Maisie’s entire body ached. Her insides burned, her heart tore and her mind screamed. ‘Jeremy,’ she said. ‘Oh, Jeremy.’

‘He didn’t suffer, Maisie. He didn’t. I promise you that.’

Rave released his grip but she grabbed him before he could unwind his arms fully. She hung on to him, much like Dave before her, and held him close.

‘Maisie, what are you doing? Let me go.’

‘Can’t.’

‘Please, Maisie, please let me go.’

‘Can’t.’

‘Please.’

‘No. I won’t let you go, lovey.’ Suddenly Fred was there holding on to Maisie, holding on to Rave. Guards and ambulance men were racing onto the bridge towards the boy and the woman crying an ocean in one another’s arms.

Epilogue

Maisie Bean Brennan Signing Off

Maisie looked around the packed room and it was silent, except for some nose-blowing and a young girl, who was crying loudly. Two hundred young faces were staring up at her, waiting for more.

‘I know what yous all are thinking, that it can’t be the end of the story, right? But it was. At least, it was the end of Jeremy’s story.’ She took a sip of water and the students waited to hear what she had really come to say.

‘Jeremy’s death was a terrible accident but that accident was caused because of people like some of you and people like me. People who call something gay if they think it’s stupid or describe someone as gay if they think they’re weak. People like the one I used to be, who felt sorry for gay people because it’s no life, but it’s only ever no life because of people who are sorry, like I was. Nobody should ever be made to feel like a second-class citizen because of their sex or sexuality. There’s nothing to fear from gay people. The fear comes from the way society views and treats them. That’s where the pain lies. That’s where the hell and horror reside.’

Another girl blew her nose and coughed.

‘Rave and Jeremy loved one another, and that kiss should have been the best first kiss ever, like one of those fairy tales or rom coms.’ She laughed a little. ‘Did I get that right? A rom com?’

A girl in the front row nodded.