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“Hey everyone, look! It’s Matthew and his friend Nerd Girl.”
I shrink back into Bianca, wanting to run away and hide. What’s his problem? I’m not doing anything to him to cause this sort of mocking.
Matthew swivels away from me, grabbing Dave’s shirtfront and pushing him against the locker behind his. Silence follows as we all watch, jaws on the floor.
“What did you call her?” Matthew’s growl has goosebumps popping up all over my arms.
Dave puts his hands up in surrender. “Nothing, man,” he stammers. “Just playing, is all.”
“It’s not funny,” Matthew’s voice is even deeper now, if that’s possible, and I look around nervously, hoping no teacher walks by. “You don’t speak to her like that, you don’t even look in her direction anymore. Or you’ll answer to me. Got it?”
Dave nods, eager to placate his team captain. I hold my breath waiting for Matthew’s next move. Part of me is appalled by this display of toxic masculinity on my behalf, but the other half, the one who devours every romance novel in sight, is swooning.
“Get out of here.” Matthew shoves Dave away and turns back to me, his expression tight with anger.
“OK, people,” Ryan says, coming in to clear the crowd and ease the tension. “There’s nothing to see here.”
People scamper away now that the show’s over and after a last look at his friend, Ryan follows them, leaving just Bianca, me and Matthew to deal with the aftermath.
“Are you OK?” Bianca asks, addressing the two of us.
I nod while Matthew continues to look in the direction of the now long-gone Dave, his hands still clenched into fists.
“Matthew?” I step toward him and place a hand on his arm. “Are you OK?”
He lets out a deep breath, giving me a rueful smile. “I should be asking you that.”
My answering smile is crooked. “I’m fine.”
“He won’t bother you again,” he promises.
“I know.”
I fidget with the straps of my backpack, unsure where to go from here.
“We need chocolate,” Bianca pipes up, finding the solution for me. “Matthew, take her to get chocolate.”
I spear my ex-BFF with a look, knowing exactly what she’s doing, as Matthew lets out a little laugh.
“What do you say, New Girl? Want to go get a cupcake?”
Saliva pools in my mouth. I really want to go get a cupcake. With Matthew.
“OK, let’s go.”
Bianca waves goodbye, making it clear that she will not be joining us, and I let Matthew guide me out of school towards the nearest bakery.
“I’m guessing you’ll want a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles?” After spending weeks studying together, always with bags of M&Ms on my desk, he knows my addiction is alive and very, very real.
“Wrong!”
He looks shocked and I laugh, my first real laugh of the past thirty minutes.
“I want two chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles.”
He tugs me close to his side, his thick arm back around my shoulder. “If that’s what you want, then that you shall get.”
*****
