She's the Girl Next Door

Chapter Three

It was Friday of the first week and Matt was already fed up with school.

Well at least my friends like me........I think, he thought to himself. Matt would always doubt whether his friends actually liked hanging out with him or not, he even doubted Ben, his best friend.

Matt was making breakfast and his mum came downstairs

"Matt can I talk to you"

"Sure what's up" I asked

"We actually can't afford to buy you a car, I'm sorry"

Matt was pretty broken up about it, but it was just a car and when he gets a job he can save up.

"That's fine mum" Matt said

"Matt I talked to Carol and she said you can ride with Jen to and from school"

Matt was lost for words, driving to school with Jen Cooper,
What would people say.

"Wait, so Jen agreed to this"

"I don't know but Carol owes me a favour, so what do you think" his mum Claire replied

Matt started thinking ahead and realised it would be awkward as fuck, him and Jen the girl he'd had a crush on since forever, sitting in a car for ten minutes to and from school five days a week for the rest of the year. What would we even say to each other.

"Okay I guess it won't be to bad" Matt reluctantly agreed

"And it's good because you can talk to more girls and maybe get a girlfriend" Claire said

"You sound like dad, mum" Matt sighed

"I know I'm sorry, I just get a bit worried about you Matt"

"Mum heaps of guys my age don't have a girlfriend"

"It's not about that I'm worried about you, you never go out, you only have one friend, you hate social media"

"By the way, I have 2 good friends and secondly I just don't like social media and so what I don't go out, I'm super introverted, tell me what's wrong with that"

Matt knew his mum had something to worry about, hell he worried about himself.
He was just to stubborn to admit it.

"Okay but make sure on Monday you talk to Jen" Claire told her son

"Fine I'll be social" he replied.

Matt and Ben were walking to class

"So hang on, you get to ride with Jen every day for the rest of the year" Ben asked

"Yep, apparently her mum owes my mum for something, I'm not to sure" Matt answered.

"So I guess your year is starting off great then, huh Matt" Ben assumed

"Uh yeah I guess" Matt lied, straight to his best friends face

Even though he got to ride to school every day with his former crush (well sort of former), Matt just felt empty and lost, he regretted not telling his mum the truth earlier in the day when she questioned him, but the words just didn't come out.

The day passed and so did the weekend, it was Monday.

Matt was waiting outside his house, "I'll just get in the car, say hi and it will all be fine" he reassured himself.

Matt saw Jen's car pull out of the driveway and slowed down when she got to his house.
Matt got in the passenger seat

"Hi" Jen said, not looking him in the eye

"Hi" Matt said back, without making eye contact

The drive was really awkward, none of them said anything to each other.
They were close to the school and Jen slowed the car down,
She kind of looked at Matt, which he then knew she wanted him to get out, so he did and she drove off.

Matt only had to walk for about 2 minutes, he did understand why she didn't want to be seen with him, I mean it would be pretty embarrassing for her.

At school Matt went to go find Ben

"So how was the car ride with Jen"he asked

"Awkward, that's all I've got to say"

"Yeah figures" Ben said

Matt was in class trying to listen to the teacher when he thought that he saw Jen staring at him from the corner of his eye, Matt looked at her but she quickly turned away
Matt smiled to himself and began to realise that maybe he still liked his middle school crush.