The Shattering by Karen Healey

missed the regular Summerton crowd. ‘So, you guys going to be here for the —’
    Luke broke in. ‘Who’s your friend?’
    â€˜I’m Aroha,’ she said, and held out her hand. Luke looked down at it, then at Mark, and his full mouth twisted into a sneer.
    That expression didn’t look right on Luke’s face, and Sione blinked. The air felt weird, electric tingling around them.
    â€˜That’s a Maori name,’ Luke said. ‘You Maori, A-ro-ha?’
    â€˜No,’ she said. ‘Blame my mum. She liked it.’ She tucked her rejected hand into her pocket, shrinking herself a little, but her voice came out clear. ‘So how do you know each other?’
    â€˜We knew his brother. Used to be a little band of four. Matthew, Mark, Luke — and him.’ Luke jerked his chin at Sione. ‘Except it’s funny, eh? We got white names, and Sione got the Pasifika one.’ He dragged out Sione’s name the way he had Aroha’s: see-oh-neh , mocking emphasis on every syllable.
    â€˜Why’s that funny?’ Aroha asked cautiously, and Sione wanted to stop her, because he could recognise the setup for a putdown even if he didn’t know exactly what it would be.
    â€˜Because Sione’s the potato,’ Luke said, and stood there smirking at them while Sione’s stomach went into freefall.
    He couldn’t believe it. Not from Luke. These guys never wanted to bother with him, but they’d either ignored him or let him tag along when they went swimming or played beach cricket with Matthew and the others.
    They’d never done this.
    Aroha stiffened again, this time with anger.
    â€˜Hey —’ she began. ‘Hay’s for horses, beer’s for men,’ Luke said, which didn’t even make sense, and he grabbed at Sione’s beer. Out of instinct more than anything, Sione kept his grip on the can.
    â€˜Hey, man,’ Mark said. ‘Take it easy, eh? Sione’s okay.’
    Luke snorted. ‘Yeah? I should take it easy on you, Little Felise?’ He pushed Sione’s shoulders, sending him stumbling back in the soft sand. ‘Take it easy, you little faggot?’
    â€˜Oh, fuck you !’ Aroha snapped. ‘Sione, let’s go.’
    He wanted to leave, but he couldn’t turn and meekly follow her. He had to say something, let Luke know this wasn’t okay, ask him what he’d done.
    But he thought he knew.
    Too smart, too rich, too small. Not a real man.
    He could feel his mouth opening and shutting like a fish’s.
    â€˜Sione,’ Aroha said again, flickering glances at Luke as he sauntered over, ugly, unfamiliar smile firmly fixed on his face. He loomed over Sione, blocking out the moon.
    â€˜Bro, nah, come on, let’s get another drink,’ Mark said, and was reaching out for his brother’s arm when Luke shoved Sione again, knocking him onto his ass.
    â€˜ Hey! ’ someone shouted behind Sione, and then Janna barrelled past him and shoved Luke in the chest.
    Luke took a step backward, probably more out of surprise than at the impact, and pushed Janna out of the way.
    She shrieked, and fell into the sand — not hard, but Sione could finally move, in her defence if not his. He threw the can of beer straight at Luke’s face. It flew uselessly past his cheek, but Luke shouted and grabbed for him.
    But Takeshi was already there, standing between Janna and Luke, the muscles in his bare arms standing out as he clenched his fists and stared at Luke. Mark was saying something to Luke, trying to get him to calm down, but if Takeshi threw the first punch, Sione knew Mark would probably help his brother. It was important to back up family. Takeshi looked pretty strong, but Luke and Mark would destroy him. Sione staggered to his feet, trying to make himself ready to fight.
    â€˜ Police! ’ a huge voice roared. ‘Come on, break it up!’
    And Sergeant Rafferty appeared,