punks / matt champion

chapter 29

THANK YOU ALL FOR SEVEN THOUSAND READS SKSKSK ILY 😩

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MATT'S POV

"no, it's cool..." i mutter. "i get it."

though a large part of me doesn't. i thought that things between us were pretty smooth, besides when she was avoiding me at school. i thought there actually was something.

"um, is that okay?" she says softly on the other line. "i still like really you, matt. we just won't be ... a couple."

ouch.

i know melanie isn't trying to hurt me intentionally, but it hurts anyways.

"matt!" my mom calls from the other room

"okay, uh, i gotta go," i say quickly.

"okay, see you at school." the line goes dead.

i shove my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and exit my room to find my mother in the living room, sitting on the couch.

"matty," she says softly. "i've been meaning to talk to you for a while now and you keep running off. sit down please."

mom nods towards the opposite sofa, and i take a seat.

"now, principal moore has called me again–"

i open my mouth to give her a bullshit explanation as to why the dickhead called, but she cuts me off.

"and at this point, i've had it. you got into another fight with an innocent student, again!" she has a right to be furious.

"look, mom–"

mom rises from her seat, pointing her finger. "no, matthew! for starters, i raised you to be better than this, no matter the situation. no matter what shit is on your mind! secondly, it's embarrassing for me, getting calls from your school nearly every week. it makes me look like i'm doing a bad job! and thirdly, it brings so much fucking shame to this family!"

i wanted to tell her that i'm not proud of what i did. i'm not proud of anything, really. and most importantly, that i'm sorry, and i want to pay for all the damage i've caused.

my head hangs low as i pull off my beanie in shame.

"why do you do this?" her voice breaks. and so do i a little on the inside.

i don't say anything.

honestly, i do this all out of anger. for the longest time, i've had this frustration over my family's financial downfall, my father's abuse towards my mother, and his disappearance.

and of course a lot of the time, i took my frustration out on other kids in and out of school, getting into punch ups and forming unnecessary enemies. obviously when hearing about this at first, my mom was hurt. but the more trouble i caused, the more i left my mom heartbroken. and it's only now that i've decided to be rational and stop.

after seeing mel and i kind of get close, it's easy for people to think that she's my excuse for quitting getting into fights and all that. but it's not true. with cutting the bullshit comes with me wanting to stop tooling around with girls. when i met mel, i guess i was almost immediately infatuated with her.

"mom..." my voice almost breaks too. "i'm sorry." this is the first time i've apologized in a long time.

i watch helplessly as she stares back at me with wide eyes, a tear rolling down her face. she sighs and sits back down.

"i've been in a dark place, mom, for the past five years. and i know you've been able to see that—"

"matt, you put a boy in a coma only months ago," she says sternly, her gaze never meeting my eyes. tears continue to fall, but i can tell they're angry tears. i chose to stay quiet. "look, i know that you were very frustrated about things ... how dad left, how i struggled to find work ... but you kept it up anyway!"

she's hurt.

"matt, listen to me. you should know that your father was just trying to provide for his family."

"mom, he was f-," i remember she gets offended whenever i curse. "he was dealing drugs!"

her eyes still don't meet mine.

"you kicked him out for a reason!" i add.

"matty, i felt betrayed at the time," mom says softly. "that's all ... besides, i think he's learned his lesson by now."

yeah, i bet.

then i catch her look up quickly, as if she just remembered something. "um honey ... speaking of which, one of the main reasons i have been wanting to sit down with you is to e-explain th-that..." she looks down at her lap again, then decides to get up from the couch and opens the back door behind the kitchen counter.

a man, tall with dark hair and a greying stubble, stands in the doorway.

what the fuck ... no.

it can't be.

"hey, son."

• • •

shit's gonna go down man... and sorry i be taking years to update i have my phone taken off me and my only source is my fucking ipad lol. so i won't be updating to meme book for a few days (can't save photos n shit on my iPad it's old)

y'aLL PLS COMMENT MORE QUESTIONS FOR MY Q&A!!!!!!
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