Mismatched

Chapter Twenty

Axl drives while Ivy is silent in the back seat the entire trip home. I was conflicted on how to feel. I wanted to rip into her, then hug her, then scream at her again and lock her up until she is fifty. At the same time, I wanted to talk to Axl too. What were we? Was he going to transfer back to Kennedy? Did he forgive me for being so awful before? Did he want to be with me? Did he want to reject me?
All these thoughts bounce around my mind and crave to burst out but I didn't want to have this conversation in front of Ivy sitting behind me.

Axl arrives at our house and Ivy jumps out and runs inside, probably hoping to avoid the fight brewing between us. I hesitate to leave, instead I listen to the low rumble of the jeep's engine idle. My hand rests on the buckle of my seat belt but doesn't press the button to release it. Focusing on the material of the jeans on my denim clad legs, I muster up the courage to finally speak.

"Axl?"

"Yeah?" He replies, his voice soft.

"Thank you for tonight," I tell him, "for everything."

"You don't need to thank me." He says. I look up from my lap and over at him, curious. "Honestly. Reed is bad news, I wasn't going to just stand by when he could have hurt Ivy."

"But...You don't even know her." I reply. Axl's cool blue eyes look over my face, silently memorizing each feature before focusing back on my eyes.

"She's your sister, Dahlia. That's all I needed to know."

My breath is caught in my throat. Does this mean he forgives me? He wanted to help me, he must care for me. At least more than just as someone connected to him through his best friend. After quick exhale, I swallow past the lump in my throat. I have to ask him. I need to know where I stand.

"Axl...?" I start.

A knock on the passenger door window startles me. I jump slightly in my seat and swing my head to the window. My mother is peering in, her hand positioned up, ready to knock again.

"Mom!?" I stutter in surprise. She doesn't say anything, just looks between me and Axl and raises an eyebrow. She's curious of why I'm in Axl's car, that much is clear.

"Hello Mrs. Clark" Axl waves. She looks at him and gives a polite smile.

"Hello, Axl." She replies before focusing back on me. "Dahlia, say goodnight and come inside please." Her knocking hand lowers and she simply points to the house before turning and walking up the drive. Looking back to Axl, I give him a awkward smile and wave my hand back toward my mother's retreating figure.

"I should go. She's going to want to know what's going on with Ivy." I tell him.

"Goodnight, Dahlia." He smiles and I unbuckle my seat belt and climb out. As I'm shutting the passenger door, I see Shale's car pull up behind the jeep and Bryony climbs out. She blows Shale a kiss before joining me and we walk up to the front door together. I look back once and see Axl watching me from his driver seat, when Bryony opens the door he gives me a nod and pulls the jeep away from the curb.

I still don't know where we stand.

~ ~ ~

Ivy was grounded and spent the rest of the weekend self-confined to her room. She lost visitation and technology privileges for two weeks and her social media accounts were going to be locked for another two weeks after that. I think if my father had gotten his way, her punishment would have lasted until she graduated from college. He was furious.

Monday morning when Bryony pulled our car into the parking lot at school, Ivy ran off immediately to be consoled by her friends about the 'unfairness' of her punishment. Bryony and I walked together to our lockers to exchange our books. I was shutting my locker door when I heard Samantha Davies voice behind me.