Reach Me

4

Previously on Reach Me

***

"Parker said something about you." Erin confessed. Matt didn't say a word.

"She said that..you aren't someone I should be friends with." She continued.

"She tried spreading rumors about me that I cheated on her and started sleeping with girls I didn't even know." He scrunches his face at the cruel memory. He was telling her something he'd been wanting to get off his chest since two years ago. It had been kept hidden until now. It wasn't a secret. In fact, it was something he wish he could explain to the whole world if they would just listen. And Erin was listening closely. He could trust Erin.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Erin said.

"That's why..you're.." He trailed off.

"What?" Erin wanted to know. "I'm what?"

"Nothing." He finished.

"Who was that?" His brother, William, asked, not actually caring about the answer. It just felt like Matt was waiting for the question.

"New girl at school. She's pretty, isn't she?" Matt replied. "And she's so smart and I just..have that feeling."

"You busy tomorrow?" Miles smirked with a hand planted on one of the shut lockers.

"No. Why?" She shook her head while grabbing her composition notebook.

"You wanna come to the Kinniard Festival in Madison Park?" His eyes glinted with curiousity, joy, and longing.

"What's that?" They began to walk through the hallways to get to class, trying to make it by all the students shoving by.

"Every year the town celebrates this big festival. It's kinda just for fun, to celebrate the town."

Erin nodded her head. "Interesting time to have it. On a Tuesday." She then smiled.

"Yeah. I know. Mostly adults go but everyone at school goes too." He assured.

"Of course I'll go." She finally said once the bell rang. "Great! It's a date?" He asked eagerly. She nodded her head and smiled in response.

***

An unreadable expression reflected on Matt's face. Reluctantly, he trudged over to the table, where Brian sat utop, smirking towards him and Erin sat in her chair trying to scoot away from Brian. Matt knew she was uncomfortable.

"Brian. What are you doing?" Matt didn't want to sound too confident as well as not too weak, which he was.

"Just saying hello to the new girl, problem? You should stay out of my business more often, turd." He walked past Matt abruptly colliding shoulders with him causing him to almost lose his balance.

"Sorry." Matt whispered. "If I was here, he wouldn't have come over."

"He seemed fine confronting you now. I don't think you would've made much of a difference." She said, looking at the board to see what pages they had to do then opening her book to that page. She seemed indifferent, angry almost.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"No, not at all." A lie was evident in her face and Matt didn't know why. However, he let it slide not wanting to seem needy or in her business.

He took out his own book and began to start the pages listed on the board. It started to feel unnecessarily quiet so Matt decided to talk about their weekend.

"I had fun this weekend." He said. Erin looked up and smiled at her work. She self-cautiously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Me too." Then she continued to do her work. Then he continued to do his work. No other words were exchanged for the rest of the period.

-

The next three years of high school were unnecessarily awkward and straight up the worst.

The first year was enjoyable. Matt and Erin were best friends. They both knew that. They both knew that whenever they needed eachother, they would always come to the rescue, without having to make some sort of 'blood brothers' promise. After the first half of the year, Erin went on a great romantic date at the Kinniard Festival in Madison Park with Miles. On the second date, they had dinner at a trendy new diner in town and while they were walking home, Miles placed a kiss on Erin's lips and let it linger for a few seconds. The third date, the two love-birds went to a movie but ended up making out in the back of the theater. The best date of Erin' life.

But she didn't tell Matt that she and Miles were dating until after the third date, when she knew that they were officially a couple.

It was late in the evening. After the movie, Erin made it home and phoned up Matt. He was always awake past 11. Matt answered with a cheery voice. "Hey Erin!" Erin answered even more excited with ever. Then she began to tell him about everything that happened this evening. She was talking way too fast for Matt to hear. "Woah woah! Slow down. What happened?" He chuckled.

Erin explained her date with Miles. How they went to a movie, how they took a seat in the back, how they made out for about a majority of the movie. The tickets were money well spent. She also mentioned the dates before and how he kissed her while he was walking her home.

The phone went silent for about 5 whole seconds. "Matt? Still there?"

"You went on a date," He sounded heartbroken. "with the art-asshole?" He tried to get over his jealousy by taunting him and calling him a name.