Sammy mouths “Ohh,” then falls silent for a few minutes until we reach a small row of shops, bars and restaurants.

“I literally had no idea this was here,” I admit.

“Have you been eating on campus this whole time too?”

“Mainly. The last couple of weeks since I started trying to piss Sebastian off, I’ve been eating more at home, the guys like to cook, which I find odd, but the refrigerator is always stocked and the food in the cafeteria at night is truly awful.”

Sammy parks the car and we climb out. She heads toward a cute restaurant with comfy-looking sofas out front in beachy pinks and oranges. We sit and a waitress takes our orders.

“Has he texted you yet?” she asks.

“He hadn’t before we left. I’m not sure he will, he’s not the wait three days type, he’s the slide an engagement ring onto your finger while you sleep kind of a guy.”

“Oh my god, I love him. You make him sound like such an asshole.”

“He’s the biggest asshole.”

“With the biggest dick by the looks of it, don’t think I haven’t notice how you’re walking this morning.”

“I’m actually in pain, my thighs are chaffed and I think I might need to take some Tylenol, my pussy has a pulse.”

“Oh my god,” she cackles. “Tell me everything, how did it even happen? Last thing I remember was you dancing with a sexy ginger, then we danced, then you were gone.”

“Urgh, I don’t even know. He said he wanted to be friends.”

“Friends?”

“Exactly, I mean what the fuck? So I got really angry and I just wanted to leave, so I texted you and then he followed me and caught up to me, and the next thing I know we’re fucking against a tree.”

Her mouth falls open and then twists into a grin. “Just like that? He suggests friends, you suggest some alfresco sex?”

“It’s all a bit of a blur, he did his Sebastian Jedi mind trick shit and said he wouldn’t take anything from me anymore, said that I had to offer; and oh my god, I think I kind of begged him.” Covering my face with my hands I groan.

“You like him, don’t you?” Sammy asks, her tone serious now.

“I hate him.”

“Okay, just for a minute, take away all the stuff from the past and just think about what’s happened since you got to Kingsacre. You like him.”

“The problem is I can’t discount the stuff that happened, it shaped me and fundamentally changed me as a person. I might and it’s a really big question mark, like this version of Sebastian, but how can I forget everything he’s done to me?”

Our waitress arrives with our food and I fall silent, thanking her as I lift my mimosa to my lips. “Why didn’t she ask for ID?”

“None of the bars along this strip bother asking for ID from the Kingsacre students,” she says, waving my concern away. “Okay, so let’s take it one offense at a time. You guys met in high school?”