Relationship Status: It's Complicated
Chapter Two
It is currently 6 in the evening, and Matthew is sitting at his desk in his room, staring at his cell phone apprehensively, while Alfred is lying on his bed with Matthew's fat white cat stretched across his stomach.
"You know." Alfred states, as he absentmindedly scratches Kumajirou's ears. "It's been five minutes since you left the message. You don't need to get worked up."
Matthew shoots Alfred a shut-the-fuck-up-I'm-not-worked-up glare, before going back to looking at his cell phone. Oh no, he is not waiting for a call back from Gilbert Beilschmidt. No, he is just admiring his phone, in all its cellular glory.
The phone starts to vibrate, and Matthew jumps in his seat. Unfortunately, it is only a text message from his mother telling him that she is not coming home tonight, presumably because Rupert is getting lucky again.
Sighing, he slumps back into his chair. What if Gilbert didn't really mean for him to call? What if Gilbert didn't really want to interact with Matthew anyways? What if he had forgotten about Matthew already?
"Dude, if he didn't mean for you to call, he wouldn't have given you his number." Alfred says assuringly, because Matthew tends think out loud sometimes. "And it's been a grand total of...six minutes, now. Stop acting like a chick obsessing over her boyfriend."
Matthew simply grumbles, because when you are waiting for a call from your crush, even if it's about something mundane like school work, time seems to drag on forever.
Suddenly, obscure techno music starts playing from the phone, and Matthew snatches it up. The caller ID confirms that yes; it is Gilbert Beilschmidt calling him right now.
"Hello?" He says, a little too loudly and a little too breathless.
"...Matthew? Are you okay?"
Alfred muffles his giggles in a pillow, and Matthew flips him the bird.
"S-sorry, I had to...run to my phone. You know, because it wasn't near me and stuff."
"Oh, okay. Anyways, I don't really have much time to talk at the moment but I thought I'd call anyways. Do you want to meet up at lunch or something tomorrow, and sort out the details for this project? Antonio and Francis are out on some field trip, so I might as well grace you with my awesome presence."
"At lunch, tomorrow...?" Matthew throws Alfred a questioning look, and Alfred replies with two thumbs up. "Alright, sure..."
"Alright, cool. My locker's on the second floor, across our old chemistry room. It's near the library, so just meet me there, okay?"
Matthew already knows where Gilbert's locker is. No, it is not because he stalks him, it is just because Alfred's locker is near his and he goes to Alfred's locker regularly. Why he does that, he has yet to figure out an excuse for.
"Okay."
"Sweet. Alright, I'll catch you later."
And before Matthew has a chance to say good bye, Gilbert hangs up.
He stares at the phone, the phone with which he had his first phone conversation with Gilbert. He ponders about making pancakes to commemorate this occasion, until Alfred's voice interrupts.
"He's really eager to get this started with, isn't he? You guys got the project just today, didn't you?"
"I guess he just wants to get this over with as quickly as possible." Matthew shrugs. "It's what he said in class. It's for the best I guess, so we're not scrambling last minute."
Alfred tuts and shakes his head.
"No it is not for the best. It's actually a horrible idea."
"Why?"
"Because if you two get done earlier, that means you two won't be able to spend as much time together. And I bet you anything that in the short amount of time you guys do get together, you," Alfred punctuates this statement with a jab of a finger towards Matthew's direction. "Are going to be too shy or stupid to say or do anything. Nothing's going to happen. No secret steamy make-outs in the library, no sexing with your homework getting crushed underneath you, no nothing."
Matthew blinks before going slightly pink as the mental images start to creep in.
"I'm not that helpless, eh?"
"Well, you've liked him for more than half a year and you haven't done shit. I think that counts as being helpless."
"But Gilbert hangs out with the...the popular people! It's hard!"
Alfred sighs a deep sigh, giving Matthew a pitying look.
"And you hang out with me, the school hero. So technically you and Beilschmidt are on the same level."
"But-"
"I don't want to hear it. You dated Francis for Christ's sake. Even if he is your cousin and a bit of a slut, he still counts. Which totally makes you socially acceptable."
It is Matthew's turn to sigh, as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "I don't know Alfred."
"Dude, don't worry. You're definitely popular kid material!" Then Alfred frowns. "And you're not a girl. So I don't know why you'd care if you're a loser or not!"
Matthew doesn't point out that Alfred thinks the same way. When they were around 11, they watched repeats of Mean Girls in order to be able to quote the movie and impress the same girl, but Matthew was sure it had somewhat affected their way of thinking.
"And anyways, didn't he do that guy, Rodereich?"
Matthew nods, slight jealousy filling him at the mention of the name.
"Well, from what I hear, the guy's a total loser. Apparently he's really stuck up but always ends up completely whipped no matter who he dates. And his mom still packs him lunches. And picks him up after band practise even though he got his license. And he still wears a dress shirt and pants."
And yet, Matthew thinks bitterly, He still manages to get the guy I've been lusting after for close to a year.
"So?"
"So, I'm saying that if Beilschmidt could hook up with a loser like that, he could hook up with you."
Matthew stares at Alfred, not quite sure whether he has been complimented or insulted.
"Alright, remember what we discussed yesterday." Alfred says, as they walked to school. Today, they were on time and would not receive a verbal ass-kicking during first period. "Follow my advice and you shall succeed."
As an afterthought, he adds, "Grasshopper."
Matthew rolls his eyes.
"We didn't discuss anything." Matthew replies, kicking a stone in front of them. "You talked and I disagreed to all of your stupid ideas."
"And we agreed that you're just stupid, and with an attitude like that you'll never get laid."
"Just in case you don't remember, I've already gotten laid."
"Well," Alfred points out. "Have you gotten laid by Gilbert?"
Matthew doesn't reply, and Alfred gives a smug smile.
"I thought so. Now, I know you aren't too big on seduction but I think you can really pull it off. If not, I'm sure we can pay Beilschmidt to at least give you a blowjob. "
After a moment of contemplation, Matthew says, "I hate you, Alfred."
Alfred simple laughs and slaps Matthew on the back, sending him stumbling.
"Oh, you never did tell us who you're working with." Francis says from the backseat. Currently he, Antonio, Arthur, and Arthur's annoying-as-fuck little brother, Peter, are crammed into the back of Gilbert's car, with complete disregard for the seatbelt law.
The passenger seat is occupied by Sadiq Adnan, who is still wearing his monstorous sunglasses with thick white frames, even though it is a bleary march day.
"Dude, you were there in class. Vargas announced it in front of everyone." Gilbert replied, trying to keep his eye on the road and change the station at the same time.
"Really? I wasn't paying attention. Too occupied."
"Not surprised. " Gilbert shakes his head. "I'm with Matthew Williams."
Francis gasps slightly at the name.
"Matthew? Oh, Matthew! I can't believe you're working with him!"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, of course not!"
Francis keeps his expression blank as Gilbert looks at him through the rear-view mirror. But as soon as Gilbert returns his attention back to driving, he exchanges a knowing glance with Arthur.
Because Alfred F. Jones is really, really bad at keeping a secret.
During first period, Alfred will not stop texting Matthew while the class reads Macbeth.
"Alfred," Matthew hisses. "I'm right beside you!"
"So?" Alfred replies back in a normal tone, earning a short reprimand from the teacher.
Alfred texts Matthew;
SEEE this is y we dunn talk in class, we TXT
Matthew shakes his head, wondering how people can type like that, even with a QWERTY keyboard, and replies;
Either way, stop it
"Nope." Alfred replies happily, as he continues to text various pick-up lines to Matthew, so that he can use them on Gilbert. At some of them, Matthew has to press his lips tightly so that he does not laugh out loud and let Alfred know that he is actually enjoying a few of them. Or get his phone taken away.
Did u spray windex in ur pants? Cus i can see myself in them
if u were a car, i'd ride u all over ;)
r u free tonight, or will it cost me?
I wnt to floss w. Ur pubic hair
At the last one, Matthew snerks (yes, that's a verb) loudly, and the teacher stops her talking to glare hard at the two boys.
"Jones! And your friend!" She barks. "What are you two doing?"
Alfred shoots her an innocent look, while Matthew sinks into his seat. The teacher doesn't buy it, and holds both her hands out for the phones.
Later on, Matthew's face turns red as he sees his teacher at the desk, reading their text messages and looking like she was on the word of extreme laughter.
Matthew is halfway through second period, and is tapping out Iron Maiden on his notebook at a furious rate which is making his pencil crack.
Time is inching by slowly.
Gupta, who is sitting in front of him in their law class, shoots an annoyed look at Matthew over his shoulder, which Matthew ignores.
They are currently doing individual work, and Matthew can't stop fretting over lunch. He feels like he is in middle school again, specifically Grade 6, when he had to work up the nerve to ask out a Taiwanese chick and ultimately failed.
His mind keeps flashing to Gilbert, and how they are meeting together for lunch. Yes, for a project, but if things go in favour for Matthew, they'll soon be meeting up for more than just schoolwork.
It's just how exactly he is going to do that without looking like an utter fool that has Matthew stumped. Yes, Alfred has offered a lot of advice, and no, not of a lot of it is any good.
Matthew looks again at the clock hanging over the door. Twenty-five minutes to lunch.
Time is inching by very slowly for Matthew Williams.
Matthew hurries down the stairs to the second floor as soon as the lunch bell rings, eager to get to Gilbert's locker. Alfred, who is going up the same stairs to go find someone to bother, spots his friend rushing and blocks his way.
"Woah there, skipper." He says, waving his arms in front of Matthew and pissing off everyone else who's trying to go down the stairs. "Why are you rushing?"
"I have to meet up with Gilbert! I can't be late I-"
"You mean the one coming down the stairs right now?"
Matthew cranes his neck and sees Gilbert coming down the same steps. He is busy talking to his younger brother, a human tank that goes by the name Ludwig. Despite being a year apart, the two are still in the same grade since Gilbert was held back a year back in kindergarten. No one outside of his family knows why; he just claims it was because he was too awesome and he overwhelmed the teacher.
"You, come with me." Alfred says, tugging on the sleeve of Matthew's shirt. Before Matthew can question him, he starts pulling him down the stairs. He finds himself being dragged to Alfred's locker.
"Lean against the locker beside mine." Alfred commands as he opens his locker and Matthew complies. He leans on his side against the metal, and notices past Alfred's head, that Gilbert has reached his own locker eight units down- not like he had ever counted or anything, it's just pure observation.
"Hey, dumbass, stop staring at him. You're being too obvious!"
Matthew blinks and directs his attention back to Alfred.
"The key," Alfred states. "Is to get him to come to you. If you stand there, waiting at his locker eagerly, you're going to look like a dink. "
"Oh."
"Don't make eye contact until I tell you too. Continue talking to me as if everything is normal. You've got to wait till he comes here."
Matthew raises an eyebrow, thinking doing that will just make him look like a jerk.
"And how, exactly, is that supposed to help?"
But Alfred is too busy texting to answer Matthew. Sighing, Matthew settles for staring absent-mindedly at Alfred, while watching Gilbert out of the corner of his vision. Gilbert is now alone at his locker, shoving some books and binders into his locker and throwing his history binder into his bag. When he is done, he slams the locker door shut and locks it. Matthew, for a second, thinks he's going to walk away but then Gilbert starts looking around and scanning the slightly crowded hall.
Matthew, remembering Alfred's advice, ducks his head so that he does not make eye contact with Gilbert.
Surprisingly, Alfred smacks him upside the chin, using his mad football strength. Cursing, Matthew aims a swift kick at Alfred.
"Alfred! What are you doing?"
"He's looking for you! Don't make yourself completely invisible!"
"I'm not! I'm just following your stupid advice!"
Alfred is about to retort, but stops mid-breath and smiles.
"My advice is not stupid." he says simply and Matthew is about to counter when he feels a tap on his shoulder.
"Yo."
He wheels around and comes face to face with Gilbert. All the rage he has towards Alfred starts to slowly drain out and get replaced by nervousness and a slight shyness.
"E-eh, hello..." he manages to make out.
"Are you ready to go to the library?" Gilbert asks. He is already looking slightly impatient.
"Ye-yeah."
"Then let's go." Gilbert jerks his head towards the library and Matthew nods vigorously. Alfred cannot decide whether to laugh or face-palm so he settles for a "Take care of him, Beilschmidt. He gets lost easy."
Matthew sputters while Gilbert raises an eyebrow in Alfred's direction and has an amused look in his face.
"Let's leave." he says hurriedly and starts walking towards the library.
Gilbert goes with him and as soon Alfred thinks they are out of hearing range, he bursts out into loud laughter.
I am seriously enjoying writing this awkward highschool-ness. Oh :'D
Reviews are really, really appreciated :D