Chapter 6: "The Prince and the Pauper"

A/N: Somebody asked about the title. The title is based on the name of the fifth chapter. I chose it as the title for my story because I liked how it sounded. Also, I think of it as not being able to explain something so innocent and sweet. Fun fact: Unexplainable isn't even a word, in case you didn't know. If there is anything you should be concerned about, it's that I'm making up my own words now.

ALSO: When I published this story, I already had the first five chapters written. I've had the entire story written since August 1st, ending and all. This is not significant, it just says that the story will be completed.

Gilbert finally came back, which was a relief to Mathias, who hadn't made a single stupid or immature joke all week. The first thing Gilbert wanted to do was mess with Lukas, but Mathias had said he wasn't going to be mean anymore, and he was really sticking to it this time. I mean, yeah, it was fun before, but not so much anymore.

He actually discovered that it made him feel upset to see anyone mess with Lukas. He didn't know when he developed this feeling, but he did remember the first time he truly felt it.

Recess was at one o'clock every day. Mathias usually played football. He'd noticed that Lukas preferred to read on the steps of the stairs that lead back inside. How he managed to sit there with the weather being so cold, he had no idea. But there he sat, nose in a book, unwavering on most days. Except for one.

There were odd numbers for football because one of the kids that usually played was sick, and someone pointed to Lukas, suggesting that they ask him to join. Mathias had tried to tell them that he wouldn't be interested, but when one of the students went over to talk to him, he actually stood up and came over. Mathias stared, wondering why he even said yes. Maybe he wanted to make more friends. He wasn't sure. Either way, he was put on the team against Mathias and when the game started, he was actually giving an effort.

I mean, it wasn't excellent, but it was still an effort. Lukas was one of those kids that looked fit on the outside but couldn't run thirty feet without breaking a sweat. By the time they were five minutes in, he was already flushed. But he seemed to be doing a little better. He was trying to take the ball from some blond kid he never talked to, and Mathias was sure he was going to be able to take it from him, but before he could, the boy shoved him to the ground. Hard. He proceeded to make a goal, which made a fantastically horrible topper for a fantastically horrible situation.

Mathias walked into things blindly sometimes, and yeah, he probably shouldn't have done it again, but he did. He walked briskly to the other side of the field, stepping over Lukas, and punched the kid in the face. He didn't even know him, but he did know what he'd done to Lukas, and at the time, that seemed like enough reason to tackle him to the ground and break his nose.

"What the hell are you doing, Mathias?" Ned said, trying to pull Mathias away. As hard as Ned pulled, he couldn't get him off, and it was actually the janitor who came over and pulled him away as Mr. Vainamoinen waited with wide eyes behind him. "Mathias Kohler, to the office. Now," he said, pointing to the door. The janitor looked from Mathias to the student,who was now sitting up with blood running out of his nose, then said, "I'll take him." Mathias felt his hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and walked over to Lukas who had been sitting up and watching the fight with wide eyes.

Mathias helped him up, picking a few pieces of dirt out of his hair and flashing a smile. "I guess football isn't for him, huh?" He said, trying to make light of the situation. Lukas just nodded a little and the janitor came over to Mathias again, escorting him back into the building and leaving Lukas fending off questions from eager students about the "awesome fight" that had just happened.

"Why aren't we leaving yet, mama?"

"We have to pick up Mathias. His mom is busy with work right now. He's going to stay with us for a couple hours," she said, gripping the wheel and checking her hair in the mirror. Lukas sunk down in his seat, grumbling quietly. His mother turned to him, sighing. "I thought you liked him? Did you already change your mind?"

Lukas played with the zipper on his coat and looked down further, talking into the top of his scarf. "I do like him. But he has a really nice house and a whole bunch of nice things. They drink bottled water," he said. His mother laughed and said, "So what? That doesn't make them any better or any different. We have a nice house, too. And you have nice things, Lukas. Besides, friends don't care about things like that."

Just as he was about to say something else, the backseat door opened. "Sorry I'm late," Mathias said, climbing into the backseat and taking off his backpack. He buckled and looked up at Lukas' mom, surprised by how she looked. She was shaped like a squash. He would never tell her that, though. "Hello, ma'am. I'm Mathias but you probably knew that. It's nice meeting you!" He sounded so cheerful that Lukas turned back and stared at him. Had he forgotten about the fight at recess?

"Are you expelled?"

Mathias stopped smiling and rubbed the back of his neck. "No. I have another chance. And detention for three days. But it was definitely worth it. What a jerk."

Lukas sort of nodded and turned to his mother. "A boy pushed me down today and Mathias helped me. But he got in trouble," he said, leaving out a lot of the detail for obvious reasons. She smiled and said, "You need to be more careful next time you try to help."

Mathias nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. I guess I learned that the hard way," he said, laughing half-heartedly. There was a good minute of silence before Lukas said, "Where is Emil?" She reached over and patted Lukas' head, smiling widely. "I forgot to tell you! You're dad's off tonight so he's watching Emil. He's probably still practicing though," she said.

Mathias listened to the conversation carefully. So Lukas' parents weren't divorced and his dad did something that required practice? "What does your dad do?" He asked. Before Lukas could answer, his mother said, "He's a music teacher. He composes and conducts a little, too. He's been practicing piano lately."

Mathias laughed slightly at that, not surprised at all. "I bet he pushes that on you, huh?" To his surprise, Lukas shook his head and said, "No," then turned to look back at him. "He asks me. But I like learning about music. He never forced me to learn about it. That's stupid." He crossed his arms and leaned back, waiting for a reply from Mathias, but one never came.

Mathias went straight up to his room when he got home. He wasn't in the mood to talk to his mom or eat or do homework. He just laid face down on his bed, sighing to himself.

He had never been so upset after visiting someone else's house. Lukas had everything. His mom was so nice. He had a clingy little brother who looked up to him. He had a dad who cared about him. And they were all so happy to be around each other. They didn't seem to fight or argue. They were like the families in the movies or on television. Why couldn't he have that?

The first thing he noticed when he walked into their house was the smell. It smelled like cinnamon and old wooden furniture. Also a little bit like someone had just cooked. The second thing he recalled was the sound. It was loud piano. There was a man sitting in the living room slamming his fingers onto the keys. His mom had actually kissed him. Mathias didn't see his parents kiss even before the divorce.

Next, his mom offered Mathias a muffin. At first he expected it to come out of some plastic container, but she uncovered a pan and grabbed one for him. It was still warm, even. His mother never cooked. It was the best thing he'd eaten in a long time.

And Lukas got this every day.

His little brother came downstairs and immediately starting pestering him because he wanted to play, and Lukas had to sigh and say no, which was insane because Mathias wished he had a brother who wanted to play all the time, even if he was little like that. He just knew he would never get tired of him or push him away.

He just wished it could be him. He had one of those families that everyone seemed to strive for. They joked around with each other, actually hugged, did nice things for each other, cooked, were in the same room for more than five minutes at a time without flipping out over something insignificant like leaving a dirty plate on the counter or spilling a glass of water on the floor.

Thinking about Lukas' family reminded him of his own. What about how Lukas saw him? He must have seemed so pathetic with just his mom and his house that smelled like lemon scented cleaner and new leather. It seriously smelled like new car. Or a furniture store. And he hated it. He hated all of it. He hated that they had takeout every single night. He hated that his mom was never around thanks to her stupid job. He hated that his dad didn't care about anything that could possibly make him happy. He hated that he was gone and things would never be like they were before.

It just wasn't fair. How could one person have so much and another get cursed with, well... this? Mathias turned onto his side and looked out his window. He'd have to have something like that one of these days. A cozy house and a wife who could cook and kiss him whenever she saw him. Yeah, he could definitely go for one of those.

Review it again, Sam.