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ALL I DO. { irl }
matt had come a few hours earlier than they planned for him to bring over niola's packet. he knocked on the door, but nobody answered. just as he was about to leave – assuming niola was still at the park with camille – he heard niola screaming from inside.
he tried to open the door but it was locked. he knew that the glass of the windows were too thick to break, so he couldn't bust in through there.
but he knew something was wrong.
matt ran over to miss posey's house and started banging on the door until she opened it with an annoyed expression. she was wearing a night gown. her grey hair was pulled back into a bun. matt saw what looked like a red splotch on her face – like a handprint.
"what do-" she stopped when she noticed that the person at her door was matt. she recognized him instantly, and also knew by the panicked look on his face that this was an emergency.
"i heard-" his words caught in his throat, remembering the sound of niola screaming like that. he knew she was in pain and he knew he had to hurry before something bad would happen to her. well, for all he knew, that bad thing could have already happened. "i need a key or a-"
"i know, dear boy." miss posey stopped him from explaining any farther. then she walked away from the door, leaving matt on her porch.
he had no idea how long this would take her, or if she actually did know what was wrong, maybe she was assuming something else. i mean, how could she even know what was happening? and if she did, why didn't she just help?
thankfully, miss posey returned after a few short moments. she handed matt a small key and said nothing else before she shut her front door on his face, locking it behind her. matt wanted to stand there and wonder what her issue was, but he didn't have time. he needed to help niola with whatever was going on.
he ran back over to niola's house and tried the key, hoping it would unlock her front door. because if it didn't, he had no other choice on what to do.
he twisted the key and the door unlocked with a click.
he opened the front door and walked inside, looking around for niola. the whole time, he was praying that he wouldn't find her corpse.
then, he heard someone talking. a voice that sounded like a middle-aged man was spouting insults at someone.
matt rounded the corner and saw niola pressed against a wall with some old man holding a knife to her head. there was nothing but fear in her eyes as she stared at up him. matt could tell that they had some sort of history and she used to trust him. she used to admire and look up to him.
it's kinda crazy that he could tell all of that just by a single glance in her direction.
i have to do something to help. matt told himself, but he didn't know what he could do. this guy was twice his size and matt didn't have a weapon to defend himself with. then he realized that matt had an advantage – the man hasn't noticed him yet. which means he can use the element of surprise to take the man out.
matt quietly backed into the kitchen.
he knew that a knife would be a better weapon, but all logic left his mind as soon as he saw rayne sitting at the table. she looked confused and a little scared, but she had a smile on her face meaning she was excited to see matt.
matt then realized that rayne had no idea what was going on. whatever happened between niola and that man, rayne didn't see. she probably heard them talking, but she most likely had no idea that the man was threatening to kill her sister.
matt wanted to hug rayne and comfort her, telling her everything would be okay.
but instead, he just held a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be silent. rayne nodded and covered her mouth, trying not to giggle – thinking that they were playing some sort of game.
matt pick up a frying pan off of the floor. he didn't want to grab a knife in front of rayne because he knew it would scare her. so matt decided that the pan would be heavy and solid enough to knock someone out if everything went according to his plan.
with one last smile in rayne's direction, matt quietly left the kitchen and tip-toed toward niola and the man.
"what's wrong?" the man asked, poking the blade into the skin behind her ear to brush the hair out of her face. matt's entire body filled with rage as the man continued. "what happened to all those good grades, hm? i guess being smart didn't pay off, did it?"
the man raised the knife, his hand in a fist around the handle. he was about to stab her and all niola could do was stare at him with tears in her eyes.
matt ran up behind him and slammed the pan into the side of his head.
the man fell unconscious at niola's feet. her eyes were wide as she stared at him just laying there. matt looked a little closer and realized he was still breathing – so he was still alive, thank god. the last thing matt wanted was to become a murderer.
he looked back up at niola, but she was already staring at him. she looked down at the pan he was holding, putting the pieces together.
whatever happened between her and that guy wasn't his business. for all he knew, the world could be in flames right now. yet the only thing that mattered to him was that she was okay.
"niola?" he said. "are you okay?"
without another word, she ran up and hugged him, tears staining his shirt from her sobs. the sound of her crying broke matt's heart. he hugged her back, feeling very thankful that she was alive.
.∘◦❀◦∘. a/n : here's the last chapter again but in matt's pov
