Kian and Daisy returned early that evening and froze at the sight that Shane and Mandy sitting together, or more likely, embracing each other, flirting and laughing.‘Oh, Ki, it’s you! You come back early,’ Shane waved at Kian merrily. Daisy somehow managed to climb onto the staircase without their notice.‘And are you going to tell me, you two just stayed here all evening?’ said Kian, dumbstruck.‘Well, we didn’t mean to,’ Mandy answered, smiling.At this moment, the common room door opened and Mark entered along with the girl who partnered him at the Yule Ball. Mandy squeezed her eyes as Shane and Kian turned around.The girl stood by Mark was extremely pretty. She was a little shorter than Mark, her eyes were maroon, and her hair was curly, bushy and fawn. She and Mark walked passed them and Mark saw Mandy staring at him, he stopped and the girl looked down, too.‘Mae, erm…’ Mark stuttered.‘I’m Ellen Cruise, nice to meet you lot,’ the girl smiled and said to them.‘Nice to meet you,’ Mandy nodded at her.Shane, Kian and Ellen looked at each other. ‘Well, you two may have things to sort out? We’ll leave you alone.’Ellen went for her dormitory. Shane and Kian went on the staircase with one last glance back at them two.Mark sat down beside Mandy and tried to tie his arms around her, but Mandy pushed them gently away. ‘Marty, we will not mince words, all right? You know why you’re here tonight.’Mark sighed.‘Mae, I can’t deny that I like you,’ were his first a few words.‘And I admit you’re quite cool, sexy and everything, I like you too, since you first told me to stop hissing during that exam. But, seems like we’ve got something missed…’ Mandy spoke in a flat tune.Mark looked at the direction of Ellen’s dormitory and nodded.‘And it’s Ellen who fits you,’ Mandy smiled. ‘Winning the hottest girl in our grade’s heart, eh?’Mark smiled, too. ‘Oh, come off it, but I can’t win the most attractive girl’s heart, it’s what a shame.’‘Thank you Marty, but how many do you want to have?’ said Mandy, now laughing.‘Right, Mae, and I understand that it’s Shane who fits you.’ Mark stared at her.Mandy’s face turned faintly pink.‘You always like him, don’t you? I’ve noticed. He had a crush on you since you first met but he just didn’t make it obvious.’ Mark pressed on. ‘And you don’t know what a good girl Ellen is!’‘ You sound like Kian,’ Mandy joked. Mark chuckled merrily.‘How much close you two are getting? I couldn’t remember you at the Party,’ said Mark.‘Well, you certainly wouldn’t, because we just didn’t go there. Met accidentally here and the one thing led to another…’‘Ahem, ahem, ahem,’ Mark croaked.‘What?’ Mandy cast him a nasty look.‘What do you mean, “one thing led to another”?’‘Never you mind, Mark,’ Mandy glared.‘Alright, alright, I give up,’ Mark smirked. ‘Look, Mae, would you please excuse me? People are getting back. I’ll go and say goodnight to Ellen, I haven’t packed yet…’‘That’s it Marty,’ Mandy stood up. ‘I like you very much, Marty, please don’t be angry with me or Shane, or the whole things.’

‘No I promise I won’t,’ ‘But only as friends.’‘Yeah, of course.’* Kian kept asking Shane what he and Mandy were doing last night that Shane couldn’t help losing his temper.‘For the last time, Ki, it was nothing!’ He waved at Kian and shouted at him.Kian smirked and sipped his coffee. They were having breakfast, after that they would be getting home.‘Lying is not the answer,’ he said.‘Why are you that interested?’ Shane snapped.‘Come on mate, you’re just the way too conservative. Look, you don’t even understand to express your own emotion!’ Kian said to him forcefully.‘Whether I express my emotion is none of your business.’But to Shane’s surprise, this time it was Daisy, who always sat next to Kian quietly, spoke.‘Shane, you needn’t be that secretive. Did you kiss?’Shane looked at her, stunned and shocked. Kian beamed upon him, prodded him and urged.‘Yes,’Kian and Daisy both smiled. They two went back on their breakfast and leaving Shane staring, feeling extremely strange.‘Daisy?’ He asked. Daisy looked up smiling.‘How… how did you find out — ?’Daisy smiled even more broadly. ‘It’s the one thing you didn’t know, then, Shane. Like you, Mae had liked you for ages, too. She told me that she has feeling for you but you never seemed to notice. So I began watching you. I found you interested in her, too, although you never showed, so I told Mae to get on for whole life, never give up and someday you’ll ask her out, anyway…’Daisy’s voice faded away as Mandy came into the breakfast hall. She directed straight away for Shane and kissed him on the forehead before she sat down.‘Wow Mae, you look gorgeous today!’ Shane smiled at her.‘Thanx, Shaney,’ Mandy said happily and began having breakfast.‘Hey, mate, what are you planning to send to Mandy for Christmas presents?’ Kian joked.‘Er — ’ Shane never thought of that before. ‘I dunno yet.’‘Me too,’ Mandy said, with a regretful light laugh.‘Shane,’ Kian sounded suddenly serious. ‘You’re telling your parents about Spencer, aren’t you?’Shane hesitated. ‘No, actually, no Ki.’Kian gigged on his toast and scowled at him. ‘You are not?! What you doing?! Watching Spencer treating you like this, we lot still feel worried sick, why don’t you — ’Shane’s eyes had told him to stop. His eyes were just too clear to see that he knew what Kian was saying, but he got something else inside.‘Ki, it’s not that simple.’ He shook his head.‘What d’you mean?’ Kian had forgotten about his toast.‘Ki, it’s…’ Shane took a deep breath and dropped his voice. ‘If you really want to know, I feel I’m being stalked.’Kian looked as if he’d seen a ghost. ‘What? Being —?!’‘Yeah, stalked, shadowed,’ Shane stared into the fire. ‘Time after time she threatened me with something she could only know when she’s very close to me and my mom… I dunno what’s behind it! And also, she always mentions about my family and reckons to ruin it… I dunno why she said that or how did she know all these things, oh Ki, what should I do?’Shane sounded both upset and frightened.‘That old prat,’ Mandy cut in quietly, ‘how can she do that? First, it’s illegal; second, why is she doing this all to you?’‘That’s the problem,’ said Shane.At this time Mark and Ellen entered the mess hall, laughing all the way.‘These two are moving fast,’ Mandy gave a little smile.‘What were you saying to Mark last night?’ Shane asked quietly as Mark and Ellen greeted them and took two seats opposite.‘Oh, just nothing, stop worrying Okay,’ Mandy answered back.‘Are you leaving Sligo for your holiday, Mae?’‘Yes, my mum’s picking me up.’ Mandy finished her porridge quickly and stood up. ‘Bye Shaney, see you around.’‘Goodbye Mae, have a nice vacation,’ Shane kissed her cheeks and she turned a bit pink.‘The same to you, and take care.’ She waved and walked out of the Hall. *