at some time, but all she could find was
the Yellow Pages. Her mother had some telephone directories at home, so she
decided she would visit her tomorrow and try to have a look through them.
Feeling more optimistic, she settled down to supper with her mind firmly set on
the party, images of Andrew illuminated in her mind.
Chapter Seven
Sunday 17th August 1997
Alice woke up at ten o’clock. She had dreamt about
Andrew. It didn’t surprise her because she had spent so much time the evening
before thinking about him. Jenny’s phone call had brought the party to the
forefront of her mind and it was a welcome change for her to think about
something other than her family problems.
She had thought about Andrew
quite a lot over the past few months. They had never really spoken to each
other but she had admired him from afar. She met him at the beginning of her
second year at university. One of her friends, Selina, had introduced them. She
had been having lunch with Selina...
‘I’m just going to the toilet,’ said Alice, ‘Can you
watch my food?’
Selina smiled and nodded.
Alice walked away towards the toilets and as she did so, a young man walked
towards her; he smiled at her when she looked at him and she noticed how blue
his eyes were. They reminded her of a cloudless sky on a summer’s day. She
bowed her head as she walked past him, feeling her cheeks redden, wondering
whether she had stared into those eyes just a little too long. She was kicking
herself as she walked into the toilets realising that she hadn’t even returned
his smile, as she’d been so distracted by his beautiful eyes. She felt silly.
How could she just fall for someone like that without even knowing him? But she
couldn’t get him out of her mind. She checked her appearance as she washed her
hands and wished she was one of those girls who wore make-up. She had never
really been a girlie girl when she was growing up and had never experimented
with make-up; now she didn’t know where to start, so she didn’t wear any at
all, fearing that she’d end up looking like a clown if she applied it.
She found herself hoping she
would see that boy again as she walked back into the canteen. Sure enough, as
if her prayers had been answered, the boy was standing next to Selina, chatting
with her.
Alice felt her flushed cheeks
become hotter as she approached. She tried to pretend she hadn’t noticed the
boy standing there and sat down opposite Selina.
‘Oh, this is Alice,’ said
Selina, to the boy, who smiled that killer smile again and reached out a hand
to shake hers. Alice looked up at him and felt as if she was floating on air.
She could hardly control any of her movements. Somehow, she managed to shake
his hand.
‘I’m Andrew, nice to meet
you.’
‘You too,’ Alice said, almost
inaudibly. She then went back to eating her lunch.
Alice watched as Selina
chatted freely with Andrew, and wished she could too, but words eluded her.
Anything she did think of saying, she dismissed as being silly.
Shortly, Andrew announced
that he had to leave. ‘It was nice to meet you, Alice. I’m sure we’ll see each
other around.’
‘Yes,’ she managed to say,
feeling that it was too little too late, as he turned on his heels and walked
out of the room.
Selina explained that she and
Andrew used to go to the same secondary school, and she’d only just found out
he was at the same university. After that, the subject changed to talk of the
latest happenings in EastEnders, and thoughts of Andrew had to remain a fantasy
teasing Alice’s mind as she tried to concentrate on what Selina was saying.
From the first day she met him, Alice became slightly
obsessive in her feelings for Andrew. She would look out for him in the
university, but he was on a different course so their paths hardly ever
crossed. She did manage to see him a few times but had never really had a
proper conversation with him. That same tongue-tied feeling would
the Yellow Pages. Her mother had some telephone directories at home, so she
decided she would visit her tomorrow and try to have a look through them.
Feeling more optimistic, she settled down to supper with her mind firmly set on
the party, images of Andrew illuminated in her mind.
Chapter Seven
Sunday 17th August 1997
Alice woke up at ten o’clock. She had dreamt about
Andrew. It didn’t surprise her because she had spent so much time the evening
before thinking about him. Jenny’s phone call had brought the party to the
forefront of her mind and it was a welcome change for her to think about
something other than her family problems.
She had thought about Andrew
quite a lot over the past few months. They had never really spoken to each
other but she had admired him from afar. She met him at the beginning of her
second year at university. One of her friends, Selina, had introduced them. She
had been having lunch with Selina...
‘I’m just going to the toilet,’ said Alice, ‘Can you
watch my food?’
Selina smiled and nodded.
Alice walked away towards the toilets and as she did so, a young man walked
towards her; he smiled at her when she looked at him and she noticed how blue
his eyes were. They reminded her of a cloudless sky on a summer’s day. She
bowed her head as she walked past him, feeling her cheeks redden, wondering
whether she had stared into those eyes just a little too long. She was kicking
herself as she walked into the toilets realising that she hadn’t even returned
his smile, as she’d been so distracted by his beautiful eyes. She felt silly.
How could she just fall for someone like that without even knowing him? But she
couldn’t get him out of her mind. She checked her appearance as she washed her
hands and wished she was one of those girls who wore make-up. She had never
really been a girlie girl when she was growing up and had never experimented
with make-up; now she didn’t know where to start, so she didn’t wear any at
all, fearing that she’d end up looking like a clown if she applied it.
She found herself hoping she
would see that boy again as she walked back into the canteen. Sure enough, as
if her prayers had been answered, the boy was standing next to Selina, chatting
with her.
Alice felt her flushed cheeks
become hotter as she approached. She tried to pretend she hadn’t noticed the
boy standing there and sat down opposite Selina.
‘Oh, this is Alice,’ said
Selina, to the boy, who smiled that killer smile again and reached out a hand
to shake hers. Alice looked up at him and felt as if she was floating on air.
She could hardly control any of her movements. Somehow, she managed to shake
his hand.
‘I’m Andrew, nice to meet
you.’
‘You too,’ Alice said, almost
inaudibly. She then went back to eating her lunch.
Alice watched as Selina
chatted freely with Andrew, and wished she could too, but words eluded her.
Anything she did think of saying, she dismissed as being silly.
Shortly, Andrew announced
that he had to leave. ‘It was nice to meet you, Alice. I’m sure we’ll see each
other around.’
‘Yes,’ she managed to say,
feeling that it was too little too late, as he turned on his heels and walked
out of the room.
Selina explained that she and
Andrew used to go to the same secondary school, and she’d only just found out
he was at the same university. After that, the subject changed to talk of the
latest happenings in EastEnders, and thoughts of Andrew had to remain a fantasy
teasing Alice’s mind as she tried to concentrate on what Selina was saying.
From the first day she met him, Alice became slightly
obsessive in her feelings for Andrew. She would look out for him in the
university, but he was on a different course so their paths hardly ever
crossed. She did manage to see him a few times but had never really had a
proper conversation with him. That same tongue-tied feeling would
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