Through the front door came the slowly walking boy with his hand still holding up to his head. He closed the door and walked to the refrigerator to open the freezer and get some ice. He wondered when they were really going to need ice so much as to keeping every cube in place. Matthew pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag from the counter drawer and filled it up with some cubes. While he was keeping it right on the bruised spot of his blonde head, he realized Francis wasn't around the living room. He didn't see any books out on the floor or any wine glasses in the sink. The only thing there was a note written in Francis's elegant cursive. It said:

Dear Matthew,

I just remembered that I've got an important conference to go to. I won't be back until late at night. Do not let anyone inside the house at all and don't even think about leaving. I will punish you if you do.

Sincèrement,

Francis ^_^

"Aw, man," Matthew said. "What am I going to do for seven hours by myself?" Then he walked up to his room to finish the novel and get started on his homework.

~ (^_^) ~

"What is this supposed to mean?" he asked himself. "Methods of Inquiry is really complicated." Make an observation for step 1. Then you have to ask yourself a question regarding what you saw. A hypothesis should cover what was seen. Such a type of hypothesis for the observation should have an experiment ready for the next solution. Is your hypothesis accepted or not accepted? If it isn't, draw a conclusion to see whether you have to conduct the experiment again. Surely it couldn't be any simpler than that. Something else was going on in his head besides the aching. He had so much to do tonight. He really didn't want to start the year like this. A vibration went through his jeans. The Canadian pulled out the phone and saw a new text message on the screen.

Gilbert: Hey, call me. I wanna talk to you.

Matty felt confused, but once again dialed the number and pressed the phone to his left ear. He waited after a couple of seconds before the receiver picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Gilbert," Matthew said, smiling to himself.

"Hey, why didn't you call me?" he asked. "I thought you said you'd call later." Williams felt the corners of his mouth drop.

"I did call you," he said. "Twice and you didn't answer. I thought you were busy"

"Yeah but you didn't call yesterday," he said. "You said you were gonna call yesterday." He wasn't making this any easier for the boy.

"But…but…I couldn't call yesterday," he says. "You see I…I was really busy doing homework…and-and I was reading this important book…and Francis took my-"

"Yeah, whatever," Gilbert said. "Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you."

An awkward silence.

"You got some time to spare?" he asked the boy.

"Um, s-sure?"

"I know I just met you – and I have no idea what you're really like," he started."I think that…we should just…get together and talk some more." Even though it was evening, the sky was still bright. By going out on a date at a time in the evening, it wouldn't be very romantic without the moon shining bright on them. The Canadian boy blushed at the thought of him and Gilbert being like in a movie holding hands under the stars and brighter lights.

"You mean…like on a date?" he wondered.

"Yeah, whatever you wanna call it," says the older male. "I'm outside the front yard right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Williams said. "Are you feeling lonely too?"

"No, I mean I'm outside your front yard right now." Matthew paused before getting up and looking through the window and seeing a white spot on the green lawn.

"What…why…h-how did you find out where I live?" Matty's cheeks turned pink. There was a spark right there!

"I used to come by Francis's house all the time," he replied. "Back when we were teenagers. Do you think you could meet me here?"

"You mean…leave the house?" Matthew's forehead was sweating. "Right now?"

"I thought we should get to know each other right away," he said. "I can't wait 'til tomorrow." The Canadian boy sighed and thought hard about it. The pile of work and the unfinished novel still lay on his desk waiting for him. He also remembered the specific note that still remained taped to one of the counters in the kitchen.

"Well, I don't really know," he said. "Francis isn't here, and he said he'd "punish" me if I either left the house or let anyone inside without him knowing."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that to happen to you."

"No, we wouldn't." Gilbert thought for a moment.

"Do you think you could sneak out here and I'll bring you back before he comes home?"

"Where are you going to take me?"

"Nowhere special," Gilbert says. "Just for a ride in my car."

"Um, okay," says Matt. "I guess I could slip away for only a little while. Then you'll bring me back home, right?"

"Oh yeah, 'course I will," says Gilbert. "I know you can trust me."

The white-haired guy seemed as if he was on pins and needles all yesterday and today. Williams took one look all over the house to make sure there were no secret cameras. Then he grabbed a marker and made himself a note on his hand to finish what he started. All the lights were turned off and the back doors were locked. Matthew went through the front door, locking it tightly and checking it twice. Then he ran up to the older male.

"Well, it's about time you showed up over here." Gilbert wrapped his arms around him and hugged him with all his strength. It was an adorable picture. Just two guys hugging out in the front lawn while dozens of cars were flying past them. Needless to say, Gilbert probably had his own feelings for the Canadian. He was right about the untapped potential of the two. The white-hair's hugs felt warm and soft. Unlike his brother's hugs that were just like aggressive tugs and squeezes. The taller man's body was pressed up against Matthew and his cheeks turned red when he noticed it. Gilbert let him go.

"Sorry, just was really happy to see you." he said.

"Was?" says the boy.

Gilbert blushed lightly. "Am happy to see you. C'mon, let's go."

He took the smaller boy's hand and led him into the coldness of the night. Matthew pondered if Gilbert was going to say anything else besides that. He didn't even know if he wanted to go or not. In fact, Gilbert's hand was grasping the other's in a way that looked as if he was kidnapping him. The Canadian was nervous and felt his heart beat faster within each step they took. He wanted to speak against what they were about to do, but he was too excited to hang out with this friend. The words that hung onto his lips completely faded away. He was now gazing dreamily at the back of his white head of hair.

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the front seat of Gilbert's car and driving to a "special place" Gilbert said he wanted to go to. They were both looking forward to their private hangout space. However, there were numerous amounts of people who came by on a daily basis. When the older male mentioned this, Matthew groaned and felt the happiness kick him in the gut. He thought it'd only be their hiding spot. Not anyone else snooping around there. Well that was just too bad. Gilbert said if he wanted to be with him and hang out with him more often, then he'd have to get used to all the locations and places he wanted to go to without any complaints. Williams couldn't argue with that. After all, Gilbert did mention that he knew Matthew wanted to be with him. Gilbert added that he was doing him a favor by helping him avoid seven boring hours stuck with nothing but homework to do. He managed to get him to thinking the same things as him. Soon, the boys parked in an alley underneath the shining stars and the new moon. Along the rusted buildings enclosing the alley, there was a lot of graffiti and sprayed words that were difficult to read. The words were terrible. Most of them describing a depressed person's life and the others just being bad because the people feel like it. Matthew felt like he was in some sort of trap in a danger zone. He gently placed his hand on the door handle and tried to open it when he felt a warm hand grab his arm. The Canadian turned his head to see red, affectionate eyes staring and beaming at him.

"Where are you going?" Gilbert said. "I thought you'd want to stay here and talk to me."

"Ooh, yeah," Matty said. "That's just what I was about to do." He let his hand free from the handle and scooted closer to the white-haired dude. Both waited for a few moments – and Gilbert put his arm around the smaller boy's tense shoulders. Matthew really wanted to know about this man; he sparked up a conversation.

The boy got them talking about their most favorite sports of all time. He told Gilbert about how much hockey was important to him and how many times he failed at being goalie in eighth grade. Then he told him about all the loose teeth he saw on the skating rinks plus the number of black eyes on the boys' faces. Hockey was number one in his whole life. Besides his family, it was the only thing he loved more than anything and cherished everywhere. He kept his first hockey stick he got when he was six. Matty also told Gilbert about that day he first got it and how bad the day was going before he owned it. It started off with him and Alfred being invited by Francis to go to this famous hockey game. It was so crowded in the stadium. The entrances were flooded with people all the way from the driveway. Nobody would've guessed this sport was so popular in the city Matt lived in. The boy went on about how he wasn't feeling well early in the morning. He said he had a small cold the night before and it grew into a 104 degree fever. But it was the first time Matthew and his brother actually got to visit each other and talk face to face. Matthew insisted he'd go no matter how high his temperature was. He explained how he kept feeling worse and worse later on in the day and his stomach was really upset at him for going. The sight of the hungry crowds and popcorn kernels on the floor were sickening his whole body. Then he remembered sitting on the seat way up front so he could see the team up close. Apparently, he was a little too up close and one of the players swung at the puck only to miss and hit Matthew right in the forehead with his stick.

Williams was so blackened out, he didn't even know how bad it hurt. His injured head was so full of pain that his stomach got even angrier and he threw up right on the floor next to the stick. The player felt really bad for him. He was also disgusted and felt sick as well. But he allowed him to keep the soiled hockey stick. That's when Matthew, though he felt sticky at the mouth and dirtied his sweater, considered the day as being the most awesome day ever. What a good sport he was after he just blew chunks. When he finished a portion of his life story, Gilbert was fascinated in his interests. Williams also told him about how he really loved maple syrup and Canadian bacon dipped in it. He stopped his talking and looked at the other next to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I took up so much time talking about me."

"That's okay," Gilbert said. "You could make it up to me…tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Already?"

"Well, if you really want to get to know me that well, you have to sacrifice most of your time with the awesome Gilbert!" Williams looked at his hands neatly folded on his lap.

"I don't know if I can…"

"Oh, and I wanted to ask you something else," Gilbert said, his eyes flaring up. "Who was that guy you were talking to earlier today?"

"What?" Matty said. "Oh, that was just Alfred. He's my half-brother. I was just talking to him about our plans for this fall."

"Yeah, I saw that guy," says the older. "But I meant the other guy."

"What other guy?"

"The one that was big and violent-looking," he replied. "Who was he?"

"Oh, that guy," Williams thought about what happened earlier today. "I have no idea. I mean, I was just walking home when he tried to attack me with his fists. I didn't really get a good look at him, but he was a large guy. His skin was dark tan, if I'm correct. And his eyes were dark and scared me. I sure hope I don't see that guy again anytime soon." He sighed and slumped down in the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I saw that guy too," Gilbert said. "You should tell him to stay away from you from now on. But that's still not the guy I was talking about." The Canadian looked at him.

"Which dude are you talking about, Gilbert?" The white-haired male looked away hearing the boy say his name with such a quiet and peaceful voice.

"I meant the really tall guy!" he said. "The one that's got the beige hair and the ugly pink scarf!"

"Oh, that's just Ivan," Matt reassured him. "He didn't really say anything to me. He spent more time staring down at me than say one word, which is really creepy if you ask me."

Gilbert felt his hand tighten the hold on the boy's arm. He forgot he was still holding onto it the whole time. The boy didn't even pay attention to it. But he did now. The tightening on the soft part of his arm made him feel threatened like he really was being kidnapped or something. It was only a matter of Gilbert feeling his anger for those who talked to Williams more often than he could. The feeling wasn't new to him. He'd felt it before while watching the boy walk with another group of people to school. But he saw that he was somehow scaring the younger boy and making him feel bad. He let his arm go and turned to face the opposite side out the window.

"That guy shouldn't be scaring you like that," Gilbert said. "He needs to leave you alone too. They all do. He's not just Ivan. That guy's a jerk. If it were up to me, I'd call him "Ivan the Terrible" for sure." He couldn't make it any clearer than that.

~ (^_^) ~

They've spent nearly three hours talking to each other about Matthew's favorites and his goals and life. Gilbert even asked about his turn-on's and turn-off's. The Canadian was dying to know what the older male was like. He wanted to know what he did for a living and what he was destined to do since the very beginning. Well he really wasn't using his head. If this "adult" actually had something he was doing for a living, he probably would have them go to someplace nicer than this dusky alleyway. Who cared at a time like this? Matthew reminded Gilbert he still had to take him home before Francis arrived. He reassured him that they still had a couple of hours before it was time to leave yet.

He was wrong yet again. He ended up returning the boy about an hour before his guardian had arrived. While Gilbert was taking him back to the front door, he kept his little palm in his bigger one. Matthew was flattered at the situation he was in.

"So does this mean we're a… couple…now?" he asked, shyly. The older male shrugged.

"I guess, if that's what you want." he snickered in such a strange way, using his k's and his s's.

"Well, I'd better get going," Matthew said. "Francis will be really mad at me if I'm not inside by now."

"All right, just remember," he said. "You'll meet me after you're out of school tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow, got it." the boy says. He waved goodbye and unlocked the front door. He waited until he heard the screeching of the tires pull away from his driveway before locking the inside of the door again. Then he sighed and let himself sink to the floor with his back against the door.

"Wait, what did I say to him?"