Calling Carter.

“Yo, Silah!” An unknown male voice called out to me. I turned, dodging random people and wondering who it was. Kala also turned, and I saw her smile in recognition at three tall guys as they caught up to us.

“Hey guys,” she greeted sweetly. “Silah, this is Daniel, Luc and Adam,” she introduced, pointing at each. She smiled at Adam. “These are some of Carter’s friends,” she explained.

“Hey,” I said with a smile. So these were his mates. I tried not to break my neck staring up at them, cause they were freakin’ huge. They towered over us. Daniel was the shortest of the three, but not by much. He had wide shoulders and as he smiled at me I realised I had seen him before. He was on our school rugby team and a damn good scorer. He shook my hand and flicked his sandy hair out of his eyes and the same time.

Adam just said hi, and then his attention pretty much went straight back to Kala. He was lanky, with shocking light blue eyes and spiky black hair. He looked like he’d just been electrocuted, and his lopsided grin was easy and natural.

Luc, in the middle, was the tallest. “I’m the best mate,” he announced proudly, stepping forward and pretty much breaking all my bones in a tight bear hug. He leaned back enough to study me. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Silah. Seriously.” Luc’s mischievous eyes flicked over my shoulder and back to my face. “Carter’s always going on about you; how pretty you are, you’re all he can think about, he wants to ma—”

“OI!” Carter bellowed from behind me as he realised what Luc was saying. I started laughing, along with the rest, as Carter tackled Luc and they started wrestling. Carter was laughing too, but I didn’t realise that his cheeks were pink because he was BLUSHING.

Carter got a good headlock on Luc and looked up at me with a grin. “He’s fibbing, you know. No-one ever gets a chance to talk cause HE’S the one who never shuts up about Alice: ‘Oh,’ ” he mocked, “ ’Alice is so beautiful,’ ” he continued in a high pitched voice, “ ‘I’ll be her slave forever ‘cause she’s got me so WHIPPED!’ ” And everyone started laughing again.

Adam explained. “Alice is Luc’s girl,” he grinned as Luc dislodged Carter, “and he does talk about her a lot.” He laughed when Luc gave him the finger.

“Seven months,” Luc said to me proudly as he promptly picked Carter up and lobbed him towards me. Kala grinned as I grabbed for her, losing my balance when Carter hit me. She moved out of my reach and I felt myself falling. Carter tried to get his feet under us but we ended up in a tangle on the ground anyway.

“Sorry, Silah,” Luc managed to say through the laughter, “you okay?” And he shoved Carter aside to help me up.

I chuckled and took his hand. “Such a gentleman,” I smiled, thanking him. He bowed low and made a show of kissing my hand.

Carter shot him a dirty look from his place on the ground.

“I ain’t kissing you.” Luc said bluntly.