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!’ Davey had just about had enough. And it was only Tuesday.

CHAPTER 6
CLEAN BOWLED AND OUT
    The big match against Batfish Beach Primary was only two days away and things weren’t exactly going smoothly for the Sandhill Flats team. Tay Tui had proved to be a more than able wicket-keeper and replacement for Dylan, but Mo Clouter was nothing short of a disaster as a temporary fill-in for Kevin.
    Everyone knew Mo hated cricket, so why he’d volunteered to join the school team was a mystery.
    â€˜He’s up to something,’ Davey said to Sunil as they dawdled into class on Wednesday morning.
    â€˜Yeah, and we need to find out what.’
    â€˜Deep, no more talk, unless it’s about HSIE,’ Mr Mudge barked.
    Davey noticed that Mudge’s ears already had a blood-orange tinge. However, the lesson started out reasonably well. Mudge droned on about the discovery of gold in Australia. Davey tried to listen – especially because George had said there was gold in the swamp at Flatter Park, and Davey thought Mr Mudge might get around to telling them how to find it. But soon the familiar sound of a certainB4U song buzzed in his ear like a mosquito. Tay was at it again.
    â€˜. . . pick up your phone and make that call . . .’
    Davey tried to keep his eyes to the front. He figured that if he didn’t look at Tay he’d have less chance of focusing on what she was singing. But it didn’t work. For some reason, as soon as he heard the song he couldn’t hear anything else.
    He glanced in Tay’s direction. She was in a trance again, staring into the middle distance as she sang. Davey noticed that on the desk in front of her was a Whopper Chomp packet.
    Oh-oh , he thought. He’d seen this before. Mo Clouter had found a Whopper Chomp packet on his desk not so long ago and it had turned into a huge to-do because Sunil hadhidden rotten egg gas in it. Mudge’s ears had stayed purple for days.
    â€˜. . . you’re my on-ly, ba-a-a-a-b-b-b-y-y-y  . . . ’
    Tay’s hand reached absent-mindedly for the Whopper Chomp packet. She extracted a lolly and popped it in her mouth. The singing stopped.
    But it was too late. ‘Who’s making that noise during HSIE?’ Mudge’s ears were tearing through the colours of the spectrum at the speed of sound. Davey couldn’t take his eyes off them.
    â€˜Is that supposed to be singing? Whoever it is, don’t think you’re being funny.’ The teacher looked around accusingly.
    Mo put up his hand. ‘It was Warner, Sir, singing that B4U song. He can’t stop thinking about them.’
    Mudge’s cold gaze settled on Davey, his ears now violet.
    Davey looked down at the desk in front of him. There, on top of his book, was Tay’s Whopper Chomp packet. Someone – Mo – had pushed it there.
    Mudge marched over and bent down so close that Davey could see bristles peeking out of his nostrils.
    â€˜Wa-a-a-a-r-ner!’ Mr Mudge grabbed the lolly packet. ‘What is this?’
    â€˜Not sure, Sir,’ Davey mumbled. ‘It’s not mine.’ He didn’t say whose it was. He wasn’t a snitch.
    â€˜They’re Warner’s, Sir.’ It was Mo.
    Mudge’s ears had turned black. ‘Is that correct, Warner?’



Davey looked at Tay Tui. She’d turned blue and her face had frozen in fear. He couldn’t tell on her. ‘Um, I don’t know, Sir.’
    â€˜So while I’m out here doing my darnedest to fill that empty head of yours with at least a smidgeon of knowledge’ – Mudge held up his thumb and forefinger to show how little knowledge he expected Davey to absorb – ‘you’re having a fine old time lazing around, singing songs and eating lollies. Is that right?’
    â€˜No, Mr Mudge.’
    â€˜Last time I found a packet of lollies on this table I recall that you were partly