‘Owen, wait!’ I say, but he’s already on his feet, and my phone starts ringing.

I look down to see it’s Kellen. I’m surprised he managed to unstick himself from Rhys’s face. I want to ignore it, but what if it’s important? What if ‘something bad’ is happening all over again?

‘What do you want?’ I reluctantly answer, barely disguising my annoyance.

‘Zach.’ I hear his muffled voice. ‘I … I got it wrong.’

‘Huh?’ I say, softer now. ‘Why, what’s wrong? What happened?’

I automatically imagine the worst.

‘Everything was fine,’ he says. ‘Everything was perfect …’

‘And then?’

‘Just out of nowhere …’

‘He broke up with you again?’

There’s just silence on the other end of the phone.

‘I could kill him!’ I swear. ‘Where is he? I’m gonna actually murder him!’

‘Forget about him, Zach,’ he says meekly. ‘He’s not worth it. I’m such an idiot.’

‘You’re not an idiot,’ I say. ‘He’s just a fucking asshole.’

‘I can’t do this any more,’ he says. ‘I can’t wake up with him again tomorrow. We have to get out of this, Zach. There has to be a way out of this!’

‘Where are you?’ I say, already heading for the building.

‘Out front,’ he says. ‘With Huckleberry.’

‘Meet me inside? I’m coming.’

‘OK …’ he says, hanging up just as a firework goes shooting into the sky.

I look at the time. It’s already 11.58 p.m.

Fuck, I think, rushing in through the side door and into the crowded hall. If I can just get to him, maybe we can stop this day from resetting. I know what we need to do now. I think I’ve known deep down for a while. In every fairy story, it’s always the same thing that breaks the spell. A kiss. Just before midnight. It’s been a Cinderella story all along.

‘Hey, Zach!’ Cameron says, clutching me by the shoulder. ‘Have you got a sec?’

‘I’m kinda busy,’ I say, trying to get round him.

‘It’s about Bec …’

‘I know,’ I reply. ‘She likes you, Cameron. You just need to make a move.’

‘Huh?’ he says. ‘How did you –’

‘Just go and make a move! It’ll work, I promise. We’ll talk later, OK?’

‘Is everything all right?’

‘Everything’s fine!’ I say, looking at my watch. It’s already ticked past 11.59.

And that’s when I see Kellen appear at the top of the stairs.

Even from here, I can see his eyes are puffy from crying.

‘Kellen!’ I call over the crowd of heaving bodies. ‘I’m coming!’

‘Zach!’ he calls back, rushing down the stairs towards me.