school. Not trying to fit in.’
The flutter turned into a flame of anger. ‘I’m just hanging back, you know, keeping to myself while I get to know them. It’s not easy. They all know everything about each other.’
He nodded. ‘Do you reckon you and Jack could be friends?’
When the sun burns itself out.
‘Maybe.’
‘Good, because he says he’s trying hard to include you. You might like to try harder with him, too.’
That scumbag.
‘And, while we’re on it, you could try harder with your grandmother too.’
Was he for real? I sucked in air through my teeth.
Grandpa raised his hand before I could speak. ‘I know she can be...’
‘A total pain?’
He glared at me. ‘Show a little respect, Callum. I was going to say harsh.’
I hung my head.
Grandpa sighed. ‘Callum, it’s complicated. Just try harder, okay?’
‘But she—’
‘Please?’
‘All right.’ Not that it would make any difference, she’d still act like a cow.
‘Good man! ‘Grandpa stepped back to inspect his work. ‘Looks better than my first bike,’ he said, smiling.
‘What was wrong with it?’
‘Nothing—it was a great bike. Before I left it lying in the driveway and Dad backed the tractor over it. Bloody bike looked like a Twistie afterwards.’
As I laughed, I noticed my grandmother frowning through the kitchen window.
‘Grandpa, is Nan all right with this? The bike?’
He stole a glance at the window. ‘She’ll be right.’ He pressed the front tyre with his thumb. ‘It’ll need new tyres. I’ll take it into Millington tomorrow and have Trent look over it.’
‘Thanks. I’ll do stuff around here, you know, help out, to pay for it.’
‘Deal,’ said Grandpa, straightening up. ‘First thing you can do is make an old man a cup of coffee. Stick that by the garage so I don’t forget it tomorrow.’
I wheeled the bike to the garage. Grandpa locked the shed.
Nan met us at the back door, her face more threatening than a thunderstorm.
‘Hello, Sunshine,’ said Grandpa. He was braver than me. ‘Callum’s about to make me a coffee. Want one?’ He sailed past before she could answer.
CHAPTER 15
BEFORE...
Most of the class milled on the grass between the oval and the stadium. Michael stood beside them, back to the stadium.
‘Where do you reckon Burbridge is?’ asked CJ, lying on the oval, arms clasped behind his head.
Nic lounged at this feet.
‘Checking his pecs in the mirror.’ Nic struck a body builder’s pose. ‘The guy loves himself sick.’
‘Well he can check himself out for as long as he likes,’ said Ruby, sitting with Maddie and Bec on the chain fence circling the oval. ‘PE is the last thing I feel like doing.’
‘Hey,’ said Michael, nodding towards the centre of the oval. ‘What do you reckon Spew is doing?’
Stu Rogers stood alone near the cricket pitch, head back, staring at the clouds.
CJ lifted his head. ‘He’s a weirdo.’
‘You guys should be nicer to him,’ said Bec. ‘Mum said he has spaz burgers.’
The others burst out laughing.
‘You’re the spaz burger, Bec,’ said Maddie.
‘What?’ Bec’s eyes were wide.
‘I think you mean Asperger’s,’ said Michael.
‘Spaz burger. Asperger’s. Whatever. He can’t help how he is.’
‘Maybe, but he’s good for a laugh,’ said CJ.
‘Hey Spew. Whatchya doing?’ sang Nic.
Stu turned to face them, hands clasped behind his back. ‘Nicholas, my name is Stuart, not Spew. Stuart Rogers. I am studying the cirrocumulus.’
‘Cirro what?’ asked Nic.
‘Cirrocumulus. The clouds above us. Spectacular.’
‘Quite,’ said Nic, copying Spew’s formal speech.
The girls giggled. The rest of the class, still waiting by the stadium, sniggered.
CJ sat up. ‘Hey, Spew, there was a full moon last night, careful you don’t get mooned.’
This time everyone laughed.
Stu’s face twisted. Fists by his side, he ran to where CJ sat, stopping metres from him. ‘Moon this,’ he yelled. In one
The flutter turned into a flame of anger. ‘I’m just hanging back, you know, keeping to myself while I get to know them. It’s not easy. They all know everything about each other.’
He nodded. ‘Do you reckon you and Jack could be friends?’
When the sun burns itself out.
‘Maybe.’
‘Good, because he says he’s trying hard to include you. You might like to try harder with him, too.’
That scumbag.
‘And, while we’re on it, you could try harder with your grandmother too.’
Was he for real? I sucked in air through my teeth.
Grandpa raised his hand before I could speak. ‘I know she can be...’
‘A total pain?’
He glared at me. ‘Show a little respect, Callum. I was going to say harsh.’
I hung my head.
Grandpa sighed. ‘Callum, it’s complicated. Just try harder, okay?’
‘But she—’
‘Please?’
‘All right.’ Not that it would make any difference, she’d still act like a cow.
‘Good man! ‘Grandpa stepped back to inspect his work. ‘Looks better than my first bike,’ he said, smiling.
‘What was wrong with it?’
‘Nothing—it was a great bike. Before I left it lying in the driveway and Dad backed the tractor over it. Bloody bike looked like a Twistie afterwards.’
As I laughed, I noticed my grandmother frowning through the kitchen window.
‘Grandpa, is Nan all right with this? The bike?’
He stole a glance at the window. ‘She’ll be right.’ He pressed the front tyre with his thumb. ‘It’ll need new tyres. I’ll take it into Millington tomorrow and have Trent look over it.’
‘Thanks. I’ll do stuff around here, you know, help out, to pay for it.’
‘Deal,’ said Grandpa, straightening up. ‘First thing you can do is make an old man a cup of coffee. Stick that by the garage so I don’t forget it tomorrow.’
I wheeled the bike to the garage. Grandpa locked the shed.
Nan met us at the back door, her face more threatening than a thunderstorm.
‘Hello, Sunshine,’ said Grandpa. He was braver than me. ‘Callum’s about to make me a coffee. Want one?’ He sailed past before she could answer.
CHAPTER 15
BEFORE...
Most of the class milled on the grass between the oval and the stadium. Michael stood beside them, back to the stadium.
‘Where do you reckon Burbridge is?’ asked CJ, lying on the oval, arms clasped behind his head.
Nic lounged at this feet.
‘Checking his pecs in the mirror.’ Nic struck a body builder’s pose. ‘The guy loves himself sick.’
‘Well he can check himself out for as long as he likes,’ said Ruby, sitting with Maddie and Bec on the chain fence circling the oval. ‘PE is the last thing I feel like doing.’
‘Hey,’ said Michael, nodding towards the centre of the oval. ‘What do you reckon Spew is doing?’
Stu Rogers stood alone near the cricket pitch, head back, staring at the clouds.
CJ lifted his head. ‘He’s a weirdo.’
‘You guys should be nicer to him,’ said Bec. ‘Mum said he has spaz burgers.’
The others burst out laughing.
‘You’re the spaz burger, Bec,’ said Maddie.
‘What?’ Bec’s eyes were wide.
‘I think you mean Asperger’s,’ said Michael.
‘Spaz burger. Asperger’s. Whatever. He can’t help how he is.’
‘Maybe, but he’s good for a laugh,’ said CJ.
‘Hey Spew. Whatchya doing?’ sang Nic.
Stu turned to face them, hands clasped behind his back. ‘Nicholas, my name is Stuart, not Spew. Stuart Rogers. I am studying the cirrocumulus.’
‘Cirro what?’ asked Nic.
‘Cirrocumulus. The clouds above us. Spectacular.’
‘Quite,’ said Nic, copying Spew’s formal speech.
The girls giggled. The rest of the class, still waiting by the stadium, sniggered.
CJ sat up. ‘Hey, Spew, there was a full moon last night, careful you don’t get mooned.’
This time everyone laughed.
Stu’s face twisted. Fists by his side, he ran to where CJ sat, stopping metres from him. ‘Moon this,’ he yelled. In one
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