The Kissing Game

Chapter 13

    "Well, we all know who Zoey would rather kiss, don't we?" Axel said.

   "Do we now?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "Let's ask."

   Both boys turned to face me and I stared at them, unable to believe they were serious. Chris looked so sure of himself and Axel looked so hopeful, but I was equally mad at the both of them. That was why I glared at them both.

"You guys seriously want an answer? Here it is," I said, voice sharp. "I would never, ever kiss either of you. I would rather kiss a pig than you two, even though I'm pretty sure pigs are your relatives."

   I turned around, barely noticing the look of hurt on Axel's face. Storming off, I found my heart tightening as I realized guys were truly stupid. I doubt I could ever fall in love.

*****

"Zoey, come down and eat!" my dad shouted.

"I'm okay!" I shouted back. "I'm not hungry!"

My stomach growled and I told it to shut up. Bringing out my laptop, I began to scroll through Facebook, hoping to forget the events of today. But no matter what I did, nothing changed. I kept thinking of Axel and feeling a small stab of hurt, which left me annoyed with myself.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. Looking at my door, I sighed, thinking it was one of my parents. For once I wished I didn't have such loving parents.

   "I'm not hungry!" I shouted, hoping I sounded honest. "I'm fine Mom or Dad!"

   "It's Luke, actually," Luke said, to my surprise. "So apparently I knock like them."

   I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"

   "To see my wonderful sibling."

   "Shut up Luke. I'm serious."

   "Can I come in?"

    Reluctantly, I said fine and Luke opened the door. Wearing his usual gray sweats and white v-neck, his eyes softened at the sight of me, surprising me. Luke never admitted to caring about anyone or anything, so it was odd seeing him look at me like this.

   He went over to my bed and sat down, sitting on the edge. I sat in the centre with my back pressed against the headboard, staring at my laptop as I scrolled through my newsfeed. Although I loved my brother, we didn't communicate often. Our rooms were off limits to each other, so I found this bizarre.

    "So, what do you want?" I asked, hoping to be left alone to brood.

   "I want to know what's up with you," Luke answered. "Seriously. When aren't you hungry?"

   I pressed my lips together, not wanting to respond. Luke was my younger brother and I wasn't the type of person to confide in someone with my problems. That was why I tried to stay focused on my laptop.

"Fine. Okay," Luke said, feigning hurt. "I see how it is. I try to be a good brother. Someone who cares about his sassy sister, and this is what I get. I'm totally not offended."

I sighed, giving in. Luke was the typical younger brother and I constantly questioned whether I wanted to smother him with care or kick his ass.

"Why are guys idiots?" I asked.

  "Um, sorry?" Luke said, staring at me with confusion written across his face.

"They're so annoyingly complicated," I continued ranting. "And bipolar. One second they're so sweet and caring and the next second they're arrogant and rude. How do you know which persona is the real deal?"

"If this is your subtle way of lashing out at me, I hope you know I'm so sorry for whatever I did," Luke said, looking worried.

"Not you, idiot." I sighed. "Boys in general. I hate them."

His eyebrows rose. "You hate guys?"

I nodded, believing I did. They caused me so much stress and especially after receiving the kiss, none would leave me alone. Not a single one of them would give me my space and let me breathe, and I hated them. I hated their cocky, selfish personalities.

"Guys are jerks," I said. "Too self absorbed and cocky. I wish I went to an all girls school."

"Not all guys are bad," Luke interjected. "I mean you have your typical assholes out there, but the same goes for girls. You can't just generalize guys as a whole."

"You don't understand," I groaned. "They've been ruining my life lately."

"If you're talking about Axel, then let me tell you he's not one of the assholes."

I froze at the mention of Axel and my cheeks reddened. I was completely caught off guard.

"You know Axel?" I asked, hoping to sound casual.

"Yup," he answered. "And he's a pretty decent guy. Misunderstood I would say. I know you have the kiss and he's probably trying to get it from you, but honestly he's not bad. I like him."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. Luke seemed to know Axel on a personal level and it left me curious. So many questions popped into my mind.

"What's makes you think he's a decent guy?" I asked.

To my surprise, Luke suddenly stood up and said, "That's for you to find out by yourself. See you sister."

"What?" My jaw dropped as Luke began to walk away. "You... You just can't leave like that."

"Zoey, be patient," Luke said, glancing at me as he reached the door. "Just know that there are some good guys out there and Axel is one of them."

Luke then left, leaving me sitting where I was, staring after him. I was wondering about a lot and thinking of what Luke said, I sighed. It definitely seemed like I would need to be patient, but still I let my mind ponder over Axel. If my brother who rarely complimented others thought Axel was decent, then was he?