She had the evening mapped out in her mind. Her plan was to arrive a little late, as the only prospect worse than walking in alone was walking in alone and her friend not being there. If she couldn’t see Michelle upon arrival, she’d ask someone to go and find her while she waited outside. Her mission then would be to speak confidently and plainly, holding her friend by the shoulders, looking her in the eye and setting out all the reasons why Lawrence Paulson was off limits. Bessie didn’t want to hurt Michelle’s feelings, of course she didn’t, she loved her! But what Bessie and Lawrence shared was no mere fling, and the sooner she spoke out, the less awkward it would be for them all. She truly wanted the three of them to be friends and saw no reason they couldn’t hang out together once the news was out. Bessie practised her speech in the mirror, swigging again from the thermos before speaking as earnestly as her self-consciousness surrounding the topic would allow.

‘I never want a boy to come between us – we agree on that – but this is a bit more than just any old boy, Michelle. This is Lawrence Paulson. And the truth is, he and I have a thing going on.’ She took a breath and held up her hand. ‘Please don’t be mad at me for keeping it a secret. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t know how you’d react, plus we agreed to keep it between the two of us.’ She liked how that sounded, conspiratorial and coupley. ‘But the fact is, we’ve had sex, Michelle, and not just the once, but nine times . . . Yes, nine times. And I like it – I mean, I really like it, and I want more of it. It’s all I can think about – it fills my thoughts. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t do well in my exams: I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I have wanted to share it with you, and the good news is, now I can. I know we’ve spoken about what sex might feel like, and I can tell you honestly that it doesn’t hurt, not after the first little bit and, oh Michelle! It feels amazing and it’s addictive and the look on his face . . . It makes me feel alive! And I know what Tony said to you, but Lawrence told me I was special and cool and that he thought about me before he fell asleep – those were his actual words. I mean, how sweet is that? And that’s the reason you have to ignore what Tony said because, and I know this sounds ridiculous, I think Lawrence and I have a future . . . A very sexy future.’