“Don’t lose it,” Zak says. “And don’t let Mum see it.” This is why he’s my best mate. He knows this is important to me, even if, sometimes, I catch him questioning everything with a look or a pause. He’s not all-in like I am. But he still wants to see it play out.

“One last look,” I say, showing him the photo of Will that I took from my window. He had stopped for a moment, glancing back at the gate that had closed behind him. Just enough time for me to zoom in and snap.

“I know what he looks like,” Harrison says. “I won’t forget.”

60

I can’t see Will’s bedroom from my window. You can only see it from the street, so I wait until Mum and Jay have gone to bed, then go downstairs. Only, this time, I’m not checking that the front door is locked; I’m opening it and walking into the night.

Amy’s house stands out like a circus in a village of churches. Our homes are small and quiet, a couple of lights shining behind drawn curtains. Hers is massive, the spotlights above the guttering painting the bricks a shimmering white.

Our street is almost silent, just the murmur of a TV through an open window and the distant yowl of a cat.

Most people think darkness is dangerous. They think the night is something to hide from. But outside can be a lot safer than inside if you live with the wrong people.

The closer I get to Amy’s house, the bigger the walls seem. From my window, they look like something you can almost jump over, but, up close, the spikes are out of reach. I step back, figuring out which room is Will’s and waiting for a sign. Their living room was dark when I left the house, so he must be in his bedroom.

Did Harrison give him the note, and is he planning a response? I pick a stone from the ground and think about throwing it at the window. I don’t know what he wants yet, though. He may hate what I said. I may have pushed him too far in the other direction. But I had to try something.

The curtain moves, and I swear I see Will looking out, but it falls back into place so quickly I doubt myself.

The spotlights are making my eyes blotchy, and I look away and blink, then stare back at his window and see him staring down at me.