“My Uncle Dane said, if you shout at me again or make me stand in the corner, he’s going to come down here and swing you around by your nipples.”
I came home from school today and spent all day with Mummy. It was the best day. Mummy spoke to Uncle Dane on the phone and was cross with him. Everyone was cross, but my Daddy laughed.
LIVVY
(Aged Ten)
“Stop it! Stop it!” I jump up and down trying to reach my lunch bag. Even though I do ballet, the boys are so much taller, and I just can’t reach. Christopher Palmer is always horrible. He picks on me more since my cousins, Isaac and Tobias, moved up to the local high school, but it’s okay, I can take care of myself. Lawson is my other cousin and their little brother. I never tell him about Christopher as he’s only nine, and I don’t want him to get in trouble with Mrs Petty. She’s a mean cow bag. Mrs Petty never liked Tobias and Isaac when they went to this school, and she has sure never liked me. Christopher’s her grandson, so she always believes him, even though he’s a big fat liar.
“Chris, give me my lunch!” I shout again, but he just laughs and looks to his friends, Martin and Carl, who laugh with him. I can feel the heat creeping up my neck, and I know they’re going to point out my red face in a minute too.
“Awww, poor O-livia, let’s see what your mummy packed you today shall we, Hairy Beast?” Chris says, chucking my lunch over to Martin, who eagerly opens the box. The taunts started the minute Toby and Isaac left. Before, Chris would only tease me when they weren’t around and he never called me names. Then bang, one day he seemed to create this rumour about me having hairy legs and then the nickname Hairy Beast was officially mine.
“Ooo, ham sandwich,” Martin adds. “Should you really be eating one of your own kind? Well, piggy?”
“Watch out, lads, she’s turning red,” Carl adds, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet.
What I did next, secured my nickname for the next year of middle school and the first year of high school. The Rhino. Perfect.
I’m so cross, my skin prickles with embarrassment, and there’s a circle of people surrounding us now, all laughing at me. So I run full pelt, straight toward Chris. His eyes only widen at the last minute when he realises what I’m doing, but it’s too late. I barrel head first into his midsection taking him completely off his feet, and we both fall with a thud to the ground.
I remember very little of what happened next. Chris was crying, and I was reigning punches down on his face one after the other.
Now Mum has come to school to collect me. She’s in with Mr Price, the headmaster, and Mrs Petty is in there too. I can hear raised voices and I know they’re not happy with me. I gave Chris a fat lip. I cross my arms with annoyance when I think about all the mean things he’s done and said to me.
The door creaks open and out steps a very angry looking Mrs Petty. She glances down at me with a sneer and walks off.
“Now, Olivia, please come in and sit down,” Mr Price states. I follow him inside and listen as he tells me why my behaviour is unacceptable. My mum says nothing but sits close to my side.
“Olivia, you cannot go around pushing people over. Violence is never the answer,” he tells me firmly.
“What if I kick him in his willy? My Uncle Dane says if a boy is doing something he shouldn’t be, then I can kick him in his willy,” I tell Mr Price matter-of-factly.
His face turns red and he looks to my mum, I look up to her too. She’s doing the scrunchy thing with her face that she always does when she’s trying not to laugh.
“Mrs McKenna, I suggest you take Olivia home today and try to explain why this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated at this school.”
My mum stands telling me to get up and grab my things.
“Mr Price, if you want me to make sure Olivia understands her behaviour was unacceptable, then can I also assume you’ll make sure Christopher Palmer is punished for his behaviour, not just today, but over the course of Livvy’s school life? Or are family members of teachers exempt from being taught how to act like decent human beings?”
Mr Price splutters as Mum grabs my hand and we walk out of school.
My mum rocks.
LIV
(Aged Fifteen)
“Him? Really, Liv?” Isaac drawls beside me as we make our way to English Lit class. Well, I make my way there. Isaac is in sixth form now and as such seems to do what he wants.
“Why not? Dean Chester is hot, and he likes me,” I reply, pulling the gum from my mouth and twirling it around my finger. Isaac and I have always been the closest out of our family. Sometimes he’s more like my best friend than my cousin. I’d never tell Victoria that though, as she believes she’s my closest friend.
Isaac looks at my finger and raises an eyebrow. I roll my eyes at him but deposit the gum into the nearest bin.
“He’s a dick,” is his only reply.
“You say that about every guy. When Tommy wanted to go to the cinema with me, you said he was a dick too.”
“He was, and not twenty-four hours later he was back with Leanne.”
I huff and roll my eyes, but it’s not something I can deny. “When Richard wanted to take me to the school
