Caitlin extracted a lighter from the pocket of her patchwork waistcoat. ‘Yeah. This friend of mine’s borrowed a camper van, and we’re all going for a few days. I’m so psyched.’ She dropped her voice. ‘There’s going to be a special protest tonight – well, two, apparently: a human chain all the way from Greenham to Burghfield – there’s a big weapons factory there. We’re not doing that, though. A load of us are going to dress up as teddy bears and break in while the human chain’s happening. Honestly, Meredith, it’s so amazing there at the moment. The vibe is incredible.’

I wasn’t sure if I’d heard her correctly. ‘Teddy bears?’

‘Yeah. How brilliant is that? A sort of teddy bears’ picnic, you know, to symbolise what those weapons could do to our children, and their children. And it’ll be a statement, you know, contrasting with the macho militarisation of the base.’

‘I’ve got a teddy-bear costume,’ I said contemplatively, accepting a drag of the roll-up once she’d lit, inhaled and offered me it. ‘You could’ve borrowed it, if I’d known. My granny made it for me for a school play when I was thirteen. Might be a bit small now, though…’

‘No problem!’ she chirped. ‘I have one too. I sewed it myself last weekend. It’s so cute, I want to wear it all the time!’

An idea formed in my mind, one that would really piss off my slightly right-wing parents. ‘What time are you leaving?’

‘After lunch,’ she said vaguely. ‘I wish you could come. It’s gonna be epic. But Willow says they’re squeezing me into the van as it is. I’m going to have to sit on someone’s lap.’

So much for that, then. Nothing was going right today. Nothing.

‘Oh well,’ I said grumpily. ‘Couldn’t go anyway. Got a mock history exam at two. Just what you want on your birthday. Well, I better go, or I’ll be late.’

I thought with a pang of guilt that in the time I’d spent stopping to chat to Caitlin, I could probably have run to the newsagents and back for Mum.