Apricity

34 ✧ Warmth of the Sun

I knew I wouldn't be able to talk to Axel without getting myself in trouble, there was no way. Which ruled out confronting him during practice.

Holding it together in front of him was way fucking harder than I imagined. But I kept my focus on the game and on the girl on the other half of the gym.

I knew Axel could tell something was off with the way I put unnecessary force into my defense. However, It wasn't until the whistle was blown at the end of practice that keeping control became nearly impossible.

The coaches had both cleared out on our side and on the cheerleaders. The majority of both groups were already halfway toward the locker rooms already. Myles was beside me, going on about who knows what. But I couldn't focus on what he was telling me.

Because Axel was staring at her again. He nudged his elbow into his friend Wesley, making a comment and his friend laughed.

Briar was lost in conversation with Valentina. The two of them were joking about something. Briar had an easy smile on her face. If she noticed him, I knew that smile would fall flat.

"Roman, where you going?" Myles asked behind me. I was walking toward them before I knew it.

Axel doesn't even notice me until I shove into him. I keep pushing back until he's knocked past the threshold of the secluded hallway and away from Briar's line of sight.

"What the fuck-"

I cut him off. "You have a good weekend, asshole?"

Axel almost smiles in his full confusion. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You know there are normal ways to have this conversa-"

"We're not conversing. You fucked up, didn't you, Axel?"

I let him think about it for a moment. His eyes spark with recognition. A small smirk plays on his expression. "Did I? And what is that she told you exactly?"

"Enough to piss me off." His smirk latches on to something behind us, I assume his little friend followed us out here. "Hey." I give a sturdy smack to his face so his attention is forced back. He blinks at me in a moment of shock. "That's enough with the bullshit. Leave her alone, you hear me?"

I hear a scuffle behind me. Wesley is there about to charge in defense of his friend. Yet, Myles comes around him and shoves him back, giving Wesley a firm shake of his head.

I turn back around and Axel's smug smirk disappeared. He looks annoyed now. "I don't think it's any of your business. What Briar and I do together is between me and her."

"What you do together? There's no Briar and you. Don't fucking test me on that. The sooner you get that, the better off you're going to be."

That smirk is back, turning his mouth into something I'm getting ready to punch. He nods his head at me. "What are you going to do about it?" Then he slams his palms into my chest and pushes me back.