Page 53

There are Bonfire Night Festival posters everywhere now, pinned to noticeboards, stacked in receptions and taped in windows. It’s so strange seeing something I’m involved in plastered everywhere again. I’ve missed the feeling, so it’s nice, but I’m terrified too. I really need this to go well.

It’s lunchtime, and Si will be at work, so we have decided to head home to grab a bite to eat, and to do some planning from there.

‘Do you think you’ll get all starstruck when you meet The Burnouts?’ Adam asks as we walk down his street.

‘Maybe Dylan King,’ I reply. ‘I’ve had a crush on him forever.’

‘He’s in a relationship now, right?’ Adam replies. ‘I hear he isn’t a bad boy any more.’

‘Well, the older I get, the more I realise that I probably don’t want a bad boy,’ I point out.

‘The older I get, the more I realise that I’ve never really been a bad boy, even if I liked to think I was one when I was younger,’ he says with a laugh. ‘It was Si who was the wild one. I was the good boy, would you believe.’

‘Well, I remember thinking Si was super cool,’ I admit. ‘I had such a crush on him, when I was a kid, because he was my older brother’s friend, and he seemed like a badass.’

Adam laughs.

‘Well, he definitely likes you back now,’ Adam tells me. ‘He had a bit of a word with me earlier, telling me to back off. Don’t worry, I told him he had nothing to worry about.’

I’m not worried, I’m kind of gutted.

‘Oh, right, okay,’ I reply. ‘Well, he’s probably just looking out for me, because I told him I’m in no rush to⁠—’

‘Did you bring your keys?’ Adam asks, interrupting me.

‘No, I didn’t, I figured you would have yours,’ I reply.

‘No worries, we can go in the back door, we hide a key around there,’ he replies.

I follow Adam around the back of the house and into the kitchen. There are muddy boot prints by the back step – I notice Adam gives them a funny look. We’re no sooner in there when Si comes to greet us.

‘Bro, we thought you were at work,’ Adam says, sounding surprised.

‘I thought you two were at work,’ Si says, narrowing his eyes.

‘The band cancelled,’ I reply. ‘So we thought we’d work from here.’

‘Why did you come in through the back door?’ Si asks.

‘Because we both forgot our keys,’ Adam replies.

Si stares at him for a second.

‘Well, I’m working from home today, so I’ll be able to hear you if you’re making a noise,’ Si warns us – it really does feel like he’s warning us, in a weird way.

‘We’ll keep the noise down, don’t worry,’ I reassure him.

Si, who still looks uncomfortable, heads off.

‘Honestly, he’s like my dad sometimes,’ Adam points out.

‘Mine too,’ I say with a sigh.

I wonder what’s going on in his head.

29

I’m at my parents’ house, sorting through my things, working out what to keep, what to donate, and what to throw away. All under the watchful eyes of my Leonardo DiCaprio posters, of course – I suppose I’m going to have to work out what to do with those too. They’re all faded, after being up for so long, and held up by such crusty Blu Tack that it might actually be better for the walls to leave them up, unless the room is being redecorated soon.