Teen Belldom? Yes.

Matthew sat on a bench in one corner of the school courtyard, peeling a banana carefully and trying to avoid getting banana under his nails like he usually did. He sat alone. It wasn't that he didn't have friends, but he just couldn't deal with them today. They were sporty and loud, and often enjoyed teasing him for amusement, even if he was accepted as one of their 'gang'. But today, he just needed to be by himself and concentrate on his own thoughts.

His fringe was growing slightly too long for comfort, falling in his eyes when he moved. He brushed it out of the way as he bit into the banana and sighed to himself as he chewed, watching a gaggle of girls make their way over to the field to enjoy the sunny lunchtime. He shivered in the shadow cast over him by the stone walls of the school. The girls had big grins plastered over their faces and he envied their joy.

It was moments like these when Matthew began doubting everything he knew. He'd always been a bit like it, just getting in strange moods where he began contemplating the universe and the futility of life in general. He never found an answer, but it was comforting to think about. He could get really down in the dumps sometimes, but he always managed to drag himself out of the darkness before he was consumed and stumbled across dangerous territory.

However, more recently, he'd been getting closer and closer to the looming void, and more frequently than usual. He'd been picking out the bad in everything, a little nagging voice inside him choosing to comment on everything. Why did he even bother with this? Besides the fact that he'd already wasted the past nine years of his life in this stupid concrete institution that was supposedly educating him, he felt as if everything was useless these days. There wasn't a single shred of hope to cling to anymore, nothing that he could feel, nothing at all.

Sometimes he caught himself feeling sorry for himself. These thoughts were too deep for a thirteen year old. It was normal to be thinking about this. It wasn't right for somebody to be so depressed all the time. But then he'd remind himself that he'd brought it on himself and he didn't bother trying to cheer himself up. He could be happy. It wasn't that he was permanently miserable; it was just that nearly ever smile felt like a mask.

Everybody was to blame. First of all, himself. It was all his fault, after all, and nothing could help that. But then, of course, his parents came next in line. They could've at least tried, couldn't they? Tried to keep the peace? If they hadn't been permanently arguing, if his stupid father hadn't fallen in love with somebody else, he wouldn't have been in this position at all. Then he blamed his brother, Paul. How could he be so much stronger than him? How did he cope with it all? Matthew was desperate for somebody to show him, somebody to shine a light on the correct path, but Paul wouldn't help. He just continued to taunt him, endless teasing, even worse than his 'friends'. In fact, were they even his friends? He'd always dealt with their laughter pretty easily before, but recently they'd been cutting deeper.

Matthew sighed yet again and bit into his banana a bit too viciously, his teeth bashing painfully into each other. He winced and swallowed, lifting his eyes to his surroundings just in time to see another boy coming towards him. He was taller than Matthew-but, then again, that wasn't hard- and had blonde hair that was brushing his chin. He looked like...who was that grunge rock guy? Kurt somebody-or-other? But then, he didn't look like him either. Matthew fumbled in his mind for the boy's name as he got closer.

"Hey," the boy greeted him. "Matt, right?" Matt nodded awkwardly, appraising the boy. "I'm Dominic, but you can call me Dom." He smiled openly and stuck his hand forward, and Matt shook it tentatively. His smile wasn't an in-your-face smile, but it was pleasant and genuine. Dom definitely gave off the friendly, helpful vibe, despite his strange choice of hairstyle. Matt tried to think what would drive him to do that. Obsession with Nirvana? Gay? It could easily be both. He chastised himself for judging by looks alone, knowing from experience that it would have bad consequences.

He cleared his throat and spoke.

"Hi." The single syllable hung in the air between them as Dom continued to grin at him, Matt enthralled with the way the sunlight bounced off of his hair, bringing out the gold.

"So, er, how are you?" Matt shrugged. How was he? His emotions were a bit muddled, if he was being honest. Mostly a mixture of various negative feelings, but for some reason, he felt lighter now that Dom was here with him. Was it just the presence of somebody else, or was it the light-hearted Dom? Such a contrast to Matt-both in looks and personality.

"Fine." Dom chuckled softly.

"Right." Was he really that see-through? Could Dom tell that he was hurting? "What do you have now?" Matt mentally checked his timetable.

"Ugh...Maths with Mr Barner."

"Oh, same here!" Dom told him brightly. "I didn't realise we had a class together." Matt nodded. Neither had really ever paid attention to each other before, but he found himself becoming absorbed in Dom. For the first time in his life, he wanted to know more about another person. He wanted to know what Dom has been like as a child, what his favourite food was, what he did in his spare time. Whether he had a girlfriend or boyfriend or something.

That last thought shocked him, and he swallowed again, breathing in deeply. He must think I'm so strange, Matt grumbled internally. All I'm doing is nodding and staring at him. He glanced at his watch as he finished up his neglected banana, Dom automatically doing the same.

"We should probably get to class," he suggested. Matt slung his bag over his shoulder and rolled down his blazer sleeves, knowing the uniform rules. Dom observed this with amusement. Nobody ever followed those useless rules. The two walked silently to Maths. However, when Matt sat down in his usual spot, it wasn't the usual person in the seat next to him, but the golden-haired Dominic. They grinned at each other absentmindedly and Matt wondered whether this would be the start of something worth living for.

A bit dark, don't you think?

On another note, I'm probably going to start taking suggestions, as I'm rapidly running out of ideas, so if anybody wants a drabble, please just ask :D

(And by that I mean give me suggestions or I will eat your brains)