reading between the lines

12

Matty's POV

I looked down at my phone and I had mass amounts of missed calls off Liam Amy and Louis so I decided I should probably head home, but I wasn't gonna rush back. Slowly, I took the long way home, nipping into Harry's mums bakery to get a milkshake, chocolate is the best flavour, especially the way Anne does it. It's mixed so its perfectly smooth and has a large swirl of squirty cream on the top with drizzles of chocolate sauce, mini marshmallows and little chocolate pieces. I thank her and pay and continue my dawdle home, sipping my version of heaven as I walk. 

As soon as i enter the house Liam is standing over me with a face of thunder, he is not a happy bunny. 

"hey liam" i say casually as i step the side and walk past him into the kitchen. I am about to get balled at.

"Do not 'hey liam' me matthew payne, i have honestly had enough of your stupid behaviour! It is not acceptable to go round starting fights with people for no reason! You're lucky that god damn school haven't suspended you after behaviour like that.!" Liam yells at me as he follows me into the kitchen.

"wait, I've not been suspended??" I ask, unable to hide the shock in my voice

"No, they're giving you the benefit of the doubt, god knows why, and you've not been suspended, your spending a week with harry and louis instead of going to your lessons. but your still doing your work." Liam says the last bit a lot firmer as if I'm the type of kid to not do work at the first chance he gets ( ;

"oh ok, but harry and louis, seriously? why can't i be with a teacher who won't give a shit, harry and Louis will try to mentor me to be a 'good pupil' and that is something which i am most definitely not." I protest even though i actually don't hate the idea of being in the music classroom for a week. 

"I'm not arguing with you matty, go to your room" Liam huffs, when liam huffs it means he's pissed off but too tired to shout so just gets overly moody. 

Being the good citizen of this house that i am, i decide to obey liam and make my way upstairs into my bedroom. Phone in hand, i flop back wards onto my bed and lie there with my earphones in, listening to my music in peace. Music is weird thing, it takes you away from reality and you just fall into the rhythm of the lyrics and try to uncover their deeper meaning. Don't tell anyone this cos I'll get bullied but I'd love to make music, be like One Direction, selling out tours all over the world and hearing people sing your lyrics back to you. The only word i can think to describe it is magical. 

I was deep in the world of champagne supernova when an earphone was pulled out if my ear, giving a sincere flashback to earlier that day and making me sit up in a startle. It was only Liam. Before I have chance to ask him what the fuck he's doing he tells me that Alfie is downstairs and wants to talk to me and that I'm apparently very lucky that I'm allowed to sew my friends at all cos of how poorly I've behaved. Whatever payno.

I make my way downstairs and sit on the sofa in between Alfie and Amy and I instantly know what about to come. Both of them are gonna interigate me about the fight and the try to counsel me. Time to end this shit before it starts.
"You both look very nice this fine autumn evening" I say in a desperate bid to distract them, at least for a short while.
"Yeh well you don't" Alfie interjects and Amy is quick to back him up, gently tracing her hand across the cut below my lip.
"Okay before you both start, I am not talking about what happened today. I just want to forget about it so Alfie if that's the only reason your here then you can sod off" I snap a bit too harshly at Alfie but I only realise when I look over at his half bewildered, half shattered expression and I instantly feel an intense amount of guilt as he gets to his feet.
"No Alfie don't go, I'm sorry" I plead
"See you tomorrow Matty" he says without looking me in the eyes as he makes his way out the front door.

"Well done Matty" Amy says, rather sarcastically before going to her room and fully closing her door, meaning she wants me to leave her alone.

I trudge up to my room and lie on my bed completely motionless as I run today's events through my head.
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7:35. Shiiiit I'm gonna be late for school.
I jump out if bed and quickly throw on my uniform and head downstairs and sit down next to Amy who get to her feet a few seconds later and says she'll see me at school and then she's gone. I check my phone to see a message from Alfie saying his mum is giving him a lift today. It feels like a ton of bricks has just fallen on top of me as all I feel is a sense of heaviness and perplexion. Why does everyone hate me, surely it can't be because of what I said last night. I just want my friends back.
I close my eyes to prevent the tears from falling and soon I feel louis' arm around my shoulders.
"Get your bag small-fry, me and Harry will give you a lift today" Louis says softly. Small-fry? Who is he calling small-fry? I guess that's a conversation for later on when I'm in a better mood, for now I just nod and get my school bag and jacket and go out to the car with Harry and Louis.

I sit on the back left seat and stare out the window for the entirety of the journey, hoping that somehow this daft town will disappear and I'll be transported to a world of my own where I don't have to deal with any AJ Pritchard's. A world where it's just me, my guitar and my music. And this may sound childish but it would just be fields and fields of different brightly coloured fresh grass, my old fashioned cottage house situated on a small hill in complete tranquility.

My mind continues to daydream about a far away made up land until Harry's Volvo parks in the school carpark and the schools bricks are towering over me. This is gonna be a bad day.