Broken Glass and Bleeding Hearts

It was Thursday and Star was stuck at home sick when the confrontation came at last. I’d been waiting for it for a while now so it wasn’t a surprise. I had been standing by Matt’s locker talking with him and Zacky. “Geeze I’m just asking.” Zacky complained when Matt and I refused to tell him anything about what happened during drinking one another’s blood.

“You’ll find out someday Zacky.” I patted his shoulder and laughed.

“Yeah an until then don’t bother asking us.” Matt added in simply. Then I saw her. I couldn’t help but notice that she was dressed like a complete slut, including way too much makeup on her face.

“Joy.” I rolled my eyes and the guys glanced down the school hallway and saw her approaching.

“I’ll see you guys later. I don’t think this is any of my business.” Zacky turned and walked away leaving Matt and I there to brace ourselves for the confrontation.

“There you are Matt!” Angelica walked up and completely ignored me. I felt that stab of anger again. “You are one hard guy to track down!”

“Then how about you don’t track me down?” Matt’s anger wasn’t very well hidden.

“But silly I have to. You are my boyfriend.”

“He is my boyfriend. Not yours.” The words came out followed by a low hiss.

“I’m sorry, did I hear something?”

“Angelica I told you to leave us alone didn’t I?”

“Matthew you will be mine.” She turned to address me next. “I’ll squash you like a bug if I have to.”

“I’d like to see you try, slut.”

“I won’t have to try.”

“Leave!” The anger in Matt’s voice was enough to make me flinch away at the shock and enough to make her seem like a deer who’d gotten caught in the headlights. “Go!”

“I’ll be back.” She warned before walking away. The anger didn’t fade as she walked away and it didn’t seem to fade for the rest of the day either. By the time Matt and I got to my house, he’d insisted on picking me up that morning, I was about to blow.

“So what did she tell you the other night when she called?” I asked finally as we walked into the living room.

“It’s not important Ellie.” Matt sighed, obviously wanting to obviously wanting to avoid the subject altogether.

“Yes it is and I want to know!” I couldn’t hold the anger in any longer, and as much as I hated to blow up at Matt, he was pissing me off more.

“Damn it Ellie! It isn’t important and she isn’t important!”

“Ha that is bullshit. What happened to you telling me everything now that I can know?”

“I said stuff that is important and stuff that actually meant something.”

“Why the hell won’t you just tell me?!”

“I told you already, it does not matter what she said! She does not matter!”

“Well guess what it matters to me!” I shook my head in anger and darted up the stairs and towards my bedroom. I sat down on my bed, placed my elbows on my knees, and let my head fall into my hands.

The was one of the major differences between Matt, Star, and I. Star didn’t have a short temper and it took a lot to make her mad. Matt had a very very short temper and it never took much to get him pissed. I have a short temper, just not a short as Matt’s. I felt horrible already for snapping at him, until I realized that he was back to keeping secrets.

It didn’t take long before I heard him coming up the stairs. Once he reached my door he knocked once and then called “Can I come in?”

“Do whatever you want. I don’t care.” I spat as I looked away from the door.

“I’m sorry okay?” He walked in and came to sit down next to me. “She called you names and told me how I am supposed to be with her. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to upset you.”

“I can handle to truth though Matt. Did I freak when you told me that you were a vampire and I was going to become one too?”

“Well no but-”
“There are no buts. Please stop trying to protect me from her. If anyone needs protecting its her.”

“I can’t help it. I don’t want you to get hurt because of something the stupid council wants me to do.”

“Then don’t hide things from me.”

“It hurts you?”

“Well yeah Matt. It makes me feel like you don’t trust me.”

“Elliebear I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Well now you do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Matt leaned over and kissed my cheek and I felt my cheeks get hot. “Geeze Matt you act like a little kid sometimes.” I mumbled trying to hide the fact that he had caused me to blush.

“Elliebear I’ve grown up with you, I don’t think that part of me that feels comfortable enough to still act like we are as you put it little kids is going away anytime soon. Does it bother you?”

“No.” I leaned over and he welcomed me with open arms as I relaxed against his side. “Who would have guessed it?”

“Guessed what?”

“That we’d end up together.”

“Who knows? Who cares?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“How we can bring that bitch down.”

“Pissed much?”

“Not as much as earlier. I can’t seem to stay pissed with you around.” I laughed a little and realized that this was true for me as well, although I didn’t say anything.

“You know I could just kick her ass.”
“Always violent. That’s one of the reasons we get along so well I think.”

“Shut up Matt.” I laughed.

“You wanna come to band practice tonight?”

“Of course! I love to watch you guys play!”

“Awesome! I better get going though.”

“I’ll see you later then.”

“Bye.” I sat there after Matt left just trying to sort out my thoughts for the longest time. My mom had just gotten home when I went downstairs to leave for Matt’s house.

“Where are you going sweetie?” She asked although I had a feeling she already knew the answer. Star was sick and other than Star’s house I usually went to Matt’s on school nights.

“Matt’s house. I’m going to watch the band practice.”

“Have fun. Be careful and don’t stay out too late.”

“Okay mom.” At Matt’s house I was the first to arrive and I found him in the garage already waiting. “The guys late again?”

“Of course.”

“We aren’t late!” Zacky burst through the door with a smug smile on his face, followed by Jimmy, Brian, and Justin.

“We have an audience today.” Jimmy mused with a laugh as he sat down behind the drums and pulled out his drum sticks.

“I hardly count as an audience. Besides I’m only one person.”

“Any song requests?” Matt asked breaking Jimmy and I’s content little conversation.

“Nope. Whatever you guys are planning on playing is awesome with me.”

“She is no help.” Zacky complained grabbing a guitar pick and throwing a fake glare my way, even though there was a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Hey do you guys wanna head to the spot after this?” Brian asked suddenly as he looked up from his guitar. All the guys agreed with either “yeah“, “sounds cool to me“, or my personal favorite “hell yeah!”

“What about you Ellie? You gonna come?” Matt turned to me, the look on his face telling me that he had heard that I didn’t answer at all.

“Nah. I’ll sit this one out. You guys have fun.” I hoped that they couldn’t tell something was bothering me. I’m pretty sure that Matt could tell but he didn’t say anything. The first song they played was We Come Out At Night and I smiled. It was definitely one of my favorites.

“You sure you don’t wanna come?” Matt asked again as I prepared to leave.

“I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I wasn’t sure why but I felt like I needed to be alone. If nothing else to think. For some reason Angelica’s words from the confrontation were making me think twice about them, as if I felt that there was some unspoken warning hidden in them.

Later that night I found myself with a headache and feeling regretful. Maybe I should have went with the guys. The thinking hadn’t helped me figure anything out, instead it came me a headache. Both of these could have been avoided if I’d just went with the guys. I could have hit my head.

My mom had just gone to bed when I decided that I needed fresh air. Probably one of my favorite things about becoming a vampire is how much easier it is to sneak out now. All I have to do is jump down from my window, and I can do it almost silently. It was much more convenient than doing it the human way.

My walk led me to the park as I walked towards the spot. I didn’t expect to find anyone there, so I just walked silently along at my slow place. Tonight it seemed easier to be out here than in my room. Last night’s nightmare and the confrontation had gotten to me more than I’d like. But after having a dream about seeing her literally force herself onto Matt and kiss him, before hurting him, then seeing her today and listening to her words wasn’t easy for me.

It didn’t take me long to get close to the spot, even though I was walking slowly. I knew my way to it so well that I hadn’t really been paying as much attention to where I was going as I walked. Until I heard noise.

I stopped and listened before I recognized a few very familiar voices. First was Matt, then Zacky, Brian, and Jimmy. They hadn’t left the spot yet apparently. Instead of waiting I walked right into the spot and the four of them looked over at me and a grin stretched across Matt’s face. “You came!”

“Yeah. I needed some air.” I sat down next to Matt and I noticed the guys were looking at me suspiciously. They’d ask soon enough and so I began preparing for it.
“So what is bothering you?” Zacky asked not wasting any time.

“Guys it’s a long story. Do I have to explain?” I sighed and moved slightly closer to Matt.

“Nah, we’ll force it out of you tomorrow.” Brian calmly stated.

“Can’t we just forget about it?”

“Nope.”

“Crap.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll forget by tomorrow.” Matt whispered in my ear before he kissed my cheek. I couldn’t help but think about the night he told me the truth. The smile couldn’t be hidden for long.

“Look! They are being mushy!” Jimmy pointed out with a smirk.

“Shut up Jimmy.” The words came from Matt and I at the same time as he laughed.

“Break it up will you?” Brian complained.

“I have nothing to say.” Zacky just looked away and started humming.

“Hey where is Justin?” I’d meant to ask that earlier but had gotten distracted.

“He went home already.” Matt answered. It was about an hour later when I decided that I was leaving. Matt volunteered to walk me home, and wanting some extra time with him, I happily nodded my head yes.

The walk back was pretty quiet between us, until Matt’s hand found mine. “How many times did we walk home from the spot before your birthday as just friends?” I asked as I remembered how we’d pretty much always walked home together.

“I don’t know. Probably one or two hundred times.” He paused suddenly, like he was going to ask me something important. So I waited for it. “Ellie do you wish that we were still just friends? You don’t feel like I pushed you into us being more right?”

“What?” I stopped, causing him to do the same. “Are you crazy Matthew Sanders? You are still my best friend, but no I like what we are now. You couldn’t have pushed me even if you wanted to, get real.”

“I guess you have a point.”

“No I have a damn good point.”
“Why did you use my full name though?”

“Because you were talking nonsense.” I moved closer to him and reached up so that my lips touched his. “And I don’t like it when you talk nonsense.”

“I was just making sure.” He kissed me again and this time his arms wrapped around me, so I let mine wrap around his neck.

“Matt we better go.” I sighed pulling away and letting go.

“Fine.” I laughed and started walking again. I heard Matt chuckle before he started following me. I knew that tomorrow I’d need caffeine to wake up and stay awake.