| Uptown Girl |
| Nicky tipped the empty glass. The ice began sliding down the side. He opened his mouth and let the cool ice cube slip into his mouth. �Do you have to do that?� Bryan seemed annoyed with Nicky�s habit. �Yes, it�s a sort of habit.� Nicky explained. Shane was staring out the window. Nothing seemed to happen in this town. Well, downtown anyway. The guys and him would just hang in the streets and then, when hunger struck, they would go into Blonde�s, where they were now. Suddenly, Kian began looking out the window excitedly. �What�s going on, Kian?� Shane was curious as to what was exciting Kian. �The uptown lot are here.� Kian�s answer seemed to excite everyone except Shane. The uptown lot. A load of stuck up would-be perfectionists who, every now and then, decided to grace the �downtowners� with their presence. �They�re coming in here!� Mark was like the many obsessed fans the guys had to put up with. Then Shane noticed her. She had walked in with the uptown lot but she didn�t seem to fit in. Her face was saying that she didn�t want to be associated with the people she had just walked in with. Shane�s heart skipped a beat. The uptown lot sat at a table by the counter. The girl was asking them something and then she went up to the counter. Shane saw his chance and snapped it up. �Well, anyone want another drink?� Shane stood up. �Er.. yeah.� Bryan was taken aback. Shane always tried to avoid buying a round and there he was actually volunteering to buy drinks. �I�ll have a Coke.� �Make that two.� Nicky placed his order. �No thanks,� said Kian politely. �No more for me.� Mark shook his head. Shane walked over to the counter and leant over the surface. �Have we got any service, here?� Shane shouted. �Oi, Tim.� Shane slyly looked at the girl out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling! �That�s the best way of getting service in this place!� Shane grinned and the girl laughed. Tim, a tall, young boy with a mop of ginger hair came to the counter. �Sorry, Shay, me old buddy.� He apologised. �What is it you�d be having?� �I believe this lovely young lady was here before me.� Shane smiled at the girl. Could he detect a blush in those rosy cheeks of hers? �Two Cokes, a Sprite and a still mineral water.� The girl spoke with only a little hint of the uptown accent. As the young boy rushed around getting the drinks, Shane decided to make the first move. �I�m Shane.� He said, hoping his embarrassment wasn�t showing through. �I�m Maria. Don�t worry, I�m not like that lot at all!� She laughed her tinkling laugh. Tim came with the drinks. �That�ll be �9.50, my love.� Tim priced the drinks and Maria took her purse out. �No, allow me.� Shane pulled out a tenner and placed it in Tim�s hands. �Keep the change.� �Oh, thank you.� Maria seemed quite taken aback by this young, quite good looking, stranger. She picked the tray up and began carrying it over to the table of uptown people. �Guess I�ll be seeing you around then,� Shane felt the sweat building up under his collar. �Yes, I�d like that.� The girl smiled. Shane leant on the counter, hoping that he looked cool and sexy. �Well Shay. What�s you be having?� Tim suddenly jerked Shane out of his thoughts. �Oh�yeah�two Cokes,� Shane shook the thought of Maria out of his mind. He�d never have a chance with an uptown girl. Tim placed the Cokes on the counter. �That�s �2.40, me old buddy.� Shane paid and took the drinks over to the guy�s table. �About time too!� Nicky was pretty annoyed with having to wait for his drink. �Too busy trying to chat up the uptown girl, weren�t we Shane?� Bryan grinned. �I was not trying to chat up Maria.� Shane felt himself go red. �Oh yeah, whatever Shane! Paying for her drinks, making lame jokes, trying to look cool and sexy leaning on the counter, no, I wouldn�t say that was trying to chat up a girl. Oh no!� Mark was being sarcastic. �So, Maria�s her name then? Could she get me a friend?� Kian�s comment cracked up the other guys. �No, honestly, Shane. Do you think you�ve got it going with her?� Shane could see Nicky was being serious. �Probably not. I�d never have a chance. Even if she did like me, her folk seem to be giving me the evil looks.� Shane nodded in their direction and, sure enough, they were all turning their noses up. �She seems to like you,� Bryan smiled and nodded in Maria�s direction and, sure enough, Maria was staring at Shane. She smiled at him and Shane smiled back. He turned around; oblivious to the fact that soon he would find out that it wasn�t a good idea to get involved with Maria. Shane felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around to meet face to face with a burly man in a tuxedo. Maria was behind him. �William, leave it please.� William didn�t seem too happy. �Stop trying to chat up my sister, you piece of downtown muck!� That did it. Shane got up and stared William in the eyes. �Stop it, Shay. It�s no good. Leave it.� Kian�s plea fell on deaf ears as Shane started to shout at William. �Just because you think you�re so high and mighty, it doesn�t mean you can come in here and insult us lot! I can do what I like, thank you very much! You deserve taking down a few pegs, you stuck-up good-for-nothing poor excuse for a pig!� WHACK! Shane fell to the ground. He put his hands to his nose and, when he pulled them away, they were stained with blood. He heard shouts as the lads started having a go at William. Then, Maria knelt beside him. �Shane, are you okay? Speak to me, Shane.� Shane grinned. �I�ve never felt better!� �I�m sorry about William. He�s just overprotective. He must have punched over fifty downtown lads, just because they have been nice to me.� Maria apologised over and over again. �Up you get, Shay.� Nicky and Bryan helped Shane up. Dazed and confused, Shane smiled at Maria. A tall, rather over dressed, woman was telling off William. �You must apologise at once, William. You must realise that Maria does not need looking after anymore.� William walked over to Shane. �Sorry about that, old chap. Habit of mine.� Shane shook hands with William. �We had better be off then.� The tall woman was bustling around, shooing the uptown lot out. Shane turned to Maria. �So, I guess I�ll be seeing you around.� Maria smiled. �I�d really like that. I like people like you. I hate being compared with that lot.� She leant forward and Shane felt her soft, moist lips touch his own. She walked out and waved at Shane. Shane just had time to wave back before the lads barged him, ruffling his hair, and wolf-whistling and making comments. 6 MONTHS LATER �Oi, Tim. Some service please!� Shane leant over the counter. Tim came rushing out. �What�s you be having then, Shay?� �Just drinks today, Tim. Two cokes for Kian and Nicky, a Sprite for Bryan, a still mineral water for Mark and nothing for me.� Shane placed his order. Tim added up the prices in his head. �That�ll be �9.50, Shay.� Shane got his wallet out. �No, allow me,� a female voice said behind him. He looked round. It couldn�t be. It was. It was Maria. She pulled a tenner from her pocket and placed it in Tim�s hand. �Keep the change.� She smiled at Shane. �Just returning the favour.� �Maria, what are you doing here? You know what�ll happen if William catches you with me!� Shane looked around for William. �It�s okay. He�s not here. I�ve moved for good down here.� Maria smiled and Shane hugged her. �That�s fantastic!� �Over the past couple of months, I�ve realised how much I�ve missed you, so I thought I�d move here. I feel at home here, anyway.� Maria explained the situation. Shane looked into her eyes and the next thing he knew was that he felt her lips against his own and he was on a high. �I�ll bring the drinks, over then.� Shane was interrupted by Kian. He winked at Shane. �I�ll let you get on with your private business.� Shane and Maria looked at each other and Maria laughed. Shane couldn�t remember the last time he ever felt so happy. |