‘Did you smoke a cigarette?’ Kat said.

‘No,’ said Connor.

‘I did, with Eileen in the bathroom,’ she said.

‘And I had beer and cherryade with Barry,’ Manus said.

‘And I drank the Guinness,’ I said, ‘and the beer. And Kat had the whisky.’

‘You shut up,’ she said.

‘Who’s Kat?’ It was Manus, and she didn’t answer.

I pushed my foot up against her back on the top bunk but she didn’t move.

‘Who you gonna be?’ Connor said.

She turned over in the bunk, and I could hear her taking a deep breath. ‘I’m Kat,’ she said. ‘I’m Kat outside, and Busola inside.’

There was a grumpy snort from Manus.

No one said anything. I could hear the music going on quietly, Oh darling, save the last dance for me ...

Manus shook in his sleep and half woke up, ‘What’s that?’ But he sighed and carried on sleeping.

‘Drunk,’ said Kat. ‘Better not tell Daddy.’

Connor turned over in his bed, ‘You will anyway.’

‘Why don’t you run away?’ she said.

He didn’t move, I could feel my heart beating fast but he pulled the covers over his shoulder with his back to us, ‘You fuck off back to Liverpool.’

My face was hot and I felt shaky. The sheets hadn’t been changed for a long time and felt grubby. There wasn’t any air under the blankets so I got up out the bed and went over and held open the curtain on the window. The moon was up over the backyards, clear of the rain and bright, with clouds going across, dark in the middle and silver at the edges. I put my forehead on the cold glass to cool down and looked into the backyard where a light was on in the downstairs kitchen, then went off. I pulled my head back because I’d forgotten the curtain was itchy on the side of my face, making my eye sore and sticky. Manus was snoring and Connor’s back was silver in the moonlight with the sheet folded over the blanket. I took my hand away and let the curtain close, feeling my way back to bed. I listened for my mum and dad but I couldn’t hear them, the music had stopped. I heard laughter downstairs. Then it went quiet. I got in the sheets and covered up, trying not to shiver. Busola turned over in the top bunk.

‘Anyway, you can’t split ’em up,’ she said. ‘I’ve tried.’

Sunday, Sunday

‘What you reading?’