Fin was sitting in maths class really enjoying himself. He didn’t care for maths. He was quite good at the subject, but there wasn’t really anything to enjoy about algebra. Getting the answers right was nice, but it didn’t make up for the boredom of painstakingly figuring them out in the first place. Fin was enjoying maths because April wasn’t there.

It was the third day of her suspension. Fin only truly appreciated how stressful his sister was on the brief occasions when she was absent. He was finally able to unclench. His stomach muscles did not have to be permanently tense waiting for a blow. His legs didn’t need to be constantly ready to take evasive action to avoid her rage. It wasn’t just that April got in fights all the time, but that she always drew him into them as well. And it’s not like she expected him to back her up, she just seemed to have the attitude that if she was going to fight someone, she might as well fight him at the same time. The more the merrier.

So for Fin, sitting in a double maths lesson with his sister absent felt the way most people feel lying on a beach on a beautiful summer’s day. It was like every single cell in his body could finally relax. He’d finished all his maths questions, so he closed his eyes to really soak up the calm while he could.

‘Sharkfin Peski?’ someone snapped.

Fin’s eyes flew open. His foot lost its grip on the table leg and he toppled backwards, landing flat on his back. The class laughed.

‘Sharkfin?’

Brad, the musclebound organiser of the Mad Mud Mud Run, was standing over him. ‘That’s me,’ said Fin. Brad looked like Goliath looming over him.

Brad beamed back and held out his hand to help Fin up. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, son,’ said Brad.

‘No way! Your name is Sharkfin?’ Kieran called out from the other side of the room.

‘Yes,’ said Fin. ‘Fin for short.’

‘What is wrong with your parents?’ asked Kieran. ‘Why would they give you such a weird name? Did they hate you from birth?’

‘Having an imagination does not mean there’s something wrong with you,’ said Fin.

‘No, but Sharkfin isn’t an imaginative name,’ said Animesh. ‘It’s just cruel.’

‘Your name is Animesh,’ said Fin. ‘That’s weirder.’

‘Not in India,’ said Animesh.

‘We’re not in India,’ said Fin.

‘No, but 1.3 billion people are,’ said Kieran. ‘That’s 1.3 billion people who think his name is normal. There’s no one who thinks “Sharkfin” is normal.’

‘Well, I, for one, am glad that Sharkfin is not normal,’ said Brad, putting his hand on Fin’s shoulder in a paternal gesture.

‘Huh?’ said Fin dubiously. The statement sounded like a compli-sult. Half compliment, half insult.

‘Because thanks to his extraordinary mind, this year’s Mad Mud Mud Run is going to have the best course ever!’ announced Brad, smiling his incredibly white smile at the class. He had a strange way of talking, like he was addressing a large crowd through a microphone even though he was just talking to a normal-sized room full of twenty-four teenagers. ‘That’s right, I’m here to announce that Sharkfin Peski has won the design competition!’

The class half-heartedly began to clap. If for no other reason than the tone of Brad’s voice made it clear he expected them to.

Fin’s mouth dropped open. He was astonished. This was good. Really, really good. Good things never happened to him.

‘Now I bet you’re all wondering, what does that mean?’ continued Brad in his overly loud voice. He didn’t pause for a response. He clearly preferred to ask and answer his own questions. ‘It means that you …’ He threw his arm around Fin’s narrow shoulders. Brad’s biceps were so huge, the weight of his arm practically made Fin’s knees buckle. ‘… are in sole control of the build team.’

‘Yeah, but what does that mean?’ said Kieran. He was determined not to be impressed.

‘It means for the next three weeks, Sharkfin will have complete control over that digger.’ Brad spun around and pointed out the window. A bright yellow digger was slowly rolling across the school quadrangle. It was massive and shiny. The big bucket mouth would be able to lift a ton of dirt in each bite. To Fin it looked beautiful.

‘Awesome!’ exclaimed Fin.

The rest of the class gasped in awe.

Even Kieran nodded. ‘That is pretty cool.’

‘You also get a bulldozer, a heavy roller, a crane and a construction crew to work them,’ said Brad. ‘And here …’ he reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys. ‘These are for the quad bike you’ll be using so you can ride out and meet with the construction crew each morning before school to give them instructions for the day. You are the course master!’

Brad handed Fin the keys. Fin’s mouth opened and closed. He was speechless. He couldn’t begin to think of appropriate words. Then an unexpected thought flitted into his mind. He wished Mum was there. She’d never noticed him as much as the others. He wasn’t as big as Joe and he wasn’t as loud as April. Mum would have had to notice a big yellow digger. She would have had to be proud. Now he felt like crying because he was sad. But looking at the digger soon cheered him up. This was going to be so much fun.