‘I’m not scared.’ But he was. Connor was a strong swimmer but the thought of taking his clothes off in front of the others, his pale flesh covered in goose bumps, the shrinkage the cold water would cause, made him shiver. It wasn’t something he’d want Hailey to witness. ‘I don’t have a towel.’

‘I do.’ Tyler patted his rucksack.

Hailey slipped her hand into his. The reassuring squeeze of her fingers told him that she wouldn’t judge him if he didn’t do it. In return he tightened his fingers around hers thanking her for not trying to talk him out of it in front of the others.

‘Fuck’s sake.’ Connor was angry with Tyler, angry with himself. They were seventeen. Too old for this shit really. ‘I can’t even see the other side.’

‘We kayaked across it earlier – you know it’s not as far as it looks,’ Tyler said.

In a boat. With a paddle. It was stupid. Every summer his mum drummed into him never to swim unsupervised in a lake. He should walk away.

‘Seriously, Con.’ The whites of Ryan’s eyes glowed bright. ‘It’s okay. Remember Pleasureland?’

A shared memory passed between them. They must have been about ten. A day trip to the seaside with their parents. Mum and Melissa sprawled on the sand, faces upturned to the sun. Fergus fetching pints of beer in plastic glasses from the beach bar. Dad pushing coins into his hand telling them to go to the fair on the pier, and have a good time. The euphoria they had felt as they scrambled up the steps to the giant inflatable slide, the sensation of climbing into the sky. His stomach plummeting as he realized how high they were. The tears that gathered as he tried to force himself down the slide but his body had been frozen in fear.

‘It’s okay. Whatever,’ Ryan had said then, heading back down the steps the way that they had come. Ignoring the smirks of the other kids as they took in Connor’s tear-stained face. At the bottom, Ryan had bought candyfloss with the rest of the money and they’d headed back to their parents, Ryan never once laughing at him.

Connor knew he wouldn’t now either.

Hailey shuffled closer to him, their thighs pressing together. It was cold. It wasn’t fair to keep her hanging around outside. He needed to make a decision. Briefly he thought about ushering her back to the dorm. What’s the worst that could happen? Hurt pride and a bit of light piss-taking. Or should he get it over with and hold on to his dignity?

‘Let’s get this done,’ he had said.

‘We’ll run around to the other side, to the wooden walkway bit where they tether the kayaks. Hailey can bring your clothes round. Meet you there soon.’ Tyler said.