‘Oh, that’s exciting,’ her mother said in a way that made Jasmine think she wasn’t particularly excited at all. They loved travelling all over the globe and this would be the first summer that Jasmine could remember staying at home. She could tell both her parents were deeply disappointed about this.

‘Because I’m here for the rehearsals over the summer, Miss Cotterel said I should audition for the role of Titania, the fairy queen. I said I would happily help with the set design as well. The production isn’t until Christmas but because I already have a place on the drama A Level I can attend the auditions in August,’ Jasmine said, rubbing it in a little. Normally Jasmine’s interests came last. Not this time though; this time she could do all the summery things that had been denied to her in previous years. She knew her friend Felicity was jealous of all the places she had been and all the experiences she had had, yet she had prayed something would happen to stop them from travelling. She felt responsible for her father getting sick, as if his illness was somehow a manifestation of her resentful thoughts.

‘That’s wonderful, Jasmine, I’m proud,’ her mother said, and her father nodded his approval.

‘Is Felicity doing the play?’

‘Yes. Actually, I wanted to ask if you would mind giving her a lift to rehearsals with me and dropping her off.’

‘She still having problems at home?’

‘You know what her mum’s like.’

‘She’s back drinking then?’

‘She’s got a new boyfriend who is a complete nightmare apparently. Flick doesn’t like being there.’

‘Well, she is always welcome here as much as she wants over the summer. Poor girl.’