‘I got it out a few times, or put it back. But for Joanne, and Gemma. Not for me.’

‘You never snuck out? Not once?’

Orla went cagey. Ducked her head down.

‘Orla,’ Conway said, close above her. ‘You need me to explain again why keeping your mouth shut is a bad idea?’

Another flash of that fear. Orla said, ‘I mean, I went one time. All four of us went. We were meeting some guys from Colm’s out in the grounds, just for a laugh.’ And a can and a spliff and a snog. ‘But it was so scary out there. I mean, it was really dark; I hadn’t realised it would be that dark. And there were all these noises in the bushes, like animals – the guys kept saying they were rats, ew? And we’d have been expelled if we got caught. And the guys . . .’ A wiggle, uncomfortable. ‘I mean, they were weird, that night. Mean. They were, they kept . . .’

The guys had tried to push the girls. Drunk, maybe. Maybe not. No way to know how that had ended. Not our problem.

‘So no thank you, no way was I going again. And I never went out on my own.’

‘Joanne did, though. And Gemma.’

Orla sucked in her bottom lip and did the titter. That fear, forgotten, just like that: zapped away, the moment sex gossip came into the story. ‘Yeah. Only a few times.’

‘They were meeting guys. Who?’

Hunched-up shrug.

‘Chris? No, hang on—’ Conway’s finger going up, warning. ‘Remember: you don’t want to lie on this one.’

Promptly: ‘Uh-uh. Not Chris. And they would’ve said if it was.’

‘Was he there the night yous all went out?’

Head-shake.

I said, ‘Is that how you guys knew Selena and Chris were together, yeah? Saw them outside one night?’

Orla swayed forward towards me, wet-lipped smirk widening, loving her moment. ‘Gemma saw them. Right here in the grounds. They were, like, all over each other. She said, if she’d watched for another five minutes, they’d’ve been . . .’ Breathy snigger. ‘See? They were with each other. You guys were all “Oh, you’re just making it up.” Obviously we couldn’t tell you how we knew, but see? We totally did know.’

This was some kind of triumph, apparently. ‘Fair play to yous,’ I said.

Conway said, ‘When was this?’

Blank look. ‘Like, last spring? Maybe March or April? Before Chris . . . you know.’

My eye caught Conway’s for a second. ‘Yeah, we figured that much,’ she said. ‘Did yous tell anyone you’d seen them?’

‘We talked to Julia. We were like, “Em, excuse me, hello, that needs sorting out?”’

‘And? Did she sort it out?’

‘I guess.’

‘Why?’ I asked, all fascinated. ‘Why didn’t yous want Selena going out with Chris?’

Orla’s mouth popped open, popped shut. ‘Because. We just didn’t.’

‘Did one of yous fancy him, yeah? Nothing wrong with that.’