Matt & Doe | Complete

Chapter 1

Doe's POV

"Amen."

Finally, our church group leader Mrs. Elenora ended her lengthy prayer and we repeated the closing statement. There were fifteen of us in total, and we dispersed into much smaller groups. My closest friend, Ashley Dallas, was the leader of our little circle, which was six people in all.

"Elenora made it clear earlier. We've got a community project to complete, so I'm gonna split us up into pairs."

OCF or Ostville Christian Fellowship was widely known for its voluntary service each year. The building itself was not even considered a church. It was central to a very lively town, Ostville, and the size of a thrift shop. There were no pews nor altar. We sat on scattered chairs and when we had visitors or hosted a camp, we laid blankets across the floor, as well as several soft cushions. It was makeshift, but it was our comfort.

"I've got a list. A home for the elderly, an orphanage and a mental hospital," Ashley sat cross-legged in her baggy jeans, holding a sheet of paper awkwardly close to her face. Her wavy, light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, showing off her dark, green eyes. Her brother, Anthony, passed around a paper bag filled with strips of white paper.

After Ash read out the list of options, Matthew commented that they were all like last year's - boring.

Matthew Adler was, more or less, a mystery to me. That was why, when Ash revealed we would be working together for the next few months, I had to fake a smile which he never returned. Matthew and I were... mutual friends, meaning I only met him during our senior year of high school. Also every time after that, when I would visit Ashley and he'd be there hanging out with her brother. We had always been in the same friend group. For most of our last year, Matthew caught himself getting low grades. He was a transfer student that never spoke about his private life, but that was his past. Anthony had invited me to his 20th birthday, one year ago and we spoke then. That was about it.

"Kids," Matthew announced in annoyance, "...Children."

"In an orphanage." I took the chair next to him and listened to Ashley run through all the guidelines and hand out several forms.

"You've outdone yourself this year," Matthew teased her, as he grabbed a paper from her hand, "Print-outs and everything. Who'd you bribe?" He scanned the content, making faces at every line.

"Shut up." Ash playfully slapped his shoulder. "And work with Doe. It's only for three months."

It was approaching 3 pm that Sunday afternoon and I was hungry. Most of all, I would have gone straight to lunch, had I not been interrupted several times.

Matt's POV

"An orphanage? With Doe?" Anthony laughed uncontrollably at my misfortune, "Little Miss Perfectionist?"

"You have to work with fellow adults who act like kids," I scoffed at him, defensively, "An orphanage's not that bad. Neither is Doe."

Anthony's face was red with laughter. He punched me hard on the shoulder and I glared at him.

"Fine. Roseline's not that bad," he wiggled his eyebrows, mocking me.

Doe's real name was Roseline, but it was unspoken that we all hated that name for her. I met her a few years ago. We only really started talking when I was dragged to attend church a while back. Something about 'saving my soul'.

Anyway, Roseline Alvarez or Doe was someone I didn't know too much about. She was hard-working and earned a humble wage in the kitchen at Le Mange. Unlike her, I ran errands for Briskey's Marketing. The owner of which, knew my father. I hated it, but it paid well and allowed flexible hours.