Axel's Daisy

1 • Axel

A perfect Saturday night consisted of Brady playing beer pong, Alex dancing with a girl he barely knew, and me standing with a drink between them. What was it with over-the-top parties that made people rage to hide the bitter truths in their lives?

I glanced down at my cocktail, which was probably tampered with, and sighed as Brady did his usual: shouted my name to all the girls circling around me with greedy hands touching my abs. I pretended to enjoy it as I grasped a random blonde by the waist.

"Your parties are always amazing, Brads," Cole Hart cheered his cousin on as he limped over to us. He would have been the best quarterback if not for a knee injury that hindered his career. I felt guilty for taking over, but his easy smile calmed me as I smiled back. "Axel, excited about your first year with us tomorrow as the new quarterback?"

"He wouldn't stop ranting about it to me," Brady interrupted, his hollow eyes rimmed with red as he looked proudly at me and then at his cousin. "He easily made the cut, and the coach let him in with a scholarship to study with us."

I had been at another high school near Wisconsin, but I couldn't pass up the sports scholarship I was given. People saw only results, never the endless training for tryouts. It was brutal, but I was relieved when Coach Landon handed me my jersey.

"Yes, pretty excited for the championship," I said. It would be tough taking on the Lions, but "impossible" wasn't in my dictionary. I just had to put in extra time for training, and Coach Landon was the best, which was part of why I agreed.

This meant I was the enemy of the Lions, the high school football team I used to be on.

"Let's go, the show is about to start!" Alex announced, holding the girl's hand. The crowd thickened by the minute as they pushed against each other, surprising Brady.

The blonde pressed against me more insistently, but I ignored her and walked away with my friends. She sneered at me before heading off to join her girlfriends.

My mind was focused on studies and the championship. This year would be brutal with other teams participating, and the prize was even more enticing—a chance at NYU and a higher league with no university costs.

I had to make it.

I had to make my dad proud.

Lost in these thoughts, I didn't notice Brady taking the spotlight, standing on a table with a beer in hand. He swayed with a wide smile and grabbed the microphone with his other hand.

"Tonight, I am joined by my best friend, Axel Hughes," he said, raising his beer high after I nodded at the drunk jock, who had been my friend since nursery. "The talented quarterback, this party is for him." The crowd looked at me as if they knew me and were proud, clapping, but I felt nothing. "Welcome to your new family, tell 'em who we are!" he shouted.

"Wisconsin High!" the crowd shouted, some raising their hands and others dancing.

Alex patted my shoulder, and I saw a brief flash of hurt in Cole's eyes before it vanished. Everything felt wrong, and nothing mattered as I retreated to the lounge area of Brady's mansion.

A squeak came from the other end of the couch, prompting me to glance at the girl who made the sound. She brushed her hand over the white fur ball and glanced around nervously, as if she didn't belong. Her layered copper hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she didn't notice me as she tried to smooth down the lace of her navy dress with her other hand.

I couldn't help but laugh at her anxiety. She heard me and looked at me with a comical yet cute expression, scrunching her nose and glaring at me. It only made me laugh harder as the kitten scampered away.

"Wait, Daisy—" she called out.

"You brought a kitten to a party?" I asked her.

"No," she stuttered. "I—I helped her; she was being stomped by people... you scared Daisy."

"You're already on a first-name basis with a kitten?"

She narrowed her eyes at me as I smirked, clearly irritated. She brushed her hair back and sat up straighter, keeping one hand on the side of her dress.

"Didn't you learn to stay out of people's business?"

"To be fair," I said, moving closer to her spot on the couch and gazing into her eyes. She fidgeted more at the close proximity. "You're irresistible, and I couldn't stay away."