moment it sounded, she leapt to her feet, carrying her tray – and collided hard with a blonde bunny in a baby
pink mini-dress. Ivy’s tray tilted and spilled edible carnage all over her deep grey dress.
‘Oh no!’ The bunny girl gasped, jumping backwards. She clapped one hand to her mouth and stared at Ivy with stricken eyes. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to! It was
an accident!’
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Ivy shrugged. ‘It was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.’
The bunny girl gave a squeak of panic and took another step backwards. ‘No, no, no. I didn’t say that! I never said that!’ She swallowed hard, pulling out her wallet and
handing it to Ivy with trembling fingers. ‘I’ll reimburse you for any damage to your clothes, I promise. Please –’
‘Don’t be silly.’ Ivy gently pushed the wallet away. ‘It was
my
fault, remember?’
‘No, it
wasn’t
your fault. Please!’ There were beads of sweat popping up on the bunny girl’s forehead now, as she darted a look at the table of watching goths.
‘Let me buy you lunch tomorrow.’
Ivy winced. ‘You really don’t have to do that.’
‘Yes, I do. I really do.’ She forced a five-dollar bill into Ivy’s hands. ‘Please, just
take it
!’ With a wail of panic, she turned and fled for the door.
Ivy stared at the crumpled bill in her fingers and shook her head helplessly. She couldn’t wait to get out of the crowded cafeteria. The moment she’d finished clearing up the mess,
she hurried out with Sophia and Brendan on either side. Once they were safely out of hearing range of the others, she hissed, ‘This is ridiculous! I thought being the new girl would be
difficult, but I had no idea being a bunny would be even harder! What is
wrong
with this school?’
Sophia just shook her head, looking shell-shocked.
Brendan sighed. ‘It’s different, that’s for sure.’
Ivy gritted her teeth. ‘The ceilings might as well be the floors. It’s
that
upside down. I don’t like –’
‘Hey, wait up!’ It was Amelia, calling out behind them as she stepped out of the cafeteria, surrounded by a group of black-clad girls.
Ivy sighed as she watched the group move. Amelia strode forward confidently, but every girl around her did a funny kind of crab-walk, keeping one eye on Amelia with every step, and trying to
copy her every move. Maybe they were trying to do it without looking super-obvious . . . but as it was, it was still
very
noticeable.
With both eyes on Amelia, the girl beside her walked straight into a locker.
Crash!
Ivy cringed, but Amelia didn’t even look around at the noise. She aimed straight at Ivy, forcing Sophia to step aside. ‘Well done!’ She tucked her hand into Ivy’s arm,
lowering her voice confidentially. ‘I saw how you handled that tricky situation in the cafeteria. Bunnies have a tendency to turn up at the most unwelcome moments, don’t
they?’
‘Uh . . .’ Speechless, Ivy tried to edge away, but there was no room.
‘You were very gracious about it,’ Amelia said. ‘I’m impressed. You chose not to give that silly girl a hard time, even though she deserved it.’
‘What?’ Ivy spluttered. ‘It was an accident! It could have happened to anyone.’
Amelia smiled thinly. ‘Trust me, you don’t have to cover for her.’
‘I’m not “covering” for anyone.’ Ivy gritted her teeth. ‘Why would it matter? It’s not important.’
‘You see how good she is?’ Amelia glanced back at her admirers. ‘She’s so cool, she doesn’t even have to bother giving bunnies a putdown!’ She gave Ivy a wink
as she squeezed her arm, then released it. ‘Don’t worry. You and I both know what the truth is.’
‘Uh . . . uhhhhrgh . . .’ Ivy opened and closed her mouth like a fish as Amelia sauntered off down the hallway, followed by her group of admirers, who kept one eye on her and the
other on the lockers.
Ivy swung round to her friends. ‘Did that just happen?’ she
pink mini-dress. Ivy’s tray tilted and spilled edible carnage all over her deep grey dress.
‘Oh no!’ The bunny girl gasped, jumping backwards. She clapped one hand to her mouth and stared at Ivy with stricken eyes. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to! It was
an accident!’
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Ivy shrugged. ‘It was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.’
The bunny girl gave a squeak of panic and took another step backwards. ‘No, no, no. I didn’t say that! I never said that!’ She swallowed hard, pulling out her wallet and
handing it to Ivy with trembling fingers. ‘I’ll reimburse you for any damage to your clothes, I promise. Please –’
‘Don’t be silly.’ Ivy gently pushed the wallet away. ‘It was
my
fault, remember?’
‘No, it
wasn’t
your fault. Please!’ There were beads of sweat popping up on the bunny girl’s forehead now, as she darted a look at the table of watching goths.
‘Let me buy you lunch tomorrow.’
Ivy winced. ‘You really don’t have to do that.’
‘Yes, I do. I really do.’ She forced a five-dollar bill into Ivy’s hands. ‘Please, just
take it
!’ With a wail of panic, she turned and fled for the door.
Ivy stared at the crumpled bill in her fingers and shook her head helplessly. She couldn’t wait to get out of the crowded cafeteria. The moment she’d finished clearing up the mess,
she hurried out with Sophia and Brendan on either side. Once they were safely out of hearing range of the others, she hissed, ‘This is ridiculous! I thought being the new girl would be
difficult, but I had no idea being a bunny would be even harder! What is
wrong
with this school?’
Sophia just shook her head, looking shell-shocked.
Brendan sighed. ‘It’s different, that’s for sure.’
Ivy gritted her teeth. ‘The ceilings might as well be the floors. It’s
that
upside down. I don’t like –’
‘Hey, wait up!’ It was Amelia, calling out behind them as she stepped out of the cafeteria, surrounded by a group of black-clad girls.
Ivy sighed as she watched the group move. Amelia strode forward confidently, but every girl around her did a funny kind of crab-walk, keeping one eye on Amelia with every step, and trying to
copy her every move. Maybe they were trying to do it without looking super-obvious . . . but as it was, it was still
very
noticeable.
With both eyes on Amelia, the girl beside her walked straight into a locker.
Crash!
Ivy cringed, but Amelia didn’t even look around at the noise. She aimed straight at Ivy, forcing Sophia to step aside. ‘Well done!’ She tucked her hand into Ivy’s arm,
lowering her voice confidentially. ‘I saw how you handled that tricky situation in the cafeteria. Bunnies have a tendency to turn up at the most unwelcome moments, don’t
they?’
‘Uh . . .’ Speechless, Ivy tried to edge away, but there was no room.
‘You were very gracious about it,’ Amelia said. ‘I’m impressed. You chose not to give that silly girl a hard time, even though she deserved it.’
‘What?’ Ivy spluttered. ‘It was an accident! It could have happened to anyone.’
Amelia smiled thinly. ‘Trust me, you don’t have to cover for her.’
‘I’m not “covering” for anyone.’ Ivy gritted her teeth. ‘Why would it matter? It’s not important.’
‘You see how good she is?’ Amelia glanced back at her admirers. ‘She’s so cool, she doesn’t even have to bother giving bunnies a putdown!’ She gave Ivy a wink
as she squeezed her arm, then released it. ‘Don’t worry. You and I both know what the truth is.’
‘Uh . . . uhhhhrgh . . .’ Ivy opened and closed her mouth like a fish as Amelia sauntered off down the hallway, followed by her group of admirers, who kept one eye on her and the
other on the lockers.
Ivy swung round to her friends. ‘Did that just happen?’ she
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