The Class Reject: A Martyr in Maelstrom (Book III)

13

Stupid, risky decisions were becoming so commonplace that Miren didn't even think twice about knocking on his door.

However, in the moments that she heard his footsteps pick up and grow louder and nearer, her brain started screaming obscenities.

This is a mistake. This is a really bad mistake. By the time her feet found the courage to run, however, the door opened, and Axel called out her name.

"Sara?" Well, not her name.

She stopped in her tracks, her heart suddenly beating faster than the vulgarities her mind was still yelling.

"Hey," she replied, assuming the badass-chic façade she had the night of the party. To prove her point, she moved passed him, sizing up the space through her shaded lenses. Although Axel had a room on campus, his parents also owned a condo that was about a ten minute walk from the school. In just her few months at Rinzen, she had heard of at least a dozen wild parties going on in here. But the place was the opposite of wild—it was actually quite chic and contemporary. Not to mention, it smelled nice. "Cool place."

"Thanks?" The boy offered her a puzzled look, which actually puzzled Miren more. His expressions ranged from smug to scheming, nowhere outside of that. "But what are you doing here? Not that I feel some type of way, but I was actually just practicing with my band." Just then someone in another room started drumming. Another person yelled over them, saying should wait for Axel to get back. The boy in front of her nudged in their direction. "Not to mention, I never told you were I live."

"People talk about your band, and Google exists." She shrugged, but naturally her brain was still screaming. "You should send more cryptic tweets."

Axel smirked. There was the disgusting boy she knew. "Were you stalking me?"

"I just wanted to hear you play." She shrugged again, wondering if the overuse gesture was giving her away. "I was at the Sadie Hawkin's Dance, and I thought you were good."

"Just good?"

"Don't push it."

"Alright." He offered her his hand. Like an idiot, she just stared at it. Axel rolled his eyes. "I won't bite. Unless you want me too." She rolled hers before taking it. As they passed the kitchen, he opened the door to what appeared to be a bedroom transformed into a makeshift recording studio.

"Took you long enough," Cliff snorted as he picked his base. When his eyes landed on Sara, however, he started whistling. "Well, look who's here. Another groupie."

"Shut up."

"Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?" another guy said. Miren didn't know him personally, but he went to Rinzen. She could feel the group blink at her when she sighed.

"Because I'm Cyclops, obviously," she said matter-of-factly, earning a few laughs. "But in all seriousness, I have photophobia. And I can't have eye surgery to correct it until I'm eighteen."

"That sucks," the same guy, Bradley, replied, tapping along his guitar. "Although a great excuse for indulging in shades."

"It is," she humored, half concerned that lying on the spot was now so natural to her. She turned to Axel. "Look. I didn't mean to hold up your practice. I just needed somewhere to go and came here. But I can leave. It's no prob."