Vanessa reached out a shaky hand and pressed the doorbell. She looked around at the neatly kept lawn, the weeded garden. After waiting for a couple of minutes, she decided that Maggie wasn’t home and turned to leave.

‘What are you doing here?’ her old friend’s voice demanded. Vanessa turned back around to face Maggie, who had appeared in the doorway. She looked unhappy but curiosity had obviously got the better of her.

‘Hi, Maggie. I came… to talk to you.’

‘What can we possibly have to talk about?’

This wasn’t going to be easy. ‘Can I come in?’

She looked behind her as if checking that she could admit Vanessa into her beautiful home. Maggie walked back into the house and waited for Vanessa to walk inside before she closed the front door to keep the air-conditioning in. She led her to the kitchen where a small table adorned an otherwise plain room.

‘You wanted to talk, so talk.’

‘Can we at least sit down?’

Reluctantly Maggie dropped into one of the chairs.

‘I’ve been working up the courage for this conversation,’ Vanessa began.

‘For nine years?’ interrupted Maggie.

‘I know, better late than never I suppose.’ She tried to smile, but it felt forced, so she pinched her mouth shut for a moment. She took a deep breath. ‘I need to get a few things off my chest. I’m trying to make amends to the people that I hurt. And I hurt you the most. I want to say that I’m sorry. For every single damn thing that I did to you. It was unacceptable, wrong and a shitty thing to do to a friend. You were my best friend and I hurt you so badly. Betrayed you. I can understand if you never forgive me, but I’m asking anyway.’ She sucked in a breath.

‘You pounced on my boyfriend the moment my back was turned.’

Vanessa didn’t point out that he’d hit on her. It wasn’t the time. She had come to apologize. Besides, who knew what story he’d told her; she’d never had the chance to defend herself, never getting near enough to Maggie.

‘Forgiveness is not that easy, Vanessa. You can’t just come in here and ask. It’s not fair.’

‘I lost everything that night. You, the rest of my friends, my self-respect and my reputation. I’ve suffered and now I ask you. Forgive me.’ Vanessa hung her head. ‘I know you’re sleeping with him.’ It had been a shot in the dark but one that felt right. He’d never got over Maggie, his first love.

‘You know about that?’ she asked, picking at her fingernails.

‘Yeah, but I don’t care, I just want to warn you that he’s not the kid you knew in school. He’s changed.’