Devastating Smile

Matthew

Matt stared me down. He had somehow roped me into having lunch with him... I don't even know how. I've been trying to avoid him but it hasn't really been working.

Notice how Brennan just left. I was serious when I said I hadn't seen him in four months. He shows up for a little when he has to and immediately leaves. I can't stand that about him. I kind of thought he cared when him and Matt busted down my door, obviously not.

Matthew had pushed his food away and was resting his head on his interlocking fingers. He squinted his eyes at me, probably trying to intimidate me, but only making himself look idiotic. "When did this whole thing with Cameron start, Missy?"

Oh no, here we go. Momma getting tired of his tone, "First of all, don't give me that big judg-ie look. To answer your question though... umm, I don't know, remeber when you two spent the night before I moved out? I guess about then." I told him. Questioning myself of that was the right idea.

He looked completely shocked, "What... what? When, what did?... what?" Poor Matt. The thought never crossed his mind that this was going on right under his nose.

I took a big sigh, "That night, me and Cam talked a bunch. And when I moved out I screwed up big time. Cam helped me out and we started hanging out, and yeah. Basically just like that." I nodded to myself as I finished. That's all Matt needs to know, nothing else concerns him.

"Jade," he kinda paused. Finding the words, "I'm not trying to... upset, or judge you. Just... I feel like I've been lied to. Cameron was best friend long before you two ever started seeing each other and... neither of you cared to tell me. Me and are so much closer than either of us are to Brennan. Cam too, he was, is, my best friend. How could he not tell me."

I stared at him, my favorite brother. The one who I'd done all sorts of Caro for and he did the same for me. We had each other's backs.

Flashback

"DAMMIT JADE!!" Crap. Now you really pissed him off good job.

Matt chased me up the stairs where I hid in bathroom. I was only 8, for all I knew he was gonna beat me up. I didn't know that if he ever laid a hand on me there'd be hell to pay yet. Matthew just banged and kicked my door really hard until, "Crap, Jade open up. For real get out here."

He didn't sound mad anymore so I poked my head out. Matt had kicked a hole big ehiugh to get my head through in the front of the door, "We can't let mom and dad see." I said urgently.

It was just me and Matt at the house and we still had a few hours before our parents were home. We went into to full on carpenter mode.

We took a roll of brown duct tape and taped over it, then we went out to the shed and got a whole bucket of paint to paint over it. We couldn't find the rollie brushed so we used pages from an old book. The then didn't want to throw the stuff away for fear that our parent might spill the trash and see it. So while Matt cleaned up inside I hiked to the far side of our property in the middle of the woods and hid all the stuff that was now coated in paint.

Our parents didn't find out until several months later. My dad noticed the tape peeling and bent down to inspect it. I knew we were screwed then. All he said was, "never noticed that, ok."

Flashback end

"Matthew, you know how much each of us has done for the other. You know how much I rely and love you. I didn't tell you because of this very reason. The fact that you're upset. Did you get a good look at yourself when you and Brennan came through my door. I sure did. You guys were so mad. I didn't want that. I just wanted my brother to be proud of me. I was worried you'd be angry at me for dating Cam. Not vice-versa."

He sighed, "Don't you make me feel like a terrible brother." I laughed as I hugged him and drug his ugly but out the door.

Why does school exist. I don't understand