Robyn
Robyn grabbed her stuff and left the classroom.
Step, step, step...and sliiiiiiiide past miss bossy britches with her gaggle of giggling idjits.
Robyn made her escape thankfully into the playground without incident and sat down on a bench to eat her lunch. Ok, no friends yet. But that'd change, yeah? Once they got over the accent and the fact that she was new and everything...
And never EVER mention again that she lived with just her dad and her sister.
She ate her sandwich in careful tiny bites, watching the action in the playground. She wished...
Distracted, Robyn was taken off guard when a soccer ball slammed into her and sent her flying off the bench.
"Oof!"
"Hey, can we have our ball back?" A boy called out.
She bit her lip to hold back tears and threw it back.
"Thanks! And uh, sorry!"
Robyn wiped her hand across her eyes and sighed shakily. Well, that had hurt. She watched with trepidation as missy bossy, otherwise known as Maddy, eyed her and laughed.
Oh, dear...didn't bode well.
As Maddy came towards her, flanked by her friends, Robyn put on a pokerface.
Duke
Duke was sitting in the quad when he looked up and happened to observed the snotty girls walking over to Robyn. Stupid tarts.
He chewed his lip thoughtfully. She didn't look to happy. Of course, he wouldn't blame her. He wasn't too happy when those girls decided it was fun to pick on him either.
Robyn
Robyn drew herself up slightly.
I'm the sister of a Slayer, my da's one of the bravest people I know, and my mum was fantastic. I'm not gonna go down before these stupid twits without a bit of a fight. And I'm not gonna cry. They're not worth my tears.
"Hey, uh...Robyn was it?"
"Yeah."
"So, how are ya doing?" All sweetness and smiles but Robyn didn't relax.
"I'm alright."
"So...what happened to your ma? She run off with another guy?"
"My mum died of breast cancer."
"Well...that's too bad, Robyn."
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
"Are you calling me stupid?"
"Well...I didn't say it first."
Maddy's eyes widened and she scowled.
"You're not nice."
"Neither are you. You started this."
Robyn grabbed her bag and hugged it to her chest so that one of Maddy's group couldn't take it.
Duke
Duke figetted for a moment, then walked over.
"Hey," he said. "Leave her alone."
"They're girls! Abeit the nastiest, most popular girls int he school, and you're just a weedy unpopular boy, but that's not the point."
Robyn
Robyn gazed at him wide-eyed for a moment as the girls swung to look at him.
"This isn't any of your business," Maddy snarled.
"And isn't that wildly unattractive?" Robyn asked the air.
Maddy gasped.
"What?"
"You know, the snarling and the pouting and the actaully, now I come to think about you're generally unattractive all over."
Robyn slid to the end of the bench and stood.
"Luvverly chat," she drawled in an exaggerated English accent.
"We will have to do it again sometime."
The girls seemed rather struckdumb, then Maddy gave Robyn an evil glare.
"Hey, Duke," Robyn said to him, still holding onto her bag.
Duke
Duke waved a hand at the bullies.
"Begone mere pesants," he said, sitting down next to Robyn. "Hi Robyn. The peons weren't bothering you were they? Or have you been reprimanding them for not doing their chores?"
Here was hoping Maddy didn't set her boyfriend on him after school.
Robyn
Robyn laughed.
"Well...I don't know. Generally they were just asking after my family. Hey, Soph's gonna pick me up after school. Cos, you know, older sister with car. Very cool. You wanna lift?"
Duke
Duke grinned.
"Sure," he said.
Very good way to avoid the boyfriend. Get driven home. The fact that Sophie is a demon fighter is just an added bonus.
Robyn
"So...didn't he tell you to shoo already?"
Robyn looked up at the girls and smiled.
"Cos you know...look, cute boy!"
She pointed dramtically and then looked wicked when they turned back to her.
"Aw, didn't work, Duke. Maybe I should have said bone, rather then boy. That being what dogs go for."
Duke
Duke chuckled.
"Yep, it usually is," he said. "Say, do you think if I threw a stick, they'd try to catch it?"
Robyn
"See, this is the thing," Robyn said to the girls as if they were very stupid.
"I know exactly what you wanted me to do, and I'm not gonna do it. When I get my back up against the wall, I just get worse. I listen to my sister too much, is all."
"Oh yeah, your disjointed family. I bet your mum died so she could get away from you," Maddy sneered.
Robyn shook her hair out of her face and pointed a finger at Maddy.
"I hope you walk down the street in the dark. Demon bait. You're just nasty enough they'd want to eat you."
"Demons aren't real!"
"You keep thinking that. My sister carries silver for people like you."
Duke
"Don't talk about her mother like that," Duke said. "You have no right to say stuff like that about Robyn or people in her family. Maybe I should start picking on you like that, and see how you like it."
He was mad now. He knew a few things had happened in his family to get teased about. Oliver running away. His mum kicking out his father.
Robyn
"My family is normal," Maddy sneered.
"One day, the winds gonna change and you'll be stuck looking like that forever," Robyn told her.
"And I'll talk about her family, anyway I like, Duke. Freak."
"He's not a freak!" Robyn said.
"You're both freaks!"
Duke
"No, no it's okay Robyn," Duke found himself saying before he really realised it. "Yeah, maybe we are freaks. We'll grow out of it. But you, Maddy, and your little friends, will always be bitchy little tarts."
Okay, he should just leave now, pack his bags and run away from home. Maybe he could join Oliver on the space station.
Robyn
Maddy gaped, pouted, then spun on her heel and flounced away. Her group followed her.
Robyn stared at Duke in newfound respect.
"Wow. That was cool. You made her leave."
Duke
Duke gave her a sick smile.
"Yeah... I did..." he said. "Her boyfriend is probably gonna bash me for it later though."
Robyn
"Kick him in the balls then run away," Robyn said calmly.
She shrugged slightly.
"That's what Soph told me to do, and hey, it works."
Duke
Duke chuckled.
"Yeah but... he might catch me and do it back... and I'm sure he'd do permanent damage."
Robyn
"Yeah, I suppose that's the advantage of being a girl. They're too embarrassed to come after you. Usually," Robyn amended.
"But Soph is an excellent bully deterrent. When she's around."
Duke
"Yeah... I think I might have to run away. Do you think Australia is far enough?" Duke asked.
Robyn
"Probably," Robyn said, resting her head in her hands.
"And yeah...thanks. For coming over and stuff."
Duke
"Oh hey, that's okay," said Duke. "We bully magnets have to stick together."
Hesitantly at first, he put an arm around her.
Robyn
"Yeah, because bullies tend to roam in packs," Robyn said.
"Kinda sad, you know. Same home and same here..."
Duke
"It's because they're too wussy to pick on someone by themselves. They're chicken," Duke said. "I wish there weren't bullies. School would be so much easier to deal with if there weren't."
Robyn
"Way, way true," Robyn agreed.
"I mean, school's bad at the best of times...and they just make it worse."
Duke
"Exactly," Duke said.
Soon thereafter, the bell rang for the end of lunch.
After the last bell of the day rang, Duke made his way as efficiently as possible to where he was going to meet Robyn and Sophie.
Sophie
Sophie pulled up in front of the school and got out, stretching her arms above her head, fingers laced together and palms out. She grinned as she heard the swerve of tires and put her arms down again, leaning against the side of the car.
"SOPH!"
Robyn bounced over, grinning.
"Hey, I told Duke he could catch a ride. That cool?"
"Yeah, sure. Ro'd probably like it better too. So, how was your day?"
"Fine."
Sophie raised an eyebrow slightly.
"We'll talk about it when we get home."
Duke
Duke was almost out when:
"Hey, poofter!"
Uh oh.
One thing about being a bully magnet, you learn to run fast.
Duke pelted down the last stairs and pelted to Sophie's car, which he had quickly recognised.
"Hi girls!" He greeted. "Can we go now?"
Sophie
"Yeah, let's go," Sophie said.
She uncoiled slightly and stared back where Duke had come running from.
"Do I need to hurt someone?"
"Nah, not yet. But let's keep that thought in mind?" Robyn said, clambering into the back of the Range Rover.
Sophie laughed and put her hand on Duke's shoulder.
"C'mon, mate. Let's blow this joint."
Duke
"Yay," Duke grinned.
He opened up the back car door and slipped inside.
Sophie
Sophie closed the door behind him and went round to the driver's side, climbing into the seat.
"So. School."
She glanced back at Duke as she slid out into the city traffic.
"Sucks, don't it?"
Duke
"Yes, yes it does," Duke agreed. "Especially when you spend half your time wondering when you're gonna get your next black eye."
Sophie
Sophie pursed her lips slightly as she drove.
"I'll teach you how to fight, how's that?"
"Me too!"
"Sure, brat, sure."
Sophie shrugged slightly.
"Or at least, teach you how to duck."
Duke
"That would be seriously useful," Duke said. "Mum wanted to get me into some self defence classes of some sort, but what with all the dance and singing and acting classes I'm already taking... Kinda costs money."
Sophie
"Yeah, you get that," Sophie said.
"Sounds cool though. What do you do?"
Robyn kicked her legs slightly, looking out the window.
Duke
"Jazz ballet and tap dancing," Duke replied. "Singing, and drama. One class of each a week. But since Mum kicked Dad out, I might have to drop something."
Duke was not happy about the prospect.
Sophie
"Well, that's gotta suck," Sophie said.
"Me and Robs never really had lessons or stuff like that."
"Nah, who cares?" Robyn said, shrugging.
"Like, it's cool that we don't. Couldn't dance anyway, and I have an awful singing voice."
"Yeah, sure, Robs. But I'll teach ya some moves for free, you don't have to worry about that," Sophie said, before she pulled into their street.
Duke
"Thank you so so so so so so so so so so much," Duke replied happily. "If you can do that, I'll be your willing slave forever. Or at least until I've finished high school."
Sophie
"Slave? I like that idea," Sophie drawled.
"Can't! He's too nice," Robyn said.
"Awwww..." Sophie pouted and she parked in her and Robyn's driveway, turning the ignition off.
"Say hi to your mum for us."
Braddocks
"I will," said Duke, getting out of the car. "Thanks again!"
He bounded up to the house and let himself him.
"Mum!"
"Back already?" Rowena asked.
"Yep, Sophie drove me."
"That was nice of her."
"Yeah, and she said to say hi. And, best of all, she's gonna teach me some self defence."
"Oh really? That's great."
"Yep!"
Sophie
Sophie locked up the car as Robyn bounded up the path and opened the door with her key.
"Right..."
Sophie followed her little sister inside and leaned on the kitchen bench, carkeys dangling from her hand.
"Now, I want to know what happened at school today. And no covering up, no evasions. Got me?"
Robyn sighed, and nodded before starting to talk.