'You're such a wimp,' Mark Thomas said, shoving Sean and sending him stumbling backwards. Mark peered out from under his hood and sniggered with his friends as they bunched up in front of Sean outside the school gate.
Mark's best friend, Eric, stepped forward. 'You always hang out with the girls,' he sneered as Sean.
'Yeah, you wuss,' the others cheered.
'So? Least he isn't a try-hard gangster!' snapped Apihana, standing up to Eric with her fists clenched.
It was quarter past three and while everyone else was heading home after a day at school, Sean was about to get the bash. He couldn't keep his legs from shaking. He had no idea why Mark and his crew wanted to beat him up, but Mark Thomas never needed a reason to thump someone, he just did it.
'Need a girl to fight your battles for ya?' Eric taunted.
Sean raised his shoulders and tried to look tough. 'No,' he said, his voice breaking as eyes swelled with tears. It was so unfair. Sean always cried when he got angry.
'What a baby!' Eric joked, encouraging Mark and the rest of them to laugh.
'Shut up!' said Apihana. She snatched the cap from Eric's head and sent it sailing into the air.
'Hey!' Eric cried, his cheeks a fiery red. He frowned at Apihana.
'Bring it on!' she said, standing over him.
'Oi, you kids!' the school caretaker bellowed, giving every child within a hundred-metre radius a fright. The elderly man stood at the school gate watching the group of children around Sean. 'The bell's gone, so get home!' he said.
'You're not a teacher!' Mark shot back.
With Mark and his mates occupied, Sean used the opportunity to turn around and walk away.
'Are you all right?' Ravanesh asked him.
'Lets go, let's just keep walking,' Sean replied, looking over his shoulder.
'I'll say it once more, and I won't say it again. Go home!' the caretaker demanded.
'You can't make us,' Mark argued, as the others started to do as the caretaker said.
'C'mon, man, let's go.' Eric pulled his cap down low and started to pull at Mark. 'Forget it, bro. That kid's getting away.'
'Do as you're told Mark Thomas!' Ms Swanly, the principal, suddenly appeared beside the caretaker.
Mark pushed Eric off him, dropped his head and stormed away from the school ...
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