Nao Summers hates drama, but life becomes full of it when he's paired with the school delinquent on a film project. He's also in dire need of a way to break up with his girlfriend who wants to have lots of sex, while Nao would prefer to die. To crow...
Axel left me by Neon Bridge after making sure we hadn't been followed. I watched him as he continued down the street, broad back growing smaller and smaller the longer I stared. Within minutes he was gone, lost in the crowds of the Thursday afternoon rush. My head felt heavy, and there was an odd emptiness gnawing at my insides. Processing what happened proved difficult, mostly because I could still feel the ghost of Axel's touch on my arm. It was like his nails had left a permanent imprint on my skin. It burned and demanded my attention.
Where was he going now? Was he heading into another fight? The thoughts were jumbled inside me, popping out left and right and causing a ruckus. Had I kept Axel from something important? Was I a burden to him? How would this affect our project?
Leaning against the stone fence and watching people come and go had a sobering effect on me. I stared as a city tour bus roared past me, rushing towards monuments and sights to see. The empty feeling was slowly fading, and a burning one replaced it.
Frankly speaking, the project was doomed, and so was I. Here I was in the middle of town, experiencing the aftermath of what could have been a fight, and I was spending my energy on worries? For Axel's sake? The guy that was single-handedly responsible for all my problems had just abandoned me by the roadside, and I was worried about being a burden to him? I had to get my act together before I snapped. This was not the time to second-guess myself, I decided. Axel could do whatever the hell he wanted - it had nothing to do with me.
I swung my backpack over my shoulder and crossed the bridge, absentmindedly wondering how many bruises my project partner would show up with next time.
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"And he just left?" Seth growled into my ear, displaying just the reaction I was hoping for.
"He asked you to meet and then just up and left you there?! To your own devices?!" Seth scoffed. "You could have been kidnapped, or abducted by aliens! A baby face like yours won't last long in the city!"
I gave a sharp hiss in response. "Say another word and you're toast, man."
"Fine, fine," Seth chuckled, and I heard him move. "But some guy he is... He turns down your offer to do all the work – that was chivalrous, by the way, real smooth – but instead of helping, he just runs off? I don't get it."
"You tell me," I replied. "The more I hang out with him, the less sense he makes. All he said was that someone was after him and that we had to run. It was pretty ominous, actually."
I was in bed, rolling back and forth as I chatted with Seth on the phone. I couldn't make sense of what happened, so I rang him up. Seth was an idiot, but he was my idiot, and always knew what to say in situations like this. Even if it was just "I don't get it."
"Listen, Nao, I have to go. There's a new episode of the Occultists waiting for me. My sister's already started watching, so..." Seth sounded absent, like he was halfway out of the conversation already. "It's fine," I said, rolling onto my back. "See you later."
