[Fairleaf]

Daisy faces off the nosy boys

‘Don’t be a pest, Reggie!’ Daisy saw her little brother get up from the marble ring and called out to him.

Reggie, however, was not about to miss out on something new and exciting. He ignored her, not even giving her the courtesy of looking her way.

‘Little snot!’ she muttered under her breath. She got up from her seat in the shade and rushed after him. ‘You just wait til I tell Ma how you been acting!’

He had a good head start on her, much to her misfortune. And he made it through the door to the schoolroom with only the barest of yanks from her grasping fingers on the tail of his tunic. He slipped away easily and went up to stand by his new friend, Hanson.

‘What’s going on?’ he asked, then saw the new boy seated in the classroom. ‘Is he gonna play . . .?’ he began to ask, but was cut off by his sister’s entrance.

Daisy, of course, was mortified. Here was here new acquaintance, soon to be friend, she hoped. And there were the other boys and Reggie annoying her. At least that’s how it looked to her.

‘Oh, Camille!’ she said going to stand by the older girl. ‘I’m so sorry my brother’s bothering you . . . and this must be your brother, right.’ She glared at the gathered boys. ‘What are you all doing in here anyway? Leave my friend and her brother alone!’