The Crush

Fifteen-year-old Matthew Cassidy is an up-and-coming rugby league star. The talent scouts are circling him, his school team has reached the finals for the first time ever and he's determined to one day play professional. It's not bad for a down-to-earth guy from the poor side of town who lives with his mum above a fish 'n' chip shop.But despite being the team captain, his prowess and the embarrassing popularity among his mates, Matt really only wants one thing in life - a Dad.All his mates have one, so why can't he?His Mum had fallen pregnant at 14 at a drunken party and never heard from his Dad again.However, the old adage 'Be careful of what you wish for' comes true.Matt receives an anonymous card on his 15th birthday. It's not from his Mum, his grandmother or one of his mates. The only clue is handwriting that matches a dozen letters he accidentally finds in his mother's bedroom - threatening letters about him.Matt tracks down the mysterious writer and discovers he had another grandmother - his paternal grandmother.And that his Dad is alive. His mother has been lying to him for 15 years.And her reason for doing so was to protect him from the truth: that his Dad's in jail.Meanwhile, Matt is facing another dilemma: a crush.Blue-eyed Kelly Sinclair is gorgeous, rich and friendly. The only problem is her boyfriend, Aaron Blackwell. Captain of an opposing side and Matt's mortal enemy, he regularly beats up Kelly out of spite, jealousy or plain boredom. She never leaves him, though, because 'deep down he's a nice guy.''Nice guy' or not, Matt knows Kelly is protecting Aaron from the police and tries to rescue her from a cycle of domestic abuse.Except this is not as simple as it seems, as he tries to fight his own feelings for Kelly and the violent nature of her boyfriend.