019. ━━━ ❛ A STICKY SITUATION ❜
imessage, real life. . .

U have a fake?
Actually idk why I asked that
Bring it

k

K?

k.
read

MAD ISN'T THE WORD to describe matt's feelings as he reads yet another short response from maisie, but rather: excessively frustrated.

he feels his jaw twitch while putting his phone down after getting his music going, setting the device aside as he instead reaches to switch the gearshift of his car. he then smoothly pulls out of his own driveway and into the one right across the street. he feels his shoulders subconsciously relax at the only other vehicle on the lot belonging to maisie, silently picking up on just how much her parents don't seem to be home.

he wonders for a moment how often maisie is left alone in such a big house, but decides not to give the thought much attention as he picks his phone back up. he shoots a simple "Outside" text her way before he shoving it into his back pocket.

the further he gets through the current song playing, the more inpatient he feels with maisie taking so long. he doesn't understand what's upset her this go around. they don't talk, she had said. that's just bullshit to matt. they've talked quite a lot recently, he feels—much more than they ever have before at least.

maisie might be right in the fact that their talking is only to do with sunny and chris' sudden connection, but she can't exactly pin the blame on matt for that. she's never exactly been pleased to see him before, and that only seemed to intensity after they slept together. he's sure it would have stayed that way if chris and sunny weren't together. she's never cared about them talking before.

since when did their conversations become such a big deal to her? he just doesn't understand her, and he hates that the mystery only draws him in further.

the song is nearly over when maisie decides to finally grace him with her presence, appearing from behind her front door with a scowl already prepared on her face. his eyes scan over her approaching figure through the tint of his car's windows, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight of her in another skirt. it's the same one she was trying on the last time he saw her, just now paired with a top too small and a jacket too big. he guesses she got the memo when he told her to bring her fake id, and he curses himself for that. she's angry with him, and she's wearing something she knows will distract him the whole night. at this point, he feels it's most definitely on purpose.

when maisie opens the passenger door and climbs inside, she doesn't say anything. the only noises heard are the sound of the car door closing shut and the buckling of her seat belt, leaving matt to sigh and reach forward to raise the aux's volume. when he goes to switch the gearshift, he spares a glance over at her and her pursed lips. "the silence is already pissing me off, mason," he's quick to speak his mind.

her scoff is so quick it almost amuses him. "i don't know what you want me to say," she says all aggravated, her voice flush with annoyance.

he turns his head her way after successfully pulling out of the drive way, narrowing his eyes at her slightly. "you're telling me you don't have questions?" he knows her better than that; eighty percent of the time, she'll open her mouth and a question will come out.

"of course i do," she answers almost immediately, crossing her arms over her chest defensively as matt's eyes stay on the road. "you don't have answers."

matt resists from rolling his eyes. if she was ever in a situation like his, she'd be just as secretive. there's no harm in taking extra measures. if he had only taken more, he's sure he would never have to tell her anything he didn't want to. unfortunately, regret can't save him tonight. he looks her way after stopping at the first stop sign, his next response coming out clipped, "what do you think tonight's for?"

"you tell me," she shrugs, rolling her tongue across her inner bottom lip before she finally asks her first question, "where are we going?"

"my favorite bar," he answers, a beat of silence following.

"really?" her tone is extremely sarcastic, leaving matt to heavily sigh as he makes a sharp turn with the wheel. he hears clear judgment in her voice when she speaks again questionably, "you're taking me to your favorite bar... to talk?"

"is that so hard to believe?" he asks irritatedly, causing maisie to close her mouth and hum. he tells her honestly, "it'll take me some shots to tell you anything."

"shots?" she repeats, cocking her eyebrow as she quickly cuts into him, "if you're drinking, how are we leaving?"

"with my car?" he answers easily, giving her a strange look as if that isn't a valid question. she begins to narrow her eyes at him, and he continues, "it's not like i'm gonna get hammered."

"no, you don't drive with any alcohol in your system. it's common sense," she tells him blankly, sensing the roll of his eyes before it comes. she scoffs at his blatant unconcern for his own well-being. "if you're drinking, i'm not," she then states boldly.

"oh really?" matt quickly raises his eyebrows, shooting a quick look her way as he doesn't believe her in the slightest. he then has to laugh at the implications of her words. "like you'd be driving my car."

"i fucking better be if you're intoxicated!" she exclaims, finding his nonchalance more and more absurd the longer their bickering goes on. his eyes widen just slightly at her stubborn insisting, trying to focus on driving when she continues, "if you're drinking, you're not driving."

matt barely begins to shake his head, feeling an upturn in the corner of his lips forming. "it's cute that you care, mason."

maisie nearly sees red at being called 'cute.' she can tell by the look on his face that he knows what he's doing to annoy her, so she simply huffs and leans further into her seat. "nothing cute about being concerned for not only your safety, but mine," she mutters more-so to herself.

          WHEN THEY MAKE IT to the bar, maisie resists from laughing when matt orders a glass of whiskey as soon as they sit on two bar stools. such a bland taste in her opinion, but strangely fitting for him.

the bartender turns his attention to maisie when matt gestures for him to take her request as well. maisie simply asks for a sprite, pursing her lips at the look of surprise on matt's face after the bartender disappears to prepare their drinks, almost like he was half-expecting her to not stick to her word. however, when she says something, she means it.

she takes a moment to look around her surroundings as they wait for their drinks. she hadn't paid much attention when they first walked in, but she realizes now after glancing around that there's not a whole lot of other people here. it seems to be a cozy, unknown place around town, and she figures that must be why matt likes it so much. the lights are warm, the few tvs are quiet, and the different people spread around the room are all minding their own business. she smiles as she turns on her stool to be forward again, registering the melody of the song playing through the speakers and muttering, "divorced dad rock."

"huh?" matt's unmistakable murmur is heard from next to her, causing her to turn her head and see his questionable expression.

the bartender returns to set both of their drinks down, shooting a polite smile their way before disappearing further down the bar. maisie shakes her head at matt not understanding, feeling just a tad amused as she explains, "the song. it's divorced dad rock."

matt's eyebrows pull together as he reaches for his glass, the sound of him dragging it across the counter echoing before he questions, "that's a genre?"

maisie almost scoffs. "of course it is," she says as he raises his drink to his mouth, her now reaching out for hers. she smiles at the small straw included before continuing with matt, "it's a whole vibe."

after downing a third of his glass' continents, he sets it back on the counter and hums. he takes a moment to listen to the music playing, recognizing some nickelback song and humming, "i guess that does make sense."

maisie picks up her sprite to sip it through the straw, keeping her eyes on matt as he doesn't yet break their eye contact. his stare intimidates her, but she's set on never letting him discover that. she hopes she isn't failing as she sets her drink down and tight-lipped smiles. "maybe you should write some."

matt instantly takes offense. "are you saying i give divorced dad vibes?" he narrows his eyes at her.

maisie presses her lips together to try and resist from laughing, but she fails and allows a giggle to slip out. the corners of matt's lips raise as she sighs loudly, "i mean..."

"that's fucked up, mason," he amusedly shakes his head, reaching for his glass and raising it to his lips to drink again.

she only shrugs, no excuses to be made for herself. she finds herself watching his adams apple when he gulps and catches her own weird behavior, forcing herself to look elsewhere. she sighs as she looks into the surface top of the bar, "i feel like you should've kept this as a me, you, chris, and sunny thing." she hears matt's drink hit the counter, glancing at the little remains in the glass before she raises her head to look back to him. he's raised his brows slightly, so she specifies further, "like... shouldn't they be here too if we're going to talk?"

"chris needs to have his own conversation with sunny, i think it's better this way," matt tells her genuinely, maisie's eyes barely softening before she nods.

"you're right," she surprisingly agrees with him, much to his pleasure. she sucks in a breath before asking, "are you going to explain now?"

matt sighs heavily, facing forward and leaning on the bar with his arms before he turns his head back to maisie. subconsciously, she leans closer to him. "i don't know how i'm going to tell you this.." he says honestly, his voice coming off surprisingly vulnerable.

maisie bites down on the inside of her bottom lip. she's always taken off guard when he's genuine with her; she's not used to the sudden transparency. "if it's a lot, it's a lot. i can take it," she tries to reassure him. she's experienced a lot of shady shit since she's starting seeing him so often, so although she knows she has not a clue what is going on, she feels she has some hints. she doesn't feel completely unprepared. she's expecting the worst, and that's probably the best it could get. "just lay it on me."

matt is reluctant to start such a serious conversation, his hands gripping his nearly empty glass to fidget with it. his thumbs rub against the glass as he tries to come up with his first words. "what i do - it's dangerous," he starts.

maisie presses her lips together and nods. "yeah," she agrees, her eyes jumping to the cut on his lip she can see better being so close to him. it looks to be healing properly. she almost wants to reach out and get a better look. she doesn't. "obviously, matt."

maisie thinks back to seeing him all bruised and bloody. he was hot, sure, but that doesn't make it any less concerning.

matt takes a moment to analyze her face and her expression. ultimately, he sucks in a breath and lets go of his glass in hand. he straightens his posture more, causing him to sit up as he looks at her. "i get into fights," he tells her, pausing to register her reaction—or lack thereof—before reluctantly adding, "for money."

maisie blinks. and then she blinks again. "oh," she says, unsure of what else to say.

"people bet on me," he explains further, pressing his lips together once he's finished speaking. maisie is speechless before him, and he understands, but it's still not helping any. he wishes she'd let him know what she's thinking, because there's a lot more to what he's just told her.

"okay," she attempts to process this with a nod of her head, although it's clear she's struggling as she asks, "so is this like, a you and chris thing? or.."

"more of like, a whole band thing," he hesitantly answers, dreading the instant widening of her eyes that follow.

"woah, what?" her eyebrows raise to the top of her forehead, and matt can tell the questions are beginning to come to her. he can practically see them flooding her head at once due to the change in her expression. he refrains from groaning. "a whole band thing is kind of cra-"

"okay, i know you're going to have a lot of questions," he cuts her off with a sigh, maisie closing her lips and beginning to purse them. he thinks for a short few seconds before trying a different approach: "just let me start from the beginning."

"okay, i'm sat," maisie says with the clamping of her hands. matt wants to laugh, but he knows he needs to remain serious for the conversation incoming.

"basically... it started with roddy," he reveals, maisie's eyebrows raising as she instantly feels extremely invested in this story. "me, nick, and chris have known him since middle school, and he's always been getting into shit with his dad. they never got along, and you could kind of tell roddy lashed out a lot because of it," matt explains, maisie nodding intentively. he feels kind of weird talking about his background, but it's necessary for her to understand. "in high school, he started getting into a lot more serious shit, and his dad actually kicked him out. he stayed with us in the mean time, and we would freak the fuck out over all the cuts and bruises, you know? so we decided to follow him one night he was sneaking out."

"oh shit," maisie mutters, instinctively covering her mouth with her hand for comfort because she can tell it's about to get good.

"yeah, big mistake," he tells her without a doubt, her eyes widening. he kisses his teeth as he thinks back to the time, a bitter regret heard in his voice when he tells her, "we got sucked in pretty much immediately."

"what?" maisie's shocked at how quick this jumped ship. "just like that?" she questions, almost like she can't fathom it.

"just like that," he confirms with a short nod of his head. "we found out he was fighting for money, and naturally, we just wanted to get him the fuck out. but it doesn't work like that," he explains, sighing at the end of his sentence. maisie furrows her eyebrows, so he continues further. "the people who run this shit are powerful. as soon as they want somebody, they're gonna get them, and we argued with security and got their attention the night we followed roddy, so we were fucked from the get go. honestly, as soon as i noticed we were starting to get followed, i knew it was over. you can't tell them no."

maisie frowns intently, rubbing at her mouth with her hand. "shit, matt," she nearly whispers, her voice small and dripping with concern. "that just sounds scary."

"yeah, i know." he frowns as well. "we started getting into fights too after that. it was like the better we got, the worse it became." maisie shoots him a look of confusion, so he goes on to explain, "when you have the spotlight on you, they insist on having you fight so much more frequently. they act like they need you." she nods her head to communicate that she understands, so he sighs and continues further, "and then it reached a new point when we formed the band."

"so. dj and quinton," maisie brings up after a beat of silence, matt getting a hint where it's going without her even having to specify further.

"they don't fight," he tells her, maisie sighing at that not being another revelation. "we met them in high school and they just.. understood."

"that's good," maisie says unsurely, matt nodding shortly. "so does the band like.. perform?" she asks questionably.

"yeah, it gets them a lot of attention," he informs her.

"that makes sense," she replies, still struggling to process this all. she's working through it though, and is trying to comprehend everything she's been told at once. with a heavy sigh, she tilts her head at matt in front of her. he feels almost unfamiliar right now, just because she's not used to such honesty from him. "why'd you decide to tell me everything now?"

he suddenly sucks in a sharp breath, and she gets a weird feeling in her chest. when he raises a hand to rub at the back of his neck, she knows that there's still more for him to tell. "that's the thing..." he starts hesitantly, maisie already wanting to sigh again. "i'm kind of in a sticky situation right now, mason."

maisie frowns, thinking to herself, oh no. she wants to open her mouth and interject with this having nothing to do with her, but his low voice cuts her off.

"i need you."

and suddenly, despite all that she's just been told, she's all ears.

💌

i told myself i was going to update my other fics first... and here i am. i am a liar

next one coming soon 💯💯💯💯 every time i leave off on a cliffhanger i feel so devious

<3
jaden