‘That or he’s been sending them to other girls behind Tiffany’s back.’

I find her in the crowd again. She’s acting erratically now, waving her free arm about as she speaks to someone on the phone. She’s understandably furious. I never thought I’d say it, but I actually feel bad for the two of them. Of all the times this could happen.

‘Just make it go away!’ she screeches, pacing up and down. ‘I don’t care, Daddy! I swear to God, if I see anything about this in the Herald …!’

So that’s who she’s talking to. Surely the Herald wouldn’t publish pictures of a teenage boy? I mean this in the nicest possible way, but he’s not even that famous.

She hangs up, looks around for a moment as if searching for someone. Does she actually know who did this? I follow her gaze as she searches for the culprit.

And then her eyes land on Chase.

‘What’s going on?’ I say as she heads in our direction.

‘I know it was you!’ she says, on the warpath. ‘Do you really think we’re that stupid? That we wouldn’t figure it out?’

‘Figure what out?’ Chase says, baffled.

‘Drop the act!’ She’s practically foaming at the mouth. ‘Don’t even try to deny it!’

‘Tiffany, I have literally no interest in pictures of your boyfriend.’

‘So it’s just a coincidence, is it? This morning you hacked into my laptop and –’

‘Now wait a second!’ he interrupts. ‘I never hacked into your laptop. I changed a few results around in that stupid leavers’ poll. I never touched your laptop!’

‘What’s the difference?’ she says. ‘You’re still hacking things!’

‘Oh my God,’ he says. ‘This is ridiculous.’

‘Is it? You’ve had it in for us ever since you had your ten minutes of fame. Obsessing over me, telling everyone it was me who leaked that story.’

‘That’s because it was you,’ I interject. I can’t believe she can be so brazen.

‘And do you have any proof of that, Zach? Or are you just making baseless allegations as always? You know that’s defamation, right? I’d watch what you say if I were you. You do realize my father knows everyone in the media? Whoever you sent those pictures to, there’s gonna be a paper trail. A couple of phone calls and I’ll have all the evidence I need. Honestly, Chase, you’re supposed to be the clever one. With all those big-boy brains, I’m quite surprised you could be so stupid.’

‘Call him stupid again, I dare you …’

‘It’s fine, Zach,’ Chase says, stepping in between me and Tiffany. ‘It obviously didn’t come from me. What could I possibly gain from doing something like that?’

‘You know something like this could ruin us. That’s why you did it, isn’t it? Thought you could take us down a peg? Bring us down to your level?’

‘What level? What are you even talking about?’

‘You know what I’m talking about! And you’re not gonna get away with it!’