STURNIOLO ONESHOTS

Bad friends

Tw: Violence

Matt never felt okay around Chris's friends. He found out why one day, when Chris left him alone with them.

Matt was currently at the gym, playing basketball with Chris and his friends. The whole time they kept fouling him. And not regular fouls, aggressive ones. Yet Chris didn't say anything, making Matt upset.

Matt had finally had enough after he fell to the ground hard, hurting himself bad. Because of this, they all decided to take a break. Chris walked over to him, offering a hand. Matt just swatted it away and got up himself.

"What's your problem?" Chris asked with a scrunched face.

"I don't have a problem. Who said I had a problem?" Matt says while starting to walk towards the bleachers.

"Cut it out dude. What's the matter now?" Chris asked already annoyed by Matt's behavior.

"Your friends are targeting me and it's like you pretend not to notice" Matt shrugs angrily as he reaches the bleachers.

"Oh stop whining. We're all playing around. Your just being a baby" Chris spits at him, giving Matt as disapproved look.

"I'm not! Your friends hate me Chris. Why can't you see that?" Matt takes a seat on the bleachers.

"No they don't. Why are you being a little bitch right now? Why can't you just be a good brother for me right now?" Chris says without thinking. Matt jerks his head back, appalled by his comment. "You know what, I'm so done with you. You act all awkward and weird when I'm hanging out with anyone else but you or Nick. I'm out of here. Find your own ride home" and with that, Chris packs his bag angrily and says goodbye to his friends.

Matt then turns his attention towards Chris's friends, Jaden and Connor. "Chris hates you, huh?" Connor says as him and Jaden walk towards Matt. Matt was already getting an eerie feeling about this, and his anxiety was starting to act up. Matt had now stood up now. Not for long though, because Jaden pushes him back, making him tumble to the ground. Matt however got right back up, afraid.

"We always hate when you string along with us. Chris does too. He tells us all about how you annoy him" Jaden says to Matt. Was that true? Did Chris think that? "And how he hates you" Jaden added before Connor punched Matt. Matt alarmist stumbled to the ground, but kept himself up, spitting out blood.

"Dude, your making a mess" Connor laughed with an angry expression, as he glanced at the blood Matt spat out at the floor.

"Wait, guys-" Matt got cut off my another punch, so fast he didn't even know who did it. This time, he was knocked to the floor. "Wait, please" Matt pleaded but then got a kick to the side. Repeatedly.

Matt spit out more blood, the red spots painting the ground. He winced and tried not to cry as they kicked him in the side. They were laughing, but Matt's world was starting to become too loud to hear. Once they had their fun, they left, leaving Matt alone in the gym.

Matt stayed there for a little bit. He was in too much pain -mentally and physically- to get up.  He also wanted to cry before he got home. He sat and replayed their words. How he hates you. Chris hated him. His own brother, Chris, hated him.

He got up, and walked to where his bag sat. His phone had many text messages from Nick, asking why he didn't come home with Chris. Matt quickly came up with the lie that he wanted to stay and play a little longer, and that he had a way home. What Nick didn't know, was that his "way home" was walking, in extreme pain. He already had checked to see the bruises forming on his ribs, and where they had punched him in the face.

It had become dark by the time Matt had gotten home, but he rather it, because it was easier to hide the bruise on his face. When he walked through the door, Chris and Nick were sitting on the couch. "Oh hey, I didn't hear a car" Nick said as Matt clicked the door shut.

He kept his head down and answered "yeah, you have bad ears I guess" before trying to scurry to his room. However, Chris spoke up.

"Hey I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, I didn't mean it" and when Matt got a glimpse of the two sitting on the couch, he could already tell Nick had scolded him to realize this.

"It's fine I don't care" Matt replied quickly, trying desperately to leave the room, but Chris kept speaking.

"Come sit with us. We can watch something. How about you pick" Chris actually sounded sorry in his voice. Matt didn't want to just disappear, because they were his brothers, and they would know when something was wrong. So he sat down, purposefully putting space between him and Chris.

However, Chris just rolled his eyes and pulled him closer. By doing this, he caused extreme pain to Matt's ribs, making Matt groan out in pain, yet still keeping his head down. "Matt?" Chris just asked confused. Nick was also paying full attention to this too, wondering why Matt just sounded like he got stabbed. Matt just stayed silent, panicking on what to do. "Matt, bro" Chris said confused. Matt was still hurting from it, and he wished he could wince out again in pain.

"Matt, are you good?" Nick asked concerned at his brothers weird behavior. Matt just nodded, looking down at the ground. "Then why did you just groan out like you were in pain?" Nick asked. There was silence, until Chris scoffed.

"I get what he's doing. He's being dramatic because we were playing a little rough earlier, and Jaden and Connor fouled him a few times" Chris rolled his eyes and then turned to Matt "real mature Matt. Your acting like such a baby. Putting on this whole act just because you don't like my friends"

Matts sadness was turning into anger now, because he was sick of Chris talking to him like this when he didn't even know what he was talking about. So he finally looked up and said "no! I'm sick of this! You never notice the bad looks your friends give me when your not looking. What they say to me when your not around. I know you hate me, but you could at least help" Matt felt like he was gonna cry, so he shut his mouth after that.

"Matt, what happened to your face?" Chris ignored everything else for a moment as he asked this scared. Matt stared at him and then to Nick, who was equally as scared.

"Nothing" Matt muttered as he looked away in some sort of shame. Yet, Chris yanked him back to look at him again, even sliding his hood off.

"What the hell matt?!" Chris yelled at Matt's bruised and slightly bloody face. Nick also joined them standing now. Matt tried to shove Chris away, but Chris's hold on Matt's arm was tough.

"Leave me alone" Matt said through angered teeth.

"No, tell us what happened" Nick spoke up.

"Jaden and Connor alright?" Matt looked up again, not caring if they saw or not anymore. Chris's expression almost instantly dropped to sadness and guilt. "Don't act like you care Chris" Matt spit out.

"They-....they did this?" Chris asked with a broken voice. Matt just stared at him, and Chris knew it was a yes. Then he remembered how Matt winced when he touched his rib area. "Take your hoodie and shirt off" Chris said like it was some order. Matt scoffed at Chris, because why would he care? Yet Matt listened and took his shirt off, revealing his bruised abdomen. Chris and Nicks eyes widened.

"Matt, they did this to you?" Nick asked even though he already knew the answer. Chris looked at him with the same concern, and Matt hated it.

"Chris don't act like you care. I know you hate me" Matt spit out at him. Chris scrunched his eyebrows, confused on why Matt would ever think that.

"What are you talking about!? I don't hate you" Chris's voice was hoarse.

"Jaden and Connor told me. They told me what you say about me to them. So cut the shit" Matt wasn't able to hold back tears now, and a few slipped down his cheeks.

"I'm your fucking brother Matt. I'm never gonna hate you" Chris wanted to cry now too. This was going on and Chris had just left him. Left him there to get beat up by two people he thought were his friends. "I'm sorry" Chris said in almost a whisper. Matt looked down again, not wanting to hold eye contact with him. Chris brought him into a gentle hug, careful not hurt him.