Matt - Before the Digital World
"Yamato Ishida." Matt winced slightly and looked up. "What is the meaning of this?" Matt stood up, and grabbed the paper held by the teacher. He looked at it. It was a version of his homework, except that it involved making fun of the teacher and excessive use of bad words.
"It... it's... it's just..." Matt stuttered. His dad would get mad and make his beatings worse if he knew. Finally, Matt just crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash can. Someone laughed.
"And what is so funny, Taichi Kamiya?" the teacher asked.
"Nothing Mrs. Park," Tai said with an angelic look on his face. Matt walked to his seat, knowing that the information would reach his dad. Maybe, just *maybe* he wouldn't mind... Who was he kidding? His dad would beat him for atleast 3 hours for that piece of work.
Matt got to work on his worksheet again, thinking but not about the problems. Thinking questions like, 'Would dad mind?' and 'Should I call the cops for child abuse?'
Matt ran home. He liked having a lot of time between when his dad got home and his time alone. He open the door and slammed it. He was exhausted, just having sprinted the distance from his school to his house. He opened the 'fridge door. It was filled with beer cans, but he managed to find some milk way in the back. He drank the rest of it deeply.
Then he went and watched TV. He watched TV until it was 7:55. At 8:00 his dad would come home. Matt braced himself for his dad's return, drunk of course, and sat on the couch, with the TV on but not watching it. He was watching the clock. It was 7:56. 57. 58. 59.
8:00. At that exact time, the door burst open. Matt feigned watching TV, surfing through the channels.
"Yamato," his dad said, turning off the TV. Amazingly, he could speak without slurring his words. He must not have drunken that much. He hoped that he would get off easy.
"Yamato, why did you write that paper?!" his dad demanded, backhanding Matt.
"I... I didn't..." Matt said quietly.
"Don't lie to me!" his dad shouted, backhanding Matt again, this time with enough force to send his skidding back and leave a red line that began to gush blood. Matt touched his cut, wincing as he did so.
"I hate you," Matt said quietly. His dad slapped Matt again, taking no heed to Matt's words.
"I... HATE... YOU!!!" Matt shouted as loud as he possibly could, while striking out at his father. His dad was so surprised he didn't move. Matt had something in his eyes that he vowed would never be there... tears.
Matt stood there for a moment, tears of anger slowly sliding down his face, mixing with the cut on his cheek. Then he ran past his dad upstairs to his room.
'I hate him...' were Matt's last thought before he went to sleep, bleeding cheek and all.
Matt woke up. It was early. That was a good thing. Hopefully his dad wouldn't be up yet. He walked to the bathroom and washed his face. He noticed the scar of the cut that was on his face. He traced it lightly. It would heal. All of the scars did.
He went downstairs and did a double-take when he noticed his dad was downstairs, sitting at the table. Matt shrugged and went downstairs calmly, walking into the kitchen and completely ignoring his father.
"Matt." Matt looked up, surprised. His father always called him Yamato. "Matt. I'm sorry, you know I am, right?"
"That's funny, you didn't seem sorry," Matt said coldly as he grabbed some toast and popping it into the toaster.
"Matt..." his father said, and stood up and went to his room. Matt could hear the door slamming. Matt made himself his lunch and a sandwich to eat for breakfast.
"Yamato Ishida." Matt looked up. "Your homework, please?" Matt pulled out some pieces of paper and gave it to the teacher grudgingly. The teacher frowned down at Matt, staring at the scar on his cheek. Matt glared at the teacher, who walked on.
Matt sat alone at lunch. Like always. He never expected anyone to sit by him and no one did. Well, except for today.
"Mind if I sit here?" a voice asked.
"Go ahead," Matt said, eating his sandwich. He turned to see who was sitting by him. It was Taichi Kamiya. He also noticed that he was staring at his scar.
"What?" Matt asked, irritated.
"Nothing," Tai said, taking out his sandwich and eating it silently.
"It isn't nothing, if it was nothing then you wouldn't be sitting next to me, would you?" Matt asked, suddenly slightly angry.
"I... I guess your scar caught my attention. You didn't have it yesterday." Matt paused, wondering what to say. Then he just went back to eating his sandwich, with no reply in mind. Tai also went back to eating his sandwich.
"Of course I didn't have it yesterday," Matt finally said. "My dad…" he stopped.
"Your dad what?" Tai pressed.
"I... I shouldn't tell you," Matt said quietly and finished his sandwich. Tai shrugged.
"You don't want to talk about it, that's cool," Tai said.
Matt pulled out his harmonica and began to play. It was recess and there wasn't anything to do. So he closed his eyes and just played, pouring his soul into those notes. It produced a haunting melody, that drifted around him.
Someone heard him. She walked around, trying to locate the source of the beautiful, yet sad music. Then, she found it. The beautiful melody wrapped around her, warming her to the core.
The last note rang loudly, hanging in the air for a brief second before fading gradually away. Matt opened his eyes. He was startled by someone standing nearby, watching him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"No, It's fine," Matt replied.
"That song... it was so sad..." Matt didn't reply to this.
"Do you have any emotional problems?" the girl asked gently.
"No, what makes you think that?" Matt asked calmly.
"Your scar." Matt touched it again, tracing it lightly.
"I... it's nothing," Matt said.
"It can't be nothing, or else you wouldn't have it there," the girl replied gently.
"Promise not to tell?" Matt asked after a short pause. The girl nodded. "My father… he beats me." The girl was silent. "You don't understand, do you?"
"Yes, I do. My father beats me too," the girl said quietly, fingering her hair. Matt was silent.
"I thought... I was alone..." Matt said, his voice barely a whisper.
"I've got to go," the girl said.
"By the way, what's your name?" Matt asked. The girl smiled at Matt.
"My name is Sora."
END
"Yamato Ishida." Matt winced slightly and looked up. "What is the meaning of this?" Matt stood up, and grabbed the paper held by the teacher. He looked at it. It was a version of his homework, except that it involved making fun of the teacher and excessive use of bad words.
"It... it's... it's just..." Matt stuttered. His dad would get mad and make his beatings worse if he knew. Finally, Matt just crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash can. Someone laughed.
"And what is so funny, Taichi Kamiya?" the teacher asked.
"Nothing Mrs. Park," Tai said with an angelic look on his face. Matt walked to his seat, knowing that the information would reach his dad. Maybe, just *maybe* he wouldn't mind... Who was he kidding? His dad would beat him for atleast 3 hours for that piece of work.
Matt got to work on his worksheet again, thinking but not about the problems. Thinking questions like, 'Would dad mind?' and 'Should I call the cops for child abuse?'
Matt ran home. He liked having a lot of time between when his dad got home and his time alone. He open the door and slammed it. He was exhausted, just having sprinted the distance from his school to his house. He opened the 'fridge door. It was filled with beer cans, but he managed to find some milk way in the back. He drank the rest of it deeply.
Then he went and watched TV. He watched TV until it was 7:55. At 8:00 his dad would come home. Matt braced himself for his dad's return, drunk of course, and sat on the couch, with the TV on but not watching it. He was watching the clock. It was 7:56. 57. 58. 59.
8:00. At that exact time, the door burst open. Matt feigned watching TV, surfing through the channels.
"Yamato," his dad said, turning off the TV. Amazingly, he could speak without slurring his words. He must not have drunken that much. He hoped that he would get off easy.
"Yamato, why did you write that paper?!" his dad demanded, backhanding Matt.
"I... I didn't..." Matt said quietly.
"Don't lie to me!" his dad shouted, backhanding Matt again, this time with enough force to send his skidding back and leave a red line that began to gush blood. Matt touched his cut, wincing as he did so.
"I hate you," Matt said quietly. His dad slapped Matt again, taking no heed to Matt's words.
"I... HATE... YOU!!!" Matt shouted as loud as he possibly could, while striking out at his father. His dad was so surprised he didn't move. Matt had something in his eyes that he vowed would never be there... tears.
Matt stood there for a moment, tears of anger slowly sliding down his face, mixing with the cut on his cheek. Then he ran past his dad upstairs to his room.
'I hate him...' were Matt's last thought before he went to sleep, bleeding cheek and all.
Matt woke up. It was early. That was a good thing. Hopefully his dad wouldn't be up yet. He walked to the bathroom and washed his face. He noticed the scar of the cut that was on his face. He traced it lightly. It would heal. All of the scars did.
He went downstairs and did a double-take when he noticed his dad was downstairs, sitting at the table. Matt shrugged and went downstairs calmly, walking into the kitchen and completely ignoring his father.
"Matt." Matt looked up, surprised. His father always called him Yamato. "Matt. I'm sorry, you know I am, right?"
"That's funny, you didn't seem sorry," Matt said coldly as he grabbed some toast and popping it into the toaster.
"Matt..." his father said, and stood up and went to his room. Matt could hear the door slamming. Matt made himself his lunch and a sandwich to eat for breakfast.
"Yamato Ishida." Matt looked up. "Your homework, please?" Matt pulled out some pieces of paper and gave it to the teacher grudgingly. The teacher frowned down at Matt, staring at the scar on his cheek. Matt glared at the teacher, who walked on.
Matt sat alone at lunch. Like always. He never expected anyone to sit by him and no one did. Well, except for today.
"Mind if I sit here?" a voice asked.
"Go ahead," Matt said, eating his sandwich. He turned to see who was sitting by him. It was Taichi Kamiya. He also noticed that he was staring at his scar.
"What?" Matt asked, irritated.
"Nothing," Tai said, taking out his sandwich and eating it silently.
"It isn't nothing, if it was nothing then you wouldn't be sitting next to me, would you?" Matt asked, suddenly slightly angry.
"I... I guess your scar caught my attention. You didn't have it yesterday." Matt paused, wondering what to say. Then he just went back to eating his sandwich, with no reply in mind. Tai also went back to eating his sandwich.
"Of course I didn't have it yesterday," Matt finally said. "My dad…" he stopped.
"Your dad what?" Tai pressed.
"I... I shouldn't tell you," Matt said quietly and finished his sandwich. Tai shrugged.
"You don't want to talk about it, that's cool," Tai said.
Matt pulled out his harmonica and began to play. It was recess and there wasn't anything to do. So he closed his eyes and just played, pouring his soul into those notes. It produced a haunting melody, that drifted around him.
Someone heard him. She walked around, trying to locate the source of the beautiful, yet sad music. Then, she found it. The beautiful melody wrapped around her, warming her to the core.
The last note rang loudly, hanging in the air for a brief second before fading gradually away. Matt opened his eyes. He was startled by someone standing nearby, watching him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
"No, It's fine," Matt replied.
"That song... it was so sad..." Matt didn't reply to this.
"Do you have any emotional problems?" the girl asked gently.
"No, what makes you think that?" Matt asked calmly.
"Your scar." Matt touched it again, tracing it lightly.
"I... it's nothing," Matt said.
"It can't be nothing, or else you wouldn't have it there," the girl replied gently.
"Promise not to tell?" Matt asked after a short pause. The girl nodded. "My father… he beats me." The girl was silent. "You don't understand, do you?"
"Yes, I do. My father beats me too," the girl said quietly, fingering her hair. Matt was silent.
"I thought... I was alone..." Matt said, his voice barely a whisper.
"I've got to go," the girl said.
"By the way, what's your name?" Matt asked. The girl smiled at Matt.
"My name is Sora."
END