The Badass Saved Everyone's Ass

Chapter 11: "I love you."

It's been a month since I made that painting, and ever since, Axel has distanced himself from me. He doesn't even sit with me anymore and if I sit with him he'll casually go to another room and then come back and sit next to Dillon or Kyle.

Everyone is over for dinner again and he wouldn't sit next to me. I have my suspicions. I've started wearing pink again, but today I'm in a horrible mood. I tighten my hand around my kitchen knife when I see him sneaking his phone under the table. Everyone looks at me in worry.

"Axel!" I snap. His head flies up.

"Yes?"

"Are you cheating on me?" I snarl.

His eyes widen. "No!"

"Well you don't pay any attention to me anymore! You're always texting on your phone! Who is she?"

"I've been texting my uncle."

"Bullshit!"

"Zoey, I'm not lying."

That painting I made is on the wall.

I grit my teeth. "Who are you texting?" I repeat.

"My uncle." He insists. I search his eyes for any trace of a lie and I find none.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"Zoey," Dillon begins.

"Shut up." I snarl.

"She's got a knife." Kyle warns. Dillon doesn't say another word.

"Because I..." He sighs, frustrated. "Trust me Zoey. Please? I'm not doing anything bad."

"I want to know why you're avoiding me."

"I...I can't tell you."

"Then we can't be together anymore!" I snap stubbornly.

"Zoey." He says. I get up and put my empty plate in the dishwasher. "I'm trying to surprise you." He says. "My uncle is helping me, and you can't know what it is. Don't break up with me." He almost begs. "I'm not cheating on you."

"That has nothing to do with you avoiding me. Barbie really is your girlfriend, isn't she? God, I should've kept my job so I can kill her and make up some lie about her beating up a kid or something."

"No!" He blurts. "You're my girlfriend. I'm not cheating on you and I never have and I never will."

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"So you can't see the texts and so I don't feel like I'm going to tell you."

"How much longer until you treat me like your girlfriend instead of some vermin?"

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'll treat you like normal, starting now. I love you, okay? I'm sorry."

I sigh. "I want sex." I cross my arms.

"What?" He asks. We haven't had sex since we fucked in the basement the first time, which took his virginity and mine on my own will.

"I want to have sex right now." I say. He blinks a few times. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I want sex, Axel."

"Let's go to the movies." Mom decides.

We wait till they're gone. "No phone until we're done." I say. He pulls me into his room.

______

We made no attempt to be quiet and it was nice. When everyone comes home, the guys all high five Axel because I'm losing my voice. I'm wearing his shirt and my panties and no bra or pants and I'm cuddled up against him on the couch. He is still texting but he won't let me see the screen, but he did let me see that he has over a thousand messages to his uncle. He didn't let me read any of them. I don't mind. Everyone put on a movie. The lights are off and I'm tired. I nuzzle closer to him and sigh. He puts his phone down and pulls me even closer, nuzzling his nose into my neck.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He moves and lays down on his side, and after hesitating, I lay down with him, hiding my face in his chest. I start drifting in and out of consciousness. Axel phone starts ringing then.

He whispers an apology and gets up, leaving me alone as he walks into the kitchen.

I can't help but eavesdrop, but I stare at the ceiling. "Really?" He sounds excited.

Dillon turns the TV up too loud for me to hear him then. I don't react, but I find myself annoyed. I want answers.

He's in there for a good twenty minutes, and then he comes back and Dillon's phone starts ringing and he disappears. He and Scout have something going on. I noticed them holding hands the other day. Axel comes back, and I don't know how, but I fall asleep before he has me back in his arms.

_______

I wake up at six in the morning in my own bed.

I reach for Axel, but he isn't there.

I fell asleep on the couch. He must have carried me in here.

I throw the covers off of me and walk, half awake into the living room. Everyone slept over and he isn't in here. I walk into his room. He's asleep. I walk over there and crawl into bed with him. He wakes up.

"Zoey?" He mumbles.

"I want to be with you." I whisper. He opens his arms and I fall right back to sleep.