After Read Online Free PDF Page B

and stood over me. ‘Have you washed your hands?’ he asked.
    I looked around to see who Luke was talking to.
    ‘Alexander Beetle,’ he said. ‘You have to wash your hands before class.’
    ‘Thanks.’
    ‘And you have to go to the toilet. That’s what recess is for.’
    ‘I’ll try to remember that.’
    Frewen, Klay and two other kids came around the corner, shoulder-shoving each other. Klay slammed into Luke. Frewen’s laugh made goosebumps pop up on my arms. Nic’s face flashed through my mind.
    ‘Owww,’ said Luke, rubbing his shoulder.
    ‘Watch where you’re going, dufus,’ said Jack. Klay and the other two guys roared with laughter.
    Why didn’t Luke stand up for himself? He was taller and heavier than them. Instead of fighting back he just hung his head and swayed. He reminded me of a zoo elephant—passive and defeated.
    A group of younger girls, maybe in Year Seven or Eight, strolled around the corner. The blond girl in the middle stopped. Her smile faded when she looked from Luke to Frewen. Her face grew red.
    ‘Are you okay?’ she asked Luke.
    Luke beamed. ‘Okay, Ella.’
    Ella spun to face Frewen and his mates. ‘Leave him alone, you psychos.’
    ‘Us, psycho?’ said Frewen, arms folded. ‘We were just talking to him, SOS.’
    ‘SOS! Good one!’ Klay slapped his leg and elbowed the brown haired guy beside him. I think they called him Miffo.
    ‘SOS? It’s not even a word,’ said Ella, shaking her head.
    ‘It’s one of those acronym things. Stands for “Sister of Spaz”.’ Frewen high-fived his mates.
    Something prickled in my throat. ‘Think of that one all on your own?’
    Ella swung around to face me, her eyes narrowed. ‘Stay out of it.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘You heard. Luke and I don’t need your help.’
    Frewen and his mates made ‘ooohing’ sounds.
    I felt my chest tighten. ‘What’s your problem?’ I asked Ella.
    ‘You. Stay out of my face.’ Ella marched towards the rest of her group, standing on the ramp watching.
    ‘Ouch!’ cackled Frewen.
    ‘That’s gotta sting,’ said Klay.
    I shoved my hands in my pockets and turned my back on the group of grinning people now gathered around Frewen and his mates.
    Back in the classroom, Mr Agar rummaged through his briefcase. Klay and Jack, heads together, discussed something by the window.
    The blond girl sitting in the seat in front of me spun around.
    ‘I’m Shelley, and this is my friend Em.’ While Shelley spoke, she stole glances at Frewen. ‘About before, you know, outside? Luke, the kid up the back, well, he’s ... special.’ She was trying to sound sincere, but instead sounded patronising. ‘And Jack, well he’s kind of a legend around here. He’s captain of the Hawks.’
    ‘The Hawks?’
    She rolled her eyes. ‘The Hawks—Winter Creek Football Club. Probably better if you get along with him.’
    ‘Probably,’ I said.
    ‘Anyway, Em and I will, like, show you around school at lunch.’
    ‘Maybe.’
    Her eyebrows came to life, first arching, then crashing into a frown. ‘Maybe?’ She made a strange sound and turned to the front of the class, flicking her hair off her shoulders. When Em realised Shelley had lost interest in me, she turned and flicked too.
    I buckled my seatbelt and felt my shoulders relax. It surprised me how good it felt to be back in Grandpa’s dirty ute and away from that school full of psychos.
    ‘How was your day?’ asked Grandpa.
    ‘Okay.’
    ‘Did you meet Jack Frewen today? Your grandmother thought she’d ask Jack over on the weekend. After football, of course.’
    ‘I’ll be right.’
    Grandpa sighed and started the car.
    Outside the school fence, Frewen bounced the footy. When he saw me, he tucked the football under his arm and stared. Luke walked between the car and Frewen. I saw Frewen’s lip curl, then he bounced the footy and kicked it straight at Luke, hitting him between the shoulder blades.
    Luke spun around, his face twisted. When he saw who’d kicked