Consequences

1. first encounter

His entire being appeared flawless, not a single weakness to point out. Of course he disagreed, but that merely added to the everlasting list of admirable things about him; his humility. He viewed the world in a way that astounded Dakota, to say the least, and managed to express his beliefs in such powerful words and actions that even the smartest of people had to pick up their jaws from time to time. His mind seemed to work in entirely different ways than others, which inevitably led to extreme prejudices against him. While the rest of the world considered him arrogant, promiscuous, destructive and deranged, Dakota could only think of him as a broken man exuding a unique aura of exquisite beauty which caused everyone's attention to be drawn to him, willingly or not. With his strawberry blonde silky hair, forest green eyes and a smile that could light up an entire city, Axl managed to allure Dakota into his complicated world where you were either loathed or adored. Their minds, souls and bodies were so attracted to each other that even the toughest times brought them closer together.

They were each other's only source of happiness, but is it true when people say that time heals all wounds, and love conquers all?

• • • • •

December 7th, 1988

"I don't fucking care what you say! I'm not gonna obey you anymore! I've had enough, do you understand?! I'm a goddamn person, too! I deserve to be treated like one, not like a fucking slave! Go fuck yourself, don't ever expect to see me again, you fucking asshole!"

I am out of breath by the time I finish screaming at him. My throat hurts and I can feel the warm tears pricking at my eyes. Years of anger and frustration have been building up inside, and now it's desperate to be let loose. I won't let the tears fall, though. Not yet at least. I refuse to break down in front of him, I can't show him how much he's ruined me and how paper thin my walls were before they crumbled. If he sees me cry, he wins. Again.

It has been a very long time since I have yelled with such force. My hand is dripping with blood from breaking a glass out of anger during my rampage. I have wanted to yell at him like that my entire life, so it felt extremely good despite my sore throat and aching heart.

My so-called father sits in front of me with the uttermost shocked expression I have ever witnessed in my life. If this was a cartoon I'd most likely be seeing smoke steaming out of his ears right now, and his eyes literally popping out of his head. But this isn't a cartoon, this is real life and the only thing occupying my troubled mind is to get as far away from this man as I possibly can.

I stare at him, desperate to see a tiny hint of emotion behind his ice-cold irises, but as expected it doesn't show. It never does. When I feel my vision blurring from the tears being welled up for too long, I walk right past him with hasty steps, kick open the door and run out of the bar to a rather cold night in Los Angeles.

I run. I just run. I don't know where to go or where I want to go. Turning on a few corners and then running straight again seems to be done absentmindedly as my feet carry me across the streets. Finally I let myself slow down and begin to walk instead, the sound of cars on the highway nearby is the only sound to be heard. After a few moments of walking down an empty and dark alley, everything just hits me at once. I burst into tears and try my hardest not to scream out of pure despair and anguish. My feet come to a halt and I lean against the cold brick wall before letting myself slide down. I pull my knees to my chest and sob like I have never done it before.

The thoughts clouding my mind as I sit on the cold and hard ground, are a mix of all the things I've endured in my life. I'm to blame for some of them, yes, but my father has caused me so much pain, both physical and emotional, that even I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. I've always thought it was normal to be treated the way I did. Perhaps it is, but that doesn't mean I should let it happen anymore.