Lukas laid in bed under his thin but comfortable blanket. There was a soft, white light seeping in through the window above his bed and he could hear Emil's steady breathing from the other side of the room. He was exhausted from today, having to deal with Sinthia and all her rage at him for coming home late. At least that was all over for the time being and he could get some rest.
He had just snuggled his head into his pillow when his phone vibrated on his nightstand. He huffed and rolled over to grab his phone. While he is mildly annoyed at being bothered, he couldn't help but be a little worried. The only person that could be texting him at this hour is his dad, and his dad only tried to contact him if there was a emergency. He unlocked his phone, squinting against the brightness of the screen and opened his messages. He's surprised (as well as relieved) to see that it's not his dad, but an unknown number. He wondered briefly who it could be.
Unknown: Hey, why weren't you on the bus today?
Lukas frowned, remembering exactly who it was. He ran a hand over his eyes before typing his reply.
Lukas: I'll say this one more time, stop texting me.
He turned his phone off again and slammed it back on the nightstand. He heard Emil shift in his bed and he froze, afraid he had woken his little brother. Emil made a soft noise but didn't wake up. Lukas sighed in relief before turning to lay on his side and fall into a deep sleep.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please... just don't leave me. I'm so sorry I let this happen to you."
Lukas didn't know who was talking but the voice was so familiar. It sounded like the person was crying. He tried to look toward the person that was crying, everything was too hazy. He couldn't even see where he was or what was happening. All he could make out was a silhouette of a person sitting in a chair next to a bed, but nothing else.
Lukas woke up in a cold sweat, like he had just had a nightmare. It took him a moment to realize it was just a dream. The same dream he's had for years and hardly something he should worry about. Slowly, he sat up and checked his alarm clock for the time. It read 3:24a.m. Despite only having gotten a few hours of sleep, he felt fully rested. In fact, now that he had calmed down from his dream, he felt great. Well, except for a few sore bruises that covered his body, but he chose to ignore those.
He knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep and he didn't want to wake Emil, so instead he grabbed his phone. He could probably read some of his eBooks for a few hours until he had to get up for school. When his phone turned on, he noticed he had a lot of messages. He sighed quietly, knowing it was Matthias again. He really should just ignore them and forget the guy ever existed, but he clicked the mail icon to read the messages anyway. He might as well see what was so important.
Unknown: Why don't you like me? Everybody likes me!
Unknown: Well even if you don't like me that doesn't stop me from liking you!
Unknown: Do you want to hang out tomorrow?
Unknown: I could pick you up from school if you want.
Unknown: We can go to that skate park that I told you about!
Unknown: I'm just going to guess that you're asleep so good night!
These had all been sent hours ago, it would be no use to send him a message now saying to leave him alone. Not that it would do any good. He was sure he was just going to continue getting harassed by this guy. Maybe if he ignored him long enough he would forget about him and stop trying to be his friend, or whatever nonsense he said. He pushed Matthias out of his mind and settled down to read.
Matthias's eyes slowly opened when he heard the sick tunes of his alarm clock. He smiled and laid there a moment to listen to the awesome rock music. He always set his favorite song as his alarm sound so he could wake up in a good mood. When the song ended, he turned off the alarm and jumped out of bed to start the day.
He began by changing into his uniform that he would actually have to wear today, since his principal had scolded him yesterday for not wearing it. The uniform consisted of: a white dress shirt, beige sweater vest, blue jacket, blue plaid pants and a black tie to top it all off. It was incredibly uncomfortable and he hated the way he looked. But the principal said he had to wear it or he would be suspended during the first week of his new school. He couldn't risk something like that, so he had to wear this lame uniform. Luckily, there were no rules about spiking your hair, so he went to his bathroom to do just that.
When he was done getting ready, he went downstairs to make himself breakfast. Today he would have a cherry poptart. While he was eating he contemplated whether he should drive to school or not. While driving was a lot more convenient than taking the bus, he really wanted to see Lukas again. Scratch that, he needed to see Lukas again so they could become friends! Yeah, he needed to continue taking the bus no matter how awful it was so he could get Lukas to like him.
He didn't know why he wanted Lukas to like him so much. There were plenty of people at his new school that liked him. There were even a few cute girls that already had crushes on him! But Lukas was different. There was something about him that intrigued Matthias and he wanted to get the boy to open up to him.
Matthias finished his breakfast, wiped his hands and grabbed his things to leave. He got on his skateboard and headed in the direction of the bus stop, just like he had the day before.
As Matthias rounded the corner to the street the bus stop was on, he was excited to see Lukas already there, doing something on his phone. He had been afraid that Lukas might try to avoid a confrontation with him by taking another bus, but there he was! Matthias quickly skated over to him and sat on the bench. He didn't acknowledge him, just like yesterday, so Matthias stayed silent for a moment.
"Hey." He said finally. Lukas said nothing and continued staring at his phone. He wasn't doing anything important, just playing a dumb game Emil had introduced him to, but anything was better than talking to him. However, Matthias had other plans and continued to pursue him.
"So... Do you always use this bus?" he said, trying to make conversation about the one thing they had in common so far.
"Sure." Lukas said absently, not really paying attention.
"I texted you last night." Matthias said. Lukas had never replied to him, though he obviously had his phone so he should've seen them by now. He waited for Lukas to respond, but he just sat there playing what looked like a game about cats. Matthias felt a little hurt about being ignored so much. "Why didn't you text back?"
"Busy." the Norwegian said stiffly, refusing to turn his way. Matthias was about to respond when the bus pulled up and Lukas stood to enter it quickly. He kept his eyes trained on his phone and sat at the very back like yesterday. Matthias hastily gathered up his board and backpack and followed Lukas.
Lukas was more than annoyed when the taller boy sat next to him and thought about moving seats to get away from him, but surprisingly, the entire trip was silent. Mostly because Matthias was stunned and didn't know what to say. The people he talked to actually knew how to hold a conversation, but Lukas insisted on being the rudest person on the planet! Did he treat all of his friends this way or was Matthias just a special exception? Matthias sighed and sat back dejectedly against the seat and waited until the bus stopped and let Lukas off the bus.
School for Lukas was better than the day before. There were no text message interruptions and he was able to complete all his work. After all, his work had to be perfect if he didn't want to face any more of Sinthia's wrath. But he didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, he exited the school, pushing his way past crowds to people to get to the bus waiting outside.
He made his way to the very back of the bus where he always sat, and tried to ignore the greeting he received white passing the one boy he would say he hated the most right now. He didn't even stop to see what Matthias's reaction was. He just plopped down on the seat and opened up a book so he could read. Matthias stayed in his seat, but Lukas saw him glancing back to him every few minutes, as if Lukas was about to do something amazing and he didn't want to miss it. He was mostly able to ignore the other boy, though, and before he knew it the bus arrived at Emil's school.
For once, since the first time he met him, Matthias had actually done something that pleased him. He got off the bus and made his way through the school to find Emil, feeling in a much better mood than before. He was confident that today would be a better day than before. It was short-lived, however, when he suddenly noticed a pair of footsteps behind him. And stopped to turn around, and had to do a double-take when he saw who was there.
"Are you stalking me?" he said, sounding a bit alarmed.
"I, um... I-I like to call it emotional support." Matthias gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't expecting Lukas to to react like that.
Emotional support? Why would I need emotional support when I'm just picking up Emil? Lukas thought to himself, irritated.
"Why would I want emotional support especially from someone like you?" Lukas didn't wait for an answer and instead spun on his heel and marched down the hall. Matthias stood there a moment in shock before running to catch up with him.
"How come you're here?" he asked, easily keeping up with his long legs. Lukas was annoyed by the change in subject, but decided he would rather ask about it later if this guy didn't leave him alone.
"To pick up my brother." he answered hotly. "I'm surprised you didn't already know that, Stalker." he added quietly.
"Wow, you have a brother?" Matthias asked, completely oblivious to Lukas's obvious discomfort. He was too busy being amazed at the discovery of Lukas's brother. He always thought it was cool when people had siblings, since he didn't have any himself.
"That's what I just said." Lukas said with a huff and pushed open a door with "Library" written on the front. Matthias followed him inside and the two walked to the back and to a desk where a boy with short, silvery hair was intently reading a book about puffins. He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't even notice Lukas and Matthias as they approached him. "Emil, we need to go home."
That caused Emil to finally look up at his brother. His face kept the same calm expression as he blinked and carefully closed his book. "I thought you weren't coming today. I told you I was fine walking home by myself."
"We need to be home by 5:30 sharp and we still need to go shopping." Lukas ignored what Emil said. He wanted to get right to the point and avoid any sort of argument.
"Oh. Yeah, your-" Emil paused as his eyes went past Lukas to the boy behind him. He had never seen this stranger before, but he seemed to come with Lukas as if he knew him. "Who's that?"
"Don't worry, that's just a stalker." Lukas said folding his arms and flipping his hair out of his eyes. He said it so nonchalantly like this was completely normal.
"Hey, don't call me a stalker!" Matthias interjected, offended. Lukas didn't even acknowledge his presence. Emil looked between the two and furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean by stalker?" Emil asked confused. Matthias stepped in front of Lukas before he could answer his little brother.
"I'm not a stalker! I'm Lukas's friend, Matthias." He extended his hand and Emil hesitantly shook it.
"Right. I'm his brother, Emil." This boy seemed friendly enough, probably not the stalker his brother claimed him to be. He wondered why Lukas had never mentioned him before if they were friends.
"Don't encourage him." Lukas said flatly, and gestured for Emil to follow him out of the building. He was done with this whole conversation and hoped Matthias wouldn't follow them. Emil had to scramble to gather all his belongings and keep up with Lukas's fast pace, but Matthias was nice enough to help him. He hated when his brother got like this and he couldn't even begin to figure out what was on his mind. He was just so unreadable. Regardless, he thanked Matthias and the two of them trailed behind Lukas out of the library and off school grounds. They walked quietly, only the dull thud of their shoes hitting the pavement breaking the silence. Emil knew his brother didn't like talking and he was too preoccupied with the fact that Lukas had made a friend.
Lukas looked back and noticed that Matthias was unusually quiet. He hoped it stayed that way, he was a little more bearable that way. It was almost as if he really was a friend of his. He jerked his head forward and resisted the urge the slap himself in the face. There was no way he could ever think of Matthias as his friend. It was too absurd. He was just following them because he was a stalker and obsessed with Lukas, plain and simple.
Eventually they reached their destination; a small but convenient grocery store. Lukas immediately set to work, grabbing a basket and weaving through the aisles with purpose. He didn't ask for help from either of the other boys, so they were both left with each other. Matthias decided he would start a small conversation with Emil with nothing better to do.
"Hey, doesn't your mom do this kinda stuff?" he asked casually, shoving his hands in his pockets and absently following Lukas down another aisle.
Emil tensed and wondered how he should answer that. He looked toward Lukas, hoping he would offer a response, but he was too busy browsing the shelves, seemingly oblivious to their conversation. Emil sighed and decided lying would keep it simple and not arouse any suspicion. It seemed unlikely Lukas would've told his friend too much about their family life, and Emil didn't want to bring anything up without his brother's permission. "She's not feeling well, so we decided to help out."
"Oh, alright." Matthias nodded in understanding. "My mom always paid someone to do the shopping for her."
"Paid someone?" Emil asked confused.
"Yeah! Mom is always too busy to do it herself so she hired someone." he explained.
"Oh..." Emil trailed off, furrowing his brow. Lukas finished finding everything he needed and began heading towards the registers with Matthias and Emil at his heels. He was relieved that he had completed his task, but he wasn't looking forward to checking out. He never liked his part. Everyone seemed to have a hard time understanding him because of his thick accent, which made it difficult to communicate and unpleasant for all parties involved. He supposed he would just have to deal with it, though. Emil helped with unloading the basket while Matthias looked at all the candy as if he was a little kid.
It went pretty smoothly, this cashier not having too much difficulty understanding him. When it came time to pay he eagerly took out his wallet, thankful he would be getting out of here soon. His stomach dropped when he opened the wallet and saw a very vital thing missing from it.
"Emil, do you have Dad's credit card?" he leaned to his brother and asked in hushed Norwegian. He did his best to keep his voice even and not let his panic show. Emil narrowed his eyes and looked at Lukas.
"No, why would I?" he replied in the same language. Lukas's blood ran cold and he slowly stood back up.
"Shit, I must've forgot it at home." Lukas switched back to English. If he wasn't already getting weird looks, he definitely was now. With his usual poker face, he looked back at his wallet and hoped he had enough money to pay without a card. He frowned at the small amount of cash he had. It definitely wasn't enough to afford all of this. He inwardly panicked and tried to think of a plan. He couldn't return home with nothing, but he couldn't leave the store without paying. He was so stupid, forgetting something so important at home! Emil understood his brother's fears and started packing his own pockets for any sort of money he could help with.
Matthias watched all this unfold from his position in front of the candy. He didn't speak a lick of Norwegian but it didn't take him long to figure out that they had an issue with payment. His eyes lit up as an idea hit him. This was his chance to prove that he was a nice guy! He swiftly made his way over to them and pulled out his own wallet. "Don't worry, I totally got this!"
"Hey-!" Lukas protested as he was shoved out of the way by the taller boy. He watched in absolute horror as Matthias handed the cashier his own card and paid for everything. It gave him a twisted feeling in his stomach to know that he was so pathetic his stalker had to buy his groceries for him. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and never come out. Instead, he kept his stoic expression and as Emil thanked Matthias and helped carry the bags out of the store. This time, it was him who lagged a little behind, keeping his head down as they exited.
There were too many emotions flowing through him at once for him to comprehend. He was mortified and grateful at the same time. Matthias was able to get him out of a sticky situation that could've turned worse, but Matthias wasn't someone he had wanted help from. Swallowing his pride, he decided it would at least e polite to thank him. He grit his teeth and quickened his pace until he was next to Matthias.
"Thanks for paying." he stated, before adding, "I'll pay you back tomorrow."
"No problem. You don't have to pay me back, though, it was barely anything. Plus, we're friends. That what friends do for each other." Matthias said, grinning.
Lukas nearly choked on air. Don't pay him back? Did he think Lukas looked like some kind of charity case that wouldn't repay his own debts? He couldn't tell what was more infuriating, the fact that Matthias called them 'friends', the hideous grin on his face, or the fact that he had gotten himself in this situation. "No, I'm paying you back." he said firmly.
Matthias let out a boisterous laugh and Lukas had a hard time not punching him in the face. "Oh, Luky, just as stubborn as ever." Lukas grimaced at the nickname and Matthias's tone of voice. Again, he was acting like they were good friends. Surely this would be a good time to punch him? "How about this, if you go to arcade with me, we'll call it even."
Lukas frowned. The arcade? How would that settle things between them? It was a strange and cringe-worthy request, but if Lukas was able to do this then maybe Matthias would finally get out of his life for good. He thought about it and remembered that his dad would be home this weekend, so time out of the house seemed doable. "Fine." he said. "But it will have to be this weekend."
"Great!" Matthias flashed him another grin and Lukas nearly rolled his eyes. Instead, he looked down at his watch and for the second time today he panicked. It was almost the time he had to be home, and if he wasn't there on the dot there would be some kind of hell to pay. He turned to Emil and grabbed his wrist.
"We have to go, now." Emil was going to protest but he know he couldn't. Instead, the two of them broke into a run, leaving Matthias behind.
Matthias watched as they left, a bright smile still plastered to his face. After a moment, he decided to head home himself. There was a fluttering in his chest that was so powerful it felt like he could burst. He was so unbelievably happy and one thought kept running through his head.
This weekend was going to be the best!
A/N I'm so sorry this chapter was late I got really busy than my computer was taken away from me but hey I still got it! So can you guess what that dream meant? Or if it had any meaning at all? Please review! Thanks for reading!
Stars~