FicWad

Erin stood in the middle of living room, looking at Axl’s door. She breathed deeply, looked at me fleetingly with an air of dismissal, and walked out.
Instantly the tension melted away. I looked over at the Axl’s room, wanting more than anything to go see if he was ok. I headed in the direction briefly before Izzy pulled me back.
“Don’t give in Riley. He’s still trying to make you feel bad.”
“Iz, I don’t know. He seemed genuinely hurt.”
“He’s a good actor, that’s all.”
“Just let me talk to him for a little bit,” I pleaded. I looked back at Izzy. “Please.”
Izzy sighed but let go of my hand. “Ok, but don’t be too long alright?”
I hesitated. Izzy was starting to act like we were really together. “Yeah, I… I’ll be right out.” I headed for Axl’s room, my head still swimming with what had just passed between me and Izzy.
I knocked on the door and when I didn’t receive an answer let myself in. “Axl, I… Axl!”
He was standing on the other side of the bed, loading a pistol. He looked at me for a moment, then continued to load the gun.
“What… What do you think you’re doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m sick of everything in this God forsaken world. Even you said that I changed, that you didn’t love this version of me. If you don’t then who will?”
I ran to him and looked him straight in the eye. “Axl I didn’t know what I was saying!”
“You seemed to know exactly what you were saying.”
“But…”
“Riley, stop. My life’s not worth it.”
Tears stung my eyes as they developed. “Yes it is! It is to me!”
Axl ignored me, closed the gun, and cocked it. “I’ll see you around Riley.”
I looked at the gun, then to Axl, and then back to the gun. I grabbed it and tried to pull it out of his grasp. “No Axl!” I managed to wrench it out of his hands and bolt back out the bedroom door with it.
“Riley! Stop it!”
“Fuck no!” I managed through my sobs. “I’m not going to let you do this!”
Izzy started walking towards me when he spotted the gun. He looked at Axl. “Bill, you weren’t… were you?”
Axl glanced at him for a moment before looking back at me. He stuck his hand out to me palm up. “Give it here Riley.”
“I won’t just stand here and watch you kill yourself!”
“Why should you care? You seem all happy with Izzy!”
“I’m not with Izzy!” the words tumbled out.
Axl furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean? I saw you two kiss!”
I couldn’t go any further. My sobbing had progressed to the point that I was beyond the capability of speech. Izzy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Riley was pissed and wanted to get back at you, you know this. But the boyfriend-girlfriend thing was made up in my own head on the spot.” He looked at Axl. “There’s really nothing going between us.”
Axl looked at me. “Is that true?”
I nodded my head briskly, still unable to talk.
He still didn’t seem convinced fully. His eyes became unfocused as he thought about everything. A few moments later he refocused on me. He stuck his hand back out. “Give me the gun, Riley.”
I pulled it even further behind my back. “I’m not going to let you kill yourself Axl.”
“No, I’m not doing that anymore. I’m putting it up.”
I watched him warily, still not moving. He sighed.
“Alright, if you don’t believe me take the bullets out, then hand me the gun.”
I stared at him a moment longer before opening the gun and taking the ammunition out. I threw the bullets at him but kept the pistol. “I’m not letting you have this back. Not yet.”
Axl watched me then nodded. “Okay, whatever you want.”
We were silent for several awkward moments when I finally built the courage up to speak to Axl again. “We need to talk right now,” I stated, being forceful.
Axl met my eyes again before gesturing to his room. I handed Duff the gun and passed Axl to the bedroom.