The Life of Matt Summers, Part 1
by Flaming Matt
Chapter 3
Martha then opens the front door and watches as Sarah slowly walks the short distance to her house, she is closely followed by Edward who is carrying her sleeping son, she then opens her front door and lets Edward inside first and follows him upstairs to her sons bedroom, where Edward then lays the boy on to his bed before saying his goodbyes to Sarah, he then leaves her to look after him and lets himself out of the house, making sure to lock the door behind him.
When Sarah hears the front door shut, she looks down to her sleeping son and being as carefully as she can to not wake him up, starts removing his shirt and trousers followed by his socks, she decides to leave his underwear on and pulls his bed sheets over him, but before leaving she leans down and lightly kisses him on the forehead before leaving his room and heading towards her own room to sleep.
The Next Day
"Come on Matt, I have to leave for work soon, so if you want a lift to school today then you better get your ass into gear young man." David shouts up to his son, who is only just forcing himself up and out of bed.
"Okay Dad, now getting up." Matt shouts back followed by a long yawn, usually he is the first to wake up in the mornings, especially school days and isn't used to being woken up and stumbles around his room trying to organise his school bag.
"Don't be long, just take a quick shower and then come get some breakfast, I made you bacon, egg , sausage and toast so hurry up I leave in twenty minutes, with or without you." David shouts up to his son with a grin.
"Okay sounds great, will be in the shower in a few minutes Dad." Matt replies without really paying attention to what his dad just said, if he had than he definitely wouldn't have been in any hurry to have breakfast, his dad has many talents but cooking is definitely not one of them.
Matt manages to finally get his school bag sorted out, he then quickly gets his school clothes out and neatly folds them on his bed for when he comes out of the shower, feeling a little flustered at all the rushing around he is having to do, so he takes a quick rest before glancing at his clock and shakes his head wondering why he had slept in, for as far back as he could remember he had never slept past six am on a school day unless he had good reason too.
He then gets up after deciding it is pointless trying to figure it out and pulls a towel out from his chest of drawers, he then decides he doesn't need to worry about wearing anything to the bathroom as it was only across the hall and his mum was probably with his dad downstairs and is about to strip off when he notices he is only in his tighty whiteys and scratches his head wondering where his clothes are, he doesn't remember taking them off, in fact he doesn't even remember going to sleep, the last thing he can remember was sitting in the Taylor's living room.
After thinking about it for a few more seconds he decides to just take a shower and quickly pulls his underwear down and kicks them aside, he then picks the towel back up and heads straight to the bathroom and shuts the door behind him and places the towel on the table next to the sink, he then decides to take a pee and walks over to the toilet before finally getting in the shower, where he stands straight under the shower head and without hesitating turns it on, letting the almost freezing cold water hit him and sighs as he feels his body come to life, he really did love the feeling he got when that first blast of water hits his body, eventually the water warms up and he begins to soap his whole body before washing off and reluctantly getting out of the shower.
Back in his room he quickly throws the towel in the dirty laundry bin along with his earlier discarded underwear, he then goes to his bed and quickly gets dressed before heading downstairs to the smell of a not so great smelling breakfast.
"What are you doing Dad?" Matt asks him as he spots his dad in front of the cooker, David hears his son and turns around smiling, he knows that his cooking is legendary for all the wrong reasons but takes great delight at watching his son reaction, as he finally realises what he is going to be eating for breakfast.
"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm cooking you your favourite breakfast." David responds while still smiling, before turning his attention back to the already burning bacon.
"But why, where's Mum?" Matt asks in a slightly deflated tone, he can't help but look around the table at the food already cooked, although cooked may be the wrong word to use in this case.
"Your Mum had to go into work early, so she challenged me to cook you your favourite breakfast without putting you in hospital son and if I succeed then I get a reward." David says and tries to keep a straight face, Matt however isn't in the mood for joking around and ignores his dads attempts to bait him.
"Er... can't I just eat something at school Dad? I'm not feeling hungry right now." Matt asks almost pleadingly, hoping he really doesn't have to eat what is in front of him.
"Nonsense Son, I couldn't send you to school on an empty stomach, what kind of dad do you think I'm, now sit your little bum down and enjoy your breakfast, I have a reward to win if you make it without dying." David says and starts to struggle to keep his straight face, as he dumps the burnt bacon on top of the other stuff already on his sons plate.
"Dad but I er... but er... Dad do I really" Matt stutters, as David tries not to laugh at his son, who is now poking at the contents on his plate with a sad look on his face, David then realises he may have taken the joke too far when he sees his son is genuinely getting a bit upset, so he decides to quit while he is ahead and knew his wife wouldn't be amused if he really upset him, so he looks over to his son and starts laughing loudly, causing Matt look at him in surprise.
"Dad why are you laughing?" A confused looking Matt asks, he really wasn't enjoying how his day is turning out and he hasn't even left the house yet.
"Well Son, I have a little confession to make." David then states, looking every bit as guilty as he sounded.
"A confession? Dad stop being silly and just tell me what's going on." Matt tells his dad and David can tell that he is clearly getting frustrated.
"Well when I got home early from my little trip, your Mum told me make sure you don't over sleep, because she was going out with Martha and well I just couldn't resist having a little fun at your expense, I have to say though I'm a little surprised you haven't figured it out yet, you really must have had a long day yesterday." David half explains, with a devilish smile on his face as his son just looks on totally confused by the whole situation.
"You mean you only made breakfast as a joke, I don't have to eat it, did Mum make something already?" Matt fires back at his dad in response, clearly and to David's amusement still seems completely confused.
"Well the breakfast was just for effect son, you see the real joke is, well this is so funny I honestly can't believe you still haven't worked it out yet and to think we are always praising you up, you just wait until I tell everyone about this." David then says chuckling, but can't resist dragging this out a little longer.
"Dad stop being mean and just tell me." Matt tells his dad and David can't help but melt as he looks at his son, who is now pouting and decides to own up to his son.
"Matt what day is it today?" David then asks in a casual tone and can't help but grin a little bit.
"It's Sunday Dad, so stop messing around and tell me what the big...." Matt starts to say and can already feel the blood rush to his cheeks as he blushes with embarrassment, when it all suddenly clicks in his head.
"So it is and just how many schools open on a Sunday afternoon?" David then asks, as he still manages to act casual, whilst trying not to laugh after the look of confusion returns to his sons face.
"Afternoon? But it's not even seven in the morning Dad." Matt states and before he even has to look at his dad, he knows he has been tricked. "You changed my clock didn't you?" He asks despite already knowing the answer.
"I did indeed Son." David simply states in triumph, he then looks at his son and can't help but laugh when he starts pouting.
"I'm so going to get you back for this old man." Matt states with confidence as he flicks a fork full of his dads sad attempt at breakfast, straight between his eyes before quickly jumping up from his seat and making a run for it while giggling.
"Why you little shit..." David says in a surprised tone and quickly wipes the mess from his face, before giving chase to his soon to be dead son, but just as Matt is about to climb the last step he slips and lets out a small yelp as he falls flat on his face, while bashing his knee against the top step in the process and yelps again, David seeing his son trip is about to laugh, but soon becomes concerned when sees that his son isn't getting up and quickly rushes up to him.
"Matt... are you okay mate?" David asks nervously as he gently shakes his son and relaxing slightly as his son lets out a little groan, David then decides to pick him up and take him to his room, where he lays him gently on the bed, he then gently rubs his sons head as he starts to open his eyes and slowly comes round fully.
"Ouch, what happened Dad?" Matt groans and reaches his hand up to rub his head and then with his other hand tries to rub his knee, which hurts just as much.
"You just had a fall, what have we told you about running up and down the stairs?" David lectures his son, before mentally slapping himself, this really isn't the right time for a lecture, so he goes back to gently stroking his sons head and smiling reassuringly to put his son at ease, so that he knows he is not in trouble.
"Sorry Dad, I was just scared because this big ugly beast was chasing me and it smelled so bad." Matt then says before giggling, but he quickly winches and lets out a small groan.
"See that is what you get for being a cheeky little monkey, now how about you get changed and come downstairs, I will get the first aid kit and give you a quick look over okay?" David states in a caring tone.
"Thanks Dad, my knee hurts as well and it really stings, I hope I haven't ruined my trousers Mum will go mad." Matt then says, while checking himself over with a worried look on his face.
"You're fine Matt, there aren't any rips or scuffs so just get changed and I will fix you up." David reassures his son again before ruffling his hair, he then stands up and leaves his sons room and makes his way down stairs.
Later that day Sarah opens her front door after a very nice day out with Martha and can't wait to just sit down and relax in the living room, but as she walks in the room she has to stop and her jaw almost hits the floor as the sight of her son sitting on the couch with what looks like a turban on his head and about five rolls worth of bandage wrapped around his left knee, she is about to say something, but Matt already hears her come in and turns to face her with a shy grin on his face.
"Oh, hey Mum have a good day?" Matt asks, acting casually as if nothing is out of place.
Just as she is about to answer though, David walks into the room and casually sits in his chair next to the couch.
"Afternoon Honey, have a nice day out with Martha?" David then asks with a straight face.
"Don't you 'Honey' me David what the hell happened to him?" Sarah asks sharply and points over to their son who is trying to stifle a giggle and is clearly amused at his mums reaction.
"Calm down, he just had a little fall and bumped his knee and head, so I fixed him up with a couple of bandages." David responds, still maintaining his straight face, which is more than can be said for his son who is giggling and snorting away, even Sarah can't help but smile at her husbands remark about using a couple of bandages as she looks back over to her son.
"I leave you two boys home alone for a few hours and look at the state of you and what is that awful smell?" Sarah then says trying hard not to smile, as she scrunches up he nose, but David just looks confused as he sniffs the air and doesn't smell anything out of the ordinary.
"That would be Dad's attempt at a fry up Mum, I would say you wouldn't believe me if I told you how bad it was, but well you can smell it for yourself." Matt then explains, before turning towards his dad and sticking his tongue out before bursting into a fit of giggles.
"You little shit..." David starts to say before being cut off.
"David!." Sarah says sharply cutting her husband off for swearing in front of their son.
"Sorry dear." David responds a little sheepishly, before giving a mock glare to his son who is still giggling away, he is then about to mention how he tricked their son into thinking he had to go to school to wipe the smug look on his face off but thinks better of it, he isn't quite sure his wife would be best pleased at him playing a joke on their son and it resulting in him getting hurt and reluctantly keeps his mouth shut.
"Can I take this stuff off now please, it's getting hot and I need to take a shower, I almost smell as bad as Dad's cooking and I want to go out and play with Ben for a while." Matt suddenly asks, now that he was up and it was already the afternoon he wanted to make the most of what is left of the day and knew Ben would play with him.
"That is probably for the best, I need to have a quick word with your Dad anyway, so hurry along and don't forget to give me a kiss and a cuddle before you go see your friend." Sarah says before ruffling her sons hair and watches him as he makes his way out of the room, but just as he is about to leave the room David can't resist messing with his son a little bit more.
"Matt don't be too late coming home, you don't want to over sleep for school tomorrow." David states with a straight face and watches as his son stops in his tracks and turn around looking angry and David quickly starts to regret teasing his son and starts wondering if he is going to tell Sarah how he had fooled him a few hours ago, but while his wife is distracted he quickly gives his son a serious, yet half pleading look and smiles nervously as his son just winks at him.
"Your Dad is right Matt, be in before dark and have your school stuff ready before you go to sleep and don't worry about him trying to poison you again, I will make you a real fry up in the morning, I can't have you going to school on an empty stomach." Sarah says as she gives her son a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Aww Mum, don't be so embarrassing." Matt says as his mum kisses him and he makes a quick escape to his room to avoid any further embarrassment, David then gets up and gives his wife a loving kiss before heading to the kitchen to make them both a cup of coffee.
"So what do you need to talk to me about Honey? Is everything all right?" David asks before handing her the freshly made coffee and sitting down opposite her.
"It's nothing serious but it is important David." Sarah responds as she takes a quick sip of her coffee.
"Well come on Sarah you're starting to worry me, just say what you have to say and we can talk about it together." David says and stretches his hand across the table and gentle takes hold of his wife's hand.
"I think you need to spend more time with your son and less time at work David, I know our jobs are important and I'm not saying you need to find another job, but after talking with Martha she told me that he misses spending time with you." Sarah explains and David just looks at her trying to digest what she is telling him.
"How can he miss me Sarah, we see each other almost every day, so I don't really understand what you're trying to say." David replies honestly, he really didn't think he worked that much and certainly didn't think he was neglecting his son.
"Well I think that is the point, you may see each other a lot, but how many of those times do you actually spend any quality time with him David, he is at the age where he really needs you more than he probably even knows." Sarah explains and hoping her husband understands what she is trying to tell him.
"Well I don't know what to say really, honestly I didn't realise that we haven't spent as much time together as we did back in England, but he never said anything and he always seemed happy enough." David responds and tries to go over the last two years in his head to think about how much quality time they had spent together.
"I know David, I mean I didn't even notice it either so don't think I'm having a go at you, I guess these things just happen and honestly if it wasn't for Martha and Edward we wouldn't even be having this conversation." Sarah replies and gently squeezes her husbands hand, she really didn't want him to think she was blaming him.
"What do Martha and Edward have to do with all of this?" David then asks in in a confused tone.
"You remember I told you about last night and the story they told about him playing the piano and singing to them. well they also mentioned that he broke down in tears and confessed that he really missed you and said that you were spending to much time at work instead of with him, they would have told us at the time but they just forgot and it wasn't until Edward was retelling the story that they remembered." Sarah answers, trying her best to explain things as clearly as she can.
Before David can reply though their son suddenly appears at the door way looking extremely happy.
"Mum all my school stuff is ready for tomorrow, is it okay to go now, I want to spend a few hours with Ben before it gets too late please." Matt asks, while using his beast puppy dog eyes.
"Okay sweet heart, but come and give me a hug and kiss before you go and your Dad as well." Sarah tells him with a smile and she couldn't help noticing how her son was dressed and the fact that he had made an effort with his hair.
Matt wanting to see his friend, decides to get this over with as quickly as possible and gives his mum a quick kiss and cuddle before walking over to his dad and gives him a light hug before pulling away, he then makes his way out of the house to meet Ben and as son as their son leaves Sarah turns around and notices a strange look on her husbands face.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asks wondering what was going on inside her husbands head.
"Maybe you're right Sarah, he barely even noticed me sitting here." David responds with a little sadness in his voice, he was not big on being overly affectionate with his son, but he couldn't help noticing the difference between the way his son had cuddled and kissed his mum, whilst barely even managing a hug when it came to him and it did open his eyes.
"Honey he was just excited to go see Ben, you know how close those boys are so don't take it personally, he couldn't get out of here quick enough." Sarah quickly reassures her husband, although she had picked up on the way their son had cuddled them differently.
"I know they are close, but it also proves the point you were making, we have drifted apart since we came here, we always made time for each other back in England, I'm just not sure what we can do, he seems happy and has a good circle of friends, do we even know if he still feel the same way he did last year?" David then states questioningly.
"Well our jobs are very important to us, but we aren't exactly short of cash and as a start we could cut down on the over time couldn't we, the amount of time your phone rings and they call you in is a little bit excessive." Sarah suggests before taking a few moments to think of what else to say. "As for whether he is fine now, well maybe he has just gotten used to missing you and is trying to just ignore it, kids his age can be to embarrassed to talk about those kind of feelings." She then states, hoping her husband agrees.
"I think you're right, we both, well actually more me I guess, need to put more time in, how about this weekend I take him away somewhere, just the two of us?" David suggests, thinking he might as well get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
"It's a good idea but maybe not the best time, why not spend a bit of time with him after he gets home from school and then ask if he wants to go anywhere in a few weekends time, maybe even see if he would like Ben to join you." Sarah suggests in a hopeful tone, she knew that if they just forced their son to spend time with them, it could do more damage than good, no one likes being forced to do something, even if it is something you want to do.
"Wouldn't inviting Ben defeat the whole purpose of me spending quality time with Matt though, I don't have anything against the boy, but it would probably end up with them two playing around while I sit and watch." David replies honestly and without much enthusiasm for Ben being around.
"I think it will work to your advantage, Ben is a massive part of his life now, so it might be a good idea to get to know both boys and honestly they are going to be friends for a long time David and will want to be around each other." Sarah states as she tries to make her point as clear as possible.
"I think I understand what you're saying, but would still rather it just be me and Matt, I will talk to him about it later in the week and see how it plays out, if he asks for Ben to come a long then I won't say no, but if he doesn't ask then it won't even be an issue." David decides to answer, hoping his wife doesn't try to push Ben tagging a long any more, he definitely isn't keen on the boy being around too much, but he is a man of his word and he won't actively try to keep it from happening, but deep down even though he knows the boy has had a positive effect on his son, he is also wary of just how close they are and it isn't something he wants to encourage.
They continue to talk about it for a little while longer, until they both are happy with their plan to spend more time with their son, they know it won't be something they can fix over night, if in fact there is anything to actually fix and know that their son could be perfectly happy with the way things are now, but they aren't prepared to take the chance that their son isn't really happy and want him to be do whatever they can to make sure he is okay.
The Next Day
Matt wakes up after a very satisfying sleep, he stretches out and looks over to his clock smiling to himself, he then climbs out of his bed and looks around and realises his room is not exactly looking tidy and knowing he has all his school gear already ready, he decides to do a little tidying up before taking his routine early morning shower and spends almost fifteen minutes picking things up and putting them in their correct places, he then quickly checks his clock again and is satisfied he has done a good enough job of tidying up and heads to the bathroom to take his much earned shower, twenty five minutes later he finally heads downstairs feeling refreshed, to the smell of frying bacon, but when he walks into the kitchen his face scrunches up as he stands looking at his parents kissing each other a little too enthusiastically.
"Eww that's just gross, aren't you too old to be doing that stuff." Matt states, before pretending to vomit over the floor, much to the amusement of his parents who reluctantly end their passionate kiss.
"You can never be too old Son, you never know you may get a little brother or sister out of it." David replies with a straight face, as he watches his sons face scrunch up again in a mixture of confusion and repulsion.
"That's how you make babies?" Matt then asks naively, causing both his parents to look at each other in slight horror, at the realization that their son may be closer to the birds and the bees talk then they had anticipated, although they definitely don't want to deal with that can of worms right now and Sarah quickly changes the topic of conversation.
"Don't be silly, now why don't you eat your breakfast before it gets cold and then we better hurry up, you don't want to be late for school." Sarah tells him, but not really thinking it through.
"Mum are you feeling okay?" Matt asks in confusion, he takes a quick look at the time and then back at the table, before turning back to his mum.
"Yeah I'm fine thank you, are you feeling okay?" Sarah answers, still not realising what she said before.
"Well yeah, but you still haven't finished cooking the breakfast and I have like an hour before school and it is only a ten minute drive." Matt states, while looking a bit dumbfounded at how flushed his mum looks and David can only laugh and he quickly announces the need to use the bathroom, leaving his blushing wife high and dry.
"Oh right sorry, I guess I was just distracted a little bit, why don't you make me and your dad a coffee and get yourself an OJ while I finish breakfast." Sarah suggests to her son, hoping to avoid any more questions.
"Okay Mum and don't worry it isn't always easy to tell the time, I sometimes get it wrong too." Matt then says in a serious yet reassuring tone, but Sarah just smiles at her son and ruffles his hair and is more than happy to let him think she had trouble telling the time, rather than asking any more questions about where babies come from.
After finishing his breakfast and getting changed into his school uniform, Matt waits patiently outside the house for his mum, who had forgotten the car keys, after a few minutes she finally emerges and they both get in the car, they then both make small talk to pass the time before eventually pulling up outside the school and Sarah can't help but smile when she notices Ben waiting by the gates for her son.
"Have a good day at school sweetheart and don't get in any trouble." Sarah tells her son who just rolls his eyes, he then gets out of the car and starts walking towards the school gates before quickly running back to the car and kisses his mum goodbye.
"Have a good day as well Mum, I love you." Matt then says before turning around and running over to his friend, who was smiling after seeing how affectionate he was with his mum.
Sarah can't help but smile and wonder what she did to deserve her son, she really did feel like the luckiest mum in the whole world and as she sits and watches the boys disappear into the mass of children in the playground, she finally starts the car again and makes her way to work.
"I still can't believe you do that in front of everyone." Ben tells his friend as they make their way over to their other friends.
"Do what in front of everyone?" Matt asks, although he already knows what his friend is talking about.
"You know kiss your mum, you do it every time she drops you off, most kids wouldn't do that at home let alone at school where everyone can see you." Ben explains with a small smile, he actually was a little jealous because he wouldn't ever be able to do that to his own mum ever again.
"I don't know, I just love her and that is how you show someone you love them." Matt answers honestly, he and his friend have had this conversation many times, although he wasn't sure why his friend kept asking, he just figured it was important to him and even though he didn't understand why, he was his friend and friends look out for each other.
"You always say that." Ben says reflectively, as they almost reach their other friends.
"Well it's true, I don't care what other people think and no one ever makes fun of me about it." Matt then states and places an arm around his friends shoulder.
"I know it's just sometimes I..." Ben starts to say, but before he can finish, their group of friends spot them approaching and call them over, Matt though can't help but feel annoyed at the timing, he was sure his friend was about to say something important, so before they reach their friends he leans closer to him.
"Ben let's talk later, you know you can trust me and I want to help if something is wrong okay?" Matt whispers in his friends ear, making sure no one else can hear him and without out saying anything Ben just looks up at him and nods.
"God could you two walk any slower?" Jordan states in a mocking tone, as the boys finally sit down.
"Yeah we were wondering if you would even make it before school finished." Patrick adds with a smirk.
"Shut up guys, as if we could we could risk letting you lot go to class without us." Ben says with a cheeky expression.
"I think we could manage without you halfwits." Jordan snaps back quickly, with a huge grin on his face.
"You would think so, but without me or Ben to copy from, how are you going to fool the teachers into thinking you had a brain Jordan." Matt retorts with a smile and the other boys start laughing, Jordan however is just glaring at him, although he doesn't hate Matt he definitely doesn't like him and still doesn't understand why Ben thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread, in fact if it wasn't for Ben he would have beat him into the ground for talking to him like that.
"Calm down Jordan, if you go any more red we will have to put sun cream on." Ben mocks as he tries to cut the tension, he knew Jordan isn't that keen on Matt and he doesn't want to take any chances that he will over react and do something stupid.
"What ever." Jordan responds, sounding like a spoilt child.
"Jordan if you can't take a joke then don't dish them out, now lets head to class so we aren't late." Ben states, he is getting tired of his friends attitude and doesn't feel like dealing with him and gets to his feet and reaches his hand out to Matt and helps him to his feet, they then start walking to class, closely followed by Barry, Carter and Patrick, but just as they are about to walk into the school he takes a look over his shoulder and smiles as he sees Jordan walking behind them, although he can't help but notice the expression on his friends face and wonders if something is going on with him.
The boys arrive outside the English class just as the bell rings and are pleased to be the first there and quickly take their normal seats and watch as the rest of the class slowly take their own seats, the boys early appearance hadn't gone unnoticed by their teacher who smiles at the boys enthusiasm, although he is well aware that the boys are the same in every class they attend and isn't just because they are keen to learn English.
"Okay, everyone settle down, you have plenty of other classes to talk and make a nuisance of yourselves, but in this class you will pay attention do you understand?" Mr Jones states firmly.
Although he has a placid nature, Mr Jones is all business when it comes to teaching and doesn't tolerate disrespect or troublemakers in his class, which is a by-product of his private education when he lived and grew up in England, he is however a realist and knows kids will be kids, so he doesn't mind the odd conversation as long as it doesn't disrupt his class and over the years he has discovered that by being a little flexible without compromising his class plan, the kids respond better to what they are being taught.
"I said, do you understand." Mr Jones then asks again, just to see who is paying attention and smiles to himself as a few heads snap to attention.
"Yes sir!" the class responds almost in unison and he gives an approving nod to the class.
"Very good class, well now that I have your full attention, normal rules apply, keep any chatter to a minimal and concentrate on the lesson, I know you have heard this before but I don't want to waste my time, as you lot sit there ignoring everything I say because you have more important things to discuss, like why Benjamin's hair looks like he just got out of bed or why Matthew smells like he fell in a vat of his mums perfume, so everyone on their best behaviour." Mr Jones then says with a smirk on his face, although ever the professional he can't help but like Ben and Matt and can't resist embarrassing them a little.
"Sir!" Both boys protest in unison, as the rest of the class erupt into laughter and Mr Jones lets them have a bit of fun before deciding enough was enough.
"Okay settle down now, right today we are going to pick up from where we left off last week, so everyone get out your books and pay attention." Mr Jones states and without waiting for any reply he begins the lesson.
"Ben I'm really sorry for earlier." Jordan suddenly whispers as he leans over to his friend, causing the group of friends to all look at him.
"It wasn't me you threw a hissy fit at Jordan." Ben says bluntly, he just wasn't in the mood to deal with his friend.
"Fine, then I guess we should just pay attention to class then." Jordan coldly replies and turns away from the group and focuses on what their teacher is saying and Ben realises he should have handled that better and felt bad.
"Oh come on Jordan don't be an ass, I don't even know what your problem with Matt is, he hasn't ever done anything to you." Carter suddenly says surprising everyone, he rarely ever got involved in the groups arguments, so they all looked at him in shock.
"It's okay Carter, it doesn't bother me mate but thank you for having my back." Matt says smiling in appreciation.
"Shut up sissy boy." Jordan suddenly sneers at Carter, but suddenly feels a sharp pain spread across his leg and turns to see Ben staring coldly at him.
"Jordan I think you better shut up, I don't know what your problem is but don't take it out on us, we are your friends and you don't talk to friends like that." Ben states sternly and turns away from Jordan not wanting to speak with him any more, he had felt guilty a few moments ago for not accepting his friends apology, but now he is back to be angry him.
The rest of the class passes slowly with an air of awkwardness surrounding the boys, which doesn't go unnoticed by their teacher who was looking at Jordan and smiling to himself, he then checks the time to see that the class is almost finished.
"Okay the bell will ring in five minutes, so everyone can start getting ready for the next class, I want you all ready before the bell rings and anyone not ready will get detention." Mr Jones informs his class, although serious with his threats of detention, he rarely ever needed to enforce it, although he still likes to remind his class that if they do step out of line then there are consequences.
"Yes sir!" The class responds in unison.
"Jordan I need you to stay after class for a few moments, there is something we need to discuss." Mr Jones states and enjoys the look on the young boys face, unknown to Jordan though, who is starting to get nervous, he was going to find out his teacher had heard him calling his friend a sissy boy and he was going to regret those words.
"Okay Sir." Jordan says with a worried expression, which gains a curious look from Matt, but when his friend just glares towards him he turns away and concentrates on making sure he is ready for the bell.
The bell finally rings and everyone makes their way out of the classroom except for Jordan who now has a sad and almost scared look on his face and when Matt takes one more look to his friend before he leaves, he gets a bad feeling in his heart and is about to try and speak with him, when his teacher stands next to him.
"Run a long now Matthew, you don't want to be late for your next class now do you?" Mr Jones instructs the young boy and Matt can't help but notice the tone of his teacher and can't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
"What about Jordan Sir, he looks upset, is he in trouble?" Matt asks and was genuinely concerned about his friend, sure they aren't close and Jordan doesn't seem to like him, but they were still friends.
"That isn't any of your concern Matthew, we just have a few things to talk about and I'm sure he will catch you up in no time, now I won't tell you again, run a long." Mr Jones states and ushers him out the room, before turning back to Jordan with a smirk.
"Now what are we going to do with you Jordy, such a potty mouth you have and you know what I do to potty mouths don't you." Mr Jones then says without taking his eyes of the boy, as he walks back towards him.
"I didn't do anything though Sir, I promise I didn't do anything wrong... please don't." Jordan starts to plead, much to the amusement of his teacher.
"A potty mouth and a liar, you disappoint me Jordy, I really thought you were finally making progress." Mr Jones states before letting out an over the top sigh. "I guess we will have to start all over again won't we, you know Jordy back in England I could have sorted you out in no time but it's okay, I have all the time in the world to straighten you out, well straighten might not quite be accurate." He then adds in a cold emotionless voice that sends a shiver down Jordan's back, then just as he grabs the boys arm the bell rings again to signal that the next class is now starting. "Saved by the bell it seems Jordy, don't worry though, I will be phoning your parents later to recommend some extra tuition this Saturday, wouldn't that be nice Jordy?" He then informs him before lifting the boys face.
"Yes sir." Jordan responds in a defeated tine, he was desperately trying to hold back tears, he hated his teacher and wishes this wasn't happening to him.
"Good boy Jordy, now run a long and remember this is our little secret." Mr Jones then states before releasing the boy with a callous smile and walks back to his desk, ready for the next class to come in and watching in amusement as the boy wipes his eyes and quickly leaves the room, once he is outside the room Jordan wipes his face again and tries to compose himself as he quickly makes his way to the next class and knows he is going to be a few minutes late for it and just hopes he doesn't get a detention and as he stands outside the classroom he meekly opens the door and enters the room and decides to not sit with his friends, he knows he can't keep himself together if he sits with them so instead takes a seat at the back of the room on his own and slumps down.
"Ben, I'm worried about Jordan." Matt whispers to his friend.
"Matt he is being a jerk, let's just concentrate on the class okay, it isn't our fault if he is late." Ben replies coldly, he was fed up with his friend and just wants to concentrate on the class.
"Ben he's already here, he just went straight to the back and is sitting on his own, he looks upset." Matt points out after realising his friend hadn't noticed their friend was in class, Ben then takes a quick glance over his shoulder before looking back at his friend.
"It will do him good to sulk for a little while, Mr Jones probably heard him call Carter a sissy boy, you know Mr Jones doesn't miss anything in class and it serves him right." Ben states, he is still annoyed at his friend behaving like a jerk and what he had said to Carter was going to far.
"Oh come on, he was being a jerk, but like you said earlier, we are all friends and we stick together." Matt responds in a firm tone, making his friend look at him and blush.
"Yeah come on Ben, I'm not mad at him and I'm the one who got called a sissy boy, so don't be angry please." Carter suddenly says and again surprises the others by joining in the conversation.
"Yeah come on, don't be a jerk Ben, we got Jordan for that crap we don't need you as well." Patrick then blurts out with a grin on his face, earning a big smile from the rest of the group.
"How about if me and Patrick go sit with him and you guys stay here, it will probably be easier to talk with him without us all hassling him." Barry then suggests and the others nod in agreement, so after a few moments, both boys stand up and head over to the back and sit next to their friend, who actually manages a small smile but doesn't say anything.
"I think you should talk to him alone Ben, you two have been friends since like forever and if anyone can find out what is going on it's you." Carter then suggests after watching his two friends join Jordan, he knows that Matt would be the last person Jordan would want to talk to and despite what he said earlier, he himself doesn't want to talk to his friend right now after what he had called him, so getting Ben to talk with him alone is the only realistic solution.
"I guess you guys are right, he has been different lately." Ben concedes and takes a quick glance over to Jordan who he can now see is looking sad, even with Barry and Patrick trying to cheer him up.
"Just try not to get angry or anything, I think he just needs a friend right now." Matt then tells his friend in a concerned tone, the more he looks over to Jordan, the more he can't help but sense something is really wrong and he just hoped Ben could keep his cool with him.
"Okay I promise." Ben states sincerely, he was also beginning to get worried about his friends behaviour and wanted to at least try and help.
Despite the initial drama between the boys, everyone except Jordan really enjoy the Science class and let out a genuine sigh as the end of class bell rings, although Miss Lee is young, her knowledge of the subject and teaching method, had earned her the respect of her pupils and she really enjoyed their enthusiasm for their interest in the classroom and can't help but smile as they all walk out of her room looking a little disappointed that the class is over.
"Jordan can we talk on our own for a bit please." Ben asks as he rushes over to his friend, he had almost lost him in the crowd but managed to catch up to him.
"If you're just going to have a go at me don't bother, I don't need any more crap today Ben." Jordan replies as he carries on walking.
"Come on Jordan, we are friends and something is obviously wrong, come on let's just go and have a chat alone somewhere." Ben suggests and places his arm over his friends shoulder, he knows it is a risky move, but he wants to show his friend that he isn't mad at him.
"Okay, I'm really sorry for being a jerk." Jordan says before wiping his face. "We can go to our old spot, no one else goes there." He then says with a small smile, he missed it just being him and Ben, it was another reason he found it hard to like Matt, it had become almost impossible to just hang out with his friend alone.
§
"Guys do you mind if I talk with Carter alone for a bit, I really need help with something and unless all those rumours of him having a brain are lies, I need his expertise." Matt says with a smirk, hoping his friends don't ask any questions.
"Sure Matt, we have will save you both a seat." Barry answers and walks away with Patrick to get a decent seat in the canteen.
"You don't have to lie to talk to me." Carter then states as soon as their friends are out of sight, he knows his friend is up to something and it has nothing to do with needing his help with something.
"I know, but it just seemed easier to get rid of them like that and I really wanted to make sure you were okay." Matt responds honestly, he knows his friend isn't stupid and isn't surprised he saw right trough his lies.
"I'm fine." Carter answers unconvincingly.
"At least try to sound convincing when you lie Carter, come on let's go outside and talk." Matt instructs his friend, then without waiting for a reply he starts walking away and smiles to himself when he hears his friends footsteps behind him.
"So how are you really feeling and none of that bull crap of nothing being wrong." Matt asks in a firm but caring tone, after they both sit down under a tree.
"I'm fine, I can look after myself,." Carter lies and can't help but feel a little defensive when being asked to admit how he really feels
Don't lie Carter, you aren't fine, that crap you said to Ben about him talking to Jordan on his own, really, I mean I get me not being there but you should have gone, so quit pretending everything is alright because it's obvious that he hurt you." Matt tells his friend bluntly and knows he is right.
"Okay fine I'm angry with him and yeah what he said hurt me, are you happy now?" Carter admits in a slightly annoyed tone and starts to stand up, but Matt reaches over and pulls his friend back down.
"No I'm not happy now, we are friends and I don't like it when you're upset, he shouldn't have said that to you and it was out of order and you shouldn't let those words get to you, you're better than that Carter." Matt then says, doing his best to reassure his friend.
"I don't care about the words, I get crap like that of everyone and it doesn't upset me." Carter responds, but Matt just looks at his friend in confusion.
"Then why are you upset about being called a 'sissy boy' now?" Matt asks in a confused tone, not understanding why he would get upset if it doesn't bother him.
"Because when other people call me it, I don't care because they are nothing to me Matt, so I don't care what they say because they don't know me." Carter explains, slightly raising his voice but not loud enough to draw any attention to them.
"So why are you upset now?" Matt asks, still genuinely confused by his friend.
"This time it isn't just some random person who doesn't know me, it's someone I have known since I was five years old, I know we aren't as close as you and Ben, but I care about him and I thought he cared about me." Carter answers with a sad expression and Matt can't help but worry about his friend.
"Come on you aren't some stupid moron Carter, Jordan was being a jerk and was just lashing out, he would have said the same thing to any of us and I don't know what his problem is, but he didn't mean what he said." Matt then says trying his best to reassure his friend, but by his expression he knows his friend is still upset.
"He did mean it though, he knew exactly what he was saying when he realized it was me who defended you, he even smirked at me." Carter then says and Matt can only look surprised and realises there is clearly more to this than he had first thought.
"Carter we are friends and you can tell me anything, I promise that anything you tell me is between us and I promise I won't even tell Ben and you know we don't have many secrets." Matt then states and Carter can't help but lift his head, he knows that his two friends were close and as far as he knew, they didn't have any secrets between them and for Matt to promise not to tell Ben was a big thing.
"You promise, you really won't tell, not even Ben?" Carter asks nervously, he can't believe he is going to tell his friend his secret, but this was Matt and out of all his friends he was the one he felt the closest to and liked the most.
"Not even Ben." Matt simply answers in a serious tone.
"Like I said earlier Matt, while me and Jordan aren't as close as you and Ben, we are still good friends and a while back he found me crying, after some other boys had really got to me," Carter starts explaining, but pauses to take a quick look around, just to make sure no one was close enough to hear. "He was great and comforted me, I don't know why but I just felt so emotional and he was just being so nice to me I wasn't even thinking when I told him...." He then adds but stops before finishing, he then looks to the ground, trying to get the courage to tell his friend the truth and Matt can see the look on his friends face and realises he is losing his nerve.
"Carter you're my friend and apart from Ben I don't trust anyone more than I trust you and I want you to know you can trust me just as much." Matt tries to say as reassuringly as he can, he then reaches over and takes one of his friends hands into his own.
"I do trust you, it's just if you tell anyone else or do what Jordan just did, I just don't think I can handle it." Carter responds honestly and it sends a shiver up his friends back, Matt never thought of Carter as being vulnerable, even though he was small for his age, he had always seemed to know who he was and didn't worry about what others thought of how he acted around others.
"You can trust me." Matt then simply says not knowing what else he could say, this wasn't what he thought would happen when he started this conversation, but it was obvious his friend needed to talk to someone and he wanted to be there for him.
"I told him I was a sissy boy, well not a sissy boy, but that is what everyone calls gay people right and I'm gay Matt." Carter confesses barely above a whisper, but Matt still managed to hear his friend, but the look on his face isn't what Carter expected, he had expected hate, anger, mocking or even understanding, instead his friend was just sitting there looking bewildered. "Did you hear what I said, I'm gay Matt." He then repeats, just to make sure his friend actually heard him.
"Er... yeah but I don't understand, what does gay mean?" Matt asks genuinely clueless and Carter is now the one with the look of bewilderment on his face, he is genuinely shocked that his friend doesn't know what the word 'gay' meant and even though he wasn't sure, he had always suspected that Matt and Ben were a lot closer than just friends.
"You don't know what gay means?" Carter asks still not quite believing that his friend doesn't know what it means, he knows he must have heard the word used, it would be impossible not to have heard it in he thought to himself.
"Not really, I've heard other people say it but never really gave it any thought, it didn't really seem that important." Matt answers honestly, he had heard the word used plenty of times, but he never really cared enough to ask what it meant.
"Oh er... well gay means you like boys, well if you're a boy you like boys and that makes you gay, girls who like girls are also gay, I like other boys so that means I'm gay because I don't like girls." Carter then says, trying to explain it as best he can.
"Does that mean we are all gay?" Matt then asks sounding confused and Carter can't help but smile a little bit at his friends naïvety.
"Why would we all be gay?" Carter then asks and while it was obvious his friend was naïve, he also wondered if maybe he was right about him and Bent being more than just friends.
"Well we are all boys and we like each other, otherwise we wouldn't be friends, I don't mind girls but we aren't friends with any so does that mean I'm gay?" Matt asks and looks at his friend curiously.
"Well not it doesn't work like that, when I say like, I mean really like, er... like I want to kiss other boys and hold their hands Matt, you know like what the older boys do with their girlfriends." Carter explains again, while being careful not to speak too loudly.
"Oh right, I think I understand now, being gay means you want to make babies with another boy." Matt responds with a smile, thinking he has worked it out, Carter's jaw though almost hits the floor in surprise though. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Matt then asks, after he notices the look of surprise on his friends face and worries that he has said something wrong.
"Er... er... well er... babies come from girls they don't come from boys Matt, well they do but not er... haven't your parents had the birds and the bees talk with you yet? Because if they haven't, you should really ask them." Carter responds nervously, he is definitely not the right person to be explaining this to his friend and is not comfortable at all, despite the fact his friends naivety was a little amusing.
"What do birds and bees have to do with making babies?" Matt then asks in a confused tone.
"Ask your parents Matt, this is getting weird and well it's almost time for class." Carter quickly answers, he really doesn't want to carry on with this conversation and to his relief his friend seems to get the message.
"Okay, anyway let's finish talking about Jordan we still have a few minutes before the bell." Matt then says before looking at his watch. "So tell me what did he do when you told him you were gay?" He then asks and hoping he hasn't wasted his chance to find out what happened.
"Well he was great to be honest, he was really understanding and apart from making a few silly jokes, he just made me feel so much better, then today the look in his eyes and that smirk, it was like he was a totally different person and I don't understand why he would do that to me." Carter explains and surprises himself just as much as his friend, with how open he is being.
"Carter you might think I'm taking Jordan's side here and you might not like what I'm going to say, so just please believe me when I say you're my friend and you can trust me." Matt states looking over to his friend, who just silently nods his head. "I think something is going on with him Carter, I don't know what it is, but he just looked really upset earlier and lately he has been getting more and more angry and short tempered, I think he needs our help and we need to try and help him even if it means we take a few hits on the way, I know it won't be easy for you to forget what he said to you, but I just know I'm right about this, even if that means you have to pretend and barely talk to him." He then adds, just hoping that his friend can put aside his own feelings to help Jordan.
"I can try, it's not like I hate him or anything, I just don't think I can be around him right now, at least one on one anyway but I promise I will try my best though, but we really should be going back now the bell is going to ring." Carter responds honestly and he smiles as his friend nods in appreciation, however Carter can't help but feel a little surprised by his friend, when he realises that despite how naïve he was just a few minutes ago, he sounded so grown up and confident in his concern for their friend, it was like he was two different people and laughed to himself as they both headed back inside just as the bell rings.
Three Days Later
The boys head out of their Geography class and head straight to the playing field to have some lunch, the group are noticeably a lot happier than they were a few days ago and the tension among them has disappeared, although Jordan was still looking downhearted and after seeing his friend fall behind the group, Matt decides to try and talk with him without the others being able to hear.
"Hey hows it going?" Matt casually asks as he drops back to walk along side his friend.
"Fine I guess." Jordan answers, not really in the mood to have a conversation right now, especially with Matt.
"Ah okay, well I kinda wanted to say sorry and I understand." Matt replies anyway, he can tell he is not exactly Jordan's favourite person, but tries to force a conversation anyway.
"Understand what?" Jordan replies sharply.
"Understand that you don't like me and if it wasn't for Ben you wouldn't even talk to me." Matt answers honestly and can tell his friend is surprised by his honesty. "I'm not saying I like the situation Jordan, but I understand that for whatever reason you don't like me very much." He then states, hoping his honesty will at least get his friend talking more.
"Well it's nothing personal and I don't hate you or anything, I just don't really like you and I know it makes me look like a jerk because you really are a nice guy." Jordan responds honestly and Matt can't help but smile as he has at least got his friend talking, although him admitting he doesn't like him isn't exactly something to be overly happy about.
"I know and I just wanted to say I will try to stop making lame jokes around you and give you some space, I appreciate the honesty though and I know this is going against what I just said, but I promise after this I won't bother you again." Matt then says, trying hard to choose his words carefully and doesn't want to make him angry.
"After what?" Jordan simply replies, before realising that they are now alone in the hallway.
"Well you seem down and I know you had a talk with Ben the other day, but he just brushes me off when I ask him about it, I guess well I kinda wanted to see if I can help, I don't know why but I got this really bad feeling Monday, you know when I left English class and you had to stay behind with Mr Jones, I know it's none of my business and I promise not to ask again after this." Matt explains nervously, although barely louder than a whisper.
"You're right Matt, it's none of your business, but well there is something but I don't know what to do, maybe I do need someone I'm not that close too and well you're the only one who has noticed anything, no one else has." Jordan responds with sadness in his voice.
"Ben noticed." Matt lies, wanting Jordan to know he had good friends.
"Don't lie Matt, I know you put Ben up to talking with me, he is a great guy but he is pretty dense sometimes and well I guess I should be grateful for what you did, it still doesn't make me like you. but it does make me realise I shouldn't be the way I have been towards you." Jordan responds sincerely and felt like he should give Matt more of a chance than he had been doing.
"Well if you like we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk." Matt decides to suggest, after getting the feeling that his friend was willing to open up.
"We should be okay here, but if you think we should go somewhere else then I have the perfect place." Jordan replies.
However just as they turn around they see Mr Jones walking towards them, with his eyes firmly fixed on Jordan and when he stops just in front of them, Matt notices the change in his friend's mood and the way their teacher is looking at him and he can't help but wonder if Jordan has done anything to upset their teacher, who really doesn't look too happy with his friend.
"Shouldn't you two boys be outside playing?" Mr Jones asks them, although he still hasn't taken his eyes of a now very subdued looking Jordan and Matt can't help but feel he needs to do something so his friend doesn't get in trouble, but before he can say anything their teacher takes another step closer. "Well boys, I asked you a question, you know I don't like asking twice Jordy..and..." Mr Jones begins to say before stopping abruptly, hoping Matt didn't notice his slip up.
"Er...er... it's my fault Sir." Matt quickly stutters out, earning a surprised look from both his friend and teacher.
"Your fault, what is your fault Matthew?" Mr Jones asks curiously, he was just messing around with the boys, although he was definitely getting a kick out of Jordan's reaction and is now wondering why Matt would jump into admitting being at fault and still has his gaze firmly set on Jordan, who he notices is looking very guilty and he can't help feeling a little worried that the boy has been talking.
"Er... well er... I needed help with what we were doing in your last class and I knew he was paying attention and that he could help me, so I asked him to stay here so we could talk and you know er..." Matt says trying to sound confident but failing miserably, which causes Mr Jones to go into red alert, this is definitely suspicious and the guilty look on Jordan's face is telling him that he needs to get Matt alone to find out if he knows anything.
"Well I'm sure Jordan could help you a lot, he definitely has some very useful talents." Mr Jones states and enjoys the look of embarrassment that flashes across Jordan's face. "Although seeing as I'm here now and have nothing else to do why don't you and I go to my office Matthew and we can talk one on one without being disturbed." He then suggests and winks at Jordan, being careful to make sure the other boy doesn't see and can't help but enjoy the horrified look on his face.
"Sir me and Matt have to go meet up with our friends, we have a group assignment to discuss, I can go over things with him about his problems later." Jordan suddenly says, he recognises the look in his teachers eyes and that wink had unsettled him even more.
"Nonsense Jordan, you have plenty of time for that sort of thing later, now run a long and Matthew will see you later after me and him are done." Mr Jones instructs the young boy, who doesn't move. "Don't make me ask you again Jordan." He then states with a stern look and smiles when the boy flinches.
"It's okay Jordan, I won't be long so try and save me a sandwich okay." Matt then says after misreading the situation, thinking he is helping out his friend avoid getting into trouble and Jordan reluctantly nods and slowly walks away before looking over his shoulder, he can see his friend and teacher were already heading towards his office and couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself for just walking away.
Jordan quickly makes his way outside and scans the playing field until he spots his friends sitting in a circle enjoying their lunch and laughing, he then slowly walks towards them. with the feeling of guilt growing inside his stomach, he then sits down and starts eating a sandwich before looking up to see Ben staring at him.
"Jordan where's Matt, weren't you two talking in the hallway?" Ben asks his friend suspiciously and Jordan is lost for words for a few seconds before suddenly thinking of plan that could help his friend out, sure he doesn't like Matt much and wouldn't care if they never talked again, but he couldn't risk the possibility of what might happen to him if he did nothing and no one deserved that he thought to himself, so he just smiles to his friend and hoped this worked.
"Yeah we had a little talk and cleared the air, we both know where we stand with each other now and we are okay with it, we even shook hands." Jordan answers reassuringly and even though he is bending the truth, he can tell his friends believe him.
"Well that's cool but it still doesn't answer my question." Ben then says, he was still suspicious although is definitely happy that his friends have talked and seemed to have cleared the air, but he was still a little worried that Matt hadn't came outside.
"Oh right yeah sorry, well he is with Mr Jones, he gave us a hard time about standing in the hallway and Matt tried to be clever and came up with a really crappy excuse and it really backfired on him." Jordan answers nd while not exactly lying, he definitely wasn't being completely honest either.
"He got detention?" Carter suddenly asks, causing everyone to turn to him before they look back at Jordan.
"Oh no, much worse than that Carter, the dumb ass only went and said he wanted me to help him with something from our last English class and Mr Jones decided that it would be better if he helped him instead of me." Jordan adds forcing a smile, he knows this is no laughing matter, but he had to convince the others that this was funny and nothing serious was going on and for all he knows his friend is perfectly fine and he is over reacting, but he just can't take that risk.
"Seriously he said that to Mr Jones, of all the excuses to come up with he picks the subject the teacher actually teaches, you know as much as I love him, I swear Matt is the most naïve and dense person I have ever met." Ben then states as he pictures the scene happening as if he was right there and doesn't notice the curious look Carter gives him after what he just admitted, although no one else seemed to have noticed his choice of words either.
"I know and well before I would have just let him suffer, but after our talk and to show you guys that I'm really sorry for being a jerk, I wanted to help him out, but Mr Jones knows I know so if I went in and tried to get him out Mr Jones would see right through me and I will probably end up trapped too, so I was thinking if you went Ben with some reason for Matt to leave he wouldn't question it." Jordan then states confidently, although he was nervous about his idea actually working.
"Wow that must have been a hell of a talk you two had, well I'm game for a rescue mission but what am I meant to say exactly?" Ben replies with a smile, he just coudn't believe the mess his friend had got himself into.
"I don't really know, but as much as I hate to admit how close you two are as friends, I'm pretty sure anything you say that involves you needing Matt help for something will work." Jordan responds and starts to feel a little more relaxed as his plan starts to come together and just hopes it goes well.
§
As they make their way to Mr Jones office, Matt can't help but smile as his plan had worked and Jordan wasn't going to get into any trouble, Mr Jones however can't help but wonder if the boy knows anything and can't help but feel reluctant to do anything to the boy, he genuinely did like him, maybe it was just the fact the boy was also from England and he was one of his best students, but he knows he has too much to lose to let little sentiments get in the way.
"So Matthew you and Jordan are quite close aren't you?" Mr Jones casually asks, wanting to try and give the boy a chance before things had to get serious.
"Yeah kind of close I guess, we are friends." Matt answers a little nervously, it isn't because he has any idea just how precarious his situation actually is, he just has no idea what he is going to say to his teacher to make his plan believable, in fact the more he thought about it the more stupid he felt for coming up with it, while he wasn't at the top of the class, he wasn't far off and his teacher knew it.
"Well just between you and me Matthew, I have noticed Jordan's attitude recently and wanted to know if he has said anything to that could shed some light on it?" Mr Jones then asks as casually as he can whilst opening the door to his office and ushering the young boy inside.
"Well he has been a bit moody I guess but nothing serious, we all have days like that don't we." Matt answers honestly and Mr Jones smiles to keep up appearances but he is still not quite sure and decides to keep pushing the boy to find out and motions for him to take a seat while he does the same.
"This isn't just one day though is it Matt, now come on tell me the truth, it could help him and you want to help your friend don't you?" Mr Jones then asks, hoping to manipulate the boy into telling him what he needs to know.
"Well yeah I want to help him and if I knew something that could help him I would tell you, but I really don't know what is wrong with him and I wouldn't lie to you Sir." Matt responds trying unsuccessfully to sound confident. Mr Jones though forces a smile and despite the boys protests his suspicions grow and decides to give him one more chance.
"Well I have always prided myself on being able to tell when someone is lying to me Matthew, so why don't we move on and talk about what you needed help with, as you're fully aware yourself you're one of my top pupils and it caught me by surprise that you needed to ask for help, especially from Jordan, he is a bright boy but we both know he isn't even close to your level." Mr Jones states without taking his eyes of the boys and Matt now realises just how stupid his plan is turning out to be and can't help but blush while he tries to think of something to get himself out of this mess but his mind just goes completely blank.
"Well it's er... well it was just I didn't er..." Matt stutters trying to will his brain into gear but failing spectacularly, Mr Jones though in his mind gets the answer he was looking for and decides that he needs to act fast to nip this potential problem in the bud and quickly looks at his clock and smiles as they still have plenty of time before the bell rings, so decides to place a hand on the boys shoulder.
"Look Matthew, I just said I can tell when someone is lying to me, so why don't we cut the pretence that you actually require any help and tell me what you were talking to Jordan about because if you want to help your friend, then you need to let me help him too." Mr Jones states in a stern voice, that actually causes Matt to feel a little uncomfortable for the first time and he was a little nervous that his teachers hand was on his shoulder.
"It was nothing sir, we were just talking and well then you came over to us and that is all." Matt lies again and Mr Jones forced smile drops slightly as he starts to gently rub the boys shoulder and places his other hand on his knee and Matt can't help but feel even more uncomfortable by his teacher touching him like this and looks up at him in confusion.
"Matthew I'm very disappointed in you, I thought you were one of the good kids and the fact you're also from England makes me feel a little more protective over you than the other kids, but I don't tolerate liars and right now I can't help but feel like you're doing it on purpose." Mr Jones lectures the younger boy coldly and Matt can't help but feel guilty for lying, as he once again misreads the situation thinking his teacher is upset with him for being dishonest and not realising that he is in danger.
"I'm sorry for lying Sir, but I promised Jordan I wouldn't tell anyone if he told me what was wrong, honestly Sir we were just about to go talk when you came a long, I promise that it's the truth." Matt then says almost pleading with his teacher to believe him and Mr Jones can't help but feel relieved to hear what the boy has just told him, but he now knows that Jordan was going to tell his friend and he had to set an example so Jordan wouldn't open his mouth again to anyone else and it was just bad luck for the boy sitting in front of him that he would be that example.
"See that wasn't so hard was it Matthew, the truth is always the right thing to say and I know you're very sorry for lying to me, but it doesn't excuse the fact you lied to me several times and you know how much I hate being lied to, so I think you have to be shown what happens to liars." Mr Jones states once again with no emotion in his voice and Matt is now starting to worry that something is wrong, his teacher shouldn't be talking to him like this and he should definitely not be rubbing his shoulder and knee with his hands.
"You see to succeed in this world you have to be honest and truthful Matty, but if you don't learn this now then you're going to struggle in life and I can't let that happen to such a special boy like you, so I'm going to help you Matty, just like I'm helping Jordy and you will really benefit from some special tuition." Mr Jones states and continues to gently rub the boys shoulder and knee, not concerning himself with the boys reaction and knows that there is nothing the boy could do to get away.
Mr Jones is just about to move things to the next stage and to his delight the boy is either too shocked by what is happening or just doesn't understand what is happening and is offering no resistance so starts to move the hand that was on the boys knee upwards, but he suddenly stops in his tracks when there is a soft knock at the door and he has to reluctantly stands up and move away from the now relieved looking boy, who had started to get very scared.
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