She stared at him. It was a challenge and he knew she would keep on until he asked her to tell him.

‘Yes,’ he muttered. ‘What did I do?’

‘You humiliated me.’

‘I humiliated you? How?’

She put on a wheedling, sycophantic voice. ‘Oh, Carla, she’s not finished sixth form college yet. She still has a year to go.’ She shook her head. ‘You had to try and impress her, didn’t you? Telling her how worthless I am.’

‘But you are in sixth form college!’ he said. ‘What was I supposed to say?’

‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘You should have said nothing.’

‘How could I say nothing? She asked a question, and I gave an answer.’

‘You should have said nothing,’ Lindsey said. ‘It’s easy. You simply keep your mouth shut.’

‘Right. Well, next time I will.’

‘Don’t dismiss me,’ she said. ‘Don’t you dare dismiss me.’

‘Look,’ Matt said. ‘I know this is a difficult day for you—’

‘For me?’ she said, in something like a triumphant cry. ‘For me? What about you? Isn’t this a difficult day for you, too?’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Of course, but—’

‘That says it all. That absolutely says it all.’

There was a knock on the door.

‘Hey,’ Matt said, glad of the interruption. He would have been glad of an earthquake, or plague of frogs. Anything to put a stop to this. ‘Come in.’

The door opened. Two boys were standing outside his room. One was tall, with long, dark hair in a ponytail. The other was short and heavily built and had a shaved head.

‘All right,’ he said, in a cockney accent. ‘I’m Sammy.’

‘I’m Jason,’ the other said. He sounded like he was from Newcastle. ‘We’re your neighbours. I’m next door and Sammy’s down the hall.’

There was something thrilling about their accents: one from Newcastle, one from somewhere down south. It was exactly why he was here.

‘Matt.’ He beckoned them inside. ‘And this is Lindsey.’

‘Are you a student here?’ Sammy said.

‘She’s my girlfriend. She came for the day.’

Lindsey glared at them. Jason glanced at Sammy. ‘We’ll come back later,’ he said. ‘Nice to meet you, mate.’

The door closed behind them. They were alone again. Lindsey walked over to the window and looked outside.

‘I think we should go and find Mum and Dad,’ Matt said.

3

DEAR MATT

WELL, NOT MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE I LAST WROTE, HA, HA. I’LL ACTUALLY BE SENDING THAT LETTER IN THE SAME ENVELOPE AS THIS ONE COS I WROTE IT LAST NIGHT AND I’M WRITING THIS ONE THIS MORNING.