a single tear but his silence was enough for me to understand the kind of pain he was going through. He was happy that his mother had gained consciousness, he was so happy that he was dancing with me in excitement and then his hope died.

His mother passed away and he didn't even get a chance to meet her, to see her or to talk to her. She didn't remember that she had a son but what about him? How was he supposed to live with the regret that he didn't went to see her after she wake up from the coma?

He was the boy who was willing to risk his life everyday in that fighting ring just to earn money for his mother's hospital bill yet in the end nothing mattered. His sleep deprived nights, his blood, bruises on his body, all the part time jobs, everything wasted.

After that night, I never got a chance to talk to him not unless today when I asked him to stop.

He disappeared that night and then for months I haven't heard anything from him. I tried to call him numerous times but he didn't answer, I even went to his place over and over again just to see if he's there but all in vain. I don't want to remember that time because I was literally in hell. I was so worried for him that what if something happened to him, I tried to find him with everything that I can do, I went to the bar he worked, the pizza shop and even to where he fought underground matches but no one knew anything about him.

I cried everyday for him. I was disconnected with everything else, my grades dropped, I stopped coming out of my rooms, I stayed with my phone all the times in a hope that he might call me, I wasn't able to sleep at nights and nothing felt good.

Months passed and then Mum and Dad took me out on a trip to change my mood and after a week when I was back to school, I got to know that Axel was back. He was back. But this time, everything was different. He was different. Selena and Xavier told me that he sent a boy straight to the ER just because he disrespected him about something.

Oh, I forgot to tell. Now he has a father. His father practically owns half of the assets of this city, he's richer than one could imagine and it makes Axel immune to everything. School board couldn't take any action against him no matter what he does instead they all behave extra nice with him.

I was relieved that he was fine when I first saw him but then I couldn't collect enough guts to go and talk to him.

He became sick. He finds it funny to bully other students and laughs after pushing someone into pain and humiliation.

Even after all these, I still have feelings for him. I can't undo my emotions that are connected to him. He's still the same for me, he's still the boy for me with whom I danced.

And he, well, he still wears my hair tie on his wrist that I gave him that night.