Complementary

twenty three

is this it - the strokes

zayn

I see white as my fist repeatedly collides with Liam's nose, then his cheek, then his jaw. He falls back onto the tile floor of the convenience store as I continuously punch him, clenching my teeth and nearly growling as I do so.

"What the fuck, Zayn?" I hear Carlie scream from behind me.

Liam uses my temporary distraction to his advantage, hitting me twice in the face, shoving me off him as he begins to stand up.

"You fucking asshole!" I spit, standing up, wiping at my face. I seem to be bleeding.

"Zayn, what is your problem?" Carlie screeches, glaring at me.

"My problem?" I repeat incredulously, my eyes never leaving Liam's battered face. "You're the one who is fucking him again."

"She said she wasn't seeing you anymore." Liam grits, stepping closer to Carlie.

My eyes flicker between the two. I cannot even begin to fathom how this happened, but I am seething with anger.

"Fuck you." I spit, directing it at the both of them.

"Zayn, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I hear my boss's voice from behind me. "Please don't bother returning to work tomorrow. You can pick up your paycheck on Monday."

My jaw drops as I resist the urge to punch the short, fat man in the face as well. I have just lost my job. My one and only source of official income.

"Fuck you, too." I tell him.

I spare one last glance in the direction of Liam and Carlie. Liam looks indifferent, maybe even angry, but Carlie looks as if she is about to burst into tears. Good.

I exit the store, spitting blood from my mouth on the way out. My hands shake with anger as I make my way to my truck, opening the door and slamming it shut after I climb in.

I speed out of the parking lot and drive aimlessly for a few minutes, too engrossed in my thoughts to think of what I should do. I have just lost both Carlie and my job in under ten minutes.

I end up pulling into the parking lot of McGovern's, ironically. I could really use a drink right now.

I sit up at the bar by myself, immediately requesting a pint of beer. I take gulp after gulp of the putrid liquid, grimacing when I set the glass down on the bar top.

It is interesting, because the whole time I was away from Carlie, the thought of her with another guy had been lingering in the back of my mind. I never wanted to officiate the idea, though. I had pushed it aside, trying to convince myself that she wouldn't do something like that, not now; not after how far we have come. Apparently, I was wrong.

I wave the bartender over for another beer, receiving just that and a pitying glance as well. It must not be difficult to tell that I am trying to drown my sorrows in alcohol. After all, I am at a crowded pub alone.

I do not know how long I sit and drink for, but it is long enough to realize that there is no way I can drive myself home. Neither can Harry or Niall, considering they are upstate for the weekend. My only other option is Louis.

I reluctantly pull my phone from my pocket, scrolling to Lou's contact. I accidentally call a girl named Lauren first, from my photography class, but I quickly end the call before she picks up. Finally, when I get it right, Louis answers.

"What is it, Zayn?" He snaps.

"Jeez," I slur. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I'm in the middle of something with Eleanor, what do you want? It's almost one in the morning."

I check my watch, though I cannot actually read the minuscule numbers on the face of it. My vision is too blurred.

"I need you to pick me up." I say.

"What? Where are you?" Louis asks, his tone more concerning now. "Are you drunk?"

"Yes, I am very drunk." I confirm.

"Oh, God, Zayn," he sighs. "Where are you?"

"McGovern's. The bar." I say.

He swears under his breath on the other line. "I'll be there in five minutes, you dickhead."

I find myself smiling as I hang up, shoving my phone into my pocket. I down the rest of my beer before going outside to wait for my friend.

I pull out a cigarette as I stand in the cold, cursing when my movements are too sloppy to light it at first. I bring the stick to my lips, savoring the feeling, noting that it is even more intensified now that I am intoxicated. Then I remember that these are the cigarettes I bought at the store where I ran into Carlie and Liam.

I drop the stick to the ground and stomp it out a little more aggressively than necessary.

Soon enough, Louis pulls up to the curb looking anything but happy to see me. I stumble to his car and slide into the passenger seat, not evening muttering a hello.

"You owe me, mate." He states.

"Why? Because you were in the middle of getting laid, as usual?" I snap irritably.

He grimaces. "What the fuck is your deal, Zayn? Why are you belligerent drunk?"

I find myself laughing bitterly. "Ask your stepsister."

Lou stares at me for a moment before returning his gaze to the road in front of him, driving in the direction of my apartment. Then he says, "I doubt she'll tell me whether or not she fucked up, so why don't you spare me the waste of time and just tell me yourself."

I shake my head and gaze to my right, my stomach suddenly queasy. I crack the window and let the cold air hit my face which makes me feel a bit better. Louis would be more than pissed if I threw up in his car, so I do my best to hold everything in until I get back to my apartment.

"She's fucking Liam again." I say flatly.

"What?" Louis gasps in disbelief. "Liam Payne?"

"Yes, Liam Payne. I ran into them buying condoms at the convenience store I work at, of all places, and I punched him a couple times. More than a couple times, actually." I correct myself.

"No fucking kidding, Zayn, there is dried blood all over your face. I can't believe you sat at a bar looking like you've just killed someone." He manages a laugh and I scowl.

"You don't need to make fun of me, Louis, I already feel like shit as it is."

"I'm not making fun of you," he insists. "But, man, I'm sorry. I told you Carlie's fucked up."

I do not reply because I simply have no clue what to say to that. Louis did, in fact, warn me that his stepsister is fucked up. Actually, he told me she is fucked up in the head, but I was seemingly unaware of the fact that this deems her eligible to have sex with another guy.

Louis pulls into the parking lot of my apartment building and stops his car, silent for the moment. I get the feeling that he doesn't really know what to say either, so I decide to spare him the breath and climb out of his car.

"Bye, Lou, thanks for coming to get me." I call over my shoulder, not bothering to watch him drive away.

I near the door to the building, stopping to throw up every ounce of alcohol I had consumed.

It is now, hunched over the pavement beneath me and puking up my guts, that I realize my life has really gone to shit.