Matt's Story: A Night We Said Yes Novella

By Lauren Gibaldi

We've seen Ella's story in The Night We Said Yes, but now we'll hear Matt's tale in this e-original novella from Lauren Gibaldi.

Seventeen-year-old Matt had the perfect life in Orlando. He met the girl of his dreams, rocked out on bass in an awesome band, and partied with the best group of friends he could ask for. But then his family gets a call and he has to move back to Texas—immediately. Now stuck with no possibility of ever seeing his friends in Orlando again, Matt is ready to give up. But can he open up his heart to new friends and a second chance?

Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Release date: Aug 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062391551

Lauren Gibaldi

Lauren Gibaldi is a librarian in Orlando, Florida, where she lives with her husband and daughter. The Night We Said Yes and Autofocus were her two first books for young adults, and This Tiny Perfect World is her third. Find her online at www.laurengibaldi.com or on Twitter @laurengibaldi.

Book preview

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Back Ad

About the Author

Books by Lauren Gibaldi

Copyright

About the Publisher

CHAPTER 1

Matt, can you answer the question?

I look up and see thirty-two sets of eyes on me, anxiously waiting for me to crash and burn. If this were the first time Mr. Benson had called on me, the thirty-two sets of eyes wouldn’t care. They’d stay glued to the phones hidden under the desks, the notes being passed, or even, maybe, the notes being taken. But no, this isn’t the first time. It’s probably the fifth, and it won’t be the last.

Can you repeat the question? I mumble.

Over the snickers I hear the audible sigh coming from Mr. Benson. He tries, he really does, but I just can’t seem to concentrate on the trigonometry problems he writes on the board. They’re numbers and letters and just as mixed up as I am. If I can’t figure out myself, how can I figure out a problem that has absolutely nothing to do with me? In a former life, I was actually a decent student, but there’s something about guilt and regret and disappointment that make you stop caring.

Mr. Benson starts to repeat the problem again, and I hear tapping coming from the desk next to me. A girl—Cindy, I think—is hitting her pen on her paper, pointing to the number forty-six and giving me a hard stare.

She could be lying. She could be leading me on to make everyone laugh. But what the hell, I have nothing to lose. I pretend to mentally calculate the problem in my head, scrunching up my face and letting my eyes drift to the ceiling, and answer Forty-six? when he gets to the end.

Yes, he says, audibly relieved and surprised. Very good, now . . . , he continues, but I zone out again. I look over at maybe-Cindy and give her a half smile, whispering, Thanks. She nods back with an amused smile and wide blue eyes. She has auburn hair that waves down her back, and blunt bangs. Her nose is small and juts out a bit like a ski slope, and she kind of reminds me of, funnily enough, Cindy Lou Who, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Maybe that’s why I think her name is Cindy.

If I were Jake, I’d invite her back to my house and we’d be making out within minutes. But I’m not Jake, and she’s not Ella, so her bangs and eyes and nose don’t really matter to me.

I turn back to the paper I’ve written nothing on and realize that Can you repeat the question? was the first thing I’ve said all day.

The bell rings, and all thirty-two sets of eyes find partners and talk about their plans for the weekend. It’s Friday, after all, so everyone has something to do, while I have a nice TV marathon waiting for me. If this was any other year, I’d try to fit in, try finding a group to blend in to and maybe make friends, but it all seems so pointless now. It’s February . . . college is around the corner, barreling down on us, and we’re all leaving anyway.

I just wish I’d gotten to finish out senior year in Orlando. Life was awesome for those six months there. I had friends, a girlfriend, a life. After a lifetime of temporary houses and temporary friends because of moving around for Dad’s job so much, I finally felt, I don’t know, stable. And then we were uprooted to Houston in December, ruining everything. And let’s not forget the shitty reason why we’re here.

I make my way into the hall, bumping into a few people gathering around the door, and hear my name.

Matt. Matt!

I turn around and see maybe-Cindy walking toward me.

Hey, she says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Cindy, she says, pointing to herself. Ah, I was right.

Yeah, hey, I say. What’s up?

Um, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to study sometime? You seem kind of . . . lost in there.

I push my glasses back on my nose and look down. It’s nice she’s inviting me to study, but I’ve managed to go the past two months here without making friends, and I’m okay with that. I look up and see not Cindy, but Ella looking back at me. She’s standing in the hallway, shuffling from foot to foot, and I want to grab her, but I can’t because she’s not really here, and I’m not there, and it’s all in my head.

Yeah, kind of, I say, instead, shaking the vision away, but it’s cool. I’m figuring it out. Thanks anyway. I try to sound appreciative, but also give her a no at the same time.

Oh, okay, she says with a shrug. Have a good weekend. With a smile and a wave she turns around and walks in the other direction, and part of me feels guilty and wants to chase her down and say, Sure, but the other part just really doesn’t care.

After the final bell, and a long trek through the parking lot, I get in my car and drive to Chris’s rehab facility. I don’t have to go, but Mom’s going to be late, and Dad is obviously

Reviews for Matt's Story

[paperbackpropensity · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were some sweet moments between Matt and Ella. I enjoyed the way it flipped between "then" and "now," and I enjoyed watching the relationship develop. I was a bit diasappointed when the reason Matt left was revealed. There was such mystery surrounding it, and when we find out it just doesn't seem complete, or that big a deal. Ella was a likeable character, and her development is what I loved the most. By the end, I was really proud of her. Her best friend however, grated on my nerves a bit. She seemed a cliche blonde bombshell in a destructive relationship, and the beginning, the author had Ella trying to convince me (as a reader) that Meg (the best friend) was much more complex, but I really never saw any of that. It was all tell. She is protective but not supportive, and I felt her change of heart towards the end happened a bit too quickly. It was always clear though that Meg loves her best friend and I loved the bond they share. A good summer read.

[imagiphantaria · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were some sweet moments between Matt and Ella. I enjoyed the way it flipped between "then" and "now," and I enjoyed watching the relationship develop. I was a bit diasappointed when the reason Matt left was revealed. There was such mystery surrounding it, and when we find out it just doesn't seem complete, or that big a deal. Ella was a likeable character, and her development is what I loved the most. By the end, I was really proud of her. Her best friend however, grated on my nerves a bit. She seemed a cliche blonde bombshell in a destructive relationship, and the beginning, the author had Ella trying to convince me (as a reader) that Meg (the best friend) was much more complex, but I really never saw any of that. It was all tell. She is protective but not supportive, and I felt her change of heart towards the end happened a bit too quickly. It was always clear though that Meg loves her best friend and I loved the bond they share. A good summer read.

[susan.macura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of Ella, told from two different time periods. The first is from one year ago, the night she, Matt and her friends decided to simply say yes to everything for a night of magical adventures. Then there is now, after Matt broke her heart and things are different. Ella has to decide if she should give Matt another chance and risk breaking her heart further, or if she should play it safe, and simply go away to college. In the end, she simply goes for it all, saying yes.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ella is still heartbroken over Matthew. When she runs into him at a party, her world tilts. He wants to reconnect by recreating the night they first met. A night where they agreed, along with Meg and Jake to say yes to their ideas for adventure. The narrative shifts between the two nights - then and now - and follows a similar timeline. A look at their romance and if it can be rekindled and the friendships of the members of the group over time.

[readingbeader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because I was in the mood for a second chance romance. I finished it because the alternating chapters of Then (a year ago) and Now, kept me on my toes even though I knew where we were going. It took the "scenic route."

Matt moved away and never returned Ella's phone calls or emails, leaving her worried about him, then heartbroken. They hadn't even broken up! He comes back six months later and wants her to recreate the first night they met, hoping to win her back. Ella's hurt, and rightfully so; Matt had his reasons, for what he did, but she doesn't trust him anymore.

I loved this sweet romance. Matt and Ella are typical teenagers trying to figure out who they are, and how they want to live their lives. I liked the format; I even like the idea of a night where you say yes to everything. (There are limits in game, already in place.)