A/N: And the plot thickens! DUN DUN DUN! hehe Okay, no, but I really love this chapter! Just what sort of trouble will Matty get in? xD

Also, just a quick warning, next chapter the rating will be changed to M! :D Nothing major but enough for a rating change, I think! Anyway, enjoy!

-Carter


Matt's POV

Okay so, honestly, I'm not sure what I'm doing anymore. Mello and I are friends- just friends. Nothing more, right? But lately, I'm just confused. For example- that day that I kissed Mello was just to shut him up. And at the time, that's all it was. But when I started thinking about it afterwards... I almost wanted to try it again.

The second time I kissed Mello, I just wanted to prove to myself that it still didn't mean anything to me... but I'll be honest, it gave me butterflies in my stomach and a warm feeling in my chest...

The other night when Mello kissed me, it was... I can't even find a word to describe it. It's like a part of me... wanted more, despite the fact that another part of me was practically screaming at me, telling me it's wrong...

Why did Mello have to kiss me like that? Was it maybe just payback? Or did it actually mean something to him? Did I... could I possibly like Mello? Wait, NO! No no no no no no! I couldn't... I mean, not only is Mello a guy, but we're best friends. I... if I did- hypothetically of course!- it might mess things up for us. If things didn't work out, then what? But I can't help but want something more...

No! I do not like Mello! This... it isn't right. A few hours of video games should clear my mind.

After classes were over for the day, I headed straight to my room and turned on my gamecube. I decided to play a game of Luigi's Mansion. I noticed after a while that Mello hadn't shown up yet. Well, it was an important week for him, what with tests and all. Mello had to be studying in the library. After playing for a couple of hours, I switched to Super Mario Sunshine.

I played for a few hours, even getting by the final boss in record time. I looked up at the clock, wondering when Mello would get back. It was already time for dinner. I paused my game and headed down to eat.

I ate alone. I thought about getting Mello, but I wasn't sure if he'd get mad at me for interrupting him. Well, okay, I'm just using that as an excuse because I was still feeling a little awkward around him at times. I headed back up, deciding I'd help Mello sneak some food out of the kitchens later on.

I played more of Luigi's Mansion when I was back in my room. After a couple more hours, I checked the time again. It was 8:39 p.m.

Since I hadn't been sleeping much lately, I was tired enough to crash right then and there. But I wanted to make sure Mello was back by 'lights out.' I sighed, turning off my gamecube and going over to Mello's bookshelf. I picked up a book at random and started reading. I couldn't really concentrate on it. It was getting boring and I was barely on page six. I put it back on the shelf and looked for something else.

I decided to go with a book that I saw Mello reading the other day. It turned out to be different poems by Poe. It's weird to think that Mello reads poetry... The first one there was something titled 'Alone'. It was actually pretty good, considering I wasn't really one for poetry. I continued to read more until I noticed that it was 9:45 and Mello still wasn't back. I was starting to get a little worried.

I put the book back and started playing my game boy. By the time I stopped, it was already 10:28. Why the hell was he taking so long? I got up, yawning, knowing that I should already be asleep by now. I grabbed a chocolate bar from Mello's desk and headed out the door, sighing. He really ought to quit overdoing it. He was already stressed out enough as it is.

I went down to the library where I found Mello, burying his nose in in multiple books, filling out papers, not even acknowledging that 'lights out' was about thirty minutes ago. I walked over to Mello and tapped on his shoulder. He didn't respond.

I got closer, leaning in, and said, "Mello!" He quickly turned around, and started looking at me.

"What?" He snapped. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

I sighed and shuffled, awkwardly. "Mells, it's already after 10. You've been studying for like eight hours straight! Did you even eat?"

"Uhh..." Mello replied, biting his lip.

"Didn't think so," I said. "C'mon, I'll help you clean up and then we'll sneak into the kitchens for some grub. Oh, and I brought you this from our room." I got the chocolate bar I grabbed before leaving our room from my pocket.

Mello quickly grabbed the bar, his stomach growling. We put all the books away before going into the kitchens and grabbing some food for Mello. I have to say, sneaking in was way too easy. I was exhausted by the time we made our way back to our room.

"I'm goin' to bed," I grumbled. I stripped down to my boxers and was about to climb into bed when I felt someone close behind me.

"Thank you," I heard Mello whispering into my ear. He kissed me on the cheek and then walked away, quietly. I felt my face heat up as I felt my cheek with my hand on that one spot. Damn it, Mello. I climbed into bed, falling asleep, instantly.

When I woke up, I immediately started lecturing Mello. "You should really take better care of yourself, Mells," I said.

"Yeah, yeah," Mello replied.

"I'm serious. Don't be overworking yourself and staying up all night. You'll do just fine on your tests without all that. And skipping dinner, eating chocolate instead, is even worse. If I hadn't said anything last night, you wouldn't have had anything else to eat."

"Mmhmmm." Okay, so now he was ignoring me. How wonderful.

We went to our classes that day, as usual, which was mostly just studying along with filling out a few worksheets. I didn't really pay that much attention in our classes, but it didn't really matter. I knew most of the material, anyways.

When I got back to our room from classes, I turned the Game Cube on and started playing a Zelda game. I love it for gamecube... Mello came in at some point with some books and started studying with everything spread out on the floor. Well, at least this way he wouldn't miss dinner.

After a while, Mello said something but I wasn't really paying any attention. I was getting close to the end of the level so I'd finally be able to save my progress soon. "Matt! Will you shut the fucking sound off? I can't concentrate!" Mello was yelling.

"After I beat this..." I mumbled.

"Matt! Would you fucking listen to me?! I told you to turn that off!"

Without warning, he unplugged my game and the TV. I stared at the black screen for a moment, dumbfounded. What the fuck?! I told him I'd turn it off after I finished that level! Now none of my progress was saved! I spent all that time playing JUST SO I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?! Damn you, Mello! What the hell did I do to deserve this?!

I stood up, glaring down at Mello who was now sitting on the floor with all his books and papers. I almost wanted to start ripping up his damn notes so he could write them all over again! See how he likes it!

"What the fuck did you do that for?!" I shouted. I clenched my fists as Mello looked up at me. "I hadn't saved for an hour, you asshole! Why did you just unplug it?"

Mello stood up, glaring back and yelled, "If you had've listened to me instead of ignoring me for that stupid game, you would've known that I wanted the sound off!"

"You didn't have to unplug it!" Why couldn't he just understand?! I love these games as much as he loves winning. Maybe even more! "Jesus, Mello! Would you take other people into consideration for once?!"

"Shut the hell up, Matt! I think of you all the time, this is my time! This is when I really need to concentrate! I will be the best and I won't let even you get in my way!" He was practically screaming at me, now.

Damn Mello and those god damned ranks of his! That's all he ever fucking cares about, anymore!

"Oh, of course not!" I yelled. "Because everything revolves around you, doesn't it, Mello?! Fuck you! I'm outta here!" I ran past him, over to the door. He yelled back as I opened the door.

"Yep, run away like you always do! You're such a fucking coward!"

I walked out, slamming the door behind me.

"Why did I even consider liking him?!" I shouted as I heard something smash against the door. Another fucking lamp, I bet. Then I saw someone looking at me, poking their head outside their cracked open door, with a confused look on their face.

"What the hell are you staring at?!" I shouted. "Mind your own damn business!" The kid quickly retreated, closing their door.

I was furious. Not only because of my game, not only because we were now fighting, not only because of what he said... It was because, deep down, I knew he was right. I was being a coward... I was running away from a problem that could have been easily resolved if only I'd listened to him.

I was pissed because I knew I was wrong to say that he never takes others into consideration. He may be an asshole sometimes, but he was telling the truth when he said he's always thinking about me. Like when he just wants me to get some homework done, or when he wakes me up so I don't miss breakfast, or when he brought me a muffin even though he really didn't have to... I hate that even now, he's right! Ugh!

I kept on walking, not really paying any attention at all to where I was going. I was just so... pissed off! After a while, I found myself outside. I still kept going, walking by the solid brick wall belonging to Wammy's house. I rounded a corner and ran into someone. They smelled awful, whoever it was.

"Watch it," I hissed. I was a few feet away when he spoke up, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hey, man," he said. "You look stressed."

"You have no fucking idea," I said, turning around. Now I had a better look at him. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He was a little taller than me, but looked like he was at least a year or two younger. He was holding a lit cigarette and I realized that that was why I thought he smelled so bad. He took a drag from the cigarette and blew some smoke out in my direction. I choked on the smoke that invaded my lungs.

"Want one?" He asked, pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

"No, thank you," I said, quickly.

"Come on, just take one."

"No. I don't smoke."

"Just try it," he insisted. "I promise it helps relieve some stress."

"..."

I couldn't just start smoking, could I? Of course not! I mean, what would Mello say? Wait, no! Screw Mello! I don't need his approval, now do I? If I wanted to try a cigarette out of curiosity, I'd have a freaking cigarette!

"Sure," I said.

The guy grinned, pulling a cigarette out of the pack. Then he put the pack back I'm his pocket before pinching the butt of the cigarette. Why did he have to pinch it? He must have noticed my questioning look because he explained.

"It's a menthol," he said. "You gotta break the little ball on the inside."

I just nodded, not really sure what the hell a menthol was. He lit the cigarette and held it out for me to take. I hesitantly reached for it and grabbed it. Slowly, I placed the cigarette to my lips. I inhaled, feeling the smoke in my throat. It was a sort of... almost a burning feeling. I started to choke on it, unable to handle the feeling. The boy just started laughing at me.

"Don't swallow it," he said. I raised a brow at him. "A lot of people pretty much swallow the smoke, even a little, when they first try a cigarette. Just breathe in and out. Don't breathe in too much."

I nodded, a little unsure of what he meant. I did it again, still getting that awful feeling in my throat, although it wasn't as bad this time. By my fourth drag, it was a lot easier. It sort of tasted a little... minty? It was weird- definitely not what I was expecting from a cigarette. He was right though, I did feel a lot better.

"Why is it... minty?" I asked, frowning.

"Told you, it's a menthol. It's smoother than other cigarettes."

Smoother? Whatever.

"Want one more?" He asked, noticing that I was finished with the cigarette I had been smoking. I shrugged, knowing that I shouldn't, but also knowing that it wouldn't make a difference, now.

"Sure," I said. He handed me another one, pinching it again and lighting it. This one was easier to smoke, now. It still felt kinda weird, but it wasn't bad. And it really did get rid of some stress, I'll admit.

"Thanks," I said as I finished the cigarette. I snuffed it out in the grass with my feet.

"Any time," he said. "Hey, you wanna stick around for a little while? You don't have anywhere to be, do you?"

I thought about it for a moment. Well, Mello was probably still pissed off at me so I figured I'd just stay a little longer. It couldn't hurt, right?

"Nah," I muttered. "I don't have anywhere to be right now."

He just nodded and said, "Hey, what's your name?"

"... Matt," I quietly answered.

"Cool. I'm Olson."

Weird name... I just nodded, not really saying anything. After a while, two more people showed up. One of them had scraggly black hair that went down to his chin and green eyes. The other was a girl with brown hair tied back and brown eyes.

"Hey," the girl said. "Who's this, Olson?" She asked, nodding towards me.

"Matt," he answered for me.

She nodded and said, "What's up, Ginger?" I guess she would have called me that whether she knew my name or not. I didn't say anything. "You don't talk a whole lot, do you?" I still didn't say anything. I had an almost bad feeling about these guys.

"Well," the girl continued, "The name's K. Just K." I nodded. "And this," she said, pointing to the other guy, "is Jake."

I waved at them and quickly put my hand back down.

"You smoke?" She asked.

I was going to shake my head but stopped when Olson said, "He does, now." K just laughed. I looked down, feeling kind of awkward and a little out of place.

"What about drinking?" I quickly shook my head no.

"Matt's gonna hang out with us today," Olson said. Jake nodded while K said "Ok."

We just sat there for awhile, well I did, while everyone else talked away and smoked cigarettes. After a while, I joined in on their conversation and was actually getting along pretty well with them. I accepted another cigarette or two, the smoke not even bothering me anymore. After a while, I decided I should be going soon when I noticed it was getting kinda late. Everyone said bye as I left.

I headed back inside. Before I left, I looked up, noticing that from our bedroom window, you could practically see what I was doing. And I knew it was our window because I could see my goggles resting on the window seal. Our bedroom was on the second floor, so it'd be easy to see me from there. I decided not to worry about it just yet. When I was inside, I found a clock that said it was already 6:15 p.m. I went to the cafeteria to get some food.

I ate some spaghetti, not really paying attention to it, though. My movements were automatic as I replayed today's events over and over again in my head. It was weird, really. I never thought I'd be the type of person who'd be into smoking...

After enough time passed, I realized that it was time to leave the cafeteria and also that I'd finished eating a long time ago. I went to return my tray and decided to walk around in the halls.

Okay, so I was still a little paranoid about going back to Mello. But can you really blame me? After all I'd said to him... I felt really... guilty. Not only that, Mello knows how to hold a grudge. I didn't want things to be bad between us. I settled on going to the library where I went to my usual spot to play my game boy. I saw Near there, as usual, solving a puzzle while holding on to some toy robot. We said our hello to each other and I just sat down and played my game.

After a while, Near actually started a conversation. "Matt, you are aware of the fact that you smell of cigarettes, are you not?" He asked.

I froze, not even caring for a moment that it caused me to lose a life in my game.

"... W... what are you talking about, Near?" I said nervously, biting my lip.

"Have you been doing inappropriate activities, Matt?" He said, clearly knowing that I was just playing dumb.

"... define inappropriate?"

Near sighed. "I believe," he said, putting his puzzle pieces all in a little box and closing it, "that it is almost time for bed." He stood up, closing the box, still holding his toy. "I assume that I'll be seeing you again soon?" He asked. I nodded. "Very well. Please be careful, Matt."

"...right.." I muttered.

We both left the library and I headed over to my room. When I checked a clock hanging in a wall, it said 9:54. I walked slowly over to the room. Then I remembered that when I was smoking and hanging out with those other kids, anyone could see me, had they been looking through a window.

I started to panic a little as I walked quickly through the hallways, hoping that Mello didn't see me. When I was back in our room, I saw a shattered lamp on the floor. I stepped over the broken pieces of glass, closing the door behind me. I relaxed just a little when I saw that he was sitting on the floor still, and nowhere near the window.

Mello was still studying. I nervously swallowed and said, "Uh, hey." He ignored me. "Did you get lots of studying done?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation. He still ignored me.

I sighed. "C'mon, Mells. Don't stay mad." Still, I got no response. I smirked and said, "Isn't this the part where we kiss and makeup?"

Mello looked up at me and smirked right back. "Come and kiss me then," he said. I grinned, knowing that he was joking.

I knew he was kidding, but that didn't stop me from actually doing it. I walked over to Mello and bent down to his level. I gently placed my lips against his, trying my best to ignore the warmth that spread through my chest and the bubbly feeling in my stomach as he kissed back. I quickly pulled away, still smirking because I knew Mello might spazz out about it again.

Mello frowned, furrowing his eyebrows at me. It couldn't be because of that kiss... I mean, we've kissed plenty of times by now. I frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Uh, you smell kinda weird," Mello said. Shit! Shit shit shit! Why couldn't he tell that it was cigarettes? He'd realize it sooner or later! I guess I could just count myself lucky for now.

"Oh," I said, coming up with a quick excuse. "I was outside. It's probably just 'cause you're not used to smelling fresh air on me." I smirked again and Mello laughed. God, what a crappy excuse. That was too close. "Alright, time for bed," I announced, changing the subject. Mello put all his stuff up while I cleaned up the shattered pieces of lamp.

Was it just me, or was kissing Mello starting to feel more... natural? Was this something we'd be doing from now on? Well, it beats fighting. I still feel a little... strange about it all. And that should be the least of my worries right now.

What if Mello finds out about me smoking? I... I kinda want to try it again, but I know that I shouldn't. If I keep doing it, Mello will eventually catch me. Then what would happen? He'd kill me. That's not something that can be fixed by confused kisses.

What should I do?


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