Anonymous

2

"Ciara! Ciara!" shouted my best friend, but I continued walking.

"Ciara Buckingham! I swear you better turn around now or I'll-"

My best friend Toni was trying to talk to me. It was lunch time and the grey corridors were filled with the hustle and bustle of students making their way to their lunch rooms and getting their books from their lockers. Thankfully, Miss Malligan hadn’t given us any homework, so I was now making my way to my Tudor class’s lunch room. English had been my last class before lunch. Toni's exclamation made many students stare and I quickly turned around and confronted her, to stop people paying attention to us. I really had enough of being the centre of attention today.

"What?" I hissed quietly to her, as I guided her to a very small door at the bottom of the corridor, almost hidden by the stacks of books and old school equipment, such as boxes of wasted markers and broken rulers. The journey from the top of the corridor to the bottom was like a journey through time. The walls became increasingly shabbier and older as Toni and I made our way down the corridor. The end of the corridor was deserted. This particular run-down, looking door, lead to a very small courtyard outside. The gentle breeze that touched my face was soothing, as I opened the door and made my way over to the waiting bench in the corner of the yard. No one was here, in this small place that was like my haven in stressful times of school, as per usual. I always came here before exams and other times of stress, this place always calmed me, it was my place of peace. I sat down on my bench and waited for the questioning to begin.

She just looked at me, just looked. That waiting look had been around so long. I hated that look.

“I've nothing to tell you,” I told her exasperatedly.” Seriously nothing! I didn't even know that guy until today! That was the first time I've ever seen him!”

Toni narrowed her eyes, “How did you know I was going to ask about him?”

“Seriously Toni, I know you too well” I spoke, my poker face on and no expression in my voice. She would have to make the first move.

Toni cracked a smile and then began to laugh out loud. I joined in. Toni and I had been friends for so long, it was ridiculous really. Out of my 15 years on this planet, Toni had been my friend for 14 of them. We had gone to creche together, primary school and now secondary school. Nothing had ever broken us apart, nothing could. She and I just got each other.

I looked around the courtyard and smiled. This courtyard was so full of memories, full of Toni and I's memories. It was a place we called our own, it was ours. No one had ever really found need to come here, it was a small dank place with only one door. They were a couple of trees dotted around and the ground’s brick was growing moss. A sense of derelict was very prominent in this place. The caretakers had given up on it long ago. It was not a place of beauty exactly and it was so small that nobody bothered to remember it. Our school was too big. That made it perfect for us. 

She joined me on the bench and we talked, really talked about this new guy; this really cool new guy, according to Toni. She had talked with the girls in our English class and it was unanimous, they all thought he was amazing. And, I had to agree. He seemed really nice, well better than the usual type of guys in our school. This guy was new and different. He excited me. He didn't seem to try to fit into the crowd, or follow the group. It was like he was the kind of person that made his own group.

It’s weird though, they all thought I knew him or something, that we were romantically linked (I swear not my words!). I just laughed when Toni asked me; I said I didn't even know him. It’s true, I didn't but I couldn't help feeling attracted to him. Yes, I guess I was falling for his English charm, like every other girl, but I had something on them, I had an advantage so far I guess...I had talked to him…in a way… wait no who am I kidding, a guy who is probably going to become really popular, why would he go after a girl like me? 

I huffed and sighed. I wasn’t really an exciting person, was I? I wasn’t chatty and confident like Toni or really that popular. I only played sport on the school teams and got pretty good reports in school, but that was it. I didn’t scream of excitement. I didn't have unbelievable stories of times I spent with my friends or have to get a calculator out to count how many boys I've kissed. I’d probably just bore him…I was way too awkward sometimes as well...

 Toni had a quizzical look on her face, but before she could ask, the bell rang and she whisked me away to our next class. 

“You can't be getting in trouble in every class, now can you?” she said, a grin plastered on her beautiful, exotic face. I laughed, as she pulled me through the doors and on with the day.