Author's Note: Here it is girls, Chapter 2.
I'm not sure about this chapter, but let me know what you think. Thank you Caith for naming the antagonist.
Oh, and I suppose this chapter actually provides a reason for a T rating as I used some adult language.
"Axel's got a boyfriend!" the young boy taunted. It was the epitome of the classic schoolyard scene, a sneer pasted on the boy's face. The sun glinted off his golden hair, and his mouth was filled with blindingly white teeth spread in an evil grin. He stood, his perfectly proportioned 12 year old body tensed, long finger extended toward the boy he mocked shrinking back into the shadows.
The lanky preteen red-head was tall for his age. His short hair was spiked chaotically. White socks peeked out from under his slightly too short pants, evidence of a recent growth spurt. His t-shirt hung loosely about his torso. He stood in the shadow of the building with a beet-red face, head lowered and shoulders hunched as he tried in vain to make himself smaller. Frozen with embarrassment, he didn't even notice as a few children began to gather around.
His blond tormentor grinned, sensing the crowd gathering, knowing he had Axel right where he wanted him. A sensation of power coursed through him, the sense that with whatever choice he made now he could destroy any chance at popularity Axel ever had. This was one of James's finest moments as a bully, holding the future of another in his hands, about to crush his victim's heart with the simplest of actions.
Crunch! The world tilted suddenly, as a burning sensation of pain blossomed across his nose and right cheekbone. James hit the ground with an awkward thud, still not quite sure what had just happened. Sparkles and fairy dust filled his vision, as a sharp pain pulled at the back of his head. A weight forced his body against the ground and he felt his right arm twisted up behind him. The sharpness at the back of his head pulled again.
The hand holding his hair released and took up residence above his ear, fingers entwining his locks and twisting. It pressed down against his temple, grinding his face into the dirt and gravel. He could hear the whispers of the other children, but none of them seemed to be doing anything to stop this horror. He peeked out his right eye, attempting to force it to look up to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator.
Axel heard the whispers, but they weren't directed at him, so he looked up. The scene he perceived was so surprising he forgot his embarrassment for the moment. James, the boy who had been teasing him, lay face down on the ground, one arm pinned beneath him, the other twisted behind his back. On his back, using her legs to pin his down, one hand pressing hard against his head, was Ashe. She was slowly continuing to twist the boy's arm further back, at one point eliciting a yelp from her captive. James's left eye was pressed shut by virtue of being driven into the gravel below, but his right eye was rolling around in it's socket, trying to see who dared accost him in this manner.
Axel didn't know which was more embarrassing, being called gay by James in front of a lot of people or having his older sister protecting him in front of a lot of people. Ashe was straddling his tormentor, her short cropped hair in stark contrast to her recently developed but generous bosom, leaning down to whisper in his ear. Suddenly there was a pop, a rather girlish shriek from James, and Ashe popped to her feet. James rolled over, clutching his shoulder and stifling a cry. The left side of his face was caked in dirt and blood, and a bruise was starting to raise below his right eye. Ashe kicked at the ground with her Docs and sent a spray of dirt and gravel at James, then spun around toward Axel.
"Oh, shit..." he muttered, as she stalked toward him. He stood up straight as she got right up in his face. To the outside observer, they looked like twins, the only obvious difference Ashe's new curves. Her boots overcame the scant difference in their heights, bringing them even nose to nose. He sucked in a breath as he stared into her angry eyes. She couldn't be nearly this upset about someone calling him names.
"Ax. Home. Now." Ashe was practically spitting with anger, but it wasn't at him. She wouldn't have called him Ax if she was angry at him. She whirled back around to face the spectators, many shrinking back as her gaze settled on them.
"Show's over. Leave." She stalked back away, stepping over James who was still whimpering on the ground. The other children dispersed, equally intimidated by Ashe's fury and disappointed by the fact that nothing else exciting was going to occur. Axel watched them leave, then started to head after her.
As he passed James, who had struggled up into an upright position, he heard him whisper. "Your bitch sister is a lesbian and you are a fag." Axel stopped, turned around, and stared at James.
"What did you say?" he asked incredulously. Just moments before a fearsome bully, James had been beater down, by a girl. His power over Axel had been broken, even if it was Ashe who had done the beating - Ashe, who was as far from a typical girl as you could get. James just wasn't that intimidating sitting on the ground with blood and tears drying on his dirt-encrusted face.
James gasped in a breath as he re-located his shoulder. He looked up at Axel. "I said, you are a fag." He smirked, still cocky despite his humiliation. "Your sister is a lesbian whore."
Axel couldn't believe the audacity. This kid was still trying to push his buttons? He paused for a moment, then laughed as he thought of how Ashe would respond. Why not take a cue from her book? It seemed to work.
"In your wet dreams, peanut." He felt his confidence building. What could this punk do to him anyway, he thought. Surely he couldn't cause him any more embarrassment than having his sister coming to his rescue. And James had been beaten up by a girl, so he couldn't be that great of a physical threat either. Time to turn the tables.
He leaned down next to James and gripped his injured shoulder. "You're sexy when you scream like a girl," he whispered in the sultriest voice he could devise.
Axel stepped back and saw James's face pale then turn red. He laughed again, and ran a hand through his spikes. His hip jutted out slightly to the side, and he rolled his shoulders to loosen them. Slowly, his whole body language relaxed. He could so use this idiot's homophobia against him.
"Ooooh, I get it. You were doing that teasing thing because you like me, huh?" Axel put his finger on his bottom lip and pouted slightly. "Well, sorry kiddo, I'm too much man for you." Axel put his sneaker on James's shoulder and pushed, knocking him back. He turned around, and stalked off in the direction Ashe had gone. He threw a glance back over his shoulder. "Next time just tell me. The rejection won't hurt nearly as much!" he shouted.
As he passed through the gate of the yard, Axel was feeling so good he almost felt prepared to face whatever drama waited at home. Almost.
