Shit, she thought, as she saw Iona waltzing in through the side gate. She thought she might throw up. The only thing she could do was forget what Iona said. Push it out of her head. And besides, if she didn’t, she might end up losing the only friend she had.

By the time Bonnie got downstairs Iona was already engrossed in another of her dad’s stories. Later, during their meal, she would continue to laugh along with something else he was telling them. Bonnie hadn’t heard a word of it. She didn’t think her mum had either; her attention was elsewhere. It seemed to be on Iona because her eyes kept drifting to her, watching behind her sunglasses.

Suddenly her mum interrupted the story and said, ‘We know so little about you, Iona, tell us more about yourself.’

Bonnie could feel her friend stiffen. Iona had told her many things about her life before Evergreen but there was no way she’d bring them up at the dinner table. If she ever did she would deal them out slowly, one card at a time, like she had with Bonnie.

That was how it felt. Iona had a whole stack of gems and she kept them close to her chest, but then every so often, when Bonnie least expected it, she would drop one on her and sit back, waiting for her reaction, like she’d just lit a firework.

Bonnie didn’t like that. It wasn’t like the beginning of summer any more when she’d felt excited to be part of Iona’s world. Now it somehow felt wrong. Like for every card Iona played, Bonnie was supposed to play one too. And every time Iona would point out the differences, how lucky Bonnie was, how grateful she should be.

The day before Iona had been in Bonnie’s bedroom, her eyes sweeping around it until she found a snow globe Bonnie had been given a few years ago. Iona cradled it in her hands, releasing her fingers so the globe slid to the edge of her palm. Bonnie’s heart fluttered nervously and she wanted to reach out and take it back. Her mum had bought it for her but she knew how stupid she’d sound if she told Iona to be careful, so she did nothing as she watched it roll from side to side.

Iona grinned. ‘You know, you really do have too many things,’ she said as she stopped rolling it.

Bonnie glanced around her room. She wanted to protest but didn’t know what to say when it was probably true. She had always got most things she’d asked for. When she was young, birthdays and Christmases had been stacked with presents. After one of the Stay and Play sessions when she’d shown an interest in one of the toys, her mum had bought her one the very next day.