Ten months later they were what her father would call ‘going steady’. Was it love? She didn’t know. What she did know was that she felt a secret smugness that Gareth was her boyfriend. Unlike the other girls in school dating other boys in school, Lana loved the fact that her fella was a proper man. Older – albeit by only three years – and oh so, so much sexier.

‘You do like a bit of rough mind, don’t you, Larn?’ Catrin had teased her as they’d ambled home from their end-of-school party in June.

‘Yeah I do, as it goes,’ she’d answered, matter-of-fact, as if she’d just been asked if she liked sugar in her tea.

‘God, remember that bloke Cormack from the waltzers down the fair,’ Catrin continued, ‘with the pierced tongue and that snake tattoo up his leg?’

‘Shut up!’ Lana retorted, smiling. ‘You could hardly call him a boyfriend! I only saw him for a week.’

‘Whilst simultaneously seeing the assistant manager of Dixies Grill,’ Judith chipped in.

‘Yeah, and he was no spring chicken, let’s be honest!’ added Cat.

‘Hey, what’s this?’ Lana had laughed. ‘Have-a-go-at-Lana Night? Dennis was twenty-five! And I don’t remember you complaining at the time, Catrin Kelly – gave you your fair share of free onion rings, didn’t he?’

‘Oh yeah, that’s true.’

‘She just likes to keep her options open, don’t you, Larn?’ Judith had carried on. ‘I mean why settle for one bad boy when you can have a handful?’

They’d all had a few drinks by that stage and Lana knew that if she didn’t laugh this off it could turn into one of their silly rows. So she didn’t rise to the bait and changed the subject.

There was an ongoing antagonism between Lana and Judith when it came to boyfriends. It was no secret that Judith hadn’t taken to Gareth when he and Lana started going out. But by the same token, Lana hadn’t ever had time for Judith’s ex-boyfriend, Matthew Price, who was deputy head boy at school and, in Lana’s eyes, boring, safe and distinctly dull. Though admittedly Lana could see the physical attraction, him being on the chunky side and playing rugby for the county. When Matthew broke up with Judith the previous Christmas, Lana wasted no time in telling her it was a blessing. ‘That bloke was so far up himself it’s a wonder he never got vertigo.’ But instead of appreciating Lana’s support, Judith snapped back, ‘Huh! You’re dating a mechanic with two O-levels and an addiction to Hubba Bubba. You’re hardly in a position to comment on my taste in blokes, Lana Lloyd!’

Catrin had had to intervene at that point, before things turned nasty. ‘Come on, girls. Look, we might not always like each other’s boyfriends, but we mustn’t let it come between us, OK?’

Lana and Judith both privately thought this was rich coming from Catrin, who’d never had a proper boyfriend in her life. But they knew it would be cruel to point this out. Dear Catrin. Always the diplomat. And at least she thought Gareth was OK, even if Judith found him annoying.