Axel's Daisy

2 • Destiny

  The party was great.

  My new friend Daisy ran off, leaving me stuck with a snobbish guy who tried to make fun of me for it.

  Enchanté.

My eyes lingered on the mysterious guy chugging drinks with the other jerks. While the others were familiar faces, he was the only one who stood out. The only thing he shared with the rowdy crowd was the bottle tightly gripped in his hand.

  I then shifted my focus to the wavy-haired vixen as she giggled, tickled by Klaus's charms. He was giving her googly eyes, and though it felt like I was being a stalker, she had left me to be made fun of by a stranger while she played games with another member of the Warriors.

  What happened to the rulebook?

  I whined internally as a girl hunched over the table in front of me. I wanted to help, but the guy beat me to it and carried her away. I lost some brain cells, and the couch had my ass imprinted for a whole hour. It reminded me of my sad Klaren.

   I felt someone's gaze on me, so I glanced over and met his irritating amber eyes again. While his eyes were attractive, his personality was not.

  He turned his back to me to talk to one of his friends, and I couldn't care less as I laid back on the stiff couch.

  "I couldn't stay away."

  "Will you stay away from my fist?" I held out my closed fist in front of him.

   He doubled over in laughter, tears welling up in his eyes as his dimple became prominent. His deep laugh turned heads, and I blushed from the unexpected attention.

  "Yes, ma'am." He winked and got up.

  I crashed back to reality as I covered my mouth to stifle a yawn. Maybe Jade was right—I was an old lady at heart, and sleepless nights weren't for me.

  "This party is a winner," Jade screeched as she finally joined me. She twirled her tendrils at Klaus, who winked at her. She did her girly giggle, the only one I knew of.

  "I want to go home," I said breathlessly, clutching her arm.

  "It's still eleven p.m. Get up and go dance," she said, seeing how miserable I was. She lifted me by my armpits, and my head rested on her shoulder as I closed my eyes. "No, don't you dare sleep on me," she warned, putting an arm around my shoulder and leading me to the bathroom.

  Because she knew how messed up I got when I tried to stay awake.

  "You know he made fun of my Daisy. She ran because of him—that imbecile!" I slurred as Jade splashed water on my face. I sniffed out the water that came up my nose as a few frantic girls hurried out of the bathroom.

  "Des, don't die on me." Jade shook my shoulders, staring at me in horror.

  "They can all choke on an apple," I laughed at my own words while my best friend rubbed my face with water. I was sure the makeup she spent on me had disappeared.

  I had a headache and really needed to get home. "Just take me home, and you can get back to your awesome party." I commented sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes at me.

  "I would never leave you, you know that." She poked me in the stomach, and we both giggled—mine from lack of air, hers because a guy walked in.

  My vision was woozy, and I was sure I'd pass out cold if Jade didn't get a move on. "Oh my gosh! Axel!" she squeaked, then coughed to steady her voice. "Um...so I heard that you broke up with Brooke. Are you alright? Uh—don't mind my bestie; she's just feeling sleepy."

  The tall silhouette towered over me, and I felt his arms encircle me as he said something like, "I'll take her home."

  He carried me, my head resting on the soft material of his shirt, my hand touching his chest, his rough hands under the back of my knees.

  Jade hugged me before whispering in his ear. I was confused about most of it, but his shirt felt too good.

  He placed me in the car as I mumbled, "Do you know how seatbelts work?" I sputtered out a laugh and added, "They just click." I wheezed with laughter some more.

  "Funny," he quipped as he drove, letting down the windows for some air. My hair blew over my eyes, and I pulled out the hair tie from my wrist to end my misery.

  "High school sucks. I can't wait to get out of here."

  "Me too, Daisy."