True love that goes unnoticed for years causes both problems and happiness…but how does it turn out?

Chapter 1

Amy sat at the park in Sligo with her best friend Shane. She’d turned 17 a few weeks ago and she now had something that she really needed to tell Shane. She watched him, the brown spikes in his hair moved slightly with the wind and she could tell by his hazel eyes that he was thinking. She knew him well and could tell things like, when he was thinking or upset, she’d known him since they were 3. Him being only 4 months older.

How the hell am I going to tell him, we’ve been friends for 14 years now and this had gotta be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to tell him. I was beginning to regret the decision I’d made. Which was too move to London to start college.

“Shane”
“Yeah”
“I need to tell ya something”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” He turned to look at Amy, he looked worried.
“I...I’m moving to London”
“Whhhaatttt?”
“I’m going to college there”
“Why? Why cant u stay here in Sligo or even Ireland?”
“Because no where in Ireland does the beginning level of the fitness and health course that I want to take”
“Well it looks like I can’t change your mind”
“I’m sorry Shane if they did the course here I’d stay, but its what I want to do with my life and London was the ideal place as I have family that live there”
“I’m gonna miss ya” He got up and looked down at me “I’ll see ya around” he left not saying anything else just ‘see ya around’.
Tears started to run down my cheeks, I had a feeling that I’d lost my best friend.

Chapter 2

It was 16th April. Amy was in her room packing her last few things, before her flight to London the next morning at 11. She still hadn’t spoken to Shane, every time she called he was either out or busy.

17th April

“Bye mum, I’ll miss you too”
“Promise me that you’ll phone as soon as you get there, Ok?”
“Yeah I promise mum”

I walked out of the house; dad was already in the car. Mum followed me out and stood at the gate I knew she was going to cry. I don’t know what made me look but I did, I looked to the corner of the street. There was someone leaning against the wall I concentrated more on the figure and realised it was Shane. I opened the door of the car and leaned in.
“Dad, I won’t be a minute, I just need to see someone”
I walked towards the corner of the street. Her dad smiled when he saw where she was going. He knew they hadn’t spoken for ages and that something was wrong between them.

“I’m sorry Shane”
“Yeah I know, I had to come and see you one last time before you left!”
“What you mean one last time?”
“Well I’ve seen you lately, I weren’t spying on you or anything”
“Oh ok. Well I’m glad I noticed you, I’ve missed you these last 2 weeks”
“I’ve missed you to, I was stupid, and I wasted your last 2 weeks.
“I’m sorry Shane I have to go or I’ll miss my flight, but I’ll phone you as soon as I can”
“Can I have a hug before you leave?”
Amy put her arms around Shane and kissed his cheek. She squeezed him one last time and began to walk away, when Shane called her…

“Wait, Amy” he walked up to her and gave her a white envelope with her name on it
“Read it later, ok?”
Amy smiled and walked to the car. She held back the tears that were stinging her eyes. After two hours of driving they arrived at the airport. Amy’s dad got her luggage out of the back of the car and put it on the pavement.
“I’m gonna miss you sweetheart”
“Don’t dad I’ve been trying not to cry all the way here”
“Sorry…I guess I’ll speak to you soon” he kissed her cheek, and then Amy picked up her luggage and walked into the airport. She sat waiting for her flight to be called after she had checked in. She pulled Shane’s letter from her pocket and held it in her hand, just staring at it.

“Passengers for flight B5 906 for London may now board,” echoed around the airport. She put Shane’s letter into her pocket again and picked her bags and walked towards the departure gate.

The plane had taken off. Amy sat watching the cartoon that was on the small TV screen, when she remembered Shane’s letter. She carefully undone the envelope and unfolded the paper that was inside.

It said:

Dear Amy
You’ll be on the plane now or in London. Having the time of your life no doubt. It’s not going to be the same without you. Sorry if I’m making you feel guilty, I don’t mean to it’s just how I feel.
Who am I going to ride with now and tell all my secrets to? I suppose I’ll have to tell Carlton flight, he already knows a few. I was speaking to him last night. I’m going to miss the fun we’ve had for the last 14 years. I’ll never forget any of the things we have done.

I love you remember that, I’m always here for you all you need to do is phone and you can have all the time you need.
Missing you already

Lots of love
Your best friend
Shane
x x x

Tears began to fill my eyes again and memories of this morning filled my head. Shane looked different this morning, his face was pale and his eyes were red, I could tell he’d been crying and now it was my turn as I let the tears fall. I didn’t know it would be this hard to leave.
I decided to write back to Shane I pulled the writing paper and pen from my bag and started to write.

Dear Shane

I just read your letter I’m still on the plane, nearly there now.
I’m sorry Shane I really am. It’s hard for me as well as you. I’ll be back to visit before you know it. By the way this is my attempt to make us both feel better. I know it’s making me and I’ve finally stopped crying.
I’ll remember what you wrote about having all the time I needed and I’ll hold you to it. The same applies to you; if you want to talk just phone and you can always come to London and visit.

I best be going the planes about to land
All my love, always
Amy x x x

She folded the letter and placed it back in her bag and fastened her seatbelt, ready to land in London.

Chapter 3

Amy walked into London’s Heathrow airport and headed to where you collect your luggage. There were so many people and she hated having to push past everyone. Finally she saw her black suitcase, she put it onto a trolley along with her other bags and wheeled it towards the exit. Hopefully she would be able to recognise her aunt Sarah and cousin Emily as she’d only seen a recent photo of them. She had decided to stay at theirs because her cousin was only a year older than she was and Amy hoped they would get on well.
She looked around the airport, people were running into each other’s arms, kissing and talking. She held the picture of her cousin and aunt in her hand and kept looking at it as she walked, and looking at people in case it was them. She finally saw them, although they looked slightly different in the photo. Sarah and Emily had already noticed Amy and started walking towards her to help with her trolley and bags.

“Hi” was all Amy had managed to say
“Hiya how was your flight?” Emily said as she began to push the trolley “It was ok thanks”

“Come on then, lets get you to ours, so you can settle in” Aunt Sarah looked so much like mum.

We got into the car; Emily sat in the back with me. I didn’t say anything. She kept asking if I was ok and I could only nod back. I felt so small like I was 8 or 9 again. It felt strange, when really I was 17.

Their house was big compared to my house in Sligo. They showed me to my room, which was over twice the size of my room in Sligo. It was painted lilac and yellow. I sat on the bed for a few minutes before I started to unpack my things. I hung all my clothes in the wardrobe and folded a few things up and put them into the draws. I unzipped my other bag and pulled out three photo frames. In one of them was mum, dad and me, in the other were Shane, and I and in the third photo frame was Shane. I started to put my make up and brush on the bedside table next to the photos when Emily knocked at the door.

“Can I come in?”
“Yeah” Emily stood by the door at first until I told her she could sit down. When she did she sat on the edge of the bed after a few minutes she picked up the photos that I had put on the bedside table.

“Your mum and dad have changed a lot”
“I don’t see much difference as I see them everyday, well used to”
“Whose the lad in the other photos?”
“Oh…that’s Shane”
“Boyfriend?”
“Nope, my best friend”

“ Don’t cry, pleaaassee” Damn she saw the tears.
“Want to talk about it”
I sat on the bed next to her; she put her arms around me
“Leaving my parents doesn’t upset, I know they’ll always be here for me”
“But…”
“I don’t think Shane will be”
“Is it the same Shane that you were friends with when you were little?”
“Yeah”
“Look Amy, I know I don’t know him or anything, but I don’t think his gonna throw away all those years you were friends, just because you’ve moved here…Now come on and get ready. We’re going out for dinner.”

Chapter 4

After Amy had left, I’d put on my black hipster trousers and pale blue ¾ length sleeve tight fitting shirt. I was ready before Emily so I sat downstairs with Peter (Emily’s dad) and Sarah. They were asking alot about mum and dad.

The restaurant was lovely and the food was great. I was starving since I had missed breakfast and lunch.

After that time started to fly. I’d spoken to Shane a few times but not seen him. College was great and I was really enjoying it and nearly at the end of the beginners level. Plus I’d made loads of new friends, but I spent most of my time with Emily and she became one of my best friends.

10th March—Amy’s Birthday

It had been nearly two years since Amy moved to London and for her 19th birthday, Emily had planned to take Amy out to a club for the evening. They were having a laugh on the dance floor, both girls dressed up. Amy had decided to wear a knee length, pale pink dress with her long blonde, straight hair down. Emily was wearing a short tight skirt with a strap top. While they were dancing a lad came up behind Amy and started dancing with her, she didn’t mind at first. Until he started touching parts of her body. She pulled away from him and quickly walked of the dance floor. She’d had enough she wanted to leave. She found Emily sitting at a table talking to a boy she’d met.
Amy leaned over and whispered into Emily’s ear “ I want to go back”
“Yeah, in a minute”
“No, I’m going now” Amy headed for the exit of the nightclub and by the time she reached the door Emily was with her. They walked home in silence; it wasn’t until they got into the house that Emily started asking questions.
“What was up with you back there? Why are you so miserable? Just tell me what’s wrong?”
“I’m used to spending my birthdays with my best friend and this year he hasn’t even called, let alone send me a bloody card” I screamed as loud as I could then, ran upstairs to my room. I lay on the bed with my head buried in the pillow, where I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning when I woke up the sun was blazing through the window, where I hadn’t closed the curtains the night before. The dress I had worn out, was now creased. I looked at the clock it was 11:30am I was normally up by now. Next to my clock I saw two envelopes and a piece of paper. I read the note first. It said:

To Amy Mum and me have gone into town. You weren’t awake, so we let you carry on sleeping.
Sorry about last night and these 2 envelopes came in the post this morning, for you.
See you later
Emily

I picked up the envelopes and began to open the top one and guessed before I opened it that it was a card. On the front of the card were two puppies with a heat between them. Inside it said:

To Amy
Happy birthday
Love Shane

And that was it. I suppose I was disappointed because that was all he wrote, but it’s something, last night I didn’t even think I’d get a card. I opened the next envelope it was a large brown one. I pulled out the piece of paper and at the top was the college address. I then it remembered it would be about the course I took.

Dear Miss A. Marr

We are writing to let you know about the details of the beginning level of the health and fitness course that you chose to take. We are pleased to inform you that you passed and if you wish you may now participate in the next level

We are sorry to say that Freeman College has recently stopped teaching this course, below is a list of colleges in London who teach Health and Fitness:

Royal London College
Eastward College
Ambrose College

We hope to hear from you soon
Lara Thomas
(Head of Freeman College)

I couldn’t believe it. I’d passed, but now what was I going to do, the other colleges are on the other side of London.

Chapter 5

After getting up and dressed Amy phoned her mum to tell her about college. As she listened to what her mum was saying, Amy knew inside she wanted to go back to Ireland, it was her home, where she belonged. So she asked her mum to phone colleges in Ireland to see if they did the course.

After the phone call Amy decided she’d go into town shopping. She didn’t get back till late and walked in struggling with all the bags. She phoned Heathrow airport as soon as she got in. While she was shopping she had been thinking, about college and Ireland and had made her finally decision. She went downstairs to where Sarah, Peter and Emily were sitting; she sat down next to Emily.

“I got a letter from college today…I passed. There’s a problem though, I can’t continue the next level of the course here and would have to go to a college on the other side of London…So I’m going back to Ireland.”

They all congratulated Amy on passing.

“I’m going to miss you, ya know” Emily said trying to smile.
“I’m gonna miss you too…the other thing is my flights tomorrow evening, I want to surprise mum and dad so can you not tell them anything about it”
They agreed to not saying anything to mum or dad and said they’d take me to the airport and that’s where I am now, just about to get on the plane.

The journey back to Ireland was quick and as soon as I got off the plane I phoned Shane.

“Hello”
“Hiya Shane, It’s me.”
“Oh, Amy, How are ya?”
“Fine, Could you do me a big favour?”
“Erm…Yeah sure”
“Could you come to Dublin airport and pick me up”
“It’s gonna take me ages to get there, then you can explain everything to me” he said laughing
“Yeah see ya soon”
“Bye”

I sat on the seats in the airport and pulled out my book. Knowing I’d have ages before Shane got here.

Chapter 6

“I can’t believe your back, you look so different and sound it”
“Shall I take that as a compliment?”
“Yeah”

I told Shane everything in the car and he had something to tell me. He’d joined a band with four other lads and they’d just got a record deal. I always knew he could sing, but I never dreamt of him being in a band.

“Whhhaattt?”
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you I’d be gone for ages”
“I was hoping to see more of you”
“You will don’t worry”
Shane pulled up outside my house and I leant over, hugged him then thanked him for coming to get me.

“Phone me ok?” he smiled and nodded.
Now to surprise mum and dad. I knocked at the door. Mum answered it, she screamed when she saw me, then dad came. Mum dragged me inside and dad brought in my bags. We talked for ages and mum told me she’d found a few colleges for me.
As time passed I began to see Shane a bit and he introduced me to his band. One of them was gorgeous he had dark hair and deep blue eyes. Mark, Mark Feehily.