The library

June 9th 2003

I was sat on the field again, watching another football match by one of the goalposts. I ate a slice of the school's unusually tasty pizza as I watched the game with half interest.

I didn't have many friends. I mean, I had some at my old school in London before I moved to Sheffield, but are they really friends if they don't talk to you after you leave? I had been debating that point in my head for a couple minutes when someone dropped down onto the grass next to me.

"You alreyt?"

I grinned at Alex and nodded. I couldn't help but love the way he was always happy and always talking about something irrelevant but somehow interesting. "I'm great, Alex."

"You sure? You seemed kinda... lost in your thoughts almost." He smiled kindly as he read my face.

I shook my head and took a bite of pizza, attempting to force him to change the subject.

"Well I've got some news for you." Alex smiled broadly. I nodded for him to continue, "We got our first gig coming in a week!"

I raised my eyebrows and covered my mouth. "Alex that's amazing! Oh my god..." I quickly chewed and swallowed the remainder of what food I had in my mouth, "Where is it?"

"The grapes." Alex practically radiated with joy at this point.

"It's that pub isn't it? A few minutes away from the boardwalk?"

"The very same."

"I'll be there." I smiled and took another bite of pizza which I quickly washed down with a swig of my water.

"Don't you think it's fate?" Alex said out of the blue making me look at him slightly confused. I cocked my head to one side to signal him to go on. "Like...we started off as enemies and now we're mates."

I giggled quietly and shook my head. "I wouldn't say we were enemies. It was just a single chair-stealing incident."

Alex laughed quietly at this making me grin. "I guess so." He seemed to think for a few seconds before quickly getting up and jogging into the fray of the football match.

*****

I dragged my feet along the street as I slowly trailed home. It was hot. Very hot.

I had sweat through my minimal amounts of make up, my mouth was a desert, my skin was bright red and my feet ached badly. It was definitely the worst day of the year so far.

What made it even worse was the boy walking alongside me, seemingly unfazed by the extreme heat. We had agreed to walk home together seeing as my house was halfway between his and the school. Alex walked with his head held high and a wide smile as he talked endlessly to me about anything that came to his mind.

"...and fookin' Pete Doherty was there as well. And they were just amazing, the set was one of th-"

"Alex please just shut the fuck up! Please for just once in your life shut up!" I stood still and glared at him.

Alex also stood still and looked at me blankly but with a tinge of fear on his face which pulled at my heart greatly and almost made me regret my sudden outburst. He simply nodded and carried on walking with his head hung low.

I sighed and walked along with him to my house. The rest of the journey was silent.

*****

I sat in my room, doodling in my sketchbook. It was something I did when I was bored, which was often. I had decided to draw a cartoon version of Alex. He had a big head, small neck and tiny body and his hair looked like a pile of black hay. I smiled to myself as I drew in more details when Alice knocked twice before entering my room. I closed the sketchbook and turned my chair around to face her.

"Hey darling... what you doing?" She said with a soft smile as she sat on my bed.

I shrugged and looked down at my lap. "Just drawing."

"Bored again then?"

I simply nodded and played with my hands in my lap.

"Sorry we're not as interesting as t' big smoke!" She laughed. I looked up at her with a small smile before looking back down at my hands. "What're you drawing?" Alice quickly changed the subject.

"Alex." I answered bluntly. Making Alice giggle and clap her hands together.

"So what's the story then?" She grinned and leaned forward.

I shrugged again. "I was kinda mean to him today and he hasn't spoken to me since."

Alice's smile faltered slightly and she nodded. "What happened?"

"We were walking home together again and he was talking about The Strokes a lot and it just annoyed me to the point where I shouted at him for talking too much." I mumbled. Thinking back on it, it was a selfish and pointless argument.

Alice shook her head. "If someone's interested about summat it's rather rude to tell 'em to shut up," I nodded sheepishly and turned my chair back around, "Imagine if you were talking about art and drawing and someone told you to be quiet."

"I know it's silly Alice. I'm sorry."

She stood up and kissed the top of my head. "Dinner'll be ready soon." She said quietly before leaving my room, leaving me to finish my drawing of Alex, adding a red heart around his little caricature. I smiled to myself and closed my sketchbook before getting up and jogging downstairs.