‘Jai?’ I said. ‘Kind of. It’s complicated because they were never really in a relationship. They were friends.’ I bit back the words with benefits. ‘But he’s going to be around for Sash and the baby. He’s cool.’

‘Good,’ said Mr Morrow. ‘Well, Ariel, I’d just like to say that we’re all impressed with the way you’ve coped over the past couple of years. You’ve been through more than many of us adults have, and here you are, still standing. I know Ms Duke has been helping out. I’ve brought her up to speed today, and she’s going to have a chat with you tomorrow and on a much more regular basis after that, if you’re OK with the idea. Thank you for confiding in me.’

I wanted to say I hadn’t confided one single bastard thing, that he’d cornered me and given me no choice. I managed, instead, to say, ‘Sure, thanks, bye,’ as I ran out of the door.

The school had emptied out and there were just a few stragglers around, and the sound of someone playing the trumpet badly in a distant music room. Izzy had messaged: I’ve gone home but msg if you want to meet.

I needed to get my head round the day. I called Sasha back and filled her in; told her that Dad was in Inverness and that I’d be home in a bit, and then walked down to the seafront.

It was a lacklustre day, with the odd sunbeam poking out from between the clouds. I walked along the once-grand pathway through the municipal gardens towards the beach. The palm trees stood perfectly still, as there was no wind at all. The flower beds were filled with drooping purple flowers and litter. I could smell junk food and the sea.

I stopped and closed my eyes.

I live with my sister, I said in my head. It sounded OK.

I was heading for the beach, but there was a group from school there, from my year, with cider and chips. I swung towards the amusements instead, where I changed two pound coins into one hundred two-pence pieces and pushed them, one by one, into the machines. Watching the coins nearly tipping each other over the edge was hypnotic, and when they did cascade down it made me jump. I put them all back in again, and again, until there were none left.

Then I wandered upstairs, into the mall. It wasn’t a mall like the ones in American movies. It was just some shops under the same roof. It was a shopping centre really, and not a cool one, and it was called Beachview even though it had no windows to the outside. The air was stale, and most of the people in here were on their way to or from the pub upstairs.