I glanced at Eleanor who’d lost interest in us and was rummaging around in her gold bag.

‘Come on, I’ve got something for you. A present.’

Edie turned and walked back to the house.

I stood. ‘Thank you for doing my nails,’ I said.

Eleanor reached for her cigarettes. ‘Don’t touch anything for fifteen minutes. If you catch them, they’ll smudge.’

I was nearly at the back door when she called to me.

‘Yes?’ I walked back towards her.

‘I meant to ask you, we’re having a party the weekend after next and I was wondering,’ she said with a smile. ‘Are you free?’

‘A party? Here?’ My knees threatened to give way. ‘Yes. I am. Definitely.’

Eleanor beamed. ‘Wonderful!’ Then her attention returned to her nails.

A party at The Cliff House? Oh my God. I tore inside and ran up the stairs, Kevin Chambers now forgotten. I had far more important things to think about. Edie hadn’t meant to hurt me anyway. I was being oversensitive. Mum was always telling me I was far too oversensitive. And, seriously, who even cared? I’d been invited to a party at The Cliff House!

Edie was standing in front of her window looking out.

‘Your mum just asked me to come to a party,’ I said. ‘It’s so exciting!’

Edie turned and raised her eyebrows. ‘Yes, she told me she was going to ask you. They throw good parties. She’ll be happy to have you there.’ Edie sat on her bed. ‘Sorry about mentioning that boy.’

‘It’s fine—’

‘No, it’s not. It was unkind. I didn’t realise until I saw how upset you were. It’s just… Eleanor, she and I… I shouldn’t have said anything.’

‘It’s fine. Honest.’

‘Look,’ she said then. ‘I made you this. Last night.’ She took a cassette case off the windowsill and held it out towards me. When I didn’t take it immediately, she waved it at me. ‘Go on then.’

The plastic was warm where it had been lying in the sunlight. There was a list of songs and bands on the back. Words written in the neatest handwriting, tiny capitals, perfectly formed, and not one thing crossed-out.

The Cure, Depeche Mode, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Jesus and Mary Chain…

But it was the title that caught my breath.

For Tamsyn.

‘It’s a mix tape,’ she said.

‘Yes,’ I breathed.

‘You said you liked The Cure the other day, so I thought I’d give you a tape with all my favourite tracks on.’