It was a cloudy day in London as it was most of the time. It was spring and it rained most days. Steven wasn't a fan of the rain but he had to get used to it. He thought of rain as bad luck. He thought that the rain brought him bad luck from all the experiences he had with it. Like the day he slipped on the road and got hit by a car. He had a cast on his leg for 3 months. It wasn't an experience he enjoyed.
"Quick. It's gonna start raining soon" Mathew said. He was Steven's best friend. They were friends since the first day of school. They always bonded and enjoyed each other's company.
They had just finished their football training. Both of them were built for this kind of stuff. Both had athletic bodies that all the ladies admired. Mathew had used this to his advantage on winning them over but Steven was a shy person. He couldn't talk to girls if his life depended on it.
They hurried to their apartment but on the way they got soaked to the skin because of the rain. London was a cruel place if it had you where it wanted.
They entered their 5 story apartment. Water was dripping from their hands, clothes, and hair and it caused the receptionist to give them a hard time about it.
"The lifts are under maintenance" Marten, the receptionist, shouted at them. Marten was in his late twenties and always gave them a hard time. He did to everyone, Steven thought. But Steven always respected him. He respected all the elderly, unlike his best friend, Mathew. Mathew only respected those who respected him. He wasn't gonna give anyone the chance to disrespect him in any way.
They headed for the stairs and it didn't bother them because their flat was on the second floor. After walking the stairs up to their flat, Mathew gently opened the door to see someone come out of the lift. This made him swear but it was something that came second nature to him. Steven hardly used the language that fueled Mathew. Mathew always used his words to fight for him, surprisingly. Steven has never seen him fight physically.
They opened the door to their flat and went straight into their bedrooms. Steven unlocked his bedroom door. He liked Mathew to bits but he didn't trust him with his stuff. Steven had a diary once and it didn't end up well because Mathew teased him about it for a long time. Ever since he has locked his door.
Steven was untidy. All boys are, he thought to himself. On his bed was all kinds of stuff. His old headsets, a pair of new socks, his shirts, pants, and his phone. He didn't like taking his phone to training so he left it in his room.
After tidying a little, Steven went to the bathroom to take a shower. He always enjoyed taking a shower; it helped him take his mind out of things that constantly worried him. Like his mother who lived alone in Liverpool. He missed her a lot.
Like finding a college. He had finished high school last year and since then found it really hard finding a college that suited his needs. He wanted to be a professional football player but his mom wanted him to pursue his studies like his father would have wanted. He had lost him to cancer. It ached his heart thinking about it. He had to do what his father wanted. The only thing that his father wanted.
Steven came out and headed for the lounge. He could do with fish and chips, his favorite. Mathew knew how to cook and ever since he learned how to cook fish and ships, Steven had been pestering him to make him some. Mathew had promised him if their team had won today, he would make it for him. Now it was his time to full fill his promise.
"Your hair is messed up bud. Here, take my comb" Mathew offered. Steven never cared about his appearance but Mathew always made sure that he did.
"Thanks. I really need to buy one for myself" Steven accepted the offer. He used the comb to comb his black hair. His hair wasn't as long as Mathew's but he had to take care of it if he didn't want to go bald like his dad but then cancer also made his hair fall.
"Dinner is ready. I hope you enjoy the fish and chips I made for you" Mathew grinned. When Mathew grinned, it was never a good sign. Steven was starving so he didn't care what mischief his best friend was up to. Mathew was a prankster so he had pranked Steven multiple times in the past.
Steven sat at the dinner table. He saw no fault with his fish and chips so he thought Mathew was just winding him up. He picked up one and ate it. Yum. It didn't disappoint.
"Hey, wait for me. We should eat together" Mathew complained. He came and sat on the opposite side of him. He had made beef for himself. Soon they were busy with their dinner. They both were starving because of all the training. It had worn them out.
"Did you find a college for yourself? It's been a long time" Mathew reminded him. Mathew was always the first to break the silence.
"I am trying but nothing I have found so far that suits me" Steven said. He genuinely tried but hadn't had any success so far.
"What kind of college do you want? What are your requirements?" Mathew himself had found one for himself but he didn't want Steven to find out. It was for his own good, Mathew thought.
"I need one which is near me. I don't want to start all over again. Coming from Liverpool to London is enough for me. I can't afford it either if I wanted to move again" Steven said with concern. He couldn't say it but he couldn't afford to lose his best friend. He has suffered enough with losing his father and then leaving his mother. It hurt him badly but his mother reassured him that she was gonna manage and that he shouldn't worry about her.
"Do you want to watch a movie later? It will take your mind off things and we haven't watched one in a long time. It's time to catch up" Mathew reminded him of the times when they would at least watch one movie a night. Those were the good old days. He missed being a child. No worry. No concern. And no college.
"Yea why not. It would be fun after all this stress I've been going through" Steven said. Steven felt lucky to have Mathew by his side. He always made him feel safe and always was there when he was in any kind of danger. Danger that Steven couldn't avoid.
"I will find a movie while you finish your meal" Steven finished his fish and chips and went to wash his hands. He went to his bedroom to find his laptop empty of battery. Unsurprised, he went to look for Mathew's laptop. He knew that Mathew wouldn't mind him using it. He had used it multiple times in the past and it didn't bother Mathew at all.
He picked it up and opened the lid. Like always, it wasn't shut down, it was in sleep mode. It powered on and the display came on. Mathew never gave any passwords to his devices. He didn't trust his memory.
He was surprised to see his google chrome being open. It never was. It either was a movie or Spotify where he listened to music. Curiosity got the better of him and he checked what he had opened in chrome. He saw three tabs open. The first one was about Mathew's celebrity crush, Joanna Charles. She was an actor. The second tab was a football match's results. Steven recognized the two teams. Their big rivals. The third tab was about a college he hadn't heard of before. London Beasts. He tried searching for more details but he could hear Mathew approaching, so he quickly snapped a photo of the screen and minimized google chrome.
"Good of you to join me, Mathew" Steven said. Tried not to think about the possibility of his best friend knowing what he was up to.
"Did you find anything for us to watch?" Mathew asked. He knew that Steven didn't have a good taste in movies and hoped that Steven hadn't found anything too boring.
"No. I waited for you because you never like the movies I pick" Steven had read Mathew well in the past years. He knew that Mathew didn't like his taste in movies. He didn't have enough time anyways. He was snooping around trying to find what his google chrome contained.