Page 85 of The Christmas Letter

‘Yeah, I suppose it’s about weighing up the risks and benefits, then.’

Theo had given him a scarily knowing look, for a sixteen-year-old. ‘Is that why you’re still in London – because the risk outweighs the benefit or whatever?’

‘I don’t know what you’re—’

‘Sure, because you’re the only one who can hand out life advice.’ Theo had grinned then and it had made Jack laugh. But the upshot was that Jack, along with his mum and Derek, had convinced Theo to try it – and so far, he seemed happier.

Jack glanced behind them, down the gravel path that ran between the Tudor knot hedges, and paused to wait for their mum to catch up. Despite being the one who’d suggested coming here, apparently, Mia was lagging even further back. She’d seemed completely checked-out so far, constantly looking at her phone and glancing around as if worried someone would see her here and call her out for being uncool. Jack remembered that feeling well from being a teenager and was eternally grateful he’d never have to relive it.

Jack’s mum came up beside them and frowned back at Mia, who had now come to a stop. ‘Mia!’

Mia jumped and looked up. ‘Why does it matter if I’m slow?’ she called back. ‘We’re not trying to get anywhere, are we?’

Their mum gave Mia a look, and then started walking again, chin tilted up, making a big show of looking around the gardens, which, Jack could see, were pretty boring for the average teenager. Theo slouched off after their mum, but Jack stayed back to wait for Mia.

‘Maybe if we do a quick turnaround,’ he said when she caught up, ‘I’ll float the idea of getting back early so we can have curry in front of Netflix rather than the hour-long walk she has planned around the grounds.’

Mia glanced up at him. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah, I’ll—’

‘Mia!’

Mia jumped again at the sound of her own name, not coming from their mum this time but from a teenage boy, who was coming up behind them. The silent panic was written all over Mia’s face.

Jack frowned – was she being bullied too, like Theo? He dropped his voice to a whisper. ‘Who is . . .?’

‘Liam,’ Mia whispered back, and she blushed. Ah, ok.

‘Mia,’ said the boy again, as he came closer. He was skinny, in the way that most teenage boys are, his face still boyish, brown hair sticking up all over the place. He was wearing a Kate Bush t-shirt – why? – over baggy trousers that Jack thought looked totally ridiculous. And when, exactly, did Jack get so old?

‘Hey,’ the boy said. ‘I was calling your name.’

‘Oh,’ Mia said, just about managing not to stutter. ‘Sorry. I didn’t hear you.’ She briefly caught Jack’s eye, and he gave her the shadow of a wink.

‘I didn’t know you were coming here today.’ So that explained it, then.

‘No, well, last-minute plan,’ Mia said, reaching up to toy with a lock of her hair. She glanced at Jack. ‘This is my brother,’ she said, and Liam gave Jack the once-over in a way that was almost comical. Jack couldn’t help returning the favour, though – Mia clearly liked the kid, but that didn’t mean he was a good guy. Although maybe he didn’t have the right to go all protective big brother on her yet.

Jack started to back away, but Mia shot him a slightly panicked look that made him stall.

‘So. How’s your half term been?’ Liam asked.

‘Alright.’

Jesus, this was painful. Was this what teenage flirting had been like when he was one? Probably it was, actually, especially at Mia’s age, when you were only just figuring out how to talk to one another.

When neither of them said anything more, Jack spoke, unable to stand the awkwardness. ‘You into Kate Bush?’ he asked Liam.

‘Yeah. She’s epic. Why, do you know her?’ As if she was some kind of indie musician that no one had heard of. But it made Jack think of something.

‘Not really. But she’s in Stranger Things, right?’

‘Right,’ Liam agreed, proving Jack’s hunch right. ‘You watch it?’

‘Not really. I only watched one episode, because Mia made me.’ Not actually true, but he did know Mia had won a long-fought battle with their mum to start watching the show recently, because everyone was going on about it.

Mia did the jolting thing again – was she going to do that every time her name was mentioned?