‘Come on,’ groaned Jaz. ‘He could be going to Sydney, that’s not overseas.’
‘Oh, yeah.’
‘And you’re supposed to be the smart one,’ Jaz joked as she wrapped her arm around Anna while following Pax through the back door to the small parking lot.
He gave each of them a kiss on their foreheads, his whiskers scratching as he said a final goodbye. ‘See ya’s in a few weeks or so.’ Never anything solid; typical Pax. Footloose and fancy free.
He climbed into his little red hatchback, chucking his bag in the back. Pax reckoned he didn’t need a fancy car, someone would only pinch it around this neighbourhood. He wasn’t a materialistic person, didn’t need status or flash things, hence his gym. Pax reckoned his brother, Anna’s grandad, had been in love with material things and he’d sworn not to be like his older brother. Another reason Jaz loved him, as she was sick of the bullcrap that went with money. Minka was a good reason as to why she thought money ruined people.
‘I’ll be at the computer,’ said Anna after the little red car had zoomed out of sight.
‘Okay.’ The breeze blew a few strands of hair across Jaz’s face as she looked down at her hand and the big bunch of keys, an 8 ball hanging off them. ‘Guess I’ll go clean some mats,’ she said as she followed Anna back inside.
Chapter 4
Jaz picked at the salad on her plate as the cafeteria chaos settled to its standard lunchtime hum. Anna sat on the other side of the wooden table, poking her fork at a stubborn bit of carrot that was refusing to play nice.
‘No point starving yourself, it won’t change how you look. Besides I heard chubby cheeks are in,’ came a nasally voice of the upper class.
Jaz didn’t have to look up to know Minka would be standing there with her standard ‘you’re the scum I scrape off my shoe’ face.
Anna dropped her fork and tried to look unaffected, but Jaz knew better. She saw the twitch in the corner of her smooth lips and the hurt in Anna’s eyes. Poor Anna believed what they told her. It pissed Jaz off to think that Minka thought herself above everyone else, enough to mess with other people who had never done anything to her. It was this schoolyard bullshit that really irked Jaz. She couldn’t wait to leave school and leave the immature minds of some people. Minka had no idea of the outside world, the real hardships, and the fact that people are struggling and suffering…but no…Minka wouldn’t know what that was.
Jaz caught Anna’s eye and gave her a wink. ‘Really, well I definitely heard that looking like a broomstick was out. Maybe you could grab the one shoved up your arse and fly away. Off you go.’ Jaz waved to where Minka usually sat with her brainwashed soldiers.
‘Bye-bye,’ added Anna, who was looking much better. They both went back to their lunch leaving Minka to scoff and mutter under her breath as she sashayed away.
‘Thanks,’ said Anna as she finally speared a carrot.
Jaz dropped her fork ready for a rant. ‘You know I don’t understand school and this so called pecking order…it will all mean jack crap after we’ve left. And you would have thought that saving Minka would count for something…if anything she’s ten times worse!’ Jaz watched as Minka sat next to Taylor, resting her hand on his arm while making sure Jaz was watching. ‘How does he put up with her?’
‘Easy, it’s called being a two-faced bee-atch and Minka’s got it down pat!’
Jaz laughed and held up her hand so Anna could give her a tiny high five tap.
Ten minutes later, as they were finishing, Taylor came by with Minka, who was so close to him you’d think they were stuck together with double-sided sticky tape.
‘Hey, the joy of brushstrokes and paint smears with Miss Burnstein, you comin’?’ Taylor asked with a shake of his blond hair.
She’d almost said yes. Yes, a thousand times I’d go with you Taylor. But Minka spoke in that high-pitched whine, ‘Yeah, come with us.’ And she looped her arm through Taylor’s and smiled so sweetly Jaz was thinking she’d soon be in a sugar coma. Nup, she was not going anywhere with her. While in Taylor’s company, Minka was polite and civil (even if a little over-performed), but the moment his head was turned, her ugly side reared like the venomous snake she truly was.
Feeling sick to her stomach, she got up. ‘Na, I’ve got a few things to do. I’ll catch ya later.’
As Jaz rose, Anna quickly scrambled to follow. Jaz caught Anna’s expression.
‘What?’
Anna laughed. ‘Really, you have stuff to do?’
‘Hmm, na. I’d rather scrub the men’s loo with a toothbrush than walk next to her.’