Matthew Williams held his schedule in his hand, his eyes scanning the words that lined with the time and day. He needed to find the science room; it was supposed to be around the area he was in. He sighed, this school was so strange, he didn't know anyone except his brother, but said brother never seemed to be around, leaving him all alone. His eyes kept searching, but a voice caught him.
"Are you here for science class~?"
Matthew turned and was met with the sight of a taller man; smile blindingly bright with curly, chocolate colored hair. His emerald eyes twinkled as he stood in the doorway. The Canadian nodded slowly.
"Great! Come on in!"
The blond followed him inside. The room was a decent size, an average size for a classroom. In one corner of the room, there was a large tank with what appeared to be a turtle swimming around, in the other corner; there was another tank with fish swimming idly. Over in another part of the room, there was a cage with a tan colored rabbit inside. Its nose twitched, as looked away from him.
He was instructed to sit where he pleased, and Matthew wasn't one to complain. He sat in one of the front row seats, and waited for class to begin. The faces that appeared were all faces Matthew had never seen before. Among them, was a girl, with long, dark hair that was tied into two pigtails with red ribbons. The only reason he really remembers her was the fact that she sat next to him.
"Good morning everyone! I'm Mr. Carriedo, and I'll be your science teacher! I'm from Spain, so excuse me if I slip into Spanish occasionally! I love tomatoes, turtles, and of course, I'm sure I'll love every one of you by the end of the year!"
The science class was slow, like, 'minutes-pass-like-hours' slow. They were looking at the cell structure, with the microscopes.
"Now…the thick border around the edge is called the cell wall…" Mr. Carriedo said, smiling as brightly as before.
The teacher was holding the rabbit that Matthew had seen earlier in the cage, walking around the room as he spoke, letting the students touch the furry friend if they so desired. The Canadian quickly sketched down notes as the bell rung, putting his things back into his bag as he stood up.
The children piled out, but Matthew lingered still. Lunch was never a big deal for him; he never had many friends to begin with, and the lines were always long. He usually stayed behind briefly so that the lines would shorten, plus he has less time to waste when he was done. He approached the teacher as he pet the rabbit's soft fur. He looked up at the Canadian.
"Something wrong?"
He shook his head.
"That's an adorable rabbit~"
Matthew turned and saw the girl who'd sat next to him earlier. She grinned softly as he stroked its ears, as its little nose twitched. She looked back to Mr. Carriedo. "Does he have a name?"
The science teacher nodded. "Yup! I'm borrowing him from a friend of mine! His name is Louie~"
"Louie huh? Sounds cute…" the blond mused.
"It does…and it sounds French too…" the girl added.
"You're right…"
Mr. Carriedo laughed lightly, "Yeah, I guess it could be French. I wouldn't know, I'm Spanish…" his smile widened. "But Francis, the friend I'm borrowing him from, is! So I think that's why~!"
Matthew couldn't stop the small gasp that escaped his lips. Francis…? No, it was a coincidence right?
The girl stiffened too. She shifted slightly, clearly not liking the sound of the name. Mr. Carriedo, however, didn't seem to notice the unease between both students.
Matthew bit his lip, and the girl asked carefully, "W-what's Francis' last name…?"
The teacher thought for a moment, and then responded, "Bonnefoy I think!"
The Canadian's heart sank, and from there, it began to pound wildly as images, memories, filled his mind. The other student had a look of discomfort and stress littering her face.
"F-Francis…?"
"Si! I met him at the bar—er…baseball game!" he chuckled, a bit nervously.
She nodded, backing slowly out of the room, while the other student looked to stricken to move.
"Yup, me and the other teacher Mr. Beilschmidt!"
The female swallowed a lump in her throat, trying desperately not to think about that man. She glanced at the blond, who covered his eyes, but it covered not the tears that fell. He mouthed words that she couldn't hear, but it looked as if he were in pain. It made her feel as if she wasn't the only one suffering at the moment. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves down.
"Thanks for…telling us about your bunny…Mr. Carriedo…" she mumbled softly.
"Y-yeah…it was nice…" Matthew said, shaken.
By this point, the science teacher finally recognized the discomfort of both of them. But, what could he say? He bit his lip discreetly, and said calmly, "You're…welcome. And Sey…? Y-you can…always come talk to me if there's something you want to talk about…I'm always here during and after school…"
Sey nodded, before hurrying out into the strangely silent halls. The Canadian quickly followed her tracks, leaning against the chill walls. She sat down against the wall next to him, letting out a rather nervous chuckle.
"Well that was…an interesting science class huh?"
He uncovered his eyes, but kept them closed, sinking down next to her. He made a short grunt of agreement, but didn't say a word.
"I don't know about you…but I really don't feel like eating lunch anymore…" Sey gave a weak laugh.
"Nope…"
She paused briefly, pursing her lips then extending her hand out to him. He opened his eyes, they looked a bit moist, but he took it.
"Victoria. I'm…Victoria. But everyone calls me Sey because I'm from Seychelles. And you are?"
"Matthew…Matthew Williams. Most people tend to call me Mattie though, so feel free."
She smiled lightly, nodding. Matthew took a deep breath. "I wasn't…expecting Mr. Carriedo to know…Francis…personally. You?"
"Not at all…guess you don't have good memories of France either do you?"
"Non…I don't…"
They stopped for a moment, and then said, "Your reaction in there…"
"I-I'm fine…"
"Your words aren't that convincing…"
He laughed bitterly. "Your reaction was no better than mine."
Sey grimaced, glancing the other way. "You got me there…"
Another pregnant pause passed over them, before Matthew asked quietly, "So…I know this isn't any of my business…but…has he…hurt you…too?"
She let out her own bitter chuckle. "You could…say that…though I'm not sure if it's what you're thinking of…"
"Really? I've got some…ideas…"
"If you know Francis personally, then I'm sure you know all to well…"
Matthew gave a melancholic smile, gazing at her thoughtfully. "I know him all too well I think…" he took in a shaky breath. "But then again, what do I know?"
Victoria swallowed, chewing on her lip before asking gently, "Do you…mind if I pry? I mean…I'm totally aware if there are things you'd rather not share…"
"I guess not…I should get this out…and I suppose if I have to tell anyone, I should tell someone who knows at least, a bit what I'm talking about, if not more…"
She put her full attention on him, taking in the lightly painful expression on his face. She thought to herself that Francis must have done something terrible for a reaction like that.
"It all started…about two years ago. I was new here…just recently coming from Canada…" he took a short breath, before continuing. "And of course, I met him. He was a charmer, and before I knew it, I was head over heels for him. I think part of the reason I loved him was…" He grit his teeth, "Because he knew I wasn't Alfred…"
"I can see why people would mistake you for him, you're almost like twins…" she began, staring at him more closely.
The Canadian visibly tensed when she said that, as he licked his lips and clenched his fists, before allowing them to relax, as if he'd quickly blown it off.
Sey gave an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, I should've known saying that would annoy you…"
He gave a small nod, and continued. "A-anyway…I didn't think I had a chance with him…that was…until he asked me out on a date." A somber laugh escaped his throat, "You can't even begin to imagine how thrilled I was…"
Matthew shifted on the tiled floor, "I totally freaked…but then again…I should've gotten to know him better before I agreed, because of course I'd heard the rumors of the infamous Francis Bonnefoy, school player…"
'If only I'd heard those rumors…' Victoria thought grievously.
"But even so…I said yes. And before I knew it I was tangled in those spider-like webs…just like that."
She gave a sympathetic nod, knowing just how he felt. "It never seems to take long, does it?"
"Never at all…" Matthew sighed, looking back to her. "Still…I was so in love that…it blinded me. It blinded me from seeing who he really was…I guess years of no affection at all did that to me…but all the same, the only one to blame is myself…"
'Ah…the twisted irony of that statement…' Sey mused.
"But even then, I was still so drowned in this fake love that…I couldn't see that he was dating someone else…" a swallow, "…behind my back…"
The Canadian closed his eyes again, chewing on his lower lip before proceeding with the story. "He cheated on me with some…girl I had no idea even existed…"
Victoria felt her heart stop, her skin run cold. She gulped harshly. It wasn't…he wasn't…
"I just…couldn't believe what had happened. It was as if my world had just come to a sudden, spiraling, abrupt, halt…crashing down heavily on top of me…" Matthew tangled his fingers in his blond locks. "And the worst part was…he didn't even tell me. Someone else, had to come and break the news. He didn't even have the gall to come and tell me himself…"
The dark haired girl grimaced, and muttered darkly. "Leave it to him to ruin two lives at the same time…"
"I just…" his voice began to crack. "I just wanted to be loved…" he glanced at her, his eyes looking as if they were ready to spill over with tears. "Was that so wrong?"
She put an arm around him in a comforting way, speaking soft, reassuring words. "Not at all…you deserved…so much better…"
He let out a hindered breath. "When I confronted him about it…he just…threw me away…broke up with me just like that. After the charade was over, he wanted nothing to do with me…"
A few tears over spilled onto his cheeks, and he sobbed. "All of it…that whole relationship was to supply the happiness I never had…"
Victoria wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as more tears overflowed. "Don't…don't let him hurt you…don't let m-…him hurt you…"
He opened his puffy, violet eyes, staring at her wonderingly. "A-are you alright…?"
She stiffened, shaking her head. "It doesn't…matter…"
The Canadian frowned. "I told you my story…I just want to know what he did to you…we can share the pain…" he glanced off briefly, before returning his gaze to her. "But…it's also not my place to make you share if you're not comfortable…"
"No…you do have the right to know…it's just…I don't want to make your story…any worse than it already is…" Victoria sighed.
"I'm up for it, really. I've been hurt all I can…" he said with a small smile, and the added, "…by him at least."
She gave a bitter chuckle, "He'll always find a way to hurt you more…"
"We'll see…"
Sey took a deep breath, and then began her own tale. "When I was a little girl, my parents died. I was so young I didn't even know them…I don't even know if I could even call them mom and dad. It was around that time when I met the Bonnefoys…I was raised by them. And as you probably know, the Bonnefoy family is rich…"
He gave a small, curt nod, urging her to continue.
"They never really wanted to care for me like a child should be cared for…but they'd already agreed, so it was their responsibility. But instead of treating me like a normal kid, they sent me to be raised on an island…Seychelles, to be specific…"
Victoria licked her lips, changing her spot on the floor a bit for a more comfortable position. "Mr. Bonnefoy…was…much like his son…"
'Oh no…' Matthew thought dreadfully. He could practically see where this was going.
"He…he never visited often…but when he did come…he…wanted something from me…" she stifled a sob of her own. "That lasted…for a while…"
The boy grit his teeth in sadness for her, putting his own arms around her gently, calmingly, in attempts to ease what pain he could.
"But after a while…Francis found out. He…he made him stop…he helped…me…through…" she didn't finish.
Victoria then looked away. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry he broke your heart…"
Matthew gazed at her in a curious sort of way, not understanding the situation. "Why…are you apologizing?"
"About a year ago…he found out…"
"Found out…?"
She sighed again. "Maybe it was longer…I don't know…"
The words almost slipped from her mouth, but instead she just suppressed another sob. "I'm sorry…I wish he'd stayed with you. Everything would have been better that way…"
Matthew looked at her for a moment. "What do you…?" Slowly, the answer filled his mind, and he took his arms from around her…standing and backing away.
"No…please…oh please lord no!"
The Seychellois girl hugged her knees to her chest, mumbling. "It's…not what you think. Or…maybe it is…I don't even know anymore…"
He shook his head stubbornly, feet backing away just a few more steps. "Please…please don't tell me this is happening…"
Sey kept her focus on the ground, not meeting his eyes.
The Canadian lost his fingers in his hair again. "Sey…are you…her?"
"I…I believe so…"
His violet eyes fell sad, regarding her with dismay. "Why…?" he whispered, and then said louder, "Why! Why do you have to be her?"
Victoria glimpsed him. "I wish…I wasn't…"
He shook his head. "I…I can't hate you. Not after what you've been through…and what you've told me…"
"I'd rather have you hate me," she stated courageously. "What he did to you…what happened to me…it would have been so much better had he stayed with you…"
"No…it wouldn't have…besides…it's over and done now…we can't and won't ever be able to change it…" he said bravely.
She sighed. "I know that all too well…" she grimaced slightly. "I never wanted to date him you know…not ever…"
The blond extended his hand, giving her a weak smile. "All things happen for a reason…right…?"
Victoria was hesitant for a moment, but took it, giving her own wry smile. "If that's true…then I don't think I've found my reason yet…"
"You will…I'm sure of it…" he let out a long, relieved breath. "And…I guess I'm kind of happy that he broke it off. Francis and I…I don't think we were meant to be…you know? So I just have to wait for that right person…"
"I'm sure you'll find them eventually. There has got to be someone just right for you, actually, I know there is someone just right…" she beamed.
As he was about to respond, he watched her grin fade, as she gazed in the other direction. "But…there is something I want to explain…"
The Canadian cocked his head. "Go on…"
"When I said I didn't want to date him…I really meant that. I admired him…I looked up to him. He was almost like the big brother I never had…"
Matthew shook his head understandingly, "I wish I could've looked up to my big brother…"
"N-not like you and your brother though…he didn't ignore me or forget to love me…he was just…a lot like his father…"
"And…that thought scared you?" he finished.
"Yeah…it did…"
"I…understand…"
Sey swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. "H-he just…likes to get what he wants…you know…?"
Matthew let out a discouraged cackle. "Who doesn't? But it's just…his methods were…" he pursed his lips irritably, "…unnecessary…"
"I can trust you on that one…"
"Don't worry…he'll get what's coming to him eventually…" it was more of a statement to himself than to her, but Victoria nodded.
"One can hope…"
"One can also dream…"
There was a moment's silence, as if the events that occurred were slowly taking its toll on them. Finally, the Seychellois girl continued. "A-anyway…he helped me a lot…and I trusted him for quite a time…"
"What made you stop?"
"When he stopped seeing me as his little sister…and as just another girl…"
Matthew looked to the floor. "The more we talk about him…the more I hate him…" he let out a long, drawing sigh, "…but at the same time, I don't want to hate him…"
She put a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel…but…he can be a nice guy…sometimes…"
He leaned against the wall. "I think…a little part of me still loves him…a little part of me doesn't care that I was cheated on…" he chuckled lightly, "…but then again, there's another part of me that says, 'To hell with Francis! I've got a life!' you know?"
"I wish I could say that. Almost everything in my life, good or bad, has come about because of him…" she said. "And, technically, you were never cheated on…"
The blond laughed. "He was practically dating you behind my back. If that's not cheating I don't know what is."
"I never dated him…"
"Really now?"
She nodded. "Really, I never wanted to…unfortunately…he did. And when he didn't get what he wanted…he got…physical…"
A string of words escaped Matthew's lips, and he just barely caught himself. "And then he…?"
"No. Even with the physical pain, I wouldn't date him…I couldn't. He was still a brother to me…sometimes it got so bad I'd be covered in bruises for weeks…"
The boy shook his head again. "I'm beginning to wonder if it really was you he was dating behind me…"
"I think it was…I mean, he was so used to getting what he wanted I guess he probably spread around that we already were dating…and most certainly thought we were and I was just being stubborn…" Sey closed her eyes, leaning against the wall next to him.
There was another pause. There was no one around; it was just the two of them.
"So…does he still persist…?" Matthew asked hesitantly.
She shook her head. "Thankfully, I rarely see him around. He's a senior and I'm a freshman, so our paths rarely cross…"
"And…when they do?"
Victoria grimaced. "I…try to avoid that…"
"Ah…"
"Yeah…"
The Canadian cleared his throat. "A-anyway…"
"W-we should probably go to lunch now…" Sey cut in for him.
"Yeah…that sounds good now…"
The Seychellois girl began to walk towards the lunchroom, and as she walked, Matthew called out.
"Victoria!"
She turned back to him as he hurried beside her, smiling a warm, sweet smile. "Thank you…I…I really needed that…"
She smiled herself, a genuine grin. "Thank you too, Mattie…"
They continued down the hall together, feeling as if their hearts were a whole lot lighter.
It was as if a new friendship had bloomed.
This is a written RP I had with a friend. This is also the friend who made me love Seychelles, and this pairing. Though, in this story it's not a pairing, and a mere friendship/brother-sister kind of relationship, which is also just fine with me. I hope you enjoyed, and no, I do not hate Francis, at all. I actually love him, we just like being jerks XD
Read and Review~?
-IchigoMelon
