Different Days | Matt Sturniolo

14

The sky is a dark navy color once I make my way over to a little stream. I sit down against a tree and let the running water sound soothe me. I really embarrassed myself this time. 

A few minutes later, I hear footsteps approaching behind me. I assume it's Nate. I turn around, not afraid to show him I've been crying. I see dark, curly hair. A black jacket. Baggy jeans. 

It's not Nate, it's Chris. 

I quickly brush a hand over my face, trying to clear the tears. Out of all people, I wasn't expecting Chris. I've talked to him the least. "I'm sorry about how annoying I've been," I plead.

He sits down next to me and looks straight ahead at the water. "You're fine," he says. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's Amelia."

He turns to face me. I know he can see my red, puffy eyes and I'm glad he's not commenting on them. "Maybe Amelia's right and I'm in the wrong," I say.

"I don't know about that. Amelia's been making business decisions. She's a good person but she's trying to make it big, you know? Dating, or pretending to date — I don't even know — Matt has helped her career. And it's helped ours too. People in L.A. do this all the time. It's been a trend in Hollywood since forever. I love my job but the industry isn't the greatest."

"You're right. I shouldn't be commenting on things I don't know about."

He starts picking at the grass. "Well, obviously you care about Matt and don't want him getting hurt."

My face reddens. "What? No! I —," I stop myself from lying. I take a breath. "I always felt left out in high school but Matt was also quiet like me. And then he started talking about his anxiety on YouTube and I felt even more heard. I do care about him, even if he doesn't care about me."

Chris smirks. "Matt would love to hear this."

That makes me feel a bit angry. "Of course. Everyone loves Matt. He has so many edits and fanfics about him. Just add my comments to the mix."

His smile fades. "That's not what I meant. He loves hearing how he has helped people. But I don't think he knows that he even helped someone in high school. It was a rough time for him. He would be happy to know it wasn't all bad."

I don't know what to say for that. But Chris quickly continues. "He deserves to be happy. At first, I thought Amelia would be good for him. But their personalities are so different. I don't even care about us losing viewers. I want them to stop this so-called relationship. They should both date other people."

"I hate how I've been acting around you guys. I come across as desperate."

"No you don't. You're a good person trying to make friends. And maybe date Matt." He winks. I groan and put my hands over my face to hide. 

"You guys would be great together. You have very similar personalities," he says. 

"Maybe you're right. I'm actually tired right now. I think I'll catch a bus back home."

Chris looks disappointed but he nods. "Go get some rest. I'm sure I'll see you before I go back home."

We stand up. He reaches out his arm and half-hugs me, patting me on the back. "Please don't lose sleep over Matt. It's Matt." He pretends to throw up. I finally laugh. "Stop, he's a good guy," I say, smiling. Chris replies with a high voice imitating a middle school girl: "he's not like other boys!"

"On that note, I'm leaving." Even though I'm making my way out of the drive-in theater because of a fight, I'm smiling. These triplets never fail to make me smile.