Chapter 16: The Most Romantic Emojis

"Do you think you can pick me up from school at five?" I asked my brother as he drove us to school.

"Because you got detention?" he responded.

"How'd you know?" I questioned. I was going to say that I was staying after to make up work or something.

"Because Axel told us in the group chat," he retorted and I wanted to scoff. Great friend, am I right? "Speaking of which, he'll be giving you a ride home because I'm not driving home only to sit for a half hour before leaving again."

"Dylan," I spoke in a tone of desperation. "You have to. Come on, please."

"Why should I? You need to talk to him so he can leave me alone," my brother responded. "Since you yelled at him yesterday, he's been telling me to tell you to text him back and to answer the phone. It's annoying and I'm going to throw my shoe at him if he doesn't stop."

"Maybe he shouldn't have kissed me," I muttered with crossed arms. Now he's making me feel bad for ignoring him.

"You kissed him, too," Dylan replied.

"That's different. I like him and he knows that. Why would he even kiss me to begin with?" I retorted as I stared out the window.

"You're asking the wrong person," he answered. "Can we not talk about this? I really don't want to think about my little sister kissing my friends." He was my friend first, I wanted to respond but I didn't.

"Dylan," I whined. "You really can't just pick me up? You can't stay in the area? You can't just walk around the supermarket or something?"

"No," he replied. "And don't try asking anyone for a ride because I told them all to say no."

"Dylan!" I whined again.

"Dylan," he mocked me. "And if your stupid little boyfriend texts me one more time telling me to deliver a message to you, I'm going to hit both of you with my shoes."

+++

Chemistry was the most awkward class I'd ever endured. It literally consisted of me and Axel reading our textbooks and avoiding the group work at all costs. I know he wanted to say something to me because I felt him staring at me. I avoided it, which is something I've become good at. He was saving it for the car ride, I assume, because he was practically chewing on his lip to keep from speaking.

The rest of the day went okay. I was able to talk to my friends without them teasing me about Axel. Thankfully Oliver told them to tone it down because of Sam. Speaking of the redhead, Spanish wasn't as awkward and I was able to talk to him and even get a few geniune laughs in. As I was leaving the language room, I had to ask Isaac for directions to the detention room.

"Why'd you ask me?" the boisterous twin asked with a hand on his hip.

"Because I know you've been there before," I told him. Many times.

He stared at me a minute before shrugging. "Well, it's true." Telling his twin he'll meet him at the car he led me towards the classroom.

"So...Axel, huh?" he questioned.

I glanced at him before looking the other way. "What about him?" I asked. Does he know I like Axel? Did Axel tell them? Or Holden? Or Dylan? Who am I kidding? He probably put two and two together; we kissed for Pete's sake.

"You two kissed," he shrugged and I nodded.

"I was there," I told him.

"So was I," Isaac replied. "That was your first kiss?"

"No," I answered.

"Do you like Axel?" he questioned me. This is the calmest I'd ever seen him. Isaac and I have never had any one on one time, mostly because Dylan literally signs anyone else up for task of being alone with me. He could find a creepy pervert and assign him to bring me to the store before he'd choose Isaac.

"What?" I retorted, turning to look at him, slightly shocked.

"I know you don't like Holden and I was told you're not into Sam. So do you like Axel?" he asked me and I simply stared at him, unsure of how to respond. How does he know all of this about me? Do the guys just gossip about me and tell my business?

"Why do you ask?" I questioned curiously.

He chuckled and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you were pretty into that kiss," he joked. My face burned red as he laughed, shaking his head. "I'm just asking."

What do I have to lose? Axel already knows. And he has no problem telling my business. "Yeah," I answered with a shrug. It was a lot easier than I thought.

"I supposed so," he nodded. "Who else knows?"

"My friends, Sam, Dylan, Holden, Axel," I told Isaac.

"Axel knows?" Isaac asked curiously, earning a nod in response. "Before or after the kiss?" I just stared at him and his eyes widened. "Before?" I nodded and he sighed, shaking his head.

"That's why I'm avoiding him," I told Isaac. "When I told him that I liked him, he said it wouldn't be awkward unless I made it awkward. Well now it's awkward. And I didn't even initiate the kiss! He did! And he's not even acknowledging it. At least recognize the fact that it happened and then say it didn't mean anything so we could move past it."

"Have you told him that?" Isaac asked as we stood outside of the detention room.

"No, what part of avoiding him don't you understand?" I replied.

"The part where you want him to acknowledge it but you won't give him the time of day to actually do it," Isaac responded.

"Shut up, Isaac," I mumbled. "I'll have a chance to today."

Isaac grinned at me. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it," I retorted. I entered the detention classroom a few minutes early, intent on getting a seat in the back where I could go unnoticed. To my surprise, it was empty. Hm. I thought it was going to be filled with kids who've made a home of this place, but I guess not.

A teacher was sitting in the front of the room with a large beard and bushy eyebrows to match. "Sign in," he mumbled as he looked at me. He pointed to a sign in sheet attached to a clipboard in the front of the room. I walked over towards it, scribbling my name down.

I went to the seat in the back, slumping down as much as possible. A few moments later, Axel walked in, looking around the room. His eyes fell on me and he began approaching me until the guy in the front told him to sign in. He turned around and wrote his name quickly. I wanted to sigh when he made his way over to me, sitting down to my left. I pretended like I didn't see him despite the fact that we'd made eye contact only twelve seconds ago. Please don't talk to me now. Save it until we're in the car.

The teacher looked at the clock before standing up. "There will be no talking, no cell phone usage, and no leaving," he informed us as he grabbed the clipboard.

"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" Axel asked from beside me.

"You should've thought about that before you got detention," the teacher announced as he returned to his seat, turning his attention to his computer.

"Alexis..." Axel hissed. I ignored him, resting my head on my book bag. "Alexis."

"No talking," the teacher snapped, not even turning away from his computer.

"Alexis," Axel replied a bit quieter. When he realized I wasn't listening, he reached out and poked me. I ignored him, staring at the wall. "Alexis."

"Didn't I say no talking?" the teacher asked, turning around.

"I wasn't talking," Axel replied after being put on the spot. Literally, there is no one else in this room aside from me, you, and the teacher, Axel. You're really going to pull the 'I wasn't talking' card?

"Move yourself to that seat," the teacher demanded, pointing to a seat in the corner on the other side of the room. Thanks man, you're a lifesaver.

Axel got up with a huff and moved his stuff to the other side of the room. I allowed myself to stretch out my neck, turning to look at him. He was staring at me in annoyance as if I was the cause of his removal. He looked over at the teacher before pulling his phone from his pocket, hiding it beneath his backpack, which was on the desk. Suddenly, my phone began to go off from its place in my pocket. I struggled to turn down my volume, wondering how it got so loud to begin with. The teacher looked back at me, approaching me and holding out his hand. I grudgingly placed my phone into his palm, watching as he walked over to his desk, placing it on the table. I glared at Axel, who sighed and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

The time ticked by and five o'clock came around later rather than sooner. I had to get my phone from the teacher before I left and of course, as soon as I exited the classroom, Axel was waiting for me outside. I disregarded him completely, turning and walking down the hallway. I guess he stared at me in disbelief for a bit because he didn't say anything for a few more seconds.

"Alexis!" he shouted and I stopped, turning to look at him.

"What?" I asked, annoyed and tired. Sitting and doing nothing for that long takes a lot out of you. I probably could've used my phone to waste time had it not been confiscated.

"Wait up," he responded as he grew closer. He was at my side a few seconds later and we remained silent, mentally debating on who should break the silence first. "About what you said yesterday..."

Here we go... "What about it?"

"You were right. I shouldn't have kissed you. It was rude and I'm an idiot for doing it. I wasn't thinking and it was inconsiderate of me to do that, knowing how you feel about me," he explained. "You were right in ignoring me; hell, if I was you, I probably would've ignored me, too. And I was a hypocrite; I told you not to make it awkward but I was the one who did by kissing you. I just want to apologize for everything."

I stared at him. How does he expect me to counter that? I can't stay mad at him and I hate myself for it. He could probably stab me in the face and I'd forgive him within a week. However I felt a lump of disappointment well in my throat. I half expected-half hoped that he'd express romantic feelings for me. Fighting off a sigh, I nodded.

"Fine, whatever," I muttered as I turned to walk away. Grabbing my wrist, he pulled me back around. I had the urge to remove my wrist from his hand as it tingled from his touch. He stared at me as if waiting for my response. "Why are you just holding my wrist?" I asked after a moment of simply staring at him.

"There's nothing you want to ask me? Or clarify? Or bring to my attention?" he asked and I shook my head. Nothing that wouldn't impose discomfort among the both of us, like why'd you do it? Rate my kissing skills on a scale from one to ten- one being bad and ten being amazing? What were your thoughts afterwards? Do you regret it? Do you like me? At all? "Are you sure?"

"Positive." I sighed.

"That didn't sound so positive," he responded.

"Axel, it's fine. Everything is fine," I retorted.

"You're not mad at me?" he asked. No, I'm just mad at myself for thinking that you could actually like me.

"No," I responded.

"Are you sure?" he furthered, earning a tired nod in response.

"I'm going to be mad if you don't stop asking stupid questions," I retorted, forcing a smile. He smiled back but I knew he was still unconvinced. I shrugged it off and led the way to his car, trying my best to answer his questions without furthering his beliefs that I wasn't okay.

"So how'd it go with Sam?" he asked me. "Did you reject him like we planned?"

"Yeah," I told Axel. "He wasn't upset or anything. I think he saw it coming."

"How?" Axel asked and I shrugged.

"Just a feeling," I replied. Because how awkward would it be to bring up a kiss we just uncomfortably discussed only moments ago?

We continued talking about Sam until we were halfway to my house when I brought up a touchy subject. Or at least I felt it was touchy. Talking about her has always been awkward, but especially so since I confessed my feelings to him. "Have you talked to Victoria at all?"

"She messaged me a few times but I followed in your footsteps and ignored her," Axel responded and I rolled my eyes at his stupid response.

"What did she say?" I asked him and he grabbed his phone from his pocket and tossed it onto my lap.

When he saw that I simply stared at it, he grinned like a madman. "I can't use my phone while driving." He kept glancing at me and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you going to unlock it or are you just going to stare at it like an idiot?"

"Is the passcode the same?" I asked him as I lifted his phone in my hand.

"Yeah," he told me. I unlocked it and went to his messages, clicking on Victoria's name. Before, when they first got together, it was Vic with a bunch of hearts and romantic emojis, if you'd go as far as to call emojis romantic. Now, it's just Victoria with no emojis.

Axel.

Come on. Reply. I want to talk to you.

I miss you.

I'm sorry.

Can you call me or something? I just want to talk.

"Wow..." I trailed, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, I know. That was my reaction," he muttered. I locked his phone and held it out to him. He glanced at it before looking at me. "Hold on to it..." his voice dropped a few octaves to sound husky as he narrowed his eyes at me, "unless you want to put it in my pocket." I dropped his phone back in my lap before looking out the window, listening to him laugh loudly.

"Very funny," I retorted.

"I had to," he responded with his normal voice. "I couldn't just let that opportunity slip away."

"You can and you will next time a situation like that arises," I retorted.

"It was funny!" he chuckled. "Try it with Sam. Wait, no, don't. He might take you up on the offer. Matter of fact that was a bad idea. Don't do that."

"Don't worry, Axel, I wasn't planning to," I retorted. "Unlike you, I don't make fun of people who have crushes on me because I'm a good person."

"Obviously you wouldn't like me if I was a bad person," he responded. "So there must be some good in me."

"I don't know where," I muttered.

"In my pocket," he said in that stupid voice while struggling to keep a straight face. I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes at his stupidity.

"Please stop," I groaned, covering my red face. As much as I like him, I won't be putting my hand in his pocket anytime soon.

"Okay...as long as you-," he started but I groaned in frustration.

"I'm not putting my hand in your pocket!" I retorted and his eyebrows shot up as he stared at me.

"I wasn't going to say that...but if you insist," he started with a laugh and I groaned yet again. "I was going to say that I'll stop as long as you promise to text me back and stop ignoring me."

"Whatever," I mumbled as I stared out the window.

We continued driving along with Axel making commentary as we went. He'd note things like how the colorful leaves blanketed the ground and how much he enjoyed fall weather. I listened even though I already knew half the stuff he was telling me. I'm very observant. Halfway through a rant about how he never got to jump into a pile of leaves as a child because he was always too tall, the car in front of us suddenly stopped, causing Axel to slam down on the brakes.

"Axel!" I screeched as the car came to an abrupt halt. My hands flung down to try to keep me stable.

"What are you doing?!" Axel shouted and I looked over at him to see my hand gripping his thigh. I immediately pulled my hand away, rubbing it on my jeans as he stared at me with wide eyes.

"I am so sorry," I responded, wanting to get out of the car and run in front of the oncoming traffic. I stared ahead, thinking of ways to make light of the situation. Think, Alexis, think.

"It's fine," he awkwardly stated as he glanced at me.

"I mean, at least it wasn't your-," I started but he cut me off.

"Let's not go there," he interrupted, averting his gaze.

"I was going to say your pocket," I replied, hoping that I'd get a smile out of him. He looked at me and let out an airy chuckle.

"Let's just get you home, without any more groping, please," he replied as he drove towards my house. I cringed back in my seat, turning my attention out the window as he laughed at me.

+++

"Happy birthday, Miles!" my brothers friends and I sang as we stood around the youngest member of the friend group. Even my friends joined in on the cheer. He had his head in his locker in embarrassment as people passed behind us in the hall, glancing curiously in his direction.

"Thanks guys, now please leave me alone," he muttered in a muffled voice.

"How does it feel to be sixteen?" Holden asked as he nudged Miles.

"You're such a wittle baby," Cam cooed, grabbing his cheek and pinching it lightly. He moved his face away from her as he glared at us.

"I always forget that you're, like, eleven," Axel replied as he stood beside me. Every time I glanced at him, I had flashbacks of the kiss and the awkward car situation that took place yesterday.

"I'm not, like, eleven," Miles retorted, growing annoyed with the constant teasing. "Guys, I just want to get through the day without any embarrassment. Can I have that, at least?"

Everyone stared at him and Isaac snorted. "No, what are you? Stupid?" Isaac answered for the guys.

"Don't forget your birthday hits," Colton noted.

"No-," Miles started but Demetrious quickly cut in.

"You're not going to be hitting him..." Demetri started, "because I'm going to hit him first!"

Miles slipped between people, managing to escape the clutches of the group. "You guys aren't going to hit him, right?" Sidney asked as she clutched her binder to her chest, staring at the space where Miles had just disappeared off to.

"Why do you care?" Isaac asked from his place at the other end of the group, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm just wondering..." she muttered as she looked at the floor with a red face. I could tell that she was thinking about how sad it'd be to see Miles get hit by the guys.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," Isaac replied as if Sidney wasn't red enough already. A few of the guys chuckled and Isaac turned his attention to me. "Are you going out with us after? For Miles' birthday?" I looked at my friends. We were all supposed to go see a movie and then get sushi. Isaac looked at them before shrugging. "They can come."

"Really?" I asked.

"We already have about ten people going. What's three more?" he asked. "What about Sam? Is he going?"

"He works today," I told him honestly. Besides, I'm not sure if it'd be smart having Sam around them after Dylan's interrogation. They'd probably jokingly make fun of him and I doubt he'd be able to deal with all of the pressure. Also, it'd be awkward to have him there alongside Axel.

"Okay," Isaac started. "Do they need rides?"

"No," I responded. Cam has a car so she can do the driving.

"Okay, well, we'll meet up at the truck after school," he nodded, turning to look at my friends. I saw Sidney immediately duck her head and Isaac laughed loudly.

"What happened?" I asked her as I approached and she cleared her throat.

"He winked at me," she whispered, earning a laugh from Cam.

"I thought you said he was the ugliest of them all," Cam reminded.

"He's not ugly...his personality is just...ugh," Sid explained with a shiver.

"He seems to think you're swell," Oliver noted just as the bell rang.

"I'm going to class," Sid muttered as she avoided our gazes. Oliver laughed as she practically ran away. I rolled my eyes. Isaac knew exactly what he was doing.

+++

"Are you ready?" I asked Sidney as she brushed her hair in the mirror repeatedly. I came in here to touch up my makeup and Sidney had to do the same thing, but also use the toilet, fix her hair, and cloud the bathroom with perfume (which resulted in Cam having to leave because she couldn't breathe). I stared at Sidney in the mirror as she tilted her head to the side, examining her hair.

"How do I look?" she asked, earning a sigh in response.

"You look fine, Sid, just like you did ten minutes ago when we first came in here," I told her.

"Does my dress look okay?" she inquired as she twirled around a few times. The orange dress flowed behind her and I nodded.

"Yes, Sid, you look great," I replied.

"Okay, let's go," she nodded, shoving her makeup bag back into her purse, as well as her perfume and her brush. We left the bathroom, greeting Oliver and Cam.

"Finally!" Cam announced. "You guys were in there for forever."

"I expected that from Oliver, to be quite honest," Sid responded.

"Can we please go?" Cam asked. "Do you know where we're going, Lex?"

"Not a clue, but I hope we get food because I'm starving," I muttered.

"Who were you getting all ready for?" Oliver asked Sidney, who looked the other way.

"No one," she muttered.

"Isaac?" Cam chuckled.

"Miles?" I inquired.

"No!" Sidney retorted as her face turned beet red. "Can't I just want to look nice?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Oliver blurted.

We headed outside towards the truck where the guys were standing. As we approached, Dylan sighed loudly. "It took you long enough."

"Where are we going?" I asked, ignoring my brother's rude comment.

"We're going to get pizza and then we're going to see a movie," Isaac explained before turning around.

"Doesn't it make more sense to see the movie and then eat pizza?" Sidney blurted from her spot behind me. Isaac turned back around and looked at Sidney, who felt compelled to continue seeing as she was in the spotlight. "So we'll have something to talk about while we eat. I mean, it just makes more sense, you know? I think it does, do you guys?"

"Yeah," my friends answered. I nodded my head and watched as Isaac turned to the guys.

"What do you think?" he asked them. "Movie and then pizza?"

"But I'm hungry," Axel whined from his spot beside Holden. Me, too, I wanted to butt in but decided against it.

"You should've eaten lunch," Colton snorted.

"I found a hair in it!" Axel retorted.

"It was yours!" Colton responded.

"I wasn't taking that chance!" Axel rejoined.

"Shut up, you two," Isaac snapped. "So movie before pizza?"

"Yeah," a few guys answered while the rest nodded.

"What about you, birthday boy?" Isaac asked. "Is that okay with you?"

"I don't care," Miles answered.

"Alright, I'll check for the next movie," Isaac replied.

"What movie are we going to see?" Sidney piped and I was surprised she was speaking so much.

"Don't worry about it," Isaac answered with a smirk on his lips.

"Is it a scary movie?" Sidney questioned. I mean, Halloween is only a few days away. I wouldn't be surprised if we all went to see a scary movie.

"Why? Are you scared?" Isaac asked her.

"No," she quickly replied. "I'm just wondering."

"I guess we'll see when we get there," Isaac retorted. "Don't worry. I got you if you're scared."

"No thanks," Sidney responded, causing Isaac to raise his eyebrows with a curious and intrigued expression on his face.

"Okay, we'll see how everything plays out," Isaac replied.

"The next movie plays in about forty five minutes," Dylan blurted from beside Isaac, cutting off the twin and Sidney's little flirting session.

"Okay, let's get going then," Holden announced. The crowd began splitting up and I was unsure who I was going with. Do I go with my friends? My brother?

"Want to ride with me?" Axel asked from a few feet away. I turned to look at him, realizing he was directing his question to me. I turned to my friends and they shrugged.

"Alright," I responded before turning to follow Axel to his car.

"You think they're going to date?" Axel asked me and I looked at him curiously.

"Who? Isaac and Sid?" I questioned, earning a nod in response. "Maybe, I'm not sure. Sid's quiet and reserved and Isaac is...well, Isaac."

"Opposites attract," he responded as we got into the car.

"In some cases," I muttered.

"Yeah, you do tend to like nerds," he noted.

"Are you insinuating that I'm a nerd?" I asked.

"No, I'm calling you a nerd...nerd," he retorted.

"It takes one to know one," I responded as I crossed my arms.

"Whatever you say, Alexis," he replied after staring at me for a few seconds. "And remember; keep your hands to yourself. No groping of any kind is allowed in this car."

"Shut up, Axel!"