the strangers series. (mgk ; machine gun kelly)

6 • 𝖆𝖓𝖘𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖕𝖙. 𝖑

"You need to stop lookin' around like that- it's making me nervous,"
I bit the inside of my lip as I glanced over to my side, meeting Reece's dark brown eyes staring down at me. He had a small smile on his lips but he did seem kinda nervous as he took a sip out of his Corona.
I shook my head, biting my bottom lip as I looked down at our touching knees as we lounged on Kells' L-shaped couch in his living room, the rest of Kells' crew and some bitches lounging around the room and the couches too. Reece chuckled in my ear as he nudged my shoulder, almost making me fall over,
"It's not as if i'm already nervous about being in an infamous drug dealers' house or anythin'."
The sarcasm dripping from his words made me roll my eyes, shoving his shoulder back as I glanced around at Kells' friends, who I guess were now my friends too,
"Stop. He's not that bad once you get to know him."
His scoff made me look back up at his raised eyebrow, his smirk deepening as he saw my blushing cheeks,
"And you're talkin' as if you do know him."
Honestly, it felt like I already did, despite knowing there was still shit that I didn't know. I shook my head, taking a sip out of Reece's beer bottle as he kept his incredulous stare on me,
"Whatever, I know enough to say that he's not as bad as everyone makes him out to be."
Before I could take a second gulp, he snatched it away from me, taking a sip himself before he spoke again,
"He still can't be trusted. He's hiding shit, I can feel it."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that accusation, his words starting to get underneath my skin. I glared a little at him before glancing away, studying Rook and Lola who were on the other end of the couch, laughing it up,
"You sound a lot like Nick right now."
Over the past couple weeks, he's been avoiding me and talking to the others behind my back about Kells, tryna make him seem like the villain in this whole situation. It was really starting to bug the shit out of me because the gang was starting to side with Nick on how I should be careful with Kells.
It was stupid of him, of all of them, to think he was different than the kind man he's been to them, but I can't change their minds for them.
I heard Reece sigh next to my ear, slinging his arm around my shoulder as he side-hugged me,
"Sorry, okay, it's just weird seeing you gettin' so close to him."
I know it was, it was equally as weird to me too. I could also tell Camila, Ethan, and even Lola, weren't used to my newfound friendship with the tattooed drug dealer yet, either. It was just weird for all of us, seeing me with the man we ran away from, and now being in his house, drinking his alcohol and smoking his weed; it's crazy how much things have changed in the matter of a month.
I leaned my head against Reece's shoulder as my eyes wandered around the loud living room, landing on the new women and the men that I grew to know,
"I know- it's as weird to me as it is to you. But I... kinda like him. He's nice,"
I hadn't admitted to anyone that I was the slightest bit attracted to Kells since it was hard enough having to admit to myself that I wanted a dangerous man but I felt like Reece was the one I had to tell. He's always been there when I needed someone to talk to and he knows most of my secrets, things that the rest don't know; not even Lola. The silence that followed after those words left my lips caught my attention, making my heart start to beat a little faster.
I glanced up at Reeces' slightly wide eyes and parted lips, his eyes flickering between my eyes as his brain made sense of what I just said. He gulped, a smile growing on his lips as he raised an eyebrow,
"You like what- him or him as a friend?"
I shrugged, getting off him as he scoffed- I wanted to leave him hanging; it was always fun seeing him struggle to figure things out for himself. Before I could leave his vicinity, he wrapped his arm around my thigh, restraining me from moving forward. I glanced down at his gaping mouth with a smile on mine, noticing the slight shock in his eyes. Despite the shock in his eyes, I had a feeling he knew this was bound to happen by the way he shook his head a little,
"You needa be careful, Lilly."
I rolled my eyes at his demand, shaking his arm off as I made my way through the women standing around, mumbling after myself,
"Sure."
I tugged at my mid-riff length Metallica tee as I glanced back at him, his eyes studying my every move as I disappeared behind the corner.
Yeah, I wanted to tell him, straight up, so he didn't have to assume but I just had to think of how to explain it to him first. Knowing me, I'd stutter over my words and make an even bigger fool out of myself if I had spoken about it right now.
I need a drink.
More than that, I needed something to go my way for once. I sighed, running my fingers through my wavy hair as I walked into the kitchen, my eyes searching for the man I was looking for earlier. Kells had happened to vanish once the living room started to fill with hoes, sparking my curiosity.
I felt my heart twinge a little as I didn't spot him but immediately spying Ethan and Camila, instead, leaning against the granite island.
They both had beer bottles in hand and were talking to each other quietly, one of them laughing every once in awhile. I sighed as I walked up to them, glad that they were here so I wouldn't be alone. Camila flashed a smile over at me, offering me her bottle once she saw my furrowed eyebrows,
"Hey- uh, you look like you need this more than I do."
I gladly accepted her drink without greeting her back, chugging the rest of her cold beer as Ethan chuckled at my desperation,
"You good?"
I sighed as I fought the urge to burp up the booze, smiling at my curly-haired best friend,
"I'm fine, i'm fine- just thirsty,"
I glanced around the kitchen, ignoring the incredulous looks the two of them shared- I was just gonna let them believe what they wanted. I scanned the couple people in here, just two girls and a man minding their own business, and I felt my heart start to sink.
Where the fuck could he be?
I snapped out of my daze as I felt someone shaking my arm, glancing over to see it was Camila with a big smirk on her face. I guess they had been speaking to me but I wasn't listening, too busy trying to find Kells. Ethan huffed as he pointed to the entryway that led to the foyer on the other side of the kitchen, the teasing tone in his voice irritating me a little,
"He went through there with that black friend of his... Slim?"
I nodded, giving him the affirmation he needed regarding Slim's name. Without another word, I handed the empty beer bottle back to Camila, leaving the two of them looking after me in awe. It kinda bugged me how he knew I was looking for Kells but I wasn't gonna stop to chastise him- starting a conversation was not on my to-do list, at the moment- finding Kells was.
I wasn't in the mood to explain anything either, knowing they'd have questions. I just had a feeling that something was off and I wanted to know what. I've always had a knack for knowing when something wasn't right and that instinct has slowly started to kick in- it started when I saw him slip out of the living room, not looking back once.
Fucking chill, alright, they're probably just getting some more weed or something-
Yeah, I doubted that. Before I knew it, I was looking down at my sk8-his as I walked up the staircase, a couple girls running down past me, giggling all the while. That set off an alarm in my head, triggering the jealousy.
If anything, they probably fucked those two- nothing else could've possibly happened. I stopped up at the landing, staring down at the empty hallway with the closed bedroom doors branching out, more than ready to turn back around and join Reece again.
I knew this was crazy of me, clingy of me, but I truly thought something was up. I didn't wanna admit the fact that I just liked being around him, that would make my jealousy all too true and that was too overwhelming.
I groaned to myself, tugging at the end of my high-waisted shorts as I turned around, already feeling embarrassed with myself at the fact that I actually put it upon myself to find him.
I took one step down before the familiar deep notes of his voice reached my ears. What further pulled me in was the irritation and tiredness laced beneath his words.
I stepped back up onto the landing, making sure to take soft steps as I slowly made my way down the hallway, dragging my hand along the wall. I felt bad for trying to eavesdrop but the urgency in the way he spoke held something promising for me- answers.
There was a bend in the hallway as I reached the end, a bend I never noticed. I just had never been this deep into the house before and I started to feel nervous about it. I shook the feeling off, pressing my side against the wall as I peeked around the corner, my eyes immediately landing on an open bedroom door.
It seemed to be the master bedroom, which was obviously Kells', with a king-sized bed covered with maroon silk sheets and a few pillows to match- that's all I could see. I couldn't see anyone but I knew they were in there- they had to be. I tore my shoulder away from the wall, turning the corner as I heard my feet padding softly against the hardwood floor- I just hoped they wouldn't hear.
As I drew closer to his voice, I was finally able to pick up his words, each word sending a pang throughout my chest,
"... and he actually fuckin' came to the parlor- while she was with me. And she obviously took fuckin' note of that and I could tell she wanted to know. But anyways, I went outside with him 'cause he asked to talk, so I did and he fuckin' brought her friend up, Nick-"
Before Kells could continue, I heard Slim's familiar voice speak up, cutting him off mid-sentence,
"Wait, what the fuck, why? He never comes to you in person like that unless someone did some shit,"
I felt my breathing start to get ragged as I stopped in my tracks, starting to realize that this was definitely more than I needed to know. But although the mention of Nick's name sent the bad kinda shivers down my spine, I crept forward a little bit more until I was at least 6 feet away from the slightly ajar door, hearing Kells' sigh clear as day,
"He was just askin' if Nick made the drop off or not and I told him he did but... I don't know, man- he's been avoiding me and I can tell he's doin' the same shit to her."
Wait- Nick? Drop-off??
I felt the panic starting to build up in my chest as I tried comprehending what I just heard. I had no idea why Nick would hide the fact that he was drug dealing but, at this point, I wouldn't put it past him. Secret-keeping was his new favorite pass-time but so was avoiding people, I guess.
Despite feeling scared for him, I felt angry, more than anything- but I didn't want him to get hurt. My racing heart made it difficult for me to breathe quietly as I tried my hardest to keep it under control, knowing that I could get caught any second.
It just felt like I was hallucinating all this and I hoped I was- I wanted this to be a nightmare more than anything in the world so I can go back to thinking that I knew who Nick really was.
Slim's deep voice slightly drew me out of my panic, as I heard shuffling of feet and some slight squeaking of springs, as if someone got up off the bed. I didn't have time to fully snap out of my panic-induced state of shock as I heard Slim's voice grow closer along with his footsteps,
"Well, I don't know, dawg, that's-"
My eyes immediately snapped up to meet his as his tall, slim frame now blocked the opening, our equally wide eyes drilling a hole into each others' heads. It was one of those cliché oh-shit moments where all you can do is stare at each other without uttering a word.
I tried to speak but felt my throat completely close off as I heard Kells' voice not far behind,
"What's wron-"
The door whipped open some more, revealing Kells and his confused eyes. I tore my eyes away from Slims' as they now trained on Kells' light blue eyes, his lips parting as he started to gape,
"Lilli-"
I shook my head as I gulped down the block that was in my throat, suddenly snapping out of my shock as my eyes registered his arm reaching out to me.
I didn't know what it was but my muscles finally allowed me to turn around and go, my subconsciousness automatically blocking out the voice I had wanted to hear so badly a few minutes ago but wanted nothing to do with now. It was honestly all a blur as I rushed down the hallway, almost tripping over my own feet as I tried to outrun his long strides but I failed; My normal legs were no match for his long ass ones. Before I could reach the staircase, distracted from my mind which was filled to the brim with hateful and confused thoughts, I felt Kells' large hands wrap around my arm as he pulled me back into his chest.
I had no choice to but to look him in the eyes, the eyes that looked guilty enough to almost make me forget about the fact he lied-
Almost.
Kells gulped before speaking, his arms gripping me tightly in front of him as he willed me to look him in the eyes,
"Let me explain-"
Explain, my ass.
I already gave him the chance to when I asked him about Nick but he chose to lie instead. Maybe Nick and Reece were right about something after all- he was hiding shit and couldn't be trusted.
I shook my head as I gritted my teeth, letting my anger get the best of me as I ripped my arms out of his grasp,
"Save it for someone who actually falls for your bullshit."
You could say I was being a little dramatic if you wanted to, but I knew what I felt- and I felt betrayed.
I felt even more hurt once I realized he wasn't following me down the staircase or out his front door, while Slim was yelling at him to go after me- he wasn't there even when I was down the street as I miserably walked on the sidewalk by myself. I felt the familiar burning sensation in my eyes as I tried to comprehend what happened and what I heard. What hurt me the most wasn't him or Nick lying- just Kells not bothering to stop me. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to be stopped at all.

🚬

A million phone calls and texts from Ethan, Lola, Camila, and Reece later, I found myself laying on my bed, my bare legs tangled in my sheets as I stared up at the ceiling.
I took notice of the moonlight now filtering in through my curtains, telling me that I had been laying in my bed for hours now- but I didn't give a shit.
This seemed to be a reoccurring thing for me- laying in my bed and feeling sorry for myself- but it was oddly comforting to just be by myself. No one could fuck with my head that way.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZ-
The vibrating phone by my head made me jump a little before but I just rolled my eyes at it and declined the incoming call. The quick glance at the caller ID I had taken the first time was enough for me to decline that motherfucker. I had no interest in talking to him or hearing his voice until I sorted out my thoughts, anyway. On top of being mad at him, I was also mad at Nick and none of that was helping me in any way. So basically, in a nutshell, almost every man in my life was fucking me up and I had no idea how to deal with it.
I sighed as I heard my phone vibrate again, except it was just two short buzzes- a text.
I closed my eyes for a second before rolling over onto my elbows, my loose hair falling around the lit screen as I looked down at the text- or should I say, the previous texts that I pointedly ignored 'til now:

iMessage        3s
Kells🍁
Please just answer ur damn phone

Phone                                                    15s
Kells🍁
Missed calls (6)

iMessage 3m
Kells🍁
Cmon dont do me like this- just let me explain

iMessage 4m
Kells🍁
Ok U really think imma let u ignore me?

iMessage 6m
Kells🍁
Let me in- i got whiskey n weed- i know u want some

I groaned, locking my phone as I rubbed my temples, "I really should take that emoji outta your name, asshole."
The fact that he came for me now confused and irritated me even more than how the other factors in this fucked up situation did. I shook my head to myself, refusing to read anymore of the spam as I untangled my legs from my sheets and peeked out my window, not really expecting to see him there. But sure enough, there he was, standing right below my window in my backyard, his head dipped down as he stared at his screen. I could tell he was on our text convo from the million and one blue text bubbles I saw as he scrolled up. I couldn't help the small smile that managed to make its way onto my lips at the thought of him having to reread whatever he sent me, worrying about whether it was good enough.
I sighed again as I unlocked the window, sticking my head out as he whipped his up to meet my hard stare. I was ready to snap at him but the smile that overcame his face as he instantly made eye contact with me made me back down- it was too sincere of a smile to wipe off his face by being a bitch. I shook my head, maintaining to keep all my emotions off my face,
"What are you doing here?"
Even in the moonlight, I saw the blond streaks in his hair as he ran his fingers through them, holding up a bottle of Jameson- as if that was enough of an explanation,
"Just... can you let me in so we can talk? So I can explain all the shit you overheard?"
Oh, so now he wanted to explain? I scoffed, glancing away from his faltering smile as I looked up at the tree tops,
"Why should I let you in?"
The deep sigh he emitted made my heart twinge a little, my eyes flickering back down to meet his soft gaze. Suddenly, the Kells I knew wasn't the Kells standing below me anymore- it was someone entirely different.
He motioned his free arm around as he craned his neck up to look at me, his previous smile now absent,
"You shouldn't- you have no reason to. But if you wanna know what you wanna know, then you'll let me in."
He didn't utter another word and I didn't either, leaving us in a stare-down as we sized each other up. I wanted to tell him to fuck off and leave me alone, badly, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, especially not when he brought me weed and whiskey. I rolled my eyes, jerking my head back towards the front of the house which earned me an immediate smile from Kells.
It was as if he knew I was a sucker for him- hell, of course he knew. He was just taking advantage of the opportunity, just like I was about to.

A/N: thanks for still reading, whoever has gotten in this far! Lol i really appreciate it but it'd be amazing if you guys shared this story and kept voting for your favorite chapters so far! It'll help me out and keep me motivated to keep going if I know my effort isn't going unnoticed <3