He nodded over to where she stood at the corner of the English department corridor with one of the girls who had made friends with her. Shannon Farrell. ‘You think I’m gonnae go over and chat her up with Shannon Farrell there?’ Shannon Farrell was the kind of girl who could freeze you with a look at twenty paces. Half the boys in the school were terrified of her. I was one of them. ‘And anyway, I don’t want to chat her up at all. I don’t know why you keep going on about that.’ ‘Because I’m your best mate and I know exactly what you’re thinking.’ He leaned towards me and whispered. ‘And I know you’re thinking about Veronika. And you better stop thinking and start talking before she’s taken back to Poland.’ That shook me. ‘How? Is she leaving?’ ‘Heard her dad can’t get his work permit renewed or something. So take your chance now, boy!’ He grinned from ear to ear. I know people say that all the time but Sean’s the only person I know who can actually manage it – grinning from ear to ear.
