Coffee Shop Soundtrack (Marianas Trench)

Chapter Forty

“Hello?” 

“It’s me... I, uh, I’m hurt... can you come get me? Please?” 

“Of course, where are you?” 

“The, uh, the alley… s'a couple off main...” Matt mumbled into the speaker of the phone. 

“Okay, bud, I’ll be there in a minute. Are you alright on your own for a little bit?” 

“Yeah, I think.” 

“Alright, just hang in there.” Came Mike’s worried response. Matt made a barely audible groan as a reply but Mike had already hung up. It was ridiculous, Matt thought, that this wasn’t even the first time he had to call Mike to come help him when he was hurt. He was pathetic. His phone buzzed again, but he didn’t even have the energy to pick it up and check who it was from.  

Soon enough, he heard the screech of car tyres on tarmac, and soon enough two sets of footsteps were rushing towards him.  

“Matt?” Mike called. Matt barely stirred. “Matt, it’s me, okay? This is Miranda, she’s here to help.” Sure enough, when Matt allowed his eyes to flicker open, the girl from his chemistry class was standing close to his best friend, clutching his arm with a worried expression. 

“Mike, I know Matt. He’s in chemistry.” 

“Mm... hi.” Matt mumbled.  

“Oh, he’s bleeding.” Miranda panicked. “I don’t have anything to stop that." 

"I have something in my car." Mike interjected. 

“S’alright... ’M fine.” Matt tried smiling at his best friend but it didn't work as well as he'd planned. 

“Okay, let’s get you up. C’mon.” Miranda and Mike helped him to his feet, his boots scraping and scuffing against the hard pavement.  

“M’sorry.” Matt spoke up from the back of the car. Miranda sat next to him, keeping an eye out, as Mike drove worriedly.  

“Matt, don’t worry about it. I told you if you ever need anything, you can call me.” Mike replied. 

“Where’s Josh?” Miranda asked softly. Matt raised an eyebrow above the eye that wasn’t swollen shut. 

“Josh? He’s at h-home. H’hates me.” Matt huffed. “Th’girl at my work k-kissed me and J-Josh thought I was cheating.” 

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you, Matt, he loves you.”  

“Mm.” 

There was a couple of minutes silence, until Miranda leaned forward to speak to Mike.  

“Mikey, I think he’s got a concussion. Where are we going?” 

“I’m driving him to the hospital. Just gotta get him checked over.”  

Matt, unfortunately, heard this conversation, and struggled to sit up. “Mike, no, you know I can’t go to th-” 

“We haven’t got a choice, Matt. You can be as stubborn as you want but we just got to get you looked after properly.” Mike said firmly. “Do you know who did this?” 

Matt sighed, too dazed to answer, and looked out the window, before getting his phone out of his pocket. He checked the calls. “Sh-shit, Josh tried to call me. I gotta call ‘im back.” Matt dialled back the number with Miranda’s help, and then he cautiously held the phone to his ears, listening to the dial tone. 

“Hello? Matty?” Josh asked, panicked.  

“Yeah, s’me.”  

“Oh my god. I’m sorry. I’m the worst boyfriend ever. I know you wouldn’t do something like that, I love you, okay? I love you so fucking much. Come home, okay?”