Extract from Iron Mouth by Sharyn Bajerai

This would be the worst day of my life. It would be even worse than the day a girl beat me last year in my running race. It didn’t help that Mum was in a bad mood.

            The car jolted to a stop. I was glued to my seat.

‘Out!’ shouted Mum.

            ‘I feel sick,’ I said, and moaned.

            ‘You’re going to school and that’s it,’ she said. ‘Out!’

            I still couldn’t move.

            ‘I’m in a hurry.’ Mum unsnapped my seatbelt, leaned over me, opened my door and pushed me out.

            I tumbled out of the car far too near to Rusco ‘Bully’ Leeming and his friends.

            ‘Thanks Mum,’ I mumbled. I grabbed my backpack from the pavement. The car door

slammed shut as Mum took off in a plume of black smoke.

            ‘Hey,’ said Leeming. ‘I could report your mum’s car for smoking.’ He laughed loudly at his

own joke. His friends joined in.

            ‘Yeahhhh,’ I said nervously. I heaved my backpack onto my shoulder and took off. I wasn’t

going to stick around for one of Leeming’s verbal bashings.

I saw my best friend, Dean, playing with his football and trotted towards him.

            ‘So did you get them?’ he asked.

            I bared my teeth. He took in a sudden breath. ‘Wow! How long do you have to wear them?’

            ‘Two years,’ I mumbled.

            ‘Two years! That’s forever!’

            ‘I know. Mum says I’ll thank her one day for having nice, straight teeth,’ I said.