Boy Next Door||Axl Heck

The Quarry

Enough time had passed, and I was able to be around Axl without it being awkward for everyone. Sean and Axl were best friends, and I was glad that I wasn't getting in the way of that anymore. 

Axl hadn't been around much, he had gotten suspended from school for a week. Rather than tell his parents, he was spending his days hanging around the arcade where I knew for a fact his dad hungout with his work softball team. I didn't bother trying to talk axl out of it, I knew he wouldn't listen. 

"Kenzie you think cross country is cool, right?" Sue asked, sitting beside me on my front porch. 

"I do, but it doesn't draw much of a crowd, Suzy-Q." I tried to console her, cross country was being cut at Orson Middle School, and Sue was crushed. It was a no-cut sport, which meant it was just about the only thing Sue was able to participate in. 

"I just don't get it, its the only no-cut sport they have, why do they have to do this?" 

"Just wait until you get to high school, Sue, it'll be great." Sean jumped in. 

He always knew what to say, which made him perfect for me, because I rarely did. Sean would go far in life, farther than Orson, but I knew deep down that I would stay here. I was a small town girl, made for small town things. 

"I just don't get it, I'm the only one upset about this. Everyone else on the team has other sports, but I don't. Cross country is it for me."

I put my arm around her shoulders, "Look, Sean's right. One more year until high school and then there'll be a million clubs for you to join, I promise." 

That seemed to cheer her up, at least a little. 

"Thanks guys, I should probably head home." 

"I'll walk you, Suzy-Q." Sean got up. 

My ears perked up at that, "Suzy-Q". That was my nickname for Sue, not that I "owned" the nickname, it wasn't even that creative, but Sean had never used it. 

I grew up with Sean and Sue, I knew that when we were kids he had a sort of school-boy crush on her. He grew out of it around middle school, when he thought girls were gross and had cooties. Was his little crush coming back? 

I guess I always I knew that we were only a high school relationship, but seeing him lose feelings for me in real time left a weird feeling in my chest. 

Maybe I was reading too much into it, and it didn't matter anyway, Sean was too nice a guy to hurt me. 

Right?