lover boy & dollar store girl ♬ matt sturniolo

XVI

     "yeah. well, they gotta give it to someone, right?" the girl chuckled faintly.

     "not to you, they don't," matt's eyes were so sweet, twinkling with a doe-like sadness. "i'm so sorry you got treated like that, minn. you didn't deserve that."

     minnie heard those words, and something inside of her broke.

     as a little girl, jasmine was teased ruthlessly in school. she always wanted to play with the dinosaurs instead of the dolls during playtime, and kids made fun of her. her outfits were always a little run down, because her mother shopped at discount stores instead of the mall; when kids were old enough to know about money, she got picked on for that, too. preschool to high school, minnie never caught a break. the only reprieve she found was at home with her big sister, sam. sam saw her through every bully; her sister had her favorite movie- the nightmare before christmas- on hand any given moment, and there was always a chunk of peanut butter cookie dough in the freezer, ready to be baked at the first sight of a bad day.
     when a day was particularly rough, sam always seemed to know. she would never push, but just prod gently instead, knowing that as tough as her little sister was, minnie did want to talk about it. she just never knew how. but sam could always get it out of her, and then she would tell her things like "those kids are gonna be total lame-o's when they grow up, don't you worry!" and "nobody is as cool as you, minnie. all the shit they tell you is because they wish they were as cool as you."
     the most important thing she always made sure to tell the girl, though, was "i'm sorry, kiddo. you don't deserve that crap."
     since sam moved away to college, it's been a while since they've really talked. sam checks in every week over the phone, and minnie lies through her teeth because she knows sam can't do much to help when she's hours away. and she misses when sam would put the warm cookies in a little bowl for her, and scoop some ice cream on top, and run her hands through her younger sibling's hair while the tim burton movie played. she missed having someone see her as something worth taking care of.

the girl felt tears begin to well in her eyes once more, but she wiped them away swiftly, refusing to cry again. she was stronger than that. plus, she knew there was no reason to cry- not with the boys that listened to her. not with the friends she's chosen to trust.

"thanks, matt." she sniffled. you have no idea how badly i needed to hear that, she said inside her head. she had a feeling he could read it from behind her eyes.

"i'll kill that bitch, you say the word." nick threatened, his eyes almost murderous. minnie laughed at his passion, thanking him for caring and declining the offer.

"so what's she doing back?" chris ruffled his hair, adjusting his position on the bed so he could lean his back against the wall. "she's not moving back, is she?"

"i don't think so. she said she was visiting family before she went all batshit on me," minnie chewed on her lip, "her cousins still live in the neighborhood."

matt shook his head, his lips pursed tight. he looked like he was holding something back- like he wanted to blurt something out. in his better judgment, the boy spoke carefully. "i know she treated you like shit, but you have us now. don't hold that stuff in anymore, okay?"

chris and nick nodded in agreement, their warm smiles flooding her cheeks with color.

"it's been a long time since i felt like anyone wanted to care about me. i'm not used to having friends like you guys." minnie admitted.

"well, get used to it!" chris beamed, kicking his way out of the bedsheets and hopping onto the floor. "come on, let's go eat our snacks! we can figure out what to do today."

"i need that cinnamon bun now," nick nearly growled, trotting closely behind chris as they left the bedroom in a hungry haze.

minnie shifted in the desk chair and threw her empty coffee cup into chris' trash can. matt leapt up and offered her a hand, which she took gratefully and allowed him to pull her onto her feet. she was just about to follow the boys when matt reached his arms beneath hers and wrapped himself around her in a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck. he held her tight in his hands, as close as he could get her to be; she rested her arms around his neck, slightly confused but not willing to pass up the chance to be held by him.

matt mumbled into the borrowed hoodie on her shoulders, "you deserve the world."

the girl's heart fluttered. she grabbed the sides of his face gently with her palms, tugging him up so she could see his face. she let her fingers linger to the nape of his neck, where his hair was growing a bit long and beginning to curl at the tips; she twisted her fingers through it, feeling so warm between his arms.

"i believe you," she said.

matt pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and dropped his arms to his sides, freeing her from the embrace. he gestured for her to walk out first, fighting back every urge to pull her back in for more. but it wasn't the right time- he knew there would be a right time. there always was in the movies.

minnie stopped in the doorframe and turned over her shoulder, taking one more look at the boy who was still riding on the last legs of his sleepy appearance. his pajamas clung to him comfortably, and his hair was still a wild mess, but his eyes were blue the way they always were, and his smile was wide awake. she offered a smile herself and said, "y'know, i never expected to have friends like chris and nick. it's nice to feel... wanted."

"what about me?" matt teased.

"you're different," minnie smirked, "you're not my friend. you're more than that."

matt's stomach flipped. "more than that, huh?"

"yeah. friends don't act the way we do."

     fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck, the girl scolded herself. why would you say something like that? what if he gets freaked out? jesus, don't you have a filter?
     minnie began to worry, unsure if the wide-eyed look on matt's face was a good or bad thing. she tried her best to act normal as the wave of panic came crashing down.
     god, i might have just fucked everything up. nice job, jasmine, you can't keep a secret for shit.

the girl slipped past the door and out into the house, heading towards the noise chris and nick were making in the kitchen. matt stood still for a moment, feeling like the floor was rocking beneath his feet. more than friends, matt mulled the words over.
the boy fell into step behind her, feeling the invisible string tying her to him tugging his body along. he had no choice but to follow. the boy didn't mind, though- he didn't want to choose differently, anyway.