"-fine, whatever. See you later."

Jackson, along with the rest of his coterie, storms off.

That wasn't what he expected, either. He's revising his estimates up that this is some kind of elaborate prank.

He's about to ask Danny to explain what the hell just happened when-

"Babe, are you okay? This isn't like you."

Babe. Babe? Babe!? Babe.

What the fuck is today.

"Okay, I don't want to deal with this right now. Can you tell me what the fuck they're planning, or are you really this much of a dick?"

Danny backs up, glancing at the remaining trailing students- not enough for this to qualify as 'making a scene', but this really isn't a good look. What is Matt thinking?

"Why don't we take this a step back. Are you okay missing Econ?"

"I'd skip school to get away from whatever pig's blood bullshit they're planning."

His hands are starting to shake, and he can feel his heartbeat. He can't let them do this, he can't just let these guys walk all over him. They're the same damn age- he's stronger than some of them, he thinks, he could probably fight back.

"-Matt, what's going on? Are you okay? What do you need me to do?"

Phone out- text to Jackson, text to Stilinski- phone away-

Hand on Matt's shoulder-

"Don't touch me, you fucking prick!"

He can't do this right now, he can't. Matt stalks off, trying to control his breathing. His breathing is his. His lungs are his. They belong to him, and if anyone tries to touch them again, he's going to kill them. It's as simple as that. He's had that clarity for years now. It's not happening again. He's never going to be just helpless again.

Matt does end up skipping school.

He manages to avoid the panic attack, or flashback, or whatever they're called. He avoids his classmates, too. He ignores his phone for hours, after which he has missed calls from "Stiles Stilinski", Jackson, Danny, Brian, and his parents.

He takes photographs. Photographs of moments in nature where the lighting and the wind and the leaves are just right. Photographs of people who look like they have interesting stories, who make Matt want to go up to them and demand to unfurl their skin and see the secrets inside. Photographs of anything that catches his eye. Matt takes photographs. That's what he does. It makes sense.

Several other things don't make sense.

For example: when Matt gets home, his parents are conspiratorially jovial but authoritatively firm, rather than deeply concerned and perpetually confused.

For example: "Stiles Stilinski", an annoying guy Matt barely knows, has left him a 13-minute voicemail.

For example: Danny Māhealani, the most eligible gay kid in their county, has been texting him like he's a concerned boyfriend, rather than a mere acquaintance.

For example: the schedule he penciled in at the front of his agenda/planner/handbook is completely different than it has been since the school year started.

For example: ...

For example: the list of spring sports in the student handbook does not mention swimming.

For example: the website shows no signs that swimming was ever a sport offered by Beacon Hills High School.

For example: the high school yearbook from that year, dog-eared on the pages where those attempted murderers stared out at him mockingly- it's missing.

Like none of it ever happened.

It's not a hypothesis. It's too ridiculous to be a hypothesis.

Matt decides to check in the morning.

It's the same the next day, after he's done his usual morning routine.

There are other differences, too.

There are different (and more) posters on his walls. He has a stack of comic books he never bought. He owns swim trunks.

It's ridiculous, but. The yearbook is still missing. The handbook still says that there are all kinds of spring sports, but doesn't include swimming.

Matt takes a picture, first. The handbook page, looking just as it does now. Maybe it won't matter, if this is really something- beyond his understanding.

But it's worth a shot.

It should be a simple test. First, Matt looks for evidence that he expects to change.

• His own yearbooks, which shouldn't disappear but should be changed by what he does.
• The school's website, which should reflect the sports BHHS offers
• His photos, which currently includes pictures of his "boyfriend", Danny, wearing his lacrosse uniform

Then, he crosses it out.

Lacrosse.

And a photo of that.

Not that it will matter, not if the photographs he's taken are changing, too. But that's the point of the test.

Click.

Matt checks. He checks the yearbooks, the website, and the photos of his boyfriend, Danny.

Danny plays water polo now. Of course he does. He's idly curious if Whittemore would have gone for it, or if he's drilling for basketball while Matt is delaying breakfast. Speaking of Whittemore...

Shit. If there never was a swim team at BHHS, and if that means that it never happened- Matt checks his contacts for Isaac.

Not there. Did they lose touch? What kind of heartless- well, he knows the answer to that. It's not like he stayed friends with Isaac to begin with, why should he expect better from the unfucked version of himself.

He wonders if his parents are happier.

Breakfast is...smooth. No worried glances, fewer grey hairs than he remembers, and overall, mostly signs of a normal, functional family dynamic. A marriage under less strain.

Matt stews as he chews his toast. He makes the usual noises. His parents seem surprised by what must be a change in his demeanor, even though he's being perfectly civil, perfectly pleasant, perfectly everything their perfect little son must have been.

He doesn't finish his toast.

The real question on his mind is, what are the rules? Can he go back to his original world? Is he working with a single timeline, permanently wiping out what came before, or is he jumping tracks? Is he on his third timeline?

Matt considers the conundrum. He could erase his strikethroughs (which unlike every other piece of evidence, don't seem to vanish, because they're an essential part of the mechanism?), but he isn't sure-

He isn't sure his original timeline is a better one to work from.

In this version of events, Matt Daehler has popular friends that like him.

In this version of events, Matt Daehler has a happy family that trusts him.

In this version of events, Matt Daehler has a charming boyfriend that wants him.

In this version of events, Matt Daehler has leverage. He plans to use it.