: (Clay) McDonalds

I jogged to the train station. Not because of the rain. Because of my Mom. She was always so happy. And shouty too. But I guess that's what Moms are for, right? No one will ever know the amount of time's my phone's been confiscated for being 'rude' or 'talking back'. But, hey. If your Mom asks a stupid question and isn't happy with the answer, then why ask the damn question in the first place? And if you 'ignore' or 'don't answer' the question then you're also called rude for ignoring her. I'll never get Mom logic.

However, my Mom had been doing none of those things for the past week. She spoke a lot less. My 'rude' comments weren't as 'rude' as they used to be. Her regular trips to the DIY store were strange too. I haven't exactly seen where my Mom's doing her DIY but I do hope that Robin's right. Oh. And my Mom keeps telling me she loves me too. And that is odd for my Mom. She never really shows her feelings unless they're shouty ones. Also, my Mom told me that she was too tired to cook today so I should get food from out and bring her some too. And that was weird too. My Mom hated fast food and loved cooking.

I stepped onto the train and slipped my headphones on. I was just about to pick a song when I saw a man staring at me. Long and hard and suspiciously. I tried to ignore it. But the man made me uneasy. He wore a dark hoodie and cap that hid his face. He looked middle-aged, but heck I wasn't sure. He slipped his hand into his pocket and I saw the top of a gun.

The man stood up, his gaze still fixated on me, and walked to the other end of train. The next stop was the stop I was meant to be getting off at. I stepped off the train carriage and saw the strange man step out too. As fast as I could, I ran. I couldn't see the man anymore.

When I exited the train station, I entered the nearest McDonalds. I ordered my meal and then froze. Axel was there too. And Axel lived nowhere near me. So why was he at the train stop for my house and at my local McDonalds? I collected my order of Bacon Double Cheeseburger and fries and approached him.

"Axel," I said, making him jump. I peered down at what he was doing. He had a knife. And was cutting his leg. He hastily shoved the knife into his pocket and looked at me. His trousers were stained with blood.

His forehead was beaded with sweat and I could tell he'd dyed his blonde hair, black at the front.

"Clay," he muttered, looking at me in a pained way. I could tell he didn't want me to be there.

"So, why are you here?" I asked, avoiding the question that was burnt into my mind. Why was 'perfect' and 'popular' Axel cutting himself?

"I was hungry and this was the closest McDonalds to school," Axel replied, looking at me like it was obvious.

I knew he was lying though. Everyone knew the closest McDonalds was down the road from school. Axel was always hanging out there with the 'popular' group. So why had he decided to come here? Was it anything to do with my Mom who he seemed to be talking to a lot lately? My curiosity got the better of me and I blurted out,

"You seem to be talking to my Mom a lot lately," I stated, sitting in the seat beside him and taking a huge bite of my burger. Axel munched on a fry whilst thinking of an answer.

"Have I?" Axel questioned, staring at me intently. "Yeah. You've been talking to her every day this week and she has your number," I remarked, staring at him back. We glared at each other for a few more seconds. Then Axel shrugged.

"Maybe I have. Maybe I haven't. What's it got to do with you, mate?" "What do you mean? Of course, it's got to do with me! She's my Mom for god sake!" I practically shouted at him.

"You got something to say to me?" hissed Axel and shoved me out the restaurant. I shoved him into a wall, the rough bricks digging into his back. "Because if you do say it. Why don't you tell everyone and meanwhile I'll expose your secret to the world," he yelled. "What secret?" I growled, my heart pounding against my chest. It pounded so hard that I thought my chest might explode. Axel couldn't know my secret, could he? No one knew it. Except one person. Who I hated with my whole heart.

Suddenly, Axel cried out, clutching the leg that he'd been cutting with a knife. His phone started to ring, blaring out some random rap song. I snatched it off him to see who was calling. It was his Mom. "GIVE THAT BACK!" Axel roared, trying to snatch the phone of me. He grabbed the knife out of his pocket and aimed it at me. It was bent slightly and was wet with dark, red blood. "Give it to me or I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill you," Axel snarled. "Jeez, man," I answered, surprised Axel was so violent. I threw the phone at him.

He caught it and stood very still. Barely moving. His eyes widened. He sank to the floor, shaking. "Help..." he whimpered. He looked like he was having some sort of hallucination. "Axel..." I said, staring at him in horror. I had no idea what was wrong. "She's going to get me..." Axel whispered. Suddenly, he seized me, digging his nails hard into my wrist. "RUN!" he screamed. "GET THEM AWAY!" He started kicking out randomly and a tear ran down his face, sliding through the silver piercing on his nose. I carried on staring at him, panicking.

"Axel, tell me what's flipping wrong, dude," I yelled, shaking him. He sat very still for a second with his eyes closed. He opened them, took a deep breath and glared at me.

"Don't you dare tell anyone what you just saw or you'll wish you were dead. YOU HEAR ME?" he shrieked, trying to stand up but stumbling. I grabbed his arm and hissed shakily,

"What just happened? Are you okay?" He glared at me and snatched his arm away, limping off. He ran off, not looking back.