[Mari’s laughter faded slightly and a blush appeared on her face. It was different, talking about Hero with another girl… when she talked about him with Aubrey back home, it was a teasing sort of way. One in which the younger girl was captivated by the romance between her friends. It was also different when she talked with Sunny and Kel about Hero- whether the other boy remembered or not- while Sunny was mostly silent and added little thoughts now or then. But Freida was another girl similar to Mari’s age…]

Hero is… he’s… someone special…

[She wasn’t sure if her friend had ever felt a similar way to anyone back home.]