‘Um,’ I say. ‘I, ah.’ I can’t process this request. I should be ecstatic that he’s giving me a second chance. And he seems really sweet, someone I want to get to know. But my emotional nerve endings are fried. My brain is soggy. I can’t deal with this right now.

‘Brooke,’ someone touches my arm. I spin around and it’s Tristan. He looks upset.

‘Can I talk to you?’ His eyes are shiny with emotion and he holds his hand on my arm for longer than is probably necessary.

‘Ah,’ I say. Words are really letting me down right now.

Tristan is a good excuse to get away from Henry, but the downside is then I’m stuck with Tristan. I look between them. I’m not sure which option is more stressful, or which I am less capable of dealing with. I need to be alone to process my feelings.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say to them both. ‘I’m really sorry. I have a bad headache. I have to go home.’

‘Home?’ Harper says, joining the group.

‘Yes,’ I say. ‘I’m sorry. I’m really tired. Do you mind?’

‘Of course not,’ she says. I say quick goodbyes to Tristan and Henry, both of whom say they’ll text me, and then I head to the door. Harper walks with me.

‘Are you okay?’ she says.

‘I’m fine, I just have a headache. And I feel bad, you know, lying to Tristan.’ I realise that Jesse is behind me.

‘Wait, Brooke’ he says. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Home.’

‘I’ll walk you,’ he says.

‘It’s okay, it’s only a five-minute walk,’ I say.

‘Exactly. It’s only five minutes and it’s dark, I can walk you home and come back here in no time.’

‘Fine,’ I say, because I don’t want to fight with him in front of Harper, or Tristan or Henry. I need to get into the cool air of outside.

I walk out the door, as quickly as possible, hoping I can somehow lose Jesse.

‘What’s going on?’ he says, a step behind me. ‘One minute you’re smiling, and now you look upset and you were going to leave without telling me? Did Henry say something? Or Tristan?’

‘No. They’re fine. Everything’s fine. I’m not upset.’

‘Yes you are.’

‘I just feel bad, lying to Tristan.’

‘Since when?’

‘Since I thought about it in the bathroom.’

‘Well, it was Penny’s idea, let’s blame her,’ Jesse says. ‘Anyway, Tristan probably won’t even remember this night at all—if he keeps drinking.’

‘He will. And he’ll tell other people from school about it. This is going to become a whole thing, people thinking we’re together.’

‘It’s fine,’ Jesse says. ‘My schoolfriends aren’t in touch with Tristan.’

‘Well, some of mine are.’