"Matt" Mr Shue croaked. He knew something was up, but not for a second did he expect for a student of his to be passed out in the cupboard of the school choir room, at 6:30pm, bleeding and scared. He may have been passed out, but the look of fear was still evident on his face. Mr Shue knelt down to Matt's level, and pulled him gently out of the cupboard, lying him down on his back on the floor. He briefly saw Matt's bag and blanket, and realised that this was not a game Matt was playing.
Matt began to wake up moments later, and saw Mr Shue staring down at him. "Buddy? Matt? Are you alright?"
Matt sat up, only to be pushed back down gently by Mr Shue.
"Don't sit up, not yet. You need to let body adjust for a second."
"I'm fine, really Mr Shue, I'm just…."
"Matt, don't tell me you're fine. I've just found you blacked out in a school cupboard, curled up and scared, at 6:30 at night not to mention holding a knife and bleeding? What is going on?"
There was no point in denying it any longer, but when Matt went to speak, he just couldn't.
"If I'm not mistaken, I think you've been sleeping here. For a little while now. And I think you're hurt. Both emotionally and physically"
Matt began to sit up and Mr Shue didn't stop him. The dizziness had faded. "Mr Shue, why do you care about me?"
Mr Shue was a bit taken aback by this, but looked at Matt with concern. "Matt, I care about all you glee kids. It's my role as a teacher, and a mentor. I love you like my own kids. I don't want to see you hurt. I want to take care of you. That's why I'm here"
Matt looked down, and then tears dripped from his eyes. He hadn't cried in front of anyone for a really long time, and he was ashamed to be doing it now. But he couldn't help it. Mr Shue's words just hit him right in the heart.
Mr Shue drew Matt in a hug, letting him cry on his shoulder. They were like this for a while, Mr Shue kneeling while Matt sat weakly leaning against him. After a while, Matt drew away and looked at him in fear, eyes all large and hand covering his face. Matt got up, and ran out the door.
Mr Shue was a bit taken aback by this, but he ran after Matt. He didn't have to run very far, as Matt had tripped over just outside the nurse's office. Mr Shue helped him up, and then led him over to the bed where they both sat beside each other. "Matt, I won't hurt you, I promise. Trust me, please…"
Matt looked at him. He wasn't lying, he could see it in his eyes. He knew when someone was lying. Years of abuse lead to development of high emotional intelligence, and that's what kept him alive all those years.
"Matt, you can tell me what's wrong. I can help you, whatever this is…"
"I'm just so sick of this! I'm sick of everything! I want to die! There is nothing left for me here, no one freaking cares, maybe you pretend to and all that, but in reality no one does! Who could love a freak like me?!"
Mr Shue just listened. Just watched. Didn't react, just stared into the eyes of the quiet boy who sat in the back of the choir room, never said a word, the boy who kept everything hidden, showed up to every rehearsal never asking for a solo or complaining about the key. The boy who smiled to cover up his pain, laughed to mask his fear, cried only when he was alone in the dark. And here he was, showing his true self for the first time.
"When I was 12, I lost my mother in a car accident. It was my fault. We were driving to a baseball game that she said I deserved. I distracted her for a moment, and boom. She was gone. The car veered off the road, and her lifeless body just laid there next to me. I was made to come live with my dad, who is a real dick. I guess I just got sick of it after all these years. All the hitting, the black outs, slapping and kicking, even the yelling hurts. I guess ripping my skin apart or burning though it lets me release it all, you know? (Matt gives a fake laugh). I left the other night, sick of all his bullshit. Sick of the pain. And came here, right through the window. That's it I guess."
Mr Shue stared at him, wide-eyed. Not threatening wide-eyed, which Matt recognised well, but compassionate. "Matt… I'm so sorry….. I had no idea this was going on…"
Suddenly Mr Shue stood up, and Matt looked up. "I'm sorry Mr Shue. I'm sorry for wasting your time. I understand why you want to leave."
Mr Shue looked down at him in surprise. "That's where your wrong buddy. Yes, I was leaving. But you're coming with me. This was not a waste of my time, and there is no way I'm leaving you here. Let's go back to the choir room and get your stuff, then you're coming home with me."
Matt looked up. "Me….? Home? Mr Shue, you don't have to do this"
"Yes I do Matt. I do have to do this. You're coming home with me Matt." He said sternly, reaching for Matt's arm and helping him up. They went back to the choir room, got Matt's bag and 20 minutes later, pulled up at Mr Shue's apartment.
Mr Shue led him upstairs, and instructed for Matt to lay down on the couch. He took of Matt's shoes and jacket. Then, he grabbed his phone and sat on the chair next to the couch. "I'm afraid I have to make a couple of calls. The first, is to Ms Pilsberry, as she is the school guidance counsellor and needs to be informed for paperwork purposes. Then, I need to call the police. (Matt began to argue, but Mr Shue continued). I know that probably isn't what you want, but it's the best thing, trust me. If your father has been hurting you like this, he needs to be brought to justice. As soon as possible. You are in danger Matt, while he is getting away with this you are in danger. That is one of the main reasons I brought you home with me tonight."
Matt nodded. It wasn't as though he loved his father or anything, it just meant that his mom was really gone. He would have no family left. Where would he go? Mr Shue knew about his school-living plan, so that was a bust. He definitely didn't want the foster kid title. But he probably had no choice now.
30 minutes later there was a knock on the door, and 2 officers along with Ms Pilsberry entered. "Mr…. Schuester?" asked one of the officers.
"That's me. Thanks for coming"
The officers sat down on the other couch. "This is him I assume?" asked the other officer
"Yeah, this is him. Matt Rutherford, one of my students. Severely abused by his father, both physically and mentally. I have reason to believe he's been neglected too. He has no other family."
The officers looked empathetic when they looked at Matt. "We are going to need to give him a check over. For injuries we can use in court."
"Are you okay with that buddy?" Asked Mr Shue. Matt nodded. It wasn't like he could say no. And he wanted to feel safe again, which would only happen if his father was put away. He sat up, and the officers asked him to remove his shirt while Will and Emma discussed the paperwork side of things. His skin was covered in blue and black bruises. There were a couple of scars from a knife incident when Matt was 14. That one should have been at trip to A&E, but Matt had to make do with what he had at home. A piece of cloth and some tap water. The officers looked at his head to, where they saw multiple bruises.
"Your head doesn't look very good. Has he knocked you out before?"
Matt nodded. "A few times, especially recently. I've been getting dizzy a lot. The worst one was a few nights ago. When I left"
The officers nodded. "We have enough to get him locked up for at least 10 years. Someone will be in touch with both you (they looked at Will) and Ms Emma Pillsbury about where to from here. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do now. Now, for the next few nights anyway. You mentioned he doesn't have any family? (Will shook his head). Well, we can put him in a temp foster home, unless there's anyone else who can take him on"
"He can stay with me, if that's what you want Matt (looking at Matt)" Will replied.
Matt smiled weakly and nodded. There was no way he wanted to go to a foster home, and especially not now. Will smiled back, and both the officers and Ms Pillsbury left.
Matt began to put his jacket back on, when Mr Shue stopped him. "Hold on a sec Matt, I saw those bruises and they look pretty bad, along with the cuts and your head. I want to fix you up a bit, then we can both go to bed.
Will left for a moment, but then returned with some bandages, a glass of water, cream and some antiseptic. He cleaned out Matt's cuts, and rubbed some cream on his back (there weren't any bad bruises on Matt's chest). Then, he bandaged Matt's cut arms and gave him the water to drink. By the time everything was done it was 10:49pm. They were both exhausted. Especially Matt. You don't get a great sleep in a choir room cupboard.
Mr Shue showed him the spare bedroom, where Matt slept. And finally, by 11pm, they were both asleep.
Please review :) - I love getting reviews! This is my first chapter story, and I really like writing about Matt, as I believe he was a neglected character in the show. Also, if you have any ideas, feel free to tell me as I am running a bit short at the moment. Thanks everyone for the support :)
