Love Song

Matthew’s first day of in his new school was what he considered the worst day of his life. He didn’t know anyone and all he could think of was going to New York to live with his parents. Isn’t the sixth grade bad enough without having the problem of having no friends? Matthew thought.
During lunch, Matthew felt the loneliest he’s ever felt. He was alone in the cafeteria and he was alone after he ate. All day he was alone and he felt that it would always be that way.
He felt relieved when the bell rang and it was time for him to go home. Since his grandmother couldn’t drive and he lived too close for the bus, he had to walk home. He ran into some unexpected trouble as he walked, though.
Matthew was suddenly surrounded by three boys who were in the same grade as him, but a great deal bigger.
“Hey. You. New Kid,” said one of them, with his backpack on one shoulder. “Where you going?”
“Yeah, where you going?” asked boy number two.
“I’m just going home,” said Matthew with his head down. He didn’t want to make eye contact.
“Really, I don’t think so,” said boy number three.
The first boy, the tallest by a few inches, pushed him to the ground. They were about to attack him, when another boy came and three himself on the three boys.
The boy screamed “Leave him alone!”
Matthew crawled away from the brawl and watched in fear as the three boys dominated the one who came to his rescue. A teacher suddenly appeared and was yelling. The three bullies went running and Matthew grabbed the lifesaver boy and started to run as fast he could without.
Once they got far away from the teacher, Matthew slowed down, but they both kept walking. At first it was silent for a while, but the boy opened his mouth.
“I’m Tommy,” he said.
“M-Matthew. Thank you.”
“For what?” Tommy asked.
“Saving me.”
“Well, you couldn’t have taken them by yourself.”
“Where do you live?”
“Across the street from you,” said Tommy with a smile.
“Really?”
“Yeah…”
They walked together and Matthew paid close attention to Tommy’s face. His eye was red. It would most likely turn black.
“We should get you home and get ice on your eye.”
“We’d better hurry, then,” said Tommy. “My mom will be home in an hour and my dad not too long after her.”
“Well, it’s not that far. We have time.”

When the two of them got to Tommy’s house, the only one home was Tommy’s older sister, Tanya. She took one look at Tommy and shook her head, and then she laughed.
“You’re going to be in so much trouble,” she let out while laughing.
“Come on,” said Matthew. “Where’s your bathroom?”
Tommy led Matthew to the bathroom where he used rubbing alcohol to clean up Tommy’s nose and cheek which were both bleeding. Tommy would wince when Matthew would touch him with the alcohol.
“Why did you help me?” asked Matthew as he was cleaning.
“I don’t know.”
Matthew felt a connection to Tommy that he’d never felt to anyone before. He didn’t know what it meant, but he liked it. He’s generally a person who keeps to himself and doesn’t feel anything for anyone, but somehow Tommy was different. He’d only met him about twenty minutes ago, but he already felt really close to him. He wondered if Tommy felt the same.
They went to the kitchen and got ice from the freezer. They put it in a bag and Tommy pressed it against his eye.
“Do you wanna stay for dinner?” Tommy asked.
“SH-Sure,” Matthew stuttered.
“Come on,” said Tanya. “Let’s see if we can cover up that eye.”
Tanya took Tommy upstairs. Matthew presumed that it was to put make up over his blooming black eye. Matthew waited uncomfortably in the kitchen, sitting on a bar stool at the countertop island. He decided staying for dinner was way too much for him to handle at the moment, so he quietly left the house and headed back across the street.