"So, Odysseus heard the sirens' call, but his men refused to untie him and kept the boat far from shore. Circe had warned Odysseus that the sirens would lead him to temptation. Why was it important that Odysseus keep away from the sirens?" Mr. Kingsley walked along the rows of desks containing his Year 4 English pupils at Oak Park Primary, looking from bored face to bored face.

"Because they had farty breath!" Charlie cried, causing his classmates to burst into laughter. He made a silly face before glancing across the room at Isabella Jenkins. She was smiling at him, giggling along with the rest of the class. Jake McKenzie, seated behind her, looked furious.

Mr. Kingsley rolled his eyes. "Very funny, McKinnon. Now, do you happen to have the actual answer?"

"Um…" Charlie squirmed in his seat. He'd not paid much attention to his teacher's boring plot summary of The Odyssey, his mind drifting aimlessly like so many of the other students' in the class. In contrast to most primary teachers, Mr. Kingsley's methods were 'old school,' and not very effective at sufficiently holding the attention of nine-year-old children.

"I know," Jake said snidely, raising his hand. "It was because if they rowed to the island, their ship would wreck on the rocks. Only an idiot wouldn't know that."

The teacher beamed. "Very good, McKenzie. I'm glad that at least someone's been paying attention."

Jake sat up and gazed at the back of Izzy's head, but she was writing a note on her desk, not paying him any mind.

"Now, why is Odysseus considered the hero of this story?" Kingsley stood at the front of the room and scanned his class.

"Um, because he escaped his prison?"

Kingsley nodded. "Yes, but…"

"He tricked a cyclops!"

"You're on the right track, Pearce…"

"Because the Greek gods couldn't destroy him?"

"Good answer, Patel…"

Charlie turned around as he felt a poke on his shoulder. He saw his classmate, Joshua, surreptitiously holding out a tiny, folded piece of paper underneath the desk. "From Izzy," he whispered.

Charlie took it, keeping one eye on the teacher all the while. He held it underneath his desk and cautiously unfolded it to read the message. He lowered his head, squinting to make out the small, pencilled print:

'Dad said it was okay for me to come over and work on presentations tomorrow. See you by the water fountain outside Charles Darwin after class? Izzy x'

Charlie smiled and looked over at Izzy. She was hiding her face from Mr. Kingsley with her palm, watching for Charlie's response. He masked his nod by pretending to pick his nose. She giggled delightedly.

"Miss Jenkins, do you have any ideas to share with the class?"

Her head whirled around as she snapped to attention, her short brown curls fanning out behind her. "I think Odysseus is a hero because he made it all the way home, even though a bunch of different things tried to stop him. He was able to turn a bad situation good by using what little he had to his advantage."

Kingsley pointed at her. "Excellent answer, Miss Jenkins. I want everyone to keep that in mind tonight as you answer these homework questions…" He turned around and began writing their assignment on the dry-erase board. A giant rustle of paper sounded behind him as the students hurriedly pulled out their notebooks and began copying the questions.

Charlie's pencil hovered uncertainly over his paper. He looked up at the board, blinking and squinting to try to make it out. The words were still too blurry to read. He turned and tried to decipher the cramped handwriting of Melek, seated at the desk beside him. The girl shot him a weird look and inched her paper away from him, covering it with her arm.

He sighed and looked back down at his desk. The case containing his glasses seemed to burn brightly at him, taunting him. Charlie frowned and looked back up at the board. He could just walk up there and read it after class, but then he wouldn't have time to meet up with Izzy. He turned back to the case, his shoulders slumping in resignation. Glancing around to make sure nobody was looking, he surreptitiously pulled his glasses out and slipped them on.

Instantly, the questions on the board sharpened into focus. He furiously began scribbling them down, anxious to finish before his classmates noticed him.

A crumpled piece of paper bounced off his head.

"Oi, four-eyes!"

Charlie looked over to see Jake grinning cruelly. "Nice specs. Where'd you get them from, Geeks 'R Us?"

All eyes fell on Charlie. His classmates started to snigger. A couple pointed, whispering, "what are those?" His face burned as he desperately tried to finish copying the assignment, doing his best to ignore them.

Another wad of paper smacked him on the brow. Charlie shot Jake a wounded look before hurriedly carrying on with his writing.

"Oh, crumbs! Is Penfold too scared to talk?" Jake raised his voice to a high, mocking pitch. A disparaging rumble of "crumbs!" buzzed throughout the classroom.

Mr. Kingsley turned around from the board and sternly faced the class. "That's enough, McKenzie! One more word and I'm reporting you to the headmaster!"

"Oooh," the class intoned. Jake instantly quieted but shot Charlie a triumphant smirk. Charlie frowned and turned his gaze to Izzy. She was staring intently at her desk, refusing to look at him. He turned back to his paper, shrinking down in his seat dejectedly.

The bell rang, signalling the end of English class. The students began gathering up their things and filing out of Jane Austen into the hall. "Don't forget about your autumn assembly presentations! If you haven't started on your essay yet, you're running out of time!" Mr. Kingsley called to their retreating backs.

Charlie quickly slipped off his glasses and dashed down towards Charles Darwin. To his dismay, he saw Izzy ahead of him pass right by the water fountain and continue down the hall. "Izzy!" He shouted. She put her head down and pretended not to hear him.

He pushed past some of his classmates and darted up beside her. "Izzy, you didn't stop! I thought you said to meet you by the fountain!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to talk," she murmured, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Are you still coming over to mine after school tomorrow?"

She shrugged. "I guess so."

Charlie felt his steps grow heavier by the second. "Izzy, what's wrong?"

She stopped and lifted her eyes to his for the first time, the rest of Year 4 filing past her on the way to the cafeteria. She opened her mouth to speak, her gaze sad and withdrawn.

"Get lost, loser!"

Jake suddenly appeared between them, roughly shoving Charlie aside. Charlie looked over his shoulder, reaching out to catch himself on a table standing behind him. His blurry eyes misjudged the distance and he landed on the floor, his bottom smacking the ground with a hard thud.

Jake loomed over him, his arms folded. "Don't you see she doesn't want to talk to a nerd like you? Oh, that's right, you're blind. Eh, Penfold?"

Charlie frowned and tried to kick Jake in the shin. He missed by a few centimetres.

Jake took a step back and sneered contemptuously. "Ooh, I'm so scared. Better work on your kung moggy!"

Charlie wracked his brain, desperately trying to think of what his dad had told him to say. "Yeah? I know what I am, but your nan's bum is big!"

"Too bad you're so blind you need jam jars to see it!" Jake laughed and walked over to Izzy, who was standing apart from the boys with her head turned. He took her by the arm and led her into the cafeteria, calling, "shush, Penfold!" over his shoulder.

Charlie looked down at the floor, gutted. He blinked back tears, brushing his eyes against the sleeve of his uniform. His fingers tightened around the glasses case he still held in his hand as his face twisted with anger. He sullenly hurled it across the deserted hall, where it bounced off a chair and landed back on the floor beside him. The case popped open to expose the glasses, unharmed. Just as he lifted a foot to stomp on them, Miss Shepherd, the Year 4 science teacher, appeared.

"Charlie! Looks like you took a bit of a tumble." She held out her hand and helped haul him to his feet.

"Yeah. Thanks," the boy sniffed, picking up his books.

Miss Shepherd stooped to retrieve his glasses and handed them to him. "Are these yours?"

He hesitated before reluctantly taking them and shoving the case deep in his pocket.

"I'm glad your parents took my advice and had your eyes checked." Miss Shepherd searched his face. "You don't want to be straining to see the board during class. You could seriously damage your eyes, Charlie."

Charlie frowned and ducked his head. He moved off to follow his class into Winston Churchill.

"I'll see you with your new glasses, then, after lunch!" Miss Shepherd called.

"As if," Charlie muttered under his breath. After what had just happened, he was determined to never wear them again.