‘Adam, you can’t use that word any more. She’s a homosexual.’

‘Well played, Shawcross. Got the gay/gamer gag in before midnight. Who did you come with?’

‘Mary.’

‘Yeah, I mean who does Mary know?’

‘A guy called Brendan.’

‘That prick?’ Adam nods toward Brendan, who is finding it a challenge to add an extra turn-up to the bottom of his jeans because his hair keeps getting in the way. ‘I don’t know why she bothers.’

‘You’re just jealous.’

She says it as a joke but a shadow passes across Adam’s face before his face breaks into a smile. ‘Yeah, you’re right. I want the floppy hair but sadly mine stays out of my eyes on its own.’

‘You can get hair products that’ll make sure it stays in your eyes.’

‘I’ve tried them all. They do nothing for me.’

Adam offers her a drink from a clear glass bottle. Becky sniffs it suspiciously.

‘It’s a bit of everything. A mongrel spirit, like myself.’

‘I’ll try anything once.’

Becky takes a swig, and then another. Any hunger, nausea and nerves dissolve like sugar in hot tea and soon she is smiling at Adam, thank God for Adam, feeling warmer, better, looser, so much more herself.

‘Technically you’re trying everything once, when you drink that,’ he says.

‘Did you put that orange one in there?’ She feels her fingers tingle and her spirits lift a little higher so she drinks more of this disgusting, glorious, magical medicine.

‘If it was in my mum’s cabinet, I decanted it.’

‘That’s genuinely the worst cocktail I’ve ever tried.’

‘That’s crushing, given you only usually drink in London’s finest cocktail bars. Another swallow? Go wild.’

‘I probably shouldn’t drink too much more. I said I’d take a pill with Mary.’

‘Oh my God, you’re so cool.’

‘Don’t be judgy.’

‘No, really, Becky. I was going to go home early but now I want to see you do the special MDMA dancing.’

‘Thank you for your support.’

‘Always.’

‘Do you want to do it with us?’

‘Obviously I’d join you if it didn’t mean associating myself with a group of people that look like a manufactured popular music band.’

‘Popular music? Your snobbery knows no bounds. Anyway, Brendan’s wearing a Lemonheads T-shirt. You two might completely love each other if you got to know each other.’

‘That’s my greatest fear of doing pills.’

‘Not dehydrating and dying?’

‘That’d be fine. But, no, it’s telling Brendan he’s actually a really great guy. Chills me to the core.’