TAMARA: Slap’s over on his side in dirt getting punched in the gut in the gut in the gut.

SQUID: He’s down.

SQUID/TAMARA: Teachers!

TEACHER: Get on your way.

Move on right now. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Move on now. All of you. Go!

TAMARA: Fucking teachers ruin everything, don’t they?

SQUID: Fucked-up real bad.

TAMARA: The chink?

SQUID: Yeah. Thahn.

TAMARA: How do you spell that?

SQUID: What?

TAMARA: His name. How do you/ spell it?

SQUID: What’s it matter?

It was sick. Did you get it on your phone?

TAMARA: Yeah.

SQUID: Can I watch?

TAMARA: No. Fuck off!

SQUID: What’s wrong?

TAMARA: Thahn. Don’t get it. He wasn’t even fighting back. He couldn’t win. Why did he want to fight?

SQUID: Want to fight?

TAMARA: All the time with his arms by his side like…

Made me want to see him really hurt. Wanted him to get fucked-up bad. What’s wrong with us?

SQUID: What do you mean?

TAMARA: All that blood—the way we cheered when he hit the ground. What’s wrong with us?

SQUID: There’s nothing wrong with us. You okay?

TAMARA: Why you always fucking ask me that? You okay? You okay? I wasn’t in the fucking fight.

SQUID: You just seem…

TAMARA: Deal with it.

SQUID: Want to go?

TAMARA: Yeah.

What you following me for?

SQUID: I…

TAMARA: What? Finish what you say for once, Jase.

SQUID: Never get a chance.

TAMARA: I’m gonna go.

SQUID: Can I come to yours?

TAMARA: Why?

SQUID: Just…

TAMARA: Gotta go to work.

SQUID: Can I/

TAMARA: What?/

SQUID: Don’t bother.

TAMARA: Why don’t we ever go to yours?

Pause.

Why don’t we ever go to yours?

SQUID: It’s shit.

TAMARA: Never seen it.

SQUID: It’s shit, that’s why. Don’t want you to see it.

TAMARA: Your mum there?

SQUID: No.

TAMARA: Where is she?

Pause.

Used to think Mary was your mum.

SQUID: Who?

TAMARA: You know, Mary. Sleeps outside 7-Eleven. The cranky one, bitch with the bags. Always scabbing change—drunk and shit.

Pause.

SQUID: Funny.

TAMARA: Shit. Sorry. That was/

SQUID: Maybe she is.

TAMARA: I was joking, Jase.

SQUID: Well it was really funny.

TAMARA: I didn’t mean nothing.

SQUID: Yes you did. What’d you say that for? Honest.

TAMARA: I didn’t mean…

I got to get to work.

Squid?

SQUID: What?

TAMARA: Come over later?

SQUID stands on the street and watches her leave. He puts in his earphones.

DANE: Don’t talk about Amanda much but she is pretty. Doesn’t look like other mothers. Real pretty—everyone says it—and Aunty says she knows it too—that’s what the problem’s always been.