"That was super nice of him!"

"I know! And I really didn't feel like walking yesterday anyways. He said he'd be here today too." I tell Michelle as we walk, the last bell of the day having rung a few minutes ago.

"Damn it!" I can see the shock on her face, like she's just remembered something. "We have another practice today. Kristie and her friends were slacking off yesterday and kept talking." Michelle looks miserable as she speaks.

As much as she loves volleyball, it can be tough. Our school's team has a reputation of being really good, and because of that the coach doesn't tolerate anything but the best.

"Well at least it'll help you do well for the game." I say, trying to cheer her up.

"True," She nods. "But I wish we could veg out and watch MTV instead."

"We can! Tomorrow night."

We're nearly in front of the doors to the gym now, where Michelle needs to be when she has practice.

"Okay. I'll call you tonight. Love ya."

Michelle gives me a hug, and I squeeze her right back before saying bye.

It's as if I can't get out of school fast enough after that.

Today, Dylan tried to put his arm around me in the hallway.

I was minding my own business, trying to get to my finance class when him and all his friends turned around the corner. There was no escaping him at that point, not when my class was still a few halls away.

"Hey Chas. I figured I can call you that now, right? Since we're going to be so close."

"I don't think so," I said simply as I continued to walk down the hall, not even bothering to look at him.

It would've been a waste of precious energy to do so. But I still couldn't help but feel disgusting.

"Oh, c'mon. Everyone thinks we would be so cute."

That was when it happened. He moved so quick I had no choice but to do what he wanted, his arm practically shoving me into his side.

By the grace of God, an older teacher shouted that there was to be no public displays of affection on school campus, and that if we didn't stop, we would get detention.

I wasn't even thinking when I spoke as soon as I was out of Dylan's grip, and that teacher was nowhere to be found.

Why I said it, I don't really know. But I did, and I can't figure out of it was a mistake or a good idea.

"I have a boyfriend. That guy yesterday, he's my boyfriend. So you better leave me alone, Dylan. He doesn't mess around."

And I walked away, leaving him there fuming.

Even thinking about it right now makes heat rush to my face.

Axl is definitely not my boyfriend. Not even close! But what else could I say to Dylan, when I've tried everything else?

That display of protectiveness from Axl yesterday was only because he knows Duff, and Axl knows Duff is protective over me the way a brother is.

There is no other explanation. It was simply because he was looking out for me.

And now I've gone and told Dylan that Axl and I are a thing, and Lord knows what will happen now that I've said that to him. Will he hunt Axl down and fight him? Tell him what I said? And if he finds out that it was a lie, what will he do to bother me now?

I get anxiety from thinking about this shitshow I've found myself in the middle of.

Calm down, Chas. Dylan isn't that crazy. He's a teenage boy. He can't do anything.

Somehow, Axl notices there's a problem as soon as I get into his car.

"Just drive. I need to get as far as possible from Dylan."

Axl takes off, going a little bit fast, but I don't care.

"What did he do?"

Now I have to tell him. I have to tell him everything, including what I did.

Except it's too hard to choke out. There is no way I can say it.

"It's nothing. It doesn't matter." I try to say in my most convincing voice, waving it off. "It's alright."

Even though we're not near my house, Axl pulls over without a word, the whole street empty. At first, I think he's mad at me for not telling him. That we're about to argue or something, which we've done pldnty of times before but only about stupid things.

Axl turns towards me, looking the exact opposite of angry. "Chas, you can tell me."

"No, I can't, Axl. It's too embarassing."

"I won't make fun of you, doll. What happened? You're clearly upset."

When I don't say anything, he continues to try and get me to speak on the matter.

"C'mon. I gotta make sure you're alright, sweetheart."

I'll admit it. The terms of endearment make me feel safe, like he won't actually get mad if I tell him.

Axl is not a high school boy who'll get it in his head that I like him based off of the little (actually not so little) white lie I told Dylan about him being my boyfriend. No. Axl is an adult, one who is mature enough to see my reasoning. Nothing will come of me telling him the events of today, save for some laughs here and there. I'm sure of it.

I'm sure of it, until I see Dylan and his bright blue letterman jacket walking  down the street up ahead, all by himself. Axl doesn't see, not yet at least. He's too concerned with me.

I pray to God, anyone who is listening really, that Dylan turns the opposite way once he reaches the curb. Except he doesn't. And with each footstep, he gets closer and closer.

"Holy shit-he's right there!"

My heart begins to pound. What will Axl do now? What will Dylan do when he sees me sitting in Axl's car, after what I told him today?

I decide that I can't let this get any more out of hand. Dylan needs to leave me alone, and maybe I was right to tell the lie that I did.

This is the one shot I have to truly be done with dealing with Dylan.

I turn to face Axl now like he did to me earlier, and I see his hand on the doorhandle, as if he's going to get out of the car any second now, Dylan still way ahead. 

"Can I kiss you?" I ask Axl, staring him right in the eye. Biting the bullet. Hell, swallowing it.

The look on his face is one I have trouble translating. Somewhere between shock and curiosity.

"What?" His voice is low, just above a whisper.

I sigh, squeezing my eyes shut. "I'll explain later." I tell him quickly, Dylan so close now. "Can I kiss you?"

Somehow, by the grace of God, I think Axl understands a sliver of what I'm trying to telepathically tell him.

That maybe, just maybe, if it seems like I'm already taken Dylan will forget me.

"We better make this convincing."

I don't know exactly what that entails, and I don't have time to think about it. 

Axl pulls at me by the waist with one hand, and on the hip with the other.

Awkwardly, I scramble into his lap, my knees at either side of his body. I'm in a dress today. I immediately start to feel out of place.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?"

"No," I shake my head, looking at him. He's gonna to laugh at me.

I'm literally a virgin in every sense, and yet, this was my idea.

So I do it, and hope I'm actually doing it right.

I press my lips to Axl's with my eyes shut, placing both my hands over the t-shirt covering his shoulders.

After a few seconds, I move back a little, my face inches from Axl's. I know Dylan still hasn't passed by. I have to do it again.

The mere thought makes my heart beat faster.

"Calm down, Chas. That wasn't so bad." Axl whispers, soothing my nerves a little.

I can't help it when I look down, seeing the floral fabric of my dress bunched up around my thighs, which are flush with Axl's hips. He has jeans on, but I can feel the heat of his body against mine. Axl's hands are on my upper back and I can hardly feel them, his way of trying to be respectful. But I can't help but realize that my crotch is on his.

Oh my God. OH. MY. GOD. What have I done? I'm making out with a guy who is so much older, and is supposed to be my friend! All so I can prove it to another guy!

This time, I don't kiss Axl. He kisses me.

And as ashamed as I feel, I know that this is what it's supposed to be like.

Axl's lips are so soft against mine, probably from all the chapstick I sometimes see him put on. He's moving his mouth against mine, too. Not rigid like how I did it. And his hands. I can feel one, on my waist through my dress. Those muscles he was talking about yesterday after I punched him actually exist, and they're solid and smooth beneath my hands. I can't wrap my hands around his arms. Not even close.

I forget the original purpose of this entire thing, unsure of how much time passes. The kisses don't go anything more than deep and slow, no tongue. But I swear that at one point, I can hear both Axl and I make a noise at the same time, a moan like the ones you hear during a makeout on T.V.

Axl is just performing, doing this to help get Dylan to leave me alone. Out of pity. He probably makes out with tons of women, really gorgeous women I bet, all the time. But me, I've never even held hands. The thought of what I'm doing doesn't hit yet, not fully.

Not until Axl and I have to part for air. I see that I've messed up his strawberry blond, reddish hair, and there's lipgloss on his chin. I can feel how swollen my lips are.

Oh my God.

I don't even need to look out the car to know that Dylan is nowhere in sight. He probably walked by a long time ago!

My mouth is still open, shock still buzzing in my entire body, my heart pounding but not the way it was earlier. It's not from being unsure.

I'm the first one to talk as I try to get off of Axl. "I'm sorry-I took this way too far. I shouldn't have even asked to kiss you in the first place, it was inappropriate-"

"Chas."

Axl just looks at me. I haven't managed to get off his lap. Probably because I really don't want to. All the hormones in me and all my thoughts are screaming at me to kiss him some more. Except I can't.

"It's okay. I get it."

"You do? Because today Dylan was being really gross and he put his arm around me and I hated it and then like an idiot I blurted out that you were my boyfriend even though you're not and I feel really stupid for saying that but it felt like I had no other choice, I've tried everything else to get him to leave me alone but he won't and I don't want you to be mad at me or for this to change our relationship-"

"Chas." Axl says again, this time chuckling a little.

I feel like I'm going to cry as I finally shut up and look at him, my emotions all over the place.

"It's alright. I knew you said something along those lines to him, it was obvious once you asked to kiss me and he was up the street."

"Oh," I shrug. "Well, good."

I notice that I'm unsure of where to look, my eyes wandering all around the car.

In my head, my body is still screaming for the experience I just had to be re-lived.

I feel overwhelmed.

I can smell what has to be Axl's aftershave, it's kind of minty. And something else, cologne or deodorant. He smells like a man.

Because he is one. Axl is a man. And I'm a teenage girl.

"You're not mad, right?"

Axl shakes his head. "No. I just hope it worked. Otherwise, y'know, we did all that for nothin'." He laughs a little.

"Yeah. Well, I guess I'll find out on Monday." I do the same laugh without even thinking about it. It's awkward.

Suddenly, I remember that I'm still in fact in Axl's lap, only his jeans and my panties in between us.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'll get off of you-" I place my hands on his shoulders and attempt to move my leg over, but all I manage to do is hit my head in the roof.

"Jeeze! Hang on Chas-"

"It's alright, I've got it." I really do think I've got it this time, and I manage to get my right knee-the one closest to the driver's side door-between Axl's thighs so I can move over without hitting my head.

Axl's hands follow, in an attempt to help steady me and make sure I don't hit my head again. As I move, they come up a little higher, and tug my dress up with it, exposing the front of my underwear.

Now Axl knows that my panties have green polka dots on them.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, you're just really shakey and I don't want you to get hurt-it's tight in here-"

"It's okay."

I might just die of embarrassment now.

Somehow, I make it over his legs, and fall back onto the leather seat beside him.

We just look at each other for a minute.

"You've got Lip Smackers right here," I put my finger to my own chin, right where there's pink gloss on Axl.

He wipes it away, and hesitantly, I smooth out his hair for him.

"Good?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"Okay." He looks out the windshield for a moment, taking a second to think.

"Well, I should take you home."

"Yeah. My mom is probably wondering where I am." I tell him honestly. 

When I look at the dash after Axl turns the car back on, I see that I'm ten minutes late and counting.

No doubt, my mother is already freaking out.

"Do you think she's going to ask where you were?" Axl wonders.

"Probably, but I'll just say I stopped to talk to my friends for a little bit." I don't say anything more, until I think of the obvious. "Also, uh, I won't tell anyone about this. So you don't have to worry about Duff beating you up or anything."

That would be a whole other can of worms I would hate to open.

No one can know about this. It's between Axl and Dylan and I now.

"I won't tell anyone either," Axl says quietly.

We then drive off, leaving the spot of my first makeout, and panty flash behind.

If someone had told me that Axl Rose would be my first kiss, I wouldn't of believed them.