Fix Me

If it was one thing Kali disliked, it was sympathy from people who didn’t truly mean it. So, to avoid it all, she put on a brave face. The past few days had been extremely rough for her, but she could lie her way through it. All she had to do was smile and say, “I’m fine, thank you.” That much she could manage.
She was just putting away her binder when she looked over and spotted Matt talking to Mike, Ian, and Brett. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew she had to apologize. She’d treated him unfairly and that would bug her for eternity if she didn’t make it right. Summoning all her courage, she closed her locker door and slowly walked over to the group of boys. Their once excited voices faded into murmurs and died away. Mike, Ian and Brett looked from Kali to Matt awkwardly. Great, they know.
Matt didn’t make eye contact with Kali. He always looked at the floor or to the right or left of her face. It only made her feel worse.
She cleared her throat and spoke to him, “Matt, can I talk to you for a second?”
All the boys stared at Matt while they awaited his reply. Matt didn’t answer her for a very long time. However, he knew he couldn’t deny her request in front of everyone. He was too nice of a guy to say ‘No, you used me.’
“Um, yeah, sure.” He whispered and followed her away from the guys.
Kali brought him to a private alcove by the Science Lab. She didn’t want to look into those brown eyes, but she had to say her part. She just hoped he could forgive her after.
“Look, Matt, I know you probably hate my guts and you’d rather be anywhere but here right now, but…I need to apologize for what I did to you. It was wrong and I’ve been regretting my actions since. I did want to make Josh mad, and I used you for it, and that makes me a terrible person. I honestly regret it and I feel completely awful, but I couldn’t let it go. Hence why I’m sucking up all my pride and standing in front of you right now. I needed to say something to you to try to make up for what I’ve done because if I didn’t, my conscience was going to eat me alive.” She inhaled a deep breath after she said her piece.
Matt looked her over, soaking in her words. Her dark green eyes were wide with innocence and sincerity, and he couldn’t help but smile a little.
“I can’t really stay mad at you.” he sighed, defeated.
She smiled. “It’s one of my greatest benefits.”
Matt laughed and thrust his hands into his jean pockets. She really was a piece of work.
“To make it up to you, let me take you to the café after school. I’ll give you cake and coffee on the house.” She looked at him with those wide, mysteriously coloured eyes.
“Aw, you don’t have to…” Matt shrugged bashfully.
“Oh, but I do,” Kali sighed, clasping her hands together at her chest. “It’s another one of my ‘benefits.’ I apologize to people and then make them fat. It’s what I do.”
Matt chuckled at her joke. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop by after school. See you then.” He leaned down and hugged her tightly.
“See you.” Kali hugged him back, breathing in his warm cologne and smiling as he walked back to the boys. She felt like a thousand pounds had just been lifted off her shoulders.
She turned and skipped out of the alcove in high spirits. Then, she collided with a body and everything fell back down.

“…let me take you to the café after school. I’ll give you cake and coffee on the house.”
“Aw, you don’t have to…”
“Oh, but I do.”
She said something funny, he laughed. What could possibly be so funny? Josh certainly wasn’t laughing. Instead, he remained just behind the wall of the alcove where his friend and Kali were talking and giggling. They didn’t know Josh was right there, listening. But he’d seen them walk in there together and that was enough to push him to eavesdrop.
Their voices suddenly sounded muffled. They had a date at the café after school and now they were hugging. Kali was going to give him free coffee and cake. That was what she always used to do for Josh. Matt wouldn’t even have to steal it right out from under her nose. No, because he didn’t need to try to be cute and attractive. He already had Kali wrapped around his finger. It’d been so easy for him to make her his and all he did was stand by and watch as Josh suffered.
Josh stepped farther back into the shadows as Matt suddenly appeared. He was walking in the opposite direction, towards Mike, Brett, and Ian thankfully. Kali should be coming out anytime now…
Josh took a few steps forward and then there she was, skipping happily straight into him. She stumbled back, apologizing ferociously before realizing who she’d walked into. He watched with a sort of disgusted curiosity as her face reflected fear and anger. She couldn’t have made it any clearer that he had just ruined her day.
“Got a hot date tonight?” he asked, his tensions running high.
“No.” she replied. She folded her arms across her chest indignantly as if that could possibly protect her.
What a prissy b*tch, Josh thought. As if she figures she can get away with all this.
Josh smirked and leaned towards her, playing with a strand of her soft hair. Kali breathed in not a warm, spicy cologne like she’d smelled on Matt, but the scent of cigarettes and pot. There was something else, too. Something that she couldn’t place, but she had a feeling she’d rather not know. She didn’t want to smell any of it anymore, but he was so close to her. He leaned in closer still to whisper in her ear, his hot breath sending electric sparks down her spine.
“Who’s lying now, Kali?”
He walked away from her, all the way out the front doors of the school.

Those backstabbers! Everything is wrong. That’s supposed to be me in there, not him.
Josh sat in his car, watching as Matt sat at the counter in the café, eating chocolate cheesecake and drinking coffee while Kali smiled on. They laughed with one another and appeared too cozy for Josh’s liking.
Josh threw his cigarette out his open window and leaned back in the driver’s seat. Who would’ve thought it’d all come down to this? Matt, Josh’s friend, was replacing him. Kali hated Josh, and now he was all alone. He still had Xavier and the gang, but he realized now that was never what he wanted. They didn’t feel like friends the way Kali, Matt, Mike and Ian had at one time. Josh’s new “friends” were just users and abusers who constantly fuelled his new addictions. But then again, his own anger fuelled them just as well.
Josh looked back at the café and noticed that Matt was hugging Kali goodbye. He began to head for the door. Josh glared and opened his car door, muttering under his breath, “You f*cker.”
Matt didn’t notice Josh until he was right in front of him. He gasped, startled, and stumbled backwards slightly. “Josh?” he asked. “What the—”
“I thought I told you to stay away from her,” Josh growled.
“What are you—”
“Just to be clear, that doesn’t mean take her out on dates.” Josh shoved Matt back forcefully.
Matt held his footing, but now he was p*ssed. “What’s the matter, Ramsay? Scared she’ll fall in love with me and you’ll lose your chance?” he asked.
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Josh took a step closer to Matt, who didn’t back away.
“I’m not sure, seeing as I wasn’t taking her out on a date. She invited me to hang out since you aren’t doing that with anyone anymore.” Matt’s eyes flared.
“Sure, whatever you say. Just leave her—”
“You’re an idiot, you know.” Matt laughed in Josh’s face. “You’ve had years with her; so many opportunities to ask her out, but you never took them. You just sat there, lusting over her like a love-struck puppy. It was pathetic and painful to watch. So you have no right to suddenly get all defensive and hurt when someone else steps in and says the words you wish you could say to her. Especially since you haven’t been around lately. She’s damaged and it’s all your fault. What can I say? Someone has to pick up the pieces you left behind.”
Josh’s heart raced and he grit his teeth together, ready to deliver another black eye to Matt’s face. “You—” he began.
“I’m not finished,” Matt stepped closer so his chest was against Josh’s. “You f*cked up, Ramsay. When are you going to admit that to yourself? I don’t know what it is that’s wrong with you, but it’s because of that Kali loathes you now; more than you even loathe yourself. So I think you need to take a hint and you need to leave her alone. You're not good for her anymore. You know, I wasn’t going to try and make her mine, but seeing you get so worked up over me simply talking to her gives me an odd sense of enjoyment. You choked me and punched me in the face. Payback’s a b*tch, ain’t it?”
Matt pushed Josh this time, and Josh had to hold onto a garbage can so he didn’t fall over. Matt began to walk away but spun back around to eye Josh.
“One more thing,” he said, “When she handed me that chocolate cheesecake, there was a little flicker of pain on her face. It was because that used to be your favourite, but you don’t go in there anymore. Is that correct? I don’t know man, all I’m saying is, I’ll gladly take your place if it means free cake. And maybe even free kisses, too…”
Josh had never wanted to murder someone so badly. Each word Matt spoke pushed him further and further to the edge, but when he mentioned kissing Kali, it shoved Josh right over the cliff. He wanted to kill Matt, right then and there. But Josh wasn’t stupid, he knew that’s exactly what Matt wanted. He wanted to provoke that side of Josh so he could start a fight right outside Kali’s mom’s café. Matt knew Kali would see it all and he knew he could blame Josh for starting it and get away with it. Anything to make Kali hate Josh even more…
So, Josh let Matt walk away. He kicked the garbage can with such force it toppled over and spilled its contents all over the sidewalk. Everything was falling apart and he didn’t know how to fix it.