“It’s like this, Rose,” Myles said. She was becoming accustomed to his way of speaking. “Once you’ve done enough of the Mean Queens’ bidding—like nasty tricks and all—you get your ‘passport.’ It’s a virtual passport that allows you into their small, foul world.”

“Who would want to be in that world?”

“They always have some sixth graders in training,” Joe said. “You know, some kids think it’s cool to be accepted or just noticed by older kids—even the bullies.”

“They long to belong!” Anand said. “See those two other girls trying to squeeze in at the table—those sixth graders?” Anand asked, nodding to two girls.

“Like remoras,” Myles offered, and laughed again.

“What?” Rose had no idea what remoras were.

“Suckerfish,” Myles replied. “They attach themselves to sharks. I did a science report on parasites in nature. Covered a lot—from strangler figs to remoras. Usually the relationships are mutually beneficial, but in the case of strangler figs, they kill their host tree. That one girl with the blond hair and the pink streak? She’s a Carrie wannabe, obviously.”

“What about the girl with the hair bow?”

“Sibby Huang,” Joe replied. “She worships Brianna because of her skating. She belongs to the same skating club I do. She’s good. Very good for her age.”

“Should we—uh—get emotional about strangler figs killing hosts, or just chalk it up to one of the cruelties of nature?” Anand asked as they kept their eyes fastened on the sixth graders circling the Court of the Mean Queens.

“What do the remoras do for the Mean Queens?”

“Play fetch, mostly, like obedient dogs,” Joe said. “And sometimes take the blame for their dirty tricks.”

“What are their dirty tricks, or special ops, as you called them?”

“The Mean Queens do a lot through texting—gossip, spread rumors. Don’t let them get hold of your cell phone. But they don’t limit it to kids. They were really mean to Ms. Elfenbach last year too.”

“The math teacher? She’s so nice.”

“Yeah, well, Carrie, who thinks she’s God’s gift to mathematics, was ticked off about her grade,” Joe said. “She claimed Ms. Elfenbach was drunk or something when she graded a test last year. She started a rumor that she was an alcoholic. Carrie and the rest of the Mean Queens started calling her Ms. Alcobach.”

Rose was aghast. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah,” Myles broke in. “That’s what they consider really funny. So lame. Perfect example of their Trio of Doom behavior. Very destructive. Way beyond bullying.”

“So, moral of the story,” Anand said, “is: watch out.”