Lachlan

It had been an extremely long week. I had been recording videos since Monday, prepping for New Year's Eve and the days to follow. I still had a lot to do and I honestly didn't have much time to get it all done. I had planned on going to Mitch's tonight after picking up Kali from the airport. He had invited her to come for his party, and after about an hour of pleading via FaceTime and some help from her sister, Eirene, she had finally given in.

We had been FaceTiming quite a bit this week. We would speak before going to bed, but she also took me on her adventures through the city. I had never visited New York, so I enjoyed the intimate tour she had given me through her camera.

Though the view was beautiful and I did want to experience it in person, I have to say my favorite moments during our conversations were when she was with her sister. I loved Kali's personality, but you could see how her little quirks would intensify when she was with Eirene. Eirene was a near perfect clone of Kali, just a bit darker in complexion and smaller in frame, but it was the differences between the two that drew me into their relationship. Kali was a bit more reserved compared to her sister, and Eirene gave off the vibe that she enjoyed being the center of attention, but not necessarily in a bad way.

I smiled, thinking about when Kali called me at midnight on Christmas. I could tell she had taken some time to seclude herself and make sure the moment was just ours. The one thing that made that moment more memorable, however, was watching her sister creep into the room without Kali hearing her and jumping on top of her. The two laughed hysterically and I watched in silence, smiling at the adorable scene.

"You must be Lachlan," Eirene said, grabbing the phone from Kali with a warm smile spread across her face.

I nodded proudly, knowing that Kali must have been talking about me to her. "You must be Eirene."

She blushed a little as I said her name and nodded in response. "So you're the guy that has my sister all sappy and in this obnoxious, lovey dovey mood."

"Rene, shut the hell up!" I heard Kali whisper-shout. She grabbed the phone from her sister and shoved her off the bed.

"Ouch! I'll remember that when you bitch about wanting to cuddle later!"

I chuckled as I watched the two argue like children on my screen. It had continued for about five minutes before Kali grabbed her phone and realized I was still there. This happened sporadically throughout the week. We had had Eirene join into our conversations often and I had to say, I enjoyed getting to know her more and more. Yes, I had met Kali's friends and it gave me insight on a different part of Kali, but interacting with her sister exposed me to a piece of Kali that I couldn't help falling even deeper for. She exuded this air of confidence and certainty around her sister, taking pride in her role as a good big sister, but she also became extremely competitive and childish. It made it hard to look away when they were together.

I shook my head, dashing away the thoughts of Kali as I tried to focus on the video I was editing while I ate some leftover chinese food from the night before. I sat for about an hour until I had finally finished one and sat back, quickly watching it back. I had enjoyed it honestly, a sensation I was feeling more and more over the last few weeks.

I had remembered how down I felt when I was back home. I would record and feel like absolute shit the whole time. I would edit my videos and constantly critique myself, telling myself how terrible I looked and sounded. The sound of my voice would ring in my ears, slowly making me feel crazier and crazier. It was getting to the point where I would do minimal editing just because I couldn't bear the sight or sound of myself. How didn't I notice people could see how broken I was? I'm certain they could, seeing as how all my comments pointed out this positive energy I was now radiating.

I had changed a lot in these past few weeks. I don't think about cutting anymore, which is monumental for me. Anytime my mind started wandering in that direction, I think of the fun times I had as a kid with my family; I think of the vacations and adventures I had with my friends back home and the Pack; I think of her. These things were my happy place. I'm finding my happiness.

"Alrighty guys, what's going on? It is Lachlan here and today, we have a little bit of a prank going on. So, you guys have seen my friend, Kali, right? Well, I'm picking her up from the airport in about an hour and I've been thinking, I've been pranked too many times at the airport and I think it's about time I passed the torch to someone else. So basically, I've got her sister involved and I told her that I couldn't pick her up from the airport because my car's in the shop until later and her sister had told her that one of her friends is gonna pick them up. What she doesn't know is that I currently have a rental car and I'm basically gonna do what Rob did to me by hiding in the trunk. I'm gonna be meeting with one of her sister's friends in a bit, so we'll see how this goes!"

I turned off the camera and sat back in my chair. My phone buzzed as I got a DM from Eirene. She was telling me that the plane would be landing in half an hour so I should be getting ready to head out soon. She had sent me her girlfriend's address and let me know that she would be expecting me soon. I smiled at my screen and got up from my office chair.

I walked into my bathroom and gave myself a quick once over. My hair was flat, kind of like I just woke up, but I knew that's how Kali liked it. I rubbed the scars that I could feel slowly fading away and traced over the black lettering on my arm, smiling to myself. I'm happy today. I'm really happy.

I quickly chucked on the black Sidemen hoodie Vikk gave me during my trip to London and quickly walked out of my apartment, ready to see the girl I've been patiently waiting for.

The trip to the airport with Alex, Eirene's girlfriend, was a lot less awkward than I thought it would be. You could tell she was a tomboy, hiding her long, dark hair under a Red Sox's fitted cap and wearing some joggers and a baggy sweater. We talked about sports on the way to the airport, mainly about basketball and track, since we both played the former recreationally and did track in high school. She seemed a lot calmer than Eirene, and you could tell they balanced each other really well, their major differences being complimented by a few similar interests like their taste in music and television. It also made me feel better seeing how anxious she was to see Eirene, making me feel a lot better for being so giddy to see Kali.

"So, Eirene explained the plan to you, yea?" I asked, once we reached a comfortable pause in our conversation.

"Yea, she did, but you're high key tall as hell. Are you going to fit back there?" she asked, a small smirk forming on her face, possibly from the thought of me forming into a pretzel for this prank.

"I think I'll manage. I don't plan on going in there until about 10 minutes after they get off the plane. They only took carry ons so it should be quick. Do you mind recording the outside perspective?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. I always have a camera on me so Kali shouldn't suspect anything."

"Perfect," I said, smiling to myself. As excited as I was to do this prank, I was more excited to finally hold Kali in my arms again. I couldn't wait to kiss her lips that I've missed so much. I couldn't wait to take in the lavender scent of her hair or the vanilla smell of her lotion.

"So how long have you and Kal been dating?" I heard Alex say, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"What?"

She looked at me with a confused expression. "How long have you been dating?"

I could feel my face redden. "Oh we're not together."

I quickly glanced at her to see her rolling her eyes. "I don't get it, man. You straight people are so weird. I never understood why two people that are so obviously into each other just don't get together. This is why I could never date guys." I looked at her, waiting for her expression to give something away before she started laughing. "I'm serious, man. If I ever was part of one of these stupid, little pre-relationship games, I'd be out so quick."

"I'm not the one avoiding a relationship," I said before I could stop myself. I gulped, hard, keeping my eyes on the road so that I couldn't see Alex's expression.

"I never said you were. Believe me, I know how difficult girls can be, but don't let yourself be toyed around with either. You're nobody's bitch, so don't let yourself become the backup option, ok?"

I couldn't respond. I stared blankly at the road in front of me. I wasn't an option, right? Suddenly, the thought of Reese texting Kali came back, and I felt myself becoming slightly nauseous. I tried my best to force the thoughts out of my head and put on a happy face as we approached the pickup area at the airport.

I heard Alex clear her throat. "Well, Rene told me they're starting to get off so do you wanna get ready?"

The trunk was dark and hot. I'd only been in here for like five minutes and I was already feeling claustrophobic. I used my phone to give me some light, making me feel a little bit better while I had to wait. I heard muffled voices approaching the car and I felt the weight shift inside.

"The trunk is unlocked. There should be enough space for your bag in there, Kal."

"Thanks! Will my bookbag fit to?" I heard Kali say right above me.

"Yea, it should. Rene, can you stand by Kali? I want to take a return picture of you two." I heard Alex say in a muffled voice. I assumed this was her way of getting Kali's reaction from the outside. There was a pause for a few seconds before I heard them speak again. "Perfect. Ok, let's hurry before they tell us to move the car."

I heard the trunk unlock and my phone was ready to record. Light slowly started seeping in and Kali's image began to be exposed little by little. Eventually, I saw her face but she was looking away. Perfect. "Surprise!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Holy fuck!" Kali said screaming as she looked at me and tripped over her feet, causing her to fall on the ground. Alex and Eirene laughed along with me, while Kali's pale face slowly regained some color. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she asked as a small smile started to form on her lips. I knew she wasn't angry and knew I had tricked her pretty well.

I jumped out of the trunk, seeing a lot of random strangers staring at us for the scene we had just caused. I extended my hand, still laughing hysterically as I helped her up from the floor. She took my hand and popped up, punching my arm when she got her footing. "Ouch," I yelped. "I thought you would be glad to see me."

"I hate you so much," she said, starting to giggle as I picked up her bags from the ground. "You got me good, Power, but I'll get you next time."

"Oh I'm so scared," I said to her, watching as she stuck her tongue out at me. I turned my attention to Alex and Eirene who were still recording the whole interaction. "Did you get all of that?" I asked Alex.

"Yup! Kali's expression looked priceless on camera." Alex said proudly as she passed me my camera.

"Perfect!" I adjusted the camera so that I could see myself in the viewfinder and prepared to do my outro. "Well everyone! Seems like I have officially passed the torch of prankee and I think it went pretty well. Thanks to Kali's sister and her friend for helping me pull this off, I definitely couldn't have done it without them. Like always, if you liked this video, hit that like button down below and if you enjoy my content, please be sure to subscribe. Until next time, later guys!"

"Hi, bed. I've missed you. I hope you missed me too," Kali said, plopping down dramatically onto her bed, her arms spread out to other side.

I chuckled, watching he get comfortable. I placed her bags on the ground, taking a step closer. "I didn't even get a welcome like that."

"Oh shush. Me and beddy here have been through a lot. Beddy gets me on a deep, intimate level. You're just you," she said playfully.

I gently laid next to her, making sure to not move her from her position and contorted my body to wrap around hers. "I missed you, Kal." I gently moved a strand of hair from her eyes and placed it behind her ear.

"Don't worry, I missed you too, Power." She lifted her arm and placed it around me. I pulled her into a close hug, our bodies pressed against each other as I looked into her eyes. "I forgot how blue your eyes look in real life."

"I forgot how soft your lips were," I said quietly. She looked at me, patiently waiting for me to make a move. We hadn't kissed since I've picked her up, and I know she's been waiting for me to. I wanted to toy with her a bit, but honestly, I couldn't wait anymore. I gently placed my lips on hers, and I felt her push back. Our lips slowly worked together, making the kiss slow and passionate, exactly how we both wanted our return to one another to be. After a few moments, I reluctantly pulled away, knowing I could do this with her all day. "Yup, still super soft. Nice trick there."

"That literally doesn't make sense," she said in a sleepy voice. She placed another lazy kiss on my lips and cuddled in closer to me.

"No, no. None of that. You need to wake up. We have to head to Tampa tonight."

She groaned, obviously wanting to stay sleeping. "It's four in the afternoon. It's two hours away and literally if we leave like within the next few hours we're gonna be stuck in horrible fuckin traffic. Do you have the patience to sit in traffic for like an extra hour or two? No? Good. Me neither. Good night, babe."

She mumbled through most of that, but I heard what she called me. I couldn't help but blush as I pulled her in a little closer, letting her fall asleep in my arms. I kissed her forehead softly, resting my chin lightly on top of her. "Good night, beautiful."

Kali

It was cold, really cold. All I could see around me was darkness. There were shades of black, but nothing that was really clear or detailed. I walked around looking for some indication of where I was or what I was supposed to do there.

"Hello?" I called out into the darkness. All I heard in return was a distorted echo. The voice didn't sound like my own. It sounded strained, tired, even fragile.

After the echo faded, there was nothing but silence being returned. I wandered around more, searching for an inkling or a clue. I felt myself begin to panic. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel the room closing in on me. I dropped to the ground, shutting my eyes tight and rocking back and forth, feeling my sanity slip through whatever grip I had on it.

"Babe, I need you to calm down," I heard a soft voice say. I opened my eyes, my brown eyes connecting to his. I felt his presence next to me as his arms wrapped around me. I could smell his usual cologne in my nose, memories running through my mind similar to this very moment now. I looked around again, and this time we were in his old bedroom, sitting on his floor.

"Reese, why are you here?" My voice came out raspy, leaving my throat scratchy and dry.

"I'll always be here for you, babe, you know that?" He said calmly, placing a kiss on my hairline.

"You can't be here for me like this, Reese. I can't do this to you anymore. You need to move on." I shut my eyes tight as I tried to pull away from him. I got up and started running as fast as I could. I was only stopped when I felt a pair of strong arms grab and pull me from behind.

"Who needs to move on, Kal?" a different voice asked with a strong Australian accent.

"Power," I said quietly, turning around and embracing him tightly. He returned the hug, gently playing with my hair to soothe me. "Where am I? Why are we here?"

"I don't know," he said softly, "but why is it so dark in here? What's wrong, beautiful?"

I felt tears stinging at my eyes. "I'm just so confused. All I can think about is the darkness. It's engulfing me. I can't escape it. What should I do?"

"Well, what about this." He pulled himself away from me. He gave me a soft kiss. I closed my eyes, trying to deepen it but I felt hands push against my chest. I felt myself begin to fall. "Wake up!"

My eyes jolted open. I looked around, realizing I was just on the plane. I felt a wave of relief wash over me since that weird dream I was caught in was finally over.

I looked out the little window and sighed. It was officially my last day in New York and as much as I loved being here and seeing my family, I absolutely hate not being able to be alone when I want to be, and with everything that's been on my mind, I've been wanting to be alone.

I've never been the girl to talk to or "date" multiple guys at once, and I know I'm not doing that now, but it still makes me feel weird. Obviously, I was blessed to have someone like Lachlan stumble into my life. I still don't know how it happened, but it did, and I was living out a dream that I didn't fully know I had. He's so different than the other guys I've ever dated or interacted with. He understands my mind in a deeper way, especially since he's mentally been in the same places I have. He makes me feel light inside and brings out this childlike air I haven't explored in such a long time. I love how I feel when I'm around him, and I love watching him grow before my eyes.

The thing is, I've been having really dark thoughts again; like really, really dark thoughts. I would never admit this to anyone, especially not Lachlan, but my mind won't stray from the idea of death. I keep looking around at the tall buildings, the sketchy street corners, and the flowing rivers and wondering just how easy it could be to make it all look like an accident. I mean, a window could easily crack, a drug deal could go bad, a car could lose control and derail into the water below us, and would anyone really second guess it? I hated thinking like this, especially since I have so many people who have supported me and watched me get better. I couldn't afford to spiral out of control again.

The only thing that has calmed me and stopped these thoughts was getting high. I've been smoking every day, and I know that's not a good thing, but it was stopping me from my need to cut, so I figured it was the lesser of the two evils. It just brought my mind to a peaceful place. I thought happier thoughts, thought of happier people, and felt happier feelings. I would sit and imagine Lachlan there with me, dancing to a slow, romantic song in an empty grass field under the stars. I would imagine my siblings and I, playing in the snow as children and making angels and snowmen. I would imagine myself, flying through the clear blue sky like a bird, and being joined by Reese.

Reese. He's another issue at the moment. He's the "other guy" in my current situation, but he's not really the other guy. The night I left for New York, he had drunk texted me multiple times, and the next morning I finally responded in the hopes of having a civil and sober conversation. I had agreed to meet with him when I got back because truthfully, he was my best friend and losing him as that hurt me more than losing him as my boyfriend. We had been texting while I was here, nothing serious or flirtation, but it made me feel how I did when we used to date and that made me feel like I was doing something wrong. I felt like I was keeping a secret from Lachlan by not letting him know that we were speaking again or that I intended to meet with him. I don't want it to feel like I'm hiding something, but at the same time I don't want Lachlan to take it wrong or overreact.

Obviously, Lachlan and I aren't in a relationship, but I know he likes me, and I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that I have real feelings for him. I struggled with this more than he knew. I know he assumed it was because of the pact we had in group, but truthfully, I didn't know whether I liked him so much because of the Lachlan I thought he was or the Lachlan he really is. He's so different than what I had imagined him to be, and I liked the real him better than the internet him. I don't think of him as a YouTube personality at this point in our friendship, I just see him as the friend I had made in group and quickly fell for.

"Kal?" I heard Eirene faintly say from the seat beside me.

"What's up?"

"Are you ok? You've been really quiet the whole flight."

I nodded, closing my eyes and resting my head against the seat. "Yea, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Boy problems?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

I let out a deep sigh. "Kind of but not really."

"I think you should tell him that you're meeting with Reese."

"What?"

"I know that's what you're stressed about. I know you're over Reese. You know you're over Reese, too. I also know you really like Lachlan and he really likes you. I think if you want things to progress, you shouldn't hide things from him, you know? It's only going to be lunch to catch up and clear the air, right? It's something between friends so he should be understanding of that."

I considered what she said very carefully and finally nodded. "Ok, but I think I'm going to wait until after New Years. I don't know how he'll react and I'd rather not ruin the holiday, you know?"

She nodded beside me, placing a reassuring hand on my leg. "Sounds good. I really do think you're making the right choice here."

"Yea, well I guess we'll see."

I was still fake upset at Lachlan after the prank he pulled on me. He knows I get scared easily and this jerk used that against me. The car was silent after we had dropped off my sister and Alex.

"Are you going to keep being fake mad and not talk to me?" he asked with a smile.

I turned my head, crossing my arms and facing towards the window. "I'm ignoring you," I said in a childish voice.

He chuckled a little, placing his hand on my thigh and squeezing it a bit. "Aw, is little Kali annoyed with me?"

"I said I'm ignoring you," I announced a little louder.

Lachlan stopped the car at the red light and I could see him looking at me in the reflection of the window. "Fine. Ignore me all you want. Just know you brought this upon yourself."

I furrowed my eyebrows and made eye contact with him throw the window. I saw his hands raise and I knew what was coming. "Don't you dare!" I screamed as I felt his hands attack my sides, tickling me to the point of pain.

"I thought you were ignoring me?" he asked, moving his hands up and down my sides.

"Stop it! Please!" I begged, laughing hysterically despite my best efforts not to.

"Can you talk to me then?" He stopped tickling me but didn't lift his hands from my sides.

I stayed silent for a moment, weighing my options. On one end, I knew the light would change soon and he would have to release me so he could drive. On the other end, I did want to talk to him. I missed being able to interact with him in person. I decided to give in. "Fine! You win this time, Power, but don't get used to it!"

He smiled and put one hand on the wheel and the other on my leg. "Good to hear that." The light turned green and he sped off, quickly turning into my complex and parking next to my car. "Welcome home, Kal."

"I've missed it more than you know," I said with a smile. I jumped out of the car, leaving my bags in the car and running to my front door. I unlocked it and took in the warmth and familiar feel of my living room. I stood there, looking at the Christmas tree in the living room and our stockings hanging on the little homemade ornaments hung proudly at the top of the tree, making me smile as I got closer to it.

"Why I thought you would carry your own bags, I don't even know," I heard Lachlan say behind me. I suppose he had finally entered the apartment. "I'm obviously your servant boy."

"Nah, you talk way too much to be a servant boy," I said, looking back and giving him a playful smile.

"God, I hate you," he sighed, carrying my bags towards my room.

"No! I have to see it first!" I exclaimed, running around him and into my room. "Hi, bed. I've missed you. I hope you missed me too," I said, clinging onto my bed like it was the first time I had ever seen it.

I heard him laugh behind me as my bags landed on the ground. "I didn't even get a welcome like that."

"Oh shush. Me and beddy here have been through a lot. Beddy gets me on a deep, intimate level. You're just you."

I felt my bed sink a bit and felt his body conform to mine. "I missed you, Kal."

"Don't worry, I missed you too, Power." I put my arm around him and he pulled me in closer, our bodies molding to one another. "I forgot how blue your eyes look in real life."

"I forgot how soft your lips were." Ours eyes lingered to each others mouths, waiting for a move to be made. With that, his lips pressed against mine and we had our first kiss after being apart for a few days. It was sweet and passionate and just what I needed to clear my mind from the darkness earlier. After what felt like only a few seconds, he pulled away. "Yup, still super soft. Nice trick there."

Suddenly, I was hit with a wave of sleepiness. "That literally doesn't make sense," I mumbled, giving him another quick kiss and moving in closer.

"No, no. None of that. You need to wake up. We have to head to Tampa tonight," he said assertively, waking me up a bit.

"It's four in the afternoon. It's two hours away and literally if we leave like within the next few hours we're gonna be stuck in horrible fuckin traffic. Do you have the patience to sit in traffic for like an extra hour or two? No? Good. Me neither. Good night, babe," I said mindlessly, not realizing the word had left my lips until it was already out.

My vision faded to black as I fell asleep, hearing a faint whisper of "Good night, beautiful."

It was just past 10 PM and I could feel my stomach bubbling from nerves. We were turning down the street where Mitch and Jerome lived and the pressure of meeting Lachlan's friends was pressing down on me. I felt my panic begin to set in. Not only was a spending a holiday with them, I would be staying in their home for the next two nights.

"You ok there, buddy?" Lachlan said from the driver's seat.

"Huh?" I looked over at him, surprised at his question. "Yea, just nervous I think."

He chuckled beside me. "You think? You're worse than I was."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "I just wanna make a good impression."

"You will," he said softly, placing his hand into mine. "They'll love you just like I do." I froze. He froze. I looked at him, watching his face redden furiously. "That's not what I meant. I meant like a friend, you know?"

I nodded, looking away as my face started to blush as well. "I know what you meant," I said quietly as we pulled into the driveway of a huge, two story house.

"We can take our time going in, you know? There's no rush." He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and my heart rate slowed down a bit. If Lachlan could meet my friends and do well, I can too, right?

"Fuck it," I said with a sigh. "Let's do this." He smiled at me and got out of the car, coming around to get the door for me. We grabbed our stuff from the trunk which was mainly duffle bags since he wouldn't be recording much here. He grabbed my hand and guided me to the front door. I looked down and paused, staring at the faded lettering that read 'Welcome' beneath my feet. I took a deep breath and looked at Lachlan, letting him know I was ready. He gave me a big smile, letting me know that it was going to be alright before ringing the doorbell. There's no turning back now.