Between Beckenham Junction and Victoria, 2010

'Oi mate,' the new arrival says to the young man opposite. 'Are you gay?' 'Excuse me?' replies the pale and elegant young man. 'Are you gay. You know, a queer?' The two girls with the new arrival fail to stifle their nervous laughter. Their bodies convulse as the boy's head bobs about. The older woman with the young man turns her head to the youths. 'What gives you the - ' but the young man holds his hand up to silence her. 'It's an interesting question isn't it. Why would you ask me that?' he asks. He has an assured and languid voice, more mature than his appearance suggests.

'Cos you just look it yeah.'

'How can you tell whether someone's gay or not by the way they look?'

'You just can. So are you a queer then or not?'

The woman tuts and turns her head again.

'Why would it matter to you if I was gay?' he says, seemingly amused rather than annoyed by the aggressive questioning.

'If you fancied me it would. You'd be after me. You better not be after me mate.'

'I can assure you I'm not.'

'Do you like girls then? What kind of girls do you fancy?

You like big tits yeah?'

'Personality and style is more important than looks.'

'Yeah, I got a personality. I got bare style, you feel me? I like to smoke and drink.

Oh yeah, and I like to ... fuck.'

He savours the word as if he's trying it out for the first time.

The girls collapse in giggles again.

'I see. But that isn't evidence of a personality, those are just habits. You need to have substance as a person.'

'Yeah well I can do a lot of things. I know a lot of people.'

'I'm sure you do.'

'What's with your shirt anyway?'

'I made it myself. Do you like it?'

'No, it's got holes in it. Did you make that hat as well, that's a shit hat.'

'I found it in a vintage shop.'

'What?'

'Second hand.'

'It's well bent. Don't you have any money for new gear then?'

'I prefer to create my own individual style.

Perhaps that's why my look confuses you.'

Finally, one of the girls peeps up.

'I know! He's an emo. Are you an emo though?'

'No, I -'

'We got some at school but they wear black,

that's why I didn't spot you was one.'

'I'm certainly not an emo.'

'But you are wearing make up,' says the boy. 'That's why you're gay!'

'Oh really!' says the woman, exasperated.

'Is she your mum then?'

'No, we're... friends.'

'Are you a couple?'

'When you get a bit more mature, you'll come to realise that people don't fit into simple categories. It's very restrictive to label people according to their sexuality or the way they dress. Look at you, for example...'

'Me?'

'All of you. Only twenty years ago, a boy wearing pink would be considered gay.'

'It's a polo shirt. And I wasn't even born twenty years ago so I can't be gay.'

'A hundred years ago, a girl wearing trousers would have been considered a transvestite.'

'It's salmon actually.'

'And girls wearing that much make up would have been

looked upon as whores. But times change, you see,

and now you look perfectly normal wearing pink.'

'He's got you there.' 'Got you too, whores!'