Bad as that class was, it wasn’t even the worst of my problems. Nonna says “there’s never a two without a three,” meaning problems always come in threes. I don’t know if it’s true but my third problem at Spit Hill turned out to be my biggest problem of all.

Wednesday wasn’t any better than Monday or Tuesday. I forgot the books I was supposed to bring in. I listened to teachers go on and on about how much work we needed to do. I got lost in school. At break I sat with Chloe and some other girls who asked me what kind of phone I had and tried not to laugh when I told them. Then they all chatted about how much they wanted to marry Justin Bieber.

I tried to speak to other people in my class but I felt awkward and shy and didn’t know what to say after the usual, “Hi, I’m Amber. Yes, I’m really eleven. No, I’m not Chinese, I’m half Japanese and half Italian. Sushi.”

After school, Mum made me go with her to pick Bella up from her after-school dance class. I’m sure Bella only went to ballet so she could wear a pink tutu.

Anyway.

I walked into the school and saw Tommy Pyke in the playground wearing a soccer jersey. He was running toward the goal with the ball under his arm and the other boys were shouting, running after him, and trying to get it off him. I don’t know much about soccer, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the way you play.

I asked Bella if he’d been mean to her again and she said no. I must say, I felt pretty heroic and brave and all those things I never usually feel because bending people’s arms behind their backs is not something I tend to go around doing. I’m a skinny scaredy-cat and people can see it a mile away. But I’d stood up for my annoying sister. I had taken action. I was a fearless warrior.

I was the coolest sister alive.

I was herding Bella out of there and toward the car when I saw something that rammed my fear straight back in me again.

Guess who walked into the playground as we were walking out?

Yep, Joanne. The wild and violent girl from my Inward Reach class who’d wrecked her bedroom with a tennis racket.

And guess who ran up to her with the ball under his arm?

Tommy Pyke.

My stomach did a flip.

“Um…who’s that girl with Tommy Pyke?” I asked Bella, thinking all the while, Please don’t say she’s his big sister. Please.

“Oh, that’s his big sister. She’s super scary.”

I felt something inside me die. All my blood must have drained down to my feet because I felt faint and my shoes got really heavy. I scooted Bella across the playground to get out of there, and at the last minute, I turned to look at them. Tommy was telling Joanne something and pointing at me. She looked over at me and nodded slowly.

I felt my eyes spring wide open in fear and panic. Of all the people I could have tried out my bravery on it had to be her brother!

On no. Oh God. My insides clamped tight in panic. She was so massive and so scary and I suddenly wished I had that superhero ability to grow gigantic and have rippling muscles and a roaring voice and not be tiny and terrified and squeak like a gerbil. I scurried in horror to the car, mentally kicking myself for not being super tough and a master at self-defense. Instead I was small and useless and about to suffer a painful and torturous death.

Why? Why wasn’t there a Super Mighty Amber who grew a hundred feet tall and kicked some serious butt? Why wasn’t there a small but hard-core ninja warrior Amber hiding beneath my uniform?

But no. None of those other Ambers existed.

There was just me.