‘It changes everything. I haven’t seen her for twenty years and now I’ve found her. Ariel, I think I’m going to go to Bodmin tomorrow, to find that guy Lara told me about. Maybe I’ll see you at the station. But after that I might just go to Reading every day. If I can make a day when I see Dad, Gus, Troy, Mum, Lara and you then I think that’s the best day I can possibly have. And I’m going to learn a language and an instrument and how to do backflips.’ He gave a sad little smile. ‘I’ve got eternity. Might as well use it.’

‘Then do that,’ I said. ‘But how do you fit Troy into that day? And actually you didn’t even see your dad and Gus today, did you?’

‘That’s true,’ he says. ‘Maybe I’ll just make two days that I live over and over, in rotation. And whenever I see Lucas I’m going to be incredibly nice to him. That might change something. You never know.’

I remembered how horrible Joe had been to Lucas, how much I’d hated it. I nodded.

‘You never know,’ I said.

I was walking home with my headphones in and Different Class playing because it was the sound of Joe’s day, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I looked round, I was surprised to see Jack Lockett. His hair was falling over his face, and he smiled shyly and tucked it behind his ear.

‘Hey,’ I said, grinning at him, taking out an earphone.

‘Can I walk with you a bit?’ He was taller than me, but shorter than Joe, and he was carrying a skateboard. I supposed I hadn’t heard him approach on it because my music was so loud.

‘Course!’ I said. ‘How are you?’

‘Oh, I’m OK,’ he said. ‘What about you, though? I feel like I haven’t seen you for ages, Ariel. I just. You know.’ He looked adorably awkward. ‘I guess I hope you’re OK.’

‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘Truly, Jack, I am OK. I’m doing much better than I was before. I know I did sort of fall apart.’

‘Hey. Who wouldn’t?’

Jack was objectively gorgeous. And he was lovely, and he was into me. We had been the perfect couple for a while. I would always be incredibly fond of him.

If my heart hadn’t been entirely captured by Joe I would, I realized, be in a place to spend a bit of time with Jack again. He was thinking along the same lines, clearly, because he said, ‘Do you fancy hanging out sometime maybe?’

I nodded, then shook my head and said, ‘I’m not sure, Jack. Honestly. I really like you and I’d love to hang out as friends, but …’

His face closed and he took a step back.