Rachel shrugged and sat back down, a smirk framing her face as the bell rung, signaling the end of class. "Alright," Mrs. Hines sighed. "We'll continue this next week. Have a great weekend." She said to her class before entering the hallway.
"Dude! That was genius." Screamed a random student as others flocked to the exits of the school.
"Rachel, are you sure you're gonna be alright?" Summer inquired. Recently, her friend has been quite not herself.
"I'll be fine. Now go suck your boyfriends' face off." Rachel replied, running out of the room to meet her ride.
Once there, she knocked on the glass window of the car and waited for the click the unlocking doors before entering the car.
"How was school, Princess?" Frank, her driver, asked as she closed the door.
She grunted in response and proceeded to organize her disastrous bag to find her camera.
"Might I suggest the front pocket?"
She checked and there it was, the battered pink camera with random stickers covering the scratches. 'The prank cam', as she fondly called it, was a camera that she found two years prior at a thrift shop when she and her nanny were donating her old clothes.
"Thanks." She mumbled as the camera blinked to life, showing Rachel what pictures she had taken for the day.
Frank shook his head and drove on as his mistress smiled at the pictures, happy with what she saw.
Once they were at the Woodruff Manor, Rachel's personal butler, Matt, a tall surfer with beach blonde hair, took her bag and she zipped into her room on the third floor.
"I'm thinking you want someone to talk to?" Matt asked as he put down her bag.
"Don't I ever." Rachel huffed as she sat on the bed.
Matt sat beside her and waited for her to continue. "Everyone and I mean everyone totally thought I was showing off my phone again. It's not my fault daddy gave me a model that isn't set to come out until next year, right?" She whined.
"They're bound to be jealous, kid. It's kind of in our nature to be jealous. I mean, I can't help but to be a little jealous by all the books you have." Matt replied, pointing to the long row of books that ran from one side to the other in Rachel's room.
"You don't have to be jealous, Matt. We both know that you're quite able to take, borrow and or pillage my books as much as you please. They're as good as yours as they are mine." Rachel stated, resting her head on Matt's thigh.
"But that's because, well… you know. Anyway, how are things with Jason?"
She hesitated a few moments before answering. "I haven't talked to the guy in three months, it's impossible for me to ever not be guilty."
"You don't know that. You have to try again." Matt reached for Rachel's skirt pocket and searched around for her phone.
"As much as I enjoy you fingering my thighs bub, my phone is in the shirt pocket." Rachel stated blushingly.
"You could have just said so." Matt groaned. As much as she liked being physically in contact with Matt, he wasn't really comfortable knowing that she was his boss.
He pulled the phone out slowly, making sure he didn't touch anything soft.
Matt dialed a number that he and Rachel have both come to know by heart for the past few months and as usual, the call was left unanswered.
"I swear on my books that nobody knows my phone number this time, honest!" Rachel denfended as Matt placed the phone on the nightstand.
"I'm guessing he isn't much of a calling person, that Jason." Matt said, playing around with her hair.
"When are you blowing this joint anyway?" Rachel asked, looking up at his green eyes.
"I'm not sure. Your graduation is next month and prom is in two weeks. I'm thinking of quitting next week so I could take you." Matt replied, helping her sit up.
"You don't have to, y'know. Dad is totally cool with us. It's mom who has a problem. I've been thinking…" Rachel sighed before continuing. "And, we've known each other for such a long time and…"
"You want to get married?" Matt looked at her credulously. She couldn't be serious, could she?
"No dumbass. I was thinking that maybe it's time for me to move out, with you. It would be the perfect excuse to bring you with me so someone could keep an eye on things without being too protective. Dad and I have discussed it more than once and I just need you to agree so Daddy can start looking for an apartment." She retorted, sticking her tongue out.
"That would be… just perfect." Matt pulled Rachel to him and kissed her with so much intensity she fell back on the bed, Matt's body pressed on top of hers.
"Matt, uhh, Matt…" Rachel started saying when Matt let go of her lips and proceeded to kiss her neck. "As much as I would like to get it on with you, I'd rather not have your crotch so close and end up pregnant at seventeen."
Matt looked up almost instantly and his head collided with Rachel's.
"Oh geez dude. Are you seriously that in need of a blow?"
"Do want me to answer that?"
"Nope. Not really. I'm pretty hungry; can you please tell chef to make me my usual sandwich?" Rachel pleaded.
"Definitely. So when are we moving out?" Matt said as he moved towards the door.
"Probably this weekend if I call daddy fast enough." She replied, plopping back into her bed.
As soon as the door was closed and locked, Rachel let her tears out. She pulled out her voice recorder and proceeded to talk.
"Jason, every single day, I miss you. Matt can't replace you. He just can't. I don't have the heart to tell him that you're dead. I just can't. You were my best friend and he's been trying to fill the spot. I love him more than I loved that book you haven't returned." Rachel stopped to blow her nose.
"I just can't think of life without either of you and I just can't believe you left just to get yourself killed off by drug lords you made angry. You were smart, and athletic and strong. I just can't believe you would do something like that."
"I'm probably the only outsider of your circle who knows you sniff cocaine, smoke weed and take pills and it kills me to sit here knowing you died because I didn't say anything. Remember how you invited me to smoke with you and your friends over there? I was sincere; I do want to smoke with you guys. I still do actually, but with you dead and your buddies long gone, I can't do that now, can I?"
"The moment I heard you were dead, I snuck into your house and stole three of your shirts. At the moment, they're locked up in an air-tight box to seal in your scent. To most people, that's just outright crazy but to me, it's so I don't ever forget the guy who helped me realize what I had. When I heard you died, I wanted to die with you but Matt was there and he helped me cope. I told him you stopped talking to me and that's why we've been calling you a lot."
"Matt would stop talking to me if he ever saw me doing weed with you. But I don't care, I love you both. I miss you, Beyonder." Rachel choked back more sobs and ended the recording.
She knew it would take Matt around an hour to get her sandwich made so she left for the bathroom and took a warm bath.
"Rachel, I have your favorite…" Matt sung, placing the plate on her study table. He searched for her in theempty room before stopping in front of the bathroom.
"Rachel, are you in here?"
"I'll- I'll be out in a minute." A raspy voice replied.
"Something's wrong, isn't it? Don't worry, we'll get Jason to answer if it's the last thing I do."
"Don't say his name, please. Don't mention him. Not now."
"Alright, now you better leave that bathroom before your sandwich gets cold." Matt stated teasingly.
After ten minutes of silence, Matt was getting worried. Normally, Rachel would be out by now.
Without a moment to lose, Matt opened the bathroom with his master key and found a naked, unconscious Rachel lying in the tub.
He ran to her side and checked the water. It was hot, too hot. He hurriedly pulled her out and placed her on her bed.
Then, he checked her pulse and was relieved to hear her heart was still beating. In two minutes, he had
a fully clothed, sleeping Rachel Woodruff.
"Matt? What happened?" Rachel asked when she awoke.
"You practically drowned yourself in hot water. When we do move out, you're getting a shower." Matt replied, half worried and angry.
"I'm sorry. I sorta fell asleep in the tub because the water was sizzling hotness?" She joked but Matt was
far too concerned to laugh.
"One minute, I leave you and the next you're at doors death. Don't you ever do that again." Matt
ordered.
"I promise. Now can you pretty please give me my sandwich?" Matt handed her the plate.
"I heated it up three minutes ago." He stated as she munched into it.
Matt reached for the lemonade and made Rachel sip a bit to wash down the cheese.
Rachel looked to her side and saw the time. Her eyes bulged and she looked at Matt who was looking at
her.
"It's ten already? Geez, I missed my anime. I guess it's time for bed." She said somberly as she finished her sandwich.
"No shit Sherlock." Matt replied laughingly.
"Matt, will you please sleep here for the night? I'm feeling a nightmare coming on." Matt nodded at her and she smiled.
"Want to come with me to get my pajamas?" He offered.
"Hell yes!" She screamed, getting her energy back.
So there they were, creeping along the dark hallways. Bedtime at the manor was always 9o'clock precisely and that just made slinking around the castle more creepy and fun for the couple.
"Alright, you feel like scaring a few people?" Matt asked Rachel, who shook her head.
"It's impolite Matt, Jared and the guys must be asleep by now. I'll wait out here just in case one of the maids are in there…" She replied.
Matt laughed as he entered the room and left Rachel sitting on the floor of the dark, creepy hallway.
Rachel, scared of the area, decided to sing her way out with one of her favorite songs.
"Symphony of silver tears,
Sing to me and sooth the ring in my ears,
Overcast these gloomy nights wear on,
But I'm holding fast because it's darkest just before the dawn.
I sang my princess fast asleep,
'Cause she was my dream come true,
Oh Annmarie, believe me, I loved you."
The door opened so suddenly that Rachel jumped a little bit too close to the ming vase her mother loved dearly.
"Scared?" Matt's husky voice whispered into Rachel's ear.
"A little, I suppose." Rachel snorted back before stalking off back to her room.
"Alright Princess, now that we've got me in my pajamas too, what do you suppose we do now?" He asked as he closed and locked the door behind them.
"Watching a cool movie never hurt anybody and besides, it's Friday. This little brain child needs some dumbing down." She replied.
"Well, what's it gonna be this time? Superbad? Easy A? Zombie land? The new Spiderman movie?" Matt suggested, pulling out the movies from Rachel's rack of DVD's.
"Those all have the same actresses for the lead. Do you have a serious crush on Emma Stone or something 'cause I'd be fine if you left me for her." Rachel teased.
"She's a great actress, nothing more, kiddo. If you don't wanna watch an Emma then what do you wanna watch?"
"Well, I have a serious girl crush on Elle Fanning…"
"Let me guess, Dark Shadows?"
She nodded and threw the DVD at him to pop into the player so they could start watching.
"I swear, if I didn't love you so much I wouldn't even be here…" Matt mumbled as he went to the bed to envelop Rachel in a bear-like grasp.
"But you do so ha! Your loss, pumpkin." Rachel retorted, resting her head on his chest as the movie started.
Halfway through the movie, Rachel looked up at Matt's face. So well-chiseled and smooth, even with the small scars from the slaps given by her mother.
"Is there something on my face?" Matt asked her, she shook her head.
"I just love your face, is all. Handsome and just my kind of guy. I love everything about you. You're a book nerd like me, you hate idiots, and you remind me of me, like all the time."
Matt let out a weird laugh and kissed her forehead.
"You're such a kid, you know that? You're too cute for your own good. I love you to bits. Your innocence and the way you look at things are what makes you unique. In all my life, I've never met anyone remotely similar to you. You, Rachel Woodruff are special. I can't think of anyone ever replacing you. I love you too."
Rachel snuggled in deeper and continued to watch the movie. When it finished, and Rachel was sure Matt was asleep, she looked up at him again and whispered, "I love you too. Without you, Matt Wilkins, I wouldn't be here right now. Jason would've said the same thing. Jason was right, you would protect me."
On the same night, from up above, a man was looking down on Rachel's room, tears falling from his dark soulless eyes, lamenting on his death, wishing he never died and maybe then, he would be with the girl he loved, not him. Not Matt Wilkins the butler but him, Jason Walker, Rachel's best friend.