Axel's Daisy

35 • Axel

There was something about the butterfly effect—the smallest change causing the most collateral damage to the girl I loved more than anything in the world. I was at a loss of emotions, unsure whether I should feel sad that Destiny was in ruins or angry that her dad had hidden the truth from her.

I held onto the trembling girl on the sidewalk after she had run out of the therapy room. Her dad had told me to stay with her until he finished the meeting.

"Des, you're going to get sick if you keep crying," I said gently, clipping her hair back as she clung to my shirt, her heartfelt tears dampening me. As I rubbed her back to comfort her, my disdain was directed at the man who had just revealed his ugly truth.

I had little tolerance for liars, unless there was a very good reason for their deceit.

Her dad's eyes were downcast in shame as he approached. Destiny was a storm of rage as she let go of me and reached up to him.

"Why did you hide this from me? I thought you never lied," she demanded, her voice breaking as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeves.

"Calm down, love. I didn't know until yesterday. I was going to tell you," he said, his voice filled with regret.

"I was right there with you yesterday, and you didn't say anything." The betrayal in her voice made me want to do something for her—to fix the ache she felt, to hold her and never let her go.

But I felt like I was tied with an invisible rope, an intruder or stranger in this personal moment. Honestly, I didn't know how to handle situations like these; no one had been there for me when Dad died, and Mom had abandoned me, choosing to leave rather than stay with her only son.

"You were happy with Axel. I didn't want to ruin your day," her dad said.

The venom in her voice turned into clear liquid as she calmed down and threw her arms around her dad, crying, "Dad, I love you. You can tell me anything. You know that." She sobbed into his shoulder, and I nodded at the apologetic look he sent my way. I was glad they had worked it out.

It was my cue to leave. Destiny approached me, her red, puffy eyes revealing the sadness that had settled around her pupils. I embraced her, leaning my head down to meet her lips.

"Tastes extra salty, Daisy," I joked.

She snorted and laughed, hitting my chest with her tear-stained cheeks.

"Thank you."

She looked at me as if I were the only person in her world. It was a feeling that made me feel whole, reminiscent of how Dad used to look at me.

"For what, baby?" I asked.

She blushed at the term of endearment, her lips curling into a stunning grin.

"For being you and for being with me through this. I know I didn't say anything to you about dad, but I'm glad he told you to share this with us."

Even with her dad behind her, I couldn't resist. I lifted her in my arms and kissed her deeply, her tender lips pressing harder against mine as we expressed our feelings without a care in the world.

•••

"Man, this sucks. I beat you twice in a row," Brady huffed, tossing the console onto his gaming chair. "Axel, you can't play for shit."

"It's not my fault you gave me a messed-up broken console," I retorted, returning it with a scoff.

We had decided to hang out for a bit before practice. It was around two p.m., and we had training at three. The weather was pleasant, with gentle breezes cooling the air. We were big boys and could handle the sun on the field like professionals.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you're the worst gamer," he said, rolling his eyes as he sat on the couch, one leg draped over the other, and grabbed his Coke from the table.

"I don't care about the gaming stuff. How are you holding up with your dad's death?" I asked with concern. He remained tight-lipped, so I continued, "You know, at some point, you need to talk about it. I'm your brother. You can trust me and vent."

"I'm not a whiner. I guess I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. I don't feel anything right now because I didn't know him much," he admitted, opening up as I listened attentively.

I understood that feeling. I had experienced something similar with Mom, except she was still alive.

In some twisted way, I wished she wasn't alive.

Snap out of it, I reprimanded myself as I sat up from the bed with the console beside me.

"Let's get to practice. Our game is tomorrow," I said, standing up to get ready.

Truth be told, I needed a distraction from my chain of thoughts about family. The only family I had was Dad and Brady.

Brady seemed to understand that as we packed our gym bags, which included my mouth guard and gloves, and changed into our jerseys.

My phone screen lit up, and I pressed on it to see a message from Daisy. A cheesy smile formed on my face as Brady rolled his eyes at me.

She had sent a selfie with lilies tucked behind her ear, looking up at the camera with an innocent smile—the same smile that always charmed me. Her lips seemed to invite me every time I saw her face. She was the only genuine person I knew, apart from Brady.

"Axel."

My name, wrong mouth.