you gotta pay the toll

Matty Campbell. Nineteen. Sophomore. Fullback for the Ravenwood Ravens. Alpha Beta. "Sometimes the best things in life don't make sense... Like rainbows"

[thematty-c]

text → mattykins.

Colette: Then there's no point of us even having this conversation, now is there?

Colette: I hope you have a great life, Matty. I really do.

Matty: Say hi to your mom from me 👋

[thematty-c]

text → mattykins.

Colette: And you want to know why? Because I was forced too.

Colette: Yeah and since you'll hear about it soon enough because I'll be going to court for this, it was by someone who sexually assaulted me back when I was 16.

Colette: I would have preferred to have told you that in person but there it is.

Colette: I'm sorry for making you look like a fucking idiot. I am. But you want to know something, I kind of wished you would have been more of a fanboy because maybe then you would have known that sooner.

Matty: Forced to? Since when has anyone been able to force you to do anything?

Matty: Am I supposed to believe that? Because back when you were 16 you were trying to pin shit like that on my best friend.

Matty: You can't go around fucking people over and expecting them to come crawling back because you changed your mind. Whatever happened to you sucks but I got hurt too and I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice.

[thematty-c]

text → mattykins.

Colette: You really think I just wanted to do that to you? And that I'm more interested in being on television than being with you?

Colette: If you say yes to that, then why were we together for a year? Because you clearly don't know me.

Colette: You're being a real dick right now. I deserve it, I get it but I'm trying to apologize and explain what's been going on. You don't have to be an asshole to me.

Matty: ... you do remember that you broke up with me, right?

Matty: So what if I'm being a dick? I am a dick. Clearly you don't know me either. I went through so much shit to be with you and you made me look like a fucking idiot. Sorry I'm not one of your little fanboys begging at your feet.

Matty: Fine, apology accepted.

[thematty-c]

text → mattykins.

Colette: PLS READ THIS.

Colette: If you opened your phone to read the rest of these messages, I just want you to know the truth behind everything that's happened lately.

Colette: There's so much more behind what happened, and I want you to know that I am so sorry for doing that to you.

Colette: I would have never, ever, ever have thrown you aside like that. You meant, and still a lot to me. I just really needed you to know that, Matty.

Matty: Well you kinda did throw me aside like that.

Matty: I get it, being on TV matters more to you than I did, I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life.

Matty: But if you think I'm over here being a little bitch, you're wrong. We had fun, now I'm over it.

[theboogerduke]

Summer job hunting is going pretty well. I’ve gotten like four call backs.

[thematty-c]

You’re making people pay for blowjobs now? Stepping up in the world, Booger.

[yourluckyray]

Ray was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to find Matty at the football field, and was super sure he wouldn’t find him at a pharmacy (Day was seriously so gullible sometimes) and was almost certain that the jock would be in a bar. You get dumped, you want to drink, and he knew that, but Day was a better talker to people in delicate situations so he tasked her with scoping it out and sure enough, he’d gotten a text that she found him. Coyote Ugly was the kind of place where drinking was mandatory pretty much, and for an alcoholic that was bad news, but he wasn’t thinking about himself, but Colette, God she was going to owe him whenever she snapped out of whatever spell she was under, being selfless was just annoying. He went over to the bar and like always, he could spot Day and Matty was a big guy so he too was pretty hard to miss. Tact wasn’t his thing, it was Day’s thing so when he rolled up on the two of them he could only hope that Day had warmed him up enough with her smile and sweet words, “Hey, Matteo. So did Day tell you we’re here to figure out what the fuck is up with your woman yet or what? Because bitches be trippin’ am I right?”  He took his phone out and slid it over to Matty, showing him the text conversation between himself and Colette. “You get anything similar? Because we’re on the case, top flight investigators of the world. Was that jager, I bet it was so warm on the inside, like a firm hug that’s just a little too tight but you like it anyway.” He rambled as his eyes landed on their shot glasses, then he brought them back to Matty. “Anyway, back to this, we need answers. You got any? Damn, you are big up close. Like an ox, or…bison, water buffalo in my bag, swag. ”

[day-farell]

“Thank you, for this.” Day looked down at the drink, it seemed like some kind of deathtrap but she had to come off like she could hang. “Oh no, no. I came here with my ex-boyfriend, Ray. We happen to enjoy the girls dancing on the tables. They have excellent form, actually.” She rambled on, knowing he probably wasn’t going to buy that horrible excuse. “I’m just going to take this and shut up.” She held up the shot before taking it back. Day felt whoozy yet energized after that, she didn’t know what that shot was but it was a shock to the system. “What are you doing here?” She asked, although it was plenty obvious what it could have been that he was doing. “Other than having these amazing shots.”

But it seemed as if the sweet talking was over as Ray himself waltzed into their conversation and made their intentions clear as day. She looked over at Ray, a look of shock on her face. The guy was clearly heartbroken, he was surrounding himself with booze and scantily clad women- just up and saying something like that wasn’t nice. “I’m sorry for him…. but Ray does bring up the reason I came here . Yeah, Colette’s been acting really odd. She at least messaged Ray, she won’t message me back and we were hoping you’d know something. Anything.” Day said, turning her attentions back towards Ray, taking a small step on front of him in case Matty wasn’t as appreciative of his forwardness as others were. “He means that in a good way, by the way. Like the we’re so glad you’re that big because that’s why Ravenwood is number one.”

[thematty-c]

“I’m hanging out with my friends?” he raised an eyebrow as if the answer should have been obvious, and gestured to the rowdy guys at the end of the bar. Matty wasn’t expecting Day to throw back the drink he’d given her, so he rapped his knuckles on the bar in an impressed drum roll. Maybe she was more fun than he’d given her credit for. Though, he wasn’t sure he’d go ahead and hit on her-- the red hair reminded him of Marin and he’d rather not spend the night thinking about another failed relationship. It was then that Ray appeared, and Matty was clearly confused. Did these two think they were friends or something? Because as far as he was concerned the connection to them had been cut the moment Colette had left him. He could be civil to a point though, so he didn’t mouth off to Ray straight up, just ordered another drink and barely listened to whatever he was saying. “Can you talk underwater?” he quipped, looking at Ray’s phone and scoffing when he read the text messages. Was he supposed to care? “She broke up with me, remember? She can do whatever the fuck she wants. Not my problem.” Cocking his head, he straightened to his full height, showing Ray that yes, he was indeed large. “No, I don’t have any answers. I haven’t seen or heard from her in weeks. Looks like she dumped you guys too, congratulations. Should’ve expected it. She’s always going on about how she’d do anything to be the best, right?” He let out a bitter laugh, because he’d never expected that he’d be a casualty of her ambitions. “And you know what happens when you get dumped? You leave it the fuck alone. Don’t be clingy, it’s creepy.”

[day-farell]

Day had already texted Ray that she had found Matty Campbell. They were looking at places where jocks usually hung out. Ray had the football field, she had checked the sporting goods store. Both had been a bust. Ray had decided to check the pharmacy as surely jocks had to be there to pick up medication and she decided to check out… Coyote Ugly. The place made her feel awkward. Things were so… sexualized at the bar. But he was there and Ray and herself were on a mission. “Uhm… then I’ll take whatever you’re having.” Day slapped the counter to let him know she meant business. “Or something similar. Whatever, I’m drinking too. No negativity, right.” She flashed him a smile.

[thematty-c]

Of all people Matty had expected to see next to him, Dawn or whatever was the last person he’d had in mind. She looked like she belonged somewhere much cleaner, somewhere where there weren’t girls dancing on tables. Hell, maybe he was hallucinating; he had no idea how much he’d had to drink, and one of his friends might have given him a party favour... Squinting a little, confused, he ordered a pair of jagerbombs and slid hers over to her, “You get dragged here by your friends or something? Didn’t pick you to be a Coyote Ugly kinda girl.” Of course, his main concern was that if anyone had dragged her there, it was probably Colette, who was the absolute last person he needed to see.

[thematty-c]

“If you’re not drinking you need to--” Matty whistled and made a shooing motion, “I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.”

[think-pink-floyd]

“This couldn’t have happened to a person who deserved it less than you do.” Bash admitted, he didn’t even know how to be gentle but he figured that he was doing an alright job, Vaughn was comfortable enough to share his thoughts with him and ‘gotta try’ had been the thing to relieve the knot in his stomach. “I’m going to say something that physically makes me cringe but I can’t regret leaving something like this unsaid.” To busy himself while talking, Bash took out his dad’s cigarette holder full of joints from his jacket pocket and gave it to Vaughn, “This is bad, but it won’t be forever so don’t do something that could…” He swallowed a knot in his throat, unwanted emotion coming through, “Hurt yourself. Get away, do what you have to do as long as it’s not something irreversible. Ok?”

[thematty-c]

All Vaughn could do was scoff. He didn’t know what he did or didn’t deserve, but it didn’t matter now that the damage was done. When he got back to town in a few days he just had to hope that people’s opinions hadn’t changed too much, and most importantly-- that his teammates wouldn’t be afraid of him now. If he’d been unsure about a future in football before, the threat of losing it all had made it clear how much of him as a person was tied up in the sport. Taking the cigarette holder, he turned it in his hands, giving himself something to release his nervous energy. In the entire time he’d known Bash he hadn’t heard the guy get remotely emotional about anything, so to hear his voice change made Vaughn look up. He didn’t know what made him think he might hurt himself, but it was clearly causing his friend some kind of distress to acknowledge it. “I’m good, I swear. Worst that’ll happen is a hangover.” If Bash hadn’t seemed so serious, Vaughn might’ve laughed, but even for a guy as dense as he was at times, he could tell it wasn’t a joking matter. “You really that worried about me? I mean, I didn’t think I was giving off vibes that bad...”

[think-pink-floyd]

“Yeah, I saw that, tell him I said hang in there when you see him.” Bash didn’t point out that they were talking about it, Vaughn had said everyone wanted him to talk, seemed he did too, and Bash didn’t mind listening, he should have listened more all those years ago. It didn’t fall on deaf ears that he sounded so dejected, “That was a piss poor attempt at glass half full.” He said and leaned over, coming his fingers down in Vaughn’s hair, a small, amused smile on his lips, “You completely fucked your hair just then when you did that.” When he realized what he was doing, he stopped and let his hands fall back into his lap, “Hey…do you think this is the worst night of your life?” He asked, it was a weird question, but if it wasn’t then Vaughn would be reminded that he’d been through worse, and if it was, well things could be so much worse and maybe in a weird way it would help him out. 

[thematty-c]

“He’s gonna learn his lesson one day.” Vaughn didn’t even realise he was talking about it, he was just kind of drifting at that point, his head so full that some of this thoughts were overflowing out of his mouth without much consideration. “Gotta try,” he shrugged, because what else was there for him to do? Wallowing had never been his thing, and if he was going to get angry he was going to wait until he had something to punch that wasn’t a friend. He didn’t think much of Bash’s hand in his hair, just closed his eyes and let out a sigh he felt like he’d been holding since the news had dropped. “Oh good, it matches the rest of my night.” Twisting his lips at the question, but not surprised by it because Bash always asked weird questions, Vaughn eventually shook his head, “Feels pretty bad, but... could’ve been a video or pictures or something. That would’ve been worse. I thought coming out was the one thing I’d have control over, but... I don’t know, man, my head hurts. I think I’ve thought more in the last half hour than my entire life.”

[montyclifton]

“Mine never happened, so you have a one up on me.” Keeping the exchange casual, or rather letting Vaughn lead things for once, Dean offered out the joint and pulled off is blazer. Nerves always had a way of heating him up to an uncomfortably toasty level. “I haven’t heard anyone calling for pitchforks, so I think you’re okay.” He said, trying to ease the situation to the best of his ability, which albeit wasn’t exactly spotless, but it was genuine. Instead of their usual banter, he took a page out of Emma’s book and attempted to relate. Keeping a distance between them, he propped a foot up against the wall.

[thematty-c]

Vaughn huffed a laugh under his breath, letting his head drop back against the wall. He figured he was still in shock, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that he wasn’t dreaming. Give it a few hours and he’d probably be more set in his emotions, but by then he hoped to be as far away from Rosewood as possible. “Oh, lucky. I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone.” Neither of them were particularly delicate to navigate emotional situations, but it meant a lot to Vaughn that Dean was trying, so he shot a small smile to the other boy. “I’m probably gonna disappear for a few days. Clear my head, let things die down here, go on some kind of spirit quest or something, I don’t know. So yeah, if you can’t get a hold of me, I’m not ignoring you.”

[think-pink-floyd]

Bash had a nervous feeling in his stomach thinking about Vaughn now, it was the second time he had a hand in some capacity in someone coming out when they didn’t want to and as irrational as it was he was afraid for his friend, so he was more than relieved when Vaughn agreed to come hang out for a little bit, so he could see for himself that he was at least a little alright, “You’ll be yesterday’s news in no time.” He said with a shrug that was a lot more casual than how he really felt. He knew Vaughn didn’t want to talk about the elephant in the parking lot and well he wouldn’t know what to say anyway. “But yeah, looks like it. I thought of sitting in the car, but it’s stuffy so pop a squat on the hood.” Bash said, and hopped up on the hood of his car as well.

[thematty-c]

“Yeah, that’s why I’m going with Roman. Give things time to settle. Not just for me, him too. We’re both in it deep tonight.” Vaughn was upset, he was angry, he was scared, but he’d been scared of himself for a long time so it was easier to keep his cool than it might’ve been otherwise. It helped that he knew a lot of good people, so despite the inevitable judgment from some, he was lucky to have a strong support system to fall back on-- or, at least between his dad, Mason, Dean, and Roman there was a hell of a lot of intimidating muscle to contend with. Not to mention his mom and his sister with their razor sharp tongues. Sitting beside Bash, Vaughn scrubbed his hand through his hair, messing up what his sister had tried to gel down for the night and trying to reason with himself, “At least someone did all the hard work for me. Now it’s out there I don’t have to stress about it anymore.”

[montyclifton]

Dean leaned up against one of the side walls and took a few hits of the joint he’d thought ahead to tuck away just in case the moment called for one. However nothing could have planned him for a forced outing, especially one he was involved in. He tried and failed to understand what Vaughn was going through, but he was man enough to know the guy he cared about, more of less in a few ways, was in need of a shoulder. 

[thematty-c]

Sure, he was supposed to be in a rush to skip town with Roman, but he still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be feeling or what he was supposed to do when he did find Dean, so he took his time to finally settle on the wall beside him. He was tense, but he was trying not to look it. If people saw how bothered he was, then it would only fan the flames. “I doubt many people get a coming out party this impressive.”

[thematty-c]

To say his night had gone to shit was an understatement, so Vaughn was happy to get away from the crowd and catch a breath with Bash. They probably had something to talk about anyway. Not that he knew what, but it seemed like the kind of situation where things were supposed to be said. “Hey man, just another typical night in Rosewood, huh?”

[thematty-c]

text || vaughn

Roman: well idc that ur bi. I'm more concerned that you had two guys under your belt and you didn't want to tell me!

Roman: you're right. I'm not thinking straight at all right now !!

Roman: avoid everyone and just get out. push people if you have to

Vaughn: i figured you wouldn't, you've got two dads. well i was trying to keep that shit on the down low until i knew what i was doing.

Vaughn: me neither.

Vaughn: god i'm hilarious.

Vaughn: i'm not the one that blythe's gonna behead so you just worry about yourself and i'll be right behind you, man

[thematty-c]

[text]: Are you shocked? You're not exactly disliked around here. [text]: You might just get your wish. She's cursing in... Spanish. You know what that means. She's at a ten. [text]: Okay, just be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. [text]: I love you.

{text} I mean... I didn’t think people cared that much.

{text} In Spanish? Shit. That’s probably why I saw dad hiding off to the side with Mason.

{text} I’m fine though, really. Or, I will be. I don’t know. I need to think away from all these people looking at me. Just don’t let mom kill anyone.

{text} I love you too.

[thematty-c]

[text] Yeah don't mention it. [text] Meet me at my car, we don't have to talk about it, you know me.

{text} Okay, I’ll be out in a second.