Confrontation

It was Sunday afternoon as Matt lay on his bed with his hands behind the back of his head as he looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. The image of Inez lingered in his mind as he thought of her smiling. But somehow, something did not feel right.

I don't get it. I just don't get it. Why does Slider get to call her Nezzie? Does she have a problem with me doing it? thought Matt, confused.

All those times in Cyberchase, the countless amounts of times she smiled, and the adventures they all went through, thwarting Hacker every time he went close to overthrowing Motherboard.

"Wait a second; Inez is one of my friends! Why should I worry about what Slider gets to call her?" asked Matt. "This is silly, unless I have a crush on her." He got up to sit on the left side of his bed and turned to his dog, Obi-Wan Kadoggie. "Do I like her?" he asked.

Obi-Wan Kadoggie simply looked up from his nap close to Matt's bed. He looked tired and decided to go back to sleep instead of answering Matt's question.

Matt frowned. Not exactly the answer he was looking for, even though Obi-Wan Kadoggie is a dog!

He looked at his watch to check the time. It read 4:30 P.M. Time for some answers to those questions. And time to talk to Jackie.

Matt walked over to his desk and dialled Jackie's number. Meanwhile, Jackie picked up her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Jacks, it's Matt. Got a minute?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Well, it's about Inez and I was wondering…"

"Ohhh, so it's about Inez, huh?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Look, Jacks, can you help me or not?"

"Sure, I could spare a moment of my time with this. Why don't you come over to my place so we could talk?"

"Sounds good. I'll be there soon." Matt hung up the phone and put his jacket on. He locked the door and strolled down the street to Jackie's house.

I can't believe today of all days Inez is on my mind! thought Matt, clenching his fists. I just don't know what to do!

Matt came up to Jackie's house and rang the doorbell.

DING DONG! ( doorbell)

Jackie came to the door and opened it. "Hey Matt! Hope you're okay," said Jackie, cheerfully. "Come in."

"Thanks," said Matt as he came inside. He took off his boots and left them on one side of the rug inside.

"So, what's this about you thinking about Inez?" asked Jackie, sitting on one of the stairs.

"Well, you know that I've had the biggest crush on Inez ever since I can remember, right?" Matt began.

"That's right. And you have always been trying to hold that back as much as you can," said Jackie.

"Yeah," agreed Matt. He took a seat next to Jackie.

"Then what's the problem?" asked Jackie.

"I'm just not so sure about what to do about that. And I have always been so jealous when she pays more attention to Slider than she does to me!" explained Matt.

"Since when?" asked Jackie.

"Ever since I heard Slider call her Nezzie that one time she wasn't bothered by it at all!" said Matt.

"Well, what about that? Is it that you always want her attention or what?" asked Jackie.

"It's just that, she likes Slider and it wouldn't hurt if she felt the same way for me," said Matt.

"Then why don't you just talk to her yourself? I'm not Inez," suggested Jackie.

"I guess I will. Thanks for your advice Jacks," said Matt, getting ready to leave.

"No prob Matt. Just talk to me anytime, anywhere," said Jackie, waving goodbye.

Matt went outside from Jackie's house and started to walk back. Then he saw a familiar figure. It was Inez walking in the streets and she looked very flustered.

There's my chance to talk to her! thought Matt. He walked straight up to her and tried to muster up the courage to talk to her. When Inez looked at him in the eye, a glimmer of light sparkled in her eyes as Matt's heart started to skip a beat.

"Hey Matt! What are you doing out here in the brisk winter cold?" said Inez, waving at him.

"Hey-Hey Inez! Didn't expect to see you here either," replied Matt, nervously.

Inez ran up to him and slapped him on his left arm. "What's up, Matt?" she said.

"Well, I was just wondering, why does Slider get to call you Nezzie but not me?" asked Matt.

"I told you, it's because he's different!" explained Inez.

"But in what way? In what way is he different?" asked Matt.

"In a way that you should know that I like him and it allows him to call me a pet name!" explained Inez.

"Then how come I never get to call you that? And what's wrong with me calling you Nezzie?" asked Matt.

"I just don't like people calling me nicknames. Besides, you got everyone to call me that," said Inez. She folded her arms across her chest. "And why do you want to talk about that?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Well, maybe it helps distinguish the differing perspectives of how you view both me and Slider," said Matt, turning red.

"Why?" asked Inez.

"Because…I like you," said Matt. He gulped. "More than a friend," he added.

Inez felt shocked and surprised. A lump formed in her throat as she struggled to determine how to react to this surprising confession.

"But…why?" asked Inez, confused.

"I guess I've always liked you. You're smart, sweet and you know big words and I like you for who you are," replied Matt, scratching his neck.

"Well, it's just that, I've always thought you liked Shari Spotter, that's all," said Inez, looking away. "But, I've always figured that even though I liked Slider, there must have been a place for you inside my heart," she confessed, blushing red.

"Shari's no you," said Matt, pulling Inez closer to him.

"And Slider's no you either," said Inez, placing her hands on Matt's cheeks.

They both leaned in and kissed each other on the lips. Matt's arms hugged Inez's backside as her arms wrapped itself around Matt's neck.

Back inside Jackie's house, Jackie was watching from her living room window. "How sweet it is to be in love," said Jackie, wistfully. She saw the two walk away from the house as she herself got up and left the living room.

The End.