#useful-swede

When Matthew joined the environment club there were five members not including him. Four were young women, and one was a young man and no one in the club was actually there to help the environment or learn about it. Well, except for Matthew. When the Canadian boy joined he felt extremely eager to finally make a difference in the world! Make friends! Break out of his stupid fucking shell! Joining a club based around something he felt passionately about would definitely help him do that, correct? Well, sort of. 

Matthew held the map of the school in front of him, making sure that he wouldn't end up in the wrong place. Imagine walking into the wrong classroom and having everyone look up at you. Staring at you, waiting for you to say something. Then you open your mouth to ask if that is the environmental club, but you see on the white board the words "chess club" written in large letters. You now know that you are clearly not in the environmental club, so you should ask for directions but you can't. Because if you do you'll surely fuck it up. Or at least Matthew thought that's what would happen. So he decided that he'd just skip all the nervousness and anxiety and just not mes up. 

Matthew looked up at the room number. Room 10A, he glanced at the map that stated which rooms the clubs would be held in. After repeating this about twelve times Matthew pushed open the door and walked slowly into the room. Immediately he looked to the whiteboard. There was no whiteboard, this was one of the rooms that still had a chalk board. Matthew frowned, but his frown soon turned upside down when he noticed the words, "ENVIRONMENT CLUB: FIRST MEETING" written on the chalk board. He breathed a sigh of relief and went to go sit down. 

There were only two other people in there at the time. A male and a female, and at first Matthew didn't notice anything odd about them. Then looked back towards them, they were making out. Matthew blinked, why were they doing that? And here? Did they have any dignity? Matthew cleared his throat, and after a few moments the two broke away from one another and looked to Matthew. "Can we help you?" the male asked in an aggressive tone. 

"Yeah, can't you see that we're busy?!" the female quickly added in a tone that was equally aggressive. Matthew frowned, his heart racing a little. Jeez, apparently people didn't like to be bothered when they were kissing. Especially when the kissing was getting as intimate as their kissing was. Matthew gulped. 

"U-um, is this the, uh, environment club?" he asked. The guy raised an eyebrow and looked Matthew over before laughing a little. 

"Yeah, what's it to you?" 

"Well, I'd, uh, like to join. I mean, if it's al-alright? Can I speak to the teacher in charge?" Matthew spoke quickly, knowing very well that he probably sounded stuttery and jittery. He knew he sounded afraid. He was afraid, or at least nervous. Dear Lord, that guy was so much bigger than him. The guy could probably bash him into a pulp in less than five seconds without even really trying. 

"The teacher's gone today," the guy explained, "She's gone most days. Almost everyday. Weird, isn't it?" Matthew's eyes widened. Did these two kill her?! DID THEY FUCKING KILL THE TEACHER?! Matthew took deep breath and opened his mouth, the guy quickly raised a hand to silence him. "Besides I can't say it isn't alright for you to join, school rules and shit state that we aren't allow to deny people access to our clubs or something. Bunch of bullshit if you ask me." 

"But he didn't ask you!" a voice called out from across the room. A feminine voice that caused Matthew to jump and turn around. A girl about a year or two older than Matthew stood in the doorway with a rather angry expression on her face. The expression she wore probably scared Matthew more than the other guy or the chick he was making out with. She walked across the room and over to them with a look that pretty much screamed pissed off. She looked at Matthew, offering him a small smile which Matthew quickly returned. 

"My name's Abby," she said before pointing to the male, "That douchebag is Brandon and the girl with him is Angel. They've been dating for two years and feel the constant urge to give us all the pleasure of watching their real life amateur porn whenever we try to hold a meeting. It's a bit of a nuisance, but I suppose you get used to it." She shrugged, "We only have one other member and her name is Eliana. She's sick today. And what's your name?" 

"Matthew," Matthew answered, "Matthew Williams." Abby grinned at him, before thrusting her hand forehead for him to shake. Matthew shook it. 

"Welcome to the environment club Matthew Williams," she grinned, "We hope you enjoy your stay." 

Matthew soon got to know and learn about these strange people in the environmental club. As it turns out Brandon had actually sold drugs in the past and Matthew soon figured after a few months of being around him that the only reason he acted to rudely to people is because that's how most expected him to act. They expected him to act like a criminal. 

As for Angel, Matthew hardly ever saw her separated from Brandon. When he asked Abby about it she explained that Angel used to get bullied quite a lot. Especially physically, so Brandon became to stand up for her. So naturally as fate would have it, the two fell in love and began dating. Brandon's personality had started to wear off on her and the two became a rather aggressive, and in Matthew's opinion terrifying, couple. 

Abby turned out to be an odd one, not saying that the previously mentioned people weren't odd, but Abby was odd in a different sense. Matthew was pretty sure the thing that made her odd was the fact that she could go from a completely nice and loving girl to a sarcastic and rude bitch in less than five minutes. To be honest, it irritated Matthew. He was really annoyed by it, to be honest. But Matthew couldn't say anything? Talk about rude! 

Lastly there was Eliana, who Matthew got the pleasure of meeting at the second club meeting was probably the most sane one out of everybody. She was sweet, caring, almost every quality that made up for your typical Mary Sue of a fanfiction. Except there was one thing about Eliana that was a tad different. When Matthew met her she was two months pregnant. Although he didn't know that. He didn't learn she was pregnant until the fourth meeting when Brandon blurted it out right before he called her a slut.

"I'm sorry?" Matthew said quietly looking at Brandon right after he called Eliana that horrid word, "What did just call her?" Everyone in the room looked to Matthew. He had never really been one to really do anything like this. Speak up for someone? That wasn't Matthew Williams. He was just some kid who'd mess up his words a lot then crack stupid jokes at unnecessary times. 

"A slut," Brandon repeated the word, glaring at Matthew, "Are you going to do something about it you little runt?" Matthew narrowed his eyebrows and glared back at Brandon. Matthew's hands balled into fist and banged down on the table right before he stood up. 

"Matthew calm down," Eliana whispered to him, "It's no big deal, he was just joking!" 

"I don't care!" Matthew said angrily, his voice escaping its usual quiet tone. "You listen to me, Brandon. I don't care if she's pregnant, I don't care if she's slept with every guy in this school! Eliana is not a slut she is a human being! And I think you hardly have room to talk! None of you do!" Matthew glanced around the room, "You're all losers, I'm a loser and you can't just point out Eliana's 'faults' when you all have bigger problems and have probably made bigger mistakes! Plus this isn't even a fucking environment club! We don't even do anything but sit around! Brandon and Angel make out, Abby yells at us to get to work, Eliana reads a magazine, and I just sit there! We need to get to work as Abby tells us to and do something, dammit!" 

Everyone stared at Matthew, a few mouths hung open and all eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Then Brandon got up and walked over to him. I'm dead, Matthew thought, This is it. This is the end for me! He's going to kill me. Brandon raised a hand, Matthew flinched as it the hand came down. But the hand didn't harm Matthew, it patted him. On the shoulder. 

"Well lookie lookie, I guess little Mattie boy does know how to stand up for himself. Hell, I guess he can even stand up for his girlfriend." 

"She's not my girlfriend!" Matthew stated. 

"Whatever, it turns out you actually got some guts," Brandon laughed a little, "I think it's time that I actually welcome you to this stupid little club of ours. Welcome to the environment club, Matthew. I'm glad to have you." Matthew stared at him. What the hell? This wasn't a TV show? Why the fuck was this whole entire memory the same plot of some cliche TV show?! Matthew decided not to question. 

"Thanks, man." 

Charlotte laughed as her mother twirled her around and her father danced awkwardly near the two. Her mother twirled Charlotte again and into her father's arms. He lifted the five-year-old up into the air, as the music continued to play rather loudly. Charlotte's mother laughed, but tried to keep her face serious. "Lance! Be careful, you could drop her!" Her father laughed and placed the young girl on the floor. 

"Oh, come on Claire," her father replied, wrapping his arms around the woman and pulling her close, "I would never drop our sweet Charlotte Francine." Charlotte giggled at being called 'sweet Charlotte Francine,' her father always called her that. 

Her mother laughed and slapped her father's hands, pushing him away. She walked over to Charlotte and bent down in front of her, she grabbed Charlotte's hands and kissed them. "You're father is a silly man," Charlotte's mother stood up and glanced over at her father who was watching the two, his eyebrows raised. "Never fall for silly men like that," her mother joked, "They'll only play with your heart. But you're a smart young girl, Charlotte, you'll know a good man when you see him." Charlotte giggled again and nodded.

Her father walked over to the two and knelt beside Charlotte's mother, looking into Charlotte's eyes. "And never fall for serious women like your mother," he said with a wink, "You'll never be able to have any fun."  Her mother gasped, and slapped her father lightly on the arm. "Ow!" he exclaimed, pretending it hurt. 

"Oh, shut up," her mother laughed, standing up and going to walk away from her father. But he grabbed her wrist she turned around and rolled her eyes at him, he pulled her close. 

"Loosen up, Miss Barret," he whispered, taking the hair out of it's tight bun and running a hand through it. "You look so much more pretty with your beautiful hair down," he whispered. 

"But Dad!" Charlotte piped up, "Mom always looks pretty!" He laughed and lifted Charlotte up, holding her between the two of them. "You're very right, my sweet Charlotte Francine. You are a very smart girl." Charlotte's mother leaned in and gave Charlotte a kiss on the head. 

"She gets her intelligence from me," her mother said, looking at her father with a smile and a wink.

"True, but she gets her good looks from me," he replied.