A Woman's Best Friend

Prologue

Allie felt the warm sunshine on her bare arms and face as she exited the school building. A whole weekend was ahead of her with no plans other than to sleep. Next to her the sound of her best friend, Fiona's footsteps.

"So... Wanna do something later?" Fiona asked, and Allie could hear the underlying excitement. There had to be a boy involved.

"I would, only my mum said they wanted to talk to me about something," Allie replied.

"But... Only the park. You know. I could look at the boys, you could listen to them and tell me who sounds hot," Fiona said with an audibly sly smile.

"Ha-di-ha," Allie deadpanned.

"What... You know Alex has wanted to talk to you right?" Fiona said, and Allie could hear the skip in Fiona's step.

"Why on earth would Alex want to talk to me?" Allie asked with a snort.

"Why wouldn't he? You're funny, kind, pretty and smart. Killer combo!" Fiona grinned with an extra dose of enthusiasm.

"You forgot blind, Fee," Allie commented.

"Oh, come on! Like that's a big thing!" Fiona replied. Allie could still hear the falseness of it.

"Ummm... It's kinda the most noticeable thing about me... Or have you not noticed this white stick I carry everywhere?" Allie chuckled.

"Well... Apparently, Alex told Dave who told Tony that you are the prettiest girl in school, so I don't think it's an issue," Fiona smirked.

Allie released a slow breath. This was Fiona's thing. Boys. Every weekend they would go to the park, Fiona would sit them down and describe all the hotties that were on the skate ramps while Allie would try to build some interest.

The trouble was that when you've been gradually going blind since you were seven, and now at the age of 17 only vaguely could discern shadows and light, boys were not on Allies top priorities list. Fiona had been there through it all. Allie's eternal ray of sunshine. The one person who'd not allowed Allie to lose her confidence. Not even when her sense of colour disappeared, and Allie cried for a week about never seeing a rainbow ever again.

Allie wasn't quite sure what Fiona stuck with her for, but she was grateful to have a friend who cared enough to be there. Fiona would describe the world to Allie without a second thought; she would read the homework out loud so Allie wouldn't have to order audio books and she was there to drag Allie out into her world when her own was slowly disappearing from view.

"Hey. Allie. Fee. You coming to the park later?" A voice said at their side.

Allie had registered laughter and footsteps coming up behind them but didn't expect anyone to talk to them. From the way Fiona tensed up and the voice she heard, she instantly knew it could only be Tony and his gang of skater boys.

For the past month, Fiona had been crushing on Tony. Someone she described as having chocolate brown skin and the whitest smile ever.

"Umm... Maybe?" Fiona stuttered, and Allie tried not to giggle as she realised her friend was probably blushing from the unexpected attention.

"Please? You need to see my new trick!... Well.. obviously not Allie, but.." Tony said and was interrupted by an audible smack.

"Ouch! What was that for you asshat?" Tony whined.

"I do apologise for my friend's stupidity about your eyesight," Allie heard another male voice say a bit more closely to her. From the smile in his voice and the way he shuffled his feet, she sensed he was trying to make up for his friend's blunder.