‘We did!’ Ellen sounded urgent, her hands clenched on her lap. ‘I remember it so clearly – I have such a good memory for things like this …’ She waited for someone to challenge her, then continued in a near growl. ‘We used to talk every single evening – I would log on after dinner, and we would talk for hours and hours.’

‘No.’ He had tensed slightly, and his cheeks were a little flushed. ‘I don’t remember that at all.’

Alexa opened her mouth as if to speak, but thought better of it and closed it again.

‘I don’t believe you,’ Ellen said, flatly. ‘I don’t believe you don’t remember.’

Ben searched Alexa’s face, as if for help.

‘I-I’m sorry’ – he stuttered, bravado gone – ‘I don’t remember you at all. Miss_Behaviour … I don’t remember. Maybe you have me mixed up with someone else?’

‘No way. I know it was’ – she paused to do air quotes – ‘“rainham_romeo1991” I used to speak to.’ She stuck her chest out, revving up for a theatrical reveal. ‘So that would sort of make you a piece of shit.’

‘What?!’ Ben laughed, disbelievingly.

He cast around now, looking at Alexa and Jack, hoping for backup. Alexa gave him a shifty stare, her mind immobilized. Jack, meanwhile, didn’t move his eyes from the floor.

‘What do you mean?’ he urged again. He was rooted to the spot. ‘Sorry, but this is all really weirding me out now.’ Ben looked hunted.

Alexa tried to help. ‘El, what are you –?’ she started, in a tone just above a whisper.

‘OK, rainham_romeo1991,’ Ellen interrupted, with emphasis. ‘I’ll remind you of the gory details.’ She drew in a breath. ‘Jesus,’ she exhaled loudly, gazing heavenwards. Then she laughed, a bitter bark. ‘I’ve been waiting for this moment since I was seventeen.’

13. Ellen

March 2009

Ellen examined herself in the full-length mirror, tugging down the hem of her dark blue ruffled miniskirt. She rearranged the wide black, fake patent leather belt around her waist, and undid another button on her off-white blouse, then did it back up again. She made a face.

‘I’m not sure about this,’ she said to Kate. ‘Does it look weird with tights?’

‘It looks great,’ Kate said, impatiently, not looking up from the smaller mirror on her chest of drawers, where she was putting the finishing touches to her fake eyelashes. Satisfied, she pouted at herself in the mirror, cocking her head from one side to the other, and then turned to Ellen. ‘Have you got the hair glitter?’

Ellen cast around and spotted it in front of her own mirror. She picked it up and passed it to Kate.

‘Thanks, babe.’

Ellen returned to the mirror. She brushed her side fringe from her eyes and strained to look behind her, trying to work out what exactly the miniskirt was doing back there.

‘Does it make my bum look really square?’