The door slammed shut behind Axel, but he didn't even flinch. He already knew what was coming. From the living room, his father's voice boomed before he even made it out of the hallway. "What the hell happened at school today?! Do you want to get expelled again?!" His mother followed sharply behind. "The principal called. You think this is a joke? This is your last chance, Axel!" They didn't even wait for him to speak. Axel stood there with the strap of his backpack digging into his shoulder, hands still scraped and swollen from the fight. He was exhausted. Blood still dried around one knuckle, but no one noticed. "I wasn't even the one who started it," he muttered. His father scoffed. "Of course not.

 You never are." "You're always doing this," his mother snapped, pacing. "Always dragging us into your mess. We have jobs, Axel. We don't have time to play referee." Axel's fists clenched. "You don't even want to hear me out, huh?" His voice cracked just a little. He hated that. "You never ask what happened. You just assume. Every damn time." His mother didn't respond. She picked up her phone and started typing, probably rescheduling one of her endless meetings. His father had already left the room. And just like that, it was over. The yelling. The judgment. The indifference. No one even asked if he was okay.

The next morning

The school office was quiet when Axel walked in. No parents on either side of him. Just the family's maid, Ms. Eloise, carrying a clipboard and wearing a stiff navy blouse. He didn't look at her once. Principal Grant met them with a frown but didn't say much. Just more papers. Another lecture. Another warning. A final one. As Axel stepped out into the hall, the air felt heavier than usual. His bruised cheek stood out under the dull hallway lights. His head low. From across the lockers, someone watched him. Noah. He didn't say anything. He just leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed, arms crossed  but his gaze softened for half a second when he saw how broken Axel looked. Then someone else approached. A random student  sophomore, maybe stared at the woman walking away. "Hey," he said, nudging Axel. "Was that your mom?" Axel didn't even flinch. 

"No," he said simply, voice low. "Not even close." And he kept walking, shoulders heavy, gaze on the floor. Noah's eyes followed him. Still mad. Still confused. But suddenly unsure if he could stay mad much longer.