‘I think so,’ Bessie whispered back, looking up the hallway to check her family were still safely gathered in the kitchen.

Michelle squealed.

‘Shhhh!’ Any overexcitement was sure to be investigated by at least one if not both sets of parents.

‘Oh my God! Are you scared?’

‘Not really.’ She spoke the truth because she wasn’t scared – she’d already had sex with Lawrence Paulson.

It was the only thing she hadn’t shared with her best friend, partly out of embarrassment and partly because at fifteen she knew there were some folks who would take umbrage and might get involved. And by ‘some folks’, she meant Michelle’s parents. It didn’t feel nice to have this secret from her mate. Not nice at all. In fact, she generally avoided the topic of Lawrence altogether, figuring this was easier than having to skirt around a lie.

She became aware of her brother’s footsteps, and then there he was in his pants with his arms folded over his chest, looking like some skinny irritating genie that had popped up without being beckoned.

‘Come on, Bessie! Carmen’s probably trying to get through!’

She found it impossible to fathom how anyone could find her dorky brother attractive, no matter how much she loved him. It was quite nice for her, though, as Carmen was head girl at their school and the fact that she was her brother’s girlfriend gave her a little status by association.

‘I’d better go, Michelle. Philip says Carmen’s probably trying to get through.’

‘Okay, well, I’ll see you in about twenty minutes.’

‘Yep, see you in a little bit.’ Bessie hung up and slunk from the stairs.

‘What do you mean, “see you in a little bit”?’ Her brother looked perplexed and furious in equal measure.

‘It was Michelle – she’s coming over in a minute. And after we’ve got our results we’re going to hang out and get ready for tonight.’

‘So, what was so important that you had to hog the phone if you knew she was coming over to talk to you face to face in a matter of minutes?’ His voice had gone up a few registers.

‘Just stuff,’ she said softly. Like the fact that I’m planning to have sex – legal sex – with Lawrence Paulson tonight and she thinks I’m a virgin and therefore it’s a big deal . . .