Sunil peered at Jason’s framed photo of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr for a solid few seconds before tapping it and asking, ‘Would somebody like to explain this, please?’

‘It’s a really long story,’ said Jason, who was sitting on his bed.

‘It’s a good story, though,’ I added. Me and Rooney were on the floor with Jason’s pillows as back rests, though Rooney was having a small power nap.

‘Well, now I’m even more intrigued.’

Jason sighed. ‘How about I explain once we’ve actually decided what we’re doing about Pip?’

It was a week after our Scooby-Doo outing. With Jason back in the Shakespeare Soc, things were looking up, and we’d actually been able to have a proper rehearsal.

But we couldn’t do the show without Pip.

And it wasn’t just about that, anyway. The society was important to all of us, but our friendship with Pip was more important. That was what needed saving.

I just didn’t know exactly how I was going to do that.

‘We’re talking about Pip?’ said Rooney, who had apparently just woken up.

Rooney was still going out most nights and returning in the early hours. I didn’t know whether I could stop her, or if I even should. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, technically.

I just got the sense that she only did it to numb everything else.

‘I thought we were rehearsing,’ I said.

‘There’s no point carrying on with rehearsals if Pip isn’t coming back,’ Jason stated, and there was silence as we all realised that he was right.

Sunil perched on Jason’s desk and folded his arms. ‘So … do you have any suggestions?’

‘Well, I’ve been talking to her, and –’

‘Wait, you’ve been talking to her?’ Rooney said, sitting upright.

‘It’s not me she has a feud with. We’re still friends. We’re at the same college.’

‘You can get her to come back, then. She’ll listen to you.’

‘I’ve tried.’ Jason shook his head. ‘She is angry. And Pip doesn’t forgive easily.’ He looked at me and Rooney. ‘I mean … I sort of understand why. What you both did was incredibly idiotic.’

Jason knew about the kiss. Of course he did – Pip probably told him everything.I felt myself go red out of sheer embarrassment.

‘What did you do?’ Sunil asked curiously.

‘They kissed and Pip saw,’ said Jason.

‘Oh.’

‘Um … can we explain our side of the story about that?’ Rooney asked.

‘I mean my guess is that you were drunk and it was Rooney’s idea,’ said Jason. ‘And you both instantly regretted it.’

‘OK, that’s … that’s fairly accurate.’

‘So what should we do?’ asked Sunil.

‘I think Georgia and Rooney are just going to have to keep trying to talk to her until she’s willing to listen. Maybe one at a time, so she doesn’t feel like you’re ganging up on her.’

‘When?’ I said. ‘How?’

‘Now,’ said Jason. ‘I think one of you should go to her room and just apologise to her face. You haven’t actually tried apologising in person yet, have you?’

Neither Rooney nor I said anything.

‘That’s what I thought.’

An idea flashed into my mind. ‘Pip’s jacket. One of us should go and give her back her jacket.’

Rooney snapped her head round to me. ‘Yes. That’s been in our room for, like, months.’

‘Want me to run back and get it?’

But Rooney was already getting to her feet.

Once she returned from St John’s with Pip’s denim jacket in hand, Rooney demanded that she be the one to go to talk to Pip. She didn’t even let me argue with her – she just swung the door open, stepped outside, and said, ‘Which way is her room?’

Rooney still blamed herself for the whole thing, it seemed. Even though Pip had many more reasons to be angry with me.

I went with her part of the way, but stopped round a corner a few metres away so I could listen to the conversation. It was evening, and dinner had finished, so hopefully Pip would be there.

Rooney knocked on Pip’s door. I wondered what she was going to say.

Was this a terrible idea?

Too late.

The door opened.

‘Hi,’ said Rooney. And then there was a noticeable silence.

‘What are you doing here?’ asked Pip. Her voice was low. It was strange hearing Pip so genuinely sad. I hadn’t heard her like that very much before … all of this.

‘I …’

I expected Rooney to launch into a big speech of some sort. To deliver a heartfelt and forceful apology.

Instead, she said, ‘Um – your … jacket.’

There was another silence.

‘OK,’ said Pip. ‘Thanks.’

The door creaked, and I peeked round the corner just as Rooney swung out her arm to keep the door open.

‘Wait!’ she cried.

‘What? What do you want?’ I couldn’t see Pip – she was too far inside her room – but I could tell she was getting annoyed.

Rooney was panicking. ‘I … Why is your room so messy?’

This was definitely the wrong thing to say.

‘You literally cannot stop yourself from making snidey comments about me, can you?’ Pip snapped.

‘Wait, sorry, that’s not what I –’

‘Can’t you just leave me alone? I feel like you’re haunting me, or something.’

Rooney swallowed. ‘I just wanted to say sorry. Like … properly. To your face.’

‘Oh.’

‘Georgia’s here too.’

I felt my stomach drop as Rooney pointed towards where I was hiding round the corner. This hadn’t been the plan.

For someone who supposedly knew a lot about romance, Rooney sure as hell didn’t know how to pull off a grand gesture

Pip stepped a little way out of her room to look, her expression dark.

‘I don’t want to talk to either of you,’ she said, her voice cracking, and she turned to go back inside.

‘Hang on!’ I was surprised by my own voice leaving my mouth, and by the way I scrambled towards Pip’s room.

And there she was. Her hair was fluffy and unstyled, and she was wearing a hoodie and jersey shorts. Her bedroom was extremely messy, even for her. She was clearly upset.

But she wasn’t as angry as the other week outside the pub.

Was that progress?

‘We thought it might be better if just one of us spoke to you,’ I blurted. ‘But – um, yeah. We’re both here. And we’re both really sorry for … you know. Everything that happened.’

Pip said nothing. She waited for us to continue, but I didn’t know what else to say.

‘That’s it, then?’ she said, eventually. ‘I’m supposed to just … forgive you?’

‘We just want you to come back to the Shakespeare Soc,’ said Rooney, but this was, again, definitely the wrong thing to say.

Pip laughed. ‘Oh my God! I should have guessed. This isn’t even about me – you just need your fifth member for the fucking Shakespeare Society. Oh my God.’

‘No, that’s not what –’

‘I have no idea why you care so much about your stupid play but why the fuck would I put myself through that with someone who made me think there was the tiniest chance she liked me back, and then decided to get off with my best friend?’ Pip shook her head. ‘I was right all along. You just hate me.’

I waited for Rooney’s inevitable comeback, but it didn’t arrive.

She blinked several times. I turned to look at her properly, and realised she was about to cry.

‘I did like –’ she began to say, but stopped, and her face just crumpled. Tears started falling from her eyes, and before she could say anything else, she turned abruptly and walked away.

Pip and I watched her disappear round the corner.

‘Shit, I … I didn’t mean to make her cry,’ Pip mumbled.

I had no idea what to say now. I almost felt like crying too.

‘We really are sorry,’ I said. ‘We – I’m sorry. I meant everything I said in my message. It was just a weird, drunk mistake. Neither of us like each other like that. And I’ve apologised to Jason too.’

‘You talked to Jason?’

‘Yeah, we … we talked about everything. I think we’re OK now.’

Pip said nothing to that. She just looked down at the floor.

‘I really don’t care if you don’t want to come back to the Shakespeare Soc,’ I said. ‘I just … I just want us to be friends again.’

‘I need some time to think.’ Pip went to shut the door, but before she did, she said, ‘Thanks for bringing my jacket back.’