He hands his test in and after Mr Patterson moves on, catches me glaring at him.
In response, he smiles, before turning to Henry and discussing the likelihood of them failing another assessment. My fist curls.
Because our class still has thirty minutes to go, we return our desks to neat lines and take notes on the next topic, trigonometric graphs.
Noah tried to cheat off my test. It’s not a big deal to him, but it is to me. Unlike some people, I go to school to learn.
I’m more pissed off at that smile he gave me which said:I’m not sorry at all, and I don’t care if you caught me, because I know you won’t snitch. You’re you and I’m me.
My mind can’t let it go.
“Hey, how was the maths test?”
Ruby appears beside my locker. Her caramel-coloured hair is out, falling past her shoulder blades with a headband to keep it in place. While my blonde hair is as long, I always keep mine in a high ponytail.
“Yeah, it was pretty easy.” I shove my maths folder into my locker and take out two apples. “How was your class — Ooh, guess what?”
“What?” Ruby says, jangling her coins in her palm.
I wait until we’ve left the potential eavesdroppers around the Year 11 lockers before I answer, passing the beige and white classrooms of Easton Grammar, and the crowds of other students in light-blue and navy uniforms. “I caught someone cheating off my test. Noah Rosselli.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Ruby says.
“It was so obvious.”
“If he’s dumb enough to cheat, he won’t be clever enough to cheat subtly.”
I laugh as we arrive at the canteen where a long line snakes out of the building.
“I hope they don’t run out of the granola and yoghurt,” Ruby says when we join the end. “Guess what I heard? On the weekend, Daisy and Howard broke up and got back together. Twice.”
“What?” My brows shoot up. “I wish someone would date me once, let alone twice in twenty-four hours.”
“Same. We’re such spinsters,” Ruby laughs. “Hey, but you don’t like anyone.”
“Neither do you,” I say. “All we want is attention.”
“Yeah. I’d be flattered and then reject him. Especially someone as gross as Howard.”
“Howard isn’t gross,” someone says behind us, and I know who it is before I turn around.
Ruby glares at her brother. “Don’t ask me for money.”
“I’m not,” Oliver says, his brows coming down in annoyance. Like Ruby, Oliver has the same caramel hair and arched brows, though Ruby’s brows are thinner, while Oliver’s are sharp like an eagle’s. They don’t make him unattractive, though. Not that I’d tell Ruby that. The only thing she likes to hear about her brother is insults. He pulls a five-dollar note out of his pocket. “I’m buying food, like you.”
“Whatever,” Ruby says.
“Why are you defending Howard?” I ask.
Oliver’s eyes settle on mine. “He’s my friend.”
“Really?” Ruby asks.
“Yes. Unlike you, I have more friends than fingers on my right hand.”
Before Ruby can shoot back a response, I interrupt. “If you’re friends with Howard, can you tell him to stop PDA-ing all the time? It makes people queasy.”
“Then don’t look at them,” Oliver responds.
