Axel walked with his head down, eyes staring past his burgundy bangs, focusing on the intricacies of the cement below him. He enjoyed watching each crack and imperfection of the sidewalk as his foot would step on or over them. He liked seeing how far between each crack his feet took him, and how his position between the cracks changed as he walked. His pale hands rested on the straps of his backpack as he pondered how he would explain his C in chemistry.  

His foster parents weren't very forgiving when it came to grades. They complained about Bs... what would they say about a C? The near future didn't look bright. As he made his way home from school, he passed the abandoned building a few blocks from his house. He contemplated hiding there so he wouldn't have to show his parents his report card, wondering if anyone would ever think to look there. Could he hide there the rest of his life? No, that's ridiculous. He scoffed at how worried he was. What would they do, yell at him? Ground him? Big deal. That wouldn't stop the sun from coming up the next day. That wouldn't stop him talking to his friends at school. And that wouldn't stop him from working on his secret project. 

Eventually, he made it home. It wasn't a particularly large home for 4 people, 3 beds, 2 baths, 1 floor, but it was big enough for his taste. He didn't much care for anything too extravagant. Its dark red exterior worked well in the fall, and it was in a decent, middle-class neighborhood. 

He took a moment to stare at the white door and gather his thoughts. He felt like his insides began to swell and his heart began to rise. He was nervous, there was no denying it. He would retreat to the back of his mind while being yelled at, then retreat to the back of his room while being grounded. He inched forward ever so slowly, reaching out his hand to the doorknob. He could feel his throat begin to dry and his skin begin to heat up. He had to be careful with his hand; it wasn't too late to back out now and go hide in that abandoned house, but when his hand touched that doorknob, the sound of him being home would ring in his parents ears. Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, he willed himself to grab the doorknob. It took him what felt like a minute to finally turn it and open the door, but he finally succeeded. 

"Hey Ax!" His 19 year old sister shouted from the living room couch almost immediately upon his entrance. He swore she was psychic. "How was the walk home?" That was a question no one ever thought to ask. It was such a mundane everyday task, such a little thing. His sister thought to ask it though. That's the kind of person she was. He took off his shoes while he looked at his sister. Her hair was in a ponytail today. He always thought that was cute. 

"It was alright. Hiding in that abandoned house always seems like a good idea on report card day." His sister took her gaze away from her textbook to pay more attention to him. 

"Abandoned house?" She asked. Had she never passed it? Must not have. Maybe she took a different route home?

"Yeah, I'll show it to you later. It's pretty cool." She smiled at him before returning to her book. 

"Why would you want to hide on report card day, Axel?" The stern voice of his mother shot through his head like a bullet. Shit. He had heard her. Nothing good could come from lying here. He should just be upfront with the truth. They're going to see the report card anyways.  

"I got a C in chemistry." His sister giggled a little under her breath.  

"Something funny?" Their mom snapped. 

"Oh just... C in chemistry. C for chemistry. Because chemistry starts with a c." Diane knew no fear, she just kept smiling like it was no big deal. Their mother glared at her for a moment before turning back to Axel. 

"So, do you want to explain this C in chemistry?" She spoke firmly, like she wanted to yell but was holding it back. Her grey eyes pierced through him. What does she mean explain it? What was there to say? She knew he studied. Chemistry was just his bad subject. It was also the most test-intensive, and he sucked at tests too. 

"I'm bad at chemistry, I'm bad at taking tests, and I don't like the subject so that makes it even harder." He braced for the worst. The raised voices were about to come, and he would be grounded.

What actually happened surprised him. Her gaze faltered and she closed her eyes, tilting her head down like she had given up. A deep sigh leaked out of her. 

"You're sixteen years old. At this point, you know that actions have consequences, and you've been given enough information to know how important your grades are. I won't stay on your back about them, I'll leave them up to you." Diane looked up from her textbook with wide eyes, blown away. She turned her head quickly to look at her mom just to make sure it was the same person she thought it was. 

"Thanks," Axel said, "I appreciate that." She was trusting him with his own responsibilities. That's something parents tended not to do, which ultimately led to children hating responsibilities. He could take his fate into his own hands now, which was huge. He perked up and walked to his room, passing his sister on the way, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. 

Closing the door behind him, he tossed his bookbag on the floor and plopped on his bed for a rest. He closed his eyes as he buried his face in his pillow, thinking about his project. He slowly drifted to sleep.