So? I almost say as I resume chewing the gum. Something tells me that I’d rather ring in the New Year alone than with her. So I pop another chewing gum in my mouth for good measure and cross the street.

I admit, I’m not paying attention, too concerned with getting away from her to check if anyone’s coming, but mercifully, I see the car that comes screaming towards me – far too fast – a second before it hits me, jumping out of the way as it swerves and slams into the railing outside the mini-mart.

It’s the last thing I hear, the shrill shriek of metal hitting metal, of something hitting something it shouldn’t, followed by the snap of breaking glass as the windscreen breaks into a million pieces that soar up into the air and hang there like stars. Then there’s nothing, just an aching stretch of white noise that goes on and on until BOOM. The glass falls around me and I hear fireworks chasing one another over my head – POP POP POP – sending the seagulls fleeing.

I look at the car, at its back wheels spinning – spinning and spinning – the front of it folded around the railing. I’m suddenly, painfully aware of the nearness of it, the patch of road separating me from the car so slight, I could reach out and touch the back of it if I wanted to.

Broken glass crunches under my feet as I stagger back and press my hands to my face as if to check that I’m still here. I pull them away and look at them. No blood. I touch the back of my head, my chest, my stomach. Nothing. Nothing hurts. I’m here. I’m still here.

Thank God.

Thank God.

That was close.

Oh my God, that was close.

That was so close.

The relief is giddying as I mutter nonsense, over and over. I realise then that the girl who helped me when I tripped is still there. She reaches for my elbows and starts jumping up and down, clearly thrilled as she says something, something about it being midnight and something else I can’t hear over the sound of fireworks and people singing.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

I turn back to the car as the doors open and two blokes jump out then leg it up the street, the way I was going before they nearly hit me.

‘Hey!’ I shout after them. ‘You could have killed me!’ but they’re gone.

That’s when Nish rushes out of the mini-mart to see what’s going on. ‘Did you see that, Nish?’ I point at the mangled car. ‘That car almost ran me over!’ but he doesn’t hear as he looks down and gasps. I try to see what he’s looking at, but then the girl in the teddy-bear coat is back, standing between us.