Dare You Part 4

I scrunched up the chip paper and scowled at him. *Nothing from you.'

Mum sighed. *Please, you two. I've had a huge day at work.'

I stacked the dishwasher and took the boxes and chip paper to the recycling bin. There was something soothing about being busy, but once I was done, a sensation bobbed beneath my skin.

*I'm going to bed,' I said.

*It's only eight o'clock, Ruby.' Mum twisted around to look over the sofa at me. *Are you all right?'

*Just a bit sick.'

*You don't look sick,' said Harrison.

*Yeah, you stuffed into those chips, fatty,' said Archie, grinning at Harrison.

*Shut your-'

*No fighting,' said Mum, managing to sweep a filthy look from me to the boys.

*Yeah, but-'

She cut me off with a raised hand.

*Come on, Mojo,' I growled. Mojo lifted her head, then snuggled back against Harrison's thigh. I stormed up the stairs.

*And there goes my happy sister,' said Archie.

Their laughter made me stomp harder.

Khaden.

Khaden glanced at his brother and father, who concentrated on their meals as they sawed through the tough steak. His knife sc.r.a.ped on the plate, breaking the silence that filled the kitchen.

Mike was the first to speak. *Got any homework, Khaden?'

Taj scoffed.

*What?' asked Mike, his eyes harsh.

*Mate, there's only a few weeks of school left-as if he has homework,' said Taj, shaking his head.

*I'm not your mate,' said Mike. *And since when has a drop out been a school expert?'

*Lasted a year longer than you.'

Khaden's spine stiffened. He had to distract them. *I'll clean up.' Even though he hadn't finished eating, he picked up his plate and reached for Mike's.

Mike ignored him. *I left school because I had an apprenticeship with Ford, not some p.i.s.s-weak job with a band.'

Khaden knew this was heading the same way it always did since Taj left school. Actually, not the same. At first, Mike and Taj had talked, but that had developed into yelling. And now it was something more, something Khaden had to stop.

He placed the plates beside the sink. *Who's up for ice-cream?'

*The mighty Ford apprenticeship.' Taj folded his arms. *Tell me again how you worked your way up to the big legend you are-'

Mike slapped the table. Chairs screeched on the vinyl. Mike and Taj stood, glaring, mirror-images of each other-stocky bodies, thick necks and scruffy hair the colour of the dirt in the backyard.

The world held its breath-or maybe it was just Khaden.

Mike's fingers, splayed on the table, twitched. He lurched forward, but Taj side-stepped him, colliding with Khaden. The momentum sent Khaden sprawling backwards, his back crashing into the kitchen cupboards.

Taj, face no longer filled with fury, rushed towards him *Khaden, are you-'

Mike grabbed Taj by the T-shirt and thrust him against the wall. The house shuddered.

Taj's eyes filled with fear.

Khaden leapt to his feet. *Dad, leave it. I'm fine.'

*You piece of...' Mike shook Taj as though he was fine and wiry like Khaden. Taj's chin quivered.

*Dad.' Khaden placed his hand on his father's shoulder.

Mike shrugged him off. *Not such a big man now, are you? Eh?'

There were things a younger brother learnt the hard way, so when Khaden saw the shift in Taj's eyes, he stepped back.

Taj grunted and shoved Mike, who stumbled into the table. The salt and pepper shakers crashed to the floor.

*Don't ever touch me again.' Taj turned to the door.

*Don't you walk away from me!' bellowed Mike, his face the colour of an eggplant. He pushed Taj's shoulder.

*Gonna hit me now, hero?'

Khaden's stomach lurched.

Mike's hand curled into a fist. As he threw a punch, Taj ducked. Mike's fist smashed into the wall.

*You're psycho!' yelled Taj, backing out of the room. The backdoor slammed.

Khaden's ears buzzed and his legs were like set concrete.

Mike rubbed his fist and stared at the gaping hole left in the plaster. *Go to your room,' he snarled at Khaden.

Ruby.

Sas, Khaden and I were stretched out in the sun in our place near the library. This spot was protected from wind most of the time, and, best of all, no one else hung out here.

*So I was thinking,' said Khaden, sitting up and hugging his knees to his chest, *are we going to do anything on the last day of school?'

*What, like a prank or something?' I asked.

*Yeah.'

Sas sat up and grinned. *If we start planning now, it'll be awesome.'

*We could chuck water bombs.'

Khaden laughed.

Sas rolled her eyes.

*Ruby, seriously? Water bombs?'

*What?' I squeaked looking from one to other.

*Water bombs are...'

*...pathetic,' said Sas, finishing Khaden's sentence. *Nah, this has to be good.'

Lyndal Reicher, Penny Lam, Chris Holbrook and Dom Plizga sauntered across the gra.s.s and weaved between Sas and Khaden. Lyndal stumbled and just about stood on Sas's hand.

*Watch it,' hissed Sas.

Lyndal's smile was fake. *Sorry.'

Lyndal and the others sprawled on the gra.s.s-our gra.s.s. She giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at Chris. Her laugh made the hairs on the back of my arms and neck p.r.i.c.kle.

*Why can't they sit somewhere else?' I muttered.

Sas glared at them. *She's p.i.s.sed with me.'

*What did you do this time?' asked Khaden, sounding tired.

Sas shrugged. *Just pointed out that bike riders don't shave their legs for aerodynamics, but so it's easier to clean up any injuries. That, and so it's easier to take off any strapping or bandages.' Sas watched Lyndal as she spoke. Her voice became loud. *And so, I won the PE trivia challenge.'

Lyndal's head snapped around. *What's your problem, Sarah?'

*No problem, Lyndal,' said Sas, her eyes wide and voice sweet. *Just telling Khaden and Ruby about my epic win today.'

Lyndal's face became as red as her hair tie.

*There's a first for everything,' sneered Penny.

*How'd you know that stuff about bike riders, Sas?' asked Chris, leaning towards us.

Sas shrugged and gave him her best smile. *Saw it on TV.'

*Cool,' said Dom, nodding.

*Let's go for a walk.' Lyndal, stood and brushed down the back of her dress.

*I thought you wanted to sit here,' said Dom.

Lyndal stalked off without answering. Penny scurried after her and the boys followed with a shrug.

*She's such a psycho,' said Sas, her eyes narrowed. *Chris is too good for her.'

*Why do girls think Chris is hot?' asked Khaden.

*Beats me,' I said. *His neck is too thick.'

Khaden's head snapped in my direction. *Are you serious? You loved him last week.'

*Have you seen his hands?' I shuddered. *He bites his nails, right back.'

*And that put you off him?'

I shrugged.

*Hey,' said Sas, a smile crawling across her face. *I have an idea for our prank.'

Sas.

Khaden burnt me a CD by Angst Ridden, the group Taj is working with. The t.i.tle track, Lies, made me think of Dad.

Crushed and dying, broken and bleeding By your lies, by your lies.

Cold and unfeeling, words with no meaning, No more lies, no more lies.

Khaden.

Khaden walked home from school, feeling light and happy for the first time in ages. After Ruby turned off, Sas had given him the Arctic Monkey's guitar tab she'd printed while she was supposed to be doing a Photoshop project in InfoTech. He couldn't wait to play it.

Yep, not a bad day at all, he thought as he emptied the letterbox. He walked to the back door and flicked through the mail. Two envelopes with clear windows for Mike, a *To The Householder' Reader's Digest, you've won a squillion dollars envelope, and a cream one to *Mr Khaden Elliot'. It took him a moment to realise it was for him.

Khaden studied the handwriting. Black ink, neat and curly-a girl's writing, but not Sas's and definitely not Ruby's scrawl.

At the back door, he studied the postmark and turned the envelope over. A cold blast of anger buffeted him.

Anika Moloney.

C/o Toowoomba Post Office.

Toowoomba, Queensland.

A whirring sound filled his head, almost like the ringing in his ears after a concert, only worse. He shoved the envelope in his pocket, unlocked the back door and dumped the rest of the mail on the kitchen bench.