Read The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull for Free Online Page A

then?’ he said.
    â€˜Oh nothing. Normal stuff, wasting talent, bad attitude, blah de blah.’
    We walked together for a while, two jailbirds bonded by a common experience. I glanced occasionally at his face, which was even darker and more brooding than normal. I thought there was a danger in asking the question I had been dying to ask him, but I went ahead just the same.
    â€˜Kiffo?’ I said. ‘How come you turned up to that dumb detention? I thought your dad would never sign one of those permission slips.’
    He stopped dead and turned towards me.
    â€˜Don’t talk to me about that bastard! He signed it. Said Miss Payne had had a chat with him about my education and all that crap. Told me he wanted me to try harder at schoolwork! Yeah, right! First time he’s ever shown any interest in anything you can’t drink or smoke or punch.’
    â€˜So what would have happened if you hadn’t turned up? I mean, it’s not the first time you would’ve disobeyed your dad.’
    Kiffo’s hands pulled his tangled mop of red hair into crazier spikes. Boy, was he angry.
    â€˜He’d have beaten the crap out of me, all right? There’s still a few years to go before he can’t do that no more.’
    â€˜So what are we going to do, Kiffo? I mean, we can’t carry on like this.’
    â€˜I know what I’m going to do,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m going to trash her house. I’m going to destroy everything that bitch owns.’
    It was my turn to stop dead in my tracks. At this rate, we’d never make it home.
    â€˜Are you crazy, Kiffo? What good would it do? It wouldn’t get rid of her. It would only make her more twisted and nasty. She’d probably figure out that it was a student – I don’t think she’s making too many friends here – and what do you reckon then? That she’s going to be nicer to us? I don’t think so. I think she’ll be even worse.’
    â€˜I don’t care. This isn’t about getting rid of her. This is about revenge. This is personal, Calma.’
    â€˜You are out of your mind, Kiffo!’ I said. ‘What the hell are you talking about, “personal”?’ It was hardly the first time a teacher had tried to put the screws on Kiffo. Most times he welcomed it. Gave him a challenge – you know, like a sporting event, two bruisers slugging it out for glory. But not personal. Never personal. Even the humiliation of a detention wasn’t enough to make sense of what he was planning to do. Then I had a sudden thought, a connection.
    â€˜Kiffo?’ I said.
    He grunted.
    â€˜Does the Pitbull know your family? I mean before she became our teacher? You know, in the past?’
    There was just the slightest pause in Kiffo’s step, but he kept walking, his head averted.
    â€˜You’re kiddin’,’ he said finally. ‘Just ’cos we mix with muggers and murderers doesn’t mean we don’t have standards.’
    He looked at me and grinned. And I knew at that moment, knew it with a cold, hard certainty, that he was lying to me. I had no idea why and I didn’t care. I was too busy tasting the cold lump of betrayal in my throat.
    â€˜Listen, kid,’ he said brightly, ‘I’d better get going.’
    He squeezed me briefly on the arm and then he was gone. I watched him for a while, my hand on the spot where he had touched me. I considered heading off to Vanessa’s house, but in the end I couldn’t be bothered. I was too depressed. I did know one thing, however. Whatever Kiffo was up to, I was going to be a part of it as well. We were friends. And I wasn’t going to let him lie to me and get away with it. No one, and I mean no one, treats Calma Harrison like that.
    FEBRUARY: Primary school, Year 6.
    You are sitting on a bench by the school oval. It is lunchtime. You open your lunch box and arrange the contents beside you on the