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out behind him, bounced a ball to Brat, stared at Drew and then winked me.
    I tried to restrain a groan. Jeebie, who definitely wasn’t my type, was out to cramp my style.

 
Chapter Twelve
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    â€œWhy don’t you run on ahead and unlock the house for me?” I suggested to Brat, ignoring the grinning Jeebie as if he was invisible.
    â€œMum doesn’t like me going into the house first,” the little wretch chanted. “What if there’s a burglar waiting?”
    â€œMy sympathies are with the burglar,” Drew muttered. He delved into his pocket and spun a two dollar coin across to Brat. “If you go to the shop and buy your sister and me two cans of drink, you can keep the change.”
    â€œNo change out of that for two cans of drink,” Brat jeered, dancing around us.
    Jeebie started to chuckle. I signalled a hate-filled get lost look at him, but he pretended not to see it. Brat grinned. He thought he was being funny. He flipped the coin back to Drew. I clenched my hands and wished they were tightening around my beastly little brother’s neck.
    Drew’s smile looked a bit forced. “I like a kid who’s good at arithmetic,” he said. He flipped the coin back and another four coins back as well. Brat caught them like a trained juggler. “That do? Take your time at getting back.”
    â€œOkay, I suppose,” Brat said with a shrug. He threw his school bag at me to carry and ran off up the street towards the general store.
    Drew and I continued our progress home escorted by the silent Jeebie. Today Jeebie wore jeans with patches on both knees, and a ragged and faded black T-shirt. Contrasted with Drew, he looked like a scarecrow dressed at the local thrift shop. Drew also wore jeans, but you could tell by their fit that they were expensive ones, and his shirt sat immaculately across his broad shoulders.
    Our conversation on the way home had been stilted, with Jeebie listening to everything we said. Drew asked whether I was going to the pool in the morning and I assured him I was. Then I asked how he liked Mr McVitty as a tennis coach, and he said he was a great guy but a bit obsessive about training. Then we were silent. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to talk to Drew about with Jeebie listening to every word I said and I guess Drew felt the same.
    At last we reached our front gate. I acknowledged Jeebie’s presence as if I had just discovered he was there. “Bye, Jeebie. See you some time.”
    Jeebie just grinned at us and vaulted the fence into his grandmother’s place. I sneaked a look at my watch. With luck, if Brat stayed missing I would have a whole hour with Drew before Mum arrived home. I smiled up at Drew as I opened the front door.
    â€œCome through to the sunroom, and I’ll get out the rest of my notes.”
    The sun room was the built in back veranda. It looked on to our back lawn and was cosy and private. It was Mum’s domain which she used when she worked from home. It held her spare drawing board and desk, bookcases and the spare couch. If and when Brat arrived back I could send him into the lounge room to watch television so he would be out of our hair.
    â€œMy mother said your mother used to be the brain of the school,” Drew said, his eyes going to Mum’s drawing board. “You inherit her brilliance for math as well?”
    â€œNo,” I admitted. “If I didn’t work like a dog I would sink to the bottom of the class.”
    I was instantly suspicious. Was Drew actually trying to use me? If Drew was attracted to straight A students, why me instead of Louise? Louise could easily have written up these notes. I flipped my plait back over my shoulder and unfolded my notes. Drew sat down and casually put his arm around me.
    He suddenly smiled. He was so close to me that I saw how thick the black lashes that edged his blue eyes were. I forgot what I had been thinking about. It