-Max-

I had never met a guy like Sky. He was so... adorable. He was so innocent and somehow pure, like he was a small child. All my friends ever talked about was sex and parties and everything they were too young to even understand yet. Most of them didn't even have girlfriends yet, and the only time they had tasted alcohol was when their dads had let them have a tiny sip from their beer.

But Sky wasn't like that. It was really refreshing to be around him. He reminded me of the times when I was still playing with my transformers and action figures. He reminded me of the time when I was building the tree house with my mom.

I felt like I was a child again, just a little kid who didn't have to worry about grades or being better than the rest of the students so I could get into the best schools and get the best education so I could be an architect when I'd be all grown up.

It was really nice to not worry about the future, and just be a teenager.

"So, how many times have you been here?" I asked and turned around to see Sky.

He looked miserable, but I didn't understand why. He'd been laughing just now. Did I say something wrong?

I was walking backwards to see him, forgetting that I wasn't on a sidewalk. I suddenly tripped over a branch that was lying on the ground, and I would've fallen on my butt if Sky hadn't grabbed my hand in time.

"Jeez – thanks," I laughed with a racing heart.

"Watch where you're going, city boy," Sky giggled.

I laughed too, feeling happy to see him happy again. I wanted to ask why he had looked so sad a moment ago, but I wasn't sure if I should, so I let it go.

"Smart-ass," I chuckled, and turned to see where I was going.

"I don't have much to do in my free-time," Sky spoke hesitantly. "So I come here quite often."

"I have never been in this part of the forest even though I've lived my entire life here," I said, looking around. "Maybe I should have."

The forest was really pretty, and I liked the peace and quiet. The air seemed so much cleaner too, even though breathing was getting harder since we were walking uphill the entire time. I thought I had great stamina, but I guess I was wrong. I spent most of my afternoons running around the football field and I still got out of breath! How was that even possible?

I was so deep in my thoughts I hadn't noticed how quiet Sky was. When I looked at him, he had that sad expression in his eyes again.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," Sky hurried to say, but he wasn't looking in my direction.

"It's obviously something," I said. "If you want to talk, I will listen."

"The barn is this way," Sky said, and stepped on another trail that was hidden behind a huge oak on my left.

I followed him and asked him again if there was something bothering him.

"It's just... I like hanging out with you," he said timidly.

"But?" I encouraged him to carry on.

"I know I'm not much fun, and I know I'm a weirdo, so you don't have to force yourself to hang out with me," he spoke almost too quietly for me to hear.

"Hey – you are not a weirdo," I told him. "I like your company because you are different."

"By different, you mean weirdo," Sky said.

"No, don't put words in my mouth," I told him sharply. "I like you the way you are. You're not acting someone else, and I admire that," I added with a kinder tone. "I wish I was more like you."

"Are you acting someone else then?" Sky asked.

I laughed a little. "I don't know," I said quietly, and shook my head like it could somehow clear my thoughts.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Sky asked.

"Never mind," I said with a smile. "How far is the barn?"

"It's just up ahead," Sky said, and pointed at what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Then he turned to look at me again. He hesitated a bit before he asked carefully, "Is there something bothering you?"

"No... I mean, I think it's just the pressure..." I muttered.

"You can tell me anything," Sky said. "If you want."

"I will remember that," I told him with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, I just need a little break from everything. That's why I want to enjoy this trip."

Sky smiled back at me. "Sure!"

He took my hand and pulled me on another small path that was leading through thick bushes and big trees. It was really dark all around us, and I felt like we were passing through the gates of Narnia or something. I couldn't see a damn thing behind the leaves and branches. I could only trust Sky not to run over a cliff and pull me down with him.

And then, all of a sudden, there was light everywhere. It was so bright I couldn't see anything in the next few moments. Sky came to a halt, and I almost ran him over. He helped me to keep my balance, giggling cheerily.

"Here we are!" he said triumphantly.

When I could finally see, I noticed an old, red barn, and an unkempt field around it. There were wild flowers everywhere, and an old tractor close to the abandoned barn. There was an old road going up the hill behind the building, and on top of the hill, there was a partly destroyed house.

It was safe to say that no one had been there in years, except for us.

"Wow. How did you find this place?" I asked.

"I was wandering around," Sky shrugged. "Come, let's go take a look."

He was still holding my hand when he led me closer to the barn. I heard birds and crickets and bees and other insects and animals while we sneaked closer. I felt like we were trespassing, but who would ever come there?

"Are you sure we can be here?" I asked, trying not to sound like a wuss.

"This doesn't belong to anyone," Sky said. "We are not trespassing."

"You sound awfully sure about it," I chuckled.

"I checked," he said, and pulled me into the shadow of the barn. "There's a door here, but it has collapsed. I think we might be able to move it out of the way if we work together, so we can get in."

"Okay..." I muttered and looked around.

I still felt like we were doing something illegal. Sky let go of my hand, and I helped him to move the heavy door just enough so we could get in. The barn was empty except for a few forgotten piles of hay. There were some rusted pitchforks on the wall, and a spare tire for the tractor, but nothing else.

"Look! I knew it!" Sky said enthusiastically while kneeling down. "There're feathers and droppings everywhere! This must be where they are nesting."

I wasn't as enthusiastic about the bird poop, but I was relieved. Sky was looking up at the rafters, but I had no idea what he was looking at.

"There's bats too," he whispered.

"B-Bats?" I repeated in surprise.

"And some other birds. Mice, rats... There are no humans here, so the animals have taken this place. This is so exciting!" Sky said, turning to look at me with sparkling eyes.

"Bats and rats," I muttered, looking around. "I hope I don't see any."

"What? Don't tell me you're afraid of them?" Sky said, tilting his head.

"N-No! I'm not! But..." I looked around again and saw a tiny animal skeleton close by. "Can we go out?"

I didn't wait for his reply. I just stormed out. I felt dirty, like I'd just been rolling in the bird poop. I heard Sky following me at a much slower pace.

"You don't have to go there if you don't want to," he said with a tiny voice.

I turned to look at him, and the disappointment on his face was clearly visible. I felt like I had just ruined his Christmas.

"I'm kind of afraid of rats," I told him, and his expression dropped even more. "But I can do this! Don't worry. They're just rats, right? It's not like they can bite hard or anything..."

I was trying to sound manlier than I felt. Sky looked at me for a short moment before he started to smile again.

"I'll protect you," he said reassuringly. "Don't worry."

I sighed in relief. I didn't want to ruin this for him.

"I may be a city boy, but I'm no coward," I said, and hit my chest like Tarzan. "I can do this."

Sky laughed cheerily and turned to look at the barn again. I sighed, but this time in amusement. I shook my head and took a better look at him when he couldn't see me.

"Come! Let's go check out the other side of the barn," he told me and started making his way back.

I didn't follow him just yet. I was too busy just watching him.

There was something I had never mentioned to anyone before. Heck – I hadn't even admitted it to myself yet. I had tried my best to ignore it and pretend that I was just imagining things. But then Sky popped into my life, and... I just liked to hang out with him. He was kind and funny and interesting... and cute. My goodness, he was cute!

It was then, at that moment, when I finally had to admit to myself that I liked guys too.

I liked Sky.

But obviously, I couldn't tell him how I felt. I couldn't just walk up to him and tell him I liked him. It would've been easier if he were a girl, but he was not.

"There's a snake here!" Sky yelled somewhere behind the barn.

"Why do you say it like that's a good thing..." I sighed quietly so he couldn't hear me.

I walked closer to the barn, watching carefully where I placed my feet. I did not want to step on a snake. "Are you sure it's safe for us to stay the night here?" I asked loudly so he could hear me this time.

"I'm sure, this guy's not venomous," Sky spoke reassuringly. "I didn't see any tracks that could belong to dangerous animals."

I walked around the corner and saw a huge rock right next to the barn. The sun was shining brightly, warming up the rock, and on top of it was the snake.

"Oh God, that's an actual snake!" I yelped before I could stop myself.

"Of course it is," Sky chuckled, standing way too close to the slithery thing.

"Are you sure it's not venomous?" I asked carefully.

"I'm sure," Sky said with a smile, turning to look at me. "Come! I think I saw the nest!"

Sky skipped to me and took my hand again. Then he led me towards the other end of the barn.

"Here! See! Up there!" Sky said and pointed at the roof.

I saw a small opening in the wall right under the roof, and a part of something that looked like a big, messy pile of feathers, small branches, and hay.

"Okay, so the owls are definitely here," I said with a slightly high-pitched voice.

I'd had no idea what I was signing up for when I agreed to let Sky choose our subject. I looked around in the yard, getting more than reluctant to spend a single night at the place. I couldn't hear any cars passing by, so there were no roads anywhere near us. There was no one living close by. The place was completely deserted.

Sky was right, I was a city boy.

But... I turned to look at him. He was still holding my hand in his. His hand was way smaller than mine, and it was warm, and his skin was soft. I stole a glimpse of his face. He was still staring at the nest with a huge grin on his lips. His blue eyes were sparkling in excitement, and his blond hair was shifting a little in the light wind.

Then he looked at me, beaming with joy. His eyes were narrowed by the size of his smile, and all of a sudden, I couldn't see anything else except him. I hardly even noticed the stupid smirk I had on my lips when I stared at him.

And we were still holding hands.

"Should we climb up to see it closer?" Sky suggested, waking me up from my trance.

"How?" I asked and ripped my eyes off him to look up at the window.

"I think I saw a ladder on the other side," he said. "Come!"

He took a firmer grip of my hand, and started running around the building, passing by the rock and the snake who was – thankfully – ignoring us.

The longer I stayed with Sky, the younger I felt. I hadn't even realized how old I'd felt lately. I'd had a heavy weight on my shoulders when I woke up this morning, and the worry over my studies and dreams had hit me as soon as I got out of bed. I honestly had felt so much older than I actually was...

But as I followed Sky running around the barn in the tall grass, avoiding old scrap-metal on the way, I felt like I was fifteen again. Or even younger. Much younger.

"There!" Sky yelled triumphantly, and pointed at an old, wobbly thing that maybe once was a ladder.

"You've got to be joking," I chuckled when we stopped next to it. The ladder was leaning against the wall, and it looked rotten to the core. "We can't use it!"

"What? It looks sturdy enough," Sky said with a pout.

"Let's see if we can find another way," I told him, and dragged him away from the rotten pile of wood.

We returned to the door, and I took a deep breath before stepping back inside. The barn looked gloomy and sinister from the inside, but this time, I didn't feel the urge to run away.

"Look," I said, pointing at the other end of the barn.

There was another ladder. A better one. It was leaning against the wall and went up through a small hatch on the upper floor.

"Yes!" Sky smirked and let go of my hand to run towards it.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm while I followed him slowly. By the time I reached the other end of the barn, he had already climbed up.

"It's too high for me to see!" Sky shouted, sounding defeated.

"I'm coming," I told him, and started climbing up the surprisingly rickety ladder. "Oh God, you are the end of me," I muttered.

Once I was safely in the hayloft, I saw Sky jumping up and down near the wall. He was trying to see the nest, but it really was way too far above his head.

"I'm not tall enough," I said, looking around.

There were more hay bales lying around, so I went to grab one of the bigger ones and dragged it to Sky.

"Hold on, I think we need a few more," I told him, and his eyes glimmered again.

Sky ran to get another one, but the bales were too heavy for him. I laughed lightly and offered a helping hand. Together, we managed to drag enough bales next to the wall so Sky could climb up and take a look at the nest.

"It's empty now, but they might start nesting soon," Sky said enthusiastically. "It's definitely theirs!"

"How can you tell?" I asked.

Sky picked a feather from the nest and showed it to me. It was cream white, and I'd seen enough photos of the barn owls to tell that it was definitely the same color as them.

"All right. So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"I have all the free time in the world. I can come here almost every day and see if they're here. If we come here and stay the night every weekend–"

"Hold on. Every weekend?" I asked with a frown.

"Well..." Sky said with a tiny voice and climbed down. "Yeah. They are nocturnal, and we're supposed to come check up on them once a week like it says in the assignment."

He looked at me with a hint of sadness in his eyes, and when I was about to speak, he continued hastily, "I can come here alone whenever you can't. I know you have an important game coming up and all the homework... and friends..."

"Are you sure you want to come here all alone?" I asked.

"It'll be great! Don't worry, I'm used to camping alone," he said, but he was still talking a little too fast.

"Well, all right," I said slowly. "I just can't spend all my weekends here, maybe a few nights a month, but I have a lot to do, just like you said."

"Yes, I understand completely," Sky said reassuringly. "I think we can go now. There's not much we can do here right now."

"Okay," I said, and watched Sky when he returned to the ladder.

While we walked through the forest, Sky was being quiet. Every time he spoke, he sounded like he was faking his cheery tone. I felt bad for not being able to come back with him every weekend, but it was just impossible. I had a life too, and I had to concentrate on my other studies as well. I couldn't let this one single project bring down all my grades. Sky must have understood that. He said he did.

So, if he was fine with it, why did I still feel like the biggest jerk?