Chapter 1

When you think that once your best friend has messed up and there is no going back, life has other plans. Athena and Axel have been best friends since they were five and six years old. When Axel broke the childhood promise that they made when they were ten and eleven years of age. They will grow closer, a more powerful bond will emerge as something other than friendship blooms and becomes something new.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all started when Axel got a new girlfriend. Athena was jealous and was upset that she was the last person to know even though she had known Axel since five. Athena started yelling, "Why was I the very last person to find out about your new 'girlfriend'? I have known you since we were little, and I am the last person to know! Really! I know you better than your parents do! Are we not close anymore?" The silence that followed Athena's outburst was heavy and dense; it soon became the kind of silence that made everyone uncomfortable.

Axel took a deep breath and then said, "I am sorry. Can we talk about this? I will explain everything. I wanted to tell you at dinner, but um things took a different route." Athena looked like she was going to cry and then, "It's not okay. I should have been the first person you told. We have a pact that when we become interested in someone that the other person - in this case, me - will meet them to give their feedback. You broke that pact, so I have no idea how she treats you, how she acts. Nothing! I know Nothing, and you wanna say sorry, and that fix this?" Axel looks at Athena with a pleading look in his eyes. He slowly nods.

"I am sorry, Axel, but sorry is not good enough."

Athena walks away, leaving Axel in front of the diner with a confused Alanna. Alanna approaches Axel and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Hey. Babe, what was that all about?" Axel shrugs her hand off his shoulder off, "Nothing. It was Nothing."

Athena walked all the way home; she lived at least three miles away from the diner. She knew that when she got back, the only person that would be there was Maurice, her older brother. Maybe he would be able to help her work out her anger and disappointment with Axel.

"Hey 'Lil sis. How was lunch with Axel?" Athena went to the couch and just stared at Maurice. I was waiting for him to figure out her emotions. After a few moments, he figured out what had gone down, "I am sorry that you two had a fight and that you had to find out that way. I understand why you are upset, but you two have been friends since you two were little." He looked at Athena with sympathy and a hint of concern. Athena sighed, "I know that we have been through hell and back through the years, but he broke a life long promise and broke my trust. I don't know if he can convince me enough to forgive him this time. He hurt my feelings, and I am pissed off at him and do not know what to do with him and his "girlfriend." Since she just jumped in the middle of our conversation and made it all about her. I mean, who does that? Who barges in on a lunch date and talks all about them when the other two people were having a conversation?"

Maurice just sat there thinking of what he could do to make this easier on his sister. He pulled her into a hug and then went to the kitchen.

"What are you do-"

"Purple Rain Lil sis" Maurice turned around with two tubs of ice cream and two spoons. He put on her favorite movie. They sat there and watched the video, and ate their ice cream. Athena never said it, but she loved her big brother. He was the best big brother that she could have.

Athena

It all started when we entered High School. Axel said to meet him in front of the school to continue our tradition of walking together as I waited for him. The guy that I had liked since junior high walked up to me, so we started talking.

When Axel saw us talking and knowing how I felt about this boy, what was his name? Oh, yea, his name was Pascal, but anyways Axel came and pulled me away from Pascal-like. I was not just talking to him.

"What was that about Axel?" He gave me this look like I need to explain. "I..um.. don't like the way he acts... Yea. He is arrogant and stuck up. He is not right for you. Sorry for not telling you beforehand."

We just looked at each other, and I was naive, just let it go. We went to our first class we had together just like we did every year since Junior High. While we were in homeroom, he started looking at girls so, I hit him and told him the same thing he told me. Then we made a pact that as long as we were friends, the other would have to approve of who the other is dating.

Since then, he had to approve of all of my boyfriends, and I had to agree of all his girlfriend's- not that he had many- but it has always been this way since the first day of Freshman year.

Even when we went to college, we went to the same college and had some classes together. We lived in the same apartment complex off-campus.

It was all working out until Alanna. Even when we had fought, one of us would come and apologize for being dumb to the other person. This time he had gone over the line and broken our promise. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest, and like he was betraying me. Which he was in the worst way!

Axel

Okay. So I get the whole I broke the promise thing, but how can Athena be so mad at me over another girl. I don't understand why Athena is so crazy; it was just a promise that we made when we were 15 years old. How seriously does she take this kind of thing?

Okay.

Wait.

Athena takes promises very seriously and hates the people that break them. So maybe I should ta- no, no, she is the one that overreacted about Alanna. T m going to introduce them, but on my terms, I was not expecting Alanna to show up like that.

All because of me and my big 15-year-old mouth that had to tell her about I don't even remember. Athena should be over that pact by now, right? Well, after today, I guess she is not.

How am I going to make things up with her? She is my best friend, and I don't want to lose her. I am going to give her some space because when she is angry, the only person that I have seen calm her is Maurice. So, I will try to call her in the morning.