Free The Perfection Paradox by LaurenVDW Page B

truck
veered loudly down the road towards him. Its brakes screeched
dramatically a few feet in from of him and Hunter swung out of the
driver’s seat.
    “ You came” he
stated, approaching Matt and playfully pushing him towards the car,
“get in!” he commanded, getting back in the drivers seat. Matt
looked through the pick up’s windows at the broad faces staring out
at him, some in amusement, some with an edge of disgust. The same
frown was spread across Ryan’s face and Matt’s stomach filled with
dread as he saw it. For a guy about to go to a house party, he
didn’t look very excited.
    As they
pulled up to Taylor’s house and headed up the cobbled path to the
front door, Matt could feel the anticipation build in his
stomach.
      Hunter
pushed the front door open forcefully and Matt’s eyes fell upon the
dozens of people crammed into the hallway and nearby living
room.
    Different
songs were pumping from speakers all around him as he entered.
Several people stopped and stared at him disdainfully. Several
watched him with faint amused smiles spread across their faces.
Matt instantly wished he hadn’t come. Hunter pushed his way through
the crowd and Matt, Ryan and the others followed until they emerged
on to a large well-lit patio. A bonfire had been set up to one
side, encircled by metal garden chairs. A dining table was being
used for beer pong, and the windows on the floor above had speakers
piled in them, blaring music into the garden.
    Several
people glanced at Matt discernably. There was an air of tension as
the beautiful and popular watched him pass amongst them.
    Brooke Kent
gazed from Hunter to Matt witheringly, rolling her eyes. He
remembered scanning the surrounding crowd for Kennedy, when Hunter
started talking.
    He was drunk,
Matt wondered why it had taken him so long to realize.
    “ Everyone, listen
up !” Hunter yelled at the people gathered
around him. “I want everyone to meet…” He turned to Matt, leaning
towards him with too much swing and nearly buckling over drunkenly.
“What’s your name again?” He asked boorishly, spit spattering all
over Matt’s glasses and face.
    “ Matt” he
replied timidly, his voice sounded so quiet compared to Hunter’s.
He could feel the crimson shade of embarrassment spread across his
face like wild fire through a parched field in
summertime.
    “ MATT!”
Hunter thundered, throwing his arms to the skies jubilantly.
Several of the students closest to him stepped back
uneasily.
    “ Matt, Matt,
Matt” he said slowly, turning to back to him, his face swinging
with each syllable.
    “ Did you
really think we would just invite you to come along with us out of
the blue? We want something in return…” He stated, a lop-sided
smirk spreading across his handsome terrifying face.
    Matt looked
at him uneasily.
    “ I think the
girls at Rosewell would like to see what they’ve been missing out
on. Come on! Show them! Strip !”
    The crowd was
watching gleefully now, feeding off his humiliation. Matt shook his
head slightly, before turning to Taylor. He was enjoying this as
much as Hunter. Ryan? He was staring at the ground guiltily. He knew Hunter was going to do
this , Matt realized.
    The crowd
joined in with Hunter’s shouts and within seconds everyone was
chanting at him. He had nowhere to go. He was trapped. He just
wanted them all to stop shouting, it was deafening.
    Finally, he
started to pull his hoodie over his head dejectedly. As it fell to
the ground at his feet the crowd howled with laughter at his pallid
twig-like arms. Girls wolf-whistled sarcastically and a boy just to
Matt’s left was pointing and heaving with mirth.
    Matt’s
stomach lurched and he felt tears sting his eyes, but he couldn’t
cry, that was the worst thing he could do right now.
    He pulled his
hoodie back on and tried to push through the crowd but Hunter
pulled him back to the centre of the circle violently and Matt fell
to the floor.
    He felt anger
boil up inside him, he got