Despite All Obstacles Part V

Lost Brothers

Friday, October 5th

This afternoon.

I'm in Chinese. I know we also have a Spanish teacher who only speaks Spanish. A lot of students are complaining about it, while some are actually benefiting from it. My Chinese teacher is actually Chinese, who's bilingual with English and Chinese. Her name is Ms. Wei and is actually from China.

I think Shortcake takes her for A.P. too. Shortcake also takes A.P. English with Matthew, since she learned English as her second language in Beijing. I'm in this class with peers who I don't even know.

"Patthew Thanksgiving, please report to the main office. Patthew Thanksgiving, please report to the main office," I hear Mr. Lawrence announce, and unfortunately for me (thanks to Matthew), they all know me.

"Ooooooooo," they all comment. Even this cool, laid-back Albino Goth is praising me in Chinese, "帕特，你现在是坏双胞胎了。" I knew what he just said. I cringe from hearing it.

I get up to get a hall pass from Ms. Wei and step out to the office.

I made it to the main office. I see Mr. Lawrence with Matthew. I know he has something to do with this. Mr. Lawrence tells me to come in. I walk in to sit beside Matthew, without looking at him. I can feel him staring at me with regret on his face. This feels like I'm actually being punished.

"I'll leave you two boys alone to talk to each other," Mr. Lawrence gladly tells us both as he leaves out and closes the door behind him. I slowly look at Matthew.

"Hey," Matthew says to me with a sorry smile.

"Hi," I say back with a straight face. Awkward silence. Matthew speaks first.

"I feel like a terrible brother after how I've affected your friendship with Barbara. I thought because since you're not really into her you two will still be friends. I don't think you should care if we did anything or not."

Is he for real? "But you two got the rest of us worrying sick even more about you both returning back to the campfire. She was my friend, and you're my brother. Both of you went behind my back and lied straight to my face."

"C'mon, little bro. At least, you've never got your heart broken by someone you loved so much," Matthew whines to me.

"Brittani used to hang with the Goths during junior high, because she was Goth too. She would brag about you being 'so cool and so hot' all the time to me, but never tried to ask you out because she thought you were 'out of her league'. She begged the cheerleaders to make her popular like you, so she could get your attention. You liked her too but was too shy to approach her. You had the courage to ask her out when she became a cheerleader. You thought she was the most beautiful and unique girl in the world. You thought she was perfect," I tell Matthew.

"Then, when Tricia made her a cheerleader for me, popularity went all over her head and started getting out of control after we've lost our virginity to each other. The girls had a problem with it and slut-shamed her to the point she became suicidal. Her adoptive Catholic parents took her out of here. She gave the Palm Trees school system a bad review. No other private school wanted her. She ended up in East Pasadena High, a public high school that almost got shut down due to its reputation," he tells me this now.

I remember Brittani tried to get with me too before they actually done it in his room that day. Once Matthew went to his room, she tried flirting with me. She was lucky she didn't get caught and our parents weren't home, especially mom. Mom would've fought her and dragged her out, like she did Matthew from his room. Looking back at it it's kind of funny.