The new boy.

Chapter 7

That Monday when I got to school Matt wasn't there.
So I boringly made my way through the day.
Friendless.
I wondered why he hadn't shown up but I figured I'd call him when I got home.
The day was long and pretty much unbearable.
But eventually school ended.
As I heard the bell ring I sighed with relief and silently thanked god.
I walked out of the building and waited for my mom to pull up.
When she did I quickly got into the car.
It was a short drive home and my mom was on the phone with her boss the whole time.
When we got home I jumped out of the car and ran to my room before shutting the door and pulling my iPhone out.
I got on FaceTime and clicked the button to call Matt.
It rang a couple times before he picked up.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hello." He said with a small smile.
"Why weren't you at school today?" I asked.
He sighed.
"I don't really wanna talk about it."
I frowned.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Yeah, I guess."
He looked sad.
I thought for a minute.
"I'm coming over to your house."
He shook his head.
"You shouldn't have to come over here."
"I'm coming, I'll be there in a few minutes."
He just looked at me for a minute.
"Okay." He said.
I hung up and climbed off my bed.
"Mom, I'm walking over to Matt's house." I said.
She nodded and gave me a thumbs up.
I walked out the door and started walking down the street.
I was honestly a little bit worried about Matt, he looked sad, but he was smiling.
But it was a smile that was trying to cover something.
I turned a corner and could see his house.
It was gray outside, and a little bit cold. The wind causing me to shiver.
I walked up to his door and knocked. A minute later his sister opened the door.
"Hey, you here to see Matt?" She said.
I nodded.
She let me in.
"I'm Maddie, by the way."
I smiled.
"I'm Julie."
She walked away and I walked back to Matt's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in." He said softly from inside.
I walked in and sat down beside him.
We both sat in silence for a couple of minutes.
Which was very weird for me; because we always talked.
"What's wrong Matt?" I asked softly.
He looked at me for a second before handing me his phone.
I was a little bit confused.
I looked at it and it was a bunch of tweets tagging the school's twitter page.
I read the first one, it was from a few days ago.
"Weird new kid from Pennsylvania. Can he please go back?"
I kept scrolling.
"Is he even sure he's from PA? Didn't seem sure. Idiot."
I frowned.
"Is Matt what's -his-name homeless or something? I mean look at him. Family probs kicked him out."
My heart sunk as I kept scrolling through. Not many people in our school seemed too incredibly hateful, but this was awful.
"Oh my gosh..." I whispered as I kept scrolling. "I'm so sorry."
He shrugged but his eyes were sad. The usual glow in them was gone.
He was so sweet, why would anyone bully him?
His eyes were a little bit teary but he didn't cry.
"None of that stuff was true, okay?"
He nodded slowly.
"I guess... But I'm an outcast, always have been. Maybe I'm just some stupid ugly weird kid."
I shook my head.
"You aren't stupid, you aren't ugly, and you aren't weird. I promise, They're just mean and jealous of that smile."
He had a small smile on his face.
"I'll smile for you. You make me happy. Thanks for being my friend, No one else likes me."
I felt tears come to my eyes.
"Your family likes you."
He nodded and sighed.
"Yeah. I know they love me."
I scooted a little bit closer and hugged him. We just hugged for a couple minutes; because when you feel sad and alone, sometimes a hug is the greatest thing in the world.
And I knew that's how he felt, I could see it in his eyes.
And I hated it.
I wanted that sweet happy shy boy who dropped his books back. I wanted to see his face light up when he laughed, and his eyes shining, and his smile.
I was sad for him, I was sad he had to go to counseling, I was sad he was being bullied, I was sad he was sad.
"Come to school tomorrow, ok? If anyone picks on you, I'll give them a piece of my mind."
He nodded.
I stayed there with him for a little while. We took a walk, and laughed, and talked, and smiled.
And by the end of the day, we were both happy.