The twelve-year-olds were on the perfect aspect, God love them. They had just got to grips with the past tense, and the continuous would be next – if they survived. Present perfect if it’s continued up until now, e.g. ‘They’ve been together.’ Present perfect continuous if it’s been continuing, e.g. ‘They’ve been fucking.’ Past perfect if it: a) continued up to a time in the past, e.g. ‘They had been living together,’ or: b) was important in the past, e.g. ‘I had thought I loved him until I met her.’ There was more, but my windpipe filibustered it.
