‘Thank you,’ April says as she pulls away. ‘For what you did tonight. Stopping the fight.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Brave.’

‘Not really.’

‘Danny doesn’t deserve you.’

Will shrugs.

‘Saved his skin, Will.’

You don’t know the half of it, Will thinks.

‘Do you really have to dash off home?’ April asks.

‘Guess not. Why?’

‘I’ve got an idea.’

She doesn’t elaborate as she climbs over the low wire fence and begins to weave through the marsh. Will follows silently, stumbling and grabbing hold of grasses and shrubs as they head in the direction of the shore.

The Martello tower is no better secured than on the day the library burned, but by the light of their phones it seems damper and spookier as they shuffle through its fortress walls and up the curved stairway.

‘Always makes me smile when I think about us breaking in here,’ April says, leading the way on to the roof. ‘There was me thinking you were such a good boy.’

‘You and me both,’ Will mumbles.

‘What a place to watch the sun rise,’ April says, at the top now. She leans on the perimeter wall and gazes over the sea. The cloud cover from earlier has gone, a few stars piercing through here and there. In the east, a strip of sky glows a lighter shade of navy than the rest. ‘Hour or two, tops,’ she adds.

Will kneels next to her. For a moment he wonders if it’ll be noticed that he’s not at home in bed, before remembering how drunk his mum was and the mood Danny’s in. He’s sure neither will register his absence. Would they ever?

‘Do you not find it a turn-off?’ April stares out to sea as she says it.

‘What do you mean?’

‘What you heard about me.’

‘Don’t know anything about it.’

‘You know I got it on with my best friend’s dad.’

‘Did he … you know … force you?’

April smiles in a way that feels patronizing to Will. ‘No.’

‘Were you, like, really young?’

‘It was a year ago, give or take. Was sixteen.’

‘Pretty young.’

‘Old enough. It was Lauren, my best friend – ex best friend – who caught us. Me and her dad! Fucking hell.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘Oh, Will. Who cares what he did? No one was interested in his behaviour. Not for long, anyway. A month after the scandal breaks and they’re all happy families again. He’s so sorry, hates himself for being seduced – all that shit. It’s me who lost all her friends and had to hide for months and move schools.’

‘You don’t have to talk about this. If you don’t want to.’

‘You’d rather not know?’

‘Just don’t think you have to … explain. Your business.’

‘Is it, though? You see, Will, it isn’t my business. Not really. What we do isn’t our business at all, not when there’s sex involved.’