the strangers series. (mgk ; machine gun kelly)

20 • 𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙

I finally felt at ease as Kells parked his Jeep in his driveway, my anxiety slowly starting to subside as I registered the fact that we weren't on our way to beat Nick's ass anymore.
I couldn't believe the fact that I had somehow convinced him to think about the consequences he'd have to deal with if he hurt Nick- Diddy, me, etc.- but I sure as hell am glad I did. He agreed to not do anything stupid as long as Nick didn't keep trying him and, honestly, that was the best anyone could ever get out of Kells so I was fairly content.
I followed Kells' footsteps as he got out of the jeep, slamming the door shut. He let his aggravation show through his every action, his hard footsteps on the pavement, his grumbling, the way he shut the front door behind us.
He wasn't scared to show me how he felt and I could respect that but I just hoped he went through with his promise to not do anything rash or uncalled for.
I couldn't thank him enough for obliging with my wishes but something told me he wasn't happy with me- at all.
And that wasn't a great feeling- knowing he was mad with me. I bit my lip as I followed him into the kitchen, where everyone's smiles and laughter died down once they saw the distorted expression on Kells' face.
He rolled his eyes as he threw the keys onto the island, whipping open the fridge and rummaging through like no one's business,
"Stop fuckin' staring or I might pop one of you in the mouth."
Immediately, everyone else's eyes switched over to me, the curiosity in all of them begging me to spill the beans.
I shook my head which brought frowns on to their faces.
Luckily, everyone got the hint and went back to their conversations and chatter, allowing Kells to be by himself.
But I managed to keep the eye contact with Lola, her curiosity heightening as I jerked my head towards the keys on the island then at Rook.
Thankfully, she understood what I was hinting at and jumped at the idea. I glanced over at Kells who had a beer bottle in hand before he slipped out to the backyard by himself, just as Lola spoke up.
She had a sickly sweet smile on her lips and an equally sickening tone in her voice. There might as well have been honey dripping from each word,
"Hey, could I borrow one of the escalades to go to the store real quick?"
Rook tore his eyes away from Slim and towards Lola, a suspicious look in his blue eyes. He shrugged his shoulders in a sheepish way, his high voice growing deeper as he spoke his friends name,
"I don't know, you gotta ask Kells-"
Lola rolled her eyes from her perch on the breakfast bar, not having it. She pouted her plump lips in an attempt to win him over, but all she had to do was beg some more,
"Please? He's in a cranky mood and I gotta pick up some feminine hygiene shit-"
At the mention of tampons, or the assumption of them, Slim, Rook, Baze, and Dub cringed and shied away from Lola, as if she had the bubonic plague. Lola and I rolled our eyes but smiled at each other as Slim tossed a set of keys over to her, waving his hands around in a motion that signaled her to move away,
"Okay, okay, just fuckin' go,"
She grinned as she picked up the keys and picked me up as well on her way over to the foyer.
Lola didn't mention a word until we were outside in the driveway, criss-crossing and maneuvering around a few escalades and suburbans,
"So, what are we doing?"
I pursed my lips as she let go of my arm and unlocked the suv, not bothering to respond until we were buckled in and ready to go.
She raised an eyebrow as she waited for me to say something, anything, but it would've been too much work to fully explain what I wanted to do.
I sighed as she backed out of the driveway, passing Kells' jeep as she did. I watched it stay behind us as we went forward on the road, leaving the house behind as we ventured onward.
I bit my lip as I glanced over at Lola, meeting her curious stare with my sad gaze,
"We're gonna go see Nick."
I suddenly regretted wanting to see his face or wanting to even speak to him. I don't know whether he would even want to see me, in the first place. I gulped down the lump in my throat as I glanced over at Lola who had the same expression of anxiety written all over her face.
She took the news of Nick being a stubborn asswipe and not doing his job pretty well but she didn't like the fact that I had to beg Kells not to hurt him.
She understood his point of view and also felt as if Nick should know better than that, but like me, she didn't want our friend to get hurt. Well, I don't even know if he's still my friend, at this point.
Her phone vibrated as an incoming text came to her phone, gladly filling the silence surrounding us in the suv. It was our call. Lola sighed as she glanced at her phone, glancing back up at me with pursed lips,
"Reece said to come in now."
I gave her a nod before turning my eyes over to Reece's familiar suburban house, the curtain-drawn windows making the whole house seem lifeless. Despite that, I knew who was in there and I couldn't help but feel nervous to see his face again. The last time I did, he was saying he felt more than just a friendly love for me and that ended badly- this would probably end in an even worse way.
The sound of the drivers' side door closing shut shook me out of my daze as I got out of the suv, myself, quickly following in Lola's footsteps. I kept my eyes trained down on my sk8-his as we both walked up the pathway that led straight to Reece's front door. I had to fight myself to keep my eyes down instead of looking into the bay window that faced the front of the house.
I didn't wanna see Nick sooner than I had to- not yet. I was so deep into my thoughts about Nick and what would happen once I walked in that I literally crashed into Lola's back once she stopped walking, making her fall into the front door with a semi-loud thud.
She scowled back at me but I couldn't help but flash a sheepish smile as she probably cussed me out in her head,
"Whoops, sorry."
She didn't have a chance to say all the dirty shit out loud as the front door was opened and out stepped Reece.
I felt my smile genuinely grow as my eyes rested on my best friend. His white-toothed smile mirrored mine as I pushed past Lola and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his arms wrap around me. The contentment in my sigh was clearly evident and it made Reece smile against my hair,
"I missed you,"
He chuckled lightly so as not to disturb our sudden sense of peace and serenity,
"Missed you more, Lilly."
It was a quick hug but it felt as meaningful as ever and it brought my mood up, despite the fact that it was about to be broken down all over again.
Reece inhaled quickly in my ear as if he was about to whisper something but was cut off from another familiar, deep voice behind him,
"Yo, Lola, what's u-"
I felt my knees grow weak in the worst way possible as I pulled away from Reece, seeing Nick standing behind Reece with a gaping mouth and a blank expression. It felt like an eternity had passed as we stared, sizing each other up and wondering who should speak first.
The first thought that ran through my head was to hug him and squeeze the living shit out of him but I stopped myself, feeling the familiar anger and annoyance start to rise up in me with each second that passed.
He ruined something so great for me and he didn't deserve anything for it. I inhaled sharply as I stood outside while he stood inside, his brown eyes piercing my soul as I spoke up in a blank tone,
"Nick,"
He didn't bother answering me, just glanced over at Reece and Lola behind me and shook his head in disappointment before turning around and walking off. It was definitely rude of him, since I should be pulling that type of shit on him, but I stifled my anger as I sighed, glancing over at Reece who rolled his eyes, himself.
He jerked his head over to the open door, motioning for us to come in,
"He'll warm up,"
I wasn't so sure about that from the looks of how things were going. Even though I had my suspicions, I chose to listen to Reece and stepped into the familiar living room/family area.
Everything was still the same except some xbox controllers and games were splayed out on the carpet by the tv.
I obviously had interrupted a game that was about to start so maybe that's why he was extra salty. Lola sighed from behind me as she closed the door after her, the words she spoke obviously directed at Reece,
"He still has a stick shoved up his ass?"
Reece cracked a smile as he slumped back down onto the couch facing the tv, his deep chuckle resonating through my chest. He just had a smile and a laugh that was contagious and it effected me mentally and physically- he was so pure,
"When does he not have a stick shoved up his ass?"
I shrugged, following suit as Lola sat passed me and sat down next to Reece. That just left me to sit on the other side of Reece, my back sinking into the plush leather as I let my eyes train on the Call Of Duty pause screen displayed on the flat screen,
"He never did- until he met Kells. It was never like this- now everything has changed."
The two next to me fell silent as I let my words sink in- I was right when I said he was different before he met Kells. Yeah, I had changed too but possibly for the best- Nick was a different story.
I felt my throat close up and tighten as I heard shuffling coming from the archway that led to the kitchen.
The three of us glanced over to see Nick leaning against the wall, arms crossed against his chest and a scowl on his lips as his fiery eyes drilled a hole into my head. His jaw was clenched in a way that made me think it'd snap in half but he spoke anyways, his slightly-strained voice giving him away,
"I changed because I had to. I got myself in shit that I couldn't get myself out of and I had to adapt to it."
Reece sighed as he rubbed his temples with a free hand, his firm voice making Nick back down a bit,
"Nick, you know that's not an excuse-"
I was shocked a little by the scoff that escaped his lips, the cocky smirk playing on them taking me even more by surprise. I didn't know this was a smiling matter, let alone a laughing one, and it made me wanna wipe it right off his face.
Nick let his chuckle fill the silent room as he let his laugh fade, his sadistic smile starting to fade along with the laugh,
"I don't make excuses- I just say shit how it is and I do shit the way shit should be done-"
That's a fucking lie.
I couldn't help the little laugh that escaped my lips, everyones eyes now turning to me. It was an involuntary action that I couldn't control but now it was too late to do anything about it, since all the attention was now on me.
Just fucking say it- get this over with.
I dragged my eyes up and away from my knees, meeting his intense and dark stare in an instant. That familiar dangerous look in his eyes made me wanna back down and call it quits but the arrogant, bitchy alter ego of mine forced the words up and out of my throat,
"You don't do shit to begin with so what are you even talking about?"
That definitely made Nick shut up, his smirk quickly dropping off his face as he stared at me head on. I could tell the wheels in his head were spinning at high speed from the way his eyes flickered over every inch of my face, not a single word coming out of his smart ass mouth.
I heard Reece shift around beside me but Lola only sighed deeply, already ready for what was to come. But Reece on the other hand- he had another thing coming.
I glared up at Nick from across the room, his back now leaving the wall as he stepped forward. His dark brown eyes were now fully studying my whole body, but in disgust. His lips twisted up into a distorted scowl as he spat the words that were meant to hurt me,
"As if you know how to do shit 'round here."
The sudden burst of confidence and anger that flooded me took me aback before it drove me to open my mouth once again, his cockiness and arrogance really starting to get on my nerves,
"Well, if I had a job to do, I would do it like i'm supposed to- unlike you."
At the mention of his job, Nick stopped advancing and stopped right in his tracks, his eyes darting from me to Reece and Lola and straight back to me.
He stuttered for a second before he regained his confidence, wiping every trace of his surprise off his face and out of his voice,
"What the fuck are you talkin' about?"
Reece scoffed from next to me as he rolled his eyes up at his other best friend with incredulity laced between his words,
"Nick, c'mon, man, we all know what you're not doin'-"
"So what if I don't wanna be his little delivery boy, huh? The last thing I need is to take fucking orders from him,"
He spat the last word out as he threw daggers with his eyes right back my way. It hurt a little, knowing he was doing all of this just to spite both Kells and I, but there had to be something that would get Nick to back off and I wasn't gonna give up- not yet.
I sighed as I ran my fingers through my tangled locks, trying to take the annoyance out of my voice as best as I could as I spoke up again,
"He's your boss- you have to listen to him and do what he says. Just because you don't like him anymore doesn't mean you can just fuck with him,"
Nick dismissed me with a wave of his hands, scoffing all the while as he tried his hardest not to turn around and walk away,
"Bullshit-"
A small part of me wish he had just turned around and walked away because him being this difficult made me not want to help him- but the teeniest, tiniest part of me that was still his best friend and still cared for the fucking bastard yearned for me to beg him some more.
I got up off the couch as Lola did too, everyone in the room starting to tense up as things started to escalate at a fast pace.
I felt my eyebrows furrow together and my shoulders start to tense up as I squared up with the man that I used to love so much, the man that I thought cared about me as much as I cared for him,
"You have no idea how hard it was for him to not find your ass and bash your skull in but he didn't- thanks to me. Shit's already bad for you so don't make things even worse for yourself because I wont be able to save you-"
Nick tore his eyes away from Lola who was standing behind me, the sadness in his eyes now clearly evident as he made eye contact with me. I could tell he understood what I was saying, knew I was right, but he didn't wanna admit it. He didn't want to admit that he had to listen to the man that got to the woman he wanted before he did just so he could stay alive.
I felt my hope for him start to painfully fade as he shook his head slightly, each shake of his head growing stronger as he clenched his jaw and spoke through his teeth,
"If things are already bad for me, then why don't you just let him kill me off, huh? I'd be better off dead than alive because I cant even fucking live my life anymore. Every day, I have to be bossed around by men that don't give two shits about me and then I come home to the realization that I lost one of my best friends to their fucking boss- to my fucking boss!"
At this point, we both had tears in our eyes as we stared at each other, our chests heaving as we let everything just finally flow out. I had so many things to say to him before but now that he got his shit off his chest, the thoughts that had been hanging over my head like a dark cloud had been lifted and left me empty and bare.
I heard Lola and Reece mutter to themselves from behind us but I didn't notice and Nick didn't either, our focus fully set on each other and each other only.
I bit my lip to stifle a cry before I managed to speak up, the cracks in my voice betraying me as I tried to keep my cool,
"You didn't lose me- you still don't have to if you just listen to me-"
"No, you're working with a lost cause here so just fuckin' stop."
With tears in his eyes and anger, at himself, at Kells, and at me, written all over his face, he whipped around and stormed off, leaving me behind to look after him. I felt every strand of hope I had left slip out of my fingers the further he walked away and I couldn't bare to let him walk away like that.
Before I could stop myself, the words came out in my cracking, throaty voice, every raw emotion I've ever felt since the start of this whole mess just coming out along with the words that made Nick halt in his tracks,
"If you love me like you say you do, then you would listen to me! "
I heard the inevitable gasps come from Lola and Reece from behind us but the only reaction I cared about came from the man that had begun to walk away from me. I knew I might've taken it a little bit too far but I was desperate and wanted him to stay alive- anyone in my position would do anything to keep their best friend alive, I know they would.
I slightly gasped for breath as he turned back around, a darker look in his eyes than before. It made my knees weak and in the worst way possible- it wasn't a good look, whatsoever.
I must've crossed a line- a line that I had never passed before.
I let out a deep sigh as Nick raised an eyebrow, his quiet but deep voice doing nothing to ease my racing heart and mind,
"What? "
With each silent second that passed, I felt my heart start thudding against my ribcage with an intensity that you only got from sprinting without ever stopping. It begged to tear itself out of my body and it made me feel nauseous and dizzy, the unexplainable emotions of mine starting to run rampant in my head.
I focused back in on the matter at hand as Nick turned fully around, his creased eyebrows and the look of disbelief on his face catching my attention. It was as if he couldn't believe I had the nerve to pull the "if you love me..."-card and I couldn't believe myself either.
Nick scoffed a little, as if he was out of breath, before he glanced back at Reece and Lola for help,
"Don't say that- you can't-"
I shook my head, feeling my throat starting to close up as I tried to get some more words of mine out and into the void between us. I choked down the build up of cries and chokes as I spoke my mind, nothing but awkward tension filling the space between us,
"Yes, I can, because i'm only saying this shit for your sake. Believe it or not, but I still care for you, Nick, even if you tried sabotaging mine and Kells' relationship."
At the mention of Kells' name, Nick visibly recoiled and snapped out of his daze and back to his normal, arrogant self- as if nothing I said had taken a toll on him,
"What relationship? You two barely knew each other before he fucked you."
I don't know why I kept chasing after him no matter how many times he stabbed me in the back, but this was the last straw. After this, I wasn't gonna be his hero anymore- I deserve better, don't you think?
I felt a fresh batch of hot tears start to well in my eyes as those harsh words rang around in my ears, the new voices from behind me starting to rise. It was as if everything was now set to play in slow motion, my eyes catching almost everything and everyone that moved.
My ears registered Lola's harsh inhale of breath before she scoffed, nothing but disgust in her voice,
"Nick, what in the actual fuck?!"
Reece wasn't that far behind as he got up from his perch on the couch and pushed Nick away from me, starting a whole nother argument. I watched the two men through blurry eyes yelling and arguing with each other, their shared words incoherent to my ears.
I wasn't sure whether I wanted to hear what they said to each other- the scoldings from Reece and the insults from Nick. I honestly never wanted to hear Nick's voice ever again.
It was a voice I had loved hearing for as long as I could remember, a voice I knew I would never forget in all my years of living on this Earth. But now, it was a voice I willed and begged myself to forget- it was the voice that belonged to the man who claimed one thing but meant the other.
He didn't love me, he could never love me better, either.
I rolled my eyes in disgust as I glanced him over one last time, my feet already carrying me out of Reece's home. It felt like I was finally leaving the negative energy behind as soon as I stepped out of the threshold of the house and it was like a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders as my feet met the concrete.
Words couldn't describe the hurt I had felt once those words left his lips and I wished with all my heart that I could shove them back down his throat, but I was also glad I heard them. At least now I knew how he really felt.
I sighed as I felt the tears finally fall down my hot cheeks, the cold breeze immediately drying them off. I heard Lola calling after me as I scurried down the driveway and towards the suv that belonged to the man that I wanted to see the most.
"Lilly! Lillian!"
I ignored her until I jumped into the passenger side seat, feeling every nerve in my body start to relax into the plush leather. It was as if the cool leather had a strong enough of an effect to ease me physically and it was exactly what I needed.
I closed my eyes tightly shut as I slammed my head back into the headrest, already hearing Lola slide into the drivers' seat and the slamming of the door. There was a loud exhale and I knew her piercing green eyes were staring over at me, probably feeling sorry for me but also angry at the man I thought was one of my best friends.
I gulped down the lump in my throat before I spoke up, filling the silence with my throaty voice,
"Let's go- I don't wanna be anywhere near him."
I pried my eyes back open and glanced over at Lola, the anger in her own eyes taking me by surprise. It wasn't directed at me but at Nick and I was glad she felt that way- anyone who was a sensible human being would.
All Lola did was nod to my words before sticking the keys into the ignition, turning the engine on. I felt the front of the suv shudder for a split second before the roar of the engine could be heard, the vibrations sending a chill through my body.
It was as if this fight, this realization, opened my third eye and allowed me to feel new, vibrant things- it was as if I could see and feel things for what they really were. I licked my dry lips as I glanced out at the houses we passed, my eyes going in and out of focus as I zeroed in on the fire burning in my chest.
It was a weird thought but it was as if a fire had ignited inside me, a fire to live, to prosper, to love and to feel loved. It was a fire that had been stifled from the start and had been kindling inside me for years.
It was just disappointing that it took me this long to realize the shit I had ever wanted and ever needed were right in front of me this whole time. It sadly took a loss of a best friend to make me realize that I don't need a best friend- just a man that could be all the things i'd ever need, a best friend, a protector, and a lover all in one.
Lola dragged me out of my trance as she spoke up, her own disappointment reflected in the tone of her voice,
"I'm sorry that he made you feel this way- that I ever made you feel this way,"
She glanced over at me for a brief second before returning her sad gaze back on to the road. I knew she was talking about the time when she made me question whether I should be with Kells and I knew what I had to do.
I pushed down the sorrow as I replied to the woman sitting beside me, her green eyes finally meeting mine for a split second,
"You never made me feel this way- yeah, I felt like I had been spat on, but this... this feels like a knife to the gut."
It truly did feel that bad, the pain and the betrayal all mixed into one jab that had left me metaphorically gasping for breath. I stifled the tears that yearned to fall as I kept my stare on Lola's own depressed facial expression, both of our sadness and anger mirrored on the both of our faces.
Lola sighed as she let her eyes droop lower, as if she was exhausted from realizing how bad she had really made me feel,
"At least you know who really cares about you- despite the fact that you two have known each other for a lesser time than you and Nick. Time doesn't matter- if it feels good, it feels good- no questioning it."
She stopped at a traffic light as the red light washed both of our faces in the deep, dark color. Lola glanced over to meet my stare, a small smile making its way onto her lips as the slow seconds passed us by. Even in the dark, I could tell there was amusement dancing in her eyes,
"Does it feel good?"
I let myself detach my thoughts from Nick and the hurt as it settled on the thought of the bright but cold blue eyes that made me shiver from the inside out, the blond-brown hair that was soft as silk, and the skin that was smooth to the touch, and the heart-shaped smile that never failed to make me smile.
Even in the moment, as I thought of the smile, I felt one of my own grow on my lips and it made Lola's grow even wider. I felt a pure laugh escape my lips as I focused back in on her eyes gazing over at me, waiting for an answer.
She stepped on the gas as the light switched to green, my heart kickstarting in my chest as she did. I let my teeth show as I smiled even wider, the realization of it all starting to really settle in me,
"It feels more than good. It feels so right."