Possessive Rich Bully

Chapter 4

Playlist - Love Story (Taylor's version) by Taylor Swift

Axel

almost thirteen...

Damn. She was ignoring me.

First day of school and I've already screwed up her trust in me. I could say I had my own reasons for acting the way I did, but the reason sounded childish even to my own subconscious.

Okay, I was mad at her. Why? Because she refused my offer to give her a ride to the school we both went to. I remember her words vividly.

“Axel, please.” Astoria scrunched up her adorable nose, looking just as frustrated as I felt. “I had told you last night, remember? I need to do things my own way. I can't be your shadow at school besides, papa has already paid the bus fees.”

“So what?” I helped fill her backpack with books. “I don't want you to be my shadow anymore than you do. It will save you time and money,” I reasoned.

She placed both of her palms on my chest and pushed me to sit on her bed.

“No,” she said. “I don't want to hear any fuss from you. I will meet you at school and we'll go to our classes together. I am still new to the school so I'll need your help, but I refuse to be a burden to your parents. It's not as simple as you think it is. They've already done so much for me… riding with you to school will be too much.”

Too much, she said. Fine, I'll act completely indifferent to her presence. If it didn't bother me that much, I would've even gone ahead to goad my popularity to her.

Friends aren't supposed to be a burden. It irked me to think about the fact that she still saw as nothing more than her grandparent's employers’ son. A spoilt brat.

Now, she was not even looking in my direction. I spotted her with Peter and his group of outcasts at the back of class. Outcasts usually occupied the back of the class and now Astoria was sitting with them.

Just perfect.

My attention snapped it’s focus back to reality when I heard Astoria’s name being called out. I lifted my chin which was resting on my fisted palm to see what was happening.

“Let's start with you, Astoria. Introduce yourself to the entire class.”

Damn it. Why had Mr. Wayne picked Astoria to begin with? She was new and vulnerable. This could end up bad if she appeared meek to everyone.

My eyes darted towards Astoria and didn't miss the shake on her legs as she tried to steady herself. I mentally face palmed myself. I wanted to cause a distraction in the class to divert the attention of everyone, but that would only stall the inevitable.

I swear if anyone made fun of her will be tormented.

I watched Astoria gulp down the saliva forming in her mouth, a habit of hers whenever she felt nervous.

“Hi,” she said, her voice soft and tiny. “My name is Astoria and I've recently moved to this town.” I exhaled the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Tell us something about yourself.” Our teacher encouraged her.

“I love watching anime and reading manga.” Snorts followed right after the words left her mouth. Astoria nervously averted her gaze and bit her lips. ‘And I-I li-like macrame art,” she stammered in her words.

I didn’t pay any attention to the snarky smirks of our classmates, but what got my attention was what Astoria revealed. She liked macrame. And didn’t tell me. I thought we told each other everything so why was it kept a secret from me.

Okay, now I was mad.

I zoned out for the rest of the class not bothering with what anyone had to say and was the first one to rush out of the class. I deliberately didn't spare a glance at Astoria.Fortunately, she wasn't in any of my classes in the first half of the school day.

“We are having our lunch by the trees, will you and your friends join us?” I looked up to see Mia Carter, Chase’s step sister, stand with her lunch box in hand.

Chase whistled and wiped his sweaty forehead. “Read the room, kid. I am sweaty and in need of a shower after practice. I'll eat my lunch where there's an air conditioner.”

I pulled my soccer jersey over my head and collapsed on the bleachers. I was bloody drained not from kicking the s**t out of my teammates, but from agonising over the fact that I would have to face Astoria during our recess.

I watched Mia's face into a frown. Chase didn't bother entertaining her further, but she still didn’t move from her position.

“You can go, Mia.” I told her when Chase didn't bother with her presence. “You.” I tipped my chin at the blonde girl who was standing behind Mia.

Her eyes widened when she realised I had called out for her. “M-Me? She pointed to her chest.

“Yeah, take Mia with you.” She nodded, pretty enthusiastically.

“It's Luna.” She extended her hand out to me, only to retrieve, realizing the fact that I may ignore her gesture. “I'll take her away.” She pulled Mia by her elbow and they both walked out off the field.

“God, I swear, both mother and daughter are a pain in the ass. They don't know how to take the hint to stay the hell away from me.” Chase dropped on the seat besides me.

“Yeah, I understand.” Only, I didn't understand.

Unlike his parents who were divorced and hated each other's guts, my folks just couldn't keep their hands off each other. God knows how they don't already have ten kids. I smell a vasectomy, because why would they deliberately make another troublemaker?

I heard Chase groan besides me.

“What?” I asked. He was acting weird today.

“She had my lunch and I sent her away.”

I snorted because the asshole deserved it. “Well, that's on you, buddy. Go get it yourself.” I patted his shoulder and left the soccer field to change from my practice apparel.

“Nah. Why do you need your own lunch when you can share it with your best friend,” He smirked and it was my turn to groan.

***

Chatters and laughing filled out our lunch table. Everyone was enjoying themselves, catching up with each other except the sulking fool sitting in front of me a.k.a Chase Henry.

“Drop the attitude and enjoy the fresh air.” I inhaled the warm breeze, loving how it coated my skin with it's dew.

I intentionally chose to sit outdoors for lunch to avoid Astoria at all costs. My mood turned soured at the thought of her. We had never had a fight since we became friends and it almost felt unnatural to fight with her.

I supposed I shouldn’t be mad at her for not telling me about some random interests of her. I bet it's something she recently got a knack for and didn't have a chance to mention it to me.

She doesn't need to tell you every.

No, she does. I have a compulsive need to learn everything about her, be it her random interests, or the books she likes, her annoying habits and even dreams. Heck, I'll even make it my mission to track the days of her cycle when she gets it.

Don't ask me how I know about PMS. Well, I googled it. By the looks of my search, I am safe from an even angrier and stubborn Astoria for another two years.

“Hey.” Someone snapped their fingers and I snapped out of thoughts. “Where were you off to?”

“Nothing that concerns you, Ryder.” I took a huge bite of my sandwich that Astoria’s grandma had prepared for me.

“Don’t daydream, princess.”

I wanted to punch that i***t, but decided against it. It was better to keep a leash on my rage. Something that Astoria often advised me to do.

Hey, look.” Ryder’s eyes focused behind me, his chin jerked up. “Peter finally found someone to like him.”

I scoffed. “Anyone giving that loser the time of the day is even a bigger loser than him.”

“Isn't that the new girl, what was her name again?”

“That weird girl who said she liked anime? Ha. No wonder, then.”

In record time, I turned my head around to see what the fuss was all about and, then I saw it with my own eyes: my bloody best friend with that dork Peter. They both had their lunch trays in their hands and in that moment I don't know what compelled me to go forward with my actions, but I did without thinking twice.

I knocked Astoria’s tray from her hold which made her gasp in shock and I stuffed the liquid of the juice can atop of Peter’s stinking head. That will teach him to stay away from s**t that doesn't belong to him.

Wait… where did that come from? Astoria was my best friend so it was natural that she belonged to me, right?

I was acting in rage which was something Astoria despised of me. “There are consequences of your actions.”

Her face was red from the unbridled anger, thanks to me. It wasn’t something that I cared for in the moment. She shifted her impatient eyes from the mess I had created of Peter to the onlookers that were doing to help her.

“Never speak to me again,” she whispered so that I was the only one who could hear her.

***

First day of school and I was already in the principal’s office. Guess, my actions did have some consequences on the school grounds. The principal left off with detention for a week and a threat of suspension if I ever repeated today's incident again.

Great, now I don't have to explain s**t to my father, but I was required to get my parents signature on the detention slip. Thank goodness, I had a mother who adored me.

Nothing managed to brush off the lingering hint of melancholy inside me. I had yet again managed to out like a raging fool who had no control over his actions, but I had a good explanation for today's incident.

My thoughts were all over the place and since morning I was doing things starkly opposite of what I actually wanted to do. I had planned to give Astoria a proper tour of our school and she should've been sitting with me instead of finding solace with that i***t.

It was my fault, I admit it. Had I not dismissed her presence in front of my friends, then she wouldn't have bothered to be friends with Peter. Now, I think I've made her even better friends with him.

It was all so perfect. I screwed everything up.

I watched her head out with Peter after school ended, climbing in the same school bus together. Bloody school bus. That's how they knew each other and now. I wish I could keep her by my side all the time, then I wouldn't have to worry about some Peter replacing me.

Detention, an earful from my mother, three laps in the pool later, I had finally given up on energising my irritable mood. I needed my serotonin boost.

Changing out of my swimming trunks, I pulled on my sweatpants and tshirt. Both of her grandparents were busy running their respective area of work so I had a good chance of catching her alone.

The pulse in my neck and head pounded so hard that I could hear it. I wiped the droplets of water from my forehead and climbed up to her bedroom window which was, thankfully, open.

I was breathing by the time I reached her french windows. I shuffled the closed drapes aside as I balanced myself to put some of my weight on the windowsill.

“Tsk tsk… I should scream and get you in trouble. Who decides to climb up someone's house when there's a perfectly capable door to refuse you entry.”

There she was. My serotonin boost stood with her delicate arms crossed, assessing me under her caramel scrutiny.

“I was counting the minutes until you decided to grace me with your majestic presence.” She held out a finger to her lips, lightly tapping it. “But then I realized you were too good to bother with me anymore.”

Her words stung a little, but I knew I deserved it.

“Pull me up, Toots?” I asked. I didn't need her help to pull myself up, but I could do anything to get her to touch me.

“No, you're a big boy. Figure it out yourself.”

With that she strolled out of her bedroom.

“Astoria,” I called out for her, but she was gone.

Quickly steadying myself, I jumped through the windows inside her room and followed her trail of footsteps.

“C'mon, Toots.” I finally caught up with her. “Forgive me. It was not my intention to hurt you or even let today's awful events to occur in the first place.”

She turned on her heels in a flash, eyes blazing with fury. “Still, you're the only one responsible for it. Even for you, it was low.”

She began to walk away from me, but I caught her wrist and pulled her into me. I felt my insides tingle the moment my hand touched her skin. She made a piss poor attempt to struggle in my hold, eventually giving in.

“Axel, get your hands off me. I don’t want to be friends with a bully anymore.”

“You don’t mean that.” I turned her to face me. Her eyes could never lie to me even though her words did. “You love me.” Don’t you?

I tucked some of her raven locks behind her ear, and pulled her cheek.

“I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart for acting like a raging animal rather than a friend to you. I promise I'll do anything to get you to forgive me.”

“No, no. You sealed the deal with your raging tantrum when you dumped the entire juice can on poor Peter’s head. He cried, Axel.” Her finger stabbed my chest. “You made him cry just like you had made me cry.”

I flinched at the last part of her sentence, feeling as if she had slapped me with her words.

“And that's my biggest regret,” I said, hoping that she would see that I meant each and every word of mine. “Toots, you're my best friend and I got jealous at all the attention you were giving him.”

“Shut up, Axel,” she grumbled and tried to tickle my stomach, in order to get out of my hold.

I pulled her even closer. “You know it doesn't work on me… the tickling.”

“I just need to find the right spot.” Her fingers were casually pinching me.

“Just tell me how can I make you forgive? I'll do anything for you.”

“Anything?” She c****d her eyebrow at me. “You don’t mean it.”

I shook my head a little too much. “I really do mean it. Just tell me how.”

She gave me a sassy smile. “Then you'll be perfectly fine with Peter, Jessica and Louis attending my birthday party on the weekend.”

I froze. “B-But we had plans of our own.” I didn’t even know ow half of those people.

“Yeah, but my bestfriend is kind of a bully and I need to teach him a lesson.” She flashed me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

I recoiled at her words. They nipped my heart more than anything else ever could, because I lived to make Astoria laugh, to get her to like me just as much as I liked her. She was my one true friend and it stung disappointing her.

I withdrew my hands from her skin and it finally dawned on her that I was visibly hurt by her words.

“Hey, you're alright?” Concern etched on her pretty face. The truth was, I was okay--I'll be okay, but I liked having her undivided attention.

I sighed out a dramatic exhale, nodding my head, not meeting her eyes.

“I think I'll go now.” I trudged down the stairs with my shoulders slumped. Hoping that she would follow me, but unfortunately she didn't. Now, I really had a reason to be upset.

I slowed down my pace just in case Astoria did decide to come after me, but she didn't. She really was pissed at me.

***

The next day at school, Astoria played a sick game of ignoring my existence, even when I tried my best to approach her, she quickly managed to disappear from my line of vision and when I waved at her at lunch, she snubbed me.

There were no signs of recognition on her face. It pissed me off. I think I knew what I had to do to get her to talk to me.

I loomed in the shadows as I watched Peter approach the Botany section of the library. A snicker left my mouth at the obvious signs this poor fella emitted: he was a certified boring geek. What exactly interesting Astoria found about him to become friends was beyond me.

He just got lucky. Now, I'll make him even more lucky than he already was.

“Peter.”

He startled, dropping books to the floor. I resisted the urge to smirk. He was scared of me. Just the way I liked.

“A-Axel.” He cleared his throat, straightening his shoulder. “Hey,” he awkwardly said. “You needed something?”

“As a matter of fact, I need your help.” I looked him straight in the eyes. An intimidation tactic that was often used by my father.

He blinked at me. “Help? From me?”

“Are there any other Peters here?”

He let out a nervous chuckle, but I kept my face neutral. “I don't know if I'll be any help to you.”

I neared him, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “Oh, you have no idea.”

***

I paced around the door of my bedroom, patiently waiting to hear for any sign of Astoria’s footsteps. She should've been here by now. Throwing her arms around me, and letting me off her s**t list.

After all, I've done my best to intimidate Peter and get him to speak in my favour to Astoria. I even invited him and his lowlife friends to my birthday party. An invitation to be accepted in my social group.

I hope that i***t did a good job in talking my way up to Astoria, or else…

The voice of light footsteps echoed in the hallway and I was sure it belonged to my Toots. I did my best to maneuver my way back inside my bedroom without giving Astoria an indication that I was waiting for her arrival.

I quietly shut my door, and settled on my recliner. Moments later, a knock boomed in my room.

“Come in,” I said nonchalantly.

The door opened, revealing Astoria's figure. She wore my favourite emerald dress of hers. She didn’t own a lot of dresses, but from the ones she wore, this was the best.

She pushed her glasses up. “I need to talk to you.” Her lips thinned as she stepped inside my bedroom. “Now.”

“Close the door.” She did..”Talk.”

She gulped and straightened her spine. “Did you really think bribing Peter with an invitation to your party would work? That I'll forgive you from your actions.”

Shit. s**t. s**t.

I'll ruin that Peter.

“Don’t get any ideas.” She stopped me in my track of thoughts. “He didn't tell me anything. In fact, I am disappointed that he actually went ahead with your stupid demand.”

I stood in a flash. “Wrong. I humbly requested him to do me a small favour. As a friend,” I added the last part.

She chuckled, dryly. “Please, Axel. Don't try to fool me.”

I took steps closer to where she was standing, in the middle of my room.

“Well, you can go to any extent to get your friend back in your life.”

“You're unstable.” She blinked. “And if I didn’t know you better and wasn’t totally impressed by what you did, I might actually run the hell away from you.”

You should have done it when you had a chance and now you don't.

“Am I forgiven?” I already knew the answer to that.

She playfully narrowed her eyes at me. “Drop that megawatt grin from your face. I find it annoying.”

“Learn to live with it,” I said. “Come here, now.”

I spread open my arms for her and she stepped into my embrace giving me her sweet smile.

“You’re such an idiot.” She kissed my forehead and I wrapped my arms around her.

“You love me.” I rained kisses on her forehead, down to her eyes and settling on her jaw. Her arms came wrap around my neck.

“C'mon, let's watch Attack on titans,” she suggested, taking my hand and pulling me towards the couch in my bedroom.

“Let's set on the recliner.”

“Where am I supposed to sit? You take most of the place.”

I sat down and pulled her to sit on top of me. “Right here.”

It took her time to adjust sitting on my lap, but she eventually settled down. She watched the show while I watched her. My lips brushed lightly on her cheek, then to the exposed area of her neck.

My lips had never travelled beyond her neck, but something compelled me to kiss the smooth skin of her shoulder. I waited for her reaction, to see if she would stop me. She didn’t. Too engrossed in the scene in front of her.

I chanced a kiss on her shoulder, then another and soon when the thin strap had fallen down from her shoulder, I rained kisses on her bare skin.

“Uhm… Axel. Let me watch the show.” She shifted on my lap, her hand accidently pressing on my crotch. It sent delicious jolts inside me.

Damn, I had to stop. At least for her sake.

Pressing a last kiss on the corner of her mouth, I wrapped my arms tightly around her stomach.

Astoria was mine. My bestfriend and my serotonin boost. I will make sure to keep her mine.

***

sorry for the late update.

next update: 18th April