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idea who or what was concealed behind it. Maybe it was Solan and her guy. Someone was sleeping in there anyway, because she heard heavy breathing and sometimes a snore. It was probably a frightful mess in there too. She wasn’t even going to set foot in the kitchen. It stank of sour beer and old cigarette butts, rubbish everywhere. Gordon was lying on the kitchen floor, fully clothed and with nothing to cover him, but under his head he had a rolled-up rag rug as a pillow. He was lying completely still with his mouth open, and she couldn’t see whether he was breathing. He might just as well be dead, she thought, but just then he let out a muffled whimper. She looked contemptuously at the floored wreckage of a person and thought how today Elise would have to do the cleaning; she was going to have fun.
    Jennifer reached for the leather jacket on the hook and put it on. With an accustomed movement she tugged up the blonde hair that was inside the collar and let it fall down over her shoulders. Then she left the disaster area behind her, a bulging bag over her shoulder; she did not intend to come back within the next thirty-six hours.
    Fanny and Malin were waiting for her outside the Intersport shop at the corner of Dalslandsgatan and Götgatan. And Joakim. He was also standing there, a little further away. She didn’t know why; she had suggested they meet at Central Station, but here he was anyway. For some reason she felt ill at ease and avoided looking at him, greeting her friends instead.
    At first she pretended not to see him. Joakim didn’t know how to interpret that, what he ought to do, but after some consideration he gathered his courage and went up to the girls, making a show of being unconcerned. Jennifer didn’t react at all at first, but finally gave him a distant glance. Only now did she see that his face was completely battered.
    ‘What the hell happened to you?’ she cried out. ‘You look freaky!’
    Joakim didn’t know whether he should tell the truth or come up with an excuse, so he chose the simplest way and told her what really happened.
    ‘Uh, Dad had a fit,’ he answered nonchalantly. ‘That’s the way he is.’
    Malin and Fanny were staring at him with admiration and then looked enquiringly at Jennifer, who seemed embarrassed.
    ‘Hmm,’ was all she said. ‘Well, this is Joakim. A friend. He’s coming along tonight. Or …?’
    She turned to Joakim with a look that said it didn’t matter either way.
    ‘Of course,’ said Joakim. ‘That’s what we said.’
    The situation felt strange. Jennifer was not like she usually was, now her friends were here. It was almost like she was ashamed of him. Usually she was so gentle and straightforward. Of course, yesterday when he needed her most she hadn’t answered when he tried to reach her on her mobile. Instead of being with Jennifer, he’d spent the night in the city, wandered the streets around Sergelstorg, ridden the night bus, had a couple of beers by himself and killed a few hours at a McDonald’s. Now he just wanted to hug her, but he couldn’t when she was like this. Instead he placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed her upper arm a little. Jennifer didn’t react at all, but took off towards the stairs down to the metro over at Ringvägen, walking quickly.
    ‘Come on, let’s go get the tickets,’ was all she said.
    In the metro carriage they all stood, even though there were plenty of seats. The girls babbled on about this and that but did not draw Joakim into the conversation; after a while he sat down on a seat near them. He studied Jennifer, her facial expressions and movements, without listening to what they were talking about.
    With her self-confident manner she was everything he wasn’t. She was relaxed and natural and in a quiet way she was automatically the centre of attraction in every situation. Not to mention how good-looking she was. He wanted to hold her; he wanted her to smile that smile athim again. He wanted to