Matt

It was one week before Christmas break and I was running my fingers across the spines of novels in various colors and textures at the bookstore that Vanessa and I often frequented. She wasn't there with me today and that was every bit intentional on my end. I was on the hunt for something special to get her as a gift for the holiday and knew there was nothing she would love more than a new book.

The only question was which one? I had spent the past forty-five minutes sifting through shelves of all genres and still, nothing felt right. Feeling defeated and ready to give up, I turned to leave when my sights fell on a glossy black book propped up on a tiny stand in a cluster of novels on one of the tables in the middle of the store. A red sticker was stuck to the cover labeling it as a signed copy.

I recognized the author's name immediately as Vanessa talked about his work often. I had never heard of that person before I met her so I gathered they weren't a well-known writer but if Vanessa admired him that much then surely she would be ecstatic to receive a book signed by him.

Walking over to the display, I picked up the book and flipped it over in my hands. Oof. I winced when I saw the price tag. Apparently signed books didn't come cheap these days, even if the author was unheard of. I did have the money to purchase it but it would just about cost me everything I had.

I debated on what to do as I ran my fingers over the glossy cover. I was still upset about her having feelings for Kurt but there was also a part of me that couldn't quite resist the pull of wanting to do something to make her happy. A sad smile lifted the corners of my mouth as I imagined the excitement on her face when she opened up her gift. Damn it.

Even if I wasn't her number one or even her number ten, I knew that I would still do what I could to make her smile. In this case, that meant spending nearly every last penny I had to do just yet.

The high school hallways were buzzing with excitement on the Monday before break. The end of the semester was drawing near and while I was glad to be off for the next two weeks, at the current moment, I was mostly just feeling nervous. Deciding that I couldn't wait another minute to give Vanessa her present, I had brought it to school with me that day. Christmas wasn't until Saturday but I wanted her to have it now.

After that whole debacle with Kurt, I realized just how much I really liked her and the more I fell for her, the more I found myself opening up to her and confessing things that I had never told anyone else before. I admitted that I often felt like I would never succeed or be able to make anything of myself because my grades were low and I just wasn't well off like some of the other students were. It seemed like I was doomed to go nowhere in life.

Vanessa would always look at me horrified when I would get down on myself like she couldn't imagine that I was destined to be anything less than great. She would squeeze my hand reassuringly, saying that she believed in me. It was a small gesture but it meant a lot to me to know that somebody actually cared about me, even if it was only as a friend. That was exactly why I wanted to do something to show exactly how much she mattered to me.

I found her walking down the hallway in the direction of her locker at the end of the school day that afternoon. I hurried my way through the throng of students to catch up to her, shrugging Aimee off as she grabbed my arm to ask why I hadn't answered her text messages. I still wasn't sure how she wound up with my phone number.

"Vanessa," I called as I closed the gap in between us. "Wait up."

She whirled around at the sound of my voice, a smile playing across her lush lips and a light shining in her pretty eyes when she saw me. "Hey, I was wondering where you were," she said slowing down so I could catch up. "I checked for you at your locker but you weren't there."

I laughed. "Probably because I was looking for you."

She let out a giggle and it was, without a doubt, the most adorable sound I had ever heard. I curled my fingers around her wrist, steering her towards a more secluded part of the hallway. Sliding my backpack off my shoulder, I dropped it to the ground so I could unzip it. "I got you something. For Christmas," I said raising my gaze to study her face as I pulled out a haphazardly wrapped present. I tried.

She covered her mouth with her fingers, furrowing her brows together. "I'm so sorry, Matt," she gasped. "I didn't get you anything. It's just that we've never exchanged gifts before."

I shrugged. "It's fine, Vanessa. Don't worry about it. I wasn't expecting a present. I just happened upon this and thought you might like it." I pressed the wrapped book into her hands, watching intently as she moved her fingers over the shiny blue paper. "Open it," I urged her.

She nodded, slowly tearing away at the wrapping until the glossy black cover of the book was exposed. "Oh Matt," she breathed, running her hand down the spine, "I love it."

She nearly knocked me over as she flung her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. Without even thinking about what I was doing, I smoothed her hair down as I returned her embrace. "Yea? You like it," I said chuckling and feeling like my chest could burst from the swell of pride I had over making her that happy.

Abruptly she pulled away, her face crimson red as she moved to cover it. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. The hug was probably a bit much but this was really sweet of you." She looked back down at the book, grinning broadly as she clutched it to her chest. "I just wish I had something to give you," she muttered.

"Don't give it another thought," I reassured her as we moved to walk down the hallway. "Your reaction is gift enough."

Even though it was a frigid December day, my insides felt like they were glowing with warmth and I made a mental note to give myself a pat on the back later for a job well done. Maybe I had earned myself enough brownie points to at least make it into her top five.

However, just like that, the high that I was on quickly came crashing down and my good mood instantly deflated as soon as we made our way out into the parking lot towards my car. Vanessa gasped as we stopped short in front of my vehicle. I could feel the muscle working in my jaw as I clamped down on my teeth and read the word keyed into the front and back driver's side doors.

As if being called a loser and a crybaby on a daily basis weren't bad enough, it was now broadcasted to the entire student body that Matthew Jones was a Psychopath. I instantly knew who was behind it as there had only been one person that had ever used that word to describe me; Kurt. I scoffed. Well, he had been the only one to use that word, up until now. With the word splashed across my car like a scarlet letter, I knew that the label would now be joining the usual mix of insults hurled my way.

Vanessa snapped shut her open mouth as she turned to face me with wide eyes, "Matt, are you...?"

She didn't finish her question and I wondered what she had been aiming to ask me. Am I what? Alright? Really a psychopath?

My feet remained planted on the ground as I stood there shell-shocked, not really knowing what to do. The word was etched there permanently. It wasn't like I could just hurriedly erase it, looking around to make sure nobody had seen it, all the while muttering to myself about how that was embarrassing.

Vanessa didn't move either until a body shoved themselves in between us, knocking the two of us apart as they stormed ahead. "Who did this," they shouted out into the parking lot.

Addison whirled around, fire in her eyes as she looked at me and Vanessa standing there helplessly. "Addie, can you keep it down," I hissed.

She shook her head wildly as she made a fist. "I want to know who is responsible for this because I will destroy their lives for doing this to one of my best friends."

I could feel the tips of my ears burning as people began to stare. Great, just what I needed. Now everybody in the parking lot could know what a psychopath I was. "Addison, it's ok," I muttered. "My car's a piece of crap anyways." Truthfully, the Jetta was a hunk of junk beater so it didn't bother me so much that somebody had scratched it up. No, what really upset me was the fallout that I would have to endure because of it.

Addison placed her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at me. "Actually, Matt, it's not alright. I want to wring the neck of the sorry sucker that did this to you." She raised her hands to mime the gesture of her choking somebody.

Her eyes instantly flew to mine, her words and action obviously triggering the memory of what Kurt had done to me. "Wait...you don't think it was Kurt do you?"

I shrugged, finally making a move to get into my car to the sounds of my classmates snickering as if me sliding behind the wheel of my Jetta was taking ownership of the fact that I was, in fact, a psychopath. "Honestly, Addie, I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm used to this kind of thing." As much as it pained me to admit it, I wasn't being dishonest. This wasn't the first time over the years that I had my property destroyed by the likes of one of my fellow classmates. I had lost more than one of my books to their constant torture and then there was the time with the ball...I shook my head, pushing down on the memory.

This would just be another humiliating chapter in the book that was Matthew Jones. Another event I would struggle to keep hidden from my dad. Oh god, my dad. What would he say when he saw my car? I could envision it now.

I pulled up outside our make-believe picket fence as he brushed the dirt off his trousers after tending to our pretend flower bed of tulips before greeting the nonexistent milkman.

"Good evening, Father," I would say as I made my way across the unreal, plush green grass. "What's for supper tonight? Perhaps steak and potatoes then apple pie for dessert?"

We would laugh jovially as our fictional neighbor waved to us from over the imaginary hedges, fingering the strand of pearls around her neck that complimented her polka dot dress and heels that she wore.

As I bent down to scoop the fictitious afternoon newspaper off the front step, I would drop the smile from my voice right before I looked him dead in the eye with a cold expression on my face. "Oh, Father, might I inform you that your son's a psychopath, just as in every typical, classic American household."

Then he would send me off to the loony bin and tell all his friends that I was staying with a distant relative in Europe.

I jumped slightly as Addison pressed her palm against the top of the car, pulling me out of my reverie. She lowered her head in through the open window to speak to me as I sat inside the Jetta. "Just say the word, Matt," she whispered. "And I'll make Kurt pay for this."

I stared at her briefly before glancing over her shoulder at Vanessa. "V, are you coming?" Her gaze flickered over to the word etched along my doors and she bit her lip before moving her sights onto Addison.

She hesitated for another second before answering, "Actually, I was going to ask Addie if I could catch a ride with her instead. I was hoping we could have some girl time."

I gave her a long look that she didn't even notice because she was too busy staring down at her feet. "Right," I said before sticking the key into the ignition and turning on the car. "Catch you some other time then." Without another word, I peeled through the parking lot, ignoring the ever-present stares I received from my classmates and regretting ever spending my last cent on that fucking book.

On the Wednesday leading up to Christmas break, I was walking down the hallway towards Spanish class when a girl I didn't recognize pressed a flyer of some sort into my hand before prancing off. Ok, that was bizarre, I thought as I glanced down at what she had given me.

My eyebrows immediately shot up at the sight of a phallic-shaped drawing sketched onto the crisp white paper. Below it, in big bold letters were the words, "Have you seen this?"

Then in smaller print, just below the caption was an additional line that read, "If you've found my dick, please contact Kurt Whitman at (555)555-5555 for a reward that's as small as my penis."

My mouth dropped up as I looked up and realized that scattered along the ground and taped to some of the lockers and walls were photocopies of the exact flyer that I held in my hands. I stifled a laugh but couldn't help a few strangled sounds from breaking loose. This was just too good. I needed to find whoever the mastermind was behind this and plant a big ol' kiss of gratitude on their mouth. Karma was most certainly a bitch.

I was still beaming after class was over and while on my way to meeting Vanessa and Addison in the cafeteria. Pulling the folded-up piece of paper out of my back pocket as I sat down, I slid it across the table for Addie to read. "Have you seen this," I asked chuckling some more.

She studied the flyer, a mischievous sparkle lighting up her green eyes. "How embarrassing that must be for Kurt to have that label attached to his name now." She tsked as she shook her head. "I wonder who would ever do such a thing to him. He must have really pissed off the wrong person."

She raised her gaze to mine and the faintest smile that turned up her cherry red lips told me just exactly who would do such a thing and I was grateful to be able to call her my friend.

Even though going forward, my name was now being associated with the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy from the mouths of my classmates; it still made me smile every time I heard the mention of Kurt Mini Dickman in the hallway. As I said, Karma was a bitch. And this time, she just so happened to go by the name of Addison Miller.

Question of the chapter: Why do you think Vanessa reacted the way she did about getting in to Matt's car?

Also, do you think everything that's happening to Kurt is well-deserved? 

A/N Next update 2/04. This chapter ended up being longer than I anticipated so the cuteness overload I promised has been pushed to the next update.