Chapter 3: Old Friend Matthew

Fall, 2006

The upbeat music plays inside the school gym, colorful lights and curtains changed the whole look of the place for a cocktail themed homecoming dance, food and drinks are located by the entrance supervised by the refreshments committee and the young students and guests dressed in cocktail dresses and suits are walking in, some are dancing and having fun.

Georgina draw everyone's attention when she arrived wearing her peach colored half-sleeved lace and tulle mini dress paired with her nude pumps and wearing her long, straight, brown hair in a top bun with a few strands falling on her face. For a regular senior student, Georgina stands out from the rest of the girls standing five feet nine inches tall making her famous as the school's muse on most events.

She walked confidently despite having no date for that night. She just broke up with her boyfriend who is the basketball team captain, Kurt Raynolds, whom she caught cheating on her with another senior student from their class.

She didn't mind coming alone. She's got her friends in one table and none of them knows what happened until that moment she arrived alone and walked towards them.

"Where's Kurt?", Hanna asked, extending her neck to look behind Georgina, curiosity visible on her face.

Georgina rolled her eyes. "He's got better things to do than coming with me tonight."

"What do you mean?" Becky looked confused while drinking on her glass of pineapple punch.

"Did you guys break up?" Donna asked, almost whispering.

She sighed and nodded. "Caught him kissing that slut Ginger across the lot today. The jerk thought I was still out for my brand photoshoot so he decided to have some fun."

"Oh my God." Becky whispered, pointing her lips towards the entrance. The jerk brought the slut to their homecoming dance and he even looks so proud having her beside him. He even smirked when he saw her standing with her friends.

The slut next to Kurt was wearing the shortest and skimpiest red cocktail dress in that party and it makes Georgina sick to her stomach. "Let's ignore them and just enjoy the night, okay?" She faced her friends, extending her arms around them for a group hug.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hanna asked, looking worried.

She smiled, genuinely. "I'm done with Kurt. He's not worth it."

"Yeah, that's my girl!" Donna said raising her glass and with a huge smile on her lips.

"Wait." She remembered. "Where's Katrina?"

The three girls looked at each other as if thinking whether they should tell her or not. She waited for them to talk. “Well?”

Donna finally opened her mouth. "She left already."

"What? Why? The party has just started.”

"Haven't you heard? Matthew Larson." Becky started, referring to that guy from their class whom Katrina has a crush on and her childhood friend that no one knows about.

She knows that they're trying to date or hang out but there's not been any rumors about them being a couple. She didn't want to interfere with whatever they have. First, because Katrina is that naive, hard-headed friend that she has. Second, Matthew is an old friend who shut her out since his parents got divorced.

"I told her to stop dating the guy." Georgina sighed.

"Yeah, we get that he's the weirdest badass guy in school. But you gotta admit why Katrina is head over heels with him. He's cute." Hanna said.

"A cute face is not enough to date and consider having relationships with. Matthew, I mean, the guy looks like he has issues and couldn't stick around with anyone. It's clear that he's not into any serious relationships." She explained, knowing in the past years since his parents got divorced that he's been skipping classes, going out with random girls that he never calls his girlfriend and never had a close friend. She knows this because they used to be friends, emphasized on used.

"Do you think it's still because his parents got divorce when he was young?" Becky wondered, asked the question all of them had in mind.

“Do you think he blamed himself for it?” Hanna asked.

"I think it's something that we should not talk about, Becky." Georgina answered. "Let's just go to Katrina's tomorrow. Maybe she needs to be alone tonight."

All the girls nodded. They all enjoyed the night dancing and Georgina silently prayed not to have any encounter with Kurt and that slut he's with throughout the night.

It's passed midnight when they all decided to go home. All her friends decided to sleep at Hanna's place except her. She promised her parents she'll be coming home after the event.

"We can drop you off at your house." Hanna offered.

She declined politely. "You don't have to. You girls have fun, alright?"

She bids them goodbye as their car drives out of the parking lot. She went to her car when she heard some scratching from the dark part of the parking lot, behind the trees.

She got curious. She walked towards it and saw a shadow of a boy and a girl.

"Don't worry. No one is here." The boy whispered in the dark.

The girl giggled. "Okay. No one would be mad, right? I mean you don't have a girlfriend or anyone special?"

Georgina heard kissing sounds before the boy answered, she gasped as she covered her mouth with her right hand.

“I don't do relationships if that's what you mean.”

“W—what?” The confused girl stuttered.

"Nothing. Come on." The boy ignored her and continued kissing her.

“W—wait. You mean—"

Georgina hides herself behind the thick post at the parking lot and listened to them. Her curiosity taking over her.

"Nothing. Forget what I said." The boy insisted, trying to get away with it.

"No. I need to be clear. You mean we're just doing this for nothing? You won't court me and make me your girlfriend?"

"Come on. You're killing the moment. This is not the right time to talk about that." The boy started to sound irritated.

Georgina heard a loud slap, making her stick out her head from her hiding spot to see what’s happening.

"What the fuck! What did you do that for?” The boy yelled, sounded pissed.

"Jerk!" The girl shouted and left. Georgina still hides behind the post when she heard footsteps fading. The girl doesn’t look like she’s from their school wearing a hoodie, jeans and sneakers. Probably one of those random girls from another school.

The boy then steps out from the shadows, touching his left cheek. "Crazy bitch." He murmured.

Georgina tried to get a good look on the guy and was surprised to know who it was.

It's Matthew Larson! Her childhood friend!

She's too shocked she stepped back, accidentally landing her heel on a crushed soda can, creating a sound in the quiet parking lot.

"Who's there?" Matthew asked, his voice echoed in the parking lot. "Come on out. You can't hide all night there! Don't wait for me to look for you! I will—"

Georgina rolled her eyes and showed herself on the light. She saw the surprised look on his face and he was pinned on the ground, frozen in place as she walked pass him. “I didn’t mean on eavesdropping. I was—"

His right hand grabbed her arm, halting her to take another step. He's probably thinking that she’d tell on him, knowing Katrina has a crush on him.

She sighed when he didn’t say word. “Don’t worry. I won't tell Katrina. Just do me a favor." She waited for him to look at her and when he did, she warned. "Stay away from my friend."