She laughs loudly and then she stops abruptly. She leans into me and whispers softly, "Don't look now, but the new boy just came walking out of the station."
I turn my head to look.
She slaps me against the shoulder. "Gawd, Heather! I told you not to look."
I continue looking, even though her slap stings my arm. He looks at me as he walks down the few steps and it looks as if he is going to walk toward us. He has the greenest eyes I have ever seen and they look right into me. He is so sun-tanned he looks out of place and his light hair is cropped short around his ears and the longer hair on top sits messy on his head, as if he just pulled his hand through it. He has full, light brown eyebrows; a perfect nose, a strong jaw and I notice a dimple in his chin. He looks like the perfect advertisement for summer and all things warm and fuzzy.
He smiles faintly as he walks past me and I turn to look at him as he walks toward the little lane away from the station.
Shannon exclaims, "He is so yummy! Did you see the way he looked at you?"
I start walking toward the lane and I reply indifferently, "I am not interested."
She falls into step next to me. "You are kidding, right? When have you not been interested?"
" Since yesterday."
" Out with it. Tell me."
" Ugh! My dad is moving out tomorrow. Actually, I think he moved out on Wednesday, but he will be fetching his things tomorrow, I suppose."
" Huh? When did this happen?"
" Apparently for a while now, he has a new girlfriend."
" You lie!"
" No, I am not. It is the honest truth."
" I cannot believe it." She looks at me concerned. "Are you okay though?"
" It just made me wonder, what happened to their love? Where did it go?"
" Ah, this is why you are pretending not to be interested in fresh meat."
I smile. "He is very handsome."
" He is. Maybe with him you can find out where the love went."
I scoff. "Shannon, I am serious! What is the use of falling for someone, and pledging your undying love if it is just going to disappear one day."
" My gran and grandpa have been married forever and the way they look at each other is embarrassing. So it depends."
I sigh. "I suppose."
We walk through the gates on the main road into the school grounds and as we pass smoker's alley, Dermot calls Shannon's name.
We stop and he comes loping toward us. He crushes the cigarette under his shoe when he stops in front of us. He bends down to Shannon, and he is about to give her a peck on her lips when she pushes him away. "Dermot, gawd you stink!"