Brain Freeze by Oliver Phommavanh

Author:Oliver Phommavanh [Phommavanh, Oliver]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760897154
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

On Friday, for our Class International Day, everyone in 6CB is walking around, carrying garbage bags. Yeah, nothing suss is going on here. Thankfully, nobody asks any questions and, after lunchtime, Mr Morphew lets us sneak into the change rooms to get into our costumes.

I wear my poncho and sombrero and I feel like a burnt burrito outside in the heat.

Channy dances circles around me, but this time she looks the part in her French outfit, which is a ballerina’s dress and a beret on her head. She hits me with her crusty baguette. ‘This is a great idea, Mr Nachos Man.’

I tip the edge of my sombrero. ‘Thanks. I reckon my hat’s better than yours.’

‘Ah, but my hat game is stronger than both of yours,’ Kai says, swinging the corks at me from his cork hat.

‘Whoa,’ I say with a laugh, checking out his Aussie singlet hanging loose from his hips over Billabong board shorts. ‘Where did you get the great hat from?’

‘Brodie lent it to me,’ Kai says.

‘So why do you love Australia all of a sudden?’ Channy says.

‘Because Remy’s cool and he’s from Australia,’ Kai says.

‘No really, why?’ I ask.

‘I’m serious, you’ve inspired me to think outside the square,’ Kai says. ‘Only a crazy Aussie like you would think of a weird thing like this.’

I laugh. ‘You can put me beside the Hills Hoist and the bionic ear as great Aussie inventions.’

‘The Hills what?’ Kai says.

‘Google it,’ I say.

Kai kicks his thongs in the air. ‘Ai-yah, I wish we could wear flip-flops . . . I mean, thongs to school.’

Channy, Kai and I walk into the Year Six building. A few kids from other classes stick their heads out to gawk at us.

‘Stop!’ Mr Chambers yells from the end of the corridor.

‘Run!’ I say.

Channy and I bolt and turn the corner. Kai’s trailing behind us. ‘Wait up, I can’t run in these flip-floppy thongs.’

‘Just take them off and run with us,’ I yell back.

We all head downstairs and run past the gym. Now we’re copping stares from every direction. I take off my sombero. ‘Have you ever run away from a principal before?’

‘No,’ Kai says, catching his breath. ‘If I get in trouble, I’m just going to say it’s an Aussie tradition.’

‘Maybe we should just head back,’ Channy says. ‘I mean, it’s not like we can hide from the principal.’

‘We can for the next few hours,’ Kai says.

I sigh. ‘Let’s go back, you can just blame me.’

Kai and Channy high five each other and we all walk to class, where Mr Chambers is standing by the door. His beard makes it hard to tell if he’s frowning or just straight out furious.

‘Remy Pai, I heard this was your idea,’ Mr Chambers says, with his hands on his hips. ‘Do you care to explain yourself?’

I look at Kai’s dorky cork hat and think about him saying I was cool – and crazy. An idea leaps into my head.

‘This is our class Inspiration Nation Day,’ I say. ‘We may not have come from these countries, but they still inspire us.

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