Young Writers Society

Matthew Kingston

kingmatt1010: hey samantha

sammygirl60: oh...hi...wassup...

kingmatt1010: you know chase is moving right?

sammygirl60: ??? chase sampson you mean ???

kingmatt1010: his mom got a job somewhere in manhattan i think

sammygirl60: no way!!! not manhattan...not manhattan...thats crazy

kingmatt1010: yeah...it is...but it's not like we can do anything about

it....he's going, sam

sammygirl60: DONT KEEP SAYING IT!

kingmatt1010: lol

sammygirl60: no, but i was serious...how long away?

kingmatt1010: ???

sammygirl60: i mean, when? like weeks...months...years?

kingmatt1010: oh, like january

sammygirl60: matthew, it's december 17th

kingmatt1010: ...i know that....

sammygirl60: this isnt good, matt

kingmatt1010: lol--and you're telling me

sammygirl60: oh my goodness...i cant see my life without chase in it

kingmatt1010: ???

sammygirl60: whats wrong with that?

kingmatt1010: since when did YOU start liking chase...i thought you hated chase

sammygirl60: hate chase? where did you hear THAT?!

kingmatt1010: :-/ ....my own assesment...i could be wrong..sorry

sammygirl60: well, yah...just so happen to be

kingmatt1010: oh...like...how do you mean?but didnt you say last week that...

sammygirl60: hey, matt...we gotta go take my shoes back to the Richs before the

mall closes...I'll ttyl

kingmatt1010: ok...c ya tomorrow

I sat back from my computer desk, looking back at the conversation that I had

just had with Samantha Dixon, the girl that I had known my whole life and had

been best friends with since first grade. It had been a very interesting

conversation and had left me puzzled and confused. Was it true? Did Sam really

lke Chase Sampson? Or did she even mean it like that?

The conversation had left me thinking...but what if Sam did think of Chase like

that? And if she did, then what could she think of me?

"Matt, you are not going to spend the remaining three years of your life in

this house with your face buried into that computer screen," Mom scolded, with

her arms folded.

I spun around in my chair to look at her. "But Mom, there isn't anything else

to do around here," I protested.

"You can play with Benjamin...or help me decide on how we're going to paint the

basement."

"I mean an activity. You know, something that I enjoy doing."

"It's about time you think about someone other than yourself, Matt. It's not

always about what you want. You aren't the only person in this house. Now go

downstairs and do something with Benjamin. Ever since he's been here, you've

been more and more distant from the family."

I thought about Benjamin. Six weeks ago, my parents had adopted him. He was an

extremely sarcastic seven-year-old who's life consisted of reading encyclopedias

and staring out the window. He wasn't a bad kid...there just wasn't much you

could do with him except look at him. If you tried to hold a conversation, you'd

end up being the only person talking and he would start looking overwhelmed and

politely ask you to leave him alone. Being the older brother of the world's most

silent kid wasn't the easiest thing.

Obediently, I signed out of Aol Instant Messener, ICQ Messenger, Yahoo!

Messenger, and MSN Messenger, closed all open windows, and reluctantly went down

the stairs to the library where I knew I would find Benjamin, either reading or

staring at the street.

And there, of course he was, this time, staring out the window.

"Hey Ben," I smiled, walking over to the arm chair he was sitting in.

Ben took a quick glance at me, then went back to staring out the window.

I watched him for a minute. Maybe adopting wasn't such a good idea anyway of it

meant having to talk to a kid who would care less if you were alive or not.

"Say man, wanna go to the mall or something? We can catch the bus into town if

you'd like...or we could walk to the park before it gets dark out," I suggested.

My face got hot...I could feel my mother's presence...I knew she was watching.

Benjamin, not looking away from the window shook his head. "No thanks, Matthew.

I'm fine right here."

My face got even hotter. This kid is impossible, I thought. For one quick

moment, I felt like strangling Benjamin. All these years I had wanted a younger

brother, and now, I finally had one and he turns out to be an alien who wants

nothing to do with me or anyone else with the world.

"Boys, time for dinner!" Mom called from the kitchen.

I smiled. I knew she had done it to save me.

"Coming," I called back. I looked back at Benjamin. "Yeah, Ben, she said it's

time to eat,"

"I heard her...I'll be there," He said, not moving from his position.

Heated, I stomped into the kitchen and sat down in my usual seat. "God!" I

grumbled.

"Matt," Dad scowled, looking up from his newpaper. He didn't allow any using

God's name in vain in our house.

"That kid. Is a maniac." I said, slamming my fist on the table almost tipping

my glass over.

"Matt, give him time," Mom said smiling as she placed the salad bowl on the

table.

"He's had six weeks...that's long enough, okay? Don't you think it's time we

stop treating him like an infant? I mean, you would have never just do whatever

I wanted to do all the time even if it was sitting around reading and doing

absolutely nothing," I whispered hoarsely.

"You know he's had a rough childhood, Matthew Kingston. Get. Over. It. I

remember the counselor specifically telling you that things will be different,"

Dad growled, then mumbled something under his breath.

Things will be different now. I had remembered the counselor saying that. But I

thought that he meant for the better. I didn't know adoption would ruin my life.

"This adoption still truly is insane and I--"

"Oh, Bennie! Have a seat! Have a seat!" Mom exclaimed, giving me a warning

glance.

Benjamin said nothing. Only looked at each of us in disgust and then took a

seat across from me.

"So...um...Bennie? Would you like to say the blessing?" Mom asked, taking her

seat and reaching for Ben's hand.

"Sure I won't," Ben smiled sarcastically.

I could see Mom's dissapointed smile. "Oh well...Matt. You'll say it then."

Reluctantly, I said a quick blessing in monotone and then immediately let go of

my parents' hands, and reached for the spaghetti casserole.

"Hey, hey, hey Matthew," Mom said, "Ben first...youngest to oldest--that's how

it's done around here."

I rolled my eyes and immediately received a kick in the ankle from Dad under

the table.

I folded my hands together and patiently waited for Ben to serve himself some

spaghetti. Of course he scraped all the cheese off the top and of course Mom nor

Dad said anything about it.

After he had finished depriving the casserole of it's best part, I was then

passed the casserole and ate quickly and angrily.

I marched upstairs to my room, even though I was supposed to be doing the

dishes.

I was dying to see who was online, but I was too busy to even sign in. I bowed

my head. Life had been so hard the past six weeks. All because of Ben, I had had

to convert my whole life. I couldn't go places with Winston or Chase, I couldn't

go to the garage to check on my Malibu that the owner, Harry was thinking about

selling me for a couple of thousand. I couldn't even walk to the grocery store

to say hi to Sam while she was at work. Life was permanently going down hill.

I couldn't control myself. Even though I didn't feel like talking to anyone, I

needed an escape. And the all of my messengers were my only escape in life.

Samantha Dixon

"Mom, I'm sorry...they're cute and all but I cannot fit a seven! I can't even

fit a seven and a half.," I whined as my mother handed me a pair of flat black

casual shoes.

"Well, you said the other pair made your feet hurt and they only have two to

choose from and this is the last pair they have. Can't you just try it on to

see? If you don't get shoes 'for tomorrow I'm simply not allowing you to go."

Reluctantly, I tried on the shoes. In actuallity, I could fit both a seven and

a seven and half. However, the shoes looked like something my Grandma would

wear.

"So...can you fit them?" Mom asked impatiently.

I grimaced. " 'Guesso.."

"Well! That settles that, then. They don't hurt your feet do they? Well, good.

Bring them to the counter so we can pay for them."

I sighed. Why did there have to be such a difference between me and my mother?

We could rarely agree on anything. The clothes I liked were the clothes she

hated. Her favorite songs were the very songs that I distasted the most. We

never got along. We were always having arguments. And I was positive I was her

least favorite child.

I was the middle child out of seven and had always been the one left out for

some reason. April and Summer, the twins has always had each other. Then there

was Kevin, who was eleven, and Mac who was sixteen who both shared their love

for sports and technology. And of course, Rachel and Carey, seventeen and

eighteen--the Dream Daughters. Both Rachel and Carey, blonde and thin, were both

varsity cheerleaders, the perfect grades, preppy jobs in boutiques, nice cars

that they had bought on their own, and of course their equally snobby boyfriends

and cliques. I loved my sisters a lot but there were so many ways that I hated

them. Well, maybe not hated them but I was jealous...strongly jealous...and I

secretly wanted what they had.

I hadn't been born a blonde nor with the perfect figure my sisters had

magically gotten. I was a brunette and my brown eyes looked dull next to their

bright blue ones. Sure I was on the Debate Team at school and had kept

consistent B's. I hadn't yet bought a car but I had bought myself a cell phone

and a bike. Sure, I had job--maybe it was just packing up groceries at the

Piggly Wiggly but I still got a check at the end of every other week. Of course

I had some friends and a very close male friend, however, no matter how much I

tried, I was still the out cast and still left behind and pushed to the side of

my ever-so perfect older sisters.

"Sam! Would you please come on?" Mom called from the register. Her impatience

was really getting to me.

"I'm coming Mother," I grumbled, quickly taking off the ugly shoes and putting

them back in the box.

Mom glanced from me to the cashier and then laughed lightly. "Children,

children, children."

The cashier laughed back in the same way my mother had. It was ultra cringeful.

I hated it when my mother said things like this.

Outside, the December breeze brought chills through our body.

"Doesn't see like Christmas is next week!" I exclaimed, taking a huge leap in

the parking lot.

"Yeah...somehow we'll pull it off," Mom sighed, as she fumbled for the keys.

"What do you mean?"

"Christmas cost money...and with seven kids? Sweetheart, this won't be easy. It

never has been. And especially when we have to buy gifts for grandparents,

aunts, uncles, cousins...and the Kingstons..."

"The Kingstons? Since when did we start buying Christmas gifts for the

Kingstons?" I wondered, as I remembered to buckle my seatbelt after seeing the

cops on the side of the rode.

"Well, you know when their new son and all...I thought we'd do something

special for them this year," Mom said.

"Interesting enough...I think I remember Matt telling me something about

that...maybe that's why I don't see him much anymore."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you know, he used to come by while I was at work...the only time I see

him is when we're at school and the rare times we talk on IM."

"So you say he hasn't been coming around?"

"Yeah...Mom, what exactly are you leading to, might I ask?" I asked, as she

turned onto Crown Street.

"Well, you and Matt used to be best friends and it seems as though ever since

you got this job a few months back, your friendship has been neglected," She

said.

Ultra cringeful. I slid down in my seat. "I don't know Mom, we just don't have

much in common anymore. A lot of friends eventually go their seperate ways."

"True," Mom nodded. "But that doesn't mean that this has to happen in your

friendship with Matt."

I sighed. Why did my friendship with Matt matter to her so much anyway? Matt

wasn't my only friend in the world. I had Hunter, Jessie, Nathan, Maria,

Lillian--and most of all Chase...Matt would always be my friend, but why did he

have to be my best friend? When we were best friends in elementary school, it

was just because no one else would even come close to being my friend. But now,

in the tenth grade, things had changed now and I had made new friends...Matt

was...well, just not all-that anymore.

The rest of the ride home was silent. I wondered why it mattered so much to Mom

that Matt and I weren't so close anymore.

Anyway, as we pulled into the driveway, I forgot about it and ran went inside

to get ready for school.