The Missing Boy

Chapter 14 - Something Crazy

"Let's do something crazy." Axel says excitedly as he breaks out of their close proximity.

"Like what?" Miles asks. He secretly wishes Axel hadn't pulled away.

"I don't know. Anything." Axel says as he falls back onto the bed. "I feel like I've done nothing fun in the past 4 years. Scratch that, my whole life."

"Well in this town there's nothing particularly fun to do." Not that Miles would know, he never had friends to do fun things with. "Should we make a bucket list?" He suggests.

"Yes." Axel's eyes light up at the suggestion. "A fuck it list. Like Deadpool."

"I could totally see you as Deadpool." Miles says.

"If you were any superhero Miles, you would definitely be Spider-Man. You have this whole Peter Parker vibe to you." Miles can't deny that Axel is right.

"Ok, come on then Spider-Man, let's write this bucket list."

Miles fishes out a notepad and pen. "Any ideas?" He asks.

"Number 1 and arguably the most important, have sex."

"Shut up Axel. There is no way that you haven't had sex."

"Contrary to popular belief, I, Axel Jacobson, am a virgin." Miles' eyes widen as he tries to figure out how this could possibly be true. He and Axel haven't spoken about it, but Miles just assumed that everyone lost their virginity in high school.

"I still can't believe it. Even I'm not a virgin."

"What? You're not a virgin? How the hell did that happen?"

"Susie-May, last year after I tutored her for Chemistry." Miles remembers that night and how unexpected it was. Susie-May was one of the popular girls at school. And one year older than Miles. And very dumb. During one of their tutoring sessions, Susie-May planted a kiss on Miles. It grew from there. Miles was shocked that it had happened, confused too, but later found out that her boyfriend had just broken up with her and that she needed someone in her moment of vulnerability. The next day she got back together with her boyfriend and made Miles promise that he wouldn't tell a soul. He didn't. Until now that is.

"Susie-May, the senior? Fuck. Now I feel like an utter loser."

"You know sex really isn't all that."

"Well I would like to find that out for myself. Now for number two on the list..."

•••••••••••

The two boys add to their bucket/fuck-it list. Some things are more believable than others but they write it down nonetheless. For example, going on a helicopter ride seems unlikely but going to an amusement park seems more doable. Axel hasn't been to an amusement park.

When it gets late, Axel sneaks back out of Miles' room and goes to his own house. Well he at least thinks about going to his own house but ends up going to a bar instead. He liked the idea of a bucket list before he realised that people only write those when they think they're running out of time. That's where they get the drive and motivation to do all the things that they want to do. But Axel has all the time in the world. And that thought is depressing.

So instead of going home he goes to a bar. They don't bother asking Axel for his ID so he strolls in as if this isn't the first bar he has ever gone to. Axel can drink alcohol, he can't get drunk because of his vampire immunity, but he is still able to feel it burn down his throat. He would choose that over whatever it is he's feeling now.
He would rather drink his sorrows then drown in them.

"Aren't you a bit too young to be at a bar?" A girl sits on his left at the bar with a glass in her hands. She doesn't look much older than him.

"How old do you think I look?" Axel asks.

"Hmm if someone wasn't paying attention, 21."

"So you were paying attention then?"

The girl smirks, taking a sip of her drink. Her red lipstick staining the rim of the glass. "I'm 17 too." She says smirking, moving her long blue and black braids behind her shoulder.

Axel looks at the girl. Her warm chocolate skin and equally brown eyes. His eyes are drawn to her septum piercing which suits her aesthetic perfectly. She looks like she could pass for an adult. She looks like she could pass for a model. "Cheers to genes." Axel says lifting his glass.

"Cheers to genes." The girl happily replies before clinking her glass with his.

The two talk endlessly, effortlessly, never leaving their seats at the bar. They exchange names, numbers and eventually kisses until they are both stumbling into a random hotel room.

••••••••••

"Miles, I did something crazy."

"What the hell did you do?"

Axel was debating telling Miles all day during school but decides to tell him now, as they walk home.

"I had sex last night."

"What?"

Miles knows that Axel's hearing is good. He just hopes it isn't good enough to hear his heart crack. But anyone who could hear at all could hear his voice quake.

"Yeah, I met this girl, Sydney, yesterday at a bar-"

"You went to a bar? You're 17."

"That's beside the point. The point is we slept together."

"Well good for you." It's impossible for Miles to say it sincerely. He tries his hardest to walk off instead of stomp off but either way he looks angry while doing it.

"Miles. Miles! What is up with you?" Axel says as he catches up with him.

"I don't know what you want me to do Axel. Cheer? Give you a trophy? A pat on the back?You had sex, well done. But like I said, it's not a big deal."

Miles starts to walk/stomp off again. Axel tries to keep up with him.

"You should stay away. My mom isn't going to be happy if she see us together." Miles heads to his side of the road, opens his front door and Axel watches it swing shut behind him.

Miles knows he shouldn't be this upset. Or this reckless around Axel. Axel is probably wondering why he acted so hurt by his actions but Miles is upset. And he is reckless. Because he likes Axel. And knowing that he had sex with a random girl he just met seems almost like an insult to him.

I've been here since the beginning. Miles thinks. But he can't blame Axel. Axel has never given any indication that he could possibly be into boys. Axel wanted to have sex. He put it on his bucket list and now he can cross it off.

He wanted to do something crazy and he did it. He had sex with a girl.