“You say only ‘Yes’,” Veronica reminded her. “And we’re not starting now. We start when I say ‘go’.”

“I’m not going to wait around all day for you to think of things,” Sarah complained. “Dare me something else, this is boring.”

“No, it’s when I say ‘go’,” Veronica insisted.

And there was no more time to argue about it because that’s when Sarah’s mother called them up to lunch.

“Wouldn’t you two have more fun up here than in that cramped pool house?” Sarah’s mother asked lightly after they’d all dashed in from the rain and set upon ever-large slices of quiche. “Then Eliza could join you.”

Eliza looked up from her lunch and shot an accusatory glance at her mother.

“We don’t want Eliza to join us,” Sarah responded. “And she doesn’t want to anyway. She doesn’t even want us to go to her oh-so-fabulous party.”

“Don’t you?” Sarah’s mother asked, squinting at Eliza.

“It’s an evening in,” Eliza corrected.

“We were hoping we could go,” Veronica piped up suddenly. “Weren’t we Sarah? Didn’t you say you wanted to go? Didn’t you say you really hoped that we could ‘go’?”

Mid bite of quiche, Sarah froze. Veronica was winking furiously behind a carton of juice. A public dare! Enduring for ten whole minutes! It was so demeaning, so carefully cruel. But excitement tightened Sarah’s stomach.

“Yes,” she answered slowly.

“Then that’s fine, Sarah and Veronica can come,” Sarah’s mother declared, nodding pointedly at Eliza.

“I don’t even care,” Eliza shrugged.

“Thanks,” smiled Veronica angelically.

“Okay, I have two more patients,” Sarah’s mother said, getting up from the table. “How about we give it till four then go to the cinema? This rain’s horrendous.”

“Fine,” answered Eliza on behalf of them all. Then, when their mother had returned to her office: “I couldn’t really care less if you come to my party or not, brat, just stay away from me, okay?”

Sarah opened her mouth to respond, but from the other side of the table Veronica shook her head. She looked at her watch and held up eight fingers, before speaking carefully: “Sarah, will you get me another glass, this one’s dirty?”

Sarah hesitated. She looked at her sister, but Eliza seemed barely to be listening.

“Sarah?”

Another glance at Eliza. She was fiddling with the buttons on her new Discman and appeared totally disinterested in the exchange of the two younger girls.

“Yes,” Sarah said as casually as she could, getting up to retrieve the vessel and quickly plonking it down in front of Veronica.

“Do you want anything, Eliza?” Veronica asked. “While Sarah’s up?”

Now Eliza raised her eyebrows and studied the two of them, Veronica seated, Sarah hovering just behind her. “I’ll have a Coke if there is one.”

Sarah didn’t move.

“Sarah, get Eliza a Coke,” Veronica prompted.

“Yes,” said Sarah, her face flushing red.

It was four long, embarrassing steps to the fridge. She sensed Eliza’s gaze searing into her as she fished around inside it. And Veronica’s triumphant eyes. At some point she would have to turn around and face them both, but the coldness felt like a sanctuary. The Cokes were right in front of her but she lifted cartons and packets and opened drawers, every movement feeling awkward and acutely observed. Eventually there was nothing left to do but turn. She set the Coke roughly in front of Eliza.