Chapter 24

"Yo douchebag!"

Axel whipped around, his glare burning a hole through Dolores across the court. Her face, usually brimming with defiance, was etched with a pale weariness – dark circles hung beneath her eyes like unwelcome guests. Hangover, it seemed, was a great equalizer, even for the ever-confident Dolores.

His hand clenched into a fist as a memory flashed through his mind – Dolores, head lolling against Ivan's chest, vulnerability laid bare.

He retrieved the rogue basketball, the weight a familiar comfort in his hand. He scanned the gym, taking in the expectant faces of his fellow students. A silent challenge hung in the air – everyone waiting for him to lose his cool, to lash out and earn another strange two days suspension.

"One on one?" Dolores' voice rang across the court, laced with an unexpected challenge. "Just you and me."

Axel stalked towards her, his silence a thunderous response. Dolores instinctively took a step back, his imposing presence momentarily dwarfing her own. He stopped just out of reach, the tension crackling between them thicker than the stale gym air.

He glanced down at the basketball clutched in her hand, then back up to meet her gaze. A slow, infuriating smirk played on his lips. "Don't play with girls," he drawled, his voice dripping with a mockery that sent shivers down Dolores' spine. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the ball back at her, the unexpected action leaving her momentarily speechless.

Dolores fumbled to catch the ball, her initial bravado faltering. This wasn't the reaction she'd anticipated. She'd expected a fiery retort, a challenge met with equal force. Instead, he'd deflected, using his words as a weapon that left her feeling disarmed.

It was clear his anger simmered beneath the surface, a volatile cocktail fueled by the previous night's events. But unlike her, his target wasn't a misplaced basketball or a cheap shot. It was the image that replayed in his mind – Ivan, the outsider, holding Dolores close. That, it seemed, was the fuel for his silent rage.

Dolores gritted her teeth as Axel retreated, his words hanging heavy in the air. The silence stretched, thick with tension and the collective gasps of their classmates who'd witnessed the unexpected exchange. She wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"What's the matter, Axel?" she called out, her voice ringing through the now silent gym. "Scared to lose to a girl?"

A ripple of surprised gasps swept through the room. Challenging Axel, their resident bad boy, to a duel and then branding him a coward? It was audacious, bordering on reckless. Elijah materialized beside Axel, a playful grin plastered across his face.

"Did someone just call Axel Vynce a coward?" he announced to the gathered students, his voice laced with mock surprise. He nudged Axel with his elbow, his gaze flitting between Dolores and his friend. "You gonna take that, Ax? Show her what a real coward looks like!"

The gym erupted in hushed murmurs. Axel's eyes narrowed into icy slits, his jaw clenched tight. Dolores held her breath, bracing for the explosion she knew was coming. But then, just as abruptly as his anger had flared, it seemed to extinguish.

"Fine," he muttered, the word laced with a dangerous undercurrent. "Try me."

The playful challenge of a moment ago was gone, replaced by a cold, competitive edge that sent shivers down her spine. This wasn't just about a basketball game anymore. It was a battle of wills, a silent war playing out on the polished floor.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the impromptu game. Axel, fueled by a silent fury, moved with a predatory grace. Dolores, caught off guard by his sudden intensity, could only react. She fumbled with the ball, her passes sailing erratically, her shots clanging off the rim. Axel, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of movement. He weaved through her defenses with ease, sinking basket after basket with an almost robotic precision.

Dolores felt the frustration mount with each missed shot, each stolen ball. Her head throbbed in time with the pounding of her heart, the hangover a cruel reminder of her recklessness. A dizzy spell swept over her, her legs turning to lead. She stumbled, her body betraying her, and with a yelp, she landed hard on the unforgiving wooden floor.

The ball bounced away, rolling to a stop near the waiting students. A stunned silence descended upon the gym, broken only by Dolores' ragged breaths as she lay sprawled on the floor.

Axel loomed over Dolores, his face unreadable in the harsh gym lighting. Silence stretched, thick with the sting of defeat and the echoing gasps of their classmates. For a moment, Dolores thought she saw a flicker of something in his eyes - a hint of concern quickly masked by his usual cocky smirk.

Then, he extended a hand down towards her. Relief washed over her, momentary and sweet. Dolores, desperate to escape the awkward sprawl, reached for his hand, her fingers brushing his calloused palm. But just as quickly as it appeared, the hand vanished. Axel yanked it back, running a hand through his dark hair with a frustrated sigh.

"You shouldn't dare me, Torres," he deadpanned, his voice laced with a smugness that grated on her nerves. He wasn't wrong, of course. Picking a fight with Axel, especially in the state she was in, had been a bad idea. She winced as a fresh wave of nausea rolled over her.

Without another word, Axel turned and began to walk away, leaving Dolores sprawled on the floor, feeling more defeated than ever. Elijah materialized beside her, a playful whistle escaping his lips.

"Not bad, DeeT!" he chirped sarcastically, clapping his hands once. "Almost stole the show! Almost." His words offered little comfort, but at least they broke the stifling silence.

Dolores gritted her teeth, pushing herself up from the floor with a groan. Her body ached, her pride was bruised, and the taste of defeat hung heavy in her mouth.

Axel stalked towards the water cooler on the sideline, his throat parched and his temper simmering just beneath the surface. The unexpected challenge from Dolores had thrown him off balance, a disorienting mix of anger and… something else he couldn't quite define. He hadn't been angry last night, not truly. The strange suspicious brownies Elijah had procured last night had left him feeling lightheaded and strangely mellow, a fact that gnawed at him now.

He reached the cooler and grabbed a paper cup, gulping down the cool water in a single long draught. As he lowered the cup, he caught sight of Dolores approaching, her face a mask of silent fury. He braced himself for another verbal volley, the adrenaline from their little game already starting to fade.

"You spiked my punch," Dolores declared, her voice tight with barely controlled anger.

Axel raised an eyebrow, a sardonic smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "Spiked? You thought that sugary concoction was punch? How… quaint." His voice dripped with condescension, further inflaming the fire in her eyes.

Dolores bristled. "I ordered punch," she snapped, her voice laced with defiance. "And thanks to your little… prank, I'm feeling like I got hit by a truck."

Axel shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Sangria, punch… what's the difference?"

Dolores glared at him, her jaw clenched tight. She grabbed a paper cup from the water cooler, the clinking of plastic the only sound in the tense silence. They stood there for a moment, a battle of wills waged in stolen glances and unspoken accusations. Finally, Dolores broke eye contact, downing the water in a single gulp before turning and walking away.

Axel watched her , a knot of unease tightening in his gut. Seeing her so vulnerable, so clearly affected by the alcohol… it stirred something within him, a conflicting mix of guilt and a possessiveness he couldn't explain. He slammed the empty water cup into the trash can, the harsh clatter echoing the turmoil within him. This whole thing was getting way too complicated.

Dolores sighed, a frustrated puff of air escaping her lips. "Just… lucky," she muttered under her breath, the words barely audible. "Lucky I didn't do anything stupid."

Stupid? Axel seethed internally. Stupid was an understatement. His mind replayed the fragmented memory – Dolores, leaning against that...that fiery creature, her head resting on his chest. His stomach churned with a possessive anger that surprised even him. He clenched his jaw, forcing a neutral expression onto his face.

"What did you think happened last night?" he asked, his voice carefully devoid of emotion.

Dolores shrugged, her defiance tempered by a flicker of vulnerability. "You got me drunk," she muttered. "Thankfully, Ivan found me and took me home."

Axel raised an eyebrow, a sardonic edge creeping into his voice. "Did he now? Do you even remember what happened?"

Dolores hesitated, her gaze flickering away for a moment. Then, she met his eyes, a defiant glint returning. "Yes," she lied, her voice gaining a touch of steel.

Axel could practically smell the lie on her. Her confident façade was cracking at the edges, replaced by a nervous tremor in her hands. He wasn't naive. He knew she didn't remember everything, maybe not even the most crucial details.

"And how do you know it was Ivan who took you home?" he pressed, his gaze unwavering.

Dolores pursed her lips, her eyes flitting away again. "I… I asked him," she mumbled, the lie faltering slightly. "And he told me."

Axel clenched his fists, a surge of anger coursing through him. He didn't tell her the entire truth, that much was certain.

With a curt nod, he turned away from her, leaving Dolores standing there, the weight of her words heavy in the air. The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken questions and simmering tension.

Dolores' bravado faltered for a moment as her gaze drifted away from Axel's retreating back, drawn by a sudden prickle of awareness. Across the court, Taylor stood with her posse, their faces contorted into identical masks of withering scorn. Taylor's glare was particularly sharp, a laser beam of disdain cutting through the already tense atmosphere.

Dolores flinched under the scrutiny, a flicker of annoyance warring with the simmering anger leftover from her confrontation with Axel. Seriously? Couldn't they give her a break?