Words are not easy when your mouth is sewn shut.

Chapter Eight

|Chapter Eight| 

"Dad, be careful. I have a feeling that something might go wrong if we go this way." 

"It's fine Dakota, nothing bad will happen, stop being so negative. I know how to dr-"

"Watch out!" 

It had now been two months since Matt's fight with Jake in school. 

Everything seemed to be calming down a little, Dakota hadn't been seeing Matt much though, he would be in school somedays, but hardly show up to lessons most of the time. He eventually stopped showing up.

"Has Matt been around today?" Dakota asked Tom, feeling slightly sad. 

Tom sighed and shook his head. "No, I haven't had a session with him for the past few times we were meant to have one. I'm sorry Dakota, I don't know where he's got to. I've tried contacting the number that he gave us to call if he was needed or his Grandma was needed, but we've had no reply." 

Dakota took a deep breath, leaning back futher. "Tom." 

"Yes?" He asked. 

"I am going to tell you something, but I don't want you to tell anybody. This is just between you and me, no reporting back to teachers or anything." Dakota said. 

Tom nodded. "Okay, as long as it's something that I wouldn't need to report back on, like if someone was in danger or needing help." 

"No, it's nothing like that, but, the last time I spoke to Matt was when he kissed me in the middle of the woods after the fight. He told me he cared, but he hasn't shown up anywhere. I'm worried about him. Why don't you go to his house?" Dakota asked. 

Tom shook his head. "We're not allowed to interfere like that with Matt's life. We know what problems he has, so at the moment it's just like he's staying at home and not coming in, whether that be for medical reasons or the fact that he doesn't want to show up." 

Dakota went silent for a bit, trying to think of something else to reply with. 

"You said that you two kissed? Were you dating?" Tom then asked.

Dakota shook her head, but then stopped and shrugged. "I don't know really. He just kissed me and told me that he'd do anything to make me happy. I don't know if he wanted more than a kiss, like a relationship of some sort, he just kissed me and then we both parted ways." 

The little alarm clock that Tom had to aware him that time was up started ringing. Dakota looked at it and smiled. 

"That's the first time you've heard that bell isn't it? You either leave early or don't arrive at all." Tom said. 

Dakota nodded. "Well, today I just had more to say, more things have been playing on my mind I guess." 

"Well, it's good that you've finally opened up to me about things bugging you. And as we arranged, you can now sign out early and go home, just like you asked." Tom said, smiling at the end.

Dakota stood up as Tom held his hand out for her to shake, but instead of shaking his hand, she pulled him in for a hug, a well needed hug. 

"Thank-you." She whispered, then she pulled away and left the room. 

**

Dakota was now heading into the woods where Matt and her first kissed, she hadn't been here since it happened two months ago, perhaps he'd be here. 

As she entered the area where they normally hung out, she noticed Matt sitting on a log. 

She felt her heart sink as she watched him smashing something up with a rock, it looked like an animal skull or something. 

"Matt?" She calmly spoke. 

He looked up, he looked quite different to Dakota, he had darker eyes, the blue was now faded and it looked almost black, he had a paler face, she couldn't tell if it was because of make-up or he was actually that colour. 

"I-urm. I haven't seen you around in ages, what happened?" She asked. 

He stood up and walked towards her, smiling, his stitch make-up perfectly painted onto his mouth. 

"Nothing. I've just been ill, I don't want to come into school." He replied, placing his hands on her shoulders. "How come you're out of school so early?" 

She smiled, his voice soothed her again. "I arranged with Tom to be allowed to leave earlier to go to the graveyard. It's four mouths today since the accident.." 

"Oh." He said. "Do you want me to come with you?" 

Dakota nodded and smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Yes please, I thought something bad had happened to you." 

Matt smiled warmly. "Don't worry, nothing bad will ever happen to me."

He then took Dakota's hand and they started walking to the graveyard together.