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my nan sometimes.” Dongle shrugs. “I’ve probably got it all wrong.”
    “You usually have.” Anna throws a scrunched-up bit of tinfoil at him. She begins to lay meat out on the barbecue trays, and when Owen starts threading marshmallows onto a kebab stick, everyone gets distracted by the thought of eating.
    Not me. I’m distracted by the thought of Tom having a girlfriend that no one appears to have mentioned to Kaz.
    Not even Tom.
KAZ
    By the time I get back to camp, I’ve yet to decide what to do about Stu … until I see Owen. Owen, who is in the same year as Stu, who took the same Sociology classes. I’m sure I’ve seen Stu wearing one of Owen’s band’s revolting T-shirts. They’re lime green with orange writing and only Hydro’s nearest and dearest would own one, so either Stu’s colour-blind, or he’s actually friends with Owen.
    Sensible, keep-the-peace Owen. If there’s one person I can trust on this, it will be the boy-version of me.
    The second I step into camp, though, I’m assaulted by introductions. Ruby introduces Anna first, whose dimples pop prettily as she waves across at me – in direct contrast to the alarmingly cool Parvati, who gives me a vague smile from behind the kind of sunglasses my sister would envy. The new boy, who has an entire apple stuffed in his mouth like a pig at a medieval feast, is called Dongle, and although I want to ask him the origin of his name, it’ll be half an hour before he can reply. Or breathe.
    Ruby sits back down and waves me into the empty chair next to her. Before I’m able to ask her whether the half-empty beer bottle clamped in her fist is her first and remind her she’s a lightweight (literally), Ruby leans close and stares at me as if trying to read my mind. I panic that she somehow knows about Stu.
    “How was Tom?”
    I’m almost relieved when that’s the name I hear.
    “Um … fine?” I glance away in case she can tell that I’m all aflutter about the way he flirted with me. (Because that’s definitely what he was doing. I’ve decided.)
    “No news?”
    “I don’t really think so.” I frown at her, confused. “Should there be?”
    “So he didn’t say anything about a girlfriend?” Ruby’s now leaning so far over that she’s about to fall out of the chair.
    “No, Ruby, Tom didn’t say anything about a girlfriend,” I say quietly, hurt that she’s pushing this particular button. It’s one I’ve been avoiding ever since we broke up, the thought of
my
Tom being with someone else… I know we’re supposed to be over and I know I’m not supposed to love him, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to pass him on to someone else. Not yet. Not whilst there’s a chance I could hold on to him.
    “What about Naj? Or Roly?”
    I know what she’s driving at, but I’m not prepared to go with her. “I don’t know whether they’ve got girlfriends either. Perhaps you should ask them?”
    Ruby looks very disappointed in me for making that joke. “Or perhaps
you
should ask
Tom
?”
    I say nothing. I’m not going to. There’s no need. I’d know if Tom had a girlfriend – Dad would know. Or Naomi, who knows everything, would know. Besides, even if they didn’t tell me, Tom would have.
    Wouldn’t he?

7 • ATTENTION
KAZ
    It does not take long for someone to suggest a singalong. This is a music festival, we have a campfire – a badly tuned acoustic guitar is mandatory. No one is surprised when the person to volunteer one is Owen.
    “But it’s up in the van. I’m volunteering the instrument,
not
to go and get it.” He pulls out his keys and holds them up. “Any takers?”
    Ruby’s the one who leans over. “I’ll go. Kaz, you coming with?”
    The look she gives me is one of concern. Ruby wants to make sure I’m all right. Her inquisition about Tom has dampened my mood and it’s this that she wants to check on, but this is the best opportunity I’ll have to talk to Owen about Stu and I can’t let it go to waste.
    “I’m