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Synopsis Kelly and Simon are two Year 6 students in the same class of an average public school. Kelly and her friends (Rebecca, Vanessa, Maria and Paula) are puzzled by the absence of the twins – who have been away for a week and haven’t answered their calls. Meanwhile Simon manages to provoke classmate Jimmy by standing up for a girl Jimmy has bullied. Simon does this in front of Rebecca, on whom Jimmy has a private crush. When Leah and Chloe (the twins) return to school with excuses of having been ill, Leah is tense and competitive with Kelly. She doesn’t appreciate Kelly’s probing questions, and is angry when Kelly tries to cheer up her sister. At the same time Jimmy starts to bully Simon – first a teasing email to the class and comments in front of the girls, then he forcefully pushes Simon into a puddle of mud. Simon’s friends (John and Gavin) witness the incident but pretend Simon tripped. They have no desire to also fall victim to Jimmy and his mates. When word spreads around school that the twins’ grandfather had died (the real reason for their absence) Leah turns on Kelly, accusing her of telling everyone, refusing to listen to reason. Kelly is initially resilient, but Leah is persistent and manages to undermine the friendship group. When Leah moves seat in class, Chloe, Maria and Paula follow. Jimmy and his mates (Russell and Jake) also move – and sit directly opposite Simon and his friends in an effort to intimidate Simon. Jimmy pushes Simon’s drawer onto the floor, humiliating Simon in front of the class. Leah next surreptitiously sets the alarm on Kelly’s mobile phone so that it goes off in class – and the phone is confiscated. When Simon witnesses Jimmy’s mother yelling at their teacher and tells John (who in turn tells others), Jimmy aggressively confronts Simon in the yard. That night, Simon receives a threatening SMS during dinner. Jimmy’s anger is further inflamed when he embarrasses himself at an aquatics excursion. That afternoon as they leave school, he attacks Simon on the oval, encouraged by chants of “fight, fight” from the encircling crowd. And whilst Rebecca remains loyal to Kelly, Leah conspires to include even Rebecca in a plan which sees them all attend a party for the twins’ birthday – all, that is, except Kelly. In the Segmented Version’s concluding interviews we learn that Simon’s friend John found a teacher to break up the fight. After Jimmy returned from a period of suspension his mate Jake convinced him to stop harassing Simon. The situation for Kelly has also resolved after tears and talks with their parents and teacher. Rebecca remains supportive, and together they have developed a new group of friends. Leah no longer has an interest in Kelly, but the other girls are friendly with Kelly in class. > View Online Previews.
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