Part 6 (1/2)

*I can see that.' Dobson walked into the family room. *Right, O'Brien, let's go.'

*But,' said O'Brien.

*Now,' said Dobson.

Mike followed them to the car.

*What a mess,' said Taj.

Khaden wondered if Taj was just talking about the window.

*Why can't you just do as he says?' said Khaden, the buzzing in his head growing to a roar. *If you'd just shut up-'

*So, what, this is my fault?'

*That's not what I meant.'

The police car reversed out the driveway.

Mike walked inside and picked up his car keys. *Clean up this mess.'

From his bedroom, Khaden heard his father's ute roar to life. He peered at his reflection in the mirror and winced. The red mark from where his cheek had hit the chair was already puffy.

No way could he front up to school tomorrow looking like this. He couldn't face the questions. Not even from Sas.

Ruby.

Waves crashed and rolled onto the white sand, seagulls skimmed the water and palm trees swayed. As I rubbed sunscreen into my perfect, long legs and adjusted my floral bikini, the silver charm bracelet on my wrist jingled. It was a gift from Taylor, no, Luke, the incredibly hot, tanned guy lying beside me. We were the only people on the tropical bea- *Why do they make us turn up?'

Sas's voice was a sledgehammer to my daydream, shattering my perfect beach and replacing it with the dark school gym. Horses galloped across a makes.h.i.+ft screen, and row after row of green plastic chairs were filled with slumped, fidgeting students. I'd almost been able to smell the coconut sunscreen.

*d.a.m.n it!'

*Yeah. d.a.m.n them for making us keep coming to school. I mean, what is the point of watching Phar Lap? Again. I recognise babysitting when I see it,' said Sas, twisting in her seat to look around her. *Where's Khaden?'

*Dunno. Could be sitting with Eli and Kurt.'

Sas rolled her eyes. *He better not have blown us off for those geeks.'

*You can't blame him. Look where you made us sit.' I nodded at Lyndal and Penny in front of us.

*All part of the plan.' Sas winked.

The Fink stood and scanned the gym.

*Check her out,' I whispered. *Part woman, part meerkat.'

Sas shuddered. *She's gross. Creepy gross.'

We stared at the screen in silence until The Fink sat back down and continued her conversation with Bosworth. After a few minutes of horseracing and cheering, Sas slithered down in her seat, moaning.

Panic flooded through me. *What's wrong?'

Sas writhed and gasped.

*Sas? What is it?'

She reached for me, her hand twisted like a claw. *Ruby. The boredom,' she gasped. *It's killing me.'

Relief swallowed my panic. *You idiot. I thought you were really sick or something.'

Lyndal and Penny spun around and glared at us.

*Will you two shut up?' snapped Lyndal in her clipped voice. *We're enjoying this movie.'

*The horse dies, Lyndal,' said Sas.

Lyndal gasped. *Ruin it why don't you, Sarah?'

I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing.

*You two are so gay,' sneered Penny.

It was like she'd jabbed Sas with a stick. Sas lurched forward. *What did you call us?'

Penny scoffed and turned back to watch the film. Lyndal shook her head before facing the screen.

Sas lifted her feet onto Lyndal's seat and, when Lyndal didn't react, tapped a rhythm on the seat with her toes. Lyndal dragged her chair forward. Sas's feet crashed to the stadium floor.

*Everything all right, girls?' asked The Fink, looming over us.

*Ruby and I are busting,' said Sas, bringing her knees together and pulling a desperate face.

The Fink sighed. *Then go to the toilet. But not together. Ruby, you can go when Sarah returns.' The Fink glared then glided back to her seat.

Sas winked and trotted out of the gym.

I'd just about become lost in my beach daydream again when Sas returned, beaming.

*You took your time,' I whispered.

*Stuff to do,' she said. As she sat down, she slipped a mobile phone onto my lap. I gasped and shoved it in my dress pocket.

Our school has a full-on *mobile phones in lockers during school hours' rule, no excuses. Last term, when Shay Barrow's mum was having a major operation, Shay kept her mobile in her pocket so her dad could call her, which seemed fair enough to me. But our English teacher didn't see it that way when Shay's phone rang in cla.s.s, and neither did our year coordinator, Mr Meyer, who gave Shay a weeklong detention. According to them, the school had *made it clear in such emergencies, calls are to go through the school office'. Control freaks.

*If we get busted, it's detention,' I whispered.

Sas shrugged.

*We aren't the ones about to get busted.'