✔︎ | Part of Me (Trilogy)

8 | you are not welcome

Song: Johnny Cash (stripped) by Wage War

8 | you are not welcome

please go Aviana

Axel has scars all over his face. They're hardly noticeable at first, but lying face to face, my fingers  gliding over his smooth skin, I see the fading white marks all over, by his brows, his lips, his cheekbones. I wonder if they're all from punches and kicks he's taken to the face, but really, I don't want to know. I don't want to think about all of the suffering he's endured. 

It hurts so much to imagine anyone wanting to hurt him. He puts on this facade as a heartless, — what did Tasha call him? Bad boy? — but in reality, he's just a forsaken angel that I want to protect with my life as he's curled up against me, sleeping soundly. 

The swelling of his one eye is already reducing, becoming a darker red, bluish colour, and I guess his body must be used to it already. I lean forward to kiss it gently, unable to fall back to sleep. Axel doesn't move, but his breaths are even and warm against my face, and I'm still wrapped in his strong arms. 

I should get up and check my messages, but my phone is on the living room floor. And Axel's trailer is cool outside of his comforting blankets and arms. Plus, if I try to move, I'll wake him, and by the looks of it, he hasn't gotten much sleep for the past few nights. 

I close my eyes again, running my hand over the length of Axel's back, and just as I'm dozing back off, there's a pounding at his door. 

I jump and Axel surges forward into sitting position, inhaling sharply. His eyes flicker around the hazy room, out into the kitchen area, and then to me. He eases when I sit up beside him, and he smiles softly, taking me back into his arms. 

"Who's here at—" he glances at his phone, "seven in the morning?" And then he takes a deep breath, reading through his messages, cursing under his breath. "Aviana," he whispers. "You didn't tell your parents you were here?"

Oh, crap. I stutter, "Um." I groan, my face falling into my hands, "I told them I was with Tasha."  

"They obviously didn't believe you. Uh," Axel sighs, glancing around, and his eyes land on my clothes on his floor. He hurries out of bed, leaving me freezing cold, and chucks them at me. "I'm pretty sure your dad's here," he rambles, tugging on an MMA hoodie, feeling his face, looking down at his hands. "Shit!" He stammers, gazing at me in horror. "Your dad's gonna fucking kill me." 

I shake my head, pulling on my clothes. "It'll be fine," I sigh, "he's just worried." 

"No, Aviana," he comes closer, taking my hands into his. "You know how strongly he opposes fighting. If he finds out I was illegal boxing at a fight club," he gasps, swearing under his breath again. 

"Well it doesn't really help that you're wearing an MMA hoodie," I mutter. 

He looks down at himself. "Fuck. Should I take it off?" 

I turn him towards the door. "No, just go get that," I plead as the banging continues. 

He kisses me quickly and rushes to the door, and I tug my hair up into a bun, excuses racing through my head as I grab my phone from the floor. How does he even know I'm here?

"Where's my daughter?" Dad's voice booms the instant Axel opens the door. 

Axel pretends to be clueless too. "She's inside," he says softly, "what's going on?"

"She didn't come home last night," Dad huffs. "We were worried sick." 

I look around the corner to see my dad's red face. "I told you I was with Tasha." 

Dad furrows his brow angrily and looks at Axel, "is this Tasha?" 

I bite my lip and glance up at Axel, who shrugs at me. He did nothing wrong. It was all me. 

Dad swallows hard. "Get in the car Aviana," he mutters, and stares at Axel to order, "we need to have a conversation." His expression is murderous, and I'm actually terrified. Dad is known to be unpredictable. 

"Martin," Axel tries to calm him down. "I don't understand what's going on." He looks over to me, begging me to come closer. "Aviana's safe," he goes on, his arm slipping around my body, "I'm sorry we didn't let you know she was here, but it was late, and I thought —"

"How did that happen?" Dad yells at him, reaching out to touch my face. The scratch has become rougher as it scabs. Axel looks at my cheek, his mouth falling open, searching for words. Dad doesn't back down, and I know his eyes glaring though Axel scares the boy even more than me. "And your face?" Dad laughs. "You're not going to tell me my daughter did that, are you?" Axel tries to explain but Dad doesn't stop. "Or your stepdad?" 

"Martin, please," Axel begs, but he's cut off again. 

"You will call me Mr. Ember!" Dad rages, pointing his finger at Axel. "We all know what's going on here. And I do not trust you. If I ever find you with my daughter again," he threatens, "you are not welcome back into my house, not even to visit Jasmine. Understood?"

"Dad!" I gasp, and when he holds out his arm to motion for me to walk out the door, I cross my arms in protest. "No," I whine, "I'm not fucking leaving." 

Axel doesn't hold onto me anymore though, and without looking at my face, he mutters, "please go Aviana." 

I turn to him, and it feels like water is filling my lungs when I touch my hand against his chest and all he does is stare my dad down, his face emotionless. He looks exactly like the boy I met my first day of school. It's like his soul has left his body. He's still, and his expression set, his lips in a line, and I feel tears come to my eyes when Dad grabs my hand and pulls me from the house and down the steps. 

I gaze back to Axel, but he doesn't look at me once before slowly closing the door in my face. 

Dad opens his car and makes me get into the front seat, and as he drives away, I stare out of the back window, wanting to see Axel running after me. He doesn't, but I don't blame him. It's not his fault. His relationship with his little sister was just threatened. That's all he cares about. And I can't be mad about it. I can't hate him for it. 

But I cry anyway. "Daddy, you can't do this," I sniffle. 

He doesn't look at me. "I just did." 

・・・

What the freak? Why do I hurt my characters so much? Leave a vote and a comment if you enjoyed the chapter