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Coral peers in the mirror at herself in her new school uniform. It's a little big on her - the disadvantage of being born a premmie on the wrong side of the academic year is that she's biologically over a year younger than a good deal of the other kids in her year. Not to mention that in the second hand shop you have to pick through what's there.

Her mother peers at her.

"Oh dear, the jumper drowns you." she says. "We'd better go to the new uniform shop as well."

"No no, it's fine, I'll grow into it." Coral says. She knows that going second hand is the best option - firstly because she knows they need to save money where they can, and secondly because it's good for the environment to reuse perfectly good clothes.

"Well let's at least have another dig around." Mum says, smiling slightly. Proud of her daughter for sticking to good principles, but not wanting her to get laughed at.

As they're digging through, Coral bumps into a very tall girl having a similar if opposite issue. The tall girl grins sympathetically.

"We should lop off half of your jumper and stitch it to mine." she says. "They never have the right sizes at these things, huh?"

Coral laughs. "Yeah, when I started primary school Mum had to take my skirt up six inches."

"When I got to year five, I had to have a boys' jumper because they didn't do my size." The girl laughs. "But I got picked first for netball every time. I'm Jenny by the way, I'm in 7H."

"I'm Coral, I'm in 7W." Coral says. She didn't think she'd seen the girl at induction.

"Ohh, I heard you took on the Court." Jenny says, looking impressed. "Way to go for day one!"

"What's the Court?" Coral asks.

"You know, Heidi's gang? I went to the same primary as them. Me and a couple of others have been enemies of the Court for nearly four years now." Jenny speaks as though this is also an achievement. "Most people don't dare stand up to Heidi."

Coral grimaces. She suspected she'd broken some sort of social protocol before, but not what it was.

"She was hassling my brother when he'd clearly asked her to stop." she says. "But I don't want to fall out with anyone."

"Sounds like Heidi." Jenny nods. "But just as a hint - most of the girls in the group are actually okay, they're just followers. If you keep being friendly they'll usually decide to leave you be."

"Thanks." Coral says. Good to know she has a possible ally who knows the system.

"My mum says girls like Heidi eventually get displaced." Jenny adds. "Oh hey, this jumper looks a bit smaller than the one you have on."

"Thanks!" Coral says again, beaming and trying it on. It's still huge, but it doesn't drown her as much. "Are you going to be able to manage?"

"Eh, I'll tie it to a tree and stretch it if necessary." Jenny shrugs. "So, what's the deal with your brother, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, Fry doesn't like to be touched." Coral says. "It makes him panic when people won't stop. He has Asperger Syndrome."

"Oh, like that band on Britain's Got Talent? I heard one of them said it was a feeling like you get when someone squeaks polystyrene. That must be tough." She smiles. "Don't worry, me and Em'll keep an eye out."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Coral says. "Fry's picking me up every day so I don't want him to get hurt."

"I don't think Heidi and her crew will bother him regularly. They tend to stay on the right side of the staff, so that they keep getting plenty of positions of power between them. Just make sure the school knows about the first incident through your parents, okay?"

"Thanks." Coral says again. "You're very kind to help me with all this."

Jenny shrugs.

"I've been on the receiving end, so has Em, so has pretty much everyone else who came from our school who isn't in the Court. Half a dozen others got screwed over trying to get into the Court. And I kinda like you." She glances around. "That's my mum calling, see ya in school."

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Coral lugs her kit bag across the field. She can't help feeling a bit shy - she'd rather hoped to go on summer camp with Fry, but as always, wasn't 'eligable'.

The first thing she notices is that a bunch of the girls from her new school are here, and a few from her old school. So it's not so bad - at least she'll know a few people.

Having camped before, she wastes no time getting stuck into putting tents up, and showing the girls who haven't camped before how it's done. Heidi scowls at her from the other side of the field, so she smiles and waves. Heidi looks surprised, which was the desired effect.

"COOOORAL!" Jenny runs up behind her. "I thought it was you. Do you have a tent group yet?"

"Not yet; Hannah, Jasmine and Amy from my old school have grouped up." Coral says. "And I don't know anyone else apart from Heidi's group."

"Me 'n' Em have a place free in ours if you want it." Jenny says, pointing to a dark-haired, slightly overweight girl putting up a tent a little way around the circle.

"Yes please." Coral says, glad that she wasn't last picked. "If Em won't mind. I've not met her yet."

Em turns out to be as shy as she is, but friendly enough. Coral is glad to have some company, and finds them good fun. She isn't quite so sure it's a good idea for Jenny to pour water in Heidi's wellies though. Wet wellies on camp could cause her all sorts of problems.

"Why don't you use a wet leaf?" she suggests. "If you make them too wet, she'll be suspicious, but a leaf could easily have blown in itself and it'll still give her a surprise."

"Good thinking!" Jenny says, grinning.

As night falls, they have dinner then campfire, and all start to settle for bed. Coral is on the way back from the bathroom when she hears her own name from inside one of the tents.

"Coral Sandhu is such a goody two-shoes." Heidi is saying. "Sucking up to everyone, being a teacher's pet. I can't stand girls like that."

Coral sighs, and is about to take it on the chin and move on, when she hears Jasmine's voice. Jasmine from her old school, who is supposed to be a friend.

"Yeah, she does make you want to puke sometimes. It's all well and fine when you're a little kid, but the rest of us grew out of being all well-behaved years ago. And she has no fashion sense whatsoever. I don't mind her so much in school but I'd never been seen on the street with her."

Coral feels tears spiking in the corner of her eyes. She starts to head back to her own tent when she hears Hannah pipe up.

"That's not really fair Jazzy; Coral isn't goody-goody, she just tries to be friends with everyone. When I lost my homework diary once she helped me look for it all lunch break."

Slightly heartened, but not wanting to listen any more, she goes back to her tent and tries not to hear. Em notices her looking a bit down, and she finds herself confiding what she just heard.

"How mean!" Jenny says. "And it's bollocks, from what I've seen."

"Yeah." Em agrees. "It's not like you're angling for favours or butt-kissing. There's nothing wrong with trying to be good at school, especially when you're going somewhere as strict as we are."

"Come on, teach them a lesson." Jenny says, jumping up. "Time to show them that you're not goody-goody at all."

After hearing the whispered plan, Coral follows them as they sneak out of the tent. Jenny puts her finger to her lips, then sneaks around the back of Heidi's tent. She lets out quite a realistic owl noise. The girls in the tent go quiet. She does it again.

This is the cue for Em to put her hands in the shape of owl wings, and slam them onto the side of the tent. The girls scream. Coral unpegs one of the guy ropes - enough to make it sag, but not fall down, then the three leg it back to their tent and try to laugh quietly.

"That was hillarious." Coral says. "Thanks!"

She rolls onto her own sleeping bag.

"I wish I was in your class. Though then Zara would be on her own."

"Well bring Zara and come join us at break sometimes?" Em suggests. "If she's someone Heidi's gang have been mean to, she'll probably fit right in with us."

Coral, not wanting Zara to feel displaced by her new friends, is glad to hear that. Hopefully Zara will like Jenny and Em too.