Bullshit private conversation. She waited till I walked out of the maths room before saying that one as loud as she could. Her stooges, Jacinta and Naomi, stand there grinning. The three of them are cousins and they’ve been following Cassie’s lead since they could crawl. Laney and I used to place bets on if they had an original thought between them.

‘I couldn’t care less what you and your little gang are on about, but if you’re talkin bout my sister then we got a problem.’

‘Oh yeah?’ Cassie steps forwards, bringing us nose to nose, lowering her voice so no one else can hear. ‘And what if I was? What’re you gonna do about it? Haven’t got your twin ere to back ya now.’

I snort, not bothering to lower my voice. ‘That’d be right. Gotta double-bank ya dirty dogs cos ya know you’d get flogged in a fair fight.’

Cassie’s face goes red and she shoves me. I hit the wall as she follows with her fist up and fury in her eyes. I bare my teeth and she hesitates.

‘That’s enough!’

The command knocks her back a step and wipes the grin off my face. We’d been trying to provoke each other into hitting first so we could use the self-defence claim. I knew Mrs Clay was still in the maths room, and the weird silence on the verandah would tip her to a fight.

‘Cassie. Stacey. Down to the Principal’s office, right now!’ The broad woman with her stern, wrinkled face took no shit from anyone.

‘But Miss, she—’ Cassie tries.

‘I don’t care, young lady, we do not put hands on each other. Now move!’

‘We saw the whole thing, Miss.’ Jacinta jumps in and gets a glare for her troubles.

‘And we both know whose side you’d pick. Get to your next class. All of you!’

Her voice sends the other kids hurrying to their bags, whispering. Naomi shoots me the finger behind Mrs Clay’s back as Jacinta turns to join in the gossiping.

Following a few steps behind the old woman, I slouch down the stairs, through the covered area where we have parade with the littlies each morning, and down past the empty library into the office. The blame will probably get put on me with Cassie’s two lackeys running around yipping, but when me and Laney got … the thought stops me in my tracks.

‘Sit!’ Mrs Clay barks before heading into the Principal’s office.