After their set, Omar wandered over to the bar with what he hoped was a nonchalant air, and raised a hand in greeting to Ali and Cassie. Ali, whom Omar didn’t really know, exchanged a few words with Cassie and slid her long legs off the bar stool. ‘Good set, kid,’ she said, patting Omar’s cheek in an annoying imitation of his brother, and strutted over to where Sharif was waiting by the stage.

‘Hi, Omar. That was a great set,’ Cassie said apologetically, looking reproachfully after her sister.

‘Hi, Cassie. Nice to see you. Long time, no … see,’ Omar said hesitantly, realizing halfway through the sentence that there was no way of avoiding repeating the word ‘see’, but deciding the bar was loud enough for it not to matter. He kissed her on the cheek, and took Ali’s seat at the bar. He had never kissed Cassie on the cheek before, but it had become second nature to do it with the girls in college, and so it was almost automatic. It immediately made him feel better, as though Cassie was a friend, rather than a vague acquaintance whom he knew mainly by reputation.

‘Would you like a drink?’ Cassie asked. ‘You must be parched after all that.’

‘Yeah, um, a pint of Stella, please, if that’s all right.’ Watching Cassie struggle in her purse for change, Omar remembered his manners. ‘In fact, let me. What would you like?’

’Diet Coke, please,’ said Cassie gratefully.

While they sipped their drinks, Omar looked properly at Cassie, who looked much more appealing than he remembered. Her cropped hair suited her, and she had either lost weight or discovered more flattering clothes, as she looked less busty, and rather svelte in her dark jeans and black, shiny vest. After Omar had run through asking after all the mutual friends he could rack his brains for, wisely omitting Stevo, he had to resort to asking how she was herself.

‘Oh, I’m OK,’ said Cassie, with a studied nonchalance that Omar recognized from his own experience to be put on.

‘Well, how’s college, and life and stuff? Are you seeing anyone nice?’ Omar asked this before he remembered that she had just been dumped. Shit, shit, shit.

‘No college, yet. I’m retaking my A levels. I kind of screwed up,’ Cassie said, dropping the nonchalant air as she looked deep into the dregs of her Diet Coke and pulled out the lemon slice. She starting chewing on the sour skin. ‘No someone nice in my life, I got kind of screwed over. Screwed Up, and Screwed Over.’ She gave a feeble laugh at herself. ‘Hey, I should give that to you guys for a song, it sounds like one of yours.’