The Lonely Hearts Club

Chapter 18: Nicks (Hades)

Malice is fucking wild on Saturday nights.

I can smell the sin in the air.

Everybody's doing drugs, fucking or fighting.

I stand back and observe.

If people start getting a little too much, I take them outside.

Every weekday except Friday is pretty cool.

Friday night is the worst time to come if you're not into this scene.

And, if you wanna be murdered, definitely come here on Friday nights.

Last night at Bree's place was the best Friday night I've had in years.

"What on God's green earth is wrong with you tonight, big guy?"

Nicks swaggers to a stop beside me.

"Not messing with girls? That's a surprise."

He has white dust under his nose.

"Savvy know you're doing that?" I retort.

I'm not even bothering to answer his statement.

"Doing what?" He grins innocently.

Savvy hates drugs, she can't stand them.

Not even weed, she says all drugs fuck with your brain.

It's no secret that Nicks used to be a drug addict, but he stopped using for good.

He was doing good.

"Where is she?" I ask and something dark passes in his eyes.

"Don't know, don't give a fuck about her either." He shrugs.

Something bad has happened between them.

Nicks wouldn't fuck with his sobriety because of a petty fight.

"You alright man?" I ask.

"No, she's probably fucking that stupid ugly plumber with the boring hair that was working on her bathroom this afternoon."

He's talking a million miles per hour and the loud music makes it almost impossible to hear what he's saying.

"Wanna go outside?" I check and he nods desperately.

Nicks is more important than standing around watching a bunch of people lose their minds and make mistakes they're definitely going to regret in the morning.

Malice never used to be like this, but now it's fucked up and nothing can make it go back to the way it used to be.

Nicks follows me outside and we lean against the brick wall in the alleyway between Malice and a strip club.

"I look in there, and he's shirtless, messing with the taps and she's with him, laughing."

He glares at the floor.

"Laughing Hades, she was laughing with him..."

He rakes a hand through his impossibly white hair.

"Savvy doesn't laugh, she doesn't—she only laughs with me."

He starts laughing hysterically himself.

"Me, that's who she laughs with!" He rubs his eyes. "Not him!"

I've known Savvy for a while and she doesn't laugh.

She'll smirk or shake her head, but she doesn't laugh, so I actually get why this is a big deal for him.

"What were they talking about?" I ask.