So I've started another story. I don't think it is as good as Love Hurts though. I much prefer that. Yeah. Please review.

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The boy ran into the recently renovated house, slamming the wooden door behind him. Tears streamed down his face and all life had left his deep blue eyes.

'Why do I do this to myself?' he asked himself.

His steps slowed as he approached the sitting room where his aging mother was situated. He schooled his expression to one of disinterest and boredom as he passed the door and headed for the stairs down to his bedroom. However, his efforts were in vain and he heard his mother call out to him.

"Matthew! What happened?!"

'Shit!' Matthew thought. Keeping his face turned away, he replied,

"Nothing, mum. I'm fine".

He quickened his pace and had his bedroom door shut firmly behind him before his mother could think of a reply.

'Fuck, that was close! With the state I'm in, who knows what I might have said.'

Leaning against his door, Matthew slid to the floor, cradling his head in his hands. His soft auburn hair hid his face completely, the wavy locks coming down to his shoulders.

His slim form began to shake, overcome with tension. Thoughts collided in the boy's mind and feelings of guilt and pain clouded his vision.

'Why did this have to happen? Why can't I be normal? I can't do anything without thinking about Him. What will my parents think? What will my friends think?'

Matthew's thoughts turned panicked and his dramatic side got the better of him.

'I'm screwed. He's going to hate me. My parents will throw me out. Life as I know it will end. Oh, god!'

On the verge of hyperventilating, Matthew took control and started breathing deeply.

'It's okay. Everything will be fine,' he reassured himself.

Just as he was regaining his ability to think rationally, the phone rang. Matthew's head snapped up, looking in the direction of the phone. It took him a moment to realise that it wasn't going to answer itself and then he slowly picked himself up off the floor. When he finally got to the phone, his head was pounding from all the crying.

"Hello?" his tired voice asked.

"Hey, Matt. It's Adrian."

'Oh, god. Of all the people it could have been, it had to be Him!' Matt's heart pulled at the sound of Adrian's voice. 'Stay cool,' he told himself.

"I know who it is, dufus," he said with a falsely cheery voice. "I've been your friend for two years now, you know."

There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone line.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry 'bout that. Hey, listen. What was up with you today? You left really quickly."

'Shitfuckfuckshit!'

"Oh, I. wasn't feeling very well. Thought I should get home."

There was an awkward silence.

"Oh, okay then. Well, I was just checking. You seemed pissed off at me for some reason and I was just wondering-"

"Oh, no! I wasn't pissed off! I just felt like shit. Sorry, man."

"That's cool. Okay, well. I'll see you tomorrow."

Matthew sighed quietly. "Cool. See you." Then he hung up.

Exhausted, he collapsed onto his queen-size bed and stared up at the black ceiling.

'Why did I have to run? How could I be so stupid?'

He remembered back to that afternoon.

***

Adrian, Fred and Matthew had been sitting outside the school talking after school as they usually did. The conversation had turned to girls and Fred and Adrian were vehemently debating the sincerity and magnetism of the school slut.

Funnily enough, Matthew had no interest whatsoever in this topic and was instead berating himself.

'I need to stop doing this. I'm just hurting myself. I mean seriously. I sit around listening to him drool over girls for Christ's sake! I should just split it now. We can go our separate ways and I can fall for someone else. Preferably someone who feels the same way. Damn it!'

When Matthew didn't contribute to the conversation, Fred and Adrian decided to prompt him.

"So, what do you think, Matt?" asked Fred.

"Oh, I don't really know."

"But you think she's hot, right?" Fred persisted.

"Well." 'What the hell,' Matt thought. 'It can't hurt.'

"What?"

"I've seen better," he confessed.

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter."

Matthew blushed.

"Oh, you've got it bad," Adrian teased, a smirk on his soft lips. "So who is she?"

"It doesn't matter," Matt repeated.

"Sure it does. Or are you embarrassed because you picked a chick who looks like Adrian?" Fred asked, a huge grin on his face.

Matt sat stunned.

'How did they know?'

He went unnoticed as the other two fought.

"What are you saying? I'm ugly?" Adrian questioned.

"Hey, you said it. Not me."

Adrian lunged at Fred and wrapped his fingers around his throat. Smiling, he growled.

"Now you die."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Get off me you dweeb."

Meanwhile Matthew had stood up and picked up his things. He needed to get out of there.

"Listen, guys. I've got to go. See you tomorrow."

And then he fled, leaving two very confused boys behind him.

***

Matthew sighed.

'I should have just played along. They didn't notice anything. I'm just paranoid. This is getting out of hand.'

He couldn't stop thinking about Adrian and his beautiful grey eyes. They said so much and yet, nothing at all. They mesmerised Matthew, reducing him to a puddle on the floor. And then there was his hair, an amazing black, and his hands, so graceful and soft. His perfectly toned body and amazing intellect.

Matt shook his head. 'Stop it! Adrian is completely straight. I have no chance whatsoever. Stop hurting yourself!'

He tried to think of something else for a while. Anything else. But he always ended up back at Adrian. Schoolteachers and friends morphed into the boy of his dreams as did sports opponents and even equipment.

In the end, he gave up and decided to attempt sleep. Taking a longing glance at the framed photo of him and Adrian at a soccer game on his bedside table, Matthew turned off the light and prepared himself for another long and sleepless night.

'Why do I do this to myself?'

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Please review!