Free Stuff Happens by Will Kostakis

I hadn’t done anything wrong – it just looked like it.
    I was sitting outside the principal’s office. Was I a bully? Had I gotten into a fight? Neither. I’d been told to wait there when I arrived. It was my first day at Monvale Primary. Everyone walking past was probably wondering what I’d done.
    There was a boy sitting across from me, slouched in his chair. He had definitely done something wrong. His shirt was untucked, but nobody got sent to the principal for an untucked shirt. Or did they? This was a new school after all. Maybe Monvale Primary was the sort of place where that happened . . .
    I quickly looked down at my waist to check my shirt. I was okay.
    â€˜What did you do?’ We’d been sitting on opposite sides of the hall for ten minutes before he spoke.
    â€˜Nothing,’ I said. ‘I’m new.’
    â€˜Oh, sweet.’ He slid forward to the edge of his seat. ‘I’m Huck.’
    I hesitated. I could hear Mum’s voice in my head. She told me to make good friends, not the kind who were sent to the principal before the first bell. I already had good friends, only they were back on the other side of Australia. ‘I’m Sean,’ I said.
    â€˜Where are you from?’ Huck asked.
    â€˜Bunbury.’
    He scrunched his face up.
    â€˜It’s in Western Australia,’ I added.
    â€˜Near Perth?’ he asked.
    â€˜Depends. It’s ninety minutes away usually, but two hours if Dad’s the one driving.’
    Huck laughed, then asked, ‘Why did you move to Monvale?’
    â€˜My parents grew up here and wanted to come back,’ I said.
    â€˜Ah, you’re coming back home.’
    â€˜Not really.’
    Monvale was my parents’ home, Bunbury was mine. Mum and Dad had quit their jobs and packed our lives into bags and boxes. Well, they packed what they could. There were things I couldn’t take with me – like my school friends Eddie and Christian, the burger place that knew what I wanted before I ordered and the park across the street with the huge chessboard. We had said goodbye to Bunbury, hopped on a plane and landed somewhere new that I wasn’t sure I’d like as much.
    My parents were happy. But nobody asked if I was.
    â€˜Are you in year five?’ I asked.
    Huck shook his head. ‘Year six,’ he said. ‘Who’s your teacher?’
    â€˜Mr Johnson.’
    He made a face like he’d just sucked on a lemon. ‘That’s unlucky.’
    â€˜Why?’
    Before he could answer, the door beside us opened. The principal seemed a little disappointed when she noticed Huck waiting for her. ‘What is it this morning, Huck?’ she asked.
    â€˜Nothing, Principal Davies, I swear. I didn’t do anything.’ Huck’s voice was higher than it had been before.
    â€˜All right.’ The principal turned to me and smiled warmly. ‘You must be Sean Summers.’
    I nodded. My parents had spoken to Principal Davies on the phone, but we’d never met. She reminded me of Mum a little bit.
    â€˜Great to have you join the Monvale Primary family, Sean,’ she said. ‘I hope Huck has been entertaining.’
    â€˜Very,’ Huck said.
    The principal laughed and checked her watch. ‘Huck, the bell is about to ring. Could you walk Sean to 5J? When you’re done, you can come back and talk to me about what you didn’t do.’
    â€˜Okay.’ Huck sprung up.
    I pulled my bag out from under the seat and followed him down the hall. Kids were rushing to get to class, but Huck wasn’t in a hurry. He was my tour guide, stopping to point out the landmarks we passed – the library, the staffroom, the toilets. He had a story for each one.
    â€˜But don’t tell anyone I told you that,’ he said, after telling me about the time he – actually, I shouldn’t say.
    I tried to make him speed up. ‘Don’t we have to get to