Weirdly, Abeo crossed the mezzanine and spoke to Luke Adebisi. The governor’s oldest son was a burly twenty-year-old, who’d graduated from St Gilda’s with grades good enough for an American college. But Luke dropped out after two terms, preferring a lucrative and not-too-demanding job as a Youth Issues Advisor, in his father’s administration, and a mounting reputation as a party boy.

Julius got a bad vibe as Luke’s gold-festooned hand beckoned him.

‘Come on, come on, come on, come on!’ Luke said, sounding oddly like a turkey gobble.

Julius hesitated.

‘What are you afraid of, my cousin?’ Luke asked, cracking a big grin as Kehinde, Taiwo and Collins enclosed Julius, with their St Gilda’s cronies sliding out of a booth to watch.

Julius got the sense that everyone but him knew what was going on. His heart quickened as he glanced about, hoping one of the family drivers would rescue him. Instead, a gap opened in the circle and a girl was shoved through, hard enough to stumble on her high heels.

No older than eighteen, with a curvy figure, silver nails and a strapless metallic dress. She was clad like rich St Gilda’s girls, but crooked teeth and missing incisors suggested she’d grown up too poor to afford a dentist.

‘Bella, this is my cousin, Julius,’ Luke told the girl as he rested his rings on her bare shoulder. ‘He’s not what you’d call a lady’s man.’

‘People are saying he’s a homo,’ Taiwo said, before adding firmly, ‘but we don’t have that in our family. He just needs to be shown a few things …’

Julius felt his face heat up as Bella stepped closer. Even with her silver heels, the top of her head didn’t reach his neck.

Why didn’t I leave with the cousins? Something messed up was always gonna happen if I stuck around too long …

‘Give her a nice kiss,’ Luke said firmly.

A couple of lads in the outer circle had their camera phones out.

Julius thought about running, but the circle was tight, so he leaned forward and kissed Bella nervously on the lips. Her breath smelled vinegary and nothing stirred. Not the way it stirred when Julius watched Duke glide on his skateboard.

‘What was that?’ Collins sneered, grabbing Julius’s hand and placing it on Bella’s butt. ‘Kiss her properly.’

Julius was trapped. The beers had made his head thick and Bella’s smell made him queasy, but if he didn’t prove himself he’d be labelled queer and spend his last three years at St Gilda’s being bullied as mercilessly as Duke.

Julius dug awkward fingers into Bella’s buttock and she made a heaving sound as she pushed against him. Luke must have paid her.

‘Get in!’ Taiwo jeered.