Until I Met You

~aubree~

I knew it. I knew all along that it would end like this. Mike had been right, he’d been right about everything. I could never compare to Eve in a million years. She was beautiful and strong and talented and…
Perfect.
I knew Raina was outside, but I didn’t feel like talking to anyone ever again. But I wasn’t going to stay in here forever, because there was a person I could talk to. I went into the bathroom and took out my bun, my hair was all cute and curly and stupid. So I threw it into a quick fishtail braid to keep it out of my face. I washed off my makeup and changed into a plain cardigan, jeans, and oxfords. Back in my comfort zone. I looked out the window to my room and felt a surge of hope. A fire escape was only about a foot from my window. I was about to jump out when I felt a pang of fear as I saw the ground, a dizzying ten stories down. I swallowed my doubts and reached until I grabbed the edge of the fire escape. I jumped out of my window and landed outside of the fence and let out a small sigh.
I hopped over the fence and hurried down, jumping the last five feet to the ground. When I got to the front of the hotel I saw Matt through the glass doors and felt my heart shatter. He was just sitting on a chair with his head in his hands. He looked absolutely broken, could It actually be because of me?
Eve’s beautiful, and you’re just a little plain Jane techie. No one cares about you.
Mikes words lashed out from nowhere. But he was right. Besides, maybe Matt was just better off without me anyway. But that still didn’t keep a few tears from slowly falling down my face. I waited until I was sure he wouldn’t look up before I darted in front of the doors and continued down the street. I followed the lights until I found it. There was always one somewhere in big cities. I went to the front gate and walked into the small cemetery and sat on a bench under and enormous oak tree.
Believe me, my mom wasn’t buried in North Dakota, I just found some sort of peace in here, and it was one of the only places that I could really sit down and talk to my mom. She never spoke back or anything, but it was nice to think that she was listening.
I closed my eyes and let the world fade out around me. There was no Matt, no Raina, no Eve or Nick or Mike. I looked up at the beautiful, starry, January sky and bit my lip.
“Hi mom. It’s me again, but, who else would it be? I bet you’re really disappointed in me for not being the girl you thought I’d be. I’m just a makeup girl for a bunch of stuck up no good jocks and brats. And I lost the greatest, funniest guy I’ve ever met to some conniving little snake.” I paused and wiped the tears from my eyes. “I hate to bug you, but I need your help.” I stopped to take a deep breath. “I don’t know what to do anymore mom. I’m so sick and tired of being walked all over by everyone.” I waited for something, anything, but the only thing I could think of was Raina. She probably knew I was gone by now, I thought of her running around the city looking for me and felt a wave of guilt. “Why does she want to help me so much?” I asked. “I’m just a worthless little makeup girl.”
“No. You’re not.”
“Mom?”
“Not quite.” I turned around to see Raina, along with Phil and Matt, all standing a few feet in front of me and smiling.
“Guys?” Raina just smiled and I felt tears roll down my face. I ran over and hugged her, and I didn’t care if she wasn’t comfortable with it. It just felt right. I pulled back and looked at her, then blushed. “H-how much did you guys hear?”
“I heard something about a bunch of stuck up no good jocks.” Phil teased.
“And brats.” Raina continued. I looked over at Matt and felt my face catch on fire as he smiled at me.
“I didn’t hear anything after that ‘the greatest, funniest guy I’ve ever met’ comment.” Matt said smiling, and hugged me.
“How did you guys find me?” I asked.
“Well, after I heard you jump out the window I ran back downstairs and told Matt. Phil was down in the lobby too and we told him what was going on.”
“None of us had any idea where you’d be until I suggested calling Susan.” Phil continued.
“She said sometimes you went to cemeteries to calm down and talk to your mom. So we looked up the closest one and here we are.” Raina finished.
“B-but but…”
“But what?” Matt asked.
“Why?” I wondered. Raina smiled at me.
“Because that’s what friends do, they look out for each other. Now listen to me, you are going to stop thinking that Eve is better than you, because she’s not and never will be.”
“And I’m going to make sure that Nick backs the Hell off.” Matt growled.
“Can I help?” Phil asked eagerly. “I hate that guy.”
“Be my guest. I was thinking we could just maybe break his legs or something, what do you think?”
“I’d go for his face first, that’s where all the money is.” Raina chipped in. I giggled as we all started to leave, but then Matt grabbed my arm. I looked up at him.
“I want to talk to you.” He said.
“B-But what about Raina and P-Phil?” Matt responded by whistling so Raina and Phil stopped and turned around.
“We’ll meet you guys back at the hotel.” Phil shrugged and started to walk off. Raina was about to follow, but she stopped and ran back to me, giving me a giant hug.
“Don’t you scare me like that ever again.” She whispered. The she turned and jogged to catch up with Phil. Matt waited until they were gone before he turned to me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Matt smiled and grabbed me around the waist and pressed his lips to mine the same way he had in the hotel. I tried to pull away at first, but Matt refused to let go. But I finally gave in and kissed him right back. It was so perfect, well, except for the fact that we were surrounded by dead people. Finally Matt pulled back and gave me that look again.
“Aubree, I think I should tell you something.”
“What?” I asked.
“Well, you see, you’re not the only one who’s had a huge crush on someone for the past year.” I felt my heart drop. Did he like someone else? “You see, I’ve been crazy about you since the first day I met you.” I felt my eyes grow to the size of dinner plates.
“What?” I whispered.
“Yep. I was too nervous to do anything though because I was afraid it would make you scamper off and I’d never see you again. I wasn’t lying when I said I specifically asked Susan for you, but it wasn’t because I thought you were cute.” Matt smiled at me. “It was because I thought you were beautiful, and I still do, and I always will.”
“Matt…I…”
All a guy has to do is say you’re beautiful and you’re helpless.
No, go away Mike, you weren’t right, you weren’t right about anything! Matt does care about me! But I remembered Mike snapping the pencil again. One second I’m doing a superplex off the top rope and the next second Matt has a broken neck. I looked at Matt, I couldn’t let him get hurt because of me. I took a deep breath and smiled at Matt, but he wasn’t buying it. He grabbed my hands and pulled me back over to the bench and sat me down.
“Aubree, Raina and I were wondering, what’s up with you and Mike? You were so scared around him tonight.” I bit my lip.
“He’s an intimidating guy.” I tried.
“Bullshit. You can tell me Aubree, I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
“I can’t.” I said.
“Why?” He demanded.
“Because… just trust me.”
“Aubree please. No one can hurt you, not with me here.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” I said. Matt sighed but I just hugged him and tried to make him feel better, but he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back so I had to look at him.
“Aubree, if that son of a bitch is threatening you-”
“Matt, please, just let it go.”
“Why?! Why should I let him walk all over you like that?!” Matt jumped to his feet and I gasped, I’d never seen him like this before. I felt tears roll down my face.
“Because he’ll hurt you.” This took a second to sink in before Matt blinked a few times and pressed his eyebrows together.
“What?” I stood up and ran into his arms.
“He said he’d hurt you if I said anything, and I can’t let that happen Matt, not to you.”
“Aubree, that little runt isn’t going to do anything to me. I could kick his ass with one arm tied behind my back. Besides, Phil’s watching out for me, and Raina too. So you can tell me.
“He wants Raina, he came into the makeup room today and made me tell her to go out with him. He said that if I didn’t he’d hurt you.” Matt wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head
“Was it just this once?” I shook my head.
“He makes me tell him everything because everyone tells me stuff. Who was supposed to get matches for titles, who was dating who, everything. He told me to break up with you, but I just said I wouldn’t say anything. He makes me do it by threatening to tell you that I slept with him.” Matt was quiet for a moment.
“Did you?”
“No! He just makes all this up, all the time and tells me that I’m worthless.” Mat slid his hand over to my face and made me look at him.
“He’s not going to hurt you anymore Aubree, I promise.
“Matt, please don’t say anything, he’ll hurt you!”
“Aubree, I’m not going to stand around while this guy torments you. I’m going to take care of it and that’s that. Now let’s go home.”
Matt took my hand in his as we walked back to the hotel. When we got to my room the hallway was like a ghost town. I opened the door to my room, just like how I’d left it. I was about to walk inside, but I stopped and turned around.
“Matt…” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes?’ I felt my face catch on fire as I bit my lip.
“W-w-w…”
“What is it Aubree?”
“Will you stay with me tonight? I’m so scared something’s going to happen to you.” For once Matt’s face turned red and he started stammering.
“I-I guess… alright.” I smiled and walked inside, and went over to shut my window and close the curtains. I turned around and Matt had shut the door and turned off the lights. I slipped off my shoes and crawled into bed, Matt sliding in on the other side. In the dark I could see a faint outline of his face and I leaned over and kissed the tip of his nose.
“Goodnight.” I said. Matt slid his hand up and laced his fingers together with mine.
“Goodnight.”