Denise lived two doors down and knew the street already. This gave her authority.
She knew which gardens we could cut through, which wall belonged to a man who came out if children sat on it and where the nearest shop was. She also knew Castle Lane Junior School because she was starting there again in September. I would be starting there for the first time.
Mum said I could go out as long as I stayed where she could find me. This was not a useful distance, so Denise decided we should remain between our two houses.
She asked what toys I had.
I said books.
‘They’re not toys.’
I had always suspected this was how other children felt.
Denise had a skipping rope, chalk and a brother who was not allowed to touch either. We drew squares on the pavement and made up rules while we played. Denise changed the rules whenever she was losing. When I pointed this out, she said I had misunderstood them.
She talked more quickly than I did. By the end of the afternoon I knew the names of several children, one dog and a woman who gave out broken biscuits if you knocked at the right time. Denise knew nothing about me beyond my name and the fact that I owned books. This did not trouble her.
Mum called me in for tea. Denise asked what time I would be out the next day, as though this had already been arranged.
At the table, Mum asked whether I had met anyone.
‘Denise,’ I said.
Mum asked which house. I told her. She looked through the front window, saw Denise still outside and said, ‘Good.’
Before bed, Peter told me Denise was bossy.
He had known her for less than a minute. He was right, but that was not the point.
The next morning, Denise knocked before I had finished breakfast.