Someone planted the scissors in my pocket. I don’t know anything about them.

Come on, Slugger, tell the truth.

The devil made me do it. He forced me to put the scissors in my pocket against my will.

Mr Bambuckle can tell you’re not being honest, Slugger.

The scissors actually fell out of Carrot’s pocket. It was an optical illusion that made it look like they fell from mine.

Tell the teacher the facts. You can do it.

Okay, okay. I’ll be frank. I’m a hit-man hairdresser. I’ve been trying to chop off Carrot’s hair. Vex hired me as part of some sick revenge plan. That’s the honest truth.

Finally, it’s off my chest. I can breathe easy.

It all started when Vex approached me before we left for camp. He was holding a wad of fifty-dollar notes.

‘What are you doing with so much cash?’ I asked.

‘Shh, keep your voice down,’ said Vex. ‘I have a proposal for you.’

I was flattered. ‘Thanks, but I don’t particularly want to marry you.’

‘Not that type of proposal, dimwit,’ said Vex.

‘Oh.’

‘I want you to take out Carrot Grigson.’

‘That would be fun,’ I said. ‘I love going out places. It’ll be nice to spend some quality time with him, and there’s a restaurant I’ve been dying to try.’

Vex rolled his eyes. ‘Not that sort of taking out. I mean taking out taking out. You know, make it look like an accident.’

‘You want me to accidentally take Carrot to a restaurant?’

Vex ran an agitated hand through his dark hair. ‘Are you thick or something? No, I want you to get Carrot. I want you to chop his hair off. I want him to feel the embarrassment I felt before the drone race. Dad’s been teaching me the importance of dominance, and I’ve been biding my time with this plan. Carrot made me lose my hair, and now it’s time for him to experience the same humiliation.’

‘Oh.’

‘So, are you in?’ said Vex. He waved the money in front of my face.

‘Not for me, thank you very much,’ I said. ‘I need to report you to Mr Sternblast immediately.’

Slugger, Slugger, Slugger. Don’t drift from the truth.

Sorry, that’s not what happened.

‘Yeah, I might be interested in a job like that,’ I said. ‘How much?’

‘Six hundred bucks,’ said Vex. ‘I swiped it from my dad’s wallet. He won’t miss it. You know, three car yards and everything. Plus, I reckon he owes me even more with all the overtime I’ve been doing.’

I stared at the cash. ‘Six hundred bucks … That’s almost half a thousand.’

Vex slapped his forehead. ‘It’s more than that, nincompoop. Half a thousand is five hundred. Six hundred is sixty per cent, which is more than half … Look, I haven’t got time for a stupid maths lesson. I’m tired enough as it is from working all night at the car yard. I just need to know … Are you in or out?’

‘I’m in,’ I said. ‘It should be pretty easy to do at camp.’

Vex handed me three hundred dollars. ‘Half now, then half when you chop Carrot’s hair.’

‘What about the other half?’ I said.

Vex groaned in annoyance.

‘You really want to get him, don’t you?’ I said.

A dark look flashed across Vex’s face. ‘You don’t know the trouble it’s caused me, that whole drone debacle. Dad still hasn’t forgiven me for getting caught cutting the wires in Carrot’s project. An eye for an eye, a haircut for a haircut.’

I thumbed through the fifty-dollar notes. ‘Okay, half now and half later. And half when –’

‘There are only two halves!’ said Vex. ‘It’s a deal.’ He slid a pair of sharp scissors into my hands. ‘You can use these,’ he added. ‘Otherwise, feel free to be creative.’

‘I need someone to take the wheel for a moment. Slugger, would you be so kind?’

I have to admit, it was nice to be offered the job of driving the bus. Not many teachers let their students do stuff like that. Mr Bambuckle puts a lot of faith in us.

Sliding into the driver’s seat brought back memories of the day I taxied a school bus. The government had made a mistake which meant kids could drive. It was a crazy day!

So, on the bus to camp my driving skills flooded back like … a flood. Sorry, I’m not very good at similes.

Mr Bambuckle stood at the door. ‘I have an urgent matter to attend to. Slugger, would you please?’ He tapped the glass door.

‘Open it?’ I said. What on earth was the teacher planning to do?

I tried to play it cool, but there were so many buttons on the dash and they were all different to the other bus I’d driven. I fumbled around until I hit the right one.

Mr Bambuckle casually stepped out of the moving vehicle and everyone started to freak out.

I could see Carrot in the rearview mirror. He was sitting close to an open window on the left-hand side of the bus. With his face pressed up to the glass, some of his hair was poking outside.

I remembered my deal with Vex.

Mr Bambuckle stepped back onto the bus with Dodger. The blue jay fluttered around for a while and I noticed my classmates were distracted. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get Carrot. If I drove the bus close enough to something sharp outside, I might have been able to clip off some of his hair.

I veered off the road and lined up the left side of the bus with a huge twisted gum tree. With a bit of luck, Carrot’s hair might snag on the low-hanging branches.

Dodger looped around inside the bus. ‘He really is a beautiful bird,’ I said, glancing over my shoulder. It was the best I could come up with to make it seem like I was distracted. I had to make it look like an accident.

‘He most certainly is,’ agreed Mr Bambuckle, speaking of Dodger’s beauty. ‘And, Slugger, keep an eye on the road as you’re no longer on it.’

‘Argh!’

Mr Bambuckle’s voice brought me back to reality. In that split second his brilliant lessons flashed through my mind. He had taught us to work together and to look out for each other. How could I hurt Carrot? How could I hurt anyone? I slammed my foot on the brake and we came skidding to a stop just inches from the tree.

‘We’re very close to those branches …’ observed Carrot.

Ashamed, I sat in the driver’s seat until everyone had unpacked. Then I reversed the bus back onto the road. How could I be so foolish?

‘You’re not just a talented cook,’ said Mr Bambuckle as I joined the others at camp. ‘Nice manoeuvre.’

Mr Bambuckle was always encouraging me. I could feel my cheeks flushing from a strange mixture of pride and shame. I wondered if I should give the cash and scissors back to Vex.

I flicked through the money in the dim light of my tent. I’d never had three hundred dollars before. The fact it was only half of the payment got my blood pumping.

There is this chef I admire – Rosa Carter. She lives in the city and runs masterclasses every now and then. I’ve been dying to go to one. I know she could teach me things in person that I could never learn from a podcast or television show. Plus, it’s always nice to meet your heroes.

Her masterclass courses cost six hundred dollars. It’s exactly how much I could earn if I finish the job for Vex.

Thinking about the cooking classes was too much temptation and I headed to the camp fire with renewed vigour. I had a job to do, and do it I would.

‘Who would like a marshmallow?’ said Mr Bambuckle.

‘Me, please!’ said everyone.

‘First, you’ll need to find something to cook them with,’ said the teacher.

Before I knew it, everyone was disappearing into the bush. I watched Carrot venture off in a direction of his own, so I stole after him as quietly as I could.

Carrot waded through the bush, searching for his perfect roasting stick in the dark. I hid behind a tree and listened hard, gripping the scissors tightly. I had to let my ears guide me. I couldn’t risk being seen.

Carrot was chatting away to himself. ‘I miss you, Pop. I miss you, Jones. Hope you’re having fun whatever you’re doing …’

He rustled through the undergrowth, picking up sticks and tossing them away. ‘No good,’ he said. ‘Too thin … Hmm, this one’s okay.’

I crept out from behind the cover of the tree to find higher ground. My plan was to rush past him and slice off as much hair as I could before he had time to realise what had happened. I needed a run-up.

Carrot ventured closer to my hiding spot and I took my chance. I launched myself at full speed, aiming the scissors where I thought the top of his head would be.

But I missed.

I whooshed past his head – the curly orange target still intact – and landed awkwardly on the ground.

Carrot got spooked and ran back to the camp fire.

Lucky. I was relieved he didn’t come over to investigate – I would have been caught red-handed.

As I picked myself up, the smell of a nearby plant drew my attention. I reached out and felt the flower. Could it really be? It was a plant I had heard a lot about but had never come across before. I pulled the plant from the earth, being sure to dislodge the round base of the stem from the soil, then I pocketed it, eager to get back to the fire.

I looped around the bush and entered camp from a different direction. I couldn’t let anyone know I had been near Carrot.

Later that evening, my classmates nominated me as head chef. We were going to cook dinner for ourselves and the teachers. I was chuffed.

Miffy asked if I would like any help with the preparations.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Scarlett and … Carrot. Oh, and Ren and Vinnie can choose dessert.’

I had an idea, but I needed a bit of extra time to make it happen.

My two helpers peeled the vegetables while I cooked the chicken over a makeshift fire. When nobody was watching, I retrieved the plant from my pocket and mashed the bulb into a gloopy paste.

Colchicum autumnale – meadow saffron – a poisonous plant which, when ingested, can lead to hair loss.

I began slicing the chicken and serving it up. I cut a slit in the piece I’d allocated for Carrot and carefully dabbed a tiny amount of the paste inside. Once it was set aside, I could put the finishing touches on the dessert.

Eventually, everything was ready and I made sure Carrot had his special plate with the poisoned chicken.

Mr Bambuckle was pleased with our efforts. ‘This is the most astonishing dinner I have ever had the privilege of smelling.’

He’s always so positive. ‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘Just wait until you taste it.’

Secretly, I couldn’t wait for Carrot to taste his.

‘Indeed,’ said Mr Bambuckle. Then he did something unthinkable. He knocked Carrot’s plate out of his hands and the chicken splattered all over the ground.

How could it be? Did the teacher know about meadow saffron? Could he smell it? The only thing I knew was that my plan had been foiled.

‘How very careless of me, dear Carrot. I’m sincerely sorry,’ said Mr Bambuckle.

Something in his eyes told me he knew exactly what he was doing. They sparkled knowingly and he flicked me a quick glance.

I love listening to podcasts. They’re a great way to study. I know I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed and I break a lot of things, but I can still learn. I listen to cooking podcasts almost every day because I want to be a gourmet chef when I’m older.

Before bed, I listened to a podcast called ‘A hacker’s guide to hair removal’. I had to start planning another hairdressing attack from scratch. I paid close attention to the ideas and took mental notes. I thought about how much I wanted that masterclass with Rosa Carter and found renewed determination. I would strike again the next day.

I didn’t sleep well. Damon woke me up by rolling me over because I was snoring. Then he zipped my tent back up too loudly. I’ve always been a firm believer that slower zipping is quieter. Damon should have done that.

The next day, during Miss Frost’s challenge, I found myself alone with Carrot. I hadn’t planned for it to work out that way, it just … happened.

After seeing Miss Frost chase down Sammy, I fled in the opposite direction and bumped into Carrot along the way.

‘I think we’re safe here,’ he said, as we stopped for a break on the edge of a shallow ravine.

‘I agree,’ I said.

It was the perfect opportunity. Carrot was completely unsuspecting and knew nothing of the scissors in my pocket. All I had to do was grab him and cut off his hair using the speed snipping technique I’d heard about in the podcast.

I dipped my hand into my pocket and grasped the scissors. But as I did, Miss Frost exploded out from behind some trees and charged straight at us. She must have cottoned on to the fact we were together – an easy double target.

It all happened in slow-motion. I had the sudden realisation that I could protect Carrot. I just had to nudge him down the ravine and distract Miss Frost. We couldn’t let her win. We were a team, and teammates work together.

I glanced between Carrot, the ravine and the charging Miss Frost.

‘You’ll be safe down there,’ I said, pushing him gently on the chest.

He stumbled backwards and then rolled down the ravine, vanishing beneath a thick bush. He was out of sight.

Miss Frost pulled up suddenly and examined her tracking device. ‘That Miley Ampersand is nearby.’ She looked at me and snarled. ‘You’ll be easy pickings later on, Slogger. I have some real sport to catch now.’

Then she dashed away in another direction.

I lingered at the top of the ravine for a while, waiting to see if Carrot would reemerge. When he didn’t, I felt terrible. Maybe I had hurt him? I hadn’t meant to. I was honestly trying to protect him from Miss Frost. I was beginning to feel even guiltier about taking Vex up on his offer.

When I found out later that Carrot was not only safe but had won, I was half relieved, half angry and half hungry (from all the running). I was torn in three like … two pieces. I’m really not very good at similes, or maths. But then I realised something. As much as I wanted the masterclass, I wanted Carrot to be okay more. The right thing to do became as green as grass. Or is it as clear as glass? Anyway, the main point is I knew I had to call the deal off. Carrot was more important than the masterclass with Rosa Carter. I had to learn to put other people before myself.

I went over to Vex’s tent and slipped the money through a little gap in the zip. I didn’t want to wake him, but I knew that when he found the money he’d realise the deal was off.

Which leads me to now and our game of teamwork charades.

The scissors fell out of my pocket because I was stupid and forgot to return them to Vex with the money. I guess I was even more stupid to agree to cut Carrot’s hair in the first place.

I’m sorry, Mr Bambuckle.

I’m sorry, Carrot.

But let me know if you’d ever like a haircut. I know some great techniques.