At first, Liam thought Nicola was another dork like Miles, but then she caught his eye, rolling her own in mock amusement as the conversation dragged on and he had to stifle a grin. The rest of the visit was made more bearable as the pair of them pulled grimacing faces and tried to make each other laugh behind their mothers’ backs.

It was as Nicola and Kathy were leaving that Jill and Miles returned home, their friends in tow.

They were all girls, he noted. Probably all Jill’s friends, which suggested Miles hung around with them by default. Did he not have any friends of his own?

One girl, her hair tied back in a blonde ponytail, kept glancing shyly in his direction. She was taller than her friends and pretty too. Not that he was interested in thirteen-year-olds. It did have him wondering if he should have accepted the offer to hang out with them, however. He wasn’t sure if he could stomach another day stuck with his mother and Grant.

Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed, he tried talking to Miles. It was difficult feigning an interest while trying not to come across as too keen.

‘So what is there to do around here?’

When Miles shrugged and muttered that there wasn’t much, he pushed a little harder.

‘You were out with your friends all day. You must do something.’

‘We just hang out. We ride around on our bikes and go the woods or the railway bridge.’

‘Is it just girls?’

The younger boy nodded, blushing. ‘Yeah, but they’re cool girls. Especially Tash. She’s good at building dens and she says her mum and dad are going to buy her a BMX so she can do jumps. She’s pretty cool.’

‘Tash? Was she the blonde one with the ponytail?’

Smoothly done, Liam.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back.

‘No, Tash has short hair. The blonde one is Hannah. She is nice too.’

Hannah. Liam considered her name as he climbed into bed. It suited her.

Across the room, Miles was taking off his glasses. He folded them up carefully and put them on the bedside table.

‘How come you hang out with your sister’s friends and not your own?’

If he was offended by the question, Miles didn’t show it, but he did drop his head in shame. ‘I don’t have any.’

‘Friends? Why not?’

‘We only moved here recently and the other boys make fun of me.’

Liam rested his head back on the pillow as he considered that. He had been jealous of Jill and Miles for so long, he had never considered that their lives might be anything short of perfect. He had always had friends. A tight group who had been his saving grace after his mother had left. He couldn’t imagine not having any.