Misalignment | ✔

sorry

"We should go
do something
after school,"
Matty comments
as we sit down
in the lunchroom
the next day.
I know from
her statement that
she can tell
that something is
bothering me -
just as I know
that something is
bothering her as well.
It's clear in her eyes,
in the firm line
her lips are pressed into
as she watches me -
stares at me -
as I take a bite
of my sandwich.
Honestly, it's not
an interesting enough
occurrence
to warrant her full
and undivided
attention.
Something
must be on her mind.

She hasn't yet said
anything
about her 'sick day'
yesterday,
and while I can tell
at a glance
that she wasn't
actually sick
(unless it was a
twenty-four hour bug
of some sort),
I haven't brought it up,
and probably never will.
I can only wonder
what happened,
and what led her to
stay home
for the day.

"Yeah,"
I distractedly
respond to her
between bites of
my lunch.
"Let's do that..."

"You're not
paying attention,"
she objects.
"I didn't even suggest
anything in particular,
and you're already agreeing
with me.
What's wrong,
anyway?
You're all moody
again today."

I'm not about to
rehash the incident
with Seth Hunter
in art class
yesterday
(or his continued harassment
today),
so I instead
throw back a snappy:
"I could say the same
of you, lately."

She can't object to that,
and she knows it.
After a moment, she
falls silent again,
staring at her lunch tray
with an
unreadable expression.

I've noticed recently
that Matty
has started buying lunch
rather than pack one,
as she used to do.
I also distinctly remember
discussing the hazards
of eating the cafeteria food
with her
a few weeks past
and hearing her proclaim
that she would never eat
a single bite of it
if she could at all help it.
Yet, here she is,
picking at her
pizza slice and baby carrots
with an idle disinterest.
She's been buying lunch
ever since 'the incident',
I realize
after a moment.
Yet another thing
I can't ask her about...

"Actually,"
Matty says
at last,
standing and
picking up her tray
rather abruptly
(and jarring me from
my thoughts
as a result),
"I just remembered
that I have
something
I need to do
after school.
Sorry, but
maybe we can
do something
another time."

"Matty-"
But she's already gone,
merging with the crowd
of students
returning their lunch trays
and disappearing
within moments.
I'm left alone
with my sandwich
and a sense of confusion
that even the ringing
of the dismissal bell
can't pervade.

What
just happened?

×

Everything is going to hell in a handbasket now, woo. Prepare for lots of drama in the near future. Like, I'm-gonna-cry-because-these-characters-are-so-DUMB drama. Or maybe that's just how I think of it.

I feel like this scene wasn't well explained, but you can't really get a good idea of what's happening from Cam's perspective. So this, like many other scenes in Misalignment, will be explained better from Matty's POV later on, probably in Undeniable. Sorry if this seems really abrupt and wonky as a result, but I can't really relay what I want to from Cam's POV. I wish I could, honestly, but Cam is not a god. Too bad.

Anyway, if you guys liked this chapter, I would love if you would vote and leave me some feedback below! What do you think is going on with Matty? 'Cause I mean, she has a really complex life. Even without knowing what's going on with her, anyone could probably see that. Poor girl.