Chloe was waiting for Ella and Kimberly to call her name for cheerleading tryouts. Kimberly called the new girl Veronica for an audition but not Chloe. She had been waiting for a long time but they didn't call her name. At first, she brushed it off but then she noticed Kimberly was deliberately ignoring her.

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows, Ella constantly gave her sympathetic looks, she even mouthed a sorry but Kimberly was acting like Chloe didn't exist.

After auditioning a few more girls, Ella and Kimberly stood up and collected their things. Chloe was intimidated by Kimberly but she had a good relationship with Ella. Ella has always been sweet to her. She never judged her based on her clothes or how much money she had. And the fact she was Axel's best friend made Chloe even more comfortable with her.

Ella was walking towards the exit when Chloe approached her.

Chloe plastered a big smile on her face. "Hey!"

Ella jumped a little and yelp. She placed a hand over her chest. "Hey," she smiled

Mustering up the courage and fumbling with her fingers, Chloe asked. "Is there a reason why Kimberly wouldn't let me audition? I really need this, Ella. The career counselor said that if a wanted to get into a good college on a scholarship I have to take part in active extracurricular activities and cheerleading is the only sport I am interested in." She explained, hoping Ella would help her.

Ella thought for a while and pursed her lips sympathetically. "I would love to have you on our squad but Kimberly only wants the best" She shrugged

Chloe practiced really hard for cheerleading. She tried to persuade Ella. "I am flexible, I learned all the cheerleading stunts. I also did ballet when I was young" she felt like she was getting interviewed for a job opening.

Ella looked down at her feet and then back at her. "Sorry, Chloe. We don't have a spot available anymore." Closing her eyes, Chloe sighed disappointedly. "But there is one thing I could do for you" Ella added

Chloe's eyes lit up. "Anything"

With a smile on her face, Ella asked. "What do you think of our track team?"

She never thought of joining any other team but she could do track. "That's an active extracurricular activity too,"

"Yeah, tryouts are tomorrow" Ella nodded and winked her way.

"Thank you, Ella. You are a lifesaver" Chloe said

"I did nothing" she shrugged and gestured her to tag along.

They both walked outside to the football court. Loud voices caught their attention. In a second, Chloe's eyes searched for Axel desperately. She gulped and clenched her hands in a fist. Her nails digging into her palms.

She saw Ace Harding squabbling over something with some other guy. Something about Ace's presence made her nervous. He had an overpowering personality. His aura tended to exhibit arrogance, superiority, and conceit.

She saw Ella confidently walking towards him and talking to him. He flipped his car keys towards her and she picked them up. How could Ella talk to him and hang with him so easily? She couldn't even handle breathing the same air as him.

Someone touched her shoulder from behind and she jumped. "Hey..." Axel dragged her to a corner, where no one could see them.

Chloe sighed in relief. "I was looking for you," she told him.

Her fists caught his attention and he held them. Shaking his head, he unclenched her fingers. "What is it?" He asked

She shook her head. "Nothing..."

He traced the nail scratches on her palms. "You were afraid of something... What is it?"

She laughed. "No, I wasn't"

He raised an eyebrow. "You think I don't know you clench your hands when you are afraid?"

She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say to him. He was right. Whenever she was afraid, she would form her hands into a fist. She didn't know he picked up on that.

She smiled. "Nothing... It's stupid"

"Even if it's stupid, I would like to know" he pressed.

"Ace Harding" she mumbled

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Ace? You are afraid of Ace?"

"He looks so mean and arrogant," she told him, innocently.

He laughed and pinched her cheeks. "Well, he is mean and arrogant but he is also a nice guy. That's why he is my friend"

"I know... But he always stares at me weirdly like he is staring into my soul." Chloe fumbled with her fingers.

"Just ignore him, okay. He means no harm" Axel side-hugged her and dragged her towards his car.

She sat in the passenger seat and made herself comfortable. Axel turned to her and said. "We can't go to my apartment anymore."

Her eyebrows crinkled. "Why?"

"Dad found out about us... He wants me to end it" Axel told her nonchalantly.

"Are you going to?" She asked, playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Of course not" he chuckled, "Do I look crazy?"

Relief washed over her and she straightened up. "Yes." She answered.

He squinted his eyes and started tickling her sides. "It was a rhetorical question"

She laughed wholeheartedly and held his hands. She leaned back in her seat as he looked at her mischievously.

"I love you" She blurted out and then covered her mouth with her hands when she realized what she said.

Axel's eyes widened, his pupils dilated. His heart pounded in his ears as he stared at her. He took off her hands from her mouth, his heart lifted as he said. "I love you too, Chloe Jones"

They both leaned in and softly kissed one another. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. Soon it became harder to kiss because he was smiling and so was she. Pulling away, he placed tiny pecks on her lips.

"Let's go to your place..." He said between the kisses.

"Um... We can't... Dad will be home and I don't want him to see you" She lied

He closed his eyes disappointedly. "Fuck! Now we don't even have a place to hang out..." He leaned back in his seat and sighed. Chloe played with the hem of her skirt nervously. "We barely get to talk in school. We can't spend time at your place or mine" he sighed and turned his face towards her. "Our love life is doomed"

"We can spend time in your car..." She suggested.

Suddenly, his face lit up. "Ace's penthouse... We can spend time there. No one will know" he suggested

Chloe squirmed in her seat uncomfortable with his suggestion. "I don't like him..." She said

He laughed. "Come on, He won't be there," he said and waited for her response.

She huffed. "Fine!"

He grinned and pecked her cheek. "Let me call him"

He dialed Ace's number and put it on speaker. "What do you want, Axel Titsoff? Look I just got home and I am not in a good mood" came his supercilious voice. Chloe cringed at the nickname and Axel chuckled watching her face.

"Hard-on, I need to use your penthouse for a few hours," Axel said into his phone. Chloe's mouth hung open when she heard what Axel calls Ace.

"Need a place for a quick fuck? Who's the unlucky chick?" Ace asked goofily. "Let me guess... Is it Chloe? Finally got lucky, huh?"

Axel immediately turned off the speaker and stepped out of the car to talk to Ace. Chloe leaned ahead and saw Axel laughing while talking on the phone. Her heartbeat accelerated. An odd feeling set in the pit of her stomach.

Axel glanced at her from the outside and saw her frowning pale face. He shook his head. "Come on, man! The phone was on the speaker and let me guess Ella told you about Chloe and me?"

"Well, you shouldn't have put it on speaker knowing me" Ace answered through the phone.

"And to answer your earlier question, no. We are not going to fuck. I like her, man, for real" Axel said honestly.

"Fine, fine, no need to get sappy. Of course, you can use my penthouse. I'll call my guard, he'll let you in"

"Just... Don't tell anyone about us" Axel pressed.

"The trust you have in me is heartwarming, Titsoff" Ace taunted.

"You know my dad-"

"Fine! Now go before Chloe changes her mind." Ace teased

He laughed. "For the last time, we are not going to fuck"

Not listening to Axel's words, Ace continued. "Just don't do it on my couch or my bed"

"Fuck you, man" Axel laughed and hung up.

He got back into his car and saw her clenched fist. He groaned and held her hands. "Stop doing that. Ace may look intimidating and he may be an asshole but he is harmless, trust me."

She gulped but smiled nonetheless. Axel stepped on the accelerator pedal and his car zoomed out of the school's parking lot.

They reached an outstanding skyscraper. They both stepped out of the car and Axel tossed his car keys towards the Valet. The keys fell to the floor and Chloe trotted towards the keys and pick them up. She respectfully handed the keys to the valet.

"Thank you," she told him.

Axel smiled, he wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her inside. "Why did you thank him?" He asked Chloe. In his mind, the valet should be the one thanking her for picking up the keys for him.

"For parking your car," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but that's his job. Why thank him?" He shrugged ignorantly.

"It's a common courtesy" she answered.

He chuckled. "You are so adorable" he wrapped his heavy arm around her neck, pulling her towards him, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

Ace's guard approached them and handed them the key to his penthouse. "Mr. King" he nodded in respect.

"Thank you, Mr..." He tried to remember his name but couldn't. "Ace's guard"

"Nelson, sir," the guard told him.

Axel chuckled. "Thank you, Mr. Nelson!" he announced loudly. He turned towards Chloe and whispered on her cheek. "Does this count as a common courtesy?" He asked, pulling the skin of her cheek between his teeth a little.

Chloe turned red from embarrassment in front of the guard. "Yes..." She mumbled in a small voice, keeping her eyes down.

Preparing small kisses on her cheek, Axel waved his hand dismissing the guard. Chloe meekly pushed him away. "Let's go inside first," she said

They stepped into the elevator and all the way up Axel kept kissing her neck, her collarbone, or her cheeks. She uneasily let him do whatever he was doing. The elevator stopped and she stepped inside the dark penthouse. Following behind her, Axel locked the elevator so no one could come up.

"Alexa, turn the lights on," he said

"Turning the light on" came a robotic female voice.

The room illuminated within a second and Chloe's eyes widened. Everything in that apartment was extravagant and magnificent.

Axel hugged her from behind and placed an open-mouthed kiss on her neck. She shied away from him. "What's wrong? You look tense" He questioned.

Looking down, she shook her head. "Nothing..."

He stepped forward and placed his finger underneath her chin. He raised her face to meet her eyes. "What is it?" He asked lovingly.

"You do love me, right?" She asked skeptically.

"Of course I love you. You are the only thing in my life I am completely sure about" he told her sincerely.

"I don't wanna be just another girl on your lists of conquests, Axel," She said to him sternly.

He was taken aback by her words. "Where is this coming from, Chloe? Did I ever make you feel like just another one of my conquest?" He asked unbelievably.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his torso. She placed her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I am sorry. I was just overthinking about what Ace said"

He also wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her head. "It's okay... I get it. But don't you ever think like that again, do you understand me? I love you, Chloe Jones and I mean it"

She got on her tiptoes and tried to kiss him but he leaned back. She held his face with both of her hands and again tried to kiss him. Muffling his laughter, he turned his face to the other side. Chloe's mouth hung open. "Come here, you!" She forcefully tried to kiss him using all her might but his towering height made it impossible. Axel threw his head back laughing hard.

"Somebody help! This girl is forcing herself on me!!" He shouted and ran to the other corner of the room.

"Axel!" She exclaimed amused and ran towards him.

"Help! Help!" He shouted running in circles in the giant living room and Chloe ran after him. He picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it in her direction.

It hit her right in the face and she fell back to the ground, groaning in pain. "Ow! My back" she cried

Startled, Axel ran towards her. "Chloe!"

She grabbed onto his calves and pulled him down with her. When Axel's mind registered what had happened. They both burst out laughing.

Laying side by side on the cold glossy tiled floor, they laughed holding their stomach until tears of mirth came out of their eyes.