Justin hesitated.

“Or I could ask Tamsin.”

A snort of laughter bent Justin almost double. “Yeah. Pete’s your only chance.”

My legs were curled beneath me on the love seat in the hall and my hand was sweating over the receiver. I could have gone to my room and used my mobile, but I’d spent so many years chatting to Pete on the house phone that it just seemed wrong to use anything else to make the call.

Justin stood at my shoulder. “When did you last speak to him?”

“Just before I found you. He told me where to look.”

“I mean–”

“I know what you mean. It’s been years since we were friends. Since before my mum died.”

“He might not be up for this.”

“I know.”

Swiftly I dialled the number. My fingers moved automatically over the pad, I didn’t have to try to recall a single digit, the pattern was so familiar.

“Pete?”

“Twice in one week, I am lucky.”

“I know we haven’t been close in a while.”

“Yeah.” His voice betrayed nothing.

“Talking to you the other day I-I just realised how much I missed you.” Justin raised his eyebrows and I turned my back on him. “I know we aren’t really friends any more.”

“We aren’t friends at all.”

“Does it have to be that way?” He didn’t respond. The phone hummed and I rushed to fill the silence. “I know you’ve got other mates. I know we can’t hang out.” I swallowed. “It used to be we could talk about anything.”

“Sure.” His voice sounded rough. Was I getting somewhere? Then he carried on. “I remember that I used to talk to you and you’d tell me nothing. All that weird behaviour, you’d never tell me what was going on.”

I licked my lips and thought fast. I only had one card left to play. One thing he wanted from me. “Listen, Pete. I know you’re part of a club.”

There was a sharp intake of air and the silence on the other end of the phone grew weighty. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said finally.

“The V club. Truth or Dare.”

“Who told?” Whip fast, sharp as a blade; the words promised retribution for whoever had spoken out of turn. I shivered. I’d never heard that tone from Pete before.

“Does it matter? It sounds fun and it would give me a chance, you know, socially. I’m sick of being picked on every time I walk into the common room.”

“You can’t–”

“There’s something in it for you.”

He hesitated. “What?”

“Well, it’s called Truth or Dare. Isn’t there some stuff about me you want to know?” I swallowed a knot of nerves. Would he still care why I’d grown away from him? Why I was so different now? Maybe he didn’t want to know anymore… but his earlier words suggested that my secrecy still rankled.

He gave a laugh so cold it almost froze the phone to my ear. “I suppose you won’t just tell me now.”

“What would be in it for me?”

He lowered his tone. “You don’t want to join the V club, Taylor.”

That was probably true, but I also didn’t want to get taken by the Darkness and right now I saw only the two options. “You’re in it.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m different.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“School’s over in a year. Can’t you put up with things the way they are for that long?”

My eyes narrowed and anger made me snap. “It’s easy for you to say. How do you think Hannah feels having to run through the common room with Tamsin Harper calling her names? Don’t you think she’s got enough to deal with at home? I join your V club and I can help her as well as me.”

I imagined Pete at his end, fist tightening on the receiver, guilt darkening his face.

“You think I haven’t tried to get them to leave her alone?”

“If they aren’t dogging me any more, surely that’ll extend to her.”

He hesitated. “Maybe. But you don’t know everything about the V club. It isn’t your kind of thing.”

“What’s my kind of thing then?”

He snorted. “Not being told what to do, for starters.” I heard his exhalation. “Taylor, there are loads of rules and I don’t think you’ll be happy with them.”

“That’s my choice.”

“I don’t know who talked to you about the club and what they told you about it, but you can’t talk about the club to anyone outside of it. If you get in you won’t be able to tell Hannah. She’ll want to know why you’ve suddenly got popular.”

“I can make something up.”

“You’re good at that.”

“So?”

“I can ask for a meeting.”

“Great.”

“But it doesn’t mean you’re in. You’ll need a second to agree–”

My shoulders tensed. “He didn’t say anything about a second.”

Pete pounced. “Who didn’t?”

“No one. What else?”

“You have to complete a dare.”

“And then I’m in.”

He hesitated. “I propose, someone else seconds and sets a dare. If you manage to complete it, then you’re in. But the dares aren’t what you’re thinking.”

“Whatever it is I can do it.”

“I don’t think you–”

“You got in.”

“That was a while ago.”

“If you’re doing these dares, I can too.”

“Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll call James and we’ll set a meet for tomorrow. But if you try and fail, things at school will get even worse for you.”

I glanced at the shadow beneath the table. Was it my imagination or was it closer to my feet than it had been?

“I won’t fail.”

As soon as I arrived at the bus stop Hannah's face froze over. “I'm sorry, Han.” When she didn't even look at me, I stood awkwardly in front of her. “You know what I'm like. I had–”

“Stuff, yeah, I know what you're like.”

“So we're cool?”

Hannah shook her head. “We're not cool. You dumped me at school. You didn't call or text or anything for days. You left me on my own without a word. Pete's right. I’m right at the bottom of your list. I get that crap from my Mum, I shouldn't have to put up with it from my best friend.”

“I'll make it up to you.”

Hannah glowered for another minute; then she relented. “Tonight?”

“Tonight – we'll do a movie or something. You can come over.”

Hannah's face thawed. “Popcorn?”

“Of course.”

“Salted?”

“I hate salted.”

Hannah raised her eyebrows.

“Fine, salted. You're absolutely right.”

“Yes, I am.” She threaded her arm through mine. “Now let me tell you what my mum did to Carl.”

Just before the bell went Pete walked past. He appeared to be ignoring me completely, but as he strode by his hand flicked out and a piece of paper dropped into my lap. Hannah had her head buried in her bag, so I quickly opened it.

It had today's date, a postcode and a time: 7pm.

I inhaled sharply. I'd thought the meeting was going to be at school. Quickly I scribbled on the back. Can we make it earlier?

Then I grabbed a folder, took a deep breath and walked to Pete's table. Thankfully James hadn't arrived yet, but Harley grimaced like a gargoyle as I approached. “Hey, Chickety China,” he leered, but I could see his heart wasn't in it. Justin’s ghost was present, even when he wasn’t.

I grunted a reply and turned my back on him to put the folder in front of Pete. “Here's that work you wanted.”

Pete glared up at me. “What are you doing?”

“You don't need it anymore? Fine.” I lifted the folder, leaving the paper behind. Harley gave a desultory finger wave as I left.

When I reached my seat I looked back at Pete to check he'd got the message. He was just screwing the paper into a ball. He met my eyes, curled his lip and shook his head. Message received. My only chance to get into the V Club was at 7pm tonight, which meant I'd have to cancel on Hannah again.

My chest tightened. “Han?”

“Got it.” She rose from her bag clutching her lucky pencil. “Thought I'd lost it.”

“Look, about tonight...”