Afraid to Love

Chapter Five

I heard his voice booming from the living room.

"Ariella!" He screamed to me.

I screamed in response and thundered up the stairs. My heart was pounding in my chest and I began to take the stairs two at a time.

Axel grunted from the living room and I heard his footsteps starting to chase behind me. I glanced behind me, watching Axel come up the stairs, taking three at a time.

Curse his long ass legs.

I should've never looked behind me, either.

I ran face first into the door at the end of the hallway, forgetting that the hallway turned. I fell backwards, landing on my ass first and then onto my back. I looked above me, and there he was.

Axel's nostrils flared as he stared down at me, "Can't go anywhere now, can you?" He taunted, stepping over me and pressing his feet against my sides.

I looked up at him, my blue eyes struck with fear. I grabbed each of his ankles, and using the power of surprise, I raised my legs up and kicked him in the butt.

Axel went crashing towards the ground, catching himself on his hands as he failed his legs, trying not to kick me in the face. I rolled over onto my stomach and pushed myself back to my feet.

"Hahaha!" I chanted in victory, pumping my fist in the air, running back towards my bedroom.

Axel stood up quicker than I expected, "Not so fast, Ellie!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and whipped around, only to collide with Axel. "What did you just call me?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Axel stumbled backwards a few steps. "Ellie?" He questioned in confusion.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Don't you ever call me that. Do you hear me?"

Axel looked dumbfounded, but nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, okay," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

My glare continued. "Get the out,"

"Why?" He countered.

"I said, get out!" My voice rose, my bottom lip trembling. I didn't know if it was trembling out of anger, or out of sadness in the fact that I was about to cry.

"There has to be a rea-" I cut him off.

"Axel," I said his name for the very first time in anger, "get the hell out!" I finished with a stomp of my foot.

Axel took a few steps backwards, his own eyes narrowing. "You don't have to be such a bitch," he growled out. Axel then turned on his heel and walked away. Seconds later I heard the sound of his motorcycle, then he was gone.

I stood there, rooted in my place as I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Ellie. Such a simple nickname, but yet it held so much meaning to me. Jason called me that, and I vouched to him that I would never let anyone call me that, ever. No matter who it was, nobody had a right to call me that name.

I turned and leaned against the wall, my back sliding against it and my knees coming to fold up to my chest. I sobbed into my hands, clenching onto Jason's shirt that draped around my body like a blanket.

When I heard the front door open, I stood up quickly and ran into my bedroom. I shut the door quietly and climbed into bed. Looking over at the clock on my dresser, I sighed at the time. 11:27 PM.

I stared at the clock and I had no idea when I had fallen asleep.

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