In My Dreams It's Me And You

"Oh Natalie, dear cousin of mine," Matt sang as he sat down next to me at the table.

I took a giant bite out of my blueberry muffin and then took a drink of orange juice. I slid my gaze in Matt's direction and narrowed my eyes. "What do you want, Matthew?" I asked suspiciously.

"Okay, first of all, don't call me Matthew," he chastised and I rolled my eyes. "And second of all, why does there need to be a reason for me to be talking to you?"

I finished up my muffin with Matt staring at me the whole time. I noticed Brian sit down next to me out of the corner of my eye and I gave him a small smile. I then turned my attention back to Matt.

"If you don't want anything from me, why are you still staring at me?" I questioned, making his brow furrow. "Exactly," I said with a laugh. "Now what do you want, Matt?"

Matt sat back in his chair. "Well, I was kind of wondering if you'd do me and the guys a favor," he began. "We need female vocals on another one of our songs, and I was wondering if you'd sing for us again."

Knowing that it was useless to fight with him, I gave him a nod. "When do I have to sing?" I asked, wanting to know how soon I'd be doing this.

"Umm, this afternoon," he mumbled and I sighed.

"Thanks for the advance warning, there Matty," I grumbled and took another gulp of orange juice.

"You mean you'll do it?" he said, suddenly excited and perky. I couldn't help but laugh at how adorable my cousin was.

"Yeah, I'll do it," I answered. "I'm kinda liking singing again, anyways."

Matt got up from his seat to give me a hug. "Thanks, Nat. You're really helping us by doing this," he said.

"No problem, Matt," I replied, a smile adorning my face.

As Matt and Brian both left to tell the others that I would be helping them, I decided that it was time I tell Matt why I actually came to live with him. He'd been so great to me since I came, other than the few fights we'd gotten into, and he deserved to know the truth. I guess I owed him that much, since I was sleeping with two of his friends behind his back.

"Perfect, Nat! We'll definitely take this one!" Matt called to me.

I smiled and took off my headphones. I had just finished singing for their song 'Dear God' and I had to admit that it was very good. Sure, it had a country rock sound to it, but it was still a beautiful song.

"Just glad I could help," I told him once I entered the main room.

Matt looked up at me from his computer and smiled. "Thanks again for doing this, Nat. It really does make it easier for us." I nodded my head and then let out a small sigh. "What's up, Nat?" Matt asked, his eyebrows scrunched together in concern.

"Well, I kinda need to talk to you Matt," I said. Matt gave me a confused look and I continued. "About why I came here."

The lightbulb went off in Matt's head and he nodded his head. "Alright, well I think we can talk about it now, if you want. The guys won't be back for awhile," he offered.

I sighed again and sat down on the couch adjacent to Matt. "I guess I should start from the beginning, huh?" I asked and he gave me a 'Duh' look.

"That would probably help," he agreed.

I leaned back in the couch and got ready to tell Matt the story of my life for the last decade. "Well, when I left Huntington, I didn't go far. I moved to Sparks, Nevada because I liked how small it was. Everything went really well for a couple years; I was happy, had a good job, and a nice boyfriend. It was when the town started to become less urban and more suburban that my life started to go to hell. People started moving there like it was going out of fashion, big companies started constructing their buildings, and the crime rate started to sky-rocket. But for me, the worst thing that happened was when a cocaine supplier found his way to town. I don't even remember how I met his worthless ass; all I know is that I tried coke once and I was hooked. Everything became about cocaine: how to get more, when I would have my next hit, where I would get it from. To be completely honest, my life was fucking worthless at that point. I lost my job, and Jack, my boyfriend, became an abusive asshole. I honestly don't know how many times he sent me to the hospital while he was high.

"One night is all it took for me to realize that I needed to get out of that life, though. It was a normal night.... well, I wouldn't say normal. But it's just how my life was. Anyways, Jack and I were getting high when all of a sudden he started screaming at me. I don't remember what brought it on, but he started going insane. He started beating on me, and I fought back this time. It must've really pissed him off, because the last thing I remember is him hitting me in the back of the head with his gun. I woke up in the hospital a few days later with a breathing tube stuck down my throat and about five different needles stuck in my arm. The doctor told me that although I was lucky I hadn't suffered a concussion from being tossed around and hit so much by Jack, I wasn't lucky enough to escape an overdose. Apparently after he was done abusing me, Jack decided to shoot me up. He put too much in, and my heart stopped. He somehow managed to call 911 and get me an ambulance.

"After my Nikki Sixx-esque brush with death, I knew it was time to stop and help myself. I was released from the hospital and I immediately broke it off with Jack. I told him that I couldn't live my life as a coke addict, and he told me to fuck off. I wasn't hurt too badly by the end of our relationship, I didn't love him anymore anyways. After that, I checked myself into rehab. I could've spent just the thirty days necessary, but I knew I'd need more help than that, so I stayed for a year and a half. That was when I started calling you. I needed someone strong to help me through, and you were the first person I thought of. There were a lot of times when I was on the brink of relapse. Whenever I felt myself falling, I'd call you, and you'd save me. You're one of the main reasons I'm sober, Matt. I decided that when I got out of rehab, I'd come here and thank you for saving me. So thank you, Matt, for saving my life."

By this time I was crying, and Matt had crossed the room to take me into a hug. "Hey, don't cry, it's okay," he whispered and rocked me from side to side. "You're such a strong person, and I'm so proud of you, Nat."

"Proud of me?" I asked in disbelief. "I was a coke addict and nearly got myself killed. And you're proud of me?"

Matt pulled away to look at me. "Yes, I'm proud of you. You made some bad decisions, but you fixed them. You went into rehab and got clean without anyone telling you to."

I put my head against his chest again. "I couldn't have done it without you, though, Matt. You were literally my saving grace during that time," I explained.

"I might have helped, Nat, but you saved yourself," he answered. "You knew what you had to do and forced yourself to do it."

I took in a deep breath to calm myself. "Just.... thank you, Matt. Okay? Thank you for all you've done for me."

Matt embraced me in another hug. "No worries. You're my family, and I'll always watch out for you and take care of you, Nat."