My only other proper experience of falling for someone was with Scott, and that had taken me by surprise. He was new to our school, so I’d noticed him, but I wasn’t one of the girls who had trailed around after him. A few weeks into the first term, he’d walked across the sixth form common room and asked me out. Embarrassed from knowing that everyone in the room was watching, and not wanting to cause a scene, I’d said yes. We’d gone on a date, and then another, and then I’d realised after a while that somewhere along the line we were a couple and I was besotted.

It was a very different experience to the crush I had on Joel and it had left me totally unprepared for how to handle those feelings. I fell for him more every time we talked. Every little touch – the accidental brushes of arms when we walked, the slightly lingering hugs when we said goodnight – drove me crazy. I had no idea how I was going to make a move, until one night when the opportunity presented itself.

There was a clearing right on the edge of the campsite, just beyond the staff quarters, which none of the guests ever used. The staff claimed it as their own, playing frisbee and football in their free time, and, in the evenings, we sat around the campfire and hung out. I loved it there. The grassland was flanked on one side by water and the other by big sturdy trees, making it seem even more sheltered and secret.

There was originally supposed to be a big party, only it got cancelled when Lionel banned us from having a campfire. He’d been worried about the grass being too dry and a wildfire starting. He’d said there were to be no fires until a dedicated firepit could be built. The rest of the staff abandoned the party and headed into town instead, leaving just a few of us in the field.

‘Do you think we should have gone to the pub?’ asked Joel.

He flicked the CD to the next track.

‘What and miss this excellent entertainment?’

I gestured with my hand at the one side of the field where Douglas was practically dry humping Molly from the entertainment staff, and to the other where Soph was sat on the lap of the guitarist known as Green Eyes despite his eyes being brown.

‘At least it’ll be dark soon, we won’t have to watch.’

My phone started to ring and I pulled it out.

‘It’s my mum,’ I said, with an apologetic shrug.

‘Get it. I don’t mind.’

‘Hi, Mum.’ I stood up to answer it and hovered nearby.

‘Hello, love. Is now a good time? Only I bumped into Denise and she said you’d broken up with Scott. Are you OK?’