"YEEEES!" Oliver yells at the top of his lungs, balanced on top of his car in the school carpark. "EXAMS. ARE. FINISHED!"

We all laugh as we watch him to do a little jig that's promptly cut short by Mr Morris coming out of the building and shouting, "Oliver Fink will you get down!"

But even Mr Morris is smiling slightly.

Everyone's smiling. We're grinning and cheering and laughing madly in fact. Exams are finally over. Done and dusted. The last two papers were for Maths and ICT and that means the whole gang are finished (Oliver's somehow made even me call our new muddled group of friends 'the gang; even if it does make me think of Scooby Doo'.) It feels brilliant.

Even though that last Maths paper was pretty awful, all I can think about now that it isn't long before summer. All I'm able to feel is a crusade of relief that this month of exams is over, and with that all the tension, stress and insane amount of pressure.

It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and, in a long time, I can finally breathe.

"So guys, what do you want to do?" Max asks, clapping his hands together. "I say we head to Lily Reagan's, she's having a get-together this evening to celebrate."

For once, I'm up for Lily's party. I'm up for anything.

And it's as though the entire day is on fast forward, in a blur the hours rush by before we head out, they stream by in a hazy, fun and confusing whirlwind during the party and they continue to hurtle past until hours turn into days and days turn into weeks and we've suddenly reached the last day of school.

Our last day has been surprisingly a bit emotional, even though it's not our final year. I think it's because of how much has changed and how much we've changed. Never would I have imagined that I'd be best friends with the likes of Luke Doncaster and Max Murphy. And if someone had told me that everything that happened with Levi Parker will happen to me at the start of September I'd have asked what they were high on.

The final day before summer also includes my last meeting with Mr Hibbert. It's up to me to decide over the summer whether I want to carry on having sessions with him next year.

Once our half hour of meaningless talk about how the year in general has been and 'my feelings' is over and I'm pushing the chair back and standing up in his old, dusty office I feel that familiar wave of nostalgia and happy sort of sadness again.

"So, Ruby, going anywhere nice this summer?" Mr Hibbert asks from behind what is now an even bigger and bushier grey moustache. I don't know he'll manage living with it over the summer.

I shrug, offering him a small grin. "No idea."

He then goes on to tell me all about his plans to visit the Algarve before showing me pictures of his new-born twin nephews and all through the meeting and now he's been so cheery and excited (like everyone is before summer) that I don't have the heart to bring up Granddad and the fact that he won't answer his phone ever since he moved back home. So I just smile, smile, smile and get through it all.

I smile, genuinely, when Ryan gives me a hug when the school bell rings for the last time and wishes me a fun holiday. He's going round the whole country, visiting as many music festivals as he can with his new girlfriend. I smile, not so sincerely, when Elle 'accidently' shoulders past me when she and Stacey are loudly cheering about their getaway to Paris. And I smile, honestly and brightly, when Levi arrives at my locker and offers me a lift home.

Over the weekend, Imogen mentions going to her Aunt's holiday cottage down by some rural seaside town again and for the first time in ages, I feel true, bubbling excitement.

A few days later, we're all sat around Levi's kitchen table planning it all. The strong summer sunlight is filtering through the blinds and Imogen has a massive scrapbook of idea's out that we're all contributing to.

When Levi invited us over yesterday Luke texted me to ask if he was being serious. To be fair, I was surprised too. After picking him up from Charlie Waters' party and all through exams, Levi was the most distant he's ever been. He was quiet, serious and aloof and would barely respond to any of us, whether it was a text, a call or face to face.

It was like things had reversed between us, all of a sudden he was the one who would always be studying. Well, mostly studying. Sometimes I'd swing by his house and his Aunt, who's still here, would tell me that he was out. Those times would go: Where's he gone? The response: God knows where. And I'd feel that familiar sinking, turning lurch of worry I always felt (and still feel) when everything went wrong with Granddad.

But time's passed since David left and now that exams are over, it's like Levi's slowly retreating from this quiet, unfamiliar shell of himself.

Sat here, next to him, with bottles of iced tea and lemonade set before us on the table, he's smiling and talking again in that familiar so-charming-it's-disarming way once more and I feel that same relief I experienced after exams.

I watch him debating about something to do with Star Wars with Oliver, a tiny smile playing about on my face as I do so. I watch the way Levi groans sarcastically, rolls his eyes and laughs in a way that's catching and untroubled and completely endearing to see.

And then, as if he knows I'm watching him, Levi turns his head to glance at me but this time, for once I'm too quick for him and turn to face Imogen who's still outlining all the logistics of the trip. I feel his eyes roam my face for a few seconds before he too looks away at Imogen who's now telling Oliver to shut up about Chewbacca.

As soon as he does I steal another glance at him and I notice the corner of Levi's mouth turn up ever so slightly as he continues to look straight ahead. And then, under his breath in a voice that's so quiet that only I can hear, he whispers, "Bug, are you flirting with me with your eyes right now?"

I immediately snort and turn away again, this time really trying hard to focus on what Imogen's saying. "I didn't realise ocular organs could flirt, so no," I reply in a voice just as hushed. Levi's smile widens into grin.

He's about to reply when we both realise Imogen is staring directly at us with one eyebrow arched in a pretty terrifying impression of Miss Billard. "I don't know what you two are verbally philandering about, but if you haven't noticed, I'm trying to sort out this holiday."

She looks too scary to argue with so we both just mutter apologies while trying to (and failing) to hold in our laughter.

"Anyway," she continues, before shooting us one last look, "do you think anyone else will want to come? How about Natalia?"

At this Luke awkwardly shifts in his chair. "Er, I don't think that'd be a great idea."

"Why, have you two fallen out again?" Oliver asks, leaning back in his chair.

"No, actually, we've just made friends again," Luke answers quickly in a defensive voice. He frowns at Oliver before his face softens and he gives a quiet sigh. "I... I don't think it's gonna work out for us. We're just friends."

Imogen makes a sympathetic noise and reaches forward to pat him on the hand. Luke, like the impassive person he is, just shrugs while pulling a face.

"I'm over it, honestly," he says, "I mean I thought that... I was in love with her but after a while I kind of realised that I was just in love with the idea of being with her I guess. And I dunno... this past year, she's kind of changed." Luke looks away from us and glances down at his lemonade while fiddling around with the straw in the glass. "You guys know I'm good at Maths and whatever because of how simple it is. There's a right or wrong answer but people are never like facts. They aren't steadfast, they never remain the same. They change and Natalia Cook's no exception."

For a moment he looks so sad I'm about to reach over and give him a hug, something that the both of us never do, but then, like's predicted what I'm about to, Luke looks up and punches me affectionately on the shoulder. "I'll be alright, guys. I mean I'm seventeen. Life's not over yet."

"Of course it isn't," a voice says from the doorway and we turn and see Levi's Aunt standing in the doorway. I always think the first thing I thought when I saw her the evening David left. She's the physical embodiment of strong.

I don't mean she's secretly a body builder or stows weights away under her dress or anything but everything about her calms me and even after only a few conservations with her I can already tell she's one of the most composed people I'll meet. Even if all I've found out about her is that she's here to help Levi's mum, Heather, out after everything with David.

I also imagine she's there to protect her. She doesn't seem like the sort of woman you'd want to cross too readily.

Levi's Aunt also insists on us calling her Babs, short for Barbara which I also love.

She strides through the kitchen doorway and collects all the empty glasses before placing them in the sink. "You're young, you kids, and you have so much ahead of you. Don't get all weighed down with ideas of love and relationships now. Have fun. Be free." I am also in love with her New Yorker accent.

"Oh I'm planning on being free, Babs," Oliver says in such a way that Aunt Babs lightly smacks his shoulder. He gives her a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows that makes me question if there's actually a person out there he won't flirt with.

"Well, in the farm of love I'm practically a free-range chicken so there's no complaining from me," Luke says in a grumbly voice which makes me laugh.

"I completely disagree, Babs," Imogen declares, shutting her scrapbook dramatically. "There's few things as wonderful and exciting as young love."

Max nods and slings an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm not weighed down by my babe," he says and Imogen blushes in that way she does as if she's just heard him recite poetry to her.

Levi turns towards me ever so slightly and sends me a small smile, as if we're sharing a private joke. "You know, I don't know whether to agree with Babs or not," he says in that same, quietened down voice.

"Oh I definitely agree," I say, a slight grin creeping onto the edges of my lips, "Love and relationships? Pfft. Give me Netflix and nachos anytime."

"Oh is that how you feel?" Levi asks, returning my smile with his own mischievous one. No one hears him from the almost raucous debate now going on between Aunt Babs and Imogen who's bringing up Romeo and Juliet.

"Yep," I answer, "That's absolutely how I feel."

"Well," Levi replies, shrugging, "That's..." He trails off.

"A shame?" I raise my eyebrows.

"I was going to say a relief for all the guys out there in the world," Levi says in a serious voice. His upturned mouth gives him away as I'm punching his arm after giving an affronted gasp.

He shoves me right back with his shoulder and we're both laughing now and nobody notices. They're all too busy arguing with each other about star-crossed lovers and romance. They're all too busy to notice Levi's hand slipping under the table and finding mine.

And fortunately for me, they're all too busy to observe just how deeply my cheeks dust pink when my fingers intertwine with Levi's as we hold hands and watch them argue.