I marched to my locker, noticing there was a sheet of paper taped onto it. Written on it in big, red, bold letters was beware. It was written in capitals and I stared at it, wondering if my peers were getting desperate enough to threaten me. Upon hearing a bunch of guys laugh loudly, I ripped the paper off my locker, crumpled it up, and threw it into the garbage bin nearby. Annoyance flooded into me, but I told myself to stay calm.

Opening my locker, I grabbed the books I needed for my afternoon classes. Lunch had just started, so I eagerly packed as I thought of Hannah. There was so much I wanted to tell her.

Once packed, I shut my locker and turned around, ready to go to the cafeteria. But once I was facing the packed hallway, I noticed all eyes were on me. These eyes belonged to my glowering peers and I blinked, wondering what they wanted.

Deciding to ignore them, I began to walk forward. The second I did I heard sneers and scoffs, and quite a few unpleasant words. Many muttered prude under their breath and I took a deep breath in, telling myself not to show them how I felt.

But suddenly, everyone was screaming at me. As they stood at the sides of the hallway, they booed and screamed ugly names. Their eyes were cold on me and I found my hands curling into fists. Breathe, I pleaded to myself.

"You suck!" I heard a guy roar. "You're a bitch!"

I glared at the guy and watched him smirk at me. Anger boiled within me and I knew that I would snap. But knowing that was what they wanted, I began to storm away from everyone and I went outside, needing to breathe. I needed to calm down before I went back inside, so that I wouldn't give anyone a reaction.

Outside the weather was beautiful. The sun was warm and the sky was clear. A cool breeze passed by me, giving me pleasant chills, but I still felt stressed. I felt like I was suffocating with everything that had been happening lately.

By now I figured that telling them I would be keeping the kiss was a bad idea. It had only led to people hating me and if I had thought they would leave me alone, I had been incredibly wrong. I had more attention now and it was definitely not the good kind.

Closing my eyes, I stood by the school doors. I told myself that I would only have to endure this for six months, but still my gut twisted. It was tight and I knew with nerves. These people were crazy about this game and thinking about the beware sign, I wondered about how far they would go.

"Zoey," I heard someone say.

My eyes flew open and I saw that Axel was standing in front of me. He stood close and his eyes were gentle as they stared at me, surprising me. The fact that my heart was fluttering then sickened me, so I looked away.

"What do you want?" I asked flatly, staring at the ground.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked.

I wanted to snap, but the truth was Axel actually sounded worried. It was shocking and I wondered if it was an act, but right now I was too tired to argue. All I wanted to do was lie down and forget, so I slid to the ground. Pulling my knees to my chest, I pressed my back against the door.

"I'm fine," I said, propping my chin on my knees.

Axel surprised me once again by also sitting down. He moved to my side and suddenly, we were sitting next to each other. Our shoulders were brushing and I watched as Axel stretched out his legs.

"So, was I right?" he asked. "Are people giving you shit for keeping the kiss?"

"You were right," I muttered, displeased that I had to admit it. "But it's whatever. I can manage it just fine."

"Never said you couldn't."

I looked at Axel then and saw that he was giving me a small smile. His eyes were the same colour as the sky, I noticed, and suddenly I felt like I could breathe. As I stared at him for a moment, my lungs seemed to be taking in everything, just like my eyes.

"Like what you see?" Axel then asked, ruining the moment.

I rolled my eyes and looked away. "No. I'm just wondering why you're here. What's your motive?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Can't I just be a nice guy who's worried about his fellow classmate?"

I gave him a look and he grinned. That earned him another eye roll.

"You know me so well," he said. "How sweet."

"Everyone knows you," I shot back. "You make sure of that."

"No," he said, oddly defensive. "Everyone thinks they know me, but they only see the guy that I want them to see."

I couldn't help but look surprised, causing Axel to look away. He grumbled something incoherent and I stared at him, wondering what he meant by that. Axel had always been this guy who tried to stand out. He always tried to get in trouble when we were younger and now he was the cool guy everyone aspired to be. Was he trying to imply that it was all an act?

"I know you," Axel said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Quite well, actually."

"How?" I asked. "We've rarely talked."

"But I know you," he repeated. "You don't care about what others think. You work hard to achieve what you want. You do what you believe is right and what you want is what matters the most to you."

"You seem to know a bit about me," I admitted. "But you don't really know me. At least, what matters to me."

I was surprised he seemed to notice these things about me. We never spoke before and I only really spoke to Hannah, so I was surprised that Axel had figured this much on his own. He was almost spot on, but he was wrong about what matters most to me. It wasn't what I wanted that mattered to me, but what my parents wanted.

"Then what does?" Axel asked.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, seriously questioning what we were doing outside, talking alone as if we were friends. "Seriously Axel."

I stared at his blue eyes and he stared back at my brown ones. Our eyes stayed glued to each other's and we seemed to be challenging each other, wanting to figure out the truth. What we were trying to figure out was a mystery to me.

"I don't like how everyone is treating you," he said, serious. "I never knew our school was filled with assholes."

"Same," I agreed. "I knew they were idiots, but assholes? No. I never thought they were capable of bullying."

I found myself frowning at the truth. My peers were bullying me and I had never imagined myself as a victim. For most of my life I had just been some girl in their class, but now I was a target. And the truth was, I hated the idea of that. I who was strong and independent couldn't possibly be bullied.

"They're just bitter," Axel said. "Desperate for love and this game is a way to get physical affection from someone easily."

"Is that why you want to win so badly?" I asked, curious. "You crave love and this is an easy way to get some?"

"No," he scoffed. "I don't need a game to get some loving."

I rolled my eyes, but still I wondered. Axel wasn't like the others. He wasn't bullying me into passing the kiss and he wasn't even pushing advances on me as we talked. I knew he really wanted to win, but why? What did he want from it that still managed to keep him a decent person.

"Look, Zoey," he said. "If people bother you, just tell me. Call me to your side and I'll help you."

My eyes narrowed and I was about to ask if he was joking, but Axel gave me a serious look. He looked sure of this and something in me stirred, but I simply shook my head.

"I don't need your help," I said. "I'm fine."

"I know you are. You're strong and you can handle yourself just fine," he said. "But everyone needs help here and there. If you need any just know that I'm here. Okay?"

Axel looked ready to argue and because I was tired, I simply said, "Okay."

Axel smiled and then he stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair and I watched him, noticing the way the sun hit him. It made him look holy and I nearly laughed out loud at the thought.

"I have to go," he said, looking down at me. "See you later."

Axel turned around and walked off, leaving me staring after him. It was strange to be able to talk to him. Even stranger that I felt calmer now. But knowing that I was supposed to hate him, I kept telling myself that this was just an act. He only wanted the kiss from me, so that was why he was acting like this. But to surprise, I found it hard to convince myself.