Do this in private to avoid embarrassing him. Explain that you're only interested in being friends and that you don't want to hurt his feelings. Talking to him will help him realize the truth. Don't give any hope of a romantic relationship in the future. Say something like, "You're really sweet, but I don't want to ruin our friendship. Let's keep it platonic." Talk to him in person. Don't hide behind a text message or computer screen. Tell him yourself. Asking your friends to relay the message only will make everyone feel awkward. Avoid being rude or hurtful, even if he repulses you. If you have to work with him or go to school with him, that could make things worse for you. Simply say, "Hi" when you pass each other and keep walking. Limit your facial expressions to a slight smile. If you have to talk to him for a group project, focus on the task at hand. This will totally defeat your goal of letting him know you don't like him. Don't play with your hair or make too much eye contact. These actions draw too much attention to yourself. Avoid standing or sitting too close or playfully stroking his hand. This could send the wrong message.
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One-sentence summary -- Talk to him about the situation. Treat him with civility. Don't flirt with him.

You don't always have to write out every melody or drum line by yourself. Find a portion of another song that stands out to you and incorporate it into your own music. It is usually difficult to sample a song with drums, so this part of the beat will be added later. Once you've loaded the sample into your hard drive, heighten or lower it until it's unrecognizable from the original song. The goal is to create something totally new. From here you can chop and loop the beat however you'd like. Look up your favorite beats on WhoSampled.com. You'll be surprised how often samples are used. Heighten and lower the pitch, or slow down and quicken the speed of your favorite songs to create your own sample to be added to a new song. Check out all of 3 Feet High and Rising or Paul's Boutique for golden-age examples of sampling prowess. The best way to grow quickly is to try and imitate the pros, learning the skills that will give you your own voice and creative freedom down the line. You can listen to anyone you want as long as you stop and think about why you like it so much, and what ideas you can borrow or change. For example: Listen to famous DJ Premier's samples from his music project called "Re:Generation." DJ Premier is known for his signature scratching sound and flawless song constructions. Skrillex is notable for using samples of his own vocals. By using autotune, he is able to change the tone and speed of his voice so that it becomes almost unrecognizable. His song "Father Said" features samples of his own voice auto-tuned, as does "Turmoil." Pete Rock uses samples for the entirety of his songs. He's known to chop and layer several various samples within the same song. He's an avid user of horns and drums, as is evident in his sample: "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)." The more you know about music, the easier it will be to create it. From the tuba to the turntable, the same ideas and skills are needed no matter what music you're making. So push yourself musically as much as you can -- you can always reject the ideas if they don't work. Learn how to play an instrument. Since many beats are made with a keyboard, the piano is a great place to start. Listen to as varied a selection of music as you can -- great producers pull from great music no matter what the genre. Make 30-second beats just to try out a new drum pack. Watch a tutorial on how to get a vocal sample to sound just like Kanye's in "School Spirit." Make a song with no drums. Like all creative endeavors, you only learn to be more creative by trying new things. The basics of beat making may be obvious, but you need to push yourself to make new and unique songs. Trying to remake sounds and beats you love is a great way to teach yourself from the masters. There are thousands of free tutorials online and on YouTube. When in doubt, look it up.
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One-sentence summary -- Use sampling to create the backbone to a beat. Listen to your favorite producers with an ear to steal their tricks. Learn to play another instrument or learn music theory. Experiment, play, and break all the rules when making beats.

Before talking to your parents, you and your friends should get together and all figure out the details of the trip. The most important part of your trip to figure out is where you are going to go. Even if you already know your destination, make sure you know exactly what region or area you want to visit. If you plan to visit multiple locations, make sure you know exactly where they are and how far apart they are from each other. For instance, even if you know that you want to visit California, you can narrow down your trip to visiting San Francisco and San Jose. If you and your friends disagree on where to go, try to reach a consensus. If your parents pick up on the fact that you and your friends have different thoughts about the trip, they will be less likely to give their permission. Once you know where you're going, figure out how long your trip will take, including travel time. Make sure that you and your friends check a calendar and pick the exact dates you will be leaving and coming back. Check in with your friends about their schedules and coordinate a time that works best for everyone. Make a comprehensive day-by-day plan that details exactly where you will be throughout your trip. This is especially important if you are visiting multiple cities or countries. You need to know exactly what days you will be in each location. You also should figure out what main activity or activities you will be doing each day. For example, one day in your schedule could be: "Monday, September 12: 3rd day in Mexico City. Visit the Anthropology Museum and the Casa Azul. Eat dinner downtown." Hear your friends out and compromise when you are planning your activities. Once you know exactly where you'll be on each day of your trip, you can start to figure out how you will get from place to place. If you are travelling a long distance, you will have to fly to your destination. Then figure out how to get from place to place based on the plans that you laid out. Note the cost of the transportation. Don't actually buy any tickets, just write down how much a ticket would cost. Figure out how where you will stay overnight for each part of the trip. Ask you friends if they know of anyone in the place you are visiting where you could stay. Also check out the prices of hotels and hostels, and write down several options. Aim to be economical, but don't stay somewhere that isn't reputable just because it's cheap. Add up the price of your transportation and lodgings. Then add the approximate amount you expect to spend per day on food and souvenirs. Add a little extra in case something comes up. This should give you a good estimate of the cost of the trip. Adding a little extra money to your budget in case of emergencies will help show your parents that you are responsible and thinking ahead. This may help convince them to let you go. Either type up or write down your itinerary. It should include everything that you have already worked on, and should be organized by day. Each day should include the main activities of the day along with the price of each hotel and method of transport. This will show your parents how much thought you put into your trip as well as give them an idea of the sorts of things you will be doing. This may help reassure them.
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One-sentence summary --
Pinpoint where you want to go. Figure out how long your trip will be. Make a day by day plan. Figure out transportation. Find places to stay. Estimate the overall cost. Write out your itinerary.