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Zachary 🙄
Where are you? You're not in class.
Are you even here?
Why aren't you at school??
Are you with Mattias? He's not here either.
Mel?
Clay just sent a picture of Tyler's ass to the whole school
Are you ignoring me?

Melanie absolutely was ignoring her brother.

Zach would lose his shit if he found out Melanie had skipped school to spend time with Mattias, let alone take care of him. And he'd probably commit murder when he finds out they were skipping school to spend time in their house. In her bedroom.

Truthfully, Melanie had gotten to the point where she was tired of having to explain herself to Zach.

He didn't feel the need to tell her that the group of people that were on tapes were having secret meetings without her.

She didn't know if her brother thought she was blind to them whispering to each other in the halls or eyeing one another oddly. But she saw it.

She knew that they didn't think she particularly needed to be on the list of Hannah's reasons, but she still wanted to be in the loop with what was going on.

What if they got arrested? She would be the only one without the same alibi. She didn't want to go to jail.

Especially when she was one of the few who didn't deserve to be on the list.

Anyway, she scoffed at the text, taking a quick glance over at Mattias.

The De La Cruz lay on the girl's bed after taking a shower. He had argued that he could've slept on her floor, but it was midday, and she had no plans to sleep at the moment.

Mattias looked like he needed rest. Good rest. And her mattress just so happened to be latex foam.

He watched her pace, a pit forming in his stomach. "Is everything okay?"

Melanie froze, her hazel eyes landing on him. "Yeah, fine. Why?"

"Is the group of weirdos expecting you?"

She wanted to question what he meant, but she didn't have to. It was quite obvious that he was referring to the group that consisted of athletes, nerds, populars, and Tyler Down.

Melanie wanted to scoff. Of course they weren't discreet. Either one of them talking outside of their usual social group stuck out like a sore thumb.

A sudden panic filled her chest.

If she wasn't nervous before, she sure as hell was nervous now.

"Just Zach. He's wondering why i'm not in school." She brushed it off, sitting in the empty spot next to him, "How are you feeling?"

He made an attempt to sit up, Melanie's hand stopping him. As her hand made contact with his chest, she could feel the stuttering of his heart. His eyes met hers, his look softening just slightly, almost unnoticeable. A small part of him hoped she didn't see it.

She saw it.

She also picked up on the way his eyes flickered down to her lips before meeting her eyes again. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched the way his tongue darted out to wet his own lips.

Melanie's hand moved up, off his chest and to the side of his face. She paused. She wanted him to make the move.

Mattias blew out a soft, barely noticeable breath. His heart fluttered as he looked at her. His eyes traced every part of her face before he began to lean in. He stopped.

"Is this okay?"

Melanie nodded, her voice gentle, "Yeah."

His, surprisingly soft, hand moved to the side of her face. His thumb subconsciously rubbed soft circles on her jaw. Mattias didn't notice he was doing it.

Mel noticed.

Melanie realized that she had begun to notice a lot of things about Mattias lately. From the way his breath hitched when he was nervous to the way he adjusted his posture to make himself taller in moments he felt threatened.

She also noticed how soft his lips were when they met hers.

The De La Cruz let out a soft groan when he felt Melanie begin to kiss back. Her fingers ran through the hair that sat at the nape of his neck, tugging softly at his roots, only making him more desperate.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, grunting at the pain that shot up his side. He didn't want the kiss to end. He prayed she ignored it.

She didn't.

Mel pulled away, her eyes shining in concern. As much as she didn't want to, she moved away when Matti went to kiss her again.

"Please—"

"Mattias, you're hurt." She began to coax him back down.

His head shook, his pupils much larger than they usually were, "I'm fine."

His words and the way his hands reached for her said one thing, but the discomfort on his face was enough for Melanie to gather herself and pull away completely.

"Mel—"

"You need rest, Mattias." She decided.

Truth be told, Melanie was Mattias' first kiss.

He hadn't expected his first kiss to be while he was lying in pain after getting beat by his father. He definitely didn't expect his first kiss to be with Melanie Dempsey.

He didn't know how to explain to her that the feeling of her lips on his own was enough to ease the pain that coursed through his body. She'd think he was crazy. Or maybe she'd think it was endearing.

His mind then flashed to the berating of his brother and father. The people who were meant to support him were the same people to tell him that he had no real chance with someone like Mel.

Melanie watched as his eyes glazed over, his thoughts clearly being elsewhere.

She hesitated for a moment before she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his one last time. She felt Matti hum into the kiss before she pulled away.

"Now rest."

Mattias lay down completely, a gentle smile spreading across his lips. The blush covering Melanie's face was the last thing he noticed as his eyes fluttered shut.

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A/N: it's been a while...