The Pieces of Us

Back to School

I had known Matthias for about a month by the time school started. Our 'relationship' had gone absolutely no where. We hadn't gone on a second date, and really at this point I didn't think that there ever would be one. For the moment, Matt and I were just friends. 

I texted him and told him that I would be down at the pet shop in a little bit. He didn't reply, but, knowing him, he probably got the text. 

I arrived at the pet shop a few minutes later, and I parked my bike at the entrance. I pushed the glass door open slowly, as I had done more constantly throughout the past few weeks. 

"Hey Matthias." I walked up to the counter and boosted myself up so that I was on the counter facing him.

"Hello." He didn't look up from the book that he was reading, obviously engrossed in the fictional world he was reading about. 

"How are you?"  I hoped he would snap out of it, but he only glanced up at me. 

"Reading," he replied curtly. I sensed the irritation in his voice. I raised an eyebrow and snatched the book right out of his hands. 

Matthias jumped right out of his chair. He was now fully aware. 

"Hey! I was reading that!" I laughed at him. 

"I hadn't noticed that you were totally ignoring me because you were so wrapped up in this book." I held the book by the front cover, letting it hang precariously. Then I got an evil idea. 

There's one thing that no one likes when it comes to entertainment. And you know what that is?

Spoilers.

"You know something? This book seems pretty interesting. And I wonder-" I flipped the book to the very back, searching for the last page of the book. "-I wonder how it ends." 

"Don't you dare. If you spoil this book I promise you that your death will be slow and painful, and I will laugh as I watch your last breath escape you." He glared at me fiercely. Who knew that he became incredibly eloquent when he was irritated? I certainly didn't,

I scanned the page for the last paragraph, my eyes finally gripping the words. 

"'I feel her breath on my lips-'" Matthias charged towards me, wrapping his arms around me, trying to grab at the book, which was so tantalizingly held just out of reach. I continued, "'-as we both whisper...'"

He stood up straight, using his height as an advantage. He grabbed one of my wrists, locking it in a death grip, and looking me dead in the. I felt a tingle in my wrist, and my heart sped up to a million beats a second. 

"Give the book back." His voice was rigid and cold, like an upset parent speaking to a disobedient child. It was actually terrifying in a way. In the strange twisted part of my mind I felt like it was the part of humanity that we never really saw in the friends that we didn't know very well.

We saw all the kind, funny, sweet ones. And we saw all the vulnerable broken pieces of them, but we never the cruel parts, the ones they buried deep inside their being, surrounded by a fortress of lies. The thing is, we all have one, but we never let it out, and I just saw his. Yeah, it wasn't pretty, but it was a sign of trust. 

I shut the book and handed it over to him. 

"The ending wasn't very good anyway." He quirked an eyebrow as if I had done something totally ridiculous. I almost took the book back, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"It's a very dull book. I know how it ends. It's very typical of a teen romance."

"Let me guess, the guy gets the girl?"