A/N: HAPPY REJECTION WEEK! Haha, it won't actually be happy! So this is my first set of daily updates! I did this in the prequel to this story for one week (and trust me, Depressing One-Shot From The Characters' POV Week is TOTALLY coming back!) but I liked it so much I want to do it a lot more often! So here's Part One!

Chapter 4: Never Good Enough

Elijah and Nate have always been somewhat closer than best friends. In a way, they've always been brothers. The two complete each other, there is never a secret between them, and they hate being apart. So Elijah isn't exactly sure why he didn't realize his real feelings earlier.

Elijah and Nate are so close that some things don't make them feel as awkward as they probably should. The two boys still like to have sleep-overs, mostly camping together in the woods outside Nate's house. They still take care of a stray cat named Estella that wanders the neighborhood. And they still like to dance together.

The dancing was always somewhat of an afterthought; Elijah's been taking lessons since he was a kid, and once he decided to pass on the knowledge to his best friend as a device for either and both of them to pick up girls. And Elijah and Nate are so close that neither of them acknowledges the assumptions that others make about them.

Today, the two sit in Elijah's bedroom and talk as they normally talk.

"H…How's Daphne?"

"With Ben. Why do all the nice girls go for the jerks!?"

"You don't even know that she was nice. She has a real cute, innocent smile 'nd all, but that doesn't mean she's nice. And, if she likes Ben, it probably means she's a bitch."

"True," he says quietly, "Then why do I always fall for the bitches?"

"Because you like pretty things," Elijah says simply.

"You seem like you have something on your mind," Nate says to his best friend.

"Wh-what?!" and Elijah knows that once again, his best friend is right.

"You're not you today."

Elijah finally sighs, plugging in his iPod and picking the song, "Nocturne," a three-four time signature waltz.

"Dance with me?" Elijah asks quietly.

"Sure," Nate says, "But you'll have to lead today…" he laughs slightly, "Sorry I'm not the pretty girl you want."

Elijah takes a deep breath, doing as his friend says and leading the dance.

"That's, um… Something I wanted to talk to you about."

Nate looks on his friend in concern. "Lijah? You Ok?"

"Yeah," he mutters, even though he knows Nate can see right through him.

"Talk," Nate finally commands sternly.

But his brunette friend still hadn't exactly planned out this part of the speech yet. He thinks of how to say it without sounding weird or projecting the wrong idea.

"You know you can tell me anything," Nate promises, "Absolutely anything."

"Mmmhmm…" Elijah mutters, deep in thought.

"Is it something I said!?" Nate asks, looking worried.

Elijah finally makes himself nod, "Yeah."

"What…?" the dirty-blonde's ears turn red, "The dancing's weird for you?"

"No, that's not it. Nah, I'm fine with this."

"Ok, good…" Nate thinks back to what he said earlier.

"Does it have to do with Daphne at all?"

"A little, but not how you think."

"You leading? I guess I can-"

"After that."

"…" he thinks, "Sorry I'm not the pretty girl you wanted?" he asks. Elijah nods quietly. Nate's mind flies to the many girls in the school that he and Elijah had liked over the years. "Did someone reject you?"

"No. Nobody rejected me. Nate, the thing I'm trying to say is… You shouldn't really be sorry… Because… You're the one that I want." And as soon as the words escape his lips Elijah wants to take them back.

Nate finally absorbs the meaning of this conversation and freezes.

"Wh…What?" he asks, shocked more than anything.

"There… I said it. I've been thinking it for a while, but I finally said it."

Nate is left speechless by this.

"Please… Say something. Punch me in the face if you want, just please give me a reaction," Elijah begs.

Nate blinks, snapping back into it, and looking back at his best friend, blue eyes sad.

"Lijah, you're… The most courageous person I know, for sure. And you know that you will always be my best friend in the whole world. But…" it hurts Nate to say it, "I can't say I feel the same way…" he adds quickly, "But you know that we'll always be best friends. Brothers. And I know that there's someone out there for you that'll give you what you deserve. You're really brave. I already knew that but I want you to know. So, um… Nothing changes. Not in my book, anyways. We're still just as strong of friends as we were before. And we'll always be."

Elijah the smallest of smiles and wraps his arms around Nate.

"You're the greatest best friend ever. Legit."

Nate hugs him back and smiles slightly, "Nah, you're still the best."

Elijah actually laughs. Despite the empty void where his heart used to be, he laughs.

The two let go of each other and Nate flashes his friend a smile. Elijah keeps his eyes focused mostly on the ground.

Nate can still see the sadness and the tears that will most likely be shed very soon. And he knows that Elijah isn't going to be Ok.

"Catch you… Later?" Nate asks, even though it pains him to leave his best friend like this.

Elijah nods, "Sure," he chokes out.

Nate walks over to door and on his way out, Elijah says quietly, "And… Thanks for making it just a bit easier, Nate."

Nate smiles slightly, "Don't mention it."

Then he quietly slips out of the room and Elijah watches him go.

He sits on his bed. Elijah always knew this would happen. He was just so lovesick he always denied it.

Elijah buries his face in a pillow and now he knows it for sure: he will never be good enough. No matter what he does, he will never get Nate to love him. Or, at least, not like that.

And now that he doesn't have Nate to love, Elijah is confused. He isn't sure what he is anymore… In fact he doesn't feel in love with anyone else but Nate. He buries his head in a pillow and cries quietly, wishing he had kept his mouth shut and not said anything at all.