Joe

It’s nearly five o’clock when I hear a car pull up outside the house. Someone dropping Kate off from netball practice. The car door opens. I hear Kate say something and then close it. The car accelerates away down the road. I hear Kate open the front door, slam it closed behind her and then come running up the stairs. She knocks on my door. She comes barging in before I can even shout, ‘Go away.’

‘How come you weren’t in school today?’

I look up at her. I knew this would happen. I’ve been trying to think of an excuse all afternoon. But the truth is, I can’t think of one.

‘I was.’

She raises an eyebrow. ‘You were not. You weren’t on the bus this morning.’

I look away from her, pretending I’m not interested or worried by her accusation. ‘I got a lift,’ I say.

‘Liar,’ she replies. ‘Who with?’

‘What’s it to you?’ I say. ‘I don’t have to answer to you.’

She shakes her head. She’s acting like she’s my mum. ‘No,’ she says. ‘But you’ll have to answer to Mum and Dad, though, if I tell them.’

I sigh. ‘I got a lift with Ash,’ I say. ‘I went round there this morning and he was running late, so his Dad ran us into school.’ Which is a pretty good lie considering I made it up on the spot.

She doesn’t say anything back right away. I look at her and smile.

‘I didn’t see you in school,’ she says eventually.

‘So?’ I reply. ‘You never see me in school. You’re in Year Nine and I’m in Year Eleven.’

‘I’m gonna ask someone if you were on the bus home after school,’ she says. ‘I bet you weren’t.’

I pretend to act cool. ‘Go ahead,’ I say. ‘Ask whoever you like.’

She narrows her eyes at me. ‘I know you’re up to something,’ she says. She stays standing there for a couple of seconds, like she’s going to say something else, but she doesn’t and eventually she turns and goes to her room.