The publication of this chapter took a little bit longer than it should have because fanfiction (krhm, the site) refused to work with me. Now it seems to be okay, though I can still see a sign down there telling that "ready, but there are errors on the page"... Oh well... I feel like I should say something more now or this will be left way too empty.
It was a very problematic situation they faced, finding out that a group of young adolescents who were, by law, not allowed to drink. Apparently this was not a new system. Matt had started a bit later than the others though, a while after Mello had left. First, it was considered to completely halt this kind of activity. It could not come to the publicity that they allowed their orphans drink and they could not let the children have any kind of brain damage, which would be even worse. But then it was brought out that it would also have very negative effects. The main fact was that even if they tried to stop it, a young group of geniuses would most likely find a way to do it secretly. All problems rooted from this.
Apparently, this group got their drinks from someone, who one of them, whose name everyone refused to tell, knew. The drinks did not come directly from this someone either, but he or she also knew someone who was believed, or hoped, to be the one who, in the end, provided these drinks, although no one knew for sure. Since the drinks came through a long way and their origin was unknown, it was very easy to question the reliability of them. This is why, when it came down to it, most voted that the House should actually get the drinks for them. After all, most of these adolescents were sixteen or fifteen, so many could not actually be considered as children anymore.
As a positive side, the House could only let them drink if they drank what they were given, making sure that they would not drink too much, too long, too often or drinks too strong for them. And it would cost them more money, since their earlier drinks had been suspiciously cheap, which would prod some of them to stop by themselves. The other problem was the placement of their little gatherings. They had been drinking on a field some mile away from the House to avoid getting caught. The current arrangement was not a good one, to be in such an unstable state, outdoors, where anyone could come to and no adult was looking after you. It was quickly stated that they could not drink in the House either, because someone from the children might find out, which would encourage them to go the same way.
So, another place was needed, as close as possible to the House. They would have to give their share for this one too, though most was paid by the orphanage, and they would be paying it by chores. As the last condition, no child under the age of fifteen was allowed to drink. Surprisingly, the group wasn't too reluctant to accept all this, after they had gotten their one condition through: they would not have an adult with them. It was very close whether it was accepted or not, but accepted anyway, since there were some seventeen year olds with them.
Of course this was not the whole deal. Accepted, as long as it was allowed for at least two adults to guard them just outside the apartment and always someone inside it who was sober and prepared to call the adults, if anything at all happened. At first, this person inside was denounced to be Near, which was truly not a bad decision, if only he hadn't been in such a depressed condition. So rather peacefully, the ones suitable for the job, decided to take turns. Now the only thing left unsolved was Matt. It was not seen as very healthy for him to drink to his depression, more making it worse. It was wondered, if forcing him not to drink would drive the depressed boy to run away, as he was very vulnerable to everything and he might consider this as discrimination.
This would not lead to anywhere, as they could not let him out while he was like that, and he would probably just find another place to drink. He could not be separated from drinking without solving the cause to it, and there obviously was a cause. Besides, Matt wasn't an alcoholic. According to others, he only drank when they did. He had no addiction to drinking, he just didn't want to miss the fun. All they could really do was to take the pills away from him, although Matt had never even taken those, but just to be sure.
Later, Tony returned, but this time he dragged another boy along with him, Maxxie, who he had a small disagreement with. Maxxie believed that when Matt had started drinking, he was everything but depressed.
Near's situation did not change. The psychologist was not moving anywhere with him, except Near was very much willing to take his medication, but that could be considered as much as progress as well as backfiring. He wanted there to be a shortcut for his cure and he didn't want to solve the problem there obviously was. Or then he was so desperate he didn't think anyone could save him from this, though that did not add with Near's refusal to talk, since he could have still told what the problem was. Unless of course, he was trying to drive everyone into a corner where there was no other choice but to give him drugs. Only clue to him was the fact that he had been wandering with people who were obviously drunk, apparently watching out for them.
And that hit a dead end almost too fast: after going through the group, it turned out Near wasn't really looking after them anymore. He had stopped that at the same time as he had got depressed in and instead started to just "sit around places" doing nothing. Also, according to these same people, Near had not drank once in his life. Finally with this, there was a breakthrough. One day in therapy, he was once again questioned about the events on those nights. He responded in his usual way, completely avoiding of telling anything that wasn't clearly asked, couldn't be considered as an opinion or had something to do with him. Eventually it came to drinking.
He was asked if he approved their drinking. Near dodged the question with his regular style. He was asked why he himself didn't drink. Near replied with an incoherent question. He was asked if drinking was any good. Near noted that alcohol might damage your brain. Here became the prominent sentence: he added that Mello did not allow drinking. Seemingly this didn't mean anything, but this was the first time that, in months, Near had uttered a new subject by himself. This one humble sentence spread through the House like an electric shock. Everyone knew the famous line and knew it was important, even though there were those who honestly did not understand what was so special about it, but they did not bring out their opinions being afraid of looking like an idiot.
However, what made the statement even more rousing, was that it was about someone. Someone that so conveniently happened to be Mello. Mello, who was Near's number one rival, after who's departure Near had become depressed and who he appeared to like despite of everything. To put it short, girls went wild with ideas. Like is not a very strong word, but it is somewhat unwavering. As is dislike. If anyone generally neutral would have been asked, they would have said Mello disliked Near and Near approved Mello. Near saw Mello as interesting, but Near knew he was more intelligent. Mello saw Near as overpowering, and Mello did not want to be just one of the puzzle pieces.
Matt on the other hand was more of Mello's friend, but they couldn't be called exactly "best friends". They had some kind of an understanding and they got along, but Mello had his own friends and Matt had his. Matt and Near weren't connected in any way other except that they were hanging around the same place at nighttime and had been seen talking a few times. That was pretty much all they had in common besides Mello and the fact that they had both developed a depression at the same did a bit later, but because the change was more sudden than with Matt, their depressions were "complete" at the same time.
Even though Near's melancholy was harder to notice, coming up with hindsight, you could clearly see that one day he was okay, the other day he wasn't. And because the only remarkable place tying the two together was that shady field and because so many little angels had already come out as not so that innocent, it was almost impossible to completely ignore the suggestion that perhaps there were more than alcohol moving around among the orphans of the House. Perhaps there were drugs too.
Almost as if in passing, Chris happened to mention that Matt and Near were actually talked to each other pretty often than thought. He was certain they were more of like friends.
Matt had always refused to tell when exactly he began drinking, saying he didn't remember, but it was certainly after Mello left. The start was considered as quite natural. For two reasons, depending on who you ask. Alcohol was not a new thing to Matt, as he had been hanging around the field already before he started drinking and before Mello made his departure. The decision that consuming alcohol would be alright was obviously fueled by this departure. The added theories for this, first, he had been drinking to ease the depression of losing someone, and second, because he was replacing that same someone with something, something like a new activity.
Basically, the second option was that after none of his time was spent with Mello anymore, since they did hang out at times solving some riddles or brain-games, he felt like he could start a new hobby to replace the old one. And seeing how thrilling drinking can be, he started doing it more often. It had nothing to do with his depression. This was practically crushed by the supporters of the former view, stating that there was no way he started drinking as a hobby and Mello didn't even require so much time that he needed something to make up for it. Matt had obviously lost someone dear to him, romantically or non-romantically, and he was sad and trying to make himself feel better.
However, the push in the right way came from an unexpected direction: Near. Near, who was considered, even depressed, the most likely to be correct. Until then, it had not been sure if Mello drank or not. Some said he drank more than anyone, almost every night, and then some said he was so vain he would never risk his precious brains, which he actually had a reason to be vain about. It had not been revealed where these common ideas came from, but if anyone, Near knew the truth. "Mello did not approve drinking". With enough enquiry, it was revealed that Mello did not approve drinking not only on his behalf, but not even those around him.
Shortly, if you wanted to be in Mello's gang, you could not drink. Apparently, this was also forbidden from Matt, who wasn't even in Mello's group, possibly showing that Matt did not mind too much whether he drank or not or Mello had him convinced that alcohol could do much damage to his brains. Although, Mello could have just as easily told him not to drink, no arguments accepted. Whether it was either of those options, the solution was, Matt started drinking right after Mello left. Maybe it was the new sense of freedom, maybe because he was finally able to or maybe he was just having a revenge on Mello, but he was drinking nonetheless.
Then suddenly it became very probable that Matt was not drinking because he was depressed, but he was depressed because he was drinking. There were many people who declared they had seen Matt fall into a gloomy state right after Mello left. But there were a few ones who claimed that they had seen the boy all normal and cheerful and these people seemed to have fewer holes in their stories and it wasn't hindsight they realized how the other was feeling. For, most of the stories that said he had been melancholic always started with "now that I think about it". There were fresh researches studying the effects of drinking. It was shown that for some people, both old and young, alcohol itself might be the cause of depression.
Matt appeared to be one of these people. He had never talked about his problems and in the end it turned out he didn't even know what they were. The situation was explained to Matt, who naturally couldn't understand it. Truly he knew that it was just as he was told, but he couldn't believe it could happen to him. He didn't want to stop drinking. Everybody else got to have the fun, but he couldn't because his genes decided that he was to fall deep into melancholy if he did. He found it unfair. He refused at first, but he didn't have a choice anyway.
Telling him to stop was not effective since day one. Putting cameras to follow him did not prevent him from taking shots every once in a while before anyone could get to him. And after he was locked in his room at 11 pm precise and was only let out after 6 am, he could be seen wandering around the House, obviously wasted. So after all these unsuccessful attempts, he ended up being put into a strict surveillance. Cameras were hidden all around in his room and otherwise there were two men hired to lead him everywhere except classes, the other at nights and the other in daytime. They also wore earphones all the time so they could always merge in when the situation required it.
Matt had gotten away from the shrink when it had been deduced the problem was alcohol and alcohol only. But now was also sent back. It was figured there really had to be a problem after all because of Matt's great resistance to being clear. He wasn't really an alcoholic, it was more of a mental problem than physical. He wanted to rebel, but he didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. The only answer he agreed to give was still that he didn't want to miss out the fun. He however had no other option but to stop drinking.
This seemed to get him into another kind of a depression, where he was quiet and just sad a lot. Also, he started to smoke. This was approved only for him to do, none of the other kids. Someone had made a suggestion that he needed something that was "bad for him" and that was allowed for him only, since everybody else was allowed to drink alcohol. It helped and even though he was still rather miserable, he also seemed to be on his way to a slow recovery.
Maxxie first declared when he came inside the office that Chris wasn't completely honest before, as he also knew Matt had kissed Near multiple times. Though, he made it clear not the other way around.