Author's notes:
well, what do you know, I actually did the second chapter.
I think this is going to be longer than a few chapters, but I'm not sure. I have to go Plot bunny hunting. I had a completely different idea then this when I started, but I felt like it wasn't very original thus I scrapped it and started again from scratch. I also had to go back and change a few things in the first chapter to make them flow better. I apologize for that.
Edit: Chapter two has been fixed. I'm happy to say that there wasn't much to change.
Red Bracelets
Chapter two
Spray paint
Franklin Jones stood over his youngest son with his face red and distorted in anger. "Don't you try to blame this on your brother to get out of it, Matthew!" He yelled.
"It was Alfred who did it!" Matthew yelled back.
"There you go again! It won't get you out of trouble!" Franklin hissed.
"I don't care! Alfred did it! Not me! So just leave me alone!" Matthew hollered, throwing his hands in to the air and storming out the front door.
It had started out as just another argument. Matthew's father had blamed him for something his older brother Alfred had done. Matthew tried to explain to his father that it had not been his doing, but his father refused to listen. Alfred, as usual, was out with his friends on that Friday night, leaving Mattie to take the heat for him. The teen eventually got fed up and stormed out of the house into the fading evening light.
Matthew now found himself walking aimlessly down the sidewalk in their subdivision. His mind wandering into dark places he would not dare to utter out loud. He was fed up with being blamed for Alfred's actions. He was tired of his father yelling at him for every little thing, whether it was his doing or not. He was just plain done with being the sweet, innocent, and kind boy that the few people that bothered to notice him thought he was. All he wanted to do was scream and tell them how he really felt. However, his train of thought was derailed by a somewhat familiar voice calling his name.
"Maddhew!" Well, sort of his name.
Matthew looked around in confusion for the source of the voice. It called his name again and he located it. The albino boy, Gilbert, who he had become acquainted with at a party some time ago, was sitting on a swing in the little park Matthew only now realized he was at. He stood still for a moment debating whether to wave and walk away or to approach the other teen and talk to him.
It had been almost a month since the party where the two of them had first met. In that month or so they had not spoken even once. At school Gil and Matthew had no classes together. Every time the quieter blond had seen the white haired boy in the hallway, he was surrounded by all his friends. Matthew didn't care to bother with Gil's friends; they were all loud, obnoxious, and arrogant. The kind of people Alfred always hung around with. So, he walked on by. Gil would make eye contact with him and smile, but didn't seem to care that they didn't speak to one another.
Matthew decided this was the perfect opportunity to speak to the young German again. He walked over to the other boy and greeted him with a forced smile. Gilbert Grinned up at him from the swing where he sat, his red eyes looking straight in to Mattie's blue-violet ones.
"What's up. Maddhew?" Gil asked with a German accent. But before Matthew could reply, he added. "You look down."
Matthew stared at him in surprise for a moment. He let the fake smile fade and took a seat in the swaying seat to the right of Gilbert. "I got in an argument with my dad." He said nothing else. They sat there in silence for a little while before Gil broke the silence with laughter. Matthew eyed him with a raised brow. "What is so funny?"
"It's ironic actually," Gil replied, pushing the swing back with his feet and then letting it swing forward. "I just had a fight with my dad, too" He stopped the swing and faced Matthew grinning. "See," he pointed at a red mark on his face that was likely to leave a bruise.
"Oh," was all Matthew said, watching his feet scoot the gravel around. Gilbert watched him quietly in the florescent light of the street lamps that lit the park.
"You know what I do when I'm down?" Gil said as more of a statement that a question. He proceeded to stand up from the swing and grab a black backpack that had been sitting a few feet away. "This," he announced pulling a can of spray paint from the backpack. Mattie looked at him curiously with his head cocked to one side.
"You do what?" The blond asked confused.
"I go mess some shit up! Graffiti, y'know?" The white haired teen responded, his grin even bigger than before. "You want to try it?" he suggested.
Matthew weighed the possible outcomes. He could get caught and wind up in Juvie. That wasn't so bad; he could get away from his dad for a while. He inwardly laughed. To him that sounded a lot better than going home right now and dealing with his dad, maybe it would work to vent his frustration too.
Matthew agreed and Gilbert led him on a three mile walk to, as Gilbert had phrased it, "An awesome place for Graffiti!" They chatted idly; Gil talking about his beloved pet canary he called Gilbird all the way there.
"He's like this tall," he gestured with his fingers. "and yellow."
"Aren't all Canaries yellow?" Matthew asked with sarcasm.
"Geez, that is so unawesome. I was just trying to give you a good picture of him," Gil crossed his arms and made a big pouty face. Mattie laughed then Gil laughed to. "What about you? Got a pet? A favorite animal?" Gilbert asked.
"Nope. No pets," Matthew paused, scrunching up his face at the memory of his father telling them they were strictly not allowed to have pets only because they cost too much money to raise. It was just his father being stingy. "I really, really like polar bears though." Matthew stated pushing the memory aside.
"Polar bears, Polar bears?" Gil repeated giving him a funny look. "They're awesome, but I'm not sure if they fit you."
"Whatever you say Mr. Awesome with a pet canary," Mattie remarked teasingly, rolling his eyes.
Their conversation went on like this the rest of the walk. Eventually, after about half an hour and a few playful punches later, they reached an old abandoned factory building. Mattie recognized it as an old paper factory. Gilbert handed him two cans of spray paint, a can of red and a can of black.
"We'll do it here because we're less likely to get caught at this abandoned building then in the city, we don't want that to happen this being your first time and all," he told Matthew before climbing up a rickety looking fire escape to the first landing. From the ground Matthew watched him find a place on the wall and begin painting. Matthew didn't know what to paint so he went with the first thing that came to mind; maple leaves. He found that there was no blank space at the bottom of the brick wall. He looked up at Gilbert on the fire escape and saw it had a second level where there wasn't any Graffiti. There didn't seem to be a ladder up though.
He climbed up to the first landing where the other teen was. It was then that he noticed that he didn't feel nervous or afraid in the slightest, instead he felt excited. Gil eyed Mattie questioningly as the thin framed blond hoisted himself up on to the next landing. "What are you doing, Birdie? Gil asked. Mattie looked down at him slightly confused.
"Birdie?" He inquired, watching the other's face a little too intensely. Gil turned away to hide the red hue his face had taken on.
"What are you doing?" He attempted to dodge the question.
"My name is Matthew! Not Birdie!" Matthew retorted, irritation evident in his voice. Mathew turned away. "I thought you of all people would call me by my name." The end came out sounding more hurt then he had intended it to. He started to paint. After some time he realized Gil was watching him from the lower landing. "What?" He demanded, looking down that the other teen.
"I'm sorry, Matthew." Gil said, forcing himself to pronounce his name in the English way. He watched Matthew closely, his cheeks turning pink again. Mattie rolled his eyes and went back to painting on the wall. "I'm also happy to see that you can speak your mind sometimes," Gil commented returning to painting the skull he'd started spraying on to the wall.
Mattie let out a sigh. "You win, I forgive you." he announced, watching Gilbert through the grated floor. The red eyed teen smiled up at him.
"Awesome." Gil cheered. They were quite for a while, the only noise around them the sound of aerosol and evening crickets. The light had faded to the point where they could no longer see the spray paint on the wall. Thankfully Gil had two flash lights in his black backpack. Matthew was happy he was almost done and he felt a lot better than he had earlier. There was just a bit to go. He leaned over the edge of the rusted steal railing. Just a little more and it will be done.
Snap!
The guard rail Matthew had been leaning against broke, causing him to fall forward. He dropped the can of spray paint, allowing it to fall to the ground along with the railing, producing a loud twang as they hit the concrete. Mattie managed to catch himself on the wall, running his left hand through the fresh paint. Damn! That's not coming off anytime soon.
"Mein Gott! Maddhew are you okay?" Gil practically yelled.
"I'm fi-"
"Who's over there?" a demanding voice cut in.
"Shit, Birdie we have to go!" Gilbert told Mattie with a look of panic. He helped the smaller boy down from the upper landing. Mattie grabbed the flash light and flipped it off on the way down. They were both down the ladder in a heartbeat and running off in the opposite direction of the voice that called again, now closer. They rounded a corner. A few meters along the wall Gilbert grabbed Matthew's hand and yanked him in to an inlet in the brick wall. The taller teen pulled him close to his chest trying to better hide them. Their pursuer ran right past them yelling something about how they were going to be in so much trouble when he got his hands on them. They remained silent for several minutes and then burst in to laughter. Mattie braced himself against Gil with his head on the taller boy's shoulder, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
"That was fun!" Gil managed through the laughter.
"Yeah!" Matthew replied grinning like an idiot. Gil's expression mirrored his.
"Wow, Birdie you're so much fun," Gil announced grabbing the thin blond up in a hug, lifting him off the ground before letting him go. "We need to do this more often!"
"Okay," Mattie said, flushed from the laughter and the embarrassment caused by the unexpected physical contact over the last few minutes. Matthew realized how hard it had become to see Gil's face in the dark. "The time!" Mattie stated, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He stared at the phone in horror. It was now 10:42 and it was at least a 30 minute walk home, but his curfew was 11 o'clock.
"What's wrong?" Gil asked looking concerned.
"I have to go or I'll be late," Matthew made to leave, but Gil grabbed his hand. Matthew glared his blue-violet eyes at him.
"I'll walk with you," Gil declared walking beside him.
They didn't part hands until they reached Matthew's front walkway. Mattie squeezed Gil's hand before pulling his own away. "Thank you for tonight," Matthew announced, "I think I can face my dad's wrath without regrets."
Gil took both Mattie's hands in his. "You're welcome," He whispered, leaning down and kissing Mattie's forehead. "Gute nacht, Birdie." Gil pulled back and looked at Mattie. Wide blue-violet eyes stared up at him. A pang of gilt stabbed at his heart and was only made worse when Matthew slid his hands away and ran up the front walk to the porch. Way to ruin this before it even started Mr. Unawesome.
Matthew spun around on the porch, smiling with flushed cheeks. "Good night, Gil," He said before entering the house, leaving Gil out on the sidewalk grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Author's notes:
Thank you for reading this. Now that I'm done with this chapter I feel like the story needs a new summary and a new title, but I'll save that for later. Thank you again for reading the story. I'd really love some kind of feedback, I just want to know if the story is any good.
Also thank you to XxDamned ForeverXx for being a BETA for me.
Translation notes:
Mein Gott- My God
Gute nach – Good night
