Young and Reckless (A Guns N' Roses Fan-fiction)

15. The Little Gets More, The Bad Gets Badder

"Fuckin' great," he said through gritted teeth. "We're recording some fuckin' songs in about a fuckin' hour and here he is barely moving!"

"Will you stop cursing?!" I raised my voice and I felt Steven flinched a little. He was reacting to stimulus. Thank God. "You're right, he's barely moving yet you worry more about your recording. Some friend you are..."

Axl clenched his fists and snarled, "You're a damn nurse! There's must be something you can do!"

"I'm a caregiver, not a nurse."

"Fucking hell! We have no use for you then!"

"Don't you dare talk to her that way." I heard Saul say. He was staring daggers at Axl. I looked at Saul and shook my head no. As much as I wanted to charge at Axl, none of us wouldn't want trouble and fight one another with our friend being unwell.

"Emilia seems to know what to do, William." Izzy said. He and Duff put the basin beside me.

I soaked the small cloth in the cold water, squeezed it and dabbed it all over Steven's face, neck and down to his arms and chest. I didn't stop until Steven flinched again and started to respond to my touch.

"Mhmmm..." he stirred, suddenly gasping. He looked around and saw the guys who came up and hugged him. Well, all the guys except Axl. He felt like the world was against him so he stormed away.

"Welcome back to reality, man." Duff ruffled Steven's hair.

"Get your hands off me, Duffy." Steven swatted Duff's hands away but was laughing.

"You scared us a little, Popcorn." Izzy said. "How did you get the whole pack anyhow and where'd you get the money for it? I thought Axl made Alan take hold of your bank account..."

"You're asking too many questions, Izz. It's all your fault y'all took my spaghetti." Steven leaned back and sighed. I guess there was still some tick of drugs in his system. He looked at me through his tired eyes, saying "Girl, I don't know what could happen to me if you weren't here..."

"How about, Axl would have kicked your naked, coke-addicted butt out of the band by now." Saul spoke. "That could happen."

"Preach, oh Reverend," Steven murmured.

I left the boys to talk on their own.

I had enough caffeine in the morning and yet my head ached. No matter how I look at it, I just can't understand the logic. They kept doing drugs and when one them gets kicked hard, they tell them to straighten up and everyone returns happily to step one.

The balcony held a beautiful sight of the sea. I stood there for a long while and let the wind blow my hair in different directions. I eventually slipped out without saying goodbye. The others weren't around and Steven was sleeping soundly so I was done staying there.

The next day, I just got home from work and found an unexpected guest inside the house.

"You gave him money, didn't you?"

"I did. Poor guy lost his wallet about two weeks ago. Why?"

Saul then said how Steven was able to get a new stash of drugs with the money I lent him. I felt bad knowing that I somehow contributed to fuel the madness our friend had.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he'd use it to sustain his crap..." I said. "He even told me before he had stop with the substance that he had switched back to weed."

"And you believed him.." Saul laughed in a mocking manner. "We can't trust his word, Emilia. Look what happened to him yesterday, we had to cancel the recording all because of him!"

I didn't like the tone of his voice. "I already said I'm sorry! What else do you want me to say?! You think I enjoy knowing you guys this way..unable to function because either one or all of you are stoned? You know what, it's not just Steven. It's all of you." I said, pointing a finger at him. "Yes. Don't think that I never saw you do that shit.. The pills, coke and syringes..you call it smack right? During Mandy and Duff's reception, I saw you sneak out with Izzy and Steven and I was confident that it was needle marks and bulging veins I saw on your arms when you came back to the party that night.."

"Good observation, then. But where are you getting at?!" he stepped closer to me in an almost intimidating way but I didn't let it get me.

"All I want to say is, all of you are hooked in drugs, not just Steven. If you want him to quit, then you quit as well which is for the best. It is what I think..."

"To hell with what you think Emilia," Saul growled and turned his back on me, heading to the door. "Who the fuck do you think you are to tell us what to do?"

A friend? But I guess not anymore. It did hurt to hear but I wasn't going to show how affected I was by his words laced with venom. He just left and I knew it would taked days before one of us talks to the other.

I don't need this, I told myself. Why do I always have to be the bad one? All I wanted was to help. I slumped on the sofa and replayed on my mind the things that had happened lately.

A knock on the door took me back to the present. If it was Saul, trying to apologize I was ready to act like a cold-hearted witch and send him away. He deserved it.

But it wasn't Saul. Outside stood Erin with a bag, shaking in the cold chilly air of the early evening. Her face was stained with dried tears and messy eye make up.

"Erin!" I was surprised she knew where I lived but I let her inside anyway. "W-What brings you here?"

"I...I..." her lips trembled as she still shuddered. I expected she would end up sobbing and she did. "I'm sorry for showing up unexpectedly Emilia... But I don't have anywhere else to go.. Can...can I stay here until I figure out what to do next?"

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you please," I told her as I hugged her.