Chapter 2

Fun at Sasha's

Anne, Sasha, Marcy, and Matt make it to Sasha's house, which is a pretty big house right next to Matt's neighborhood.

"Well, Matthew Ellis," said Sasha. "Welcome to the Waybright Household. This is where the magic of 'Sasha and the Sharps' happens."

All Matt could do is stand there in awe as he was just about to step foot into the Waybright House. It was like a dream come true. He just made three new friends, and they just so happened to be his favorite youtubers.

Matt stepped foot into the house and it was huge.

"Let's give you the grand tour," said Sasha.

Sasha would show Matt around her massive house.

The Living Room was spacious with a big Flat-Screen TV and expensive LEDs, there was a massive pool in the Backyard, and the Basement was so huge. There were spotlights all around and a spot to hold a phone for filming.

"So, what do you think?" asked Sasha.

"This is the best house I've ever stepped foot in," Matt replied. "This is like a dream home."

"Glad you like it," said Sasha. "Now come on. It's time for you to be shown to the world."

"What?" asked Matt, with a weird vibe coming from him.

"You heard me," said Sasha. "You're one of us now."

A few minutes later, Matt and his new friends were sitting on these stools in the film room with Sasha starting a livestream.

"Hey guys," Sasha said to the audience. "We are…"

"Sasha and the Sharps," Anne, Sasha, and Marcy said in unison.

"And today, we've got a new member to the group," Sasha continued. "He is…"

"Matthew Ellis," Matt said, nervously.

"Now, to ask Matt a set of 'get to know me' questions," said Sasha.

Matt was very shocked and felt a little insecure, but he carried on.

Sasha pulled out a list.

"First question," said Sasha. "What's your favorite color?"

"Blue," Matt replied.

"Cool, mine too," said Anne.

"Second question," said Sasha. "What's your favorite food?"

"Pizza," Matt replied.

"Ain't we all?" said Sasha. "Third question. What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

"Don't know yet," said Matt. "I'm leaning towards being a cameraman or being a Theater Techy."

"Interesting choices," said Marcy.

"Fourth question," said Sasha. "What's your best subject in school?"

"English or History," Matt replied.

Over time, the questions seemed to be getting more and more personal, and Matt took longer to answer the questions.

"Who in your family do you admire most?"

"What do you fear the most?"

"What would you do if you were asked to hurt someone you love?"

"What's your biggest regret?"

At that last one, Matt stopped. He couldn't answer that one.

"What's your biggest regret?" Sasha repeated.

Again, Matt sat silently, as he couldn't find the answer.

"What's your biggest regret, Matt?" Sasha said, sternly.

"Sasha, stop," said Anne. "He can't answer this."

Sasha looked at Matt and saw how he was shaking and sweating. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, counted to three in his head, and opened his eyes.

"Sorry," he said. "But I don't have a 'biggest regret'. I just didn't know how to say it."

"Don't worry about it," said Sasha. "I don't have one either. We're your friends, it's okay to open up about things."

Matt did not feel good with what Sasha just said there, but he carried on.

Sasha ended the stream.

"Alright, it's time to finish Stranger Things," said Sasha. "I'm so ready to be done with that season."

"Stranger Things?" asked Matt.

"It's like the best TV show ever," said Anne.

"Here's an idea," said Marcy. "We binge through the whole 1st season to get you caught up on it."

"Alright," said Matt.

5 Hours Later…

The 4 tweens have just finished binging Season 1 of Stranger Things.

"I did not want to relive that jumpscare but it was worth it," said Anne.

"I know I'll have nightmares for weeks," said Matt. "But still, this was the best show of all time."

That's when Matt's phone vibrates. He looked and he saw a text from his dad which said "Where are you?".

Matt also saw that the clock said 8:50 PM.

"Shoot, gotta go," said Matt, as he got out of his chair and headed for the door.

"Why don't you stay a little longer?" asked Sasha. "You've already stayed past 8:30, so staying past 9 won't hurt."

"I've got a curfew, remember?" said Matt.

"Let me guess," said Sasha. "Christian parents, right?"

"Yes, but…" Matt was about to say.

"I'll make this clear," Sasha interrupted. "The last boy to enter our friend group, Tristan, had Christian parents. According to that boy, his parents had strict rules about heading home by 8PM, praying every day before meals and bedtime, and going to Church on Sunday, and that he would be kicked out of the house if he didn't comply. We had to make him leave because he was permanently corrupted by the false beliefs his parents forced on him, and now he has this twisted mentality that whoever doesn't follow God goes to Hell. I can only assume you will end up just like him if you continue to do what these Christians want."

"Whoa, my parents are not like that," Matt said.

"Oh really?" said Sasha. "If that's the case, tell me. Why did they send you to a Private School?"

"They only did it because…" Matt was about to say.

"Matt, you can't ignore it," said Sasha. "Your parents are just heartless beings that only care about themselves and keeping their religion alive. End, of, Discussion."

Matt stood silently for half a minute, shocked at what Sasha just said before he spoke. "I'll keep an eye on them, and I'll make sure they're really like that, and I guess staying a little longer won't hurt."

Matt then sits on the couch in between Anne and Marcy.

"Don't listen to Sasha," said Marcy. "Not all Christian Parents are like Tristan's. Only 80%."

"That's too close to 100," said Sasha. "So we can't trust them."

Sasha then takes Matt's phone. "In case they call," she said.

After 5 minutes, the tweens were just sitting in Sasha's room discussing random topics. Anne and Sasha were discussing music video plans while Matt and Marcy were each explaining Breath of the Wild and how awesome of a game it is.

That's when they hear the door open as the four hear voices shouting their full names.

"ANNE SAVISA BOONCHUY!"

"SASHA ELIZABITH WAYBRIGHT!"

"MARCY REGINA WU!"

"MATTHEW LUKE ELLIS!"

The four looked and saw their parents staring at them angrily.

Soon enough, Matt was in the car with his parents driving home, Matt hanging his head in shame as his parents stayed silent, until eventually Daniel spoke up. "Just so you know, you're grounded for the rest of the week. That's what you get for not returning home by 8:30."

Matt just sat there, continuing to remain silent as he didn't want his emotions to spill out, like the other times he got grounded which only made the situation worse.

Once Matt and his parents got home, he made his way inside the house without saying a word. At the same time, Anne was also going inside her house without saying a word.

Matt's dad and Anne's mom looked at each other, before they had a small conversation.

"I just don't know what to do," said Daniel. "He's never usually this bad."

"We get the feeling," said Oum. "We can't help but feel like Anne is being led down a dark path."

"I have the same feelings about Matt," said Daniel. "While both my kids have had behavioral issues, Matt had it worse, especially because he's autistic."

Meanwhile, Matt went into the bathroom and quickly got changed, brushed his teeth, and went to bed, where he saw Anne in her bedroom through his bedroom window. They simply waved at each other before they shut the curtains and turned off the lights. Matt thinks about his new friends and what Sasha has told him about, and while he didn't want to believe what she said, there was a part of him that felt like she's right. He eventually brushes off the thought and falls asleep.