Chapter 22: Rule Breaker

"Alexis?" Axel called into my room as I stood before the mirror above my sink.

"I'm in the bathroom," I replied in a muffled voice. I was applying a lip scrub, massaging it on my mouth.

"Are you decent?" he asked me. I made a sound of confirmation and he slowly entered the bathroom, standing against the wall behind me. His eyes fell on my lips as I rubbed them together, allowing the exfoliation process to begin. "What's that on your mouth?"

"A lip scrub," I responded as I felt my lips begin to burn. Does that mean it's done?

"What does it do?" he asked me as he gazed at me. I began rubbing the pink, chunky scrub off with a wad of toilet paper.

"It softens your lips," I told him, dampening the tissue and getting off the rest of the exfoliator remains.

"Who are you softening your lips for?" he asked me curiously, earning an eye roll.

"It makes for easier lipstick application," I excused. You, I wanted to answer. Maybe in another life...

"Really?" he asked curiously. For a minute, I thought I'd said that last part aloud.

"Yeah," I answered. "I just bought a new one. It's pink and it's supposed to stay on for a while."

"Is it matte?" he asked, impressing me with his knowledge. I was surprised he remembered that makeup vocabulary word.

"Yeah," I told him with a smile. I left the bathroom, listening as he followed behind me. He dropped down on my bed as I got out all my makeup. He watched me in the mirror, which is something I think he enjoys. "Why do you always watch me put on makeup?"

"It's fascinating, I guess," he answered with a shrug while I put on my foundation.

I blended out my concealer, setting it with a powder. He stared as I brushed out my brows. I wiggled them and he smiled at me. I continued to apply my makeup, waiting for him to ask what I was getting ready for. I can already tell he's preparing by the way he's biting his lip. "So where are you going?"

"I'm going to the movies," I told him honestly. Okay so maybe I'm leaving out the part where I admit that I'm going to be accompanying Sam...and that we're going to be alone. But it's not a date.

"With who?" he asked curiously and we made eye contact in the mirror. I quickly looked away, directing my gaze on my eyeliner instead.

"Sam..." I trailed.

"Again?" Axel asked with wide eyes. "You were just with him last Friday and then on Thursday."

"And we had fun last Friday so we decided to hang out again this weekend," I explained to Axel. Last weekend we went rollerskating and then on Thursday we hung out at Froyo again, talking and relaxing until closing hours.

"Why?" he asked in annoyance.

"Because we're friends," I told Axel.

"It's just you two?" Axel queried and I nodded. "And you're going to the movies?" Another nod. "Doesn't that sound like a date to you?"

"We clarified that it's not a date, just two friends hanging out," I told him with a shrug. "Kind of like what we do."

"Why couldn't you invite, like, Cam or someone?" he responded as I applied my lipstick. "You haven't hung out with your other friends in a while."

I shrugged again. "Because we wanted to hang out alone." It was actually Cam's idea. She suggested that we should hang out together because of the simple fact that we have a major thing in common; we both like someone who doesn't like us back. Unrequited love, if you would. I was a bit hesitant because Sam likes me but I just shrugged it off and figured I might as well. Besides, he's kept the flirting at a bare minimum so we should be fine.

"So what are you going to see?" Axel asked curiously as he stared at me. I could tell he had more questions he wanted to ask. Good thing he decided not to ask because I don't really feel like explaining myself to him.

"Sam bought tickets for one. I don't recall the name though. Speaking of Sam, he's supposed to be coming in a half hour though," I told Axel as I put away my makeup.

Axel looked at his phone and sighed. "Let me guess, you need to change so I have to go."

"Yeah, if you want you can come back up here once I'm done and we'll hang out until Sam gets here," I offered.

"I'm fine. I'll go hang out with Dylan," Axel responded as he got up from my bed, offering me a short glance before approaching the door. "You look great by the way. Have fun with Sam."

+++

"That was a good movie," I told Sam with a laugh as we exited the theater. We entered the dark parking lot and I smiled. I genuinely had a good time. He's the type of person to talk through the movie but I didn't really mind. His comments were funny.

"Yeah, I liked it, too," he admitted. "Even if it was a little romantic."

"You know, I could totally go for some Chinese food right now," I replied.

"Yeah, same," he responded. "I know a really good Chinese place not too far from here. We could go get something to eat before I bring you home."

"Yeah, that sounds good," I answered with a nod. My stomach was growling throughout the movie and I was scared he'd heard it.

After we ordered and received our food, we decided to eat outside. Rather than getting in the car and potentially spilling the food, we sat in the back of the pick-up. It was a nice night so the decision wasn't a hard one to make. The cool breeze swirled around us as the heated meals warmed our laps. We sat side by side with our legs extended in front of us. His foot would occasionally bump mine and my arm would sometimes brush up against his. We discussed the movie further, sharing our opinions and thoughts. "Tammy should've gone with the other guy. Peter was definitely better for her."

"You see, I don't agree. I think she made the right choice by going with Wallace," I replied as I ate a forkful of noodles.

"Why do you say that?" he inquired, biting into an egg-roll.

"Because," I sipped my drink, "she liked Wallace for a very long time."

"Yeah, but Peter liked her for a while, too," Sam explained. "He actually recognized her while Wallace overlooked her for all their years of knowing each other."

"You can't blame Wallace for not liking her in a romantic way, just like you can't blame her for not liking Peter," I told Sam as the movie's plot sounded familiar. I'm Tammy. Wallace is Axel. And Peter is Sam. Does Sam recognize the similarities too? Is that why he chose this film? "Besides, Peter just wasn't the one for her. It was obvious throughout the movie."

"You can't blame Peter for trying, can you?" Sam inquired and I looked at the food in my lap.

"Well, no," I responded, turning to look at him. I found that he was already staring at me and I shrugged. "I guess not."

Before I could tell what was happening, he was kissing me. He wasn't a bad kisser; he just wasn't as good as Axel. His lips were chapped and his mouth tasted like the half eaten egg-roll resting on his styrofoam meal container. I wasn't really kissing him back. I was just sitting there with my mouth slightly opened, as well as my eyes, as he tilted his head and swirled his tongue around my mouth. I wasn't sure whether or not he was aware that I wasn't into it but I needed to put a stop to it. I pulled away and turned the other way. "I still think Tammy should've gone with Wallace."

He sighed and nodded. "Okay."

While we finished eating our meals in awkward silence, I couldn't help but think about how much I would've rather been kissing Axel. Even as we drove home, I hoped Axel was still there, hanging out with Dylan. When we slowly pulled up to my house, I moved to take off my seat-belt and Sam cleared his throat. "Listen...I didn't mean to make things awkward... I kind of just..."

I offered him a small smile as I nodded. "Don't worry about it. I understand."

"Yeah...I'll see you at school on Monday?" he asked as he stared at me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I'll see you at school on Monday."

As I got out of the car and made my way up the porch steps, I noticed Axel's car in the driveway behind Dylan's. I pulled open the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me. Axel, Demetrious, and Dylan were sitting on the couch. They all turned to look at me once I entered.

"How was hanging out with Sam?" Dylan asked.

"It was fine," I mumbled. I looked at Axel, who had his glassy eyes trained on the television. "Can I talk to you?"

"About what?" he asked, not bothering to move. Before, if I'd ask to talk to him, he'd get up and follow me to my room without hesitation. That's what I want him to do now.

"Axel," I spoke.

He sighed loudly and turned to look at me. "What?" he responded in a tone of annoyance.

"Can I talk to you?" I repeated now that he was staring into my eyes.

"About what?" he pressed.

"It's private," I told him.

He made a scene of shoving the blankets off of him and getting up, following behind me as I led the way to my room. As soon as I closed the door behind us, I turned to see him staring at me. "Did you kiss him?" Axel asked.

"What?" I trailed as I began taking off my shoes. How'd he know?

"Did you kiss him?" Axel asked in the same curious tone.

"Yeah..." I told him, watching as he nodded slowly. I waited for him to ask me about it but he didn't. He just stared at my television, which was left on while I was gone. I decided to ask a question this time. "How'd you know?"

"Your lipstick is smudged," he explained quietly as his eyes locked on the television screen. What's wrong with him?

"Oh," I mumbled as I reached up to my mouth. "I just-."

"I've got to go," Axel blurted suddenly as he looked at his phone.

"Axel," I attempted.

"I'll see you on Monday," he replied as he went to leave my room.

"What happened? Where are you going?" I asked him.

"Home," he answered.

"Why?" I interrogated.

"Because I want to," he responded.

"You can't stay and talk for ten minutes?" I inquired.

"What's there to talk about?" he replied. "Are you going to tell me how you guys kissed? Or about how much fun you had? And Alexis, why would you want to kiss someone you don't like?"

"Axel..." I trailed. I was going to tell him about the kiss but I was going to tell him how I wasn't into it. I was going to tell him that he was right and that maybe hanging out with Sam alone so soon wasn't the right decision. I was going to ask him if he wanted to hang out next weekend or some other this week.

"Like I said, I've got to go home," he answered. "I'll see you Monday."

+++

"And then he just didn't come to Chemistry but I know he's here today," I told my friends as I sat down. Luckily Sam decided to skip lunch or else I'd have to let my friends know about everything over text. That's not easy to do, especially not when you're in class with teachers threatening to confiscate cell phones.

"I think he's jealous," Oliver finished.

"Yeah, it sounds like it," Sid nodded.

"He probably realized that he likes you," Cam blurted.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Sidney pressed.

"You don't think I tried?" I asked my friends, taking out my phone. I unlocked it and went to my messages. I slid my device across the table, watching as Sid picked it up. "I sent him 8 messages and he didn't respond to a single one." After the first two, I completely disregarded the idea of coming off as clingy. I was texting him as his best friend, not as a girl who has a crush on him. I genuinely wanted to know why he was so upset.

"Maybe you should try to talk to him in person," Cam furthered as she slid my phone back to me. I grabbed it and locked it before shoving it into my pocket.

"Yeah, you're right," I told her. "But when?"

"Well he's leaving the cafeteria as we speak," Oliver suggested as he gazed at the tall boy heading towards the exit doors.

I looked over to see him leaving the cafe. I immediately grabbed my bag, looking at my friends. "Throw my trash out? Please? Thanks!" I got up and advanced towards the doors, watching his lanky figure turn towards the stairwell. I heard the sound of the door opening and I ran over, entering the stairwell behind him.

"Why are you following me?" he asked as I stood a few feet away from him.

"Why are you ignoring me?" I replied.

"Who said I'm ignoring you?" he asked.

"Well you're definitely not texting me back," I responded.

"I'm not in the mood to text," he answered.

"You've been avoiding me in the halls," I added.

"Not in the mood to talk," he shrugged as he leaned against the brick wall with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He was staring straight at me and I had to fight the urge to look away. He seemed to be staring straight through me. Despite the need to run away, I stood my ground, swallowing deeply.

"You've been having conversations with other people," I replied. "Are you just not in the mood to talk to me?"

He looked at me and sighed quietly, looking at the floor. "I just don't understand you," he confessed.

"I can say the same for you," I admitted as I stood there, fiddling with my hands.

"I thought you didn't like Sam," he piped.

"I don't," I confirmed.

"But you kissed him," Axel rejoined.

"You never let me explain what happened," I replied. I took a step forward. "So can I? Or are you going to storm out?" He gave me a flat look and shrugged. "Are you actually going to listen? Because I'm only going to tell you this once."

"Alright I'm listening," he retorted.

"I'll spare you the details-," I started and he cut me off.

"I want the details," he insisted.

I looked at my phone. The bell's scheduled to ring in two minutes. "I don't think we'll have time for it."

"We can be a few minutes late," he shrugged.

"Well, students are going to start using this stairway in a minute," I began, hoping he'd know a more private place.

"Come on," he started as he kicked off of the wall. I followed behind him, watching his strides as he brought me to the abandoned supply closet. How romantic.

As soon as we reached the closet, the bell rang and a teacher passed by. "Get to class, you two," she blurted.

"We're going, ma'am," Axel noted, waiting until she walked by to open the door to the closet. I didn't expect us to actually go in. Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and yanked me into the closet. It was considerably roomy, decorated with shelves and unused supplies. An old broom was in the corner and a ladder rested against the wall. It was at least four feet by four feet, meaning that I could stand far enough away from Axel to have a clear head. I watched as he closed the door behind us, circling around me until I was the one standing in front of the door.

"Well..." I started.

"Don't leave anything out because you think it's embarrassing," he reminded me.

"Alright." I was slightly nervous because we were in an enclosed space but also because he was staring at me, not past me, but at me. I opened my mouth to speak before closing it. When I finally managed to talk, my words were rushed and I was sure he didn't understand a word I'd said. However, he surprised me by nodding.

"So I'm Wallace?" he asked for clarification. "And he's Peter?"

"Yeah," I answered. I wish I could've left that part out. I only intended on telling him that the kiss was uncomfortable and that it meant nothing. I wanted to let him know that he was right in warning me not to hang out with Sam alone. But whenever I went to lie, I'd make eye contact with him and the truth would just spew out.

"And you chose Wallace over Peter?" he continued.

"I think I made that quite clear," I blurted with a red face.

"Alright," he finished.

"So what now?" I asked him.

"We go to English class," he started as he went for the door. I reached out and grabbed his wrist, gaining his attention again.

"Are you still mad at mad at me?" I asked him.

"No," he replied.

"What were you mad at me about?" I questioned. When I saw that he wasn't going to answer, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Axel."

"What?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Why were you mad at me?" I inquired.

"We're late to English class," he reminded me. The late bell rang halfway through my story but he shrugged it off, urging me to continue. But now it's bothering him that we're late?

"What's a few more minutes?" I pressed. His arm tensed and the only reason I noticed was because I was holding his wrist.

"Technically, you're breaking rule number two," he pressed.

"I'm not touching you to get a reaction," I answered, maintaining my hold on his wrist.

"You're holding me to keep me from leaving, which is a reaction," he explained.

"I'm holding you to keep you from running away from your problems," I answered.

"My problems?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, your problems," I retorted.

"Enlighten me then," he started. "What are my problems?"

"You're dodging my question," I told him. "Why were you mad at me?"

"I wasn't dodging your question. I'm just not going to answer it," he retorted.

"I just stood here and explained my entire situation with Sam to you and you can't even answer a question for me?" I asked him, furrowing my eyebrows.

"You only did that so we wouldn't fight again," he replied.

"Yeah and we're going to be fighting if you don't answer my question," I responded. His free hand came up and touched my hair, lightly tugging at a strand as he twirled it between his fingers. He stared into my eyes as he fiddled with my hair and I urged myself not to give in to his little game. "Now you're breaking rule number two."

"I'm not touching you to get a reaction. I just like your hair," he explained calmly. "You would know if I was touching you to get a reaction."

"Breaking rule number three now," I responded as I tried to steady my breathing.

"That wasn't an innuendo," he replied with a smirk on his lips. "Glad to see that your mind's in the gutter."

I wasn't even thinking of it that way...but now I am. "Flirting," was all I managed to say.

"I'm not flirting with you," he responded as he stared at me.

"So you stand this close to everyone?" I asked him. "And you play with their hair?"

"If I'm not mistaken you're the one that took the step forward," he responded. "And if I like someone's hair, I'll touch it."

"Even the twins?" I asked.

"Maybe Isaiah, but not Isaac," he replied. "He'd try to kiss me."

"I agree..." I nodded, fully intent on keeping my eyes on his. Don't look at his lips. Don't look at his lips. He's in a mood where he'd definitely point it out. He's trying to make it seem like I'm the one that puts us in these situations.

"Is it really that hard to focus?" he asked me as his fingers wound themselves further in my hair. My stomach was tight and I felt like my heart was going to explode because it was beating so fast.

"Not really," I lied. His hand was practically at the base of my neck and I know that once it brushes against my skin, I'm going to shiver.

"You're quite the liar," he responded.

"Are you sure you're not breaking rule number two?" I asked him. "Because it sounds like you're waiting for me to react."

"You are reacting," he grinned triumphantly.

I suddenly realized that I was gripping his wrist tightly. As I released it, his hand brushed up against mine. His fingers found their way around mine and he closed them around my palm. I kept my hand open, watching him as he smirked at me. I slowly closed my hand around his, relaxing it as he gazed at me. My stomach clenched while I watched him, waiting for him to speak.

"What's wrong?" he asked curiously as he smirked at me. "Cat got your tongue?"

"No," I answered after praying that my voice won't crack.

His hand grazed the back of my head and I managed to contain the shiver. He ran his fingers through my hair once again, brushing against my skin every so often. His hand finally settled against the back of my neck as I stared at him, refusing to make any sudden movements. I will not let him accuse me of being the one to kiss him first. He took a step forward and I immediately took one back, feeling my back press against the door as he slowly brought our hands up to the side of my head. I glanced at them before turning to look at him.

"Your move," he told me as the smirk marked his lips.

"I'd rather not," I responded, watching him cautiously. He tilted his head slightly as he stared at me, narrowing his eyes.

"Are you going to break rule number one?" I asked him as he lowered so he was a few inches from my face.

"Do you want me to?" he asked quietly. I brought my hand up and allowed it to settle on his shoulder. "Is that a yes?"

"Do you want to kiss me?" I asked and he looked at my lips before glancing into my eyes. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I do."

"Can you do me a favor first?" I asked him as I stared into his eyes.

"Hm?" he asked quietly.

"Answer this question," I started. "Why would you want to kiss someone you don't like?"

He remained quiet as he gazed at me. Slowly but surely, I pushed him away using the hand that was resting on his shoulder. Our intertwined fingers slowly fell apart and he looked at me as if he'd had an epiphany. He remained quiet though and I nodded, as if telling him to speak no more, but it's not like he'd said anything anyway. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm late for English."

+++

Axel never bothered to show up to English. I reached the parking lot early with full intentions to talk to him but his car was nowhere to be seen. Oliver texted me and told me that he saw Axel get into his car and leave shortly after I arrived in English class. But for some reason, I hoped it wasn't true. However the guys were conversing near the truck but went silent upon my arrival. You know the feeling you have when someone was talking about you? Imagine that...times seven.

"What?" I asked as I slowed to a stop a few feet from the truck.

"What happened with Axel?" Dylan blurted and a few of the guys looked at him as if he'd given them away.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. He told them?

"What happened between you two?" Dylan asked curiously.

"We talked..." I trailed awkwardly. What does Dylan want me to say? Dear brother, I rejected our mutual friend's attempt at kissing me as a petty move to remind him that he can't just kiss me because he feels like it- that there has to be meaning behind it.

"Yeah, and what happened?" Isaiah pressed. I looked at the guys and shrugged.

"Why?" I asked.

Isaiah and Dylan both looked at their phones to avoid talking and Holden decided to speak up. "He's just been saying some stuff that caught us off guard. We just wanted to know what ignited it. I mean, we asked him but he didn't say much, just that it had something to do with you."

"You'd definitely enjoy it," Isaac chuckled as he looked at his messages. I suddenly felt a burst of curiosity growing in the pit of my stomach. What was he saying?

"Well is he okay?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah he's fine," Holden replied.

"So what'd you say to him?" Miles butted in.

"Nothing," I told them.

"You kissed Sam?" Isaiah blurted as he stared at his phone. My eyes widened as I looked at the quieter twin. When he saw me staring, he smiled a small smile as if apologizing for exposing me like that. "Well did you?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," I replied.

"Either answer the question or we'll ask Sam himself," Isaac retorted. "He should be coming around here soon right? His car is right there."

"Yeah, I did," I retorted, not wanting to drag Sam into this. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Isaiah answered.

Silence settled over us before Dylan turned to me. "I'm going over Holden's house so you need to take the car home."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, really. I swear, Lex, if there's so much as a scratch on her-," he started but I cut him off.

"I won't hurt her," I replied as I snatched the keys from him before he could take them back. I hopped into the drivers seat, watching as the guys moved out of the way, slowly walking to their vehicles. I started up the car, letting it warm up as I texted Axel yet again.

Why'd you leave school early? I watched as Dylan got into Holden's car.

Axel. I waited for a response. I'd been texting him since Oliver told me he'd left. But I didn't get a response. He read all of them; he just wasn't replying.

If you don't answer me, I'm going to drive to your house. I have the car. I can actually do it now. All of the times I threatened him that I was going to do it, I never got a chance to. A few moments later and he read my message but didn't respond. I sighed and pulled out of the parking lot.

Guess I'm heading to Axel's house.