The Low Life

1. Shooting Blanks

"One more week until Thanksgiving break... can i get a 'HOOT HOOT'?" Cameron yells.

"HOOT HOOT!" Matthew, Shawn, and Nash all yell.

The bell rings for the end of the school day and they all pack up their bags. Walking out of the room, Cameron turns to everyone. "So, guys. My sister is coming down from New York to visit me over the holidays. Nobody weird her out!"

Nash and Shawn look at Matt and laugh. Matthew is staring down at his phone on instagram. "Alright," he mumbles.

"Hey, whatcha doin on your phone anyway?" Nash asks and looks over Matt's shoulder. "Hey, is that Ginger?"

Nash sees a picture of Cameron's sister on Matt's feed with beautiful red-orange hair and blue eyes.

"What? No! Let's just go back to Cam's," Matthew says and shoves his phone back down into his pocket.

"Alright...?" Cam says, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, let's go!" The boys walk out of the school and hop into Cam's Convertible. They drive to Cam's house and see a beautiful red-head walking up the porch steps. "Ginger!!" Cam yells and she turns around. Matt looks up as he steps out the car and freezes. His jaw drops. Ginger is wearing a lose, long-sleeved dress that goes down to her knees. Her hair is tied up into a messy bun. Her brown leather boots are loosely tied.

"Hey, Cameron!" She yells. She runs to him and gives him a big hug. When she pulls away, she looks at all of the other boys. "Hey... Shawn is it?" Shawn smiles and gives her a hug. "Hey, Ginger." She pulls away and looks at Nash. "And you're Nash, but I'm completely shooting blanks with you," she says and points at Matt. Matt's heart breaks.

"Matthew," he mumbles and looks away.

"Oh," she says and they all walk in.

"Hey, lock me up, will ya?" Cam says and throws the keys at Matt.

"Sure," he says and walks around to the drivers side. He sticks the key into the door and turns, causing all the doors to lock. Silently, he walks back inside. Everyone is hugging Ginger and then they all sit down and eat dinner, Matt just goes through the motions. Soon, everyone starts to get ready for bed.

"You guys wanna sleep over?" Cam asks everyone.

Nash and Shawn say yes but Matt says no.

"Why not?" Ginger asks.

"I'm just not feeling it today, guys." Matt walks out of the house and across the street to his. Everyone looks at each other weird and discuss who's going to go follow after him.

Matt's POV

How could she not have remembered me? She even remembered Nash from her last visit, but not me? I've been obsessed with her. We even had a snap streak of 56, and she forgot who I was. The whole female student body would give anything for me to like them, but of course the one girl I like is completely clueless.

We even shared intimacy once! How could she not know who I fucking was? You don't just forget about someone who stuck their dick inside of you. I felt something last Thanksgiving but I guess she didn't.

"Matthew, wait!" I hear a female voice call from behind me and I turn around to see Ginger running to me.

"Oh, look. Someone knows my name!" I say sarcastically and applaud.

"I didn't actually forget your name," she says when she reaches me. She's breathing heavily and shivering. I should give her my jacket, but I'm still mad at her.

"So, 'shooting blanks'," I make air quotes, "isn't forgetting my name?"

"I couldn't make it obvious that I knew you," she says, rubbing her arms with her hands.

"Yes the fuck you could, G! Just because we had sex doesn't mean we need to act like strangers! We still hung out together in front of Cam!" I yell.

"I'm sorry!"

"You know, I thought I felt something with you. You made me feel some type of way last year, but I'm glad to know that the love only flows one way. Get the fuck out of my face," I say and turn around.

"Matt..." she says but I just keep walking. A tear flows down my eye and I walk up to my house and close the door. I'm not going to let someone like her phase me.

The Next Morning:

I wake up and get ready to go work out. I put on my grey joggers and grabbed my phone. When I walk out of the house, I see Cam, Ginger, Shawn, and Nash loading up their car. I turn to walk back inside when I hear "Matt!"

Groaning, I turn back around and walk over to them. "Hey, guys," I say.

"Yo. We're going to Disney, do you wanna come?" Cam asks.

"I'm fine," I mumble and keep walking.

"God, Matt. Stop being such an asshole and go to Disney with us!" Ginger yells and then stops. She looks around and everyone looks at me.

"You heard the lady," Shawn says and I roll my eyes.

"I'm going for my friends, not for you," I tell Ginger and go back inside to pack.

⏰

I load the car and close the trunk. When the trunk closes, Ginger appears. "Matt, can we talk?" I look at her and see pain in her eyes. Her hands are messing at her shirt.

"I have nothing to say to you." I clench my jaw and walk past her, leaving her standing there looking at me.

In the car, Cam puts on some of his music.

"I just got a pistol and put 30 rounds in. Pull up at yo mamma house and put some rounds in!" Cam yells. Shawn pulls out his phone and starts videoing.

"I'm on that slaughter gang shit! Murder gang shit! Slaughter gang shit! Murder gang shit!" Cam, Nash, and I yell. Shawn is laughing behind the camera and moving it up and down. Ginger sits in the passenger seat, quiet, her hands folded on her lap. She stares out the window.

"Alright, next song," Cam says and goes to change the channel.

I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie Worlllllldddd...

"Oh! Wrong song!" Cam quickly changed the dog and we all laugh.

"Don't... Don't, Don't play with her don't be dishonest!!" Shawn yells. I pull out my phone and start videoing everyone for my Youtube channel.

Nash and Cam start singing, "Still not understanding this logic, yeah, I'm back and I'm better."

"Better!" Shawn yells. I start laughing and look at Ginger, she just rolls her eyes. To make her life miserable, I decide to start filming her.

"And here we have an ugly Ginger in her natural habitat." She gives me a dirty look and smacks my phone out of my hand which goes into Cam's water. "AGHH YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I yell and quickly get my phone.

"Oops," she says sarcastically and continues looking out the window. I roll my eyes and the rest of the drive is silent.

~~~

Hey guys! It's Noelle, the author. So this chapter is a little boring but I hope you guys enjoyed it! :)) The next chapter is going to be more interesting!