Fell In Love In Stages // a matty healy fanfic

Space Mountain

-Trinity's POV-

Matty drove me to school, opened the door for me and kissed me chastely on my lips. As I stood on the sidewalk, I waved at him. He backed out of the parking lot, and then I headed in.

Sophie and Lacy approached me then, each taking one of my arms and linking them with theirs.
"Are you tryna be subtle?" Sophie inquired with a smirk.
"We saw Matty drop you off," Lacy giggles, "bare sneaky!"
I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks. "It's not what you think."
"Really? Because I think you spent last night at his," Lacy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Well, yeah, but we haven't--"
"Oh? Why not?" Lacy interrupted, clearly enjoying herself.
"Because!" I exclaimed in frustration. "Look, can we just drop this?"
The first bell rang, signaling five minutes to class.
"Ah, saved by the bell," Sophie laughed. "To be continued."
"Bye babe" Lacy kisses me on the cheek.

When I get to class, I reach into my backpack to grab my textbook and a note falls out.
A single line, written in surprisingly cursive handwriting read
what's past is prologue -w.s
I smile to myself. This boy is trouble.

I spent the next three hours in classrooms, trying not to look at the clocks above various blackboards, and then looking at the clocks, and then being amazed that only a few minutes had passed since I last looked at the clock. I'd had an entire year of experience looking at these clocks, but their sluggishness never ceased to surprise. If I am ever told that I have one day to live, I will head straight for the hallowed halls of Wilmslow High School, where a day has been known to last a thousand years.
But as much as it felt like third-period physics would never end, it did, and then I was in the halls with Lacy and Sophie.
We stayed by the classrooms that afternoon, sitting on the newly dry grass and them pressing me for more details.
"So you like Matty, yeah?" Sophie asked
"Yeah" I say
"So why haven't you made it official yet?" she asked quizzically. As if unable to wrap her head around the idea that there may be outside forces stopping two willing people from being together.
"Has he not asked?" Lacy chimes in
"Well, he's dropped a couple hints. But it's complicated" It pained me to say
"T you know you can talk to us. We're here for you", Sophie smiles gently. I could see her processing the possibility of an outside force.
"Well, I haven't really had the best track record when it comes to making friends" I say sheepishly
Lacy looked at me knowingly while Sophie was mulling over what I could've meant by that when I noticed a shadow blocking me from the sun. We all squinted and looked up to see Vicky standing there. I'd almost forgotten completely about her since Charlie's departure. I wondered what she wanted.

As if reading my mind, she says, "Trinity, I want to have a word with you." The words she was saying seemed harmless enough, but she said it with so much malice in her tone, it threw me off.
"And who the fuck are you?" Sophie says.
"None of your fucking business, that's who" she spat back.
"What do you want, Vicky?" I ask, trying to keep my cool.

She tosses a small box onto the grass in front of me, and it lands with a thud.
"This is for you," she says before storming off without giving me a chance to ask any questions.

Inside, is a pair of heart shaped earrings, that resembled my locket. It was heavy and I was sure it cost way more than the actual locket itself.
There was also a note from Charlie. I'm sorry was all it stated.
Strangely, I felt nothing as I looked at the contents of the box.
It was heart-shaped, like the earrings, but the design was completely different. And to top it off, they were gold while mine was silver.
I let out a hollow laugh. He must've seen the locket hanging around my neck a hundred times before. Yet, he missed that glaring detail.

"Who's Lee?" Sophie asks, snatching the note from my hand.
"Charlie. He was our friend" Lacy says.
"Oh the lad who just got expelled. Tell me, why is he giving you jewellery, T?" She raises an eyebrow
"Gifts" I laughed. "It's the only way he knows how to apologise." I say and my eyes must've betrayed my hurt because they both hug me just then.
The bell rings and we get ready to head to class. I pocket the note but leave the earrings in the box on the lawn for someone else to find.

The day passed as it always did—in slow motion, with a thousand plaintive glances at the clock. But now it was even more unbearable, because every minute I wasted in school was another minute I could spend with Matty.

I stare at the note from Charlie and wondered when he got so insufferable. But the more I thought about it, the more it all made sense. At that moment, it felt like all the pieces of the puzzle I'd been trying to solve were falling into place.

I remember feeling trapped with Charlie, as if he wanted me to play a certain role in our relationship. He was always talking about how we should settle down together, get a house, have kids. But I don't see myself doing any of that. I don't want to feel like I have to follow a set path just because it was expected of me. I want to explore, to experience new things, and to chase my dreams.
Charlie wanted me to be the perfect partner, always there for him, supporting him in everything he did.

But with Matty, it's different. He understands my need for adventure and spontaneity. He supports my dreams and aspirations, and doesn't try to hold me back.

As I sit there, staring at outside the window, I come to a sudden realisation. The reason I am drawn to Matty is because he embodies everything I want in life. He is adventurous, spontaneous, and passionate. He makes me feel alive and free. With him, I don't feel like I'm settling down. Instead, I feel like I'm embarking on a new journey, full of endless possibilities.

I smile to myself, feeling grateful for this newfound understanding. It's not that I'm afraid of commitment, it's that I'm afraid of a dormant life. And with Matty by my side, I know that won't be the case.

Suddenly, my heart longed for him. It was terrifying, but also exciting. Like my first ride on Space Mountain when I was 12. I remember my heart thumping from anticipation as the ride operator strapped me onto my seat. I double-checked the locking mechanism and said a small prayer.
I glanced at my mom who was sitting beside me and she smiled reassuringly.
"This is fun", I remembered her mouthing at me when the car started moving.
Slowly at first, the lights in the tunnel flashed past us.
Soon enough we picked up speed and I remember my stomach fluttering from fear and anxiety.
When we got to the top, I swore I would never do this again, but all at once, and without warning, we descended in tremendous speed and the world turned into a brilliant blur.

My past was behind me and the present was ever fleeting. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, the exhilaration made me forget my inhibitions. When the ride came to an end, I begged my mom to let me go on it again, not wanting the thrill to end.

Being with Matty felt exactly like that.
And right now I felt like I was all strapped in and ready to dive in head-first because yes, the past is prologue.