Falling For Him ✔️

Chapter XI. CAUGHT IN A STORM

Content Warning:
There is mention of death (car crash) and alcohol in this chapter.

Axel had the overwhelming feeling that he was going to die all day-that something absolutely terrible was going to occur, rendering every person at the cabin dead. Of course, he knew that nothing would likely happen; his father had always told him it would be okay, but he couldn't necessarily shake the feeling that he was in danger.

This was all due to the fact that Mike Michaels had announced a terrible storm heading their way. Axel had checked his phone underneath the table so that the coaches wouldn't see him using it, and surely enough, every single weather forecast he saw had warned them of an oncoming storm.

It had started drizzling just an hour after breakfast, the sky turning stormy and grey, the leaves on the trees dancing with the wind, rustling and swaying back and forth.

Everyone had been excited, Axel saw with horror. Talking about the storm all day, and how "fucking dope" it would be.

Axel disagreed.

He'd been extremely scared of storms all his life, and then after his mother's death, it only seemed to get worse. First, came the anxiety, and then when the storm hit, so did the shivers racking through his entire body, a deep sense of unease reverberating through what felt like his bones.

They all sat inside on the ugly scarlet carpet in a circle, talking amongst themselves during their free time before dinner. It was the usual group, Axel, Will, Jack, Nathan, Benji, and Danny, though this time Marcus had decided to join them, and Axel wanted nothing more than to fall into a deep sleep so that he could simply skip over the storm.

He wanted it to be over.

"I heard there was a tornado further south," Nathan said, secretly scrolling through his phone. "My mom called and said it was heading the other way though."

Axel tried focusing in on their conversation, though his mind was running in circles and all he could think about was: Something bad is going to happen.

Whenever he told people about it they always told him he was overreacting and, quote on quote, being a baby. So, sometime around middle school, he stopped mentioning it all together and started bottling it all in.

An unhealthy way of coping with the teasing, but coping nonetheless.

"It's not supposed to stop raining until tomorrow morning at like six," Benji said.

"Damn," Jack said. "Really?"

Axel tuned out again, forcing his mind to focus on something else. Anything else.

It's going to be okay, he lied to himself. Nothing is going to happen. It'll all be over soon.

This did little to quell his anxieties and fears running rampant in his mind.

The sensation of someone else's knee bumping into his drew him from his reverie.

Will.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice low, gentle even. "You seem shaken up."

Axel nodded. "I'm just tired."

A lie, obviously. Axel felt anything but tired. His heart wouldn't slow down.

Will stared at him for a little longer, lips turned into a frown before turning away. He obviously didn't believe him.