Today is a miserable, rainy school day. Cody gets to stay at home all day, it's not fair that I can't. Mommy has put me in a red checker dress which I hate. It makes me look four years old! She said I couldn't wear my varsity jacket to school so I put it in my bag to put on at school. We pull up outside the red brick building. It would look nice if it didn't have a huge plastic coat of arms, with a large "R" in the middle. I roll my eyes.

"Baby," Mommy raises her eyes at me, "behave, won't you?"

Oh, I'll behave. They won't torment me today. I jump out the car and skip through the front gate.

"Baby, don't run off, will you." Mommy chews her lip, "Michael, where are you going?"

Michael is my older brother, he's in his last year at Redfort Middle School (attached to Redfort Elementary, my school), and he's often at parks with his friends so I don't see him much. He once set a tree on fire. Or there was one time when he robbed someone! He's in trouble with the police a lot, Mommy says.

"Friends." Michael turns and looks at Mommy casually, "Is that alright with you?"

"No, actually." She snatches his arm, "Go find your sister, I don't want you hanging around with them anymore."

"They're in my class, mom, you can't keep them away from me." I catch his eye, I'm hiding in a bush, where the older ones come in at break and play on their phones. He lumbers towards me.

"Hand yourself over, kid."

"Let's make a deal. I'll distract Mommy and you can find your friends. I'll tell her you went straight to class." I stick my hand out and he shakes it.

"You got yourself a deal." And he runs out of sight and ascends over a wall.

Now, gotta hold my part of the bargain, "Mommy, I'm over here!" I call, emerging from the bushes. She ruffles my hair a little too roughly and pushes me towards the door. Teachers tense, ready for a storm. I walk past them, head high. "Ladies." I say to them as I pass.

In the classroom, kids are chatting, and sitting in their groups. The popular, pink girls. The smarter, geekier kids. The tomboys, the sport lovers, the dancers. The popular, Jessica, Molly, Chloe and Lucy, giggle and whisper as I enter. The teacher sat me right in front of Lucy, and next to Chloe, in the middle of the room.

"Hey ginger," Lucy leans over to me, "Got any baby books on you?"

I glare at her and mutter, "Why would you want baby books anyway? Need to learn the alphabet?"

She giggles, "Baby you have such a sense of humour!" as the teacher walks in.

"Lucy," Miss Ainsley snaps, "chair. Sit on it."

She huffs and sits back. The lesson drawls on for hours and hours. At lunchtime, I take my lunchbox and sit in the bush outside. The older kids look at me but don't comment. Lunch break is usually the worst, but this time I stomp into the playground with a huge smile plastered on my face. I strut into girl's bathrooms and I spy Lucy, Chloe and Jessica follow me. I spray my face with water and wait for their attack.

"Ginger, you got me in trouble earlier" Lucy puts her hand on my shoulder.

Chloe puts her hand on my other shoulder, "You shouldn't get Lucy in trouble."

I glare at the basin, "Don't mess with me." I look at their reflections, "I'm warning you."

Jessica giggles, "What you gonna do, Ginger?" She pulls my hair.

I pull the knife out my boot and motion it towards Jessica's neck. She screams and runs away. Lucy and Chloe jump, and Chloe backs away. Lucy sneers, "You wouldn't dare."

"You don't know me very well." I tilt my head, "Too bad we won't have any time to get to know each other further." And I stab her wrist, which was approaching mine. "Don't touch me"

She falls dramatically to the floor, holding her wrist. I face Chloe, "Breath a word, I cut your tongue off" and I wash the knife, and stuff it back in my boot. I grab Lucy by her oppersite wrist and drag her out into the playground, practising my sad face. "Miss, miss!" I cry and Mrs Tangwell comes rushing over.

"My, what happened!" She gasps at the blood.

"I don't know. I stepped out the cubical and there she was, next to Chloe."

"Chloe?" She takes Lucy and pats me on the head.

The rest of the day is pretty quiet. Lessons go on, Mommy picks me up and complains about Michael. And I hide the knife in my microwave and watch tv. When Daddy comes home, he says he wants to talk to me in my bedroom.

"This incident with Lucy." He begins.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"What happened?"

"I don't know for sure."

He looks at me, "Baby, a knife went missing from my office, a weapon, and you were the only one there." He sighs, "Do you understand? I don't want you hurting people with a knife."

I look away, "I don't have it." I whisper.

"Baby, I know you have it." His voice sharpens, "Don't go betraying Daddy's trust."

"What do we have?" Mommy slides in, holding a tray of blueberry muffins.

"Baby took my flashlight." He sighs, "She was in my office."

When Mommy leaves, I whisper to Daddy, "Why didn't you tell?"

He winks, "Why do you think I never shout at Michael?"