Soul Bound: Genesis

Chapter Three

It felt as if the collar of his shirt was too tight, even though the top button was free to let him breathe. Thea's hands kept poking and prodding at him, fixing the creases in his shirt, the placement of his belt, the way his hair fell. He tried not to let the toxic scent of cologne knock him unconscious.

"Thea," Matt started, "this isn't a date. You don't have to try so hard."

"Yeah, but this is your first little party! My baby nephew's growin' up," she cooed.

"Thea," he whined.

She stepped back to look at him, an amused grin on her face. The look was simple but affective: a navy-blue buttoned shirt, slim black pants, and his regular shoes to make the outfit casual too. Matt scowled and shifted uncomfortably in his spot.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Nervous," he replied. "This isn't helping."

"Don't worry so much," she said. "There's nothing wrong with looking nice, you know. If anything, it's an eye-catcher."

"Which is why it makes me nervous," he muttered. "I'm fine with Becca, but I don't want to grab other people's attention."

"Believe me, everyone will be too busy partying with their friends to care. I was like you once, standing in nice clothes all anxious for my first party. Your dad was in my place, and he helped my confidence a lot, so now I'm doing the same for you."

The black-haired woman came up and took hold of her dear nephew's face. The bruises around his blue eye had faded throughout the week, leaving only a faint discoloration of skin. Thea brushed his hair back and said, "Bien simpatico."

Matt laughed and took the compliment without protest.

"All you have to do is stay calm, have fun, look good, and then you'll be golden," she chirped. "You have one of those down. Now you need the rest."

When he didn't respond to that, she leaned close and whispered, "And as a bonus, I'll take you to that Korean restaurant you like and get you the supreme deal."

Matt's eyes shifted up to her with coy intrigue. "And dessert?"

"And dessert."

The anxious teen took in a deep breath and lifted his shoulders. "Okay. I can do this."

She shook his arms and added, "Remember: you're golden!"

"Golden. Golden...," he murmured the mantra under his breath.

The sudden buzzing of his phone in his pocket caught his attention and he found that Pizza Girl was calling him. He tensed up and hissed, "It's her!"

"Answer it!" Thea hissed back.

"What do I say?!"

"Just answer it! Quit making it difficult!"

"Agggh!" he groaned loudly, right before clearing his throat and answering the call. "Hello?"

"Matt! I'm here to pick you up," Becca stated.

"Right. That was a thing we were doing."

The melodic giggle that came through the speaker made his head tingle. Thea heard it from her spot and gave a very enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"I'll be right out," he said, then ended the call.

"Knock 'em dead, bud. And text me!" Thea said before they parted ways. As soon as the door closed, his anxiousness kicked in. Was he forgetting something? Is that just his nerves talking? It's probably just nerves. A lot of them.