Part 5 (1/2)

”I know,” I'd said, hating myself for it.

”What do you mean?” I could picture her quick frown, the puzzled headshake.

”Naomi heard a rumour...”

”And you didn't tell me?”

”There's always rumours, Ruby. I wanted to know whether this one was as true as it sounded.” Ruby read the words I wasn't saying.

”When did you talk to him?”

”Just before lunch.” I'd woken him from his hangover word of his transgression had spread whilst he was still trying to sleep it off. ”He wanted to talk to you himself.”

I hadn't given Stu much choice. If he hadn't told her, I would have.

Ruby said nothing. All I could hear was the rattle of the wind as she walked.

”I'm sorry, Ruby.”

”I know,” she said, then, ”It's not your fault I had such a suckjob for a boyfriend.”

”Do you want to talk about it?”

”No. I want to watch Harry Potter.”

Fifteen minutes later, Ruby was on my doorstep and we loaded up The Philosopher's Stone. At the end of the film, she gave me a hug and told me I was forgiven. Her ex-boyfriend was not.

Stuart Garside stopped being someone Ruby cared about when she dumped him. She deleted his number from her phone, binned all his photos and tore up the tickets of the gigs they'd been to. If she could have wiped her memories clean Eternal Suns.h.i.+ne-style, she would have. So that means she won't want to know he's here doesn't it?

RUBY.

Dongle is the least reliable informant ever. As soon as I start quizzing him about Tom's mysterious fit girlfriend, he backs down.

”Which tearooms?” I ask. There are about a million within a square mile of the seafront.

Dongle mumbles something about the one at the end of the parade.

”What were you doing in a tearoom?” Parvati hijacks the interrogation.

”I go with 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 cla.s.ses. I'm sure I've seen Stu wearing one of Owen's band's revolting T-s.h.i.+rts. 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 a.s.saulted 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 sungla.s.ses 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 pus.h.i.+ng this particular b.u.t.ton. 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 pa.s.s 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?