the emails were abusive, some even threatening, but she couldn’t tell me what they said. Mrs Burridge wouldn’t say over the phone. She’s asked them to come in at half past nine this morning. Me, too.’ Her voice caught in her throat.
Clem patted Mio’s arm. ‘We’ll get to the bottom of this real quick. You’ll see.’
Mio flinched from Clem’s hand, her eyes wide with doubt as she shrugged her disbelief.
On his upturned milk crate Bryce stared out the window, deep in thought.
‘Seems like I’ve made an enemy,’ said Mio.
Clem would have liked to dismiss this as just a run of bad luck but between the stolen tags andthe gum in the lock and now this, coincidence was slipping further and further down the list of possibilities. ‘But who?’ she asked.
‘And why?’ added Tong.
‘Wonder if it’s to do with the petition,’ said Bryce. ‘Maybe a skater who doesn’t want it to get up?’
Mio frowned as she considered the possibility. ‘I guess…’
‘You didn’t force anyone to sign,’ said Darcy. ‘It’s not as if you threatened to karate-kick them or anything.’
‘No.’
Tong sighed, then asked, ‘What your father and mother say, Mio?’ He could imagine what his own parents would say. The disgrace to himself. The disgrace to the family. Tentatively, he asked, ‘They okay?’
Mio shook her head. ‘All the evidence points to me.’
Bryce snapped back to the conversation. ‘But spoofing’s rife. The “From” field of an email can easily be altered; it’s no indicator of who sent the email.’
‘I agree,’ said Darcy. ‘Anyone can pretend to be anyone on the Net.’
‘There must be some way to trace a sender,’ said Bryce.
‘Of course there is,’ said Clem. ‘It’s called email tracking. The school might be able to help. You should ask at the meeting this morning, Mio.’
‘I guess…’
On the way to school Mio braced herself for the morning ahead. She’d heard about this sort of thing happening to others, but had never been a target herself. She remembered one girl when she was at school in Japan who was always getting a hard time—kids calling her names, spreading rumours, not speaking to her. The girl ended up leaving. In fact, the whole school was glad to see the back of her, Mio included. But now the same thing was happening to her! From experience Mio knew it was important that she did not stand out. Not like that girl had stood out. It was vital to blend in with the group.
Tong was thinking the same thing—that Mio should not attract any more attention to herself.
Clem, however, was thinking just the opposite and said, ‘Mio, you should make as much fuss about this as possible.’
‘No,’ said Mio, her voice steeled with urgency. ‘No way.’
‘But you’re being victimised.’
Mio tried to make light of it by saying, ‘It’s probably some joke, that’s all.’ She could feel feargurgling inside her and prayed it wouldn’t bubble to the surface.
When she arrived at Mrs Burridge’s office at 9.25 am, after being excused early from Science, Mio could see her parents seated stiffly on two chairs in the waiting room. How small and timid they looked against the dark wood and leather, she thought, and how bad it was that she was the one responsible for their discomfort. She lowered her eyes as she walked towards them and bowed.
Then they were summoned.
Mrs Burridge held out her hand to Mio’s father, taken aback when it was ignored. A flustered Mrs Burridge tried to bow. Mr Shinozaki bowed back. Mio noticed with amusement that her father’s bow was not as low as Mrs Burridge’s. She also noticed that although her father’s mouth was turned up in a smile of greeting his eyes were hooded and icy. Her mother’s face stayed blank.
After the formalities were over Mrs Burridge began. Sitting ramrod straight in her chair she said, ‘I am most displeased with Mio’s behaviour.’
Here we go, Mio said to herself.
When Mio’s parents said
Clem patted Mio’s arm. ‘We’ll get to the bottom of this real quick. You’ll see.’
Mio flinched from Clem’s hand, her eyes wide with doubt as she shrugged her disbelief.
On his upturned milk crate Bryce stared out the window, deep in thought.
‘Seems like I’ve made an enemy,’ said Mio.
Clem would have liked to dismiss this as just a run of bad luck but between the stolen tags andthe gum in the lock and now this, coincidence was slipping further and further down the list of possibilities. ‘But who?’ she asked.
‘And why?’ added Tong.
‘Wonder if it’s to do with the petition,’ said Bryce. ‘Maybe a skater who doesn’t want it to get up?’
Mio frowned as she considered the possibility. ‘I guess…’
‘You didn’t force anyone to sign,’ said Darcy. ‘It’s not as if you threatened to karate-kick them or anything.’
‘No.’
Tong sighed, then asked, ‘What your father and mother say, Mio?’ He could imagine what his own parents would say. The disgrace to himself. The disgrace to the family. Tentatively, he asked, ‘They okay?’
Mio shook her head. ‘All the evidence points to me.’
Bryce snapped back to the conversation. ‘But spoofing’s rife. The “From” field of an email can easily be altered; it’s no indicator of who sent the email.’
‘I agree,’ said Darcy. ‘Anyone can pretend to be anyone on the Net.’
‘There must be some way to trace a sender,’ said Bryce.
‘Of course there is,’ said Clem. ‘It’s called email tracking. The school might be able to help. You should ask at the meeting this morning, Mio.’
‘I guess…’
On the way to school Mio braced herself for the morning ahead. She’d heard about this sort of thing happening to others, but had never been a target herself. She remembered one girl when she was at school in Japan who was always getting a hard time—kids calling her names, spreading rumours, not speaking to her. The girl ended up leaving. In fact, the whole school was glad to see the back of her, Mio included. But now the same thing was happening to her! From experience Mio knew it was important that she did not stand out. Not like that girl had stood out. It was vital to blend in with the group.
Tong was thinking the same thing—that Mio should not attract any more attention to herself.
Clem, however, was thinking just the opposite and said, ‘Mio, you should make as much fuss about this as possible.’
‘No,’ said Mio, her voice steeled with urgency. ‘No way.’
‘But you’re being victimised.’
Mio tried to make light of it by saying, ‘It’s probably some joke, that’s all.’ She could feel feargurgling inside her and prayed it wouldn’t bubble to the surface.
When she arrived at Mrs Burridge’s office at 9.25 am, after being excused early from Science, Mio could see her parents seated stiffly on two chairs in the waiting room. How small and timid they looked against the dark wood and leather, she thought, and how bad it was that she was the one responsible for their discomfort. She lowered her eyes as she walked towards them and bowed.
Then they were summoned.
Mrs Burridge held out her hand to Mio’s father, taken aback when it was ignored. A flustered Mrs Burridge tried to bow. Mr Shinozaki bowed back. Mio noticed with amusement that her father’s bow was not as low as Mrs Burridge’s. She also noticed that although her father’s mouth was turned up in a smile of greeting his eyes were hooded and icy. Her mother’s face stayed blank.
After the formalities were over Mrs Burridge began. Sitting ramrod straight in her chair she said, ‘I am most displeased with Mio’s behaviour.’
Here we go, Mio said to herself.
When Mio’s parents said
Similar Books
