"What a mess" said Nools.
"I know, I mean she's only like the coolest chick around and they're like putting her in prison for totally no reason" I agreed.

"Aoiphe, I'm talking about Barry fancying you, not Paris Hilton going to jail" Nools snapped, grabbing Now Magazine from me.

"Oh yeah", I said, remembering that he is a red blooded male after all, "what's a girl to do?"

Nools was not impressed. "You need to focus his attentions on Mapi. Maybe encourage her to shave her legs and stuff". This was radical coming from big old feminist Nools. She was right though.

"Ooh! I know!" I said "I could arrange to go to a gig with both of them and then not show up, leaving them with each other".

As I ran down the road I could just about hear Nools shouting after me that I wasn't twelve. Whatever.

I skidded in the door and ran up to where Mapi was sorting cds.

"Hey Maps, wanna go to a gig?"

I wasn't sure if it was the "Maps" or the request to hang out that freaked her out the most but she raised one eyebrow and said "Absolutely not".

This was probably a good thing as I had no idea what I was going to say next anyway.

Back to the drawing board.