‘Of course,’ I said, wishing that Mum would just ring me already. I had one eye on LeBron shooting hoops and one on my phone. Katie’s mum stepped back into the bedroom with Katie’s dad, who was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, smart shorts and Birkenstocks.

‘Hi Phoebe,’ he said. ‘How are you going?’

‘Yeah, pretty good,’ I said. I could tell that they were almost set to head to their party.

Katie’s mum said, ‘You can wait for your mum on the porch if you like.’

Katie’s dad looked suss at that so I quickly said, ‘Oh no, it’s okay, I’ll just say bye to Katie. Mum will be here any minute.’

I pulled on my dress, shoved my towel into my bag, threw it over my shoulder and walked to the bathroom where I could hear Katie blow-drying her hair.

Katie switched off the hair dryer when she saw me. ‘Is your mum here?’ she asked.

‘She’s on her way.’

‘If you’re not doing anything tomorrow, give me a call. It’s going to be hot again. Come for a swim if you like.’

‘Thanks.’ I gave Katie a hug, said goodbye to her parents and walked out into the blistering heat.

Before Katie’s parents could look out the window and wonder what I was doing, I started walking to the bus shelter down the road to try calling Mum again.

When I sat on the bench in the shelter, it burned the back of my thighs through my dress. ‘Ouch!’ I pulled my towel from my bag and doubled it over, sitting on it. Then I started to call Mum. She finally answered on the sixth time. ‘Mum, where are you? I’ve been calling for ages.’

‘I’m catching up with an old friend,’ she said. I could hear she was in a cafe … or a bar.

‘Well, I need you to pick me up now.’

‘Where are you?’

‘I’m sitting at the bus shelter on Katie’s street.’

‘Can’t Katie’s mum drop you home?’

‘You said you were going to pick me up.’

‘Pheebs, have you got your phone?’ she asked.

‘How do you think I’m talking to you?’ I replied angrily.

‘Oh!’ she said before laughing. I didn’t think it was funny. ‘Can you call a taxi?’ she suggested. ‘There’s some money in my bedside drawer.’

‘Can’t you please come and pick me up?’

‘I’ll be a little while longer. I’ll finish this drink and come home. I promise,’ she said.

‘How long?’

‘When I finish this drink. Hey Pheebs, I really got to go,’ she said, before hanging up.

I called a taxi, clenching my fist as I spoke. I could feel my temples pulsing from my anger and the stress of walking in the heat. I felt like kicking something.