‘Yeah, but you and Emma are a couple.’
‘Exactly,’ Henry says. He seems fully aware of the effect of his words because he just keeps talking while my thoughts start to whirl. ‘But the point was, midnight party for Sinclair in the old greenhouse so that we can all see his birthday in together – what do you think?’
I try to pull myself together. ‘Sounds good.’
‘Or is that too boring?’ Henry wonders.
‘What else were you thinking? Want to hire the Mahiki?’
He laughs. ‘Yeah, along with a private jet to take us to London.’
‘I’ll ask my mum,’ I say drily.
‘Sinclair would hate that,’ Henry remarks.
‘He would.’
‘You too.’ Henry goes quiet. ‘We should arrange something he’ll really enjoy.’
‘How about a film night? We can get hold of a screen and a projector, and then we’ll watch all his deathly arty films in the greenhouse.’
Henry’s eyes light up. ‘That sounds good! I’ll take care of it.’
‘What sounds good?’ asks Emma, who’s suddenly popped up. Sinclair has stopped too and he looks from Henry to me.
I bite my bottom lip and pray that he didn’t hear.
‘Tori was suggesting having another games night,’ Henry declares, without batting an eyelid. ‘This evening, my room?’
‘I’m doing a shift in the bakery,’ Sinclair says. ‘Sorry.’
‘Before that?’ Henry asks.
‘Riding lesson,’ Sinclair murmurs.
‘OK, another time then.’ Henry takes Emma’s hand. They’re so in love, so perfect together. And they walk away, leaving me with my best friend, and nothing to say to him. We’re standing in the corridor of our school, avoiding each other’s eyes, feeling guilty, but neither of us can admit that because it would be weak.
Sinclair looks at me for a wee while, straight in the eye. He nods, he turns away, he leaves, and I don’t do a thing about it. Instead, I wait as Val intercepts me – after a minor staring contest between him and Sinclair.
‘Hey,’ he says, and my heart sinks even further as I realize how frosty he sounds. ‘Still in the land of the living, then?’
I’m confused for a moment, and then I’m boiling up as I remember I never did text him at the weekend. ‘Oh, God, I’m so sorry,’ I say at once. ‘I meant to message you. I went home for the weekend and then—’
‘Went home?’ Val interrupts. ‘Funny that Neil saw you in Ebrington yesterday morning with that Emma.’
I fight back the urge to shut my eyes. ‘Will and I got back on Saturday evening,’ I explain.
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Uh-huh, what?’ Hot rage boils up in me but I try to keep my voice down. There are people everywhere at break time and the walls have ears. And I can very much do without being the number-one topic of conversation at Dunbridge right now. ‘Val, please,’ I beg quietly, as my irritation seems to bounce off his stony face. ‘I would have told you, but I totally forgot we were going home until right at the last minute. I’m sorry for nottexting, but I wasn’t on my phone very much while I was with my family.’
‘But you still had time to upload two TikToks?’
I gulp. ‘They were pre-scheduled.’
He actually rolls his eyes. ‘I can bust my own balls, Tori.’
‘Val.’ I reach for his arm and feel his hard muscles under my fingers. ‘I really am sorry, but—’
