This I Love

Chapter Sixteen; Axl's Picnic

*On the off chance you're new here or you're a veteran and came back to see this shit, let me say "BWAHAHAHAHA, YOU THOUGHT I'D NEVER UPDATE THIS, DIDN'T YOU?!" I'm gonna go back and edit the last chapters to make them fuller or less...stupid. So that's good too! You may now proceed.*

I was startled on the couch as the phone rang. It was the weekend, Erin and Madison had gone out to party but I wasn't really in the mood to do the same so I'd stayed home and watched movies on TV. "Erin's not here at the moment", I said out of habit after answering the phone. "Can I take a-"

"I know she's not there, genius", the voice interrupted. Cold chills went down my spine as I recognized Rose's voice. "We were supposed to go out last weekend and never did so we're going out tonight. Are you dressed?"

"I-"

"I'm getting in the car as soon as I hang up. You have ten minutes."

I would've replied in protest but he'd already hung up. With a strong feeling of annoyance, I forced myself off of Erin's couch and forced myself into some decent looking clothes. Erin had this flowy white blouse that I really liked that I matched with a denim vest I'd bought (to Madison's disapproval), some denim shorts, and white Keds. After making sure I had my ID on the likely chance we'd go to a bar, I went outside and saw Axl in Izzy's pick up truck already waiting for me. "I told you ten minutes", he grumbled.

He watched me as I climbed in the vehicle but I ignored him. "Yeah? And it hasn't even been ten yet", I shrugged.

Axl's lips lifted into a slight sneer before he pulled out of the driveway and started speeding off. I stared out of the window, the scenery flitting by in blurs of colour as we listened to whatever was playing on the radio. "I promised you we'd go out", Axl said slowly and suddenly. "So that's what we're doing."

"At least you keep your promises", I noted.

"Yeah because I'm not a prick."

"I didn't say keeping your promises was bad. That's a good thing."

He shifted and I kept looking out of the window. Neither of us said anything else until Axl parked at a playground with a nearby baseball field. A little league game was going on and looking for something to entertain me so I could avoid the tension with Axl, I got out to check it out. He grabbed a plastic shopping bag and followed me to a hill where we could watch the game. "What's that?" I wondered.

Axl shrugged and pulled out a plastic container with some spaghetti in it. "We're having a picnic", he informed. "Do you like spaghetti?"

I nodded but not without being amazed that he brought one of my favourite dishes just by chance. "Y-yeah. I freaking love spaghetti."

He tossed his hair as if showing his approval in the utmost Aqua-Net worthy way as he sat down in the grass. "Good. Then maybe you'll like this stuff. I used an old recipe from my mom."

"That's really cool of you", I admitted, sitting with him. Axl ran his hand through the bag and produced two paper plates and some plastic forks that he used to serve his dish. He carefully handed me a plate which I gladly took before he dug into his own serving. The food was really good and I tried complimenting him on the spaghetti and asking about the spices he'd used in the sauce but he brushed me off to stare at the kids on the field. Taking that as a hint, I chose to watch the game too. The teams were purple and green and the parents for the losing green team were screaming at the ref as he made calls that even I, as someone with no interest in sports, thought were bad. I laughed when the ref threatened to kick some of the green parents out.