A few weeks passed without Lou seeing Catherine, she hadn't been at school and he was starting to wonder if she had left. Not many of the other students seemed to be bothered by her sudden disappearance. It was almost as if they were used to it, like she randomly went missing for weeks on end all the time. He tried to focus on his school work, he tried to make new friends but she was always in the back of his mind, this mysterious girl that he had shared one VERY brief kiss with.

Even his father, who wasn't around all that often, had noticed he was acting differently and called him out on it. "What's up with your face sulky chops?" He asked one night over the dinner table, a meal his father had actually made it home from work in time for.

Propping his elbow on the table Lou sighed and rested his head on his upturned hand as he pushed his mashed potato around the plate making gravy drip over the sides and his mom to tut at him. He offered no reply to his father's comment; instead he continued to wallow in the dark recesses of his mind and of Catherine's mysterious absence.

His sister on the other hand had no problem revealing what was wrong with him and declared to the table. "He's moping over a girl." She looked over the table at him sitting opposite and smirked. "He's in luuuuuurv." She said in her most teasing voice.

Sitting up straight in his chair Lou shot her a death glare. "Shut up." He ground out.

"Why? Don't you want mom and dad to know that you've got the hots for a girl who doesn't even want to know you?" She smirked, teasing her brother had always been a favourite past time of hers.

Lou picked up a handful of peas off his plate and threw them across the table at her making her squeal. "Mooooom!"

Shaking her head Lou's mom chastised both of her children before using her soft, motherly voice again and looking at Lou. "Is what your sister saying true? You like a girl?"

Lou's head dropped to his chest and he turned beetroot red. "Can I be excused? I'm not hungry anymore." Their mother shared a look with their father and nodded her head. Lou rose from the table and padded his way to his room, he could hear their mother asking Jenny about this girl and if she had hurt Lou.

Reaching his room he shut the door and flopped down onto the single bed that was squeezed against the wall, he buried his face in the pillow and mumbled. "Where are you Catherine?"

With it being a weekend school was out and Lou decided to spend the entire time in his room sketching and playing his guitar, his games console was still packed in one of the many boxes that his father had yet to sort through much to his wives nagging. Saturday passed in a blur of staring out the window, sketching, napping and eating.

When Sunday arrived Lou woke late, long after his parents had left for work. Rolling onto his back in bed he groaned and stared up at the bare white wall, thinking that he needed to add something to this room. It was too bare for his taste, it needed his own touch.

Reaching under the covers he scratched his genitals and mentally planned out his day, which was going to be pretty much the same as Saturday. He lay in bed for as long as his bladder would let him then climbed out and walked to the bathroom the family shared, used the toilet and did the necessary morning routine of washing his face and brushing his teeth.

After his trip to the bathroom he padded down the stairs towards the kitchen, his stomach growling in protest at the lack of food. Only wearing his superman boxers he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, his mind on a one track haze of nutrition. He pulled out the milk and turned to reach for the cereal, his eyes caught sight of something unexpected and he had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Sat at the kitchen table was none other than Catherine, she was staring at him with wide eyes and her mouth open making a little 'o' shape.

Lou was stunned, he couldn't move. Was he still asleep and dreaming? Was she actually here? Was he really stood in his kitchen with her wearing only his superman boxers?

Jenny walked into the room breaking his train of thoughts with a groan of displeasure. "God Lou, couldn't you have put some pants on before you came down?"

Snapping out of his trance he smirked and leant against the counter, picked up the box of cereal and buried his hand in it. "Catherine doesn't seem to mind." He winked at her making her blush and finally tear her eyes from him.

Jenny shook her head and placed some books down in front of Catherine. Lou's eyes fell to the books and noticed they were all school text books; Catherine had come to collect homework?

The ringing phone made all three look towards the hallway, Jenny sighed and excused herself before going to answer it. Taking his opportunity to be alone with Catherine Lou walked over and sat in the chair next to hers, his eyes scanning over her for any sign of injury.

"Where have you been?"

Catherine's eyes lifted and she quirked a delicate eyebrow. "Why is that any business of yours?"

Lou smirked at her response and offered her a handful of the delicious cereal, she shook her head declining it and fiddled with one dog eared cover of some science book Lou hadn't even took out his bag yet. "I was worried about you, after our kiss-"

Catherine narrowed her eyes at him and interrupted. "That was a mistake, it can't happen again."

Confusion settled over Lou's boyish yet rugged face. "Why not? I liked it and you kissed me back so you must have liked it."

She averted her eyes and dragged the books closer to the edge of the table, preparing to leave. Lou placed his hand on top of hers and whispered. "Don't you like me?"

Catherine's beautiful blue eyes flicked up to his briefly and she stood. "I'm not allowed to like you."

He didn't get a chance to say another word because at that moment Jenny came back into the room telling him that their mom would be late and just to order in, Catherine didn't look at him again and made her excuses before leaving the house.

Jenny cast her eyes from the door Catherine had left through and Lou sat at the table. "What happened?"

Lou shrugged his shoulders, he didn't even really know himself, and got up from the table. He picked up the box of cereal and went back to his bedroom even more confused as to Catherine's odd behaviour and why she wasn't allowed to be attracted to him.

For the next few weeks he saw Catherine on an almost daily basis, he would see her at school and since she had become good friends with Jenny he would see her at their house on weekends. It was making his attraction for her continue to grow, yet whenever he was around she showed no interest in him. That hurt.

One night in the early hours of the morning he got out of bed unable to sleep and walked to Jenny's room, he knocked and when she called out he entered. She knew from the look on his face why he had wanted to talk, smiling slightly she patted the bed next to her and he lay down.

"Is there something wrong with me?" He mumbled.

Jenny held his hand, sometimes, when nobody was around mostly, they got along great. She copied his pose and stared up at the ceiling. "Nothing is wrong with you, Catherine isn't allowed boyfriends."

Turning his head slightly he looked at her. "So she does like me?" Hope laced his voice and a smile twitched at his lips.

Laughing softly Jenny squeezed his hand. "Course she does, why do you think she's been hanging around her all this time?"

"Well, because she's your friend."

Jenny nodded. "Yeah but she's always asking about you and staring at you when you walk by. Lou she's totally crushing on you but she doesn't want her dad to know because he will hit the roof."

Lou grinned a little smugly and settled back against the pillows. "She is proper fit though." Jenny rolled her eyes at his comment.

"If you're going to start being all gross you can get out now."

Laughing Lou shook his head and looked around his sister's room, it was bigger than his but he didn't care. She had more junk than him and he was happy with his small room. He turned back to her as a thought struck. "Hey, do you know why she was gone for all that time?"

"You know, you could be classed as a stalker."

"Just answer the damn question."

"Fine, yeah I do." She paused to drag out his patience, his foot began tapping. "Her dad took her on one of his father/daughter bonding holidays. Apparently he's dead rich and just whisks her away sometimes without warning. Pretty cool huh?"

Lou nodded his head and thought about how cool that would actually be. Their father was always working so they barely saw him and they weren't rich. They had to save for things they wanted. Silence settled over the siblings as Lou thought of a plan to be with Catherine without her father finding out.

A few minutes later he broke the silence. "You know what's scary?"

Jenny turned her head and looked at him in the darkness. "What?"

Lou's lips quirked in a half smirk as he stared at the ceiling. "That poof staring down at me." He commented, his eyes looking at the poster of Justin Beiber that she had stuck on the ceiling above her bed.

Jenny smacked his arm and babbled about how he wasn't a poof which only made Lou call him one all the more, thus started a pinch fight.