Here's that story I was talking about. Plot bunny wrote me a prologue for you to see what you think - should I carry it on?
As you will be able to tell, it is set way back... kinda. There is a good reason for it and my strange ramblings may start to make sense... (or they may continue to seem quite insane)
Anyway...

Prologue

John Paul was the first out of the classroom door, ignoring Craig as he tried to call him back. Walking to his locker, he thought about all the events of the previous night. He’d gone to the loft for the DJ competition, which he had won; earning him a job there with a decent pay packet. He was still amazed that he had won it, considering he had previously only mixed tunes in the privacy of his room. Then again with Sonny cheating and the only other competitor practically having been booed off after his set, he supposed that the loft owners hadn’t had much choice.

Then there was what happened afterwards. John Paul’s smile slipped slightly at that memory. He had completely lost it at the thought of Craig being hurt or the idea that that beautiful face would be marred. He quickly shook his head to clear it: those were not thoughts which he should be having, especially not about his best friend… his only friend. Maybe that’s what it was. Maybe he was just getting confused between strong friendship and more.

His mind made up and his outlook brighter, John Paul continued to his locker. What was it that Craig had called them? Brothers, that was it. The love that John Paul had for Craig was brotherly love and nothing else. He didn’t dream of gazing into those chocolatey brown eyes or of pushing him up against the wall and kissing him. Certainly no dreams of exploring more of that toned, tanned body that was just begging to be…. Right, and if you believe that you’ll believe anything.

Feeling his face warm slightly, John Paul took the remaining steps to his locker and pulled it open quickly, hoping the door would hide his flushed face.

“John Paul!” came the call from behind him. “You alright mate? Seemed pretty hasty getting out of there!” Craig laughed.

Sighing, John Paul turned around to face the boy who had been plaguing his thoughts. “Yeah, it was just a bit stuffy in there,” he said, not quite looking Craig in the eye. Those eyes… they were just so rich and full of emotion. There was only one thing in the whole world that was more beautiful than those eyes, in John Paul’s opinion and that was Craig’s lips. Those full-pouting lips that just seemed to scream ‘KISS ME’…

Wait one second, this was not the sort of thought wide-awake, sober John Paul should be having. It was one thing to dream about kissing your friend or even drunkenly fantasise about it, but in the light of day while having a conversation, that was a definite no.

“So who is it?” Craig’s words startled John Paul out of his dangerous thoughts. What was he talking about? “You know – the girl you were thinking about all through English,” he expanded. At John Paul’s guilty-but-trying-to-look-blank look, he raised an eyebrow and continued. “Oh come on mate! You were staring off into space and kept re-arranging your trousers.”

John Paul blushed again, mortified that Craig had noticed. He opened his mouth to deny this phantom girl’s existence, but knew that it would be completely pointless – Craig would never believe him. Instead, he changed the subject. “D’ya want to meet up later in The Dog or something?” he asked, popping a soft mint in his mouth and offering one to Craig.

After he had heard the affirmative reply and watched Craig disappear back down the hallway, John Paul finally had a chance to look in his locker. Reaching inside, he realised that there was a folded up piece of paper sitting on top of his books that there hadn’t been when he had closed the locker earlier in the day. Intrigued by this, he hurriedly opened it up to see what was inside, the message almost making him choke on the mint in his mouth.

There, on the regular lined paper used throughout the school were five words that made John Paul stop breathing for a few seconds as he read the message again to make sure it was there.

‘I know how you feel.’

OMG that was amazing!!!!

OMG Brilliant! One of the classics!

brilliant lol
nxt part up soon?

More More More!

Amazing, I told you it would be lilium you so rock

wow i love this plz do sum more

I'm like SO intrigued!!! Carry on, please!

Ohh its good carry on!

OMG!!!! So amazing!!!! You must write more soon

Thanks geordie and sarah and juicy and everyone else - your comments are all really appreciated.

I'm going away for the weekend so fingers crossed I'll get another chapter out to you tomorrow for both fics and then I'll be back on Monday

Yay I cant wait then! I love reading these stories. Only coz the writers at hollyoaks dont seem to be writing as exciting as our stories do they! Cant wait for your chapter

Chapter 1 - Hoping For News

As he made his way to The Dog, his mind was for once not full of images of the dark haired god he was about to see. Instead it was racing with ideas of what the note could mean. After the initial shock of seeing it, he had thought a bit more rationally and realised that there could be a huge variety of different reasons those words were found in his locker.

For one, it might not have been meant for him – maybe someone had just put it in the wrong locker by accident. Besides, even if it was for him, maybe it meant about how he was new to the school and didn’t know many people… although it was a little late in the year for that. Then there was always the idea that someone might think he fancied some girl, like Craig had assumed earlier. Oh god that was so embarrassing.

He found Craig by the bar, wearing one of those so-adorable-although-he’d-never-admit-it cardigans that he loved to wear. Keeping his attraction in check, he made his way over to his friend, clapping him on the back and smiling. Craig turned around and smiled warmly back at him before dragging him over to the pool table and failing miserably in his attempt to beat the blonde.

As far as John Paul was concerned, the whole evening was pure torture. He was constantly paranoid that somehow Craig would have discovered his secret and was just waiting for the right time to make a laughing stock of him. He sighed. He was being incredibly paranoid, he knew; it was just that that note had really shaken him. What if someone really did know?

What was almost worse than that was that Craig had obviously not forgotten about the ‘incident’ in English and wanted to keep asking him about this ‘girl’ that he was thinking of. In a final effort to stop the incessant questions about how he could have gone a whole month at Hollyoaks High without noticing anyone he liked, John Paul asked Craig if they were still on for football tryouts on Monday. Relieved that this had worked but unwilling to stay to find out for how long, he made his excuses and left. He walked home as if in a daze and flopped down onto his bed, utterly exhausted from too much thinking. Luckily, he fell asleep quickly and slept throughout the night, despite shouts from his sisters as they argued over the bathroom.

After the weekend that he had had, John Paul was immensely grateful to be back at school the next Monday and mixed with his joy of being asked to play at The Loft that Thursday, he was practically bouncing off the walls. He was also looking forward to the football tryouts, which were going to be held after school that day, having been in the school team at his last school. One final thing he was looking forward to, although he would never admit it, was seeing if there was another note in his locker.

Inching his locker door open slowly, John Paul jumped at Craig’s voice barely a foot behind him, having not heard the other boy approach him. John Paul slammed the locker shut, terrified that Craig would find something out in the note that he himself desperately wanted to read. After successfully getting through small talk about the upcoming tryouts and how his weekend had been without even thinking of how hot Craig looked in his school uniform and therefore thinking he had got away with it, he was shocked to hear him ask what was in the locker. John Paul gaped at him not quite sure how to answer before settling on oblivious. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing in my locker – look, I still have my bad with me.” Right, because that sounded believable!

Craig raised his eyebrow, obviously seeing through the transparent lie. “Right, sure. Well if that’s true, I guess you wouldn’t mind me taking a look, would you?” he asked, smirking. Despite his fears, John Paul couldn’t help to smile at this. Although he loved the vulnerable side of Craig which begged him to be his hero, this self-absurdity, which he rarely exhibited other than when the two were alone, was undoubtedly the brunette’s sexiest personality trait, perhaps because it was only shown to John Paul, meaning that John Paul must have that effect on him. Even so, he felt his pulse quicken as the locker door was triumphantly flung open to reveal… nothing. There was no note.

In fact, John Paul had to wait until lunch until he received the next piece of paper, once again inside his locker, presumably pushed through the vents at the top. Unlike the previous note, which had been rather ambiguous, this one gave a lot more information.

‘Dear John Paul
Sorry about not putting too much info in my last letter, I wasn’t 100% sure that that was your locker, so I had to make it as vague as possible while making sure it made sense to you – I’m guessing by your reaction to it that you understood what I was talking about.
There isn’t too much that I need to tell you just now, I just wanted to let you know that there is someone who understands at least a part of what you are currently going through and will go through in the future. I hope for your sake that you learn to trust me as that will hopefully lead to a lot less heartache in February. I shouldn’t say much more.
Best of luck in the football tryouts today and for your first ‘gig’ at The Loft on Thursday – I’m sure you’ll do great at both.
~’

brilliant lilium, so intriguing you must write more

Chapter 2 - Confusion Reigns.

John Paul smiled as he tucked the letter away in his shirt pocket so no one else could see it. He’d have to go home for lunch just to make sure though. Unlike after he had read the previous note, John Paul found that there was no overwhelming fear that he would be ‘outed’ prematurely after this one; instead he felt secure in the knowledge that he wasn’t hiding from everyone. Not that he was necessarily gay – he’d gone out with girls before and they were nice enough. Maybe this infatuation with Craig was just hormones.

The rest of the day went reasonably well, not counting Sonny being a complete idiot at the tryouts, which was actually rather predictable. Honestly, John Paul didn’t understand why he acted that way to Craig. It wasn’t like Craig had had any control over his brother’s actions. Plus John Paul had warned him off at The Loft and he’d seemed like he might give Craig a break.

The main thing that had really brassed John Paul off about what Sonny had said was when he had accused him of only being friends with Craig out of pity. That couldn’t be any further from the truth, but he knew that Craig was insecure about that sort of thing. What made it even worse was that Craig had been half-naked so John Paul hadn’t felt comfortable looking at him, let alone going over there to support him. The look that would no doubt appear in Craig’s eyes when he yet again defended him, that affectionate pat on the back or the arm where he would feel Craig’s soft skin against his own for just a second of pure heaven, that grateful and timid smile showing how much he meant to Craig; all of these could only lead to one amazing and terrible thing: John Paul pushing Craig against the wall and sticking his tongue down his throat. Not that he fancied him or anything.

John Paul sighed and told himself yet again that the only reason he felt so close to Craig was because they were best friends. Sure, he wanted to protect him, but that was all part of being a best friend. Then again he hadn’t acted as much a best friend earlier. Seeing Craig appearing behind him out of the changing room, John Paul waved to him, glad to see the gesture returned. He slowed his walk, allowing the other boy to catch him up.

The two walked in relative quiet, comfortable in each other’s presence until Craig broke the silence, asking if he had been to see Clare yet. John Paul jumped slightly at this; hadn’t he already told Craig? Then he remembered – he’d been about to when he saw Sonny talking to Craig outside the Drive ‘n’ Buy. He’d looked at Sonny, making him leave but had decided not to go up to Craig as he wanted to get to his locker as soon as possible to see if there was another note there, all the good that had done. “Yeah – she said my first gig’s on Thursday. I’m really excited about it.”

Craig gaped at him slightly. “And you didn’t tell me about it? To think I knew you when you were a nobody!” As the two rounded the corner, they saw Michaela waiting by the steps. “Hey!” he called to her. “What’s it like having a big shot in the family?”

Michaela smiled sweetly at him before turning her gaze to her brother. “Like you wish you’d never been born.” She went to storm off but was stopped by John Paul holding her arm.

“Please tell me you’re not waiting here for Sonny,” he asked exasperated, ignoring her comment. Why was it always older lads?

“That’s none of you’re business,” she spat, shrugging his hand away and walking off where they had come from. John Paul went to go after her, but decided not to knowing that whatever her problem with him was now, it was more than just being a protective older brother, or even him winning the DJ competition, which brought him back to another point.

If he hadn’t told Craig about the job on Thursday until now, how on earth had the letter writer found out? Craig was the first person he told, but somehow this person had known. Then there was the whole thing about ‘that will hopefully lead to a lot less heartache in February’? What could someone know about what would happen in four months time? This was far too confusing.

Amazing, as always

thanks geordie

wow - i really like this one - so different!!!

Chapter 3 - Discoveries

Each time John Paul went to his locker that week, he would go through the same steps. First, he would take a deep breath to calm his nerves; then he would unlock his locker, checking over his shoulders in case someone was watching him; next the locker door would be prised open slowly, with a final check around the corridor before it was pulled wide to reveal nothing. Not a single word from his mystery pen pal.

Instead of worrying about this, apart from those times at his locker, John Paul returned to being the lively, witty boy he had always been. His first time at The Loft had brought in several new customers and Clare and Max had been very happy with him. His friendship with Craig had never been better and he hadn’t even dreamed about him all week. All in all, life was really starting to look up.

Even so, when he opened his locker on Monday lunchtime and saw a familiar piece of notepaper lying on top of his bag, his eyes lit up. Maybe this would actually answer some of his questions.

‘John Paul
I notice you’ve been following a rather interesting routine when you go to your locker. Don’t worry – I’m not stalking you or anything – I just passed you in the hallway and noticed. You know, if you want to keep the contents of these letters private then maybe being a little subtler would be a good approach.
Just so you don’t worry this week, I’m only going to be contacting you every Monday lunchtime because I have the lesson before off – the first note was the only exception as I’d been trying different lockers all week to see which was yours.
Well, you know how I said I’m not stalking you? I’m not, but I thought you should know that there is one time when I specifically watch you and that is while you are reading these letters. That’s why I chose a time when I have the lesson before off but the corridor is busy.
Anyway, congratulations for doing so well at The Loft – I was there with some friends and you were very good, although you and I knew that already.
~’

John Paul sighed; apparently not! Besides: the nerve of this girl, because he was pretty certain it was a girl now considering the little snide comments, to question him on how subtle he was being! Then again, it probably had looked a little odd… ah well.

Turning around and putting the letter in his pocket, he remembered that one line saying that he was being watched now. Realising it would be fruitless to try to see who out of all the students milling around the corridor was the letter writer, he instead took a blank piece of paper out of his bag and began to write his own note. ‘Who are you?’ he wrote, slipping the piece of paper under the lockers. He then stood up and pretended to leave so the letter writer would expose herself.

Leaning against the wall in the little alcove, John Paul watched as the younger students scurried past, either alone or in their groups. Staring at that spot under the lockers, John Paul watched as a girl who couldn’t have been older than year eight bent down and picked something up. Her blonde hair was in plaits, but John Paul was in for a lot of luck when he saw another girl, this time a red-head, run up to her and say ‘Come on Dawn! We’re first lunch today!’ Yup – definitely year eight. So that was her name: Dawn.

John Paul nearly skipped home he was so excited, although luckily for his humility’s sake, he managed to control himself. Of course, there was still the question of how on earth she knew all of this, but at least he now knew who she was! John Paul reached down the box that he had put the previous two letters in and put in this third. Before replacing the box, John Paul found himself taking out the only other object in there: a photograph. On a lads’ night out with Craig, the two of them had been taking pictures on their phones when this picture had been taken. Craig had clearly been drunk and when he looked at it, John Paul sometimes liked to kid himself that it looked like Craig was about to kiss him. Of course, he wasn’t, but it was nice to keep the photo as his little ray of hope.

Returning to school, he was surprised to find another note left inside his locker. Apparently Dawn felt like she needed to say something else!

‘John Paul
How stupid do you think I am? I know that you were watching from that alcove so I wasn’t exactly about to go and pick up that note you wrote me, was I? Unfortunately, by the time I got there, the note looked like it had been stepped on quite a few times so I didn’t get to read it. Put another one there and I’ll check at the end of school, just don’t put anything important in it because it’s out in the open.
~’

Darn! He thought he’d finally worked it out and now he was back to square one again. Of course, he should have realised that as only sixth formers got free lessons, this Dawn in year eight couldn’t have sent the letter. At least he now had a means of making this communication more than just one-way. He wrote his note out yet again, this time placing it too far under the lockers for it to be knocked accidentally but close enough to the edge that it could be reached. It was a shame that it hadn’t worked, as he would now have to wait until tomorrow to find the reply, but at least he knew he would get one.

amazing, loved it