KAIDEN
I watch as Madison walks around her whole house searching for me. I can't help but laugh. I'm sure the people walking by car think I'm a psycho, eating Taco Bell alone in my car, laughing at my phone. Whatever. I'm enjoying life and they can fuck off.
I start laughing even harder when she goes back in the house and starts picking up objects, trying to see if I put a camera in them. She even picks up a candle. Little does she know, I hacked the security cameras Jace installed. Now I get a live show of my favorite girl. Does that make me a stalker? Maybe.
I watch as she looks around, then pulls her phone from her pocket. Sure enough, a message from her makes my phone ding.
Madison: Where are you? This isn't funny.
Me: I'm in my car.
Madison: You're not watching me, are you? You made that up to piss me off.
She shakes her head, putting her phone on the counter before walking over to the fridge. She grabs the carton of orange juice and takes a drink straight from the carton. Shaking my head, I send her a message reprimanding her for drinking out of the carton instead of pouring a glass.
Me: And you used to bitch me out for drinking the orange juice straight from the carton. Look how the tables have turned.
When she picks up her phone and reads my message, her eyes go wide and she frantically starts looking around. She reverts back to picking up random objects, seeing if I somehow put a hidden camera in them.
Me: I didn't plant a hidden camera in your house.
I don't plan on telling her that I've hacked the already installed cameras. I only did it to piss Jace off, but he doesn't even know I've done it. Oh well. He's a mouse and I'm a cat. I'll get rid of him when I'm bored. I have ways.
Madison: You're not fucking funny.
I end up calling her instead of texting a reply. She answers right away, just like I expected she would.
"Kaiden, tell me where you are. This isn't funny." She snaps.
"First of all, watch your mouth. Second of all, this is quite funny." I like watching her get mad.
"No it's not! Where's the camera, huh?"
"Oh, would you look at the time. I've got to go." I say in a taunting tone before hanging up.
Before closing out the security camera app, I check the camera that's installed in their bedroom. Stupid Jace is lying in their bed, watching something on TV. He looks like a dumbass. I'd love nothing more than to punch him in the face.
I have a long drive back home from Aberdeen. I did drive all this way just to mess with Madison, so maybe it wouldn't hurt if I got a hotel room tonight and showed up tomorrow at the hospital. She does look incredible in those scrubs.
I finish up my Taco Bell before finding a good hotel nearby. After taking a shower, I find something to watch on TV. Sadly, I'm interrupted by my phone ringing.
It's Cameron. It's always Cameron who calls me. I swear he's called me like ten times today.
"Hello?" I sigh into the phone.
"Bro, you need to get this stupid crazy bitch." He yells into the phone.
I sit up in the bed, already knowing who he's talking about. "What do you mean?"
"She came and trashed my fucking apartment. And tried to attack Claire! Jordan's pissed. I swear he's going to kill her." I can tell he's fuming and I don't blame him. My blood boils just thinking about her. Stupid fucking Alyssa.
"Tell him to do it. I'll piss her on grave." I grumble.
"This isn't a goddamn joke, Kaiden. That bitch is literally the definition of psychotic. She needs to be sent to the mental hospital or jail for all I give a fuck."
"I know that, Cameron! Why do you think I faked my own death? I don't want that bitch anywhere near me." I know I can't keep hiding. She'll just torment my friends.
"Why did you change the locks on your apartment? That's why she came over here wanting to rip everyone's head off. You're stupid, you know that? A dead person can't change their locks." His voice keeps getting louder and louder.
"Tell her management or someone did it. I don't want her in my apartment." Thank God I did decide to get a hotel room. I don't know what she would've done if I were actually there. Probably killed me herself. She tried to before. I woke up with a gun pressed to my head because I said Madison's name in my sleep once.
"I told her I changed it because a homeless person was squatting in it. She didn't believe me. You need to fix this. I've helped you all this time, but she can't come over here and destroy my shit. You need to do something."
Cameron would never turn his back on me, he wouldn't. We're brothers; Jordan, him, and me.
"Fine," I huff. "Get a U-Haul and load all my shit up. I'll call the landlord tomorrow and tell him to cancel my lease."
Great, looks like I'm moving again. Truthfully, I don't mind. I like fresh starts.
———
"Just sign here, Mr. Richards."
James, the square of a landlord, pushes a paper across his perfectly organized desk so it's now in front of me. I sign my "name," Keith Richards, on the designated line and push it back over to him. I found a new apartment in Seattle. It's about a two hour drive to Aberdeen, but if everything goes my way, Madison will eventually move in with me. I even made sure the apartment was pet-friendly so Blaze could come, and maybe we could get a dog or something.
"Thank you, Mr. Richards. So, you can move in on the 25th. Your lease is up in a year, but you can always come back and renew it. Don't forget that my number is on that card and rent is due the fifteenth of every month." James explains, readjusting his glasses on his face. He's a nice guy, but something about him really irritates me. Maybe it's the way he's so formal about everything. I'm not used to that.
"Thanks, James. I'll be in touch." I give him a polite smile before walking out of the office, back to my truck. Amongst getting a new apartment, I also traded my car in. My car was very distinct considering I made several modifications to it, so now I have an all stock cherry red 2019 Ford Raptor. It wouldn't be my first pick, but it's nice and something out of my comfort zone.
I still plan on getting the windows tinted so Alyssa won't be able to see me, and plus I like staring at people without them knowing. One time I watched a woman pick and eat her boogers at a red light. Did she see me making an extremely disgusted face at her through my window? No, and that's why I love tinted windows. They're also great for when you want to spice things up in the backseat.
The 25th isn't far away, but still around two weeks or so. Cameron's supposed to have rented me a U-Haul today, but I can't move any of my stuff in yet. Maybe I can talk James into letting me move in early. He seemed like a persuadable guy. I want to be moved in and settled down before Halloween so Madison can decorate the apartment. She loves spooky shit.
Speaking of Madison, I tried to call her earlier but her phone went straight to voicemail. Being the hypochondriac that I am, I checked the security cameras at the house and she wasn't there. Neither was her asshat of a fiancé. I'm guessing they're both at work.
On that note, I need a job. I had Jordan make me a fake background check for "Keith Richards." Apparently, I'm great with computers and worked for a computer repair company for the last three years. That's not a lie, I am good with computers. Mainly just hacking them and getting the information I want out of them, not actually fixing them. Oh, well.
I applied for a computer repair company this morning and uploaded my fake resume. Jordan's working on a fake license for me. I like Keith Richards even though he technically isn't me. It's a nice alter ego. He's a good guy with nice values, no history of drug abuse or sketchy behavior. That's who I want to be, for Madison. I'm not a doctor and I never could be, but I want to be someone she wants to be with.
I call Cameron when I get inside my truck. Traffic is ass today, plus it's raining.
"Hello?" He grumbles, sounding like he just woke up.
"What are you doing? Did you get my U-Haul?"
"Yeah, I got your damn U-Haul. My fucking head hurts from a glass vase being thrown at it last night. I seriously can't stand that bitch."
I try to picture Alyssa throwing a vase at Cameron's head and it makes me laugh even though it shouldn't. It pisses me off that she hurt my friends, but I can only imagine how angry Cameron must've been.
"I can't stand her either. That's why you're talking to Keith Richards, Kaiden Delacroix is dead." I boast. I feel good. Changing my name, getting a new place, trading cars, and hopefully getting a good job; I would have my life together for once.
"So, what now? Do you want me to call you Keith or some shit?" He snorts.
"No, dumbass. You can call me Kaiden, but I just everyone to know that I've got my shit together." I probably look like a crazy person, smiling to myself driving down a busy highway. This is exactly why I need tinted windows.
"Actually, Keith has his shit together. Kaiden is running from his psychopath of an ex-girlfriend who kidnapped him and held him hostage until he faked his death, and now he wants his other ex-girlfriend back even though he let her think he was actually dead and she went on ahead and got engaged. Whew, that's a mouthful." He's out of breath by the time he finished. That does actually sound insane.
"Fuck you." I mumble under my breath.
"Thanks, but I'm into girls. Anyway, what are you going to do if Alyssa finds out you're Keith Richards? Change your name to Joe Smith or something? You can't just change your name and life-story every six months, Kaiden." He ridicules me and I find myself wanting to throw my phone out the window, or better yet, just hang up.
"Why are you being such a dick, Cameron? Aren't you supposed to be my best friend? You think I don't know this shit, because I do. But what can I do? Kill her?"
I've definitely thought about it, but I'm not that crazy. Am I? Yeah, I probably am.
I hear him sigh. "Look, I'm not trying to be a dick, but she threatened Kassie, dude. And I'm not like you, I'm not going to move to a new city, change my name, and start over. I'm not going to be afraid of her. If she touches so much as a hair on Kassie's head, I'll kill her. I don't care if I go to jail. She's dead. End of discussion."
I'm not sure what to say. Not only have I dragged my best friend's into this shit show, but Alyssa attacked Claire and now she's threatening Kassie. She took Madison from me. He's right, something does need to be done.
"Look, I get how you feel and I'm going to try- "
I start to say, but he cuts me off.
"No, there's no trying here. It's either going to be done or it's not. And I don't see how you know how I feel because when she literally beat the shit out of Madison, what did you do, huh? You chose Alyssa over Madison, that's what you did."
I hang up. He's full of shit. I didn't choose Alyssa over Madison, I chose the option that would keep Madison safe. I get that's he mad, but he didn't have to say that.
I'm so pissed that before I know what I'm doing, I'm calling Madison. She picks up right away.
"Kaiden, I'm a work." She whisper-shouts into the receiver.
"I know, it's just," I blow a puff of air out of my mouth. "I just wanted to hear your voice."
She's silent for a couple seconds, then I hear some shuffling. "Are you okay? You're not leaving again, are you?" Her voice is much louder this time. She must've gone into a private room.
"No, I'm not leaving." I feel like shit now. So much for having a good morning.
I feel like all my demons are knocking on my door, waiting for me to let them in before they break the door down.
"Then what's wrong?" She asks and I know she's pinching her eyebrows together like she always does when she's worried.
"Just not having a good day. Nothing you need to worry about. I'll let you get back to work, okay?"
"I get off an four hours. I'll call you then, is that good? Or you can call me. Whichever works for you."
I glance at the clock. Four hours seems like forever. "Okay, that's fine." I say reluctantly. I think back to when I wanted to run away with her, kind of like Bonnie and Clyde. I find myself wishing for that again, but I know she likes her job and she worked hard for her degree. I can't pull her away from that.
"Okay, bye." She says and hangs up, leaving me alone with nothing but my thoughts.
———
I'm getting sick of this stupid hotel and it's only my second night here. I don't like how they re-arranged all my shit when I was gone. Making the bed is fine, but they folded my clothes and put my bags over in the corner. Who knows if they went through them.
I throw myself on the bed and grab a pillow to cover my face with. I should go workout, release some of my pent up anger. In thirty minutes Madison should be calling. I've been watching the clock like a hawk. It's not like I have anything better to do with my life at the moment.
I get a motion detected alert from the security camera app. Curiosity gets the best of me and I decide to check it. Unfortunately, it turns out to be doctor dumbass arriving home. He bounds up the stairs, into him and Madison's room. He disappears into his closet and comes out moments later in a dress shirt and nice jeans. Madison didn't mention them going anywhere.
After freshening up in the bathroom, he walks back down the steps and leaves. Wonder where he's going and if Madison's going with him. I hope not. She said she would call and I've been looking forward to it.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, my phone starts ringing and a smile breaks out across my face when I see her name flashing on my screen.
"Hey! I was wondering when you'd call." I lean back on the bed with my phone pressed against my ear.
"I just got off," She giggles. "What are you doing? Do you feel better than you did earlier?"
Truthfully, no, but I feel better talking to her. "Yeah, I was just tired earlier. I took a nap and ate some lunch and now I'm fine."
"That's good. Jace is going to dinner with some friends so I'm home alone tonight. I think I'll just stop and get a pizza. I don't feel like cooking."
So that's explains where he was going.
"Is that an invitation for me to come over?" I smirk. I already know she's going to say no.
"Kaiden, -"
She starts to give me a lecture on how she can't do that and blah, blah, blah. I cut her off before she can even start.
"I'm kidding, Mads. I just wanted to help you eat the pizza." I jokingly say. Truth is, I just want to be around her.
"Where are you? Are you even in town?"
"At a hotel. It's a long story but I can't go back to my apartment." I decide to keep me renting a new place a secret for now. I'll take her there one day and surprise her.
"Well maybe I can pick up a pizza and come to your hotel room. No funny business though, only pizza eating and maybe some TV watching. Nothing else." She warns.
"Deal. I'll send you the address and my room number."
"Okay."
After we hang up, I make sure the room is clean. The maids did a good job of cleaning and moving my shit, so there's really nothing for me to pick up. I just want it to be clean for my favorite girl.
After I send her the address and room number, she replies back telling me she'll be here in about ten minutes.
I fidget around for the next 600 seconds, which seem to pass like years. Finally, there's a knock on the door and I jump up to get it.
Her hair is pulled into a ponytail with a few tendrils falling around her face. She's wearing a pair of black scrubs which hug her figure perfectly. There's no pizza in sight, just the girl I love so much standing in front of me in her work clothes.
I pull her to me right away and wrap my arms around her. I know she said no funny business, but this is just a harmless hug.
"Where's the pizza?" I ask, my voice muffled by her hair.
"Oh, shit." She cusses, pulling away. "I forgot to get one."
I laugh, shaking my head. "That excited to see me, huh?"
Her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink and I know that's exactly why she forgot the pizza. Not that I mind, I'd rather eat her than the pizza.
"It's fine, I'll order us one." I shut the door behind us, making sure to lock it just for extra precautions.
"Do you mind if I shower? I just feel gross walking around in my hospital clothes." She asks, nodding towards the bathroom.
"Sure," I realize she's not carrying any bags or anything with her. "Did you bring something to change into?"
"Shit. No. Never mind." She takes a seat on the edge of the bed.
"It's fine, you can borrow some sweatpants of mine and a shirt." I offer and grab my phone, already looking up good pizza places near us.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it's fine." I tell her again. She takes me up on my offer and disappears into the bathroom. Seconds later I hear the shower cut on. I order us a large supreme pizza and a side order of wings just because I know she loves wings and ranch.
Hopefully doctor Dolittle will stay gone long. I can't wait for him to be out of the picture so Madison and I can do this every night. That day can't come soon enough.
———
A/N: I HATE PAID STORIES!!!! I just want to say that. I hate when I start a story and I'm midway through it and suddenly they become paid stories. That's happened to me like five times already. UGH!!! -.-
Anyway, I actually got time to update, so YAY!! Please vote and comment!
Also, would you think Madison is a bad person if she cheated on Jace with Kaiden? Not saying that she will... just curious on your opinions.