I looked at her critically, her smooth black hair and dark eyes, little skirt smoothed under her legs as she rocked on the stone wall. My best friend Manny. She was beautiful. And she was excited about something, but being secretive.

"It was the best night of my life," she said, her eyes shining with whatever the secret was.

"Tell me what happened," I said, and she just smiled and wouldn't tell. Well, it didn't matter. More would be revealed. It was morning at school, before the first bell, that time when I try to gather up my strength for the battle of the day. The sun shining in my eyes, shining off her smooth black hair like some river.

Craig walked by and Manny was attuned to him like a pointer dog on the hunt. Her whole body seemed to follow him just sitting on the wall. I watched him. He was in grade ten now, his hair was longer, the curls wild and messy all the time, his eyes kind of sleepy and half closed. He kind of looked stoned. I didn't know if he was or not, even though he was in a band with Spinner. Spinner was stoned half the time, I was convinced of this. But Craig? It was a little hard to tell. He walked by with his fluffy hair and baggy faded jeans and bag slung over his shoulder and jean jacket. The jean jacket made him look almost younger somehow, younger than when he wore the cracked black leather jacket. Like last year. His clothes were neater, his hair was neater, he was more energetic. But that might just have been the last of the frayed nerves that came from living with an abusive parent. Last year I guess he had planned on going back with his father, maybe that kept him on edge. Now his father was dead and he lived with Joey and things had relaxed.

Manny noticed him, her eyes and her whole head following him as he walked past, but he didn't seem to notice her at all. Oblivious. What was more attractive than that? Manny jumped up and ran after him, and I cringed for her, my heart ached for her. Chasing was never attractive.

"Craig, I tried to call you," she said, tugging on his sleeve, and he finally noticed her. He was so much taller than her that he had to look down. Then I got it. It was what she was so excited about. It was Craig. She'd gone to Paige's birthday party and she must have hooked up with him or something. I bit my lip, thinking of Ashley. Ashley was Craig's girlfriend. What was Manny doing?

Ashley glided by, not taking too much notice of Manny, either. They acted like that because they were older, but I knew something they didn't. Manny was a force to be reckoned with. Home wrecker. She could destroy them.

I watched from my vantage point on the stone wall. Manny tried to stumble out something to Craig, something about calling him and what the night had meant to her, but Ashley pushed her aside with one cool word and a half glance, and then she was talking to Craig. I couldn't quite hear it all, but she was looking so deep into his eyes and he was looking back, but glancing over her shoulder at Manny from time to time. Then Ashley hugged him, putting her arms so slowly around him and he looked right at Manny then and told Ashley he loved her. I couldn't exactly hear him but those words are clear on the lips. Like deaf people locked in their world of silence those words pierce it and come through loud and clear.

Manny came back, visibly shaken.

"Manny," I said, my tone the hushed whisper of recrimination, "you fooled around with Craig?"

Her eyes glistened with tears and she tossed her hair behind her shoulders. She swallowed, the sound audible in the clear morning. She didn't say anything but she nodded, and she cast a sad sidelong glance over at Craig, still locked in his embrace with Ashley.