fangs / matt champion

part four

I sat at lunch with the guys, nibbling at a french fry and staring off into the distance. It was just another shitty school day. Ian and Ameer were arguing about some old Disney movie that neither of them were remembering right. I saw Matt sitting with his girlfriend at a table not far away. They were arguing, I could tell by their body language. He abruptly stood from the table and walked off angrily in our direction. His expression softened when he saw us, and I smiled invitingly. He hesitantly walked over to our table and took a seat next to me. Ian was smirking so hard, eyeing me arrogantly. "Hey, everything okay?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I assume you saw my ex going at it yesterday." he scoffed, scratching the back of his head. "That didn't look too great." I admitted, crossing my arms. "Yeah, finding out that your best friend is fucking your girl isn't exactly fun." he laughed sarcastically, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Matt." I sighed, putting my hand on his shoulder supportively.

"Fuck 'em." said Ameer, shaking his head. "He's an ass and she's an idiot." nodded Merlyn, taking a sip of his water. "Yeah, don't let them hold you back. Life's about moving on." smirked Ian, side eyeing me. "Anyways, I just came by to tell you that you really killed it last night." said Matt, looking up at Ian. "Thanks, man. It means a lot." smiled Ian. "What was Joba talking about before I went on?" I wondered, turning to face him. "I've been working on some music with him. He has a tiny studio that he rents out. He's been helping a bit with production too." explained Matt. "Joba? No shit! I've been recording with him and I didn't even know he produced." said Ian, eyes wide in surprise. "He's got lots of shit no one knows about." mumbled Matt, looking down at his lap. "You should vent your feelings out, write something. It might help you get through everything." I suggested with a small smile.

"I need a backing vocal. I was wondering if you'd be interested." he offered, turning to face me. I was completely taken back by his question. "S-sure." I blinked, raising an eyebrow. "I'll pick you up after school." he smiled, standing from the table. We exchanged numbers quickly as he guys watched us. " I wanna hear your stuff." said Ian, looking up at Matt. "As soon as it's ready." he replied, waving and walking back towards the school building. "He is so cute for a white dude." laughed Kevin, making me giggle. "Am I crazy of did y'all have some sexual tension?" joked Ameer, making me roll my eyes. "That's because Ian wouldn't stop staring at us." I sighed, taking a sip of my water. "I can't help it! You guys would be so fucking cute." he said excitedly. "This is too much relationship bullshit. Don't the UT acceptances come out today?" asked Merlyn, looking over at me. "They came out. I just haven't looked at them." I groaned.

"What's the worst that can happen?" asked Ameer, raising an eyebrow. "I can not get in and have to move to San Marcos instead of Austin." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "San Marcos isn't that bad." shrugged Merlyn, taking a bite of his chicken. "Except it is." said Ian, laughing to himself. "Didn't you apply out of state?" wondered Merlyn. "I applied to UCLA but I haven't heard back from them yet." I sighed, drumming my nails against the table. "Look, all this college talk is gross." I mumbled, kicking at the floor. "You're the one who applied to college." shrugged Ian, making me roll my eyes. Ian wasn't really one to believe in school in general. While I wanted to pursue music as a career, I knew I needed a college degree to have as a backup plan. My SAT score was on the better side and I felt like my essays were strong, but the issue with going to college was affordability.

College is such a huge fucking expense. There's room and board, groceries, tuition, textbooks, going out money, insurance, and all this other bullshit that is just ridiculously priced. I didn't want to have to settle for TSU. The rest of the school day flew by. I avoided opening any emails and just pretended like part of my fate wasn't in my inbox. I drove back home, made myself a snack, and sat in front of the TV with a sigh. I flipped through the channels, munching away at my chips. I watched some old Modern Family episodes as I laughed to myself. Days where I had the house to myself were my favorite. It was the most relaxing thing to just be able to chill out and watch TV without having to worry about anyone else. I absentmindedly scrolled through my phone, checking all of my social media. Just then, my phone rang with a text from Matt.

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matt: hey

cat: hey. what's up?

matt: so i'm finishing up the song we're gonna work on tonight. i want your opinion on a lyric.

cat: shoot

matt: so i've got "just a party with you. know you've been thinkin', know you've been thinkin'." but i feel like it's a little repetitive 

cat: hmmmm

cat: what about "know you've been thinkin, know you've been drinkin" 

matt: ur a genius

cat: thx thx

matt: i'll see you in like 15?

cat: see ya then