Clash of the Clichés

Vanessa was still in the hospital, and everybody had been giving me a wide berth. Even Evan had been afraid to go anywhere near me, and the flurry of questions and storm of curiosity were instantly crushed with one look at Axel. And so, my life has been hell. Everybody was staring, terrified to speak but dying of curiosity. All anybody knew was that Vanessa had me cornered in an alley and then Axel put her in the hospital. They seemed to come to the conclusion that Axel was now my protector.

Axel found it hilarious. He would randomly walk up to me and put his arm around my shoulders as I went to class, giggling childishly as people disappeared as fast as they could. "How can yo not be enjoying this?" he asked me as I pushed him off.

"How could I enjoy this? People are breathing down my darn neck and it's terrifyingly silent wherever I go. It's fu- it's annoying."

"Oh come on! Stop holding back! Say what you were thinking. It's fucking annoying. You want to kill everybody. Say it!"

"Shut up, Axel! Just leave me alone." His eyes were darkening. I backed up a few steps, genuinely scared for my safety.

"You're such a goody goody. Practically an angel. What a fucking sweetheart. Just say what you're thinking for once. Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to hear you stop yourself every fucking time you're about to say something negative? I don't know how your friends put up with you. Say what you were thinking before you stopped yourself. NOW."

I was cornered. Axel may be short, but with his hands on either side of my head I was practically hyperventilating. All I could picture was those hands wrapping around my throat and ending my life before the bell dismissed lunch. "I- I- I-"

Darren let out a long sigh and pulled away. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. But you and I both know you would be a lot happier if you just let loose and stuck up for yourself. I may be bad, but I'm not fucking heartless." With that, he pulled out a cigarette and slowly lit it, strolling casually away as if he hadn't just shook my very foundation.

There was a dull ringing sound in the back of my head, which I processed a minute later to be the bell ending lunch. I shook my head and blinked a little, still thinking over Axel's parting words. He was so... bizarre to deal with. "Evelyn! Evelyn!" My body suddenly crashed to the floor as Amy collided with it. "Where have you been all lunch? Ace and I were lost without you, darling. We couldn't go on."

"Was Axel bothering you again? I swear to God, just say the word and I'll pulverize him. I can't stand his smug little face anyways."

"No, Ace. He wasn't bothering me. He was... I don't know. Let's just go to class, alright?" They both shared a skeptical look before rolling their eyes and hoisting me up.

"Alright, Miss Karma. Let's get you to Algebra." They both linked their arms with mine and merrily dragged me behind them.

Algebra was just as annoying as the rest of the day had been, with people staring at me and whispering behind my back. Ace and Amy gave as many withering glares as they could muster, but everybody knew that they wouldn't hurt anybody unless they physically harmed me. Only Axel was crazy enough to do that.

"I heard that Axel killed Vanessa just for looking at her."

"Yeah, I heard it wasn't even a menacing look either. She was fucking smiling at her and Axel went crazy."

"You think they're going out?"

"Why else would he go psycho protector?"

"What a weird couple."

"Can't picture that lasting long."

"She's such a-"

"How about you guys get lives and stay the hell out of Evelyn's, hm?" I sighed, rubbing my temples.

"Thank you, Amy," I breathed, going back to the worksheet Mr. Greere had just handed out. People really did need to get their own lives for once.