CJ screwed up his face. ‘I’m grounded, remember?’ ‘Hasn’t stopped you before.’ ‘This time’s different. Mum took my phone, iPod, computer and Playstation.’ CJ kicked a crumpled Coke can off the footpath. Nic grinned. ‘I forgot.’ Maddie swung her bag from one shoulder to the other. ‘What was your punishment, Nic?’ CJ already knew the answer. Nic’s parents had decided a week’s school detention was enough punishment. If only Maeve had been that cool. CJ didn’t get why she and Franger had gone so mental. It wasn’t like the spiders hurt Spew. Sure he freaked out, screaming the place down, but it wasn’t like Spew had been hurt. ‘Same as CJ at school,’ said Nic. ‘And at home?’ asked Maddie, her face growing red. Nic shrugged. Maddie shook her head. ‘So, you lock Spew in that tiny room between the science labs with Huntsman spiders you caught, and your parents don’t punish you. That’s just wrong.’ ‘Hold on there, Ms Taggart,’ said Nic, sounding like a TV lawyer.
