2nd Floor

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

April Scheel: Hey bro

Matt Scheel: Hi

April Scheel: I see you finally turned your messenger back on

Matt Scheel: Yeah.

April Scheel: remind me why you ditched it

Matt Scheel: because it was distracting me from my editing. That was my main reason. Now I need a distraction, you know, from all the rejection.

April Scheel: You're a drama queen matt. How many rejections have you actually got?

Matt Scheel: 7 So far.

April Scheel: cry me a river and go send out another query.

Matt Scheel: you should be nicer to me. I helped you write your resume.

April Scheel: where exactly in the sister code does it say I have to be nice?

Matt Scheel: in the clause about when your brother helps you land a cool job.

April Scheel: I'm reading that clause right now.... nope. Nothing about niceness. Sorry Mattie.

Matt Scheel: How's dad? Did that new hired guy stay on?

April Scheel: well he didn't turn up for milking today so I'm gonna say no

Matt Scheel: Not surprised.

April Scheel: you didn't even meet this one.

Matt Scheel: Mom mentioned him in her last email. He sounded real soft.

April Scheel: you're one to talk. You got out of milking any chance you got.

Matt Scheel: No. I hate waking up at 4am to go out in the fucking northern tundra. Need I remind you of the frostbite incident of 2000?

April Scheel: you only hate waking up that early because you stay up until 3am tap tapping on your laptop.

Matt Scheel: laugh now, sis, but when I'm a household name you won't mock my tappy tapping any more.

Matt Scheel: April?

April Scheel: sorry. Tim just came in from the barn. Cat had kittens in a grain sack and we're bringing them in before they freeze. Catch up later.

Matt Scheel: kk. Bye April.

Matthias puffed out his cheeks with a long breath and let the hand clasping his phone fall to the side. Talking to April was a double edged sword. Maybe that was why he had waited so long to turn his messenger back on. On one hand it was great to chat with the girl who had been his best friend for most of his life. On the other hand it reminded him that he wasn't home to help Dad with the cows, or their youngest brother, Tim, with the latest kitten related crises. He scrubbed his free hand through his hair and looked at his ceiling, counting water stains. He could feel his laptop behind him like it had eyes to stare with. Judging eyes. 'Get back over here and send out another query letter' eyes.

Matthias kicked one long leg up and rested his heel on the little table that held his TV. He could give in to the judgmental stare of his laptop, or, (better option) snag a nap right there in the beanbag.

He looked around his big, empty room and sighed. It was like the energy here didn't quite know where to go. Trav was right, this blank space wasn't him. Whether back home, or crammed into the dorms, or in the small place he had shared with Blake and Chris last year, there had always been clutter. Things to make it feel like home, even if that meant there was seldom a place to sit.