"Do you realize that you cost the school eight hundred dollars in damages?"
Matt could hardly restrain himself from laughing in front of the principal.
"Yeah, I do realize that. But, we can all agree that it was a learning experience," he replied, making the principal's face turn very red.
"What did you learn? Not to plug the water fountain, and make it so that it runs all night, flooding the entire hallway? I'm very disappointed in you Mr. Mcguire," he said, frowning. "Ever since your sister...well, you have been disbehaving left and right. I have already given you your warning, and I will have to suspend you this time."
"Fine, suspend me," Matt replied.
"Please do not use that tone with me, young man. Do I have to call your parents?"
"Frankly, I don't think my mom would care."
"Please, Matt. If you need to talk about anything, my door is open. I know that there are some...problems in your household, but you are a bright kid, and I don't want your potential to be wasted," the principal said, showing great concern.
"Please, I know that the only reason everyone wants me to behave again, is so your soccer can actually win again."
Matt was a very talented soccer player, and led the high school team to win state last year with his winning goal.
"No, Matt, I just want you to be okay again."
Matt grabbed his backpack, and stood up.
"Trust me, I'm perfectly fine."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt slammed the door open, and threw his stuff on the ground. Because of his meeting with the principal, he had missed the bus, and he walked the entire way home.
"MOM!" he yelled.
"I'm in my room," his mom's voice called out from her room.
Jo Mcguire had not been the same since Lizzie was killed, but she pretended that she was until the day that Sam Mcguire left the family. Why he did that, no one really knows, but Matt suspected that he wanted to leave the pain of his old life behind, and start anew.
Matt climbed the stairs, and turned into Jo's bedroom. His mom was laying in the bed, her eyes bloodshot. She had been crying again. Ever since her husband had left, she had taken to her bed, watching TV reruns all day.
"Hey, mom. How are you feeling?" Matt asked gently, not wanting to make her cry. Even the slightest thing could send her into a fit of tears.
"I've been better. How was your day?"
"Boring," Matt replied. When he would tell her that he got into trouble, she would start crying about how bad he was and why couldn't he be more like Lizzie.
"Okay."
"I'm going to be in my room, mom. If you need anything just holler."
Matt walked into his room, slamming the door shut. His many soccer trophies gleamed, reminding him of what he used to be.
"I hate my life," he said aloud, as he bent over to get something out from underneath his bed.
He picked up his guitar, and sat down on his bed with it. He started to strum a tune, and soon began to sing.
"Little boy lost, all alone in this world of sadness and sorrow,"
"Looking for a way, to find a new tomorrow."
"Give me your hand."
He paused for a second, and pondered about the next verse.
"I need somebody to guide me through,"
"I need somebody, someone new."
"Lend me your hand."
He paused, and then bursted out into the chorus.
"I'm lost in this world, there's no way out."
"What is this pain all about?"
"There must be something to help me get through."
"That something could be you."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"He really is good, isn't he?"
I jumped, as I was transfixed by the television, and my brother.
"I didn't know that he had a passion for music. I remember when he tried to start a band, but he didn't really continue with it."
"Even when you were still alive, Matt used to lock himself in his room, and practiced his guitar. He writes his own songs, you know."
I gazed at the TV once again.
"He is throwing his life away. If he just kept with soccer, he could of had a full-ride scholarship to college."
Lauren looked at the TV too.
"Matt is being forced to grow up, now, and he really cannot deal with that as well as others. With your mother, and your dad not being there, he really is having problems."
"I wish I could be there for him. He just needs a little guidance."
Lauren nodded.
"There are ways, you know. The same thing happened with my little sister. She was an extremely talented dancer, but she started doing drugs."
"What happened?"
"I arranged for a sign to be sent down. Nothing much, just a strategically placed video tape of her first recital. It worked, and now she is a soloist with the American Ballet Theater."
"I have a feeling that Matt needs more than that."
Laurend thought for a second, and came up with a solution.
"I know just the thing. A girl."
"What? How will you do that?"
"It can be arranged," Lauren replied, with a mischeivious smile, as she rushed out of the room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt browsed through the music listening stations at Best Buy. Beside him, a girl about his age, was also browsing.
Matt looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw that she picked up Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
"Do you like the Beatles?" he asked, initializing a conversation with her.
"They are my favorite," she replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Now that Matt could see her face, he saw that she was extremely pretty. "Do you like them?"
"I love them," he replied. "My name is Matt Mcguire. What's yours?" he asked, sticking out his hand for her to shake.
She gave him a handshake.
"Victoria. Nice to meet you Mcguire."
Matt smiled.
"Can I call you Vickie?"
"No, I just like to called Victoria."
"What school do you go to?"
"I just moved here about a week ago, and I am currently not enrolled in any school, but I will be going to Hillridge High School."
"That's where I go. We can hang out together."
"That's awesome, Matt Mcguire. Listen, I have to go," she said. "But here is my screen name, and my phone number," she said, as she grabbed his hand, writing down her phone number and screen number. "Call me later."
She rushed out of the store, waving her hand behind.
Matt could hardly restrain himself from laughing in front of the principal.
"Yeah, I do realize that. But, we can all agree that it was a learning experience," he replied, making the principal's face turn very red.
"What did you learn? Not to plug the water fountain, and make it so that it runs all night, flooding the entire hallway? I'm very disappointed in you Mr. Mcguire," he said, frowning. "Ever since your sister...well, you have been disbehaving left and right. I have already given you your warning, and I will have to suspend you this time."
"Fine, suspend me," Matt replied.
"Please do not use that tone with me, young man. Do I have to call your parents?"
"Frankly, I don't think my mom would care."
"Please, Matt. If you need to talk about anything, my door is open. I know that there are some...problems in your household, but you are a bright kid, and I don't want your potential to be wasted," the principal said, showing great concern.
"Please, I know that the only reason everyone wants me to behave again, is so your soccer can actually win again."
Matt was a very talented soccer player, and led the high school team to win state last year with his winning goal.
"No, Matt, I just want you to be okay again."
Matt grabbed his backpack, and stood up.
"Trust me, I'm perfectly fine."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt slammed the door open, and threw his stuff on the ground. Because of his meeting with the principal, he had missed the bus, and he walked the entire way home.
"MOM!" he yelled.
"I'm in my room," his mom's voice called out from her room.
Jo Mcguire had not been the same since Lizzie was killed, but she pretended that she was until the day that Sam Mcguire left the family. Why he did that, no one really knows, but Matt suspected that he wanted to leave the pain of his old life behind, and start anew.
Matt climbed the stairs, and turned into Jo's bedroom. His mom was laying in the bed, her eyes bloodshot. She had been crying again. Ever since her husband had left, she had taken to her bed, watching TV reruns all day.
"Hey, mom. How are you feeling?" Matt asked gently, not wanting to make her cry. Even the slightest thing could send her into a fit of tears.
"I've been better. How was your day?"
"Boring," Matt replied. When he would tell her that he got into trouble, she would start crying about how bad he was and why couldn't he be more like Lizzie.
"Okay."
"I'm going to be in my room, mom. If you need anything just holler."
Matt walked into his room, slamming the door shut. His many soccer trophies gleamed, reminding him of what he used to be.
"I hate my life," he said aloud, as he bent over to get something out from underneath his bed.
He picked up his guitar, and sat down on his bed with it. He started to strum a tune, and soon began to sing.
"Little boy lost, all alone in this world of sadness and sorrow,"
"Looking for a way, to find a new tomorrow."
"Give me your hand."
He paused for a second, and pondered about the next verse.
"I need somebody to guide me through,"
"I need somebody, someone new."
"Lend me your hand."
He paused, and then bursted out into the chorus.
"I'm lost in this world, there's no way out."
"What is this pain all about?"
"There must be something to help me get through."
"That something could be you."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"He really is good, isn't he?"
I jumped, as I was transfixed by the television, and my brother.
"I didn't know that he had a passion for music. I remember when he tried to start a band, but he didn't really continue with it."
"Even when you were still alive, Matt used to lock himself in his room, and practiced his guitar. He writes his own songs, you know."
I gazed at the TV once again.
"He is throwing his life away. If he just kept with soccer, he could of had a full-ride scholarship to college."
Lauren looked at the TV too.
"Matt is being forced to grow up, now, and he really cannot deal with that as well as others. With your mother, and your dad not being there, he really is having problems."
"I wish I could be there for him. He just needs a little guidance."
Lauren nodded.
"There are ways, you know. The same thing happened with my little sister. She was an extremely talented dancer, but she started doing drugs."
"What happened?"
"I arranged for a sign to be sent down. Nothing much, just a strategically placed video tape of her first recital. It worked, and now she is a soloist with the American Ballet Theater."
"I have a feeling that Matt needs more than that."
Laurend thought for a second, and came up with a solution.
"I know just the thing. A girl."
"What? How will you do that?"
"It can be arranged," Lauren replied, with a mischeivious smile, as she rushed out of the room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt browsed through the music listening stations at Best Buy. Beside him, a girl about his age, was also browsing.
Matt looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw that she picked up Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
"Do you like the Beatles?" he asked, initializing a conversation with her.
"They are my favorite," she replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Now that Matt could see her face, he saw that she was extremely pretty. "Do you like them?"
"I love them," he replied. "My name is Matt Mcguire. What's yours?" he asked, sticking out his hand for her to shake.
She gave him a handshake.
"Victoria. Nice to meet you Mcguire."
Matt smiled.
"Can I call you Vickie?"
"No, I just like to called Victoria."
"What school do you go to?"
"I just moved here about a week ago, and I am currently not enrolled in any school, but I will be going to Hillridge High School."
"That's where I go. We can hang out together."
"That's awesome, Matt Mcguire. Listen, I have to go," she said. "But here is my screen name, and my phone number," she said, as she grabbed his hand, writing down her phone number and screen number. "Call me later."
She rushed out of the store, waving her hand behind.
