Under the Radar

Time Flies When You've Got Monsters Under Your Bed

The next few weeks went on in the same order. I would pick up Matt, go to school, go to Matt's safe house, hang out with him for a bit, have a small update meeting with Katy and Vy, and a quick conversation with Caroline before I went to bed.

Things were looking great. Oddly enough, Matt had proven to be sweet and, surprisingly, quiet humble. He volunteered for the Homecoming Committee and was voted All Around Best, Most Handsome, and Most Likely to Succeed. I laughed at the irony on his last award since he was already very successful. He stuck to his cover and didn't get too big-headed at all. He liked to stay close to me and I didn't mind. He proved to be a really good friend. He continued to surprise me.

During the second month of the mission, he offered to get Benny a puppy to play with while we were at school so he wouldn't be too lonely. Naturally, Benny declined. We did hang out afterschool often, but it was mostly to help him with with something at his request. He always seemed to have a problem that needed help from me specifically.

Sometimes we would just play a game or watch a movie. It was funny when we watched scary movies because Matt would pretend to get scared and squeeze my hand, turning into my side. I would laugh and pat his back. I knew he was just using it as an excuse to be close to me for remainder of the movie, but I didn't mind. He would hold me into him for the rest of the movie with a small satisfied smile on his face. I could see the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't looking. It was a bit overwhelming when I first caught him, but the more I caught him, the warmer it would make me feel.

Matt often asked me to help him with schoolwork. I had gotten by with all 100s so far, but Matt seemed to struggle with the material a bit more. I knew he was doing it on purpose, but I worked with him on it as long as he wanted anyway. That seemed to make him happy.

This went on for two more months. He always seemed to need my help or company... whatever it was. I remember he even asked me to stay longer because he thought that there was a monster under his bed. That had me rolling on the floor laughing with my eyes watering up and blurring my vision. Even he couldn't keep a straight face at that. He was laughing right along with me. He was good company though, and I found myself getting closer and closer to him even though it was potentially toxic.

I knew I'd gotten too comfortable with him, but I was my only witness. There was nothing wrong with enjoying the company of a friend. It made my job easier anyway. The days didn't drag on like they used to, and it was easier to keep an eye on Matt when he was always around. But spending so much time with him resulted in me spending less time with everyone else. That worked for me too. That meant that the others couldn't see what I'd become, how I had changed. Which meant I could go right on denying it.