Sudden inspiration and everything. Had to write it and post it before I forgot it completely.

Oh, and Dylan's POV

Obsessive Compulsive

As a kid my mom always told me I was slightly obsessive compulsive. My reaction would always be a bewildered stare and a very dumb 'huh'? I mean, don't get me wrong, there might be some grain of truth in there. I just don't agree with her.

I mean I kinda did have the most atrocious habit of cleaning my work space at school. The pencil always had to be to the right and at a slight angle. My bag always had to be over my left shoulder. I couldn't hilight in my textbooks, except for vocabulary words, because any more would be too much yellow per page. I always had to tuck other people's tags back into the collar of their shirts. I always had to.....

Okay! I get it. I'm slightly obsessive compulsive. I admit it. It isn't so bad is it?

It wasn't that bad.....until that day.

I might never have noticed the boy...he was quite normal. Didn't stick out too much. Didn't blend in either. I was walking to my biology class and this kid walks by me, total stranger. Not someone I would ever really put a lot of initiative into greeting. But then I saw something.

In his dark hair was a smudge of green. It caught my eye. I remember stopping completely and swiveling around to watch him on his way down the hall. There, nestled in this boy's fine raven hair...was a leaf. I shook my head slightly and kept going on my way to class. Nothing to obsess over.

Sitting at my desk I attempted to take notes on whatever boring subject we were working on that day, but after many half thought out sentences I finally gave up in quiet frustration, flinging my pencil down onto the paper. I looked down and stared at the pencil. Daring it to challenge me. It did. Growling silently I put the pencil in the correct place. To the right of the paper and slightly turned inwards. There.

That dumb leaf wouldn't leave me alone! It was there, on my mind at every second. It was just a leaf! Why couldn't I let it go!?

Walking to my next period I saw the boy again. The damn leaf was still there. Taunting me. Distracting me. Yet again I did a double take and stared after him, glaring at the dumb leaf that wouldn't leave me alone.

At second glance the boy was quite good looking. I wonder why I didn't notice it the first time. Shaking my head I went to class, rubbing my forehead, trying in vain to get my head back on straight. Because it was all getting ridiculous.

Last period finally ended and I was walking to my car. I had almost forgotten about the leaf in the boy's hair. Almost. I was quite happy with my achievement even. Humming slightly, halfway to my car....I stopped dead.

The boy was on the front steps talking to my sister. Even from this far away I could still see the little dot of green amongst the black. Glaring at it I turned and started walking to my car again.

Dumb leaf. Dumb leaf! Dumb leaf!!! DUMB LEAF!!! Oh forget it!

I spun around and began to hurriedly march over to where my sister and her friend were talking. I just couldn't take it anymore!

"So Spinner started saying.....oh, hey Dylan. What's up?" Dylan nodded in greeting, shrugging slightly, and turned to the dark boy. Reaching up, he smiled gently and removed the leaf. Yes, the boy was very attractive.

"Sorry. Leaf. In your hair. Been there since first period." Wow. That sounded intelligent didn't it? The boy was looking at me funny now.

"Um, yeah. Thanks. Anyway," he said, turning to Paige. "Just tell Spinner to call you and see what happens. I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow?" I didn't even hear Paige's goodbye. By this point I was quite taken with this boy. I didn't even know him, but there was just something about him.

"Dylan, are you in there?" I jumped slightly and turned to my sister. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving me staring after the boy.

Atleast the leaf was gone. Thank god.

That night I questioned Paige intensively over the boy. I learned many things. His name was Marco for instance. He was gay. He was sweet, and studious, and so on and so forth. It's not like I really cared or anything. Please.

The next day dawned bright and early, and I saw Marco in the hallways from class to class. No leaf. I was almost starting to forget the boy. Except for the fact he was good looking. Not that I was interested. Who gave you that idea?

I had to give Paige a ride home that day so I waited for her on the front steps. She came out with Marco. Go figure. I smiled at the pair of them and walked up to greet them...only to stop in my tracks. There was a piece of string on his shoulder. Totally inconspicuous. No big deal. Utterly innocent.......and I hated it.

I forced myself to turn my attention to the conversation they were having, trying to get my mind off the string. It was harmless. I couldn't let it get to me.

"Then Spinner said he was going to...." It's smirking at me. Okay, well, inanimate objects can't technically smirk, but it was smirking at me just the same. It knew I couldn't stand the little thing. It knew it was driving me crazy. It just sat there happy as a bug on his shoulder and taunted me.

"But then he got upset over who knows what and...." Just look at it....Dylan! Don't! Don't give in. It's just a damn string! It's not hurting anything. Just keep it together.

"And now I don't really know what to say...." Dammit!

I reached forward, my willpower gone, and plucked the string off his shoulder. I could feel his warmth under my fingertips. It was quite nice. Looking up, I saw dark brown eyes...and my mind tripped and stuttered a bit. "Erm, string. On your shoulder." The genius strikes again.

He smiled! He doesn't think I'm a complete idiot! Score! "Haha, yeah. Thanks."

The boy turned to my sister again and made a hurried apology and said goodbye. I watched him go again. He really was something.

"Could you be anymore obvious?"

"Huh?"

"You like him! My brother's got a crush on Marco. How great is that?"

"No! I don't! What gave you that idea?"

Paige grinned. "You were staring at him the whole time."

Dylan grinned right back. "It was that dumb string on his shoulder. Nothing more."

"Whatever Dyl. Think what you want."

Marco walked out of his fourth period class and ducked into the bathroom stealthily. Staring at his reflection he pulled a roll of string out his backpack and smiled a silly little smile into the mirror.

Obsessive compulsive indeed.

I hope you guys liked it. :P Review and let me know. Perhaps there will even be cookies. Who is to say how these things work.