by Sue Allerton
She walked back to her house. When she arrived, a car was in the driveway. A sleek black Aston Martin. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily as she entered the house. She closed the big, heavy wooden door behind her and walked through the house.
“Daughter?” she heard a voice call from the living room. She stopped and turned and made her way into the spotless room. Everything was cream and ivory coloured, the rug was faux fur and the sofas were the most expensive material she had ever seen.
“Hello mother” Elise sighed as she slouched down on the couch, her mum was stood by the fire place wither her back to her and a glass of champagne in her hand. She turned slowly, his long blonde hair braided and tied up. She wore a white and beige dress that hugged her waist and finished just below her knees. She wore sparkly cream shoes that made her stand a few inches taller and the finest diamonds she had by the looks of it.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Elise sniggered and folded her arms.
“You’re staying in my house, am I not allowed to drop in?” she asked raising an eyebrow.
“Of course, but when you know your delinquent daughter is residing in said house, it is strange how you suddenly want to see how it’s doing, especially since you’ve not been here in years” Elise protested and her mum’s face fell. Her mouth pinched together as if she smelled something rotten, the basement.
“Am I not allowed to check up on my daughter?” she asked after regaining her composure.
“Of course, just maybe not the daughter you’re trying so hard to dismiss” she argued back and her mum sighed.
“Why is everything such an argument with you?” she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Elise didn’t answer.
“Erica, or whatever name you’re going by now, you need to come home” she said desperately, Elise’s eyes narrowed and her mouth twisted into a snarl.
“You really think I’m actually going back there? To the place I am looked down on from literally everyone? Where I’m told my whole life is wrong, I know what’s wrong but I cannot help it! It is who I am, I get that you lot can’t accept that, which is why I left. You’re never going to accept me for who I am and I completely understand why, but you need to understand that I literally cannot change who I am and I refuse to even try” Elise snapped and stood to face her mum eye to eye. She was quiet for a moment.
“Out of all of my children, you were always the most difficult, you’re also the most aware of yourself and the most passionate, it’s a shame that your passion lies in the wrong place.” She muttered quietly, Elise stood with her hands balled up into fists at her side. She didn’t care what her mum had to say, she had said it all before and had never actually meant it. She didn’t care about Elise and she knew that, but she wanted to make out she was the best mother in the world.
“I want you to leave, I’m not coming back with you, I don’t belong there, I’ve accepted that and moved on, now you need to do the same” she mumbled and walked away, heading downstairs, into the basement.
***
Chapter 6
Axel had missed class completely. He slept through most of the day and only woke up because he needed to go to the bathroom. He looked around sleepily to find Elise was nowhere to be seen. He found a piece of paper on the side.
Axel,
I had to go get my hair done. Call me when you wake up.
Elise x
He put the paper down and smiled. He remembered the kiss, even in his sleep state he remembered every detail perfectly. He liked this woman, a lot. He had missed his class entirely because he was out with her until the early hours of the morning. He decided to spend the rest of the day studying. He had his exams soon. He needed to pass and he couldn’t afford to miss any other classes. He called Elise.
“Hi, hope I didn’t wake you when I left” she answered, she sounded down, not the same cheery girl he always knew.
“Not at all, how was your hair cut?” he asked and she was quiet for a brief second.
“Good yeah! Just a trim, what are you up to?” she asked and he smiled to himself.
“Just studying, want to come over?” he asked and she shrieked down the phone, he laughed and they hung up. He got dressed and had a wash, he didn’t want to smell like a yeti when she turned up.
Twenty minutes later a knock sounded at the door. He opened it, expecting Elise to be stood there, but instead found Connor. He didn’t look happy, he looked pissed.
“Balls” Axel muttered and Connor sniggered.
“Yeah, balls. Why have you been dodging me?” he snapped as he pushed his way into the apartment.
“I haven’t been dodging you, bro, I’ve just been busy” Axel shrugged, it wasn’t entirely true. He felt bad about going behind his back about Elise, Connor had told him to get out of it and Axel had done the exact opposite. And he had just lied to him, again.
“Are you still seeing that girl? I mean, I don’t care, just don’t lie to me, I’m just worried about you because you said she was no good and your teacher asked where you were because you didn’t show up for class today? What’s going on with you?” he asked with a raised voice as he paced up and down the apartment.
“I over slept” he shrugged and Connor laughed venomously.
“You? You of all people over slept? You never over sleep and when you do, it’s when you don’t have a class the next morning” he yelled
“Why are you being such an ass? Why do you even care?” he shouted at him and Connor raised his eyebrows in amazement, he had never seen or heard Axel raise his voice to anyone, let alone his best friend.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt, you’re my friend and at the moment you look like crap and you’re acting weird. Sort your crap out and get it together” he snapped as he went to storm out of the room. As he opened the door Elise was on the other side, holding her hand up as if she was just about to knock the door. They stood there, staring at each other for a moment and Axel stared frozen in place. Connor knew he had been lying to him and Elise had no idea who this guy was. Connor turned slowly toward him with wounded eyes, he left and Axel chased after him after telling Elise to go inside.
“Connor! Wait” he called after him, he was in the street when Connor swung around toward him.
“What? What could you possibly have to say? You just stood there and lied to my face, I can’t believe you, if you like the girl and you want to see her, fine! Do it, I don’t care, but don’t lie to me” he growled and stormed off. Axel wanted to go after him, he wanted to chase him but there was nothing he could say or do that would calm him down. He thought it would be better if he left him alone for a bit and try talk to him later on.
Back upstairs, Elise was stood at the kitchen counter, the kettle was just boiling and she poured hot water into two mugs. He smiled when he saw her and crossed the room to take her in his arms. She hugged him back tightly; he bent his head down and kissed her lightly on the lips. He pulled away and she looked disappointed but it quickly turned into a smile.
He grabbed his book out and they sat on the couch as he read through the book. She watched some TV programme about vampires and he held her hand while he read.
“What are you reading about?” she asked and he told her he was still studying Greek mythology.
“Anyone in particular?” she asked
“We’ve been told to write an essay on a character of our choice” he told her as he read another sentence
“Who did you choose?” she continued and he turned the book toward her, he thought he saw her eyes widen for a split second, but happened so quick maybe he was mistaken.
“Eris, the Goddess of discord. She was so twisted and evil. I can’t help thinking something must have happened to her to make her that way, not that anything in the books say that, maybe it’s just wishful thinking, wanting to think there’s some good in everyone” she shrugged his shoulders as he looked down at the book with an image of a slender woman with long black hair and
black eyes with black bat like wings sprouting from her back. Elise was quiet, he looked at her and she was staring at him with a small smile.
“What?” he asked, feeling slightly embarrassed that he got to nerdy in front of her.
“Nothing, I like that you want to see the good in everyone. Do you believe some people just can’t be saved? That they’re just evil?” she asked curiously and he thought about it for a moment.
“I think everyone has a reason for doing something, I don’t believe people do things just for the hell of doing it. I do believe some people can’t be saved, it’s up to them whether they want to change” he explained
“What if they don’t? What if they’re just a bad person and they don’t want to change because they just like to be bad?” she continued, he was slightly puzzled by the amount of questions and how intently she was talking.
“I don’t know, I’ve never met someone like that” he shrugged and looked back down at his book. She was quiet for a while after that. He wondered why. He remembered about when she spoke about not wanting to ruin his life and thinking she was doing the right thing. Something was screaming at him that he needed to get away from her, that she was trouble. He couldn’t listen, he didn’t want to listen. As stupid as it seemed to him, he was falling for her. He didn’t believe she could do anything so bad that he couldn’t forgive her for. Besides, she had never done anything bad to him. Whatever bad stuff she had done, it must have been in the past. She way she spoke, made it seemed like she regretted it and she was truly sorry for the things she had done. He didn’t know whether that’s what he actually believed or just what he wanted to believe. Either way, he felt himself being torn in two. He wanted to know what she had done, but at the same time, he was scared that whatever she had done, what if it was too bad to forgive?
He stopped studying to see what was wrong. She smiled at him and assured him nothing was wrong, that she was happy. He thought she seemed surprised by her own words. Maybe she was like him and didn’t really know how to treat romantic situations. He leant over and kissed her on the lips, when he went to pull away, she wrapped her arms around his next and pulled him closer. He didn’t mind, he liked the feeling that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She pressed her body up against him, he had never noticed before how warm she was. Her mouth was soft against his and he deepened the kiss this time, she seemed surprised, in a good way as she moaned gently into his mouth. He wanted to stop, he didn’t want to go far, but he couldn’t pull himself away. He put a hand on her waist and pulled her into his lap so her legs were on either side of his waist. She ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed along her jawline and down her neck before trailing kisses back to her lips. He felt that was enough. He pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers. They were both panting. At first she seemed to cling to him like she didn’t want him to stop, but after a moment she relaxed and she kissed his forehead gently.
“This is bad” she whispered, he thought it was more to herself than to him, but when he pulled his head back to look her in the eye, he saw nothing but worry and tears.
“What’s bad?” he asked as he kissed the back of her hand.
“This, this is bad. I think…I think I might be falling for you and that’s a bad thing” she muttered as a tear slipped down her cheek.
“Why is that bad?” he whispered back with a smile spread across his face as he wiped the tear away with his thumb.
“I feel like you deserve better” she mumbled and he stared at her for a moment. In that second he knew that it didn’t matter what it did, if someone could feel so guilty about the things they’d done and think that someone deserved better than them, he didn’t think that was the actions of someone who was beyond saving. He didn’t care what she had done, he wanted her and he was falling for her as much as she was falling for him. He was willing to accept every single details about her.
“Whether I deserve you or not, I want you” he whispered into her cheek as he kissed another tear away. She pulled back with wide eyes.
“You don’t know what you’re saying” she shook her head and closed her eyes.
“So are you saying you want to stop this?” he asked her, she wasn’t listening to him and if she really felt this way she wouldn’t want to carry on with him. She looked at him curiously and she dried her eyes.
“No, I don’t want to stop” she said confidently
“Then shut up” he grinned and she giggled slightly. Neither of them were good at lovey stuff, for that, he was grateful.
That night they said goodbye and Axel went over to Connor’s student halls. He opened the door and sighed when he saw him. He took a step back to allow Axel inside. His room was a mess. Empty alcohol bottles and cans all over every available surface, clothes flung on the floor and across the chair. It smelled of smoke too. It was only a small room, with a wardrobe, draws and a small bed in the corner and a desk on the far side. The walls were white and the carpet was cheap and green with dark stains.
“Managed to pull yourself away from your girlfriend then?” he sneered as he flopped down onto the bed with a can of beer in his hand.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and lied to you” Axel sighed as he sat in the plastic desk chair. Connor rolled his eyes and made no attempt to speak, he just drank his beer.
“I like her, dude. Like, really like her” he muttered and Connor sat up then. He didn’t look angry anymore but he didn’t exactly look happy either.
“Look, Bro, I’m glad you’ve found someone, really. But you’ve been so distant since you’ve met this chick. Golvin was worried about you when you didn’t show up for class. You’ve never missed a lesson and since you’ve met this girl, you’re late, you skip class, you lie to your best friend, hell, when was the last time you spoke to your mum?” he asked and he was right, Axel hadn’t spoken to his mum properly for weeks. He had only texted her. She was probably worried sick. He ran his hands through his hair and cupped his chin.
“I know, I’ll try harder, with everyone. Would you come and hang out with us? Elise and me I mean?” he asked and Connor chuckled slightly.
“Sure” he nodded once. Axel sent Elise a text and they agreed to meet at Bodleys in ten minutes. Axel remembered everything about the bar, the smell of dried blood, sweat and stale alcohol. The music was louder than last time and there were a lot more bikes parked outside. Elise was already sat in a booth to the far left of the room with three drinks on the table. She stood when she saw them and waved them over. She bounded over to Axel like a puppy and kissed him on the cheek. They all sat down and Axel noticed Connor give her a narrow eyed glare.
“Elise, Connor, Connor this is Elise” he introduced them and Elise held her hand out for him to shake. Connor looked suspicious and after a moment, shook her outstretched hand. She smiled lightly at him and then gave Axel a nervous look as Connor blanked her. It was awkward. Axel felt as if he made a mistake. Connor clearly wasn’t over being lied to and was now taking it out on Elise. It wasn’t her fault.
“So…this is nice” Connor mumbled, making the atmosphere even more awkward. Axel looked to Elise to see her mouth twist into a frown and her eyes glare at Connor.
“Have I done something wrong?” she asked and his insides turned to mush. He didn’t want them to argue, not two people he cared for.
“You tell me, you know before you two were a thing he said he thought you were all wrong for him” Connor smirked, that annoyed Axel, fair enough if he didn’t like Elise but he didn’t like that he was trying to cause trouble between them.
“I’m just a trouble maker” she laughed and he narrowed his eyes at her.
“Well, maybe you should leave him alone_”
“Connor. Shut up” Axel glared at him and Elise placed her hand on his arm.
“If that is what Axel wants, fine, I’ll leave him alone. But until then I intend to stay in his life and if you can’t handle that then maybe I’m not the one who should leave” she grinned sweetly. He was
n’t even mad, it’s what he wanted to say to Connor but wasn’t brave enough. He sat there with a look as if he had just been slapped.
“If this is the kind of girl you want bouncing on top of you, you’ve got issues, dude” he growled and stormed out of the bar. Axel didn’t even try to go after him, he didn’t want to. If Connor had such a problem with Elise, he should have said he didn’t want to go out. Unless he was just trying to split the two of them up.
“Are you mad?” he asked her and she looked confused at first but then smiled.
“No, I know I’m no good for you” she frowned before kissing his cheek and daring him to chug his beer.
***
Chapter 7
She felt terrible. It was bad enough she was distracting him from his studies, but she had made him fall out with his best friend. She knew he wouldn’t do anything he didn’t want to do, because of that she decided she would stop feeling sorry for herself. She wasn’t the kind of person to feel self-pitying. She didn’t want to push his friends away but she didn’t even need to try. Wherever she went, chaos followed and it didn’t matter what she did, she couldn’t stop it. Maybe it was time to tell him? To tell him who she really was? She couldn’t, the thought of him thinking bad of her and losing him, hurt more than knowing what she had to do.
That night she went home. Back to her mums’ house. Axel had said he wanted to study and she respected that for the first time. She realised that she wanted a future for him almost as she wanted her future plans to succeed. They would collide with each other; she couldn’t have one without the other. She would need to decide.
It was dark in her bedroom, she had painted the walls black, the carpet was black, she wanted to be in complete darkness. She had hung pictures of herself on the walls. At first she thought it was vain, then she realised she didn’t care. She knew someone was there as soon as she stepped through the front door. She kicked off her boots and sighed as she flopped onto the soft bed.