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    ‘Gran?’
    Marlene looked up. ‘Jack!’ She tossed the iPhone aside as though she’d been caught shoplifting. ‘Home already? Gosh, time flies.’
    ‘I’ve got your stuff from the chemist,’ he said, handing her the white paper bag. ‘Is everything okay with the phone?’
    ‘What phone, dear?’
    Jack paused. ‘Hallie’s old phone. The one you just had in your hand.’
    ‘Oh!’ said Marlene, glancing down at the iPhone in surprise. ‘Yes. I’ve just been copying my numbers over.’
    ‘Do you need a hand – ?’
    ‘No,’ said Marlene sharply. ‘No, I’ll manage, dear. Thank you.’
    Jack felt his phone buzz in his pocket. The noise sent Marlene lunging for the iPhone she’d just tossed aside.
    ‘Um, I think that was me,’ said Jack.
    ‘Right,’ said Marlene, nodding casually and edging back across the bed. ‘Good-o.’
    Jack’s phone buzzed a second time. Marlene eyed the iPhone on the bed nervously.
    ‘I guess I’ll find out who that is,’ said Jack.
    ‘What?’ said Marlene, ashen-faced.
    ‘I mean, I’ll … find out who’s texting me.’
    ‘Oh,’ said Marlene. ‘Yes, that’s a better idea.’
    Jack turned to leave, but found himself lingering at the doorway.
    ‘Wait,’ he said, turning around, ‘so what did you – ?’
    Marlene quickly crossed her arms and jammed the iPhone – which she appeared to have picked up again the moment Jack had turned his back – into her left armpit. ‘What now?’
    Jack paused. ‘Never mind.’

    Jack dumped his backpack by the kitchen door, grabbed a Sultana World grape juice from the fridge, then checked the messages on his phone.
    It was Vivi who’d texted him.
    Where were u after school? said the first text.
    U didn’t wait for us, said the second.
    Jack turned his phone off and went to grab his laptop from his backpack. Of course he hadn’t waited. Why remind them yet again of the several anatomically significant reasons why he completely failed to fit in with them anymore?
    And anyway, there was somewhere else he’d decided he needed to be. A place he’d never dared go before.
    Jack put his laptop on the kitchen bench. He opened a new browser window and navigated to the page he wanted, wondering if this was really a good idea.
    Before he knew it, his fingers were on the keyboard. He glanced at his switched-off phone, took a deep breath and typed three words.
    Bring back Jack.

‘We think Jack stands a very good chance of getting onto the program,’ Ms Aria said to Jack’s mum. ‘He’s got a lot of charisma. He’s very popular here at Upland West. And he’s clever, obviously. He has an excellent head for solving problems within a team and bringing out the best in others.’ Ms Aria smiled. ‘I really do think this would be a terrific opportunity for him.’
    Ms Aria opened up her laptop and played a clip from a mock quiz show they’d filmed during the school camp the year before. ‘Remember this, Jack?’
    ‘Yes, Ms Aria.’
    ‘Jack played the quizmaster,’ Ms Aria explained. ‘You can see what a natural he is. The producers have been asking local schools to suggest candidates who tick all the boxes, who might be good ambassadors for Upland. They’re looking for someone quick-thinking as well as someone who comes across well on camera. We think Jack’s a good bet.’
    Jack’s mum, Adele, leant forward in her chair, leafing through the forms. Her eyes flicked up and down each page. It was a relief for Jack to see something other than an abandoned, empty look in her eyes. She looked up at him. ‘What do you think, Jack?’
    ‘It sounds … totally awesome,’ said Jack, trying to sound enthusiastic. It hadn’t been his first thought, when Ms Aria had started talking about this Bigwigs thing. But he would’ve done or said anything to keep that sad look from his mum’s face.
    Jack turned to Ms Aria. ‘Is there prize money?’
    His mum looked embarrassed. ‘Don’t do it for money, Jack! We’re not that