𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍, matthew sturniolo

⁰⁰⁶Pictures

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introducing...

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! chapter six !

by eve

now playing...

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! remember when - wallows !

! synchronize - milky chance !

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"Matthew!" a booming voice yells through the house. I immediately lock my phone, get out of my warm bed and trudge to the kitchen, my sleepiness prominent. I rub my eyes firmly, trying to rid my TV, static vision.

"Yeah?" I ask my dad, my voice scratchy, my hair tousled. It's obvious that I hadn't slept in a while, the reminder of my dread very apparent. The nightmares leave unwanted memories in the back of my mind.

"Why are you still laying around in bed all day? Look at your brothers..." he continues to speak but I block him out. It always seems to be the same with his words lately, always bringing up how successful and amazing my brothers are, and how i'm not. Tears start to appear in my frosty eyes, my thoughts trying to tell myself that some messy tears won't help anything, that they will just make everything more difficult. Because, if I do cry, then my parents will be concerned and ask me about my mental health again. And I don't want that to happen.

"...why are you always so lazy and always in bed all day? Why don't you go outside, call up some of your friends or something," he continues, expressing his words with his hands, almost like he's trying to shoo me away.

"I'm just tired. I'll go take a small nap and I might go outside...I guess," I mumbling my last words, being almost silent, not that I even what him to hear me anyway. It's always the same, these words already drilled into my head by now after these days of repetition.

I go back to my room, scrolling endlessly on my phone until my best friend Nate calls me. I let the call ring out, not too happy at the thought of calling someone, not wanting to talk to people if I don't have too.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to talk to Nate right now, but I'm just not feeling good. I had one of the worst nightmares last night and I don't feel like reliving the memory with him. He was apart of the nightmare so I don't think it would be very good to see or hear his voice right now, it would only bring it up in my mind again.

I also don't want to talk to him because i'm just not feeling good. Feelings of anxiety and depression are creeping up on me again, obliging me to just lock my bedroom doors, crumble into myself, and rot in misery. There are so many annoying thoughts that bang around in my head, only some people able to pull me out of them, only some people able to keep me happy.

Nick.

Chris.

Malcom.

Nate.

Hanna.

Ella...

I don't know what obliged me to think of Ella in this movement. Maybe because she makes me feel safe, like she won't hurt me and stab me in the back when I least expect it.

She's also really pretty, her soft hair so long and beautiful. Her eyes always have a certain glint in them when she's truly happy, and makes me swoon. Also, her smile is so bright, always making me smile too.

I finally get out of bed, deciding to take a quick shower, before I grab my camera and head out the door.

Then I hear heavy footsteps behind me. "You're going to go take pictures?" Dad says disappointed, and I sigh. He's always annoyed that I ignore him when he says that photography is going to get me nowhere in life. I don't care at all though. It makes me happy.

"Yep," is all I answer and I'm out the door. I drive to a beach, a more widely known one than the little inlet one I met Ella at. When I arrive I can see people sunbathing, swimming, and doing all sorts of activities. 

Then I find a little excluded part of the beach, near a little cliff where some people are jumping off into the water. I wrap the strap of my camera around my neck, the small, more old-ish features of it glistening in the sun. I then start snapping photos of the rippling water, watching as the sun highlights its curves.

I take pictures of various things, slowly breathing in the salty air. About thirty minutes later and I start to get tired. I'm about to leave the beach when I hear a distant voice behind me.

"Matt?!" I turn toward the noise. Then I see one of my friends, his figure sort of just coming out of nowhere.

"Oh, hey, Malcom," I say, walking toward him, the sun blinding is rich features.

"How are you doin' buddy?" he asks, a small smile stretches across his face, and I feel kinda weird.

"Uh, good. Just taking some photos. You?" I say while lifting up my camera that's still around my neck to show him I'm shooting photos.

"Oh nice. I'm good. Uh, did you wanna hang out tomorrow? The whole gang is going to the mall," he says. My mind immediately panics a bit and the thought of the 'gang', hating to hang out with a bunch of people, sometimes feeling left out in situations like that.

"Uh when? And where?" I ask, realizing I haven't hung out with them in a while, so I have to hang out with them now. If I don't, then they might think I'm totally blowing them off and don't care about them.

"At 3pm at the, um, Lincoln mall. We are all going to meet right in front of the mall, right where the bench is. And you better be there," he said chuckling, though being sort of more aggressive with that last words than jokingly teasing. 

"Uh okay," I say, sort of confused by the weird, tense atmosphere around us. 

"I'll just text you."

"Okay," I say as he walks off into the distance, over to a beach ball game he was currently playing with some others on the beach. Weird.

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uh hiii

uhh the ending is reallly rushed sryyy

hope y'all r doing good

state testing is kicking me in the ass UGH

I rly like the new book covers :) what do y'all think??

thanks to mattybstqrn- for suggesting to to help :) ur sooo kind! Thanks love<33

- love eve