'Still a loser, Pig,' Stormin says. 'Guess you haven't learnt much over summer.'
'Oh, I don't know,' I reply, bloody, bowed and hating his guts. 'I can read.'
Which is when he kicks me. I really should learn to keep my stupid mouth shut.
Seeing Stormin thoroughly occupied, the rest of Year 9 drift back, although they do wait till he's left before resuming their commentary.
'Loser.'
'Coward.'
'Hopeless.'
'Pussy.'
'Pig.'
That's me: Morgan Patrick Lohdi - otherwise known as Pig.
Life sucks for Morgan Patrick Lohdi. Used as the school punching bag, he's constantly bruised and harassed, and doesn't have anything even resembling a friend. Maybe it would be okay if he could keep his mouth shut, but Morgan has a sarcastic tongue that no amount of bullying is going to keep quiet.
And then there's Lissa, the girl he thought was his friend. Who might even have been something more - if the bullies hadn't made her turn her back.
When the art room burns down and Morgan's one safe haven disappears, things get much worse and he's determined to finally make it stop. But will learning to fight back work? Or is it possible to turn the other cheek? Or, just maybe, will help come from the unlikeliest source?
Otherwise Known as Pig is a book about bullying, the planet-sized blind spots of teachers, and learning to accept help.