‘No. I went to bed. Why would I go back out?’

‘I don’t know, I just wondered if you saw Mr Morrell again after you found me with him.’

She looked at him, trying to see if he was giving anything away but he never did and now was no exception.

‘I saw you at the fair talking to someone, then you disappeared again. Then what happened with Mr Morrell happened. It was really lucky you turning up when you did.’

‘Do you think I’m following you? Why would I do that?’ He stood up straighter, making her feel smaller, more vulnerable. She looked at him again and he was looking straight at her, which made her think maybe she was being paranoid about the whole thing. Mr Morrell’s appearance out of nowhere was more suspicious than Tim’s; the teacher was probably lying in wait for a chance to talk to her. Maybe her constant suspicion of Tim was unfair and just a by-product of her encounters with Morrell.

‘Do you want tomato in it?’

‘No. I like the roof of my mouth as it is, thanks,’ he said, his voice softening, shifting the tone of the conversation.

She laughed a little and he smiled, and all she could do was concentrate on breathing because she wanted to hold her breath. The sandwich was in the toaster and they were both waiting for the cheese to drip out of the sides, which was how she knew it was done. Jasmine looked at the clock. She was going to miss her bus, but she didn’t care if she was late. The silence was awkward; she could feel him trying to look anywhere but at her. She wondered why that was. The dynamic between them was strange, as though they were both slightly wary of one another. He was trying to read her as much as she was trying to read him. Although she knew it didn’t make sense and although she knew there was something dangerous about him, it didn’t feel directed at her. He deserved the benefit of the doubt, didn’t he?

She put the sandwich on the plate and looked at the clock again. She had less than five minutes to get her bag, get her shoes on and get to the bus stop. She was dreading putting on the school blazer, which didn’t seem to be made for either hot or cold weather.

‘You keep looking at that clock. Am I making you late?’ Tim asked as she handed him the sandwich.

‘I’ll get the next bus,’ she replied as their eyes connected for a brief moment. His eyes were a dark blue today, like a thunder cloud. They seemed to be different every time she caught them.

‘I can drive you.’