Hannah was dying. What happened to Matthew? Why did he leave again? Was he tired of school? Was he ill? Is it contagious? Hannah wouldn't mind. If that meant seeing Matthew, then she would catch his illness.

Or maybe he was with his big-breasted beautician—could he have eloped? They'd have known if it was the case, wouldn't they? Hannah couldn't really ask Ben and Ryan about him. She was too shy. She couldn't really. She didn't even let Alice or the girls ask them. It'd be too obvious.

And she wasn't really in the mood. Yes, true, Matthew has her always nervous and blushing uncontrollably, and she didn't really miss his presence until he vanished now. She misses him so much no one can imagine. She can't concentrate and she can't study. She needs Matthew. Hannah needs Matthew.

"Maybe he is busy with something. I mean, he comes, and then leaves..."

"It's probably his girlfriend." Hannah was frowning as she played Pokemon Shuffle on her phone. Lunch break was still not over so they went outside for a small gossip session in the garden, like always.

"That girl can't be his girlfriend, Hannah." Mona said.

"Guys like older girls with big boobs."

"Not Matthew."

Hannah sighed. Just imagining a girl talking to Matthew or even standing beside him makes her feel really jealous. She wished she could hack into his Facebook account and un-friend all those girls. "Not anymore. I feel like crap, girls. I want to cry."

"Hannah!"

"Hannah! Don't say that!"

"Hannah!"

"I'm tired of him ignoring me and me ignoring him. I don't want to have this crush on him anymore. It's really tiring."

"I'm pretty sure—hey, isn't that Matthew?"

"Where?"

"Oh my God!"

The girl turned around. Matthew was walking in fast steps, looking like he was looking for something. "He's looking for Hannah."

"Shhh-" Hannah stopped talking when her gaze and Matthew's met. "Hannah!" He called out and waved at her.

"Oh my God!" Alice squealed loudly and shook her hands dramatically. "He's REALLY looking for you!"

"He's looking for you!" Mona squealed like a crazy fangirl.

"OH MY GOD!" Kaeli was even more dramatic. She turned around again and noticed Matthew walking toward them. "He's coming! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! HE IS COMING! I'm coming, Hannah! I'm coming!"

"Kaeli! Stop being so dirty!"

"AAAAAH!"

"Don't leave me alone!" Hannah wanted to cry. This was too much for her little fragile heart. It was too early for a face to face with Matt. Not now. Oh God. She's not ready her make-up is not fixed she's on her period she feels fat and bloated her skin broke out her pimples are bad—

"BYE!"

Hannah made crying voices.

Alice, Kaeli and Mona ran to the school building (literally) and left Hannah at the bench, alone. The blond haired girl looked like a little puppy lost in the middle of a big city. Matthew approached her carefully.

"Hannah."

The Blondie trembled. She tried to hide it though. "Hi Matt..."

Matthew sat down facing her. He placed his bag aside and sat straight. "Uh-how are you, today?"

"I'm on my period." She answered unconsciously and quickly, in a low voice.

"Huh?"

"I mean I'm good! Good!" Hannah wasn't even sure why did she — holy crap, she is already ruining everything... bad beginning...

Matthew blinked. "Is it okay if we talk?"

"Uh."

"I have some-"

"I'll be back!" Hannah grabbed her purse and dashed to inside the school building. Her friends were right beside the door.

Hannah screamed loudly. Everyone in the corridor turned to look at her. "Hannah! What's wrong?"

"I can't do it I feel like crap I told him I was on my period and he probably thinks I'm disgusting because he knows I'm bleeding now!"

"Hannah! Hannah! Calm down!" Alice put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Go back and talk to him. Periods are a very natural phenomenon, okay? He doesn't care. Just go. And remember, it's natural."

Hannah frowned. "I'm crying."

"Go!"

"Come on!"

"Hannaaah! Do it!"

Hannah took a deep breath. Her friends nodded. She nodded back and walked her way back outside. Matthew was still at the bench.

"Are you alright?" He asked her as soon as she sat facing him.

Hannah nodded.

"Okay. I'm—so, I was saying..." Matthew was avoiding eye contact with her. He did that most of the time. He kept squeezing his neck with his hand as he spoke, "I've been trying to tell you something for a very long time but I never got the chance."

Hannah felt her heart stop. There were two options; either he was going to announce that he is dating currently and she should leave him alone because his girlfriend doesn't like Hannah around him, or he is going to say that he has a crush on her and he's liked her the first time they saw her and he can't live without her and they're going to attend the same college and get married later on and have three little cute children-

"Hannah? Hannah?"

"Uh—uh?"

"You have—your..."

"Huh?"

"You popped..." Matthew pointed shyly at her face. Hannah wasn't even paying attention to him. She was staring at his braces. They suit him perfectly.

"Hannah, you... there is blood... you popped it."

"Popped—oh." Damn it. Damn it. Hannah took out her hand mirror and noticed she's scratched a zit around her chin and it was bleeding now. She probably did it unconsciously since she's so stressed. She always popped her zits when she was nervous.

Now I'm sure he thinks I'm disgusting now I'm sure he thinks I'm disgusting now I'm sure he thinks I'm disgusting Hannah hated herself. She wanted to cry. She quickly took out a napkin and pressed it against the zit.

Yes, she only had to pop up a zit when her crush decides to talk to her, face to face.

"These pimples are so annoying." Hannah laughed nervously. She quickly looked inside her purse for the antibacterial hand-gel and put some on the napkin. She had to stop the bleeding. She had better things to do other than take care of a stupid period zit.

"I have it worse. See?" Matthew chuckled and pointed to his face. "It's all over."

Hannah thought he was so perfect even if he had acne. Yes. He was still so perfect. Perfect. "You're perfect."

Matthew just stared at her.

"I meant—I mean your skin looks perfect." Hannah can't believe how clumsy she is. "It really looks perfect."

"My skin? Perfect?" He chuckled. "I doubt that with a diet like mine!"

"Well, it looks... good." Hannah changed the napkin again. She tried to crack a smile, even if it hurt a little bit now to smile. Damn the stupid zit ruining her romantic moment.

"Uhm, anyway, I was saying..." Matthew adjusted his posture and again, he was avoiding looking at Hannah directly. "Something has been on my mind lately and I want to say it. It's about you."

"About me..." Hannah's hands trembled. Was he going to say it? Was he? She slowly put down the napkin and hid her mouth with her hands.

"Everyone told me I should tell you so..." Matthew rubbed his neck. Hannah thought that was so cute, in addition to his braces and his hazel eyes and his cute cheeks and his tanned skin and his-

"Wannagotothemoviesometime?"

"..."

"Oh, no! Not that one! Da—I'm sorry—no! Not sorry! No! Not the sorry not sorry thing! I didn't mean it in that way!" Matthew panicked a little bit and put his hands in front of him. "I meant to say: I like you. Hannah! I like you, very much! I really like you! I've liked you for seven months now!"

Hannah's mouth opened, but no words came out.

Seven months?

Way before what happened at the pool?

"I'm..." Matthew's face reddened a bit. "I'm sorry if this is a bad timing or something, but I just couldn't hold it back any longer and... this morning Ryan told me about Brad-"

"Brad..."

"Ryan told me he asked you out." Matthew bit his lip. "I know you will probably say yes to him so... I just wanted you to know about how I really feel about you, that's all."

"Matt."

"Yes?"

"Who is Brad?" Hannah blinked. "I don't know any guy of this name and no one asked me out this morning."

"You don't know Brad? He plays in our-..."

Matthew's face was reddening more and more. Oh God. Ryan played a prank on him. He just wanted him to confess. His heart started to beat faster; now he looked like a real idiot. Yes, he was an idiot.

"Uhm... never mind—it was probably—anyway-... uh, I have to go."

"Wait! No!" Hannah grabbed his hand—the hand, that hand. Oh God. There she is again. She quickly let go of it. "I have something to say too."

Matthew just wanted to disappear and never show up in front of Hannah again. How embarrassing. But Ryan will pay, he will...

Hannah hid her mouth with her hands. "I like you."

"Huh?"

She took off her hand. "I like you, too."

Matthew remained silent for a little while. "Uhm, really?"

Hannah nodded her head. Matthew had no idea; her insides were jumping in glee. She was probably the happiest girl alive at that moment. Her stomach flipped.

Matthew let a nervous chuckle. "For a while, I thought you hated me."

"What? Why? Oh my God! Never!" Hannah's heart sunk. How could she make him feel this way? He was so precious!

"You'd run away and stuff... that time when I met at you the mall too, you ran away."

Speaking of the mall. Hannah cleared her throat. "That girl..."

"Hum?"

"The girl you were with that time..."

"Oh, Sam? Yeah, what's with her?" Matthew rubbed his neck again. "She's nice but she can be annoying at times. Sometimes we don't really know how my brother deals with her."

"Oh... she knows your brother?"

"They've been dating for three years now."

Well, Mona was right; she really is too old for Matthew... Hannah tried to contain herself as she thought about the it conversation. She took a deep breath. The D... the D... the D...

"Soo... you don't hate me."

Hannah wanted to cry. Oh my God. He was so precious. "No, Matthew. Don't say that. I'd never hate you."

"And... you'd like to go to the movies sometime, right?"

Hannah nodded shyly. God. This was such a wonderful, happy and joyful day.

"It feels nice, you know?" Matthew looked rather shy too. "I wanted to say this a long time ago, and... you feel the same. It's great. This feeling is really great."

Hannah giggled to herself. This was so awkward. Everything was so good about this but she didn't know what to say.

"My brothers told me to tell you, my brother's fiancée, Samantha too, Ryan, Ben, mom, dad..."

Hannah giggled. She was such a little cute kitten, Matthew thought. "Mom, Alice and the girls bugged me about it every day."

"You wanted to tell me?"

"I couldn't..."

"I understand, really, it's hard..." Matthew was feeling a bit awkward too. "You know, Hannah, you're really beautiful and... I think about you all the time."

Oh God he called me beautiful he just called me beautiful I can't believe he called me beautiful oh my Hannah was internally screaming. "Th-thanks."

Matthew chuckled. "Don't thank me. It's the truth, really. Sometimes I even thought you weren't attracted to me, especially that every time I tried to talk to you you'd run away."

"No! That's not true!" Hannah's heart sunk again. "I've always been attracted to you! I've always thought you were cute and good-looking." The last sentence was the hardest Hannah could ever spell. She's never told a guy he was good-looking before. Never.

He chuckled again. "I guess. I think I should go on a diet. I've been abusing lately."

Hannah smiled broadly. "You're-" her eyes shot wide when Matthew got up and moved to sit by her side.

"Honestly, do you think I'm too fat? Girls know this stuff, right?"

Hannah thought every single ounce of Matthew's body was precious. Call her nuts; she didn't care if it was fat; it was a part of Matthew and anything that belongs to Matthew is precious.

The Blondie's cheeks heated up as she spoke, "You're not fat; you're perfect."

"My belly sticks out. I need to get rid of it."

Hannah just watched his face — his beautiful, shiny and glowing face. She inched closer...

"But you know what, Hannah? It shrunk compared to last year. I was fatter than this, remember? I ate so much. I would go see Grandma and just eat whatever she has in her kitchen. It was a miracle I wasn't overweight. Don't you think-...?"

Matthew trailed off when he noticed Hannah was just sitting too close, too close... her face wasn't that far from his.

"You're so precious..." Hannah's eyes glowed in admiration. If perfection had a first and last name, it'd be Matthew Ketchum.

"Huh?"

Hannah sat straight, leaned forward and kissed him very softly on the lips. It was just a little, sweet childish kiss. The two were blushing like mad. Hannah put her hand over her mouth again.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself..." Hannah wasn't sure but it's like she's heard some loud squealing from somewhere not far away from them.

"U-oh, it was..." Matthew smiled nervously. "I didn't see that coming."

Hannah was excited. She was so excited. She couldn't wait until she starts going out with Matthew. They will have soooo much fun, together.

She placed her hand over his and squeezed it. "Are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"Oh, I thought you wouldn't want-"

"No, no, I'd love to."

"Well, you can say that then..." Matthew shrugged. He smiled. "But I'm warning you; you are my first. I have no idea what's it about."

"That's not a problem." Hannah giggled. She valued Matthew so much he had no idea.

"Uhm, since we skipped next period, do you want to go out and grab a bite?"

"Oh, of course! Let's go!" Hannah got up quickly and grabbed her purse. Matthew got up as well and grabbed his school bag. They left school with chuckles and giggles. Matthew would pick Hannah up several times and God, he loved when she giggled and hid her mouth with her little, soft manicured hand.

"But oh, one thing, two, actually."

"Yeah?"

"First, you're giving me the password to your FB account, and second, you're getting a salad — without mayonnaise, of course."

Help. 

The end.