A/N: The characters in this story are

A/N: The characters in this story are...well...their own. They aren’t real people (not even in the world of fantasy), but are representing other people all around the world. At least I presume they do. If they have any real names, I don’t know ‘em. So as not to stuff this story with lots of ‘he’-s and ‘she’-s, I’ve given them names. (Of course, it also makes the job of shouting ‘Him’ over to a table – ‘His’ friends won’t have to shout "Oy! You-with-the-black-trench-coat! Long time no see!" You see what I mean?)

Now, the few of you that has had the patience to read all this blabbering: this story is for you, and everybody else. Most of all, for those who recognise themselves – I hope there aren’t too many of them. Anyway, here is...

The Lost One

by aurora borealis

Jamie trudged through the snow. It was rapidly turning into slush, since it was raining. The rain was hammering down on everyone brave enough to show their head outside, drenching them within five seconds. I should have taken a cab, he thought darkly. He pulled the long trench coat tighter around him and sniffed. A drop fell down from his nose. Now why didn’t I at least take an umbrella? Hmph. At least the coat’s water proof. As for my boots...

He walked down a street full of closed shops and normal houses, until he came to a house where light shone through the windows and a sign outside shone in bright, golden letters: The Student’s Rest.

At last! he thought and went into the pub.

After the cold rain outside, the pub seemed hot. Jamie shrugged off his wet trench coat and put it on a hanger in the entrance hall.

"Oy! Jamie!" a voice called from across the room. Jamie went over to the owner of the voice, Alan, and his other friends at the table. "Long time no see, eh?" Alan grinned as he and Jamie clasped their hands.

"Nah," Jamie grinned back. "You just didn’t get the chance to do other things than study for exams. Hi, guys." The other boys at the table greeted him too, with friendly dunking in the head or back and high fives.

"So, what have you been up to? Besides studying your asses of, I mean," Jamie asked when he had sat down.

"Nothing much," Matt said, and earned a slap in the head.

" ‘Nothing much’, you say!" the ‘slapper’ said. To Jamie, he explained: "He an’ Marie are back together."

"Hey, that’s great, man!" Jamie knocked Matt encouragingly on the back. "Keep it up!"

They talked some more, and slowly the subject turned to what they were going to do now when they had finished High School.

"I’m going off to college," George said. "You know, to study History."

"I can’t understand why you want to study history," Mike said. "It’s so dull."

"That’s what you think, you car-o-maniac," George grinned.

"But it is!" Mike protested, also grinning. "Isn’t that right, Jamie?"

"Huh?" Jamie’s attention had wandered around the room. Sure, whatever. Say, isn’t that Sandra?" He nodded in the direction of the bar. Alan looked at the girl who sat there, deeply entranced in a glass of dark-honey-brown liquid.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Why?"

"She seems kinda lost, don’t you think?"

Alan shrugged again. "So?"

"I’m going to go talk to her," Jamie said and stood up. He went over to the bar, ignorant of Matt getting an elbow in the ribs for almost saying something. He sat down on the chair beside her and studied her. Her face was expressionless, cold as stone, but her eyes... they were like two pools filled with hurt, fear, and sadness...empty for light. With a pang of realisation, Jamie felt he wanted to light those lost eyes up again.

Changing POV

Sandra sighed at her empty glass. "Can I have another one?" she asked the bartender.

"Sure, hon," he smiled at her and filled it.

"Thanks, Jack," she smiled a tiny smile at him.

The chair beside her scraped and someone sat down. She ignored whoever it was.

"Hi," the one beside her said.

Damn. Why is he here? "Blast off, James," she said and took a large gulp from her drink. He’s not going to get a nickname from me, oh no.

"That’s not very ladylike," he observed.

"To hell with ‘ladylike’."

"Me and the guys," he nodded in the direction of Alan and the others, "were talking about what we are going to do now after High School."

"Good for you," she said and took another swig, still not looking at him. Instead she stared down in her half-empty glass, counting to thirty inside her head. She sighed. "You’re still here, aren’t you." It wasn’t a question.

"Of course," Jamie said.

"What do you want?" she asked, facing him for the first time and clearly irritated.

"Just wanted to talk," he shrugged.

"Well, I’m so sorry," she said sarcastically, "but I don’t want to talk to you. So bug off and talk to somebody else." She took another large pull from her drink.

"You know," he said, "you really should be more easy on that whiskey."

She gave him a Look, making him want to sink into the floor in embarassment, and said:

"It’s ice tea."

"Oh." He blushed. Quickly, he asked: "Why aren’t your friends here?"

"I wanted to be alone a little while."

He didn’t take that ‘hint’ either, but just sat there. Sandra felt him studying her again. She emptied her glass, but didn’t ask for another refill. Just sat there in silence, staring into her empty cup, for what seemed like hours.

Jamie broke the silence. "You’re lost, aren’t you?"

She turned around to stare at him. "What?!"

He ignored her outburst. "It was a guy, right? He hurt you."

Sandra barked out a short, cold laugh. "Of course he did," she said. "Tore up my heart and ate it alive. Probably without even knowing it." He got a look on his face which she couldn’t quite read. Was it anger? Sympathy? Both?

"Is he someone I know?" he asked in a stiff voice.

Definitely anger. "You can say that," she shrugged.

"Who is it?"

"None of your business," she said.

"But-"

"Don’t worry about me. I’m over him, anyway. Huh. I liked him from almost the first day of school, and just when I won’t see him no more I get over him."

He clearly believed otherwise, but didn’t argue about it. "You weren’t at the End of the School ball."

"I didn’t want to go."

"Because of him?"

"...Yes." You sure hit the right spots, don’t you?

"Damn bastard. You should have been there – it was really cool."

"You went with that bimbo Frances, right?"

"Um, yeah." He quickly added: "It’s over now, though."

"Right." She tried to sound neutral.

"So, um, are you coming to Matt's good-bye party on Saturday?"

Was that a hint of nervousness in his voice? No, of course not.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because, um, if you was...uhm, I would want to dance with you. Actually, I would want to go with you. Or dance...if you want to..." His voice trailed off.

She turned once more and looked into his eyes. Those soft, soft, beautiful eyes. She felt herself fall into their depth, just like the first time she had laid eyes on him. She smiled – a small, sad smile – at him. It’s too late.

"Sorry," she said. "I can’t go to that party. I have to get ready – moving to the college and stuff. You know."

"Yeah." He actually seemed disappointed.

Nah. Must be a trick of the light... Still... She rose up, and quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You have the ability to hurt people very much, Jamie. Be sure to give them some happiness, too."

She walked out of the pub. Suddenly a mischievous smile penetrated her sad face. At least he has to pay for my drinks...

-- EPILOGUE / CHANGING POV --

Jamie stared after her in bewilderment, a hand on his cheek where she had kissed him. I’m sure that, for a moment, her eyes weren’t quite so lost... The bartender cleared his throat in a discreet manner, shaking Jamie out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked.

"The bill," Jack the bartender said.

"But, I haven’t had anything!" Jamie protested.

"She had, and she’s gone," Jack pointed out. "And you were with her."

"For five minutes," Jamie muttered, but took the paper Jack handed him. "What the- how many ice teas did she get?!"

"Too many," Jack shrugged. "You deserve it, though. After what you did to her."

What did I do?! he raged inside his head, but paid the bill. Then he walked sourly over to his friends.

"So, how did it go?" Alan asked.

"At least I got her to talk about it," Jamie shrugged. He didn’t feel like mentioning the bill or his question about the party, though.

"So?" Matt asked.

"So what?"

"Why was she so down?"

"Something with a guy she had liked for years. He must have really hurt her. She said she had got over him, though." Jamie became aware of that his friends exchanged uncomfortable glances. "What?"

"Um..." Alan said.

"...Jamie..." Matt continued. Mike and George had a silent battle about who was going to brake the news. George lost.

"Jamie, you did know that Sandra has had a crush on you all through High School, didn’t you?" he asked.

"A serious crush," Mike supplied. "The size of Mount Everest."

The others nodded their confirmation. Jamie stared disbelieving at them, but they didn’t change their expressions. He put his head in his hands, one of them running through his hair.

"Oh, fuck," he said. "Oh...fuck."

A/N: Do you like it? As always: Review review review review review review review review! No flames, please. And do remember that I’m not from USA or where-ever they have High School, so I’m not good in that area. Thank you.

aurora borealis