Denial.

I hurried to the door, flinging it open with a huge smile on my face because I haven't spent much time with my best friend outside of school or practice. Dillon's been taking up all of my time, to be honest. I'm worrying that I'm becoming one of those boys that drops their friends for their significant other, except my significant other is another male and no one besides maybe one other person knows about us.

My life is officially a complicated teen movie.

"Hey, man," I greeted Danny, holding the door open for him.

"Yo, how ya been?" He asked as he walked past me, not even bothering to slip off his ratty old sneakers, heading directly for the kitchen. My house is like his second home and he never ceases to take advantage of that by emptying our refrigerator and junk food cupboard of all of its delicious remnants. Not that I don't help him with that task anyway.

"I've been good," I muttered, noticing him take out a bag of chewy chocolate chip cookies from the cupboard among other things. I snatched them away from him quickly. Those are Dillon's favorite and I keep them around so he has a tiny little snack around the house, something to show that I care and listen to him nervous little ramblings. "Can't eat these, sorry," I muttered as I put them back in the cupboard, throwing other various bags of cookies, chips, and candies at him to choose from. Being the kid he is, he just dragged them all and brought them into the living room, telling me to grab some soda for the two of us. I did that gladly.

"Why can't I have the cookies?" He asked skeptically, hurt like a little kid that wasn't able to get the candy he wanted, which I guess is the case.

"Off-limits to everyone," I muttered, something that wasn't really a lie. "They're my Mom's," I continued, lying through my teeth.

"You're Mom's on a diet," he said suspiciously, stopping the chip that was on its way to his mouth in mid-air as he looked at me, silently demanding an answer.

"She's cheating the tiniest bit. Dad doesn't know. It's why they were hidden all the way in the back," I said, rolling my eyes as I prayed that I wouldn't be caught in my lie. "Of course you'd be the one to find them."

He looked at me for a second, finishing off his chip before answer. "Junk food finding is my specialty and she chose an awesome thing to cheat with anyway," he said around a smile.

Phew. He didn't catch me. My best friend trusts me, but I'm betraying him. A hurtful feeling gnawed at my gut. I don't want to continue hurting him and lying to him. It's not right to treat him this way, but he'd hate everything that I am if he knew the truth and then if he connected me with Dillon he'd be able to pulverize him within seconds. I don't want putting Dillon in any danger right now, and as selfish as it is, Dillon's a bit more important to me than Danny is at the moment.

"Of course," I muttered, leaning against the back of the couch.

"So, like, I can't stay for long," Danny confessed. "I'm meeting this chick in like... half an hour," he said, allowing me to figure out what exactly he was meeting this chick for. "But I just wanted to check in with you and see how things were since I barely see you outside of school and practice, man. What gives?"

"I've been busy with family problems," I said, hating myself for lying so much in one day when I hate liars more than anything else in the world. I'm becoming such a hypocrite, but I understand now that lying is required to protect others sometimes. It just hurts to do it in the process. What's worrying me the most is that I'm becoming a relatively good liar, something I am not proud of, nor will I ever be.

"If you need a place to crash, my place is always open to you," he assured me, thinking back to previous fights that I've had with my parents that have resulted with me being kicked out for a few days. Danny's was always my safe haven, my immediate second home, and I appreciate the fact that he's always there for me, but Dillon's home comes before his too. His house is a good excuse if I want to crash at Dillon's for the night too.

"I know, thanks, man," I muttered, looking around the room awkwardly as the loud crunching of him chewing the chips resonated around the room.

"Ugh, I know what you've been up to," as if he had a sudden epiphany.

I immediately froze, not exactly knowing what to expect. Had I gotten caught so quickly?

"Dude," he said around a chuckle, holding up his hand for a high five. "Hickey on the neck," he said as if it made sense. "Was she hot?" He asked excitedly.

My hand immediately went up to my neck, cupping the love bite that Dillon had left me the night before. God, how could I forget to cover that up? My parents would kill me if they saw it! At least the first person to see it was Danny and his stupid, hormonal mind. I sighed, knowing that I was just going to have to continue my lie.

I thought of Dillon's cute little bum and the way his hair flopped into his eyes, shielding almost his entire face. I thought of his plump lips that looked more like a woman's and his almost feminine like lips that complimented his thin legs and tiny body. "She was beautiful," I muttered, knowing that he truly was.

"Good for you, man!" He said excitedly. "I totally get why you've been like a fucking ghost now."

I chuckled dryly, trying to keep a smile on my face even though a disgusted feeling settled itself in my stomach. I'm not enjoying the feeling at all.

"Yeah, it is," I answered dryly.

"So," he said excitedly. "This mean you coming to the party Friday night? Heard there's supposed to be some really hot chicks there."

"Nah," I declined, knowing that Dillon was going to at least attempt to cook for me Friday night. We're probably going to end up having to order in some pizza or Chinese food or something. The damn kid finds ways to burn pasta. Working in the kitchen simply is not his forte. But I find that really adorable.

"Come on," he begged, abandoning all of the half eaten junk food that was haphazardly strewn across the coffee table in our living room. "You never party with us anymore."

"I rather do my own thing," I muttered, deeming that a plausible excuse to not party and do my own thing with my secret boyfriend.

He sighed getting up and clapping me on the shoulder. "Do what you gotta do to get it in," he said around a deep chuckle. "Speaking of which, I gotta go," he said around a wink and with a hop in his step he headed for my front door, showing himself out like he has many times before.

I leaned back against my couch, staring at the ceiling and forgetting about the junk food. I hate lying to him, but I have no other choice. I love him, but the way he views things like woman, sex, and homosexuals just repulses me.

How can my best friend be such a pig sometimes?