01.

His brows furrowed with his gaze fixated on the book he was reading. One look at him and you could tell he was too engrossed in the book he was reading.

The noises running around have Axel releasing a groan in frustration trying so hard to focus yet to no avail.

He hissed giving up and shutting the book looking up to see the causes of the noise. His eyes followed in the direction of where students had already packed up forming a crowd.

“Hey! What’s up? What’s going on there?” Axel asked stopping one of the students that were rushing to reach the scene.

“Yo! Bro, you haven’t heard? Check your phone and see for yourself” he answered walking away.

Axel didn’t own a phone, he couldn’t afford a 20$ meal not to talk of buying a phone. Whenever he needed the services, he’d ask one of his roommates who is also his long-time friend whom he met on his first day at EUNY; the elite university of New York.

Axel is a 20-year-old orphan who has been trying to make ends meet by running countless shifts from one job to the other just to be able to make a living for himself.

After being thrown out of the orphanage on reaching 18 years old, life hasn’t been easy for him. He has no information about his parents or why they had disposed of him at the orphanage.

Barely able to pay off his High school bills, with the help of one of his high school tutors got a scholarship to EUNY, one of the world's top universities that every student could dream of.

Axel is an A student, he had good grades and looks but due to his poor nature, it doesn’t show in his physical appearance.

Every student knew how poor Axel was, he was made fun of and that is why he never really mingled with people.

Asher and Collins were his only two friends that are more than supportive, unlike Axel, they had families and came from a well-off family maybe not too rich but comfortable enough to satisfy them.

Axel doesn’t like feeling like a liability and that is why sometimes he rejects their help and chooses to suck up his shit by himself but they did help Axel.

Axel snapped out of his train of thought sighting his guys engrossed in their phones.

He sighed walking toward them, “Hey guys! What fuck is going on?” He seems in annoyance.

They laughed, “Coke see for yourself ” Collins responded passing his phone to Axel.

Axel growled taking it coming into view with a video of a familiar feminine figure smooching with the school's most popular asshole.

Darius Mickelson.

His brows drew together as he looked closely adjusting his Eyeglass trying to point out the girl as she seemed oddly familiar.

Realization dawned on him when Darius pulled away giving Axel a full view of the feminine figure.

Ashley Jones, his girlfriend.

His heart dropped seeing as she was the one. He watched as she drew Darius for another round causing Axel to turn the phone away handing it over to Collins.

“The Two made things official a while ago, you got to see how much he spent on her man,” Asher says.

“56000$ only on perfecting the proposal” Collins adds up.

“Oh my god, she’s so lucky. I wish I was her” Some girls passing by say giggling like four-year-old kids.

Axel's blood had already run cold as he couldn’t move a limb at the moment. Every piece of his heart had successfully broken into pieces his eyes stinging as he fought back the tears.

The last time he shed a tear was the night he was kicked out of the orphanage not because he didn’t want to leave the hell hole but because of the way he was insulted and harassed before he was sent out.

“I will give the world to have a good fuck with Ashley!” Collins says urging Axel’s hands to ball harder into a fist as anger surged in every inch of his body.

Ashley and him have been together for a year now. Axel has had a thing for Ashley right from the day he set his eyes on her that was his first year studying Architecture at EUNY but never really had the balls to walk up to her and express the way he felt.

Beside she looked way beyond his league.

Axel had the opportunity to speak with Ashley in his second year when she came up to him seeking help for him to tutor her.

Along the way, Axel managed to woe Ashley into falling for me or so he thought before they made things official but not without Ashley making sure she warned Axel not to let anyone on— on their secret.

Axel agreed cause he was never the one for attention and dating a hot ass chick like Ashley, it was all that, so that’s why he didn’t have a problem with that.

Ever since they’ve kept things low-key. Although Axel felt insecure that he couldn’t fulfill most of Ashley’s demands he did try his best to make her happy.

He didn’t have the wealth but he did have the looks even though they were underneath his poor unkept nerdy self, Axel is a bit built due to the strenuous exercises he does.

“Excuse me” Axel states walking away so as not to break down in front of them.

Asher and Collins didn’t know about his relationship with Ashley cause she did warn him not to let anyone on their secret, certainly not his friends.

He didn’t like the fact that he had to keep something huge away from them too but as long as it was for Ashley and it made her happy, he didn’t mind climbing the mountains just to make her happy.

He needed answers he needed clarifications and he was going to get that.

He marched to their usual spot settling down on the rock. Axel calls it the hideout.

It was one of the fewest places where people didn’t come around so he liked it and never seized to coke there whenever he needed his alone time.

He shared the place with Ashley when they started dating and would always sneak out there to make out.

Axel had plans with Ashley today, they had decided to meet up at their spot at a speculated time and he knew she never bailed out on him and that is why he decided to sit there and wait for her.

His mind went haywire as he thought of the worst-case scenario. What explanation was she going to give him?

He trusted her too much to believe what he saw. He knew she’d never betray him as she loved him just as much as he loved her too.

Their love is true and real, anything beyond opulence that would woe her into accepting Darius Mickelson.

He hoped that she had a valid explanation for what he had seen even though deep down he knew there was something wrong but part of him hoped that it shouldn’t be as it seems.

He lets out deep breaths checking on his wrist watch her and there. It was already getting late and there were no signs of Ashley.

His heart began to race as he got impatient, tired of waiting.

He hissed getting up but soon froze in his steps as he saw her figure marching toward his direction.

He lets out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding walking toward her as well.

“Ash!” He calls out reaching for her hand and drawing her to him before claiming her lips, his addiction to kissing her as much as he has missed her while she stood stiff not retaliating his action.

He paused pulling back, “Oh baby, I’ve missed you,” he says kissing her again but he is taken aback by her next action.

She pushed him back wiping off her lips, “Get off of me” she states with pure irritation.

His brows drew together in confusion as his bear palpated against its ribcage as though it was going to pop out.

He moved closer trying to reach out for her hands yet she pulled back cutting him off guard yet again.

“Stay back” she states her voice barely audible as it was shakey.

Axel was already beginning to fear, he didn’t want it to be true but he knew he was only thinking that to himself to make him feel better.

Ashley has never stopped him from getting close to her. They may have never had sex but he was allowed to kiss her whenever they met.

So what changed now?

“What’s going on?” He couldn’t help but ask with his voice low and cold.

She shook her head taking slow steps back as he took steps further.

“Just stay back!”

“What the hell is going on!” Axel lost it demanding a response.

“I am breaking up with you!”

He stares at her as though she had grown horns trying to decipher the words that slipped from her lips.

“Can you hear yourself? What is wrong with you?” He spat with utter frustration and hurt which she didn’t seem to care about one bit.

“It’s over between us. We can’t be together. I am tired of having to make compromises. Being with you is a liability I can no longer live with—” she trails off.

He hiss, “So it’s true. You’re cheating.”

She laughed humorously. “Cheating? Look at you Axel, you and I both know that you’re not worthy of being with me, I made a mistake by accepting your proposal but then again, it was only out of pity”

Each word of hers pierced like an arrow being directed to his heart, “Don’t say that. You said it yourself Ash, we love each other. What you and I share is more than just piety and we both know that so why are you trying to deny it huh?”

“Please Axel I have already made myself clear and if you think your words would change my mind then you must be more dense than I thought” she spat with pure disgust sending Axel waves of glare.

“I know you don’t love Darius and you’re only doing this for his money and fame. You can lie to yourself and other people but not me Ash, I’ve seen it in your eyes, every time you look at me, I see how much you love me. Why then are you trying to deny it?” Axel states trying to talk sense into her as though her mind would change.

He didn’t want to believe what was going on. Maybe this is all just a dream that he’ll soon wake up to, yes, certainly one.

“You’re so poor Axel, you have never been a snake to fulfill my desires. Anything I ask for it’s either you make up excuses or try to deceive me with your words and it’s over now. I don’t know what you did to me or how you did it, I mean talking me into being with you, but it’s all over now. I have Darius now and with his wealth and love” She paused a smile spreading on her lips, “He is perfect for the lifestyle I imagine myself to be in”

“What have you turned yourself into Ash? This isn’t you” He says shaking his head.

One look at Axel you could tell was breaking down mentally but was trying as much as he could to hold himself.

If there was anything he hated is being vulnerable.

She laughed, “Oh and you dare not ever spill the fact that I ever dated a low-life hag like you, it’ll taint my image and I don’t want that okay”

Axel tries reaching out to her but Ash yells back. “stay back you poor thing, don’t you dare touch me”

“What’s going on here babe?” Darius suddenly makes an appearance.

Axel's heart squeezed at the sight of Darius, he wanted nothing but to punch out the perfection in the spoilt brat's face