Matt jolted himself awake, the remnants of some awful dream fading away within a few seconds. The first thing he noticed was the raging headache and the fatigue in his limbs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blue curtains and heard the quiet buzz of fluorescent lights. This place was very familiar. He immediately remembered everything.

"Rise and shine, there," a woman's voice greeted him. He turned his head to see the school nurse on her rolling chair, arms crossed and eyes full of slight amusement. Matt has gotten used to that knowing smirk. This is practically routine.

"Before you start lecturing, he hit me first," he muttered and covered his eyes with his arm. The lights were bothersome.

"I figured you didn't need me to lecture you. I'd just be repeating myself, and I like to be original," Nurse Taya Velasquez said.

"How long was I out?" the groggy teen asked.

Velazquez checked her watch. "About thirty...thirty-five minutes."

"I missed calculus," he groaned.

The nurse shrugged. "I tried to wake you up earlier, but you just kept getting all cozy in that bed. Was this close to taking a picture and sending it to your aunt. I bet she would've loved it."

"What did she tell you?" Above his current condition, he wanted to at least prepare for what his aunt would say to him later. 

Velazquez tucked her chestnut-brown hair behind one ear and hummed. "Pretty much what you'd expect to hear from her."

"Ah geez." Even if the answer was vague, it still gave Matt an idea of what awaited him.

"Sit up. You've had enough of snoozing," Velasquez ordered gently. Matt did as she said and groaned at the residual pain of his new bruises. He sat patiently and watched the school nurse push herself to the fridge where she gathered a new ice pack for him. Along with that, she also plucked out a jello cup. At first, Matt thought it was for him but was corrected when all Velasquez gave him was the ice pack. She indulged in the jello herself, looking serene.

"You know," the teen started, "I didn't get to eat lunch because of what happened."

"Mhmm." Velasquez sucked on the spoon, as happy as a child.

He frowned. "Those are for the students, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but I buy them with my own money, so it's completely okay that I eat them," she joked. Matt sighed and pressed the ice pack to his face. He didn't like the green jello anyway.

"So what happened this time?" she asked.

The not-so-distant memory of what happened made Matt groan internally and he recounted. "Danny was talking shit again."

"Ah, something he's really good at."

"I didn't even do anything that bad."

"And what did you do?"

Matt huffed. "He cut in front of these girls in the cafeteria and started horsing around with his friends. Kept bumping into them, and then they bumped into me, which pissed me off. All I did was tell him to knock it off and he started saying a bunch of crap. Bleh, bleh, bleh, 'one-eye' this, blah, blah, blah, I'm 'just trying to impress the girls'. Stuff like that."

"And how did you respond?"

Matt smirked. "Told him to fuck off, of course. What else?"

"You have a knack for that."

"That's when he shoved me and...well, you know. This." He pointed at his face and Velasquez nodded.

"Sounds like he was being a jerk," she replied.

"What's new? He's always a jerk."

"If I could, I would've told him a thing or two, but my job doesn't allow me to be biased. Still, I can't forgive someone who takes a crap load of lollipops from my jar with a smug look on his face. I'm glad he was out of here quick."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Just that you started the fight."

"Asshole...," Matt muttered under his breath. 

She tossed her empty jello cup into a trash can (she ate that fast) and said, "For what it's worth, I knew he wasn't telling the truth in the first place."

"You're always siding with me," the tired teen remarked.

"You don't want me to?"

"I do."

She chuckled. "Then be thankful I do."

"I thought you weren't supposed to be biased," he said.

"Who says I'm biased if it's between you and me?" she responded with a smirk. Matt managed a smile and ignored the slight sting on his bottom lip from the small cut.

Velasquez pushed her chair towards her desk and said, "Why don't you go wash up in the bathroom? It'll wake you up. Plus, you're sweaty."

"Oh yeah." Matt felt how damp the collar of his shirt was.

"You were also muttering in your sleep and turning a lot. Have you been okay? Bad dream?"

Matt didn't answer her question and went straight for the bathroom off to the side. He closed the door behind him, stood in front of the sink and took a deep breath. He carefully washed his face as to not agitate his sensitive skin. When he dried his face, he looked up over the paper towel to see himself for the first time.

One brown eye, left, so dark that sometimes it looked black. It was the color that should have been in the other eye. Instead, his right eye was much lighter; a piercing, cool, icy blue. It's a funny occurrence because his parents had brown eyes. Everyone before them had brown eyes. There's no way he should have had this color. Matt's heterochromia has been a defining feature ever since he could remember. The first thing people see is that one eye, and then the rest of the kid comes after. It's gotten Matt quite some attention, for better or for worse.

"One-eye," he scoffed. "What a stupid nickname. Why is it still something to make fun of?" He touched the right side of his face, where the bruises were. Danny always went for the right side of Matt's face first. He had always wondered why, if that bastard is right-handed and should go for Matt's left side, until he looked in the mirror one day and finally figured it out.

Matt felt a little better and more refreshed than he did earlier. Nurse Velasquez was still on her rolling chair, working on her computer. The tired teen leaned on her desk and reached into the lollipop jar. Only he is allowed to take more than one, but he still takes one to be nice.

"Where's my backpack?" he asked.

"Closet," she answered without looking and pointed her thumb to the closet next to her. Matt opened it to snatch his backpack up from the bottom. When he closed it, his eyes landed on one of the pictures Velasquez had on her desk. It was of her, another woman, and a girl of Matt's age. The girl was familiar and Matt's heart skipped a beat. He looked away from the picture immediately.

"I'll get going," he announced.

Velasquez turned. "Leaving so soon, buddy?"

"If I could stay here for the rest of the school year, I would, but, you know, education," he retorted as he made his way to the door.

"Hold up," she said. Matt waited and watched the nurse push herself to the fridge and grab a few jello cups. "On the house." She tossed them at him and he caught them with a small smile on his face.

"Spoon?" he asked.

"All out, my friend. You'll have to inhale the whole thing in one go," she said with fake despair.

Matt laughed, something he could never really do at school unless it's because of Velasquez. "Thanks for the help. And for the jello."

She waved him goodbye. "Take care, Matt. Try not to get killed by Thea."

"No promises," he hollered as he finally left the nurse's office.

✥✥✥✥✥

Matt tended to wait off to the side after school. Not many people hung out in these areas, except a few couples that wanted a quick make out because they had to go home and not see each other for a few hours. He grew accustomed to those kinds of people and it definitely helps to have music.

Matt felt at ease. It's fortunate Danny has after-school practice all the time, or else Matt would suffer more than he already does. Still, the guy is the relentless type regardless, even after all these years. With a relieved sigh, he took out a '79 Walkman from his backpack and held it in his lap. It lay with colors blue and gray faded thanks to time. The wording at the front was worn from other hands that had held it like he did, that had owned it before him.

He was at unfaltering bliss the moment he put in his earphones and pressed the start button. The gears inside started rolling out the tape, something that Matt likes to watch through the little window every now and then. The sound was old, as was typical for a mixtape from the 80s, and Lay Me Down by The Connells started playing. It was the kind of song that didn't have a definitive meaning to him. It's just nice to listen to. Like most of the songs on here.

This Walkman and its tapes hold so many memories in it: Matt's memories and the memories of a life before his. This little, outdated device was one of the last things remaining of a simpler time. He had very few photos, very few tokens of that life which he would never have again. This was the most important. This Walkman. These tapes. This music.

After sitting under a tree and waiting about twenty minutes, he spotted his ride come in through the school gates. Its black exterior glinted at him, as if to say "get ready, loser, you're in for it". Matt hit pause on the Walkman and made his way to the car. The tint on the windows made the figure sitting in the driver's seat more foreboding than need be. He opened the passenger's side and hopped in. In the driver's seat was a woman in her early-thirties, dark hair put up in a messy bun and thick-rimmed glasses on her olive-toned face. Her honey-brown eyes shot to him. Sternly, his aunt greeted, "We're going to have a talk."

"Hi, Thea. It's good to be alive to see you after getting the crap pummeled out of me," Matt replied as he put his seatbelt on.

She sighed. "It's great to see you too, Matt. Look at me."

"I'm fine," he said, but she grabbed at his face anyway. She grimaced at the reddish splotches at the side of Matt's face.

"Aye, Matteo...," she murmured.

The truck behind them honked to let Thea know she was holding up the pickup line. She responded by frowning at the rearview mirror, shifting into drive, and muttering, "Alright, alright, pendejo."

While they drove home to their apartment, Thea spoke, "This is the second incident already and you're still in the first semester."

"I know."

"You need to stop doing this, Matt. I really mean it.

"I know."

"You're a great student, but this kind of stuff overshadows it and that's just not who you are...!"

"I know.."

She frowned at him. "Are you listening?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied obediently. She eyed him with mock suspicion for a moment before moving on.

"Do I need to have a talk with the Coopers again?" she questioned. Well, it was more like a threat towards Danny more than anything else.

"You remember what happened last time," Matt remarked.

"So what if I got into it with his mom? You're my kid and I have to look out for you. She should've known that more than anyone else."

"She does know that, but her methods are different. How do you think Danny turned out to be such an ass?"

"His whole family is ridiculous. Can't believe I even voted for Jennette Cooper for the district school board. Although I should have known better; she was always such a damn snake at the high school when I was in middle school, from what your dad used to say..."

"Looks like one too."

Thea chuckled mischievously. "I know right? Those narrow-ass eyes." Both of them shared a laugh.

Matt leaned his head against the seat and said, "Don't talk to his parents again."

"I should."

"I'm telling you not to. For my sake, too. Danny wasn't very pleased with me the following weeks after that night."

Thea groaned aloud and gripped the steering wheel tight. "I don't get it! How the hell does a kid like that stay enrolled?"

"He's a top varsity football player, his mom's part of the school board, his dad is an attorney, and his older sister is an all-star alumni who serves as an example for his 'future'," Matt deadpanned.

Thea was quiet for a moment. With a scowl, she spat, "So?"

"Leave it, Thea," he insisted.

She harrumphed and left the subject at that.

"Are you mad at me?" Matt asked her.

She shook her head. "Not really. A little. Okay, yes, but it's wearing off. I'm concerned, is what I am. I mean, I should help you avoid this stuff but I just keep sucking at it after all these years. You shouldn't be going through this after everything you've been through. You're sixteen, this should be over and done with by now."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. Matt wasn't going to play the fool; he knew these sorts of things only escalated on account of his restless, fiery attitude. He was fully aware of his wrongdoings, but these situations keep occurring because the other person never seems to see their own. Besides, he wasn't going to fight against the sole person who has always looked out for him. He did that once and that was the last time he went against Thea ever again.

Thea sighed and said, "It's alright, Matt. Just...control yourself and stay safe. You're a good kid above these incidents."

"Yeah." He didn't necessarily agree, but he would allow Thea this certainty.

"But I am grounding you from video games and phone privileges for a week," she added bluntly.

"There it is," he muttered.

A few moments later, Thea glanced at the Walkman in his hands and asked, "Which tape is it this time?"

Matt remembered—he always does—and immediately responded, "Good vibes."

She chuckled. "That tape was my favorite. I helped give recommendations."

"Which songs?"

"Mmmm...," Thea hummed in thought. "I think I recommended Don't Stop Believin'."

Matt stifled a snort. She eyed him for a moment and said, "What? Why'd you humph?"

"Basic song, Thea."

"Oh, whatever, '80s connoisseur'! I really liked that song, alright? Even if it was overly popular. Geez."

It wasn't until a few minutes later that they arrived to their destination: a series of apartment complexes in a neighborhood. Children played in the mini park in the center, where Thea used to take Matt for picnics when he was younger. Eventually, those picnics stopped, and sometimes Matt has urges to have one again, yet he can never bring himself to mention it.

He was happy to be back home. The day had been long and that nap he took in Nurse Velasquez's office hadn't seemed to suffice for him. Once Thea parked, Matt was eagerly out of the car. The both of them went up the stairs up until the third and top floor. Apartment 302, Block D. The sight of those grimy numbers on the white door always gave Matt relief ever since he could remember.

When he tried to go straight to his room, Thea grabbed onto the sleeve of his hoodie and wagged her finger. "Phone," she demanded. Matt willingly gave it up and the black-haired woman smiled sweetly. "This'll be with me when we're home. Got it?" she said. The teen boy nodded.

Upon entering his room, Matt closed the door behind him and tossed his backpack to the side. With a huff, he fell backwards onto his bed and let his body unwind. Some areas of his arms and torso ached slightly from the bruises he gained earlier. He wished he put up a better fight but things would've ended even worse for him that way. "Screw you, Cooper," he muttered sourly.

Matt remembered the Walkman he had put in his hoodie pocket and pulled it out. He popped open the lid and stared at the tape inside with the written title 'Good Vibes' on it. He had been listening to this tape for over a week by now. It was time to switch out again.

Matt leaned over the edge of his bed and reached under for the cardboard box he kept there. Inside was an assortment of other tapes, each with their own labels representing different moods or genres. Some tapes were dedicated to 80s rock music, and others were synth pop. Some tapes were made for the purpose of capturing feelings like happiness, sadness, or being young and in love—which was a staple for a lot of 80s music. Matt loves every single type of mixtape in his box of wonders.

He grabbed a tape labeled 'Catalina' and switched it out with 'Good Vibes'. Yes, he loves all of the tapes, but there will always be favorites. 'Catalina' was one of them. He put his earphones in and pressed play on the Walkman. The first song that began playing was Never Too Much by Luther Vandross. The funky rhythm made Matt smile every time.

"Your mother always dances to this song. She can't help herself, haha."

Matt remembers those moments. She'd dance and dance away, sometimes swooping him up in her arms so he'd join in.

"If we had a wedding, this would've been our song. Sometimes I dance with her to it, imagining we had that dream wedding."

He imagined that too, his father and mother dancing together. Instead of the living room, he'd picture the shiny, marble floor, beautiful lights hanging from above, the song playing throughout the room, his father in a crisp suit and his mother in a big, white dress.

"One day you'll find a song for the person you love, Matteo, and you'll want to make tapes of your own for them too."

Matt laid down in bed, rubbing his thumb over the Walkman's front. He listened to Catalina, to the tape that represented everything about his mother, to the tape that was borne from his father's love.

"Come to bed with tía, okay? Your mom and dad want you asleep by the time they get home."

He stared at the ceiling, just listening to everything in these songs. Their rhythms, their beats, their melodies and lyrics.

"Who's calling me? Hello? Yes, this is Thealina Vega..."

He imagined how his mother would dance to each song. She'd be slow and graceful to the ballads, and energetic and swift with the upbeat jams. The sight was breathtaking: her chocolate-brown hair fluttering in the air as she moved, her eyes closed as she let the music flow through her limbs, her smile genuine.

"What...? N-No, that can't... Oh my god...!"

He loved dancing with her. She was so good. She used to tell stories of when she'd dance for the people in her town. They'd praise her. Ángel de la danza, they would say. His father ended up calling her ángel all the time.

"Matt, put your shoes and jacket on. We have to go somewhere. You can sleep in the car, okay? What? Oh, I'm—I'm crying because...because..."

Catalina Castro: ángel de la danza. His father's angel. Matt's angel.

"I'm sorry, Matt. I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry...!"

Matt ran his hands through his dark hair and sighed aloud. Often, these memories reoccur and he can't help but let them in. His therapist used to say that he shouldn't suppress them, but he shouldn't let them consume him either. That's how he becomes lost and out of touch with everything, even himself. And even if they're painful, he relives them anyway. He has to.

"Your mom and dad...they won't be coming back."

He could still vividly remember everything that had happened that night. From Thea's profuse tears to the way the doctor's crow's feet were accentuated as he frowned and brought the bad news.

"Time of death was approximately one a-m... We did all we could, ma'am..."

Ever since then, Matt has felt cursed.

"Mr. Vega and Ms. Castro were dead before they arrived."

First that fateful night, and then the rest came after in gradual succession.

"We need to perform an autopsy to determine their cause of death, but...well, I don't think this next part is best to say in front of the boy...."

Matt's grown to take his little "curse" with stride over time. What more can he do?

"What? You're kidding me! Th-Their house... Is there anything left at all? I don't care how burned it is! I'll go tomorrow...with my nephew..."

An unfortunate boy, indeed.

It was on the tenth song that he pressed pause and removed his earphones. He checked the time on the alarm clock on his dresser across from his bed. Almost time for him to take his medication. Thea would be making dinner by now too. He can hear her in the kitchen actually, cooking something on the stove.

As he set the Walkman aside, he grabbed for the box of tapes. Along with the tapes, there was an envelope, worn at the corners from time. Inside were pictures similar in one aspect: they were all partially burned.

These were the only photos that miraculously remained, while the rest had been destroyed: there was a picture of him as a baby; one of his mother, one of he and his mother together and smiling, one of Matt's first Christmas, one of his seventh (and their last) Halloween (together), one of Thea holding Matt as a baby, one of his father sleeping beside him in a kids' bed. Out of all of them, his favorite was the picture of his mother and father together. He was giving a big ol' smooch on her plump cheek while she was laughing.

This was it. All he had left of a time in his life that felt like a dream now. No toys, no clothes, no knickknacks had survived. It was only this, these few remnants of a life taken from him by flame and a faceless killer.

"Matt," Thea's voice called from behind his door. "Food's ready."

"Okay. I'll be out in a sec." Matt carefully put the pictures and envelope away, and tucked the box back under his bed. It's best he stop thinking about this stuff for now.

When he walked out, Thea was setting up something to watch on the TV in the living room. He walked by and joked, "Putting on your k-dramas again?"

"No!" she denied with a pout. Then she looked away and muttered, "Yeah..."

Before Matt could take a seat at the dining table, his aunt came up and grabbed his face again. He scrunched up his nose and tried to wriggle free.

"You look more bummed out than before," she pointed out.

"I'm tired."

"I've been with you for eight years now. You should know I don't fall for that line anymore."

"Force of habit."

"Want to talk?"

"No. I'm hungry."

With a small smile, she pinched his cheek and said, "Go ahead and sit down."

A few minutes later, the food was ready and Thea served him a plate. She hadn't expected him to scarf half of it down before she could even sit and enjoy her meal. It was a good thing she always makes enough for seconds, or thirds, and sometimes even fourths...

"So," Matt started, "is he, like, not human?"

"He's a forest spirit, yeah," Thea replied.

"And this girl got banished from her kingdom and now she's in love with him?"

"Well, not yet. It's barely episode three."

"But they will fall in love, right? That's how these things work."

"Yeah, but it gets complicated.

"What, some wind spirit's gonna come and say 'hey, I'm into you too, let's hook up'?"

Thea sipped her drink with a smirk.

"Really??"

"There are dragonmen too, so I hear."

"Damn, she's gonna get some dragon ass? No wonder she got kicked out of the kingdom—she's into all this wild stuff."

"Shut up and let me enjoy my show," Thea laughed.

Once Matt finally had his fill, he put his dishes away and opened up the medicine cabinet by the fridge. Dead-center in front were his antipsychotics. He took his evening dose without any water (he's already used to it) and closed up the cabinet again. Thea was out of her seat by the time he sat down. While she stood, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Matt didn't try to protest this time and simply took the hug.

"I love you, you know that?" she said.

"I know."

"I'm always here for you," she added.

"I know..."

Thea leaned over to see his face. "Feel like talking now?"

"N-No..."

She pouted and murmured, "Okay, okay... I guess we don't need to talk. I could always just...poke the smile out of ya." She proceeded to poke at his sides, forcing laughter out of him. There was no escaping Thea once she had you in her tickle clutches, even after eight years.

"Thea," Matt whined, "stop! I'm not a little kid, I—hahaha! Thea!"

The teen boy was left giggling and breathless by the time she stopped. She squeezed his shoulders and asked, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, you jerk," he huffed with a smile on his face.

"Oh, you liked it," she chimed. With a beguiling smirk, she came around and held his face again. Matt's mood was significantly better and it showed on his face. He was always so emotive.

Thea couldn't help but stare at his blue eye. It was one of many amazing things about him. The bruises around this eye in particular were not the first of its kind and it always broke Thea's heart knowing that anyone would want to ruin that image. Matt was gifted with such a unique look and yet he insists it's a part of his "curse" because other people seem to think so.

Tenderly, Thea kissed the top of his head and said, "Take it easy, okay?"

Matt nodded, understanding what she meant. Glancing at the sink, he asked, "Do I still have to do dishes?"

"Oh, definitely."

He scrunched his nose at her before getting up to do his chore. Thea chuckled and chirped, "I'll be chilling on the couch, watching my drama."

"Enjoy your kinky dragonmen," the teen boy teased.

"Ha, you know it," she jested back. Matt rolled his eyes and turned on the faucet.

When he had finished washing the dishes, he took a seat on the couch next to Thea and watched the show with her. They remained silent to each other but she would unconsciously pet his black hair as a way to sate her fidgeting. He didn't mind. He never minded. It was moments like this when he could just relax and unwind that made him appreciate what he had now. Yes, he had lost a lot, but he knew something was better than nothing. Thea was better than being with a family he had no prior acquaintance to. Nurse Velasquez being one of his only friends was better than no friends at all. He never wanted to take anything for granted, because deep inside he thought he might lose it all. He's "cursed". But that doesn't mean he'll take life as it comes without some fight every now and then. That's just how he has to be.