Close as Strangers - A Michael Clifford Fanfiction

Chapter 2

I looked around the record store. This place makes me feel even the slightest bit of happiness. There is no place I'd rather be than here.

"Looking for something?" A tall boy with dark hair and blue eyes asks. My eyes fall to his name tag, 'Darren' it reads. He has a smile on his face in opposition to my expression, cold and bitter.

"No thanks, I know this place like the back of my hand," I try to laugh but it comes out as a strong exhale through my nose.

"Why do you look so sad?" He asks. His smile fades and I feel his eyes gaze at my hands as they brush over various albums. I stayed quiet and he took my silence as a sign that he should not push any further. My hand locked in place when I noticed the title 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge' by My Chemical Romance, my favorite band.

"Sorry for your loss," he whispered, somehow knowing that I felt pained at seeing their album as they had broken up last year.

"Yeah, well good things must come to an end. I know that for a fact," I said.

Darren soon disappeared and I shrugged. He'd probably grown bored of me, as most people do.

My eyes widened at the sound of Gerard Way's voice emitting from the speakers in the back.

"What's the worst that I could say?

Things are better if I stay.

So long and goodnight.

So long and goodnight."

One side of my lips curved upward slightly. It was a very uncomfortable feeling as I haven't smiled in a while.

"Ah so you can smile," Darren said from behind me. I turned around and wiped the look off of my face. "It's good to fake a smile every once in a while so people think you're still emotionally stable. I do this and it makes me feel normal even though it doesn't make the hurt feel any different. Whatever you're going through, just know that it'll be alright and though I don't know you, I'll be here to cheer you on." He wrapped his large arms around me and rubbed circles on my back.

"You'll be fine," he whispered in my ear.

"Th-thank you," I said and let my head fall onto his broad shoulder. A wet puddle formed on his shirt but he didn't seem to mind.

"It's been so hard being alone and seeing the person you care deeply about suddenly vanish from your life," I sniff. Darren squeezed me tighter.

"Don't cry, for God's sake. We're in a store," he said jokingly and chuckled. "Sorry," I said and lifted my head so I could wipe the tears from my eyes with my sleeve.

The sound of the door being opened alarmed the two of us. This was a small store so we had been the only ones here.

A boy with a hood over his head and red strands of hair sticking out walked in. It was only a matter of seconds before I realized who it is. It's Michael.

"Well look who it is," Michael strided over towards me and Darren. I saw the anger in Michael's eyes and it frightened me. This isn't the guy who I'd seen in the interviews.

Michael grabbed the back of Darren's shirt, pulling him away from me. He then grabbed Darren by the collar and chucked him towards a shelf and his back collided with it, causing dozens of CDs to fall and crack against the wooden floor.

"What the fuck Michael?!" I yelled. I helped Darren up and he hissed in pain.

"Oh what? He's too much of a pussy to help himself up so he needs his girlfriend to help him?" Michael bellowed and I glanced down at his hand which gripped a beer bottle that was half empty.

"We're not dating Michael, he was comforting me," I snap.

Now I remember why I left him. Not only had his bad habits worsened, but his attitude changed too.

I looked up at him and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked to be on the verge of crying but he was holding it back too much.

"I came here to revisit the places we used to secretly fuck in. Remember when you used to work here? You had the keys to the back room.." Michael smirked.

I coughed slightly and felt embarrassed as someone else was with us and heard Michael's statement.

"I don't give two shits if this irrelevant fuck is here," Michael's voice slurred.

"I thought you'd sobered up by now," I dared to say. He took a step closer to me and I backed up against the wall.

"I did. I guess I changed my mind," Michael raised the drink to his lips but I wrapped my hand around his tightly gripped one around the bottle.

"You can't stop me. The therapists didn't stop me either. It was my choice to stop and it's my choice to continue," his eyebrows furrowed and he pulled the bottle from my grasp.

My lip quivered as I watched him place the bottle on his lips and he slowly tilted it. I gulped hard and he hesitated. Michael dropped the bottle on the ground and pieces of shattered glass was everywhere. The liquid that was left in the bottle had splashed onto our shoes. I watched as Darren raised his hand, asking for permission to do something. I shook my head lightly. He opened his mouth to say soemething but he tightly nodded instead.

Michael fell to his knees. I knew that glass had come in contact with his exposed skin from his ripped jeans but he didn't move.

"I'm sorry Scar," he sobbed. "So fucking sorry."

"I knew I shouldn't have done the drugs and the alcohol made it worse. I was a wreck. It took a long time to build myself back up again and here I am, kneeling in front of you after the mess I've just made. You were the one thing that kept me going and I pushed you so far away that you forced yourself to leave me. You're still the one thing keeping me going. The thought of you made me hurt, but it also gave me a sense of happiness. I know, I just blew it all. I wasn't thinking and I-I was just bringing the bottle to the man at the corner store that I haven't seen in a while. He always gave me free beer so I thought I'd return the favor. Then I decided to look into our favorite place. This place. But, I saw you with him and I lost it. So I chugged down a bottle. The one I carelessly threw onto the floor was intended to be my second but I don't want to go down the dark road again. I should've thought about it first. I'm an idiot and you know that. Scarlett please, forgive me."

Michael had just broken down right before my eyes. My hand instinctively ran through his hair.

"I'm sorry, we're not meant to be Michael. I just, I don't know anymore," I stepped to the side and walked out of the store. Leaving Michael and Darren alone. It wasn't the smartest move but I just need to get away for a while and figure everything out.