the strangers series. (mgk ; machine gun kelly)

24 • 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊

"Wake up, bro, you're phone's been ringing,"
I felt a sudden burst of annoyance at Ethan, his familiar voice worming its way into my head and draggin' me out of my slumber.
I grumbled as I shoved his shaking hand off my shoulder, earning me a scoff from him,
"No... go away..."
I kept my eyes squeezed shut although I was now awake, his grunts and grumbles filling my ears before I heard him shuffle out of my bedroom, slamming the door loud enough that made sure I was awake. I sighed in relief, finally welcoming the silence in the room before, as Ethan had informed me, my phone started chiming- I was getting calls left and right and I already knew who it was. The dickwads I worked for were on my ass more than ever and I knew exactly why.
Because I let my anger get the best of me.
I chastised myself for what I did and said for the millionth time as I whipped the covers off me, grabbing the phone off the bedside table before I had the time to change my mind and chucked it out the window.
I didn't bother lookin' at the caller ID, tapping the big green button as if it was second nature tp me. I grumbled into the phone, rubbing the sleep outta my eyes at the same time,
"What now?"
Slim's annoyed voice filled my ear, his nagging making me wish I never picked up at all,
"Man, what the fuck you've been doin? I've called you like ten fucking times,"
I rolled my eyes although he couldn't see me, the angel on my right shoulder using every ounce of my energy to keep the anger out of my voice as I responded in the same monotone voice,
"Uh, sleeping."
I heard him scoff from the other end of the line as he took in my blunt response. He had been acting all prissy lately, more annoying that usual, and I knew it was because of special orders- still didn't make me hate him even less.
Slim spoke up again, waking me up a little bit more with his orders,
"Uh, don't care. You need to go pick some bottles up and bring it over to the house- we're havin' a kickback and none of us feel like headin' out right now."
I took a few seconds to take in the ridiculousness of his request- no, not his request. His order. I felt the familiar burst of anger filling me from head to toe once again as I clenched my jaw tightly, gripping the sheets into my fists as I spoke,
"That has nothin' to do with my job."
All that could be heard was some mocking and then some sadistic chuckles before I heard Slim again. There was disgust and menace dripping from each word he uttered and it made me rethink whether I should keep fighting at all,
"Your job is to listen to Kells- and Kells is tellin' you to bring the goddamn fucking alcohol. Be here by 7pm."
At the mention of his name, I felt the blood in my veins start to boil- I hated it. I opened my mouth to retort but Slim cut the call short, ending it before I could do or say anything and everything I wanted to. I let my hand drop, my fingers clutching on to the phone as I let my burning stare drill a hole into the bedroom door across from me.
I felt the familiar feeling of hatred ignite somethin' in me as I went over the call in my head, feeling nothing but anger towards the men that were taking out the shit on me.
I had already had a dislike for most of them but now, it's gotten worse. The hatred I had for him and his friends was as strong as my need for the woman that his boss took away from me.
They were all treating me like shit because of the way I treated her, which I couldn't blame them for, but it was somethin' I wish could end. Because knowing me, i'd blow and make things a million times worse, the last thing I need.
A knock at the door tore me out of my angry thoughts, switching me back to the normal Nick, the Nick that just wanted to chill with anyone and smoke a blunt or two. I grumbled in response and Ethan took it as an okay to open the door, his familiar face poking out from the side of the door.
His eyes were a little wary as he took my disgruntled state in, studying me as if I was a bomb he wanted to diffuse. He cleared his throat as he stepped all the way in, his eyes still studying me as I got up off the unmade bed and rummaged through my closet,
"Was that Slim again?"
I didn't bother answering my brother, knowing that he'll get the hint and stopping asking questions he already knew the answers to. I grabbed a hoodie off a hanger before slipping it on, shaking my brown, shaggy hair around as I pulled my head through the neck-hole.
I glanced over at him to see him still staring, his similar brown eyes taking in how much of a mess I was.
I sighed as I picked up a pair of ripped, skinny jeans I had draped over my bed frame from last night, evading his stare as I busied myself with pulling them up my legs,
"Why are you in here?"
The whole conversation turned in a whole nother direction as Ethan gained the balls to speak up, his wariness now replaced with disappointment and hurt. He scoffed as he stared at me with a hard look in his eyes, the eyes that we shared,
"Why are you not telling me what's goin' on?"
I knew he was talking about me being secretive and isolating myself from him and the rest of our friends but I played dumb, not wanting to get into all of that with him right now. Yeah, I didn't tell him that I ruined the one friendship I held dear to my cold heart- No, I wasn't gonna plan on telling him either.
I raised an eyebrow at him but received a roll of the eyes. He groaned as he ran his fingers through his own, brown hair,
"Dude, stop being a fucking dick and tell me. You've been actin' weird lately."
I smoothed down the front of my hoodie as I walked out past him and into the hallway, heading towards the bathroom that we were forced to share. I thought that by me giving him the cold shoulder, he'd get the hint and leave me the fuck alone, but he didn't. To my slight dismay, I heard his heavy footsteps following right behind me, his voice filling the whole hallway as we walked down,
"Man, you think you're gonna get me to stop? 'Cause I won't,"
I continued to ignore my annoying ass little brother as I brushed my teeth, my eyes barely glancing over him as he leaned against the open doorway, watching my every move once again. He didn't leave even when I walked back to my room, him following suit. At this point, i felt my anger towards Slim and the crew start channeling over to Ethan and it made me even angrier, the fact that he was being more stubborn than I could ever be.
I growled at him as I shoved him back with the palm of my hand, making it known that I was on my last nerve,
"Ethan, leave me the fuck alone."
I watched his own anger diminish until all that was left was a blank expression. He sighed and sagged his shoulders before giving up, his defeat in the tone of his voice as he spoke,
"Whatever, man."
He turned around after giving me a roll of his eyes, casually glancing back before he turned a corner and disappeared from my view,
"By the way, Reece is here to see you."
At the mention of Reece's name, I felt the familiar feeling of guilt start to suffocate me again. The last time I spoke to him or saw him was the day I snapped at Lillian, the day I ruined it all. I had left his house in a fit of rage and hadn't spoken to him since, which was a couple weeks ago. I was just surprised he'd wanna see me at all.
I sighed as I grudgingly followed Ethan's path down the hall, turning the corner slowly as I reached the end. It opened up into the spacious kitchen, a kitchen that was rarely ever filled, but as expected, there sat my curly-haired best friend.
He was leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed as he exchanged muttered words with Ethan. Reece paused for a second before his eyes switched over to meet mine, every muscle in his face immediately relaxing.
There was absolutely nothing in his eyes or the way he pursed his lips that gave me a hint on what he was thinking- just nothing. I cleared my throat as I glanced over at Ethan's annoyed eyes before meeting Reece's hard stare again,
"Reece."
He clenched his jaw in response as he took his time to study me and the bags underneath my eyes. He took note of my sunken cheeks, I could tell, but he didn't mention it,
"Nick."
Ethan, who was still by his side, scoffed before he shook his head in disbelief, still left in the dark about everything. My little brother sighed before he pushed past me, leaving the two of us alone in the kitchen, by ourselves, in silence.
It was the uncomfortable silence where all you wanted to hear was some kind of noise but receiving nothing- a silence that almost made you go crazy.
Before I could make the first move, Reece exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples with his fingers before getting up off the counter,
"Let's go for a drive."
The friendly statement caught me off guard but his sudden shift in body language and demeanor shocked me more. It was as if a switch inside him had flipped and turned him into a different person- a different Reece. I gulped down the ball in my throat as I watched him reach into his pockets, probably for his keys,
"Why?"
Reece shook his head in return as he made his way towards the front door, expecting me to follow suit,
"Don't ask questions."
He didn't give me a chance to object anyway as he left me alone in the kitchen, giving me no other choice but to follow if I wanted to know why he was here in the first place. I made sure I had some cash in my pocket as I followed Reece out the door, not botherin' to tell Ethan we were leaving- Hell, he probably knew already, anyways.
I cleared my throat as we neared Reece's car parked right up next to the curb, the nonchalant tone in my voice sounding way out of place,
"Do you think you could take me to a liquor store or somethin'? I need to pick some bottles up for-"
I cut my sentence off before I could give away the name but my sudden hesitation caught Reece's attention, his brown eyes immediately snapping up to meet mine. He stared for quite a while before unlocking the car doors, sliding into the drivers' seat as he spoke up,
"You have your license on you?"
I shook my head which earned me an eye roll but I brushed it off- his attitude was the last thing on my mind. Reece sighed as he started the car and picked up speed, driving through the neighborhood,
"Yeah, sure, I guess, but we needa talk."
Ah, and there it was- the reason why he was here. I already knew he wanted to talk about my stupid ass actions and I honestly didn't wanna talk about it. Just thinking about it for the past couple weeks were torturous enough- talking about it to Reece would make me feel even worse.
I groaned as I slammed my head into the back of the seat's head cushion, earning a scoff from Reece,
"Please, can we not?"
I willed Reece to back off but to my dismay, he didn't. He huffed back as he kept his stare on the road, glancing over at me every once in a while to gauge my reaction,
"No- if you're getting a ride from me, you're getting a lecture from me too."
I closed my eyes tightly shut as I heard his voice continue on, each word he spoke worming its way into my brain and making the guilt strangle me harder with each second that passed,
"What you did- what you said- was fucked up and I hope you fuckin' realize that you lost a great friend. You didn't just lose Lillian, you also lost Lola and Camila. You fucked up and now you gotta pay the price for it, I know, but you also need to realize that you're actions had a direct effect on Lillian more than it did on you."
I opened my eyes back up again, not because he stopped talking, but because he mentioned Lillian and the way I made her feel. I had no doubt that it made her feel like shit and made her think that she was only being used for sex but... there was no doubt in my mind that that's what he was using her for.
I couldn't comprehend the fact that he, out of all people in the fucking world, would want a relationship with an amazing girl like Lillian. I felt my heavy heart grow heavier as I thought of her perfect smile, her perfect loose waves that always fell perfectly around her shoulders, the way her single, perfect dimple would show whenever I made her smile.
I ran my fingers through my waves as I sighed deeply, keeping my eyes straight ahead of me even though I could feel Reece's stare on me,
"I know I made her feel like shit, okay?"
It was Reece's turn to sigh as he blocked me off again, his curt tone signaling the end of his mini lecture,
"Are you sure you know that? Doesn't seem to me like you do,"
I parted my lips to object but nothin' came out- there was just nothing else that I could say to change his mind on the fact. Maybe I didn't fully realize it, but I knew what I did was ignorant and arrogant- I knew what I did was wrong and I knew there was no going back after this.
I snapped out of it as I felt the car come to a stop, the wall of the liquor store now in my face as we sat in the parking spot. I cleared my throat as I handed him the crumpled bills in my pocket, my shaky voice giving away how I truly felt inside,
"You said I lost everyone- did I lose you, too?"
For the first time since we started the drive here, I really looked at Reece and he really looked at me, our eyes studying each other and waiting for a sign from the other. I knew I asked a question that I wouldnt like the answer to but I felt the sudden sense of relief flood through me as Reece shook his head, his stare softening up as he stared at me one more time before exiting the car,
"No, i'm still here. But just 'cause i'm still here doesn't mean I agree with the shit you pulled the other day. I'm still there for Lillian, too."
I got it, I really did- I wasn't expecting him to be happy with what I did but I was just glad he was still here. Apparently, I had lost all of my best friends except my little brother and Reece, but I wasn't gonna complain- at least I had those two.
I simply nodded as Reece slammed the door shut, my eyes watching him walk into the liquor store without looking back. As I watched him disappear into the store, I couldn't help but wonder if he really was there- if I really had anyone at all.

🚬

"Fucking finally- what took you so damn long?"
I glared back at Slim as he held one of the double doors open for me, waitin' for a reply.
He rolled his eyes and motioned me to step through but in all honesty, I didn't want to step into that house- that'd be the last thing I'd ever wanna do.
I was dragged out of my hate-filled thoughts as Reece nudged my shoulder, kinda pushing me forward so I didn't have a choice but to move my feet.
I gulped down the building anger as i followed Slim, the plastic bags filled with liquor bottles starting to dig into the palm of my hands as I carried them.
I grunted a little at the stinging pain as I walked through the familiar living room, my eyes passing over the spot in the living room where I had coaxed Lilly into having fun, into getting out of her comfort zone.
It made me wish I had never done that so she would've never crossed his path ever again.
It's not like they would've never seen each other again, anyways, but it would've put off the inevitable for a little while longer.
I tore my eyes away from the wall as i followed Slim into the familiar, spacious kitchen. Ryan was the only one in there, gladly, so I let myself kinda relax.
I still knew that there was a possibility I could bump into Lillian, or worse, Kells, but I pushed it off, focusing back on the matter at hand.
I sighed as I placed the bags on the granite island, Reece placing his bag next to mine, as well.
I opened my mouth to dismiss myself, wanting nothing more than to just get the hell outta there, but was cut off from the melodic laugh that I knew all too well.
It was the laugh that blessed my ears every time I cracked a funny joke or did something corny to amuse her- a laugh that I missed hearing.
My head snapped up at the sound followed by loud splashes, my eyes immediately landing on the pool outside.
I watched the man that I grew to hate wrap his arms around Lillian, wrestling with her in the water as she laughed her ass off.
It was weird, seeing her having the time of her life with a stranger she used to fear. Now I was the stranger.
I felt my throat tighten as my vision focused in and out the longer I stared at the happy couple, the familiar feeling of anger returning back into me.
It was like a jolt through my system and it made me nauseous at the same time as it made me heated. I stepped forward towards the half-opened backyard door, ready to say somethin', but was pushed back by Slim.
I glared at the man as he rolled his eyes, waving his hands dismissively as if I was a fly bothering him,
"You can go now,"
I didn't know what it was but I felt a boost of confidence as I stared down the man that was guilty of making my life almost like a living hell.
My defiance caused Slim to finally take notice of me, his arrogance growing even stronger,
"That wasn't an option. Go."
It took every ounce of the little patience I had left to just close my mouth and walk away, with a little help from Reece.
He pulled me back with him but for some reason, I felt my whole body freeze up and every muscle refuse to move.
I felt like a deer caught in headlights as I met the stare of the woman who was now staring at me through the glass, her mouth slightly agape.
The other men lounging around the pool and the one in the pool didn't notice her shift in focus but I was kinda glad they didn't- it was a moment between the two of us that I didn't want to ever end.
There was a certain look in her eyes that made my heartbeat race, a look that got my hopes up- it was as if she wanted to talk to me, as if she wanted to see me.
It was probably my wishful thinking, but could you blame me?
Reece sighed in my ear as he noticed Lilly staring back, his firm grasp around my bicep getting tighter the longer I refused to move,
"Nick, c'mon, man."
Slim and Ryan scoffed as they watched the dramatic scene unfold before them, completely oblivious to the staring contest.
I willed her to make a move, to come inside, to do something, but all she did was stare.
My heart dropped a little as she tore her eyes away from me, paying attention to Kells again.
I could tell he wrapped his arms around her even through the blue water, his lips leaving kisses on her neck.
As if on cue, a smile lit up her face and it ruined me. That should be me with her, not him. Not an asshole that only knew her for months, unlike me who knew her for years.
I scoffed as I pushed Reece' s arm off my arm, rather aggressively. I could tell I caught the men off guard but I didn't give two shits anymore.
The sudden waves of jealousy and anger that washed over me was draining but I somehow had enough energy to push past Reece, leaving him behind.
I heard him calling my name but his voice was swallowed from the roaring in my ears, blockin' everything out.
A part of me wanted to head the other way, out to the backyard instead out the front door, but I knew it'd fuck everything up even more.
But if I did go the opposite way, I would've seen her sad eyes staring after me, his arms still around her and lips still on her.
The eyes that were unmistakably filled with forgiveness.
The eyes that couldn't change my mind on what I wanted to do next- to end him.