‘Nice one, Dave, exactly like that,’ Mitch said. Dave never had a problem getting a girl. His problem lay in keeping them longer than five minutes. If you knew Dave, then at some point or other you were going to find yourself the butt of a joke, which didn’t go down well with the girls.

‘1994 was the year I broke me leg in three places,’ Jonno said.

‘Boring.’

‘Screw you, Dave – I had iron bars sticking out of it for weeks, never mind a pipe up me knob. I was like Robocop. Ma said if I wasn’t wearing me helmet I’d have had a brain injury.’

‘You do have a brain injury. It’s called your personality,’ Dave quipped.

Mitch laughed, grabbed the bottle from Rave and drank. ‘Go again, Jonno.’

‘OK. 1994 was the year me ma made me wear a cycling helmet and made me look like a headcase.’

‘Still boring but better.’ Mitch handed Jonno the bottle.

‘1994 was the year Kurt Cobain died,’ Jeremy said.

‘Yeah. Shite!’ Rave said, and for a moment he looked like he was about to cry. He grabbed the bottle from Jonno. ‘1994 was the year Da started injecting heroin.’ He drank, then raised the bottle high. ‘Here’s to Kurt and my da, two selfish pricks, one dead and one dying to meet him.’ He forced a laugh, then drained the bottle. Everyone was silent. No one knew what to say. Dave and Jonno looked to Jeremy for guidance but even he had no idea. Say nothin’. Just leave him. He’ll be OK. Come on, Rave. Rave gulped and Jeremy wondered if he was going to laugh or cry. He waited. Rave’s face broke into a grin and Jeremy exhaled. ‘It was the year I did it with Casey.’

Oh, no way.

Instantly the general mood lifted.

‘No fucking way!’ Dave said. ‘You really did it? Like seriously DID IT?’ He was shoving his finger into a circle he’d made with his thumb and index finger.

Rave laughed.

‘Full details. Now, Rave,’ Mitch demanded.

‘What’s there to say?’

‘Everything,’ Dave said.

‘When?’ Mitch said suspiciously.

‘Before Christmas.’

‘Where?’ asked Dave.

‘In her room when her parents were away.’

‘Did you know about this?’ Mitch said to Jeremy.