Amy soon learned that the boy was an exchange student from Denmark and they became friends rather quickly, often visiting each other's houses to help with homework. They were inseparable for much of the semester and before they knew it, their friendly meetings soon evolved into dates.

They shared an emotional farewell when he had to return home at the end of the year. He promised to keep in touch with her through their social network accounts and she gladly agreed to do the same before he left.

She managed to contact him regularly over the holidays and the first half of senior year, but the stacks of assignments and exams soon overwhelmed her. She began spending less time updating her profile status and more time studying until she had all but forgotten his presence in her life.

"Hey, Francis. Did you catch the star you were after?" Matthew asked his French cousin as he and Amelia pushed themselves through the crowd gathered outside the film set.

"No, but I think he's coming soon."

Amelia swallowed in dread and glanced at the strangers around her. She mulled over the possibility of leaving the scene unnoticed while Matthew was still conversing with Francis, but her conscience spoke against it and she simply continued to stand where she was despite what was coming.

Francis' prediction was confirmed when the tall Danish actor arrived pedalling on his bicycle. He leaped off with a single swing of his left leg and propped his vehicle against the stone wall of The Castle.

The Dane swaggered along proudly to where his next scene would be shot, ignoring the antics of the make-up and film crew. A young actress got into her position in front of the camera, before a large man stepped behind her and pointed a prop gun by her head and she feigned a look of terror.

Matthew thought he recognised her face from one of the magazines his cousin read and remembering advice that he should be more interested in European cinema, he decided to ask Francis about her identity.

"She's quite a famous model back in Denmark and this is her first film appearance, thanks to Mr Densen, who is her boyfriend."

Matthew turned to gaze at the girl and found it strange that the more he looked at her, the more it seemed as if she were glowing.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Amelia called his attention, elbowing him bluntly in the shoulder. He instantly felt a little guilty for staring at another lady when his girlfriend was right beside him and was quick to apologise.

"Action!" Magnus yelled before the director could do so. He cleared his throat and strode out to face the villain holding his love interest at gunpoint. He whispered something in Danish under his breath before looking up and seeing a familiar face in the crowd.

He forgot all about the movie he was starring in when he saw the young man with his former American girlfriend and cracked his knuckles in rage at the sight. He marched forward and both of his co-stars stared in confusion when he went right past them and towards Amelia.

"The only thing between you and me is the two minutes it's going to take to kick your ass!"

His love interest broke free from the villain's grasp and shouted a profanity at him, but he could not hear her over the sound of his own voice.

Matthew gulped when he noticed how the Dane appeared to tower over him, despite being only a couple of inches taller. Amelia's earlier aborted warning made sense to him at that moment and he frantically thought of something that would diffuse the situation.

"N-nice to meet you! Do you mind giving me your autograph?" He tried to say confidently, only for his voice to come out as more of a nervous whimper.

"My autograph? Sure!" Magnus replied enthusiastically, placing a hand upon Matthew's shoulder. "But only after I've beaten you up!"

The actor's fist hit him in the face before he could react and he sprawled backwards on to the ground. He got up in pain and shuddered when he saw the large scrapes on his elbows. Nevertheless, he knew that he would have to be tough, as this was only the second evil ex-boyfriend.

"Evil ex! Not evil ex-boyfriend!" Amelia yelled from where she stood, as if she could read his thoughts.

Matthew stood his ground and bunched his fists up, readying himself for the next blow. It was a great disappointment therefore, when Magnus simply shrugged and claimed that he was done for the night.

"But aren't we supposed to fight?" Matthew called out at the actor when he began to walk away.

"I'm actually really thirsty right now, so I thought it would be a great idea if you could take on my stunt doubles in the meantime."

"Stunt doubles?!"

"Yep."

Magnus beckoned and a team of six blond men stepped out from behind a trailer and eyed Matthew aggressively.

"Do what ever you want with him, boys." Magnus instructed them casually, before he made his way to the nearest vending machine.

The stunt doubles charged at Matthew once the actor was gone and he punched one in the face, sending him straight to the ground. A second one attacked him from the side and all it took was a whack in the head to take them down.

Matthew was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to finish off the remaining four and once he was done, he found it hard to believe that the men were actually made of flesh and bone.

He rubbed his hands together to get rid of the dust and walked off in the same direction Magnus had gone.

Magnus had only just purchased a soda drink when he spun around to see Matthew before him, unharmed apart from his grazed elbows.

"Impossible!" The actor cried in alarm, dropping his bottle. "You're supposed to be a bloody pulp!"

"Are we going to fight now or not?" Matthew stressed as he impatiently crossed his arms.

"Fine..." Magnus sighed, kicking his drink aside. "Let's do it at the top of the Castle, away from any possible interruption!"

They somehow climbed the lofty stairs to the tower in a magically short time. Matthew didn't have much time to enjoy the view unfortunately, as Magnus did not hesitate to deliver several rapid punches that he failed to defend himself against.

It was only when Magnus had him pinned on top of the tower battlements and he felt a cold breeze through his hair that he thought of how close he was to possible death. Yet even then, he felt he could still reason with his opponent and save himself from being thrown over.

"He used to be a cyclist..." Francis' words repeated in his head and he knew then that he had something to work on.

"You love your bicycle, don't you?" He asked Magnus as he tried to keep his head upright.

"Yes, I do. What of it?"

"And your girlfriend was down there watching you, wasn't she?"

"Amelia?" Magnus said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, your current one!" Matthew corrected him.

"Oh, her..."

"Listen, since it's clear that this fight was unfair, I was wondering if there was a better way!"

"What do have you in mind?" Magnus sighed, stepping back and releasing his hands from Matthew's shoulders.

"If you can ride your bike down those stairs, I'll let you have her back. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a great deal!"

Magnus winked at Matthew and wheeled his bicycle to the edge of the first step. He mounted, pressed his foot on the pedals and within seconds, was skidding down the stairs at such a speed that his only hope of stopping was to reach the bottom.

Sparks flew as the wheels rubbed harder against the rough stone and Matthew thought he smelt burning rubber when Magnus was halfway down. A flame sprung up behind the bicycle as Magnus came closer to the foot of the stairs and the actor grinned in delight, sure he was about to complete the challenge.

He never considered the fact that his sheer speed could have severe repercussions and as he pressed his fingers against the handbrakes, the whole bicycle caught fire and he was flung high up in the air.

His mind went blank as he hit something hard and his body exploded into coins.

Matthew sat on the stairs and felt a slight sense of both accomplishment and remorse when he saw the bright flash of orange below, knowing it was a sign that he still had five more to go.