Jenna trailed behind Kai and his friends. She still did not see them as her own friends. Julian had barely said a word to her, and Ray never spoke unless spoken to.Only Kenny made an effort to talk to her, and he talked at a million words a minute.He filled her head with pointless gossip about people she didn't know from Adam—people she would probably never get to know.There were very few people that the gang deemed good enough to interact with. A couple of the guys on the rugby team, a few of the bitchier girls from the remedial class and a girl whose brother was apparently some kind of criminal—Sofia. Of all of them, Sofia was the only one Jenna felt herself gelling with. The girl was tough but kind and was the only person who ever stood up to Kai. He ignored her, mostly, but he did not seem to mind her.As the group headed to the benches, Jenna caught sight of Sofia and called her over. Sofia seemed to be a drifter, floating between different friend groups and ready to leave at

When Jenna didn't reply, Jacob turned to his mother. "Mum?" he asked, "Why are you sitting here talking to her like you're old mates?"The mum looked confused. She turned to Jenna."Are you not here to tutor Charlie in maths?" she asked.Jenna shook her head slowly.Another knock at the door prompted the dogs to leap up and start barking. The young woman picked up the baby and got up to answer it, leaving Jenna with Jacob. He grabbed her by the sleeve of her coat and pulled her into the kitchen, which seemed amazingly clean for a household containing two dogs and a busy mother. The work surfaces sparkled and there wasn't a pot or pan out of place. It made her think of her old house.Thinking about her old house made her sad, so she pushed it from her mind and concentrated on the here and now. She had come here on a mission, and she wasn't going to fluff it now."I have your artwork," Jenna explained. "Erm... your comic. The one... the one Kai stole..."She trailed off, feeling like

Rachel Connell ran home as quickly as she could in heels. In hindsight, her choice of shoe was not a good one. She almost tripped over the uneven pavement, steadied herself against a wall and glanced about to see if anyone had witnessed her trip.Luckily, Kai and his gang had not caught up to her. But they would.Every night this week they had followed her home. At first, they just loitered outside being loud and annoying. Then, last night, things had taken a more sinister turn. One of them had thrown a brick through the window while the others tried the doors, rattling the door knobs and banging.What will they do tonight?' she wondered.If things got too bad, she would have to call the police and risk Kai leaking the video. What else could she do?She fumbled with her keys, dropping them to the ground with a clatter before retrieving them and managing to unlock her front door. Inside, the house was cold and dark. Before now, her home had always felt welcoming. A relief after an a

Kai walked the same route he had taken for the past few nights, listening to the birds squawking and shuffling inside the bushes. This time he was alone, but people still crossed the road to avoid him. 'They aren't wrong to do so,' he thought.A kid he recognised from school was out walking his dog. When he saw Kai coming, he quickly looked down, as if desperate not to be noticed.Kai looked down at the kid's dog—a sleek and dainty-looking whippet. It was a cool dog.The poor kid looked like he was about to crap his pants when the dog stopped to sniff Kai's hand. "Good dog," Kai said, giving it a gentle pat.Its grateful eyes and soft fur made him want a dog. Dogs were loyal... unlike people.He couldn't help but be annoyed with his mates. Deep down he understood why they were unwilling to carry on, and he was happy to let think they had won.But they hadn't. Kai told them he was going to force her to do his coursework to make his defeat more believable.Without a care in the world

Kai stared at the envelope of drawings for a moment before stuffing them into his bag. He couldn't figure out Jacob's motives. The only thing that made sense was to him was that Jacob was trying to steal yet another girl away from him. For whatever reason, Jacob always seemed to like the same girls as Kai, but once he had them, he'd rip their hearts to pieces.'Well I'm not letting you do it again,' Kai thought. Bullying Jacob was no longer entertaining or satisfying anyway. He decided he'd find someone else to pick on. It wasn't as if he got off on bullying them. But if he didn't fulfil the role of biggest, baddest bully... who even was he? Just a nobody?Being so widely feared and revered gave him a sense of worth that was hard to get elsewhere. "What are you dreaming about?" Char asked, staring at him as usual. He flashed her his usual angry look--that look that said 'fuck off and die you nosy bitch.'"Grumpy," she teased, punching him lightly on the arm. The same arm that had