It's Empty And Cold Without You Here.
Chapter One.
Matt looked at the dirty table where he sat, alone in a room full of other tables and chairs beside them. The prison could very well use some new furniture, at least in respect of the visitors, the innocent. Not that they usually came very often, or stayed very long. He sighed as he waited for the person that was visiting him for the first time out of the soon-to-be five year’s that he’d been there. He had no idea of who it might be. It could be his parent’s that finally got the gut’s to tell him how disappointed they were. It could be one of his friends, that realized that they should thank him for not telling on them. It could be some psycho that though of him as some kind of hero or idol. But most likely, it was someone that came to see ”Matt Saunders”, and the guards made another mistake and thought they said ”Matt Sanders”, just like all the other times.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a girl with dark brown hair, dressed in dark blue jeans, a Gray shirt, a black leather jacket and wore checkerboard converse, stepped into the room. She looked like she was about 21 to 23. Her eyes were bloodshot and she could use some hours of sleep. Beneath all the make up she was wearing, you could faintly see the color blue around her left eye, and a little to the right of her lip. She looked around a little, before catching Matt’s eye as he stood up to greet her. The girl hurried over to him and attacked him with a hug. Matt slipped his hands around her waist and pressed her tiny body against his own. Compared to her he was huge.
”God, it’s so good to see you, Emily,” he whispered and smiled into her hair.
”Yeah, yeah. You won’t be very happy to see me when you start asking me questions,” she said and pulled away from him, smiling faintly. A confused look flashed before his eyes before he prepared to hear the bad news.
”Did it…Did it survive?” Emily was avoiding eye-contact and looked at the floor. Her arms were by her side once again, as she lowered them from his neck.
”Emily,” he whispered, knowing that through the window, his cellmate and the two men in the cell next door that he had made friends with the past five years, were staring at him and the beautiful, younger girl. Watching them intently, wishing they were Matt at the moment. Who wouldn't after five years of not having sex. Emily tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked at him again, not noticing his hands that were placed neatly on her hips.
”Did the kid live?” he asked her, noticing at once the tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head a little and wiped the tears away.
”It was only luck that Nicky lived, Matt. He was fighting for his life for two weeks, they didn't think-” but she was interrupted.
”Nicky?” his voice was desperate, his right hand went up to her head as he held it in place, forcing her to look at him. The guard behind him had a skeptic look on his face, as he saw what he was doing. It was a wonder that he didn’t tell them to separate.
”Dominick, your son,” she answered him. His sorrow immediately became easier to hold as he got the answer he’d been wanting for five years. He had a son, and he had lived the accident. His girlfriend however, didn’t survive. Matt wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be happy that he had a son, or sad that his girlfriend had been dead for almost five years.
Emily stepped out of his grip as she pulled a piece of paper and showed it to him. The minute he could see what it was, his lips curved into a smile and his dimples showed like they always did when he was truly smiling.
The picture showed a four year old boy who was wearing an over-sized hoodie and a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. Both of them used to belong to Matt Sanders, M. Shadows. He was smiling broadly, showing off the same smile that his father was known for. Behind him, a man with a fedora hat, sunglasses and leather jacket, stood with his hands on the boy’s shoulders. He was smiling at the camera. In the background you could see a girl with brown hair, and lighter streaks smiling at the two of them together. They were in a backyard right beside a pool.
Matt let his thumb run across the picture, and the shape of the child as he continued smiling. He sat down again, knowing she would too.
“He’s beautiful,” he whispered.
“You can keep that picture if you want,” she said. He looked at her with a confused and shocked look as she smiled again.
“I can go across the street any tomorrow if I want and take a picture of Nick. You have to wait for another month before you even get to see him, don’t worry. You’re keeping that picture,”
“Across the street?” he asked dumbfounded, wanting to know where the sister of his girlfriend, one of his friends now lived.
“Of course, you don’t know. Nick lives with Michelle and Brian. But they’re both so busy all the time, Brian got a job at this music store thing place by the way, and they needed my help so often that driving across the city every other night became old, so I moved in the house that used to be empty. The one that was haunted,” Matt nodded before asking again;
“What are the guys up to?” Emily smiled a little before answering him.
“Zacky decided to do something with his life and went to college. He’s thinking about producing or something when he gets out. Johnny finished high-school and he’s working at this museum kind of place, poor guy. Apparently it’s boring. Jimmy’s still looking for a job. He fired from his job at Starbucks. That’s probably the seventh time he’s gotten fired this year. Personally, I think he'd be a good bartender. But no one will hire him, with a good reason, though" Matt chuckled a little at this and she smiled and continued.
"Michelle’s a secretary at some lawyer’s office. Although, she's thinking about quiting, because the lawyer keeps hitting on her. Leana’s business is going strong. She’s getting noticed by some of the big labels, and she deserves it. She's really talented. Gena became an actress after some agent noticed her when she was arguing with Zacky in public, Zach's not very happy about this, though. Oh, Johnny got a girlfriend, Lacey. She’s so smart, it’s not even funny. She’s studying law at the same college as Zacky,” she finished.
“What about you, Emily?” Emily blushed a little and looked away before muttering something.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. You said what now?”
“I’ve gone into modeling,” she said quietly. Matt didn't know what to say. Val wanted to become a model, before she got pregnant. And now, her little sister was living her dream? It wasn't fair.
"That's... That's great, Em. I'm happy for you. You deserve to do something you like, and not be stuck in some job with a crappy paycheck," he smiled at her and watched her face lit up, until she looked at the time and realized she had to leave.
"I have to go, I'm supposed to be watching Dominick today," she said and stood up. Matt nodded and stood up himself before attacking her with a hug. She smiled into his neck.
"We've missed you, Matt. I know it doesn't seem like it, at least not from the guys. But you are truly missed. You're like a big brother to me, and you've been there almost as far back as I can remember. It's been hard without you threatening to kick my ex-boyfriends' ass. I'm sorry to say it, but Brian isn't as intimidating as he'd like to be," Matt giggled and kissed the side of her head.
"I'll be out in a month, don't worry. I can kick some ass if you want me to, as long as it won't send me back here, because the food sucks," Emily let go and smiled.
"Take care of that picture," she whispered, and kissed his cheek just by the corner of his mouth. She smiled again before walking over to the guard, letting him open the door for her, looking back one last time and then walking through it, and out of Matt's sight.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a girl with dark brown hair, dressed in dark blue jeans, a Gray shirt, a black leather jacket and wore checkerboard converse, stepped into the room. She looked like she was about 21 to 23. Her eyes were bloodshot and she could use some hours of sleep. Beneath all the make up she was wearing, you could faintly see the color blue around her left eye, and a little to the right of her lip. She looked around a little, before catching Matt’s eye as he stood up to greet her. The girl hurried over to him and attacked him with a hug. Matt slipped his hands around her waist and pressed her tiny body against his own. Compared to her he was huge.
”God, it’s so good to see you, Emily,” he whispered and smiled into her hair.
”Yeah, yeah. You won’t be very happy to see me when you start asking me questions,” she said and pulled away from him, smiling faintly. A confused look flashed before his eyes before he prepared to hear the bad news.
”Did it…Did it survive?” Emily was avoiding eye-contact and looked at the floor. Her arms were by her side once again, as she lowered them from his neck.
”Emily,” he whispered, knowing that through the window, his cellmate and the two men in the cell next door that he had made friends with the past five years, were staring at him and the beautiful, younger girl. Watching them intently, wishing they were Matt at the moment. Who wouldn't after five years of not having sex. Emily tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked at him again, not noticing his hands that were placed neatly on her hips.
”Did the kid live?” he asked her, noticing at once the tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head a little and wiped the tears away.
”It was only luck that Nicky lived, Matt. He was fighting for his life for two weeks, they didn't think-” but she was interrupted.
”Nicky?” his voice was desperate, his right hand went up to her head as he held it in place, forcing her to look at him. The guard behind him had a skeptic look on his face, as he saw what he was doing. It was a wonder that he didn’t tell them to separate.
”Dominick, your son,” she answered him. His sorrow immediately became easier to hold as he got the answer he’d been wanting for five years. He had a son, and he had lived the accident. His girlfriend however, didn’t survive. Matt wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be happy that he had a son, or sad that his girlfriend had been dead for almost five years.
Emily stepped out of his grip as she pulled a piece of paper and showed it to him. The minute he could see what it was, his lips curved into a smile and his dimples showed like they always did when he was truly smiling.
The picture showed a four year old boy who was wearing an over-sized hoodie and a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. Both of them used to belong to Matt Sanders, M. Shadows. He was smiling broadly, showing off the same smile that his father was known for. Behind him, a man with a fedora hat, sunglasses and leather jacket, stood with his hands on the boy’s shoulders. He was smiling at the camera. In the background you could see a girl with brown hair, and lighter streaks smiling at the two of them together. They were in a backyard right beside a pool.
Matt let his thumb run across the picture, and the shape of the child as he continued smiling. He sat down again, knowing she would too.
“He’s beautiful,” he whispered.
“You can keep that picture if you want,” she said. He looked at her with a confused and shocked look as she smiled again.
“I can go across the street any tomorrow if I want and take a picture of Nick. You have to wait for another month before you even get to see him, don’t worry. You’re keeping that picture,”
“Across the street?” he asked dumbfounded, wanting to know where the sister of his girlfriend, one of his friends now lived.
“Of course, you don’t know. Nick lives with Michelle and Brian. But they’re both so busy all the time, Brian got a job at this music store thing place by the way, and they needed my help so often that driving across the city every other night became old, so I moved in the house that used to be empty. The one that was haunted,” Matt nodded before asking again;
“What are the guys up to?” Emily smiled a little before answering him.
“Zacky decided to do something with his life and went to college. He’s thinking about producing or something when he gets out. Johnny finished high-school and he’s working at this museum kind of place, poor guy. Apparently it’s boring. Jimmy’s still looking for a job. He fired from his job at Starbucks. That’s probably the seventh time he’s gotten fired this year. Personally, I think he'd be a good bartender. But no one will hire him, with a good reason, though" Matt chuckled a little at this and she smiled and continued.
"Michelle’s a secretary at some lawyer’s office. Although, she's thinking about quiting, because the lawyer keeps hitting on her. Leana’s business is going strong. She’s getting noticed by some of the big labels, and she deserves it. She's really talented. Gena became an actress after some agent noticed her when she was arguing with Zacky in public, Zach's not very happy about this, though. Oh, Johnny got a girlfriend, Lacey. She’s so smart, it’s not even funny. She’s studying law at the same college as Zacky,” she finished.
“What about you, Emily?” Emily blushed a little and looked away before muttering something.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. You said what now?”
“I’ve gone into modeling,” she said quietly. Matt didn't know what to say. Val wanted to become a model, before she got pregnant. And now, her little sister was living her dream? It wasn't fair.
"That's... That's great, Em. I'm happy for you. You deserve to do something you like, and not be stuck in some job with a crappy paycheck," he smiled at her and watched her face lit up, until she looked at the time and realized she had to leave.
"I have to go, I'm supposed to be watching Dominick today," she said and stood up. Matt nodded and stood up himself before attacking her with a hug. She smiled into his neck.
"We've missed you, Matt. I know it doesn't seem like it, at least not from the guys. But you are truly missed. You're like a big brother to me, and you've been there almost as far back as I can remember. It's been hard without you threatening to kick my ex-boyfriends' ass. I'm sorry to say it, but Brian isn't as intimidating as he'd like to be," Matt giggled and kissed the side of her head.
"I'll be out in a month, don't worry. I can kick some ass if you want me to, as long as it won't send me back here, because the food sucks," Emily let go and smiled.
"Take care of that picture," she whispered, and kissed his cheek just by the corner of his mouth. She smiled again before walking over to the guard, letting him open the door for her, looking back one last time and then walking through it, and out of Matt's sight.