The Bad Boy's A Softie

VII

"Are you deaf?" Gwen said with attitude as she waved a freshly manicured hand back and forth in front of my face.

If we're being honest, I heard everything she said; quite frankly, I was just surprised. It wasn't Matthew's fault at all. Well, he wasn't really doing anything wrong by having someone over when I was supposed to tutor him. I was late, therefore he had every right to invite whoever he wanted over to his place. However, that does not necessarily explain what I was hurt about at that point in time.

"Sorry, Gwen," I looked at her and laughed when I saw Matthew appear behind her. His eyes widened and I noticed his jaw tighten at my sight. "Matthew, can you come out here for a minute? I won't be long," I said, running my hand up my arm.

"Actually, that's not necessary," Matthew stated flatly, walking up to the door frame to stand beside Gwen. I raised my eyebrows, feeling a small pang in my heart. My eyes watered slightly, but I rested my gaze toward my feet, blinking back the tears that begged to overflow.

"Oh. Well, nevermind, I guess. I'll just be going then. You two have fun, alright?" I said, clenching my teeth in order to keep a straight face. When I lifted my gaze for one last glance at the cringy couple, I swear I saw Gwen smirk.

I 'll admit it, I was pretty furious; I just wanted to talk to Matt about changing up the schedule for tutoring and he completely blew me off, hinting at the fact that I should leave. However, I was more upset than I was angry.

"No, wait, Willow! That's not what I meant," Matthew exclaimed before I had the chance to start walking away. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Gwen, I think you should go now," Matthew spoke under his breath, rubbing his temples. My eyes widened as I realized what he actually meant in what he said earlier.

Gwen looked over at him as a completely overdramatic gasp practically fell out of her mouth. "You what? Ugh, the good thing is that I was just about to leave before you knocked on the door," She said, clearly offended about the whole situation. Rolling my eyes, I waved her a mock goodbye as she grabbed her bag and walked out of Matt's mansion.

Just as she was getting into her car, she turned back to me and glared, saying, "this is so not over, pig."

I scoffed as I watched her slam her car door shut like the whiny spoiled brat she oh so clearly was and drive off. Turning back to Matthew, I crossed my arms over my chest and slightly raised an eyebrow. "You have a new toy now, huh? So much for that whole softie thing," I said, air quoting the word 'softie' as I walked past him into the familiar interior of his house.

I could sense his eyes on my backside as I started to make my way up the stairs; the action alone gave me a slightly self-conscious feel, and a shiver of nervousness ran a trail down my spine.

"I never lied to you about that, Willow," Matthew mumbled as he passed me on the staircase, the annoyance in his tone clearer than a cold glass of water.

I bit my lip to stop myself from retorting something childish and rubbed my arm as I finally reached the top of the stairs, craning my neck to my side in order to face him. He looked down at me, our height difference very clear, and for a flicker of a second I swear I saw something other than annoyance flash in his eyes -- sadness? Guilt, maybe? -- whatever it was, it was gone as quick as it came. After gazing into each other's eyes for a bit, his gaze softened and he sighed heavily, leaning against the railing of the top of the stairs that overlooked the wooden looking linoleum flooring a few feet below us.

"So, Queen Overdramatic is your girlfriend now, huh?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as I could. My voice basically came out as monotone and I sounded like a heartless woman for a second, surprising myself with my lack of emotions in my tone. I heard a dry, bitter laugh come out of his mouth as he turned and walked into his bedroom. The sound echoed off the acoustic walls of his house and I cringed knowing I'd probably crossed a line with the name calling.