“I’m not leaving,” Jessica reminded us, pouring herself another glass of wine.

“We know,” I said, straining a smile. “You’re in charge of going to London first and setting up a wonderful life for us after graduation.”

“Right, I better go to Sally’s.” Jade swung her bag over her shoulder. “OK. This is it.”

We gazed at one another. “This is goodbye, I guess,” I said. A tidal wave of grief and fear crashed around me as I stared at my friend, reflecting on how different we were likely to be when we were reunited.

“Only for a few weeks before I visit,” Jade reminded me. “Oh my God, it’s so WEIRD! Next time I see you, we’re going to have all these new friends, and lectures and stuff.”

“Friends for life,” I joked, and Jade laughed. We’d been taking the piss for weeks now about the pressure to meet your “friends for life” at university.

“Excuse me,” Jessica raised her arm in the air, “I think you’ll find you already have some of those.”

We pulled her into a hug, shoving her head into our armpits. “Of course!” I reassured her. “I’m going to hate everyone at uni for not being you.”

Jade and I hugged multiple more times, both crying a bit, before she finally dashed out of the door, glancing once more at Mike, who didn’t even wave goodbye. Jessica and I turned to one another and shared a sheepish smile. It suddenly felt so desperately awkward with her. We both craned our necks around, taking in the symphony of surrounding goodbyes. I noticed Liam and his band mates in the corner. He caught my eye, raised his hand slightly to say a small hi and bye, and I waved back. Then his eyes drifted to Jessica and his face hardened into a sneer, and I saw him mouth “Yoko Bitch”—her new nickname. She must’ve caught my reaction, because she twisted her head and sighed when she saw Liam. “Shall we go?” she asked, mouthing “Fuck you” back at him, while he flipped her off.

Jessica and Liam’s breakup two months ago had erupted fault lines through our friendship circle. Even though Liam had dumped her because they were “too young to feel like an old married couple,” Jessica had come out the villain. She’d got wasted and rebounded with Phil from Mike’s band in the back of his car, ruining the potential merger of Mike’s band and Liam’s. They’d been planning to form a “superband” called “She Screams,” but the idea lay in tatters now. Jessica had gone from “Slutty Jessica” to “Perfect Girlfriend” to “Yoko Bitch.” Not that she appeared to care—shrugging it all off whenever I brought it up.

“Shall we just go on a drive?” she said, turning away from Liam. “You and me? Like old times?”

“That sounds perfect.”