1
"Where in the world is my last can of coke?!" Edd exclaimed in a fit of rage. His eyes burned holes into everything he gazed upon. Matt made his way downstairs, hearing his friend cry out.
"Edd?" he asked, "What are you…?"
He stopped seeing pillows thrown across the room and papers flying.
Oh boy… Matt thought. He took out the last can and tossed it to him. Edd froze and stared him down.
"Don't look at me that way. You're the one who hid it," he said, sticking his tongue out. Edd rolled his eyes and took a sip.
"Mm, sweet, delicious nectar," he fawned. Matt rolled his eyes and sat on the couch. Finding nothing to watch, he groaned. His eyes fell upon Tom's door, which was opening, and watched his friend enter the room. His usual sullen look was still there as he sat next to him.
"Anything good on?" he asked.
"Nope," Matt replied. They stared aimlessly at the blank television screen. Edd watched the two with a strange expression.
"You guys want to go out somewhere, or something?" he asked. The others nodded and they headed out.
...
Matt sat down on the couch after a trip to the arcade. He watched the numbing television screen as Tom went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Smelling the delicious aroma, he got up and peeked in. Tom was stirring something in a pot, but the first thing he noticed under his rolled up sleeves were dark red slashes.
"Tom?" Matt asked, causing Tom to jump in surprise. Turning down the heat, he stopped cooking and rolled his sleeves down.
"What do you want, Matt?" he asked. His tone was annoyed but Matt could tell he was nervous.
"What…" he began. This wasn't exactly the time for him to ask yet. He'd wait a while longer. "What are you cooking? It smells great."
"Oh," Tom said, surprised, "It's, um, spaghetti."
"May I try?" he asked, stepping closer. Tom flinched slightly, but soon composed himself.
"Sure," he moved to the side. Matt tried a tiny bit and his eyes widened.
"This is really good!" he said genuinely. Tom looked bewildered by his statement.
"Th-Thank you," was all he said, taking the spoon and continued to cook. Matt went back to the living room, suspicious about his arms.
...
That night, Matt lie awake, still troubled by the thought of his friend hurting himself. He promised to himself he'd try not blurt it like everything else. This wasn't something that was comfortable to speak of. With a sigh, he rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to sleep.
CRASH.
Matt jolted upward and flung himself out of bed. He raced downstairs, investigating the noise. He saw a familiar figure.
"Tom, are you alright?"
The figure froze.
"Yes. Go back to bed, Matt. I'm fine," he answered. Matt frowned.
"Are you hurting yourself again, Tom?" he asked.
"Go back to bed, Matt!" he shouted. Another door opened.
"What's going on, guys?" Edd asked tiredly. Tom rolled his sleeves down and picked up the thing that fell down. He rinsed it off- along with his hands- and looked at his friends.
"Matt started to pester me with questions. I came in here to get a late night snack and I accidentally dropped something," Tom lied. Edd seemed to believe it because he replied, "Okay. Just get some sleep." and walked back to his room. Matt looked at Tom.
"Is this really that bad? So much… you lie to your friend's face?" he asked, shocked.
"We need sleep," was all Tom said. He pushed past Matt and went to his room. Matt sighed, knowing it'll take some time before he could get anything out of his friend. He decided to go back upstairs.