Mickey’s POV:

I didn’t feel fear, I didn’t feel pain, I didn’t feel anything. All my mind was on was that I had to get hell out of there. I couldn’t even remember exactly what happened, I had been running mainly on adrenaline and I was starting to crash. It was exhausting sprinting down the alleyway, knowing that I was most likely stranded there.

As soon as we had entered that backroom, I knew nothing good was going to come out of anything. Annette was a manipulative bitch who thought she could easily get her way by degrading others. Even the sketchiest and threatening people I knew would be haunted by her. She had this way of being so discreet that you wouldn’t even realize what she was doing until it was too late. I had learned that the hard way, just like everybody else. So, when she ‘invited’ me to have a ‘friendly’ drink, I knew better. I gave the car keys to Jordan, knowing he’d keep the others safe. He knew how this worked.

And I knew it had been way longer than seven minutes.

At least they would have gotten away. I just knew that I most likely wasn’t going to come out of here in one piece. This place just screamed murder. Even if I wouldn’t get attacked, I wouldn’t have made it back in one piece. I was definitely hurt already, I just didn’t notice it.

To my surprise, the van was still exactly where I had parked it, only the engine was on and all the passengers were focused on Jordan like they were heavily discussing something. It didn’t matter to me if they were having a tea party or if they were arguing, I just wanted to get into that car. I opened the passenger door and let myself fall on the seat before slamming it closed with the bit of strength I still had left in me. Everybody looked at me with a shocked expression until Jordan snapped out of it and sped off.

“I told you!” Zack shouted, leaning forward between the row of seat in front of him. “And you wanted to leave!”

“Hey!” Jordan snapped back while running a red light. “I don’t break promises. They are made for a reason! If we had waited any longer they could have come for us.”

I rolled my eyes and broke the fight by asking a simple question, “anybody have a tissue?”

Jack happened to be sitting next to a pack and was the closest to the front, so he pulled one out, holding it out for me to take. I held up my right hand which was covered in a drying red substance and took the tissue to clean it off.

“Ah!” Jack yelped as soon as he saw my hand, knowing there was no way it was ketchup. Everybody else jumped as their eyes also fell on my hand.

“Don’t worry, it’s not my blood…” I sighed and took my other hand so I could clean both off only to find that is was covered in glistening fresh blood. Looking down, I saw my entire shirt sporting a similar color, the wound in the area of my new tattoo. “This though…”

“Oh fuck,” Alex gasped, amplifying the worry in the air.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled and slouched back into the seat, trying to scrub my hands with the single tissue while unsure what to do with the blood seeping out of my lower abdomen.

“Shit, dude, what happened?” Jordan glanced towards me and was the only one who was actually able to see what was going on.

“I don’t remember,” I shook my head, feeling the blood loss starting to mess with me. “But apparently I’ve been stabbed.”

Without hesitation, he pulled off his shirt despite already recklessly driving. He threw it at me so he wouldn’t keep his hands off the wheel for too long and said, “use that to keep pressure on it, we’re going to my place.”

I just made sure to not move too much and possibly make the stab wound worse as Jordan drove. Maybe I was drifting in and out of consciousness, maybe I was too tired to know what was going on around me, or maybe I was unfazed by everything, but the drive was a blur. I didn’t know if anybody was talking, and if they were, what they were talking about. And I sure as hell couldn’t remember the route. Getting back to the hotel was going to be a bitch.

Jordan lived by himself in a one-bedroom shabby apartment. His kitchen and living room were also literally one room, a square table placed in the middle to separate the two and to eat at. He didn’t have much more furniture. There was a single army-green couch against a wall and a TV on the floor. No decoration whatsoever except for the paper target stuck on a door out of its hinges. Back when I lived in this city, he still lived with his grandparents. It was definitely a downgrade, but I understood the want to live alone.

I immediately went to sit on the couch, Alex quick to sit next to me on the side that hadn’t been cut. Slowly but surely Jack, Rian, and Zack also came to sit whether on the leftover space on the couch or on the floor, while Jordan went to his bathroom to find some bandages.

I leaned into Alex, feeling like shit and it wasn't just because I had literally been stabbed. My selfishness had put everybody in danger. Sure, I had been lucky enough to be the only one hurt, but I knew that that club wasn’t a place for Alex and the others to be at. I was trying to prove something and I didn’t even know what. Of course, I did want to see one of the only friends I had back in the day, but I could have easily searched him up and asked to go somewhere else, especially with the others there.

At least nobody was saying anything. We were all silent, still processing everything that happened. Not even Alex bombarded me with obnoxious questions. All he did was wrap an arm around me to bring me closer and nuzzle his nose into the top of my head. He obviously was trying to comfort me, but something told me it was also to calm himself. Once again, I had been lucky. I managed to get away with just a stab wound. It could have been way worse.

Jordan eventually came back with his hands full of things. He shooed Rian away who had decided to sit on my other side yet still had left quite a lot of space in fear of hurting me. As soon as Rian jumped up and went to the other side of the room so he wouldn’t have to see, Jordan laid down a towel and dropped all the other things on top of it.

“So, I’m out of painkillers,” he told me as he held the needle over the flame from his lighter. After, he drenched a cotton ball in alcohol and cleaned the needle again. “This will hurt like a bitch and you will most likely pass out.”

“I know how it works. I’m the one who taught you how to do this, asshole,” I grumbled, not looking forward to the needle piercing my skin.

“I’m just warning, I don’t know how loopy you are from this blood loss,” he explained and got the antiseptic ready. “Now let’s take a look, huh?”

I threw away Jordan’s shirt which I had been pressing against my body and decided to take of my own shit as well since it was bloodstained anyway. Everybody except for me and Jordan looked away in fear and disgust, even Alex who was trying to be so supportive wouldn't dare take a glimpse. I just wanted to make sure I really did need stitches or if I could get away with another method such as butterfly bandages. But it definitely needed to be stitched up.

Jordan sprayed antiseptic on it first, sending a shock through my body. It stung like hell, but I refrained from hissing. And that was only the easy part. While he loved to warn me before, he didn’t decide to warn me before sticking the needle in. It was even worse than being stabbed and I felt myself getting light headed. But I wasn’t going to let myself faint in front of all these people. I just hid my face in Alex’s neck and concentrated on my breathing.

It took way longer than I would have liked it to. Using a straight needle wasn’t the easiest and made it take way longer to stitch up. But I bore through it, occasionally gritting my teeth to deal with the pain. The sting of the second round of antiseptic after Jordan was done was nothing compared to the actual sutures. When he placed the bandage on it, it was like the silence could finally be broken.

Jordan cleaned up, simply throwing all the equipment on the counter next to the sink and turned on the music on his stereo before pulling out a very suspicious looking bag from one of the cupboards in his kitchen. You didn’t have to be close to know that it was weed. He took it with him back to the couch, sitting where he had placed the towel before, leaving Rian to sit on the floor with Jack.

“You guys ever smoke weed before?” Jordan asked as he started grinding it up.

“Not really… maybe once or twice?” Jack scratched his head, looking at Alex for confirmation. Alex nodded to say as far as he knew, Jack was right. Rian seemed a little more lost, though.

But I couldn’t imagine smoking and getting high now. I was in no way against it, and if we had been in any other situation I probably would have been happy to join in, but I couldn’t now. The pain was excruciating, making me nauseous and feel like I was going to pass out. Adding getting high on top of that was just a disaster waiting to happen. On one hand, it could have maybe helped with the pain, but the nausea was too bad.

I got up, remembering that Alex and I were actually still fighting and that I couldn’t just expect something like this to make it all up, and went towards the stereo, my shirt still somewhere on the floor. While Jordan started lighting two joints and ‘mentoring’ the guys how to smoke it properly, I decided to take a look at the stack of CDs, acting like I was busy doing something else.

At one point, I heard a loud coughing coming from Rian, making me wonder what I had done. I really must have screwed up if even he was up to getting high. He obviously wasn’t doing it properly, but that just proved how innocent he had been before.

I didn’t look back at what was happening, but I could smell it all, making the nausea even worse. At least I was staying sober so I could drive back despite also definitely not being in the right place of mind either. But I wasn’t going to let some high high school boy drive in a dangerous neighborhood he didn’t know.

Eventually, I felt a presence behind me as I switched the CD to Hot Fuss by The Killers, feeling like I had to change the music now that I was standing here.

“You okay?” Alex whispered, pleasantly surprising me that he didn’t smell like he just took a puff as well.

I nodded softly and pressed the play button, letting the bass riff of the first song fill the room.

“Mickey…” he muttered, not daring to touch me. “You know I don’t judge you. Let’s just--”

“Let’s talk,” I interrupted quietly before he could say the same exact words. He wasn’t the one who was supposed to apologize. I was.

I took hold of his hand and went in the direction of what could only be the bedroom. Nobody seemed to care that we were walking there, they were all too focused on the joints by now. I softly closed the door behind us while Alex stood at the end of the bed, watching me and waiting for me to start talking.

But I couldn’t do it. I went straight to hugging him. He understood, though, and hugged me back, one hand on the back of my head and the other careful not to touch anywhere near the bandage.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed shakily, a tear falling from my eye.

Alex shook his head, the movement rippling through our intertwined bodies. “You didn’t know she would be there. You just thought you were going to get a drink with an old best friend.”

I pulled away and dried my tears quickly and I shook my head myself to show that he was wrong. “Not just that. For getting mad at you and blaming you for everybody else treating me like some broken child now. I-- I could have gotten you guys killed.”

Apparently I hadn’t done a great job at drying my tears, because Alex managed to get rid of even more that had fallen on my cheeks. “But you didn’t, and that’s important.”

“But I knew Annette would most likely be there, and I knew she wouldn’t just let me be.”

“Maybe you were just trying to get back to the life you once had to prove you’re still that same person.” Alex shrugged, once again being way too cool with everything. “But you’re not. You’re not that same person. You’re way better than her. Hell, you’re way better than the girl you were when you first walked into Dulaney High and caught my eye.”

I could only stare at him and think that he could actually be right. In the heat of the moment, I leaned forward and kissed him, careful enough not to hurt myself but deep enough for what I was feeling. It was strange but important.

However, Alex slowly pushed me away with caution. “Don’t try to change the subject by convincing me to have sex with you.”

I laughed a little, breathing out deeply and shook my head yet again, only not as determined as last time. “I just-- I don’t know where I’d be without you right now.”

Alex grinned a little and initiated the next kiss. It was comforting after everything that had happened that day, like a small glimpse of light after a heavy tiring storm. His hand was on my cheek still from drying my tears prior, only now being used to steady ourselves. And while we’d usually get down to business quite quickly after my shirt came off, we actually took a slower and heavier pace this time. The only problem was that it caused Alex to automatically pull me closer to deepen the kiss. My wound was pressed into his belt, causing me to jump away.

I hissed and bent over before screaming loudly, “fuck!”

And it was like even more weight was lifted off my shoulders.

“Shit!” Alex reacted. “Sorry!”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I told him as I regained my breath and composure, the stab wound still very much stinging.

“We seem to do this a lot,” he laughed after a while.

“What?”

“Hurt each other… accidentally, that is.”

“I guess so,” I nodded, giggling as well.

“Just know that I would never intentionally hurt you, especially with some stupid thing I say,” he said seriously, taking hold of my hand and running his thumb over my knuckles which happened to be bruised.

I looked at our hands for a while before quietly speaking up, “Alex?”

“Hm?” His eyes snapped up to my face from wherever they were looking, whether that be our hands, my bandage, or maybe even my breasts.

“I wanna go back… I don’t want to stay here…” I mumbled.

He nodded, letting go of my hand and pulling off his hoodie before giving it to me to wear. “We should first drop off the others at the hotel and then I’m taking you to the hospital. I’ll drive.”

“Hospital?” I frowned as I pulled my arms through the sleeves and carefully zipped up the hoodie far enough to cover me.

“To get you proper stitches. We’re not risking you getting an infection.”

“Oh…” I nodded and decided not to put up a fight. Actually, with the constant ache I was feeling, I didn’t mind getting some painkillers and proper stitches.

So, we got the other three, saying goodbye to Jordan, before they were even done with their joints. They were, however, already high. It was quite a tough one to explain to the parents, but they let us go off easier because Alex stressed that I needed to go to the hospital and because we were sober ourselves. Zack’s mom came with us while Jack’s mom gave the others some serious lecturing which they probably weren’t even taking in with how it was hitting them. Of course we did lie a little about how I got stabbed in the first place. They didn’t need to know the exact details, especially about Annette.

The only good thing that came out of it was that they allowed Alex to share a bed with me while Jack’s mom stayed with the others so they couldn’t do any more stupid shit. I felt a little guilty for them getting into trouble. I was the one that took them with me and Jordan was my friend, but I wasn’t the one who offered the weed and I wasn’t the one who told them to smoke. That was on them.

Notes

Of course she didn't die, but I don't think anybody really expected that.

THAT CONVERSATION BETWEEN ALEX AND MICKEY THOUGH. IS THIS LOVE????!?!??!?!??! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

I wrote this in one day, I was so excited! I did want to write this a while ago, but I got stranded at an airport and my friend came over for a week.

P.S. I also got to see The Maine a week ago. Got me two signatures, met me a new band. My friend got a guitar pick. And I felt awkward being at the front and just blanking on all the lyrics.