Driiing! Usually, the long-awaited melody of the school bell on a Friday afternoon would open up the door to freedom for the next two days. Not today. Today, I had a second door to conquer - Zane. Before last Saturday I would have been proud to call him my best mate. And, if he hadn't violated the 'mate's code of conduct' by messing around with my girl, I probably would still be calling him that. …showed first 75 words of 1187 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1187 total…again. I turned my back to the wolves - my wolves - and started walking away laughing. "Hahah--" I broke my triumphant stride and looked at my feet. There - nestled in the summer grass - lay a virginal, brown and white gift from the gods. I scooped up the smoke, whacked it in my mouth and thought to myself, "The Irish are known for two things - their love of fighting, and their luck...."