Some time in late April, my mom asked to speak to me about something important. That always sounded a little ominous. Did someone die? Was she going to talk about sex again? Both options were equally upsetting, if you asked me.

She sat down on the edge of my bed and said, "I just wanted you to know that the Horans are going back to Ireland for a month this summer. It's been a while since they've visited for such an extended time."

"Okay?" That was good news in a way because then I'd have a month where I didn't have to face Niall at all.

"There's more," she said slowly. "Mr. and Mrs. Horan have asked if you would like to go with them."

My jaw felt like it came unhinged. "Shut the front door! Ireland? Are you serious? I mean, will you let me go?"

"No," she said dryly. "I just wanted to tell you so I could say no and then rub your face in it." The hint of a smile in her eyes gave her away. My mom was actually starting to be kind of...cool.

"And dad says it's okay, too?"

"Mmmhmm," she nodded happily. "But you're going to be staying with Niall's grandma and she has a small place, so you'll have to share a room with Niall. I think Mrs. Horan said there's a rollaway bed or some such thing if you're not opposed to that."

Oh right. Niall. I'd momentarily forgotten that I didn't really want to see him. But I'd wanted to do this forever; well, for as long as I'd known Niall. I really wanted to go, but I didn't want to spend the whole month in close quarters with him, thinking about how much it sucked that he was dating someone else.

"Um, can I think about it?" I finally said.

Mom looked surprised. "Sure, but I think they're going to make their reservations quite soon, so you should make your decision by the weekend, all right?"

"Sure thing," I nodded.

Thus began a period of intense soul-searching, not to mention hours of discussion with Kirsten and my other friends, who now knew of the massive crush - wait no, crush was too childish.... They now knew how much I loved the Irish lad. I really, really wanted to go, partly because I was eager to see Ireland and all the places that Niall had talked about and partly because I wanted to hang out with Niall. The idea that I'd have him all to myself for a month was thrilling, with or without Rebecca in the picture. But I was still afraid that I would end up with my heart in an even worse condition than it already was.

Kirsten had the primary role in convincing me that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "You get to go to Ireland!" She gushed. "And you'll probably go to London and some other places in England as well, right? You can't pass this up!" I shrugged slightly, knowing she was absolutely right. "Besides, maybe you'll meet some other cute Irish boy there. You know you're beautiful, right? And any guy would be crazy not to fall all over you."

"Now you're just talking crazy," I scoffed.

"I'm serious," she insisted. "You're so pretty. It might be enough just to get some attention from other guys and Niall will be falling all over himself with jealousy."

I burst into maniacal laughter. "I seriously doubt it, but yeah, I think I'll go, mainly because I've wanted to go back to Ireland with him since the day he arrived."

"Good for you!" She cheered. "Except that leaves me here without my BFF for a whole month. Guess I'll have to start looking for a boyfriend, too."

I tipped my head and gave her a disbelieving look. "You've been looking for a boyfriend since first grade."

"This is true," she quipped. "But I have my eye on someone in particular. Just don't tell Joely."

"Shit, do you have a crush on Manny?"

"Maybe," she said in a Mary Poppins kind of voice. "He's been flirting with me like crazy, so I think the feeling is mutual. I'm just not sure how to proceed if Joely still likes him. She can be kind of catty about these things."

"Well, if your friendship isn't more important to her than a guy, then screw her," I sneered and Kirsten laughed. "Besides, she can get any boy she wants. It should be illegal to look that gorgeous all the time."

Kirsten laughed even harder. "That's so true. Okay, I'll go for it if the opportunity presents itself."

"Great! See? This is why we're so good for each other, encouraging each other to do what we really want to do."

When I told my parents that I wanted to go to Ireland, they phoned the Horans straightaway. The next thing I knew, Niall came rushing into the house and yelled, "Are ya really comin' with us?"

His sudden and exuberant appearance made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt. "Yeah, if you want me to."

"Of course I do!" He shouted and then grabbed into a ferocious hug. "I'm so excited you're gonna come with us. We'll have to plan out all the things we want to do and see."

"Sounds good," I agreed and for the first time in weeks, I felt happy. I briefly wondered about Rebecca and how all of this would seem to her, but I brushed the thought quickly away. I didn't want to spoil my mood.

After that brief glimpse of our old friendship, life was still busy enough that I hardly saw Niall until the end of the school year. Still, my excitement was fueled by the little reminders along the way that I'd be going to Ireland with the Horans in just a short time. They made reservations for the 20th of June and planned to return in late July. I had to apply for a passport and get my photo taken, which turned out better than my driver's license photo. My parents were always chatting with Niall's parents about the weather and what kind of medical care was available should I get sick, etc. What did they think? That Ireland was a poor country full of free clinics where you had to wait for days to be seen by an actual doctor? Sheesh, even I knew better than that. I guess they were just concerned about letting me go so far away for so long. Not me, I hadn't a care in the world except for how to occupy myself until the 20th of June.

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Yeah, a little taste of what's coming up in the next few chapters <3