‘Heard Laney ran off again. Who dya reckon she’s doin now?’ Cassie’s nasal tones hit me.

I freeze in the doorway of the maths room; the kid on my heels bumps into me, shoving me forwards the rest of the way.

‘Sorry Tace,’ one of my classmates mumbles as she passes, giving me a quick glance, her eyebrows flying up at the look on my face. I’m too busy glaring at Cassie and her little crew to respond.

The verandah stretches the whole length of the ‘Big Building’; enclosed on one side by the big open port racks that came to waist height. Serving the purpose of being right under the teachers’ noses as well as barricading us in. Doorways dot the wall with louvred windows linking them in a chain, leading into the various classrooms reserved for us high schoolers. The Big Building has zero insulation and no air-con – just a few steel ceiling fans for each class – and no heating. Only the computer room has solid windows with blinds to try to keep the air-con in. The lessons aren’t why most of us love that place, especially this time of year when it can go over 40 degrees.

Kids are spilling onto the verandah from every class; the only people who got out of those boxes faster than us are the teachers. Jaw clenched, I walk straight up to the group of girls clustered around the port rack and get in Cassie’s face.

‘What didja say?’

The others go quiet and stop their jostling and talking. All eyes are on me and the biggest bully in the school. Her queen bee attitude and occasional luck in a fight means she pretty much runs the high school girls, all eighteen of us. Everyone except me and Laney, and she hates that so much she’s sicced her little minions on us a few times. The fact Laney is more liked than her only gives Cassie more reason to be a giant bitch to us whenever she can and has done since year one – turning people against us, making sure we stay on the outer with as many people as possible. It stopped bothering me a long time ago, but always gets up Laney’s nose. I’ve seen her do any number of nasty things to people over the years, especially if she thought she could get away with it. Mum said what most parents would – Cassie is just jealous because Laney and I are so close, so pretty, blah blah blah. Laney says it’s because she’s a dog. I agree.

Cassie smirks. ‘What? Can’t a person have a private conversation?’