Texting him? ): help!?

I like this guy who i don't think he likes me and ive texted him once starting with "hey" but that conversation went nowhere and he just stopped texting me in the middle of it and hasnt replyd to my texts since. i really like him but im afraid if i ask him out he'll say no and tell his friends. i wanna text him but we never really talk about anything. How do i start texting him having him text me back but he never does so how can i start a conversation leading down to knowing if he likes me or not? help! please! btw we're in middle school