The boy inside the matrix box

2

You never know when you're gonna meet someone

And your whole world wide in a moment comes undone

Start of Something Good - Daughtry

"I can't wait for the school year to be over," sighs Nessie before biting in a cookie.

"We have been in our senior year for just two weeks" points out Paul.

"That is exactly what I'm saying. I wish we were in June already."

Nataniel glances at the teenage girl without saying anything.

"Hey, guys!" greets a brown boy as he arrives.

"Mornin' Sam" greets back Nessie while Nataniel and Paul exchange a handshake with the newcomer.

Sam sits on the grass with the three friends. "I thought this chemistry course would never end." He sighs as he gets a cigarette from his bag and starts rolling it. "I can't stand my teacher."

"Mrs. Donzuba?" asks Paul.

"Yeah."

"I also have a class with her. We start tomorrow..."

"Well, good luck, man, she's so fuckin' boring. Still a fan of the philosophy teacher, Ness?"

The girl frowns. "I hope you're being sarcastic. This poor misogynist deserves to die under the wheels of a truck."

Sam stares at her, confused. "Wait, less than a week ago you said he was great!"

"You missed an episode, man" chuckles Paul.

"He was great until he made inappropriate remarks about women's abilities" explains Nataniel. "On the pretext of citing famous authors, of course."

"Even Nat no longer loves him," concludes Nessie.

"I never particularly liked him."

"He also gives prep classes, right?" asks Paul.

"Yes" sighs Nessie.

"You still want to go to prep school here, then?"

"It's not a moron of his kind who will dissuade me from it."

They sit in the grass chatting, enjoying the comforting sunlight of the September sun, until the bell rings and they have no choice but to say goodbye, at least until the next break.

On his way back from class that evening, Nataniel stops by the living room before joining his room, to check whether someone is inside the room. Bart is seated on the couch with a beer in his hand.

"Hey, Nat, have you come home from school?"

"Yeah, just right now."

He enters the room and goes to sit next to Bart.

"You're in literary studies, is that right?"

"Yes. Nessie and I are in the same class."

"Are you two dating?"

"Nessie and me? No, no! We're just really close friends."

"I see. She's a pretty girl, she has some Asian blood, right?"

"Yes, her father is Korean."

Nataniel looks at the cartoon that Bart is watching on TV. Silence encompasses them. "Do you see the castle near St Acace Church?"

"Everyone sees the castle next to the church," answers Bart with a chuckle.

"Nessie lives there."

"No!" exclaims Bart in a laugh. "You're kidding me!"

"I swear. The vineyard, the mansion... it belongs to her family."

"Serious?"

"Serious."

"Well. She's a good match."

Nataniel nods with a laugh. "Yeah, hell good."

"Do you smoke?" asks Bart after a long silence.

"Uh... yes."

"Are you coming?"

Bart gets up, grabs a pack of cigarettes that were lying on a shelf and walks out into the hallway. Nataniel follows him down the stairs to the outside. They sit on the sidewalk and Bart offers Nataniel a cigarette.

"And so, your friend, Nessie, is she single?"

"Why?" smiles Nataniel. "Are you aiming for her and her inheritance?"

"Ah, if we can have the princess and the castle that goes with her, I'm not a man to say no!"

"I don't know" answers Nataniel after having observed Bart. "You never know, with her."

A motor noise is heard, and a car stops in front of the building. A black-haired boy comes out, greets the driver with a sign, and the car immediately sets off again, crunching tyres. The newcomer takes a quick look at Bart, lingers on Nataniel, then passes the entrance doors of the apartment block.

"A neighbour of ours?" asks Nataniel.

"Yep, the apartment above ours." Bart is thoughtfully scratching his chin. "Put him in the "to avoid" category of people."

"Why?" asks Nataniel, puzzled.

"He comes from the wrong side."

"Huh?"

"He's from Hillz. But not the nice parts of the city, rather the neighbourhoods behind the railway. Not the kind of place you'd want to hang out at night, trust me."

Nataniel thinks back to what Nessie told him on the day he moved in, about rumours concerning nearby neighbourhoods. "But... he lives in Goldale now, right?"

"Apparently, his parents wanted to keep him away from his bad acquaintances. The advantage of living here is that it is not very expensive, as you are far from everything and close to the Bagatelle District. It happens that some people immigrate here from the other side."

Nataniel looks over his shoulder, looking at the second floor of the building. "And why should he be avoided?"

"Let's say that changing of address didn't really help him to change of friends. The guy who just dropped him off is a drug dealer."

"Oh."

"Like you say..."