About Love//The Middle •Axl Heck•

"Ewe, Pickles"..."Tomatos, gross"

Axl has just pulled into his driveway. We didn't say anything as we got out and walked to the door.

He opened the door and walked in first, holding the door open for me. "Axl, Jesus. What took you so long? I asked you to do one thing, one simple thing and you were gone for almost 2 hours with your friends." Mrs. Heck said frustrated.

Axl rolled his eyes and then moved from where he was standing so Mrs. Heck could see me. "God, mom. I did what you asked me to, alright!" Axl said, also frustrated.

I watched as Mrs. Heck's faced softened. "Oh, Abby. Hi." She said with a smile. Just then Mr. Heck walked into the door with what looked like a bag of fast food in his hand.

"I made dinner." He said as he walked to the kitchen table. "Oh, Mike, look. Axl brought Abby over." Mrs. Heck told her husband. He looked at me and then to Axl shrugging.

"Please, stay for dinner." Mrs. Heck offered. Mr. Heck shot her a look. Axl then turned his head to look at me before I could answer. He looked at me and made a face like he wanted me to stay.

"Okay." Is all I said. I stood their awkward as Sue and a little boy I haven't seen before walked into the room. Mrs. Heck went outside and grabbed a lawn chair, sitting it next to Axl.

Axl sat down, then Sue, then the boy , Mrs. Heck, and Mr. Heck. I felt weird and awkward so I sat down next to Axl in the only chair left.

Mike passed out the food to his family and when it came to me, I had nada. I wasn't expecting anything anyway, me eating dinner here tonight was unplanned and unexpected. It was totally last minute.

"Sorry, I forgot Mike didn't get you anything, this was unexpected." Mrs. Heck told me. I nodded and gave her a small nod. Everyone was unwrapping their food when out of no where a hand placed a paper plate on the table in front of me.

I followed the hand and was met with Axl. I then watched as this kid went to the kitchen, got something and game back holding a butter knife. He cut his burger in half.

He put one half on my plate and divided the fries.

I haven't been in a situation like this before.

***frankie***

It was a normal Friday night. Mike was at the quarry, Sue was obsessing about the school year even thought it hasn't started yet, and I was at the kitchen table helping Brick with a school project he forgot about.

I wanted to know what Abby and her Dad were bringing to the party tomorrow, so I asked someone to go ask. It took a little while, but I got lucky when Axl actually came  from his room.

Long story short he did what I asked him to and then went to hang out with his friends.

I kind of forgot.

Axl brought Abby to our house. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I asked if she wanted to stay for dinner. She didn't answer right away though.

Axl actually looked at her and she looked at him and replied with an okay. It was honestly weird.

I didn't know Abby that well and Axl didn't act like this, ever.

We were all sitting at the table, getting dinner. Mike had made it, but with Abby's unexpected staying, he didn't get her anything.

But what surprised me the most out of this whole situation, was that Axl actually got
Up, got a butter knife, cut his burger and half and gave it to Abby along with some fries.

My son, Axl who didn't care about anything except for sports, girls, music, and food. Was sharing his food with Abby.

I stared at him in bewilderment. Axl didn't share food, oh no. He eats anything and everything around him that is edible.

Mike nudged me, realizing I was staring at what was happening and I went to eating my food.

***the heck's + abby***

The Heck's and Abby were sitting at the table. Axl had just gave half of his burger and fries to her. Frankie, Mike, Brick, and Sue watched as Axl and Abby opened their halves, deconstructing them a little.

"Ewe, Pickles." Abby said out loud. "Ewww, gross, tomatoes." Axl said lamed out that he had tomatoes. What was weird though that without any spoken words or signs of any sort, Axl an Abby both looked at each other and then like a switch went off, Abby was taking Axl's tomatoes off of his half and Axl was taking Abby's pickles off of hers.

When they both had what they wanted. They put the buns back on their halves and started eating them.

Frankie and Mike looked away from the scene and too each other mouths slightly opened at the weirdness that just happened revolving around Axl and Abby.

***abby***

Eventually we were all done with dinner. I'm not going to lie, it was nice feeling a sense of family. The rest of the Heck's went to the living room. Axl, told me to follow him to his room.

There were warning signs going off in my head but I chalked it all up to me being paranoid.

When we entered, I looked around. It was a cool room. "That lameness over there is my little brother Brick's stuff. But all the awesomeness over here, is mine." He stated. The little boy's name was Brick. I looked around a little bit, until my eyes fell onto Axl's CD's and his guitar.

I couldn't help myself as I absentmindedly walked over to where his CD's were. I grabbed one and looked at it. I smiled. "This is like their best album hands down." I said.

Axl then walked over to me and looked at the album I had in my hands. "Totally, it just wasn't the same after their guitarist left to go to college or whatever." Axl explained. I agreed.

We stood there talking about music and bands for a long time.

Seemed like hours passed and we were both sitting on his bed listening to music.

"What made you move to this lame-o town anyway?" Axl asked me. "My lame-o mom." I said honestly.

"Sucks." He said. I nodded. "Doesn't everything." I said more as a statement than a compliment.

Another hour passed and I figured it was time for me to go home. "I should get going, my dad might be home now." I told Axl as I got up.

He nodded and we started walking to the front door. "Oh, bye Abby. See you tomorrow." Mrs. Heck said. I gave her a small smile. Axl surprisingly walked with me down the street.

"Well, see you tomorrow." Axl said. I nodded.

I then walked to the door of my house. It was weird though because Axl didn't leave until I was inside.

Dad wasn't home. It was 9:30 p.m. I sighed and sat down on the couch.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Tomatoes and Pickles? Really.

This night has been odd.