He pulls himself together and snarls, swears even more than usual, and while he’s doing it I drop my cup so the drink splatters all over our shoes and take his photo. He tries to grab the camera. I duck away. He runs after me, shouting. I run round the corner and into the cupboard.

Ariel and Troy are there. They have a box with them and they’re doing something to the wall. I’m startled, again, by Troy as an adult, and I wonder what they’re doing, but then I realize that I’m not the only 1999 person in this room.

I didn’t think the man would follow me here, but he has. I turn, full of adrenaline, and laugh at him.

‘What the fuck,’ he says, ‘do you think you’re doing? Did you attack me with some baby drink and take my photo? You owe me new shoes. Give me your camera.’

‘No.’

‘What’s going on?’ says Ariel. ‘Who’s here? Make them go away. We’ve found something, Joe. It’s urgent. Make that person go away.’

‘What the …?’ says Troy.

‘You know you’re a wanker,’ I tell the angry guy, over the sound of Ariel and Troy. ‘I see you every day. You’re a bastard. I hate you. I bet everyone hates you. You should try being nicer.’

‘You should try fucking off,’ he says.

‘I said nicer,’ I say. ‘Not more of a wanker. Yes, I did spill my drink on you on purpose because you deserved it, and I don’t care about your shoes.’

I only said that so Ariel would know who it was that I was talking to from 1999, but of course it enrages the man more than anything. He squares up to punch me. I am ready. He wants to kill me: I can see it in his face. Have I solved it? Is this my killer?

He huffs and takes a step back.

‘You’re not worth it,’ he says. He walks out, slamming the door behind him. I wait. He doesn’t come back.

I sit on the bench, gasping for breath, even though I don’t need to breathe. I’m trembling all over.

Ariel is beside me. Troy sits on my other side.

‘I thought he was going to kill me,’ I say. ‘He wanted to hurt me so much. He was going to. Then he walked away. It feels so weird. I was geared up for it to happen.’

Ariel puts her hand on mine so we’re overlapping. Troy doesn’t say anything.

‘The angry man,’ she says.