Dreamrider Read Online Free Page A

meant.
    â€˜Do you get shit about your weight?’ she asked.
    I shrugged.
    â€˜Hmm.’ She thought for a while. ‘Anyway, fat Mick, let’s see your timetable. I might be able to help you out.’
    â€˜It’s Michael,’ I said. ‘Fat Michael to you.’
    She grinned. I liked her. I didn’t care that the other students were laughing at us.
    When the bell went for first lesson, Mr Atkins took me to the door. He gave me a student diary and a pat on the back.
    â€˜A small token of our esteem and respect,’ he said.
    For some reason, as I walked down the corridor, I felt inside my pocket. My hand closed around a coin. I didn’t need to take it out to know that it was a two-dollar coin. A gleaming two-dollar coin that hadn’t been there before.
    I had Maths first. I sat at the side of the class. If you sit at the front, you get marked as a nerd, and you can’t sit at the back. That’s where the tough kids hang and I didn’t want to provoke anyone.
    Some kids stared at me and whispered behind their hands. They didn’t laugh out loud, but only because the teacher was strict and glared at anyone who made a noise. That suited me. English was next and that was okay as well. The teacher was friendly enough, but without much control over the class. A couple of the boys made snide comments, but she either didn’t hear or decided to ignore them. Again, that was fine. Anything to avoid trouble.
    At recess I wandered out to the oval. Leah had offered to meet me but I’d said I would be fine. I didn’t want her to feel obliged. She’d want to spend time with her friends, after all. Anyway, I needed to explore by myself. I had to find my place and I could only do that alone. I always found a niche, at every school. Somewhere that felt right, where I could be by myself. It’s difficult to describe, but I always knew it when I found it. In our new house, for example, it wasn’t my bedroom, it was the steps outside the laundry. It felt good there. Quiet. I knew there would be a place like that somewhere in the school grounds. It was just a case of finding it.
    I skirted groups of kids littering the oval and ignored their stares. There was a tree away from the main area and I headed towards it. It was a hot day and I needed shade. Most of the other trees already had groups of kids under them. I sat under my tree and faced the oval. I didn’t want it to seem like I was staring at anyone.
    I opened my lunch bag and found the treat Mary had packed. It was a big slab of chocolate cake, already starting to melt in the heat. I picked up a piece and it crumbled in my fingers. I had a chunk almost to my mouth when I stopped. I thought of Leah. She liked cake. Maybe it would be nice to save it for her. Then again, she might think I was hitting on her. It was a problem.
    A shadow fell across my feet. I looked up. The shadow belonged to a boy. His eyes were brown. And hard.
    â€˜This place is out of bounds,’ he said.
    â€˜Is it?’ I said. ‘I didn’t know. I’m new.’
    â€˜Yeah, I know. You think I wouldn’t have noticed you before? You’re a little difficult to miss, mate.’ He squatted down next to me. ‘You like cake, eh?’
    I shrugged.
    â€˜Figures,’ he said. ‘So how many of those do you have a day? I mean, to get to your size, you must get through, what . . . five or six?’
    I didn’t say anything, but I looked around for differences. It’s instinctive. I couldn’t see any, though. The boy sighed.
    â€˜Listen, mate. When I ask a question, you answer. Is that clear?’ His voice was calm, as if explaining something simple to someone of limited intelligence. There wasn’t any anger or aggression in it. And that scared me.
    â€˜Yeah,’ I said.
    â€˜Anyway,’ he continued. ‘You must eat plenty. Do you know what I think?’
    I didn’t know if that was a