grandfather’s saying— Ame futte ji katamaru [Rained-on ground hardens]—and squared her shoulders. Then she thought of his other piece of advice when she’d first learnt to ride a bike: Nana korobi, ya oki [To fall seven times, to rise eight times]. She made a silent promise: Grandfather, I will rise .
Suddenly, Tong thrust out his hand. ‘Freewheelers,’ he yelled in as loud a voice as possible.
Four hands were placed on top.
‘Freewheelers!’
Chapter Sixteen
The kids made their way to school, Mio dinking with Clem. As they chained their bikes to the rack Clem said to Mio, ‘I don’t think you should come to the council meeting. Leave it with us.’
‘Yeah, Mio,’ said Bryce. ‘I never thought this could be said about you, but you’re in way too much trouble already without stirring things up tonight.’
Darcy agreed saying, ‘Leave it with us. We’ll put up a good fight.’
Mio looked at her friends. She knew they meant well, but giving in and rolling over wasn’t going to get her anywhere. If she was going to get herself out of this mess she would have to fight, and what better place to start than at the local council meeting?
‘I’m going,’ said Mio.
‘But that’s so dumb!’ said Darcy. ‘You don’t have to be there.’
‘I want to go.’
‘We can’t always have what we want.’
Mio shrugged, hoisted her pack on her back and headed for the stairs.
‘Wait!’ said Darcy. ‘We’re with you, not against you.’
Mio refused to look in his eyes. ‘Doesn’t feel like it.’ And she continued up the stairs, first stop, the Principal’s office.
Assembly took place before lesson one on Thursdays, when students of The Metropolitan School gathered in the quadrangle to hear Mrs Burridge make her weekly announcements from the top of the steps. Although these assemblies were good time-wasters, they could also be dead boring and kids were getting restless.
‘Before we conclude this week’s assembly, one student has requested to speak.’
A groan went up across the playground. Assembly would now drag on even longer.
‘Good luck,’ whispered Clem as Mio headed for the stairs.
‘Tell it like it is,’ urged Bryce. ‘You didn’t do it.’
Mio stood with feet together and hands clasped in front of her as she faced the microphone.Against her upbringing, she glanced up, directly into the eyes of the crowd. They looked like they were posed for a poster shoot for some rebellious rock band: faces etched with at best boredom, at worst, simmering anger. Mio cleared her throat, looked down, and began.
‘I am Mio Shinozaki. My friends and I have been putting together a petition so that BMX riders can join skateboarders, in-line and scooter riders at Wheels Skate Park. Many of you have kindly signed this petition.’
A voice cried out, ‘And lived to regret it!’
A murmur went through the crowd, like a rustle of resentment.
‘It has been brought to my attention that something horrible has happened. Some students at this school have received nasty emails, supposedly from me, sent from my email address.’
The murmur continued to ripple around the quadrangle.
‘For those of you who received such hateful emails I am truly sorry. However, I want you to know that although they came from my email address, they did not come from me.’
Soft boos and grumbles grew louder.
Mio glanced at Mrs Burridge who was looking displeased at this turn of events in the apology. ‘I also want you to know that an email anti-abusegroup is helping me to prevent this happening again.’ With a small bow she concluded, ‘Thank you,’ and joined her friends.
Bryce squeezed Mio’s hand, saying, ‘You did good.’
Mio nodded, and squeezed back, relieved that it was over. She vowed she would track down the culprit, although how, she had no idea.
As Mio made her way to class she was acutely aware of the number of students who stopped and pointed, or stopped and whispered. Putting herself in the
Suddenly, Tong thrust out his hand. ‘Freewheelers,’ he yelled in as loud a voice as possible.
Four hands were placed on top.
‘Freewheelers!’
Chapter Sixteen
The kids made their way to school, Mio dinking with Clem. As they chained their bikes to the rack Clem said to Mio, ‘I don’t think you should come to the council meeting. Leave it with us.’
‘Yeah, Mio,’ said Bryce. ‘I never thought this could be said about you, but you’re in way too much trouble already without stirring things up tonight.’
Darcy agreed saying, ‘Leave it with us. We’ll put up a good fight.’
Mio looked at her friends. She knew they meant well, but giving in and rolling over wasn’t going to get her anywhere. If she was going to get herself out of this mess she would have to fight, and what better place to start than at the local council meeting?
‘I’m going,’ said Mio.
‘But that’s so dumb!’ said Darcy. ‘You don’t have to be there.’
‘I want to go.’
‘We can’t always have what we want.’
Mio shrugged, hoisted her pack on her back and headed for the stairs.
‘Wait!’ said Darcy. ‘We’re with you, not against you.’
Mio refused to look in his eyes. ‘Doesn’t feel like it.’ And she continued up the stairs, first stop, the Principal’s office.
Assembly took place before lesson one on Thursdays, when students of The Metropolitan School gathered in the quadrangle to hear Mrs Burridge make her weekly announcements from the top of the steps. Although these assemblies were good time-wasters, they could also be dead boring and kids were getting restless.
‘Before we conclude this week’s assembly, one student has requested to speak.’
A groan went up across the playground. Assembly would now drag on even longer.
‘Good luck,’ whispered Clem as Mio headed for the stairs.
‘Tell it like it is,’ urged Bryce. ‘You didn’t do it.’
Mio stood with feet together and hands clasped in front of her as she faced the microphone.Against her upbringing, she glanced up, directly into the eyes of the crowd. They looked like they were posed for a poster shoot for some rebellious rock band: faces etched with at best boredom, at worst, simmering anger. Mio cleared her throat, looked down, and began.
‘I am Mio Shinozaki. My friends and I have been putting together a petition so that BMX riders can join skateboarders, in-line and scooter riders at Wheels Skate Park. Many of you have kindly signed this petition.’
A voice cried out, ‘And lived to regret it!’
A murmur went through the crowd, like a rustle of resentment.
‘It has been brought to my attention that something horrible has happened. Some students at this school have received nasty emails, supposedly from me, sent from my email address.’
The murmur continued to ripple around the quadrangle.
‘For those of you who received such hateful emails I am truly sorry. However, I want you to know that although they came from my email address, they did not come from me.’
Soft boos and grumbles grew louder.
Mio glanced at Mrs Burridge who was looking displeased at this turn of events in the apology. ‘I also want you to know that an email anti-abusegroup is helping me to prevent this happening again.’ With a small bow she concluded, ‘Thank you,’ and joined her friends.
Bryce squeezed Mio’s hand, saying, ‘You did good.’
Mio nodded, and squeezed back, relieved that it was over. She vowed she would track down the culprit, although how, she had no idea.
As Mio made her way to class she was acutely aware of the number of students who stopped and pointed, or stopped and whispered. Putting herself in the
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