Moving Forward

Chapter Seventeen

"We're just going to say hi to the birthday boy and come back," explains Tori.

"Okay." I grin. "He was in the passageway when I saw him last."

"Thanks." Jude nods his head

When Jude and Tori walk away, I pull my phone from my pocket and send Axel a message. I don't think I can survive tonight by myself. I need someone who isn't team Blake on my side. I need someone's whose team me.

'S.O.S.' – Ava

'OMW.' – Axel.

'Cheers.' – Ava.

I message Axel the address and then find myself a new drink. I forcibly push myself to venture back into the house because that's where my liquid of courage is. On the way in, someone is handing out vodka shots, to which I happily take.

When I make it into the kitchen, I refill my cup and pray it's heavily spiked. As I look up from the bowl, I see Tori standing in front of me.

"Let's dance," she shouts happily.

Tori takes my hand and leads me away. As we're walking onto the makeshift dancefloor, Tori lifts my arm up and spins around. When she comes out of the spin, Tori drops my hand and looks over her shoulder. She wiggles her butt and smiles at Jude.

Jude walks over to dance for one song, and then he slithers away. Her attention turns to me and I tug on a bright smile. Thankfully, Charlotte and Kyle arrive which takes me off the hook - my dancing isn't that great. Kyle instantly stands with Jude while Charlotte dashes over to us.

I can see Kyle laughing and I wonder if it's because of me. My version of sexy dancing includes an awkward booty shake and a weird pout. I have no idea how I ended up with Blake as my boyfriend. I look like a spastic.

Possibly four drinks later, I get a text message from Axel alerting me to his arrival. I discard my cup on the table and leave. I squirm through the crowd and walk towards the back gate. As I step into the front garden, I see Axel walking across the yard.

"Hey, how'd the gig go?" I ask.

"Really good." He nods. "The crowd loved the new music."

"That's amazing. I'm so happy for you!" I grip Axel into a tight hug before walking back to the house.

"Is it okay for me to come?" asks Axel.

"He's the one who suggested it," I clarify. Despite the fact it might have been a courtesy invite, I won't tell him that. My actions over the last couple of months have been rather questionable, so why start making good choices now?

"Okay, drink time then," mutters Axel.

When we return to the group, Kyle and Charlotte hug Axel and they easily welcome him into their dance circle. Axel's dance moves are purposely terrible and they make me feel better about myself. Axel places one hand behind his head and extends the other arm to re-enact the sprinkler. Charlotte laughs while Kyle joins in.

I see Blake just as he seems me. Blake stops his conversation with his other friend and walks over. A tight smile overcomes his usual, relaxed façade. I grin at the sight of his uncomfortableness.

"Hey man, you made it," he says. "I'm Blake."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Axel, and Happy Birthday." They shake hands.

"Enjoy yourself. There's punch on the table and beer in the fridge."

"Cheers man," Axel replies.

Blake cautiously looks him over before walking away. I take his hand and lead him to the kitchen. I pour myself another drink while Axel grabs himself a beer. We meet on the dancefloor and keep busting our moves. Axel stops his weirdness in favour of wrapping his arm around my waist.