Zadie turned over and faced away from Chloe. Chloe took it as a sign of dismissal and trailed back to her room. She sat on her stairs for a while, meaning to go and get her book but unable to stir herself. It was the first real argument she and Zadie had ever had, and she didn’t like it. What if Zadie didn’t forgive her? Her first thought was for the loss of her friendship, but quickly afterwards came another: would Zadie take everything away? Would she be left without parties, without friends, without a home from home? Would she still be able to move in with them next year? Her thoughts came thick and fast, swelling in her brain and turning her throat to acid. They were only interrupted when she heard a creak on the floorboards below. Most of the group had gone on the walk. Who was it? She pushed the door open a fragment, looking to see. Had Max come back to see Zadie? She hoped not. She didn’t want them to fight. But it wasn’t Max. It was Rav. Standing on the landing.

‘Hey,’ she said, stepping down the stairs. ‘You didn’t go for a walk?’

He shook his head. ‘No, no. I wanted to stay here.’

‘Why?’

He smiled. ‘I had hopes of catching you alone.’

An hour or so later they were lying in the half-light, somewhere between sleeping and waking. The house was starting to come to life again. ‘What time is it?’ she asked, her limbs weighted with sleep and pleasure.

‘About six, I think.’

The words woke her fully. ‘Fuck. I need to go down. I said I’d have a drink with Zadie before we went downstairs.’

‘Doesn’t it irritate you?’

‘What?’

‘Doing everything her way, all the time. She’s a bit of a brat.’

If she could have foreseen the sentence Rav had said, Chloe would have assumed it would anger her. That she would defend her friend. But to her own shock, a little part of her, a nasty little part, liked hearing Rav speak like that about Zadie.

‘You think she’s selfish?’ she asked quietly, as if she was worried someone might overhear her.

‘You don’t? Everyone runs around after her – she’s completely self-involved. She costs Max – Max’s parents – a fortune in cleaning bills for that house, let alone in booze. She’s a nightmare.’

Chloe had finished putting her underwear back on and was brushing the evidence of her afternoon out of her hair. ‘She’s my best friend,’ she replied.

Rav raised his eyebrows. ‘I know she is. But how much do you do for her? And how much does she do for you?’

Chloe didn’t have a response for that. ‘I need to get ready,’ she said finally.