Boy Like Me.

"One more week and we're free until next year!" Matt cheered as he walked out of the auditorium with Ryan beside him. The dark haired teen smiled at Matt's enthusiasm as they exited the building and trotted down the concrete stairwell. Matt jumped onto the railing and slid down the rest of the way. Ryan rolled his dark brown eyes and jumped down the last three steps. "Five days! Five days!" he shouted loudly and Ryan furrowed his brows. Matt had too much energy for a Monday afternoon.

"Matt chill out man." Ryan said calmly. He was excited that they would be free too, but Matt was excited enough for the both of them.

"Sorry," Matt laughed nervously rubbing the back of his neck with his gloved hand. Ryan smiled weakly and stared down at the snow-covered ground. The wind picked up a bit rustling the barren tree branches. Gray clouds loomed in the sky overhead. Matt pulled on a gray beanie and shoved his hands into his tweed jacket. "Are you doing anything for the holidays?" Matt asked as they continued their walk down the covered sidewalk to the main building.

"No," Ryan answered simply as he pulled the hood of his gray jacket over his head. It was freezing outside, his lips were already starting to chap and his bare hands crack. A black leather jacket over a gray jacket wasn't enough to keep him warm. "Are you?" he asked blowing into his hands and rubbed them together before stuffing them into the pockets of his gray jacket.

"Visiting my grandparents." He responded.

Ryan nodded staring straight ahead.

"So nothing at all? You and Ben don't have any plans?" Matt questioned further. Ryan wasn't quick to respond. He pulled the door of the main building open where a wave of heat struck them. Their hands and faces started to thaw out as the warmth revived them.

Ryan did have a plan. He wanted to commence the plan of hurting Liam. Even after everything they had been through, Ryan just couldn't let his plan go. Liam was too close to him now; he had to cut those ties before things got serious. It pained him a bit in his heart though. In his head he was getting nothing, but push him away and hurt him. However in his heart it was the exact opposite. Only a few short months had passed, but Ryan felt like he'd known Liam forever.

He struggled all weekend on what to do. Would he go ahead and hurt Liam or would he just move on and pretend he never had a plan? After two days of pondering on the thought he came to the conclusion he had to let Liam go. By the end of the school year he'd be gone anyways. Liam would head off to some big university and become a doctor or something; meanwhile Ryan would be some guy just trying to get by.

"I might do something." Ryan answered after a minute or two of silence between them. At the very end of the hallway they spotted Ashley, Kendrix, and Liam all talking by the glass doors. Behind them they could see snow falling into the courtyard.

"Hey hurry up we want to go to Barnes and Noble!" Ashley shouted failing her arms up in the air. Matt laughed lightly and jogged over to the three at the end of the hall. Ryan watched as they all continued to mingle. Ashley and Kendrix both ganged up on Matt while Liam just laughed. Matt pushed Liam playfully and the girls started yelling at Matt.

It was hard to believe that Ryan had somehow found friendship again. All thanks to Liam, but for some reason he still wanted to hurt him. Maybe it was all the latent anger that had been so bottled up. Ryan couldn't stand the fact that he was slowly, but surely falling in love with the handsome teenager at the end of the hallway. Was it bitterness that made him want to do this? It was a constant battle inside on what to do.

"Come on let's go," Kendrix gestured once Ryan got over and gave all of them a warm smile. "Starbucks and books are calling out to me!" Kendrix laughed as she ran outside in the snow. Ashley skipped behind her kicking snow up with her black boots. Liam smiled at Ryan and walked alongside him. Matt gathered up some snow and patted it together and threw it.

"Don't even think about it!" Ashley screamed dodging the snowball barely. Matt laughed as she gathered up some snow and tossed it at him. He smacked it away with his hand causing it to explode all over him.

"I love moments like these." Liam smiled and Ryan looked at him.

"Yes getting pelted with snowballs is always fun." Ryan commented sarcastically and Liam chuckled softly. He was about to speak when two snowballs came flying their way. Ryan moved aside and laughed saying that they had missed while Liam was hit in the shoulder.

"Really?" Liam grumbled dusting the snow from his shoulder.

-&-

Ashley sat at the small round table booth looking outside the window. Snow covered the ground and gently fell all around landing on the windowsill. She smiled at the wonderful winter miracle. The smell of cinnamon and coffee filled her nose as the espresso machine behind the main counter of Starbucks whirred. She looked back down at her magazine and flipped the page checking out all the winter fashions.

"Hot chocolate?" Ryan asked holding a Starbucks cup out to her. She smiled and took the warm cup into her hands.

"Thank you." She said before taking a small sip. Letting out a refreshed breath she looked to Ryan who pulled out a chair and sat down. He held a cup in his hand and stared straight ahead at the cookbook section where Kendrix and Matt were.

"So what's with you and Matt?" Ryan asked and Ashley looked at him with a quizzical stare.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Are you a thing?" Ryan put simply and Ashley laughed lightly. "You like him don't ya?" he smirked and Ashley looked over at the cute boy who was talking to Kendrix about sugar cookies.

"He's sweet, but I don't know." Ashley shrugged.

"You don't know?" Ryan smiled at her statement and took another sip of his latte.

"I could ask the same thing about you and Liam." Ashley shot back at him and Ryan choked on his drink. She started to giggle and brushed her red hair behind her ear. Ryan cleared his throat and looked to the redhead sitting across from him. She smiled triumphantly and sipped on her own drink.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ryan muttered quietly and Ashley raised an eyebrow at him. Placing her cup down on the table she leaned forward and Ryan turned to her.

"I saw you guys kissing at the Christmas party," she whispered and Ryan felt his cheeks burning up. "It's obvious you two are into each other." She smiled leaning back into her seat. Ryan snickered and lounged in his own seat watching the two across the way.

A few moments later Liam came into the scene and was pointing at stuff in the book. Kendrix laughed and Matt was smiling while Liam shrugged his shoulders. Ryan felt a small tug on the corner of his mouth. Liam looked so cute when he shrugged his shoulders like an innocent child. Ashley looked at Ryan and then back to Liam.

"Are you gonna ask him out?" Ashley questioned softly and Ryan stiffened turning to her.

"What?" he asked.

"You heard me." She smiled wickedly and Ryan huffed taking another sip of his drink.

"I don't know." Ryan responded while watching Liam. Once again the battle of whether he should destroy him or just be with him. Why did it have to be so hard? Well maybe it didn't, but Ryan just hated the fact that Liam was so happy. Even though in that happiness Ryan had once again found a reason to live instead of just hate everything and want to rot in his room.

"Ryan, Liam's a good friend of mine. I've known him for a while," Ashley explained with seriousness in her bright green eyes. "Please don't hurt him." She said and Ryan felt a tug on his heartstrings.

"Yeah," Ryan whispered. "Okay."