‘Oh God, I remember those days. In fact I’ve spent all today remembering,’ Olivia said, which was a bit odd, but then before Izzie could respond, she went on. ‘But, you know, here’s me, mid-thirties, living a life of domestic boredom’ – her face became rather pained-looking as she said this – ‘and I’d give anything to go back and have those teenage years again, when everything was possible. I’d do half of it differently, mind, but . . . Well, that’s life, isn’t it?’

Izzie didn’t know what to say. She was rubbish at talking to grown-ups. She felt embarrassed whenever she was round at her friends’ houses and their mums would pop their heads around the bedroom door and ask friendly questions. Just smile if you don’t know what to say, smile and be polite, her mum – the least shy person in the world – was always badgering her. So she gave her best and politest smile. ‘I guess so,’ she replied vaguely.

Olivia tipped back her head to finish her drink. ‘And there’s plenty of the summer left to turn everything around, at least. In the meantime . . .’ She turned to Izzie and raised an eyebrow. ‘Sometimes you just have to fake it till you can make it, as they say.’

Izzie was about to do her polite smile again and agree, but found herself nodding thoughtfully instead as the words resonated through her head. Sometimes you just have to fake it till you can make it. Yes, maybe that was the answer. In fact maybe that had been the answer all along and she’d been too honest – or thick – to realize it. None of her friends knew what was going on here, after all. She could make up any crazy wild thing for the Summer of Yes group chat, and they wouldn’t have a clue if she was telling the truth or not.

Words began appearing in her mind as if she was typing them there and then. Oh my God! Have met the hottest boy. Summer fling here we come!

Whoa! Got chatting to some eighteen-year-olds on the beach earlier – they invited me to a house party tonight. Obviously I said YES!

Went skinny-dipping with my new friends – so much fun. But COLD!!!

Why not? she thought, giddy with her own parallel universes. Why shouldn’t she fake it? At least her friends might shut up, for a change. Then she hurriedly blinked her giddy thoughts away, realizing that Olivia was talking again.

‘Now, are you okay to cycle to wherever you were going?’ she was asking, getting to her feet and smoothing down her denim skirt. ‘Legs not too wobbly any more? Otherwise I could give you a lift, if we can wedge your bike in my car. I’m staying in this tiny place called Parr’s Head, if that means anything to—’