Author's Note: Something I drafted up last night. Not sure I'm entirely happy with it yet - I think it could use a bit more editing.

CRUSHED!

“Oi! Cass! You heard the news?”

I look up from the magazine I'm reading as my friend, Marie, plops herself down in the chair on the other side of the table. Her plump face is crinkled into a big cheesy grin. I resist the urge to frown and roll my eyes – Marie's always bursting with some new rumour hot off the press of her never-ending networking with the other girls in our class or her constant in-depth perusals of the latest magazines or gossip sites smattered across the internet. It's good to have a mate that always seemed to be keeping tabs on anything with a pulse, but the trouble is, she never actually checks her stories out. Once, she showed up at my house at two in the morning, standing outside my door and balling her eyes out in the pouring rain ‘cos she’d just heard that her favourite band had been killed in a terrible bus crash. Of course, when she found out several hours later that it had all been a hoax some stupid radio station had pulled in an attempt to boost ratings or whatever, she was about as inconsolable – only because her beloved Gerard Flash (the hot but sleazy-looking guitarist) was, in fact, alive.

“What is it, Marie?” I sigh.

“Oh my God, I just read this on the Net. This is just the funniest bit of news I’ve heard since that whole thing with Nadine Summers and the vacuum cleaner...”

I can’t hold back a sigh as Marie rattles on at a rate of about thirty-words-a-second about the latest celebrity goss that has just been spewed out of Hollywood onto that infectious disease known as the Internet and onto Marie’s monitor at home. I tune out and glance around at the other patrons crowding the busy café. Man, this place really gets busy on a Saturday, doesn’t it…?

“….So anyway, I was getting kinda bored after hearing all about that whole gerbil issue with Randy Hannigan, so I went online and I was running a search on that actor you like, Taine Komashi, and I found his website.” At the sound of Taine Komashi’s name, my attention is ripped away from how busy the café is and back to Marie. “And I’m looking through his bio, and his gallery, and all that kinda stuff, and I have to admit, you’ve got, like, really good taste in guys, this one is so hot. Or so I thought, ‘cos then I clicked on the link for the latest news page, and you’re soooo not gonna believe what was plastered all over the page.”

“What was plastered all over the front page, Marie?” I ask.

Marie reaches over and picks off part off the double-chocolate muffin that sits on my plate. I grimace before pushing the plate her way – I don’t want to eat anything someone else had been prodding at! Especially when their fingernails have been freshly painted in a tone of green that must go by the name of ‘Shades of Snot’. Gross… C’mon Marie! For someone who knows everything that seems to be going on in the world, you’d think the least she could do was find out what fingernail polishes Nicolette Parada preferred and pick one that didn’t resemble something from out of a nostril.

I take a swig of my coffee as I notice one of the café staff tottering over to our table.

“Morning girls,” Jarryd greets us. “How’s it going?”

“Good, good,” I reply. “How are you?”

“I’m absolutely fab, dear. I saw this absolutely lovely shirt on sale down the road at Mina’s this morning on my way to work.”

“Oh, the dark green one made of satin on display out front?” I venture.

“Yeah, that’s the one! Anyway, it’s payday today, so I’m just dying to finish my shift so I can rush down there and buy every single one of those they have left in stock. Won’t they go great with loafers?”

“What? Those cheap ones from that charity place on Greene Avenue?”

“No silly! The Italian ones.”

“Oh, yeah, they’d go brilliantly.” Can ya tell I have no idea what I'm talking about?

"Anyway, I better get back to work. But I’ll see you both tomorrow night at William’s party, right?”

“Yeah, course you will,” Marie replies.

“Alright, then I’ll catch yas later!”

“Bye Jarryd,” I call. I turn my gaze back to Marie. “Now, you were saying?”

Marie frowns in confusion. I try not to scream at the girl - she has the attention span of a goldfish. She's already forgotten what we were talking about.

“Taine Komashi?” I prompt.

“Oh, right. Taine Komashi. So I was on his website, and this came out, like last night—“

“To the point, Marie.” I'm almost growling at her by then.

I take another swig of my coffee but kept my eyes on Marie.

“Taine Komashi…” She pauses for effect, and shoves a few more crumbs of the chocolate muffin into her mouth. “…Is gay!”

I'm so shocked I practically spit hot coffee all over the table. Marie jumps. Several other customers seated at the nearby tables turn to gawk at me.

“WHAT?!” I shriek. “What the hell do you mean ‘gay’?”

“I mean, he’s gay, as in he prefers the company of men. He just came outta the closet.”

“No, he can’t be gay, you saw him in ‘Memories of Youth’.”

“Ah, that was called acting, Cassidy. Just because he had a couple love scenes with May Sloane doesn’t mean he’s straight.”

I begin gesturing wildly – a habit I have whenever I’m distressed. “Yeah, but anyone who can do a scene like that so convincingly has got to be straight! I mean, he’s… He’s… He’s, like, too convincing for a gay guy!”

Marie stares at me for a long moment, her eyes wide at my animated response.

“Oh my God, did you have a crush on him or something? ‘Cos I completely take it back if you did.”

My jaw’s hanging as her comment hits home. Yes, I had a stupid schoolgirl crush on a gay moviestar. Oh come on, I’m only fifteen – there are lots of fifteen-year-old girls out there who have crushes on celebrities… Aren’t there?

“No, I didn’t!” I lie. “I’m just… Like… A little surprised, that’s all…”

“Cassie, I’m so sorry—“

I slump down in my seat, my head drops into my hands. “Nah, it’s alright. I guess a guy that pretty is bound to be a visitor to Vegemite valley anyway.”

I can’t pretend I'm not upset by the news. The guy’s so damn sexy that I have to say; I’m more than slightly disappointed. I mean, I used to have the cheesy, girly fantasy that I’d be sitting at the café flipping through a magazine when I look up and see an oh-so wonderfully gorgeous, tanned, gorgeous, buff, gorgeous adonis known to humanity as Taine Komashi, slowly but casually strolls in through the open doors. He’s wearing leather pants and a white shirt a delicious five sizes too small, so tight that he’s barely managed to button it up at the front, and it’s so close to ripping itself off his body that it should be illegal. Covering his eyes are a pair of the most expensive sunglasses in existence, and as he practically glides in through the glass doors, a faint breeze blows back his longe, wavy, dyed-brown hair. My jaw is hanging and my eyes are wide as this part-Asian god amongst men stops at my table. He removes his sunglasses and those smouldering, dark eyes gaze penetratingly into mine. He holds out his hand.

“Cassidy…” he says.

By this point in time, I’m drooling all over myself.

“Cassidy,” he says in his deep, sexy voice. “There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can’t take them off you.”

…Or some cheesy line like that. I dunno, I’ve never been one for pick-up lines anyway.

“Be mine my darling Cassidy,” he continues. “And I will be your slave forever, for my heart is already slave to you.”
I nod idiotically and whimper moronically as I place my hand in his. He pulls me to my feet and swings my body around so I’m dangling in his arms, staring up at his gorgeous face.

“Oh, my love,” he whispers.

Then he kisses me full on the mouth. Wait, no, he FRENCH kisses— then again, that’s a little trashy. He just plain kisses me in front of all the other Subway customers, who are all applauding and) in the case of my classmates hoothing and hollering in approval and encouragement. And then we get married and live happily ever after in his mansion somewhere in… Greece… No, France… Yeah… No… Yeah, you know what? The French countryside. There we go.

Well, that used to be the fantasy. Now it’s all changed drastically. He walks in, just as gorgeous, just as sexy. Tight shirt, tight pants – overall, tight clothes that don’t leave much to the imagination, wind blowing through his hair. I rise to my feet, gawking stupidly at him as he walks toward me… Past me… Straight past me… Er, Babe, I’m over here… Straight past me to where Jarryd stands, wiping down one of the tables. To my horror, he gives Jarryd a light slap on the ass. Jarryd turns and meets Taine’s gaze.

“Jarryd,” I hear Taine whisper. “My heart is your slave.”

He leans in.

“Hang on!” I interrupt. “This is supposed to my fantasy, so get your fine ass back on over here hot stuff. I’m waiting.”

Taine shrugs. “Sorry honey, I’m gay.”

And with that, he turns his attention back to my Jarryd (who I’m pretty sure is gay too). And right in front of my horrofied and dismayed eyes, the pair of them start kissing passionately. That’s gonna leave a scar.

Hey, wait… Is that--?

“Jarryd! Get your hand off my fantasy lover’s ass!”

Author's Note (continued): So, what did you lot think? Please R+R, I really want to hear your opinions. Thanks for reading!!