Chapter Seven: Matt’s Story

The next month was like heaven for Danielle.

Her and Matt were the school’s favorite couple and they were both propelled into popularity, but even still the only thing that mattered to her was being with Matt.

“So Matt, what was life like before you came here,” she asked one day as they laid out on the campus after school.

Matt shrugged. “It was alright.”

“Tell me about it.”

He laughed. “What do you want to know about?”

“Everything,” she replied, laying her head on his chest.

“Well...I had a lot of good friends and I was popular, I guess. I used to play lead guitar in a band and I wouldn’t say I was rich but we always had money.”

“Did you have a girlfriend?”

Matt nodded. “I did.”

“What was her name?”

“Cindy.”

“What was she like?”

“She was a cheerleader, blonde, popular… you know, she was about as cliché as it gets.”

“Did you love her?”

Matt laughed again. “You’ve got your questions all lined up now don’t you?”

She giggled. “I’m just curious.”

“Well, I thought I did. But I guess all it really was, was just a passionate physical attraction. Come to think of it, we never really talked at all. All we ever really did was hook up and got out.”

“So what about your parents? You haven’t talked about them yet.”

Matt frowned. “Well they split up when I was young, my Dad moved away and my Mom remarried almost immediately to this old rich guy who lived in a real nice house out of the town I used to live in. My Mom was…well… she was a gold digger. And more embarrassingly… a former playboy model.”

Danielle raised an eyebrow. “She was a former playboy model?”

Matt did a half-nod.

“How’d you find this out?”

“Traumatizing story.”

“Tell me.”

“Ugh…well one day my friend discovered his Dad had a playboy collection and was looking through them. I was sitting on the couch when I heard a gasp and he said, Matt you better come look at this. So I was walked over and he threw an issue at my feet and… it was my Mom on the cover.”

He looked down at her to see her giggling.

“It wasn’t funny.”

“It’s kind of funny,” she replied. “Plus look at it this way, I guess she’s the reason you’re so pretty.”

Matt laughed and kissed the top of her head.

“So she married this old rich guy.”

“Yeah,” Matt continued. “For a few years until they split and she got a large chunk of cash out of it. And this brings us to the present, just recently remarried and on their honeymoon to the Bahamas right now. And I guess I was in the way so she decided to send me here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s no big deal,” he replied. “I don’t care too much.” He smiled down at her and they kissed. They both pulled away smiling. “So when are you going to tell me about this bad relationship you had before,” Matt asked.

She leaned in for another kiss. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

He nodded. “Alright but you have to tell me soon.”

“Fair enough,” she replied.

He smiled and they kissed.