by Alex Miles
The girls burst out laughing.
‘Don’t pick on my breathing,’ said Hamsa, knocking the pencil case off Niki’s head.
‘I’m not. Yoga’s awesome,’ said Niki. ‘Anyway, I’ve got time to muck about because guess who just finished all the jobs on the hack list?’
Niki laced her hands behind her head proudly and leant back on her chair.
‘Amazing!’ said Maggie. ‘I reckon we’re finished too.’
Eve put up her hand apologetically. ‘Unless you want to move that image five or so pixels to the left.’
Hamsa, Maggie and Niki stared at her.
Eve giggled nervously. ‘Or not.’
‘What are we waiting for?’ said Hamsa, scooping up her things. ‘Let’s do this!’
They made their way to the school hall, joining hundreds of other students funnelling in through the double doors. There was a small stage at the front with the different coloured house banners hanging along the back wall. A basketball court was marked out on the floor, but where they normally sat on the ground for assemblies, the hall was now filled with rows of seats. Ms Atlas had set aside seats at the front for their class. The rest of the school sat behind and there was space on the sides for parents.
As Hamsa’s team walked along, they passed Zoe and her friends.
‘Good luck,’ said Hamsa.
‘We’ll need it,’ said Zoe sheepishly.
They found some spare seats in front of Katherine’s team.
‘This wait is killing me,’ said Eve, unable to sit still.
‘Me too. I hope everyone likes our app,’ said Maggie.
‘As if they won’t like it!’ snorted Niki.
‘I’m with Niki,’ said Hamsa.
‘Hang on a tick, did I hear right?’ said Eve, playfully checking her ears. ‘Did you and Niki actually agree on something?’
Hamsa winked at Niki and smiled. ‘I’m as surprised as you are.’
‘I’m more surprised,’ said Niki, pretending to be annoyed.
‘No, I am,’ said Hamsa, playing along.
‘I knew it was too good to be true,’ said Eve, laughing. ‘But we wouldn’t be us if you two weren’t arguing, right?’
Hamsa let that word ‘us’ hang in the air, enjoying how it made her feel. And she remembered something she’d been working on.
‘I wanted to share this with you.’ She grabbed her notebook and flicked through to find the right page.
‘You realise it’s definitely too late to change our startup idea now,’ joked Eve.
‘I know, I know,’ said Hamsa. ‘This is something different. Something I thought we could make for … for us.’ She opened the page, showing a picture. ‘Keeping in mind that I’m negative twenty-six out of ten when it comes to drawing, I was thinking we could make each other bracelets, kind of like this.’
‘What’s it for?’ asked Maggie, as she and the others took a closer look.
‘Well,’ said Hamsa, trying to find the right words, ‘just for fun, you know, so we have something to remember our startup by. See here, every bracelet has four charms, one for each of us.’ Hamsa pointed them out, in case the drawing wasn’t clear. ‘For Eve we’ve got a peanut.’
‘PB&J, all the way,’ said Eve.
‘A skateboard for Niki,’ continued Hamsa.
Niki approved with a thumbs up.
‘For Maggie, some wool and a crochet hook. And for me, of course …’ Hamsa pointed to the unicorn.
The girls took it in and Hamsa suddenly felt uncomfortable, like she was doing a pitch again. She closed the book quickly. ‘It’s nothing really. We can look at it later, but I just wanted to say thanks for giving me a second chance.’
‘I love the bracelet,’ said Maggie.
‘Me too,’ said Niki.
Eve beamed at Hamsa. ‘It’s perfect.’
It wasn’t long before Ms Atlas took to the stage.
‘Hello and welcome to our first-ever Hackathon pitch.’ The jangling of her earrings sounded over the microphone as she threw her hands in the air with excitement.
The students cheered loudly.
‘I’m so proud of my class,’ continued Ms Atlas. ‘When we began, they thought they knew zero about creating a tech startup. But they knew enough to have a go, and now we’ve learnt loads about tech, timelines, teamwork and creative problem solving. Let’s give them another cheer!’
The applause felt great. Hamsa looked over to the side of the hall, catching her dad in the crowd. He blew her a kiss. Mum was sitting at the end of Hamsa’s row with the other mentors.
‘We have four industry professionals judging the Hackathon today,’ said Ms Atlas, pointing out Mum and her workmates, Sam, Natalie and Jaydev. ‘Let’s get started.’
They’d drawn names out of a hat earlier to decide the presenting order. Feels Like Home was pitching last, right after Zoe’s group.
The first few pitches were a hit. Ayla’s group had built a sport predictor that helped you choose a random sport to play based on the day’s weather. Katherine’s group created the Leftovers-Lunch-Wizard, where you entered the ingredients of last night’s dinner and it generated a delicious easy recipe for the next day’s lunch. And Ezra’s TALKthING app saw the whole audience reciting the school song in Elfish.
When it was Zoe’s turn, Hamsa shifted uncomfortably in her seat, thinking back to the Halfway Hack. She glanced down and found herself twirling her necklace around in her hand, like she always did when she was nervous. She looked at the initials – of the girls who had been her friends, but who she felt like she’d drifted further and further apart from. Without anyone noticing, Hamsa unfastened the clasp and stowed the necklace away in her pocket.
‘Introducing Plas-tastic,’ said Zoe, as she scrolled through their prototype app. The projector screen was hooked up to her tablet so that the whole school could see how the app worked. ‘Our app helps inspire users to move towards a zero-plastic world, allowing them to track their plastic use and get rewards for choosing plastic alternatives.’
Hamsa, Eve, Niki and Maggie watched on with keen eyes, curious to see how Zoe’s group had developed the idea. Function-wise, it wasn’t as clever as what Niki could have created, but Hamsa thought it actually looked half okay. And Zoe was an extremely convincing speaker.
‘Tough act to follow,’ whispered Hamsa.
‘We got this,’ said Eve, squeezing her hand.
When the school applauded, it only meant one thing.
‘We’re up!’ said Niki, hurrying onto the stage to get ready.
Hamsa, Maggie and Eve followed, and when Hamsa got to the microphone, she looked out at the packed audience, then down at her cue cards.
Breathe, she reminded herself. She could feel her heart pounding inside her chest.
She looked across to the girls, who signalled that they were ready.
She steadied herself. Three. Two. One.
‘Ever felt like you don’t belong? Like your life is skinny jeans and fancy tops, when all you really want is the familiar feeling of trackies and animal-themed slippers? Inspired by the recent experiences of our team member Eve, we’ve created the Feels Like Home app, your perfect companion to help you settle in, fast.’
Hamsa nodded to Maggie, who clicked through to the next slide.
‘We need a volunteer to help our team demonstrate the app,’ said Hamsa. Hands shot up across the hall, including Eve’s from the side of the stage. Hamsa put her hand above her eyes, like she was a boat captain searching for land. ‘Hmmm, I see plenty of hands, but I need someone who’s moved schools recently.’
A few hands in the crowd stayed up and so did Eve’s. She started waving it subtly to get Hamsa’s attention.
‘In fact, it’d be even better with someone who’s moved cities instead of just schools.’
Eve waved her hand wildly and students started laughing. Hamsa played along, pretending she couldn’t see her.
‘Cancel that. What about moving from an entirely different c
ountry?’ said Hamsa.
Eve jumped up and down on stage, looking like a total goose. By now the whole school was laughing.
‘Oh, Eve!’ gasped Hamsa, pretending to be surprised. ‘Didn’t see you there. Will you help demonstrate the app?’
‘Thought you’d never ask,’ said Eve, winking at the audience. Niki handed her the tablet and Eve joined Hamsa at the microphone.
‘So you’ve just moved here from San Francisco?’ asked Hamsa. Eve nodded. ‘And while you are surrounded by legends like us,’ said Hamsa, putting her arm around Eve. ‘I bet there are still a few things that’d help you feel more settled.’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Then let’s see Feels Like Home in action,’ said Hamsa. ‘First up, please enter your old city and your new city. Now, choose a couple of hobbies from the list below.’
Eve ticked the boxes on the screen for Skating, Ice cream and Movies.
‘Are you ready to GET ALL THE FEELS?’ asked Hamsa.
‘You bet,’ said Eve, clicking the button. A new screen appeared with a map on one side and a list of information on the other.
‘Voilà,’ said Hamsa in her best French accent. ‘In just a couple of clicks, Feels Like Home looks up the things you loved in your home town and finds you similar hobbies and places nearby. You can add filters and sort by closest distance or closest match. Then when you click on one of your interests …’
Eve clicked on the skateboard pin on the map and a detailed listing for the skate park appeared, showing the address, opening hours, photos and a ‘share’ button.
‘You can take a closer look before deciding to check it out,’ explained Hamsa. ‘You can even share the results with new friends.’
Eve clicked on the share button, just like they’d rehearsed. She jumped back in shock when, instead of the simple text box appearing, a GIF of a skateboarding unicorn flashed up on the screen with the message: Awesome choice. Tell your friends to meet you there.
The audience laughed, pointing at the unicorn’s awesome board skills. Hamsa covered the microphone with her hand and mouthed ‘what the?!’ to Niki.
‘Told you I’d cracked the most important code,’ said Niki, casually.
Eve and Hamsa tried to hide their laugher, returning to the pitch as planned.
‘After more users install the app, we’ll expand our available locations and introduce new features, such as a photo gallery,’ said Hamsa.
‘For now, though,’ added Eve, ‘I know the Feels Like Home app is helping me do exactly that. Thank you.’
As the audience clapped, Maggie and Niki joined Eve and Hamsa at the microphone. They held hands, taking a bow, and Ms Atlas returned to the stage. ‘Well done, team! And extra snaps for pulling it together in such a tiny timeframe! Very impressive.’
When the girls headed back to their seats, Eve couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. ‘We did it!’
‘I nearly lost it when you clicked the skateboard pin,’ said Maggie.
‘Me too!’ said Eve. ‘You kept that quiet.’
‘Just keeping you on your toes,’ said Niki, laughing. ‘Ham, you nailed the pitch.’
As the others agreed, Hamsa nodded. But she couldn’t ignore the knot she felt in her tummy. Everyone had done an amazing job to pull off the app, and she wanted so badly for her friends’ hard work to be recognised. But had she done enough as the hustler to land them first place?
‘After much discussion, we’ve decided on a winner,’ said Hamsa’s mum. She was up on stage with Natalie, Sam and Jaydev, along with Ms Atlas and their principal.
The entire class was desperate to know who had won, but none more so than Hamsa. She’d crossed her fingers and was sitting on both hands, silently wishing that her mum might favour their team.
‘It wasn’t easy. We loved the range of ideas and you all excelled in different areas. However, we’ve decided that the team who’ll attend the weekend incubator is … the Leftover Lunch Wizards!’
Katherine let out a deafening squeal, and she and her team took to the stage to collect the Hackathon trophy – made, of course, by Ms Atlas with the 3D Printer from the Making Room.
Hamsa barely managed to clap, while the others did a good job of hiding their disappointment.
‘Congratulations, Katherine, Con, Gus and Celeste,’ continued Hamsa’s mum, as she shook each of their hands. ‘And honestly, to the whole class, big congratulations. It’s time for you all to celebrate.’
Hamsa was pretty sure Mum was talking to her in particular, but she couldn’t bear to look at her. She stared at the mark on the floor between her feet.
The principal officially brought the Hackathon to a close and everyone started to make their way from the hall. Eve, Maggie and Niki sat by Hamsa, who hadn’t moved.
‘It would’ve been poor form if your mum chose us anyway,’ said Niki finally.
Eve nodded. ‘The whole school would’ve thought she was playing favourites.’
‘No,’ said Hamsa. ‘It’s all my fault.’
‘It is not,’ said Maggie.
Hamsa shook her head. ‘If I hadn’t spoken to Zoe about our idea, we wouldn’t have needed to change it. We’d have had more time and maybe, just maybe, we’d be the ones up there celebrating.’
‘We can still celebrate,’ said Niki, throwing her arms around in a silly dance.
Hamsa’s frown softened. ‘I’m serious. You’re all so smart and you worked so hard and I’m just the stupid-head who let you all down.’
Maggie groaned. ‘Stop it already! You are not stupid. This is not your fault. The pivot was the best thing you ever did.’
‘It was an overhaul, not a pivot,’ said Hamsa, for argument’s sake.
‘I’m not talking about the app,’ barked Maggie. ‘I’m talking about you. The last few days have been super fun, and if you stopped being so hard on yourself, maybe you’d see that!’
The girls looked at Maggie, stunned. They’d never heard her fire up like that.
‘She’s right,’ said Niki.
‘And who cares if we won or not?’ said Eve, taking Hamsa’s hand. ‘Feels Like Home was so thoughtful, and you know what? It’s worked. This place really is starting to feel like home.’
‘I can drop some more skate park pins into the app if it’d cheer you up,’ said Niki with a mischievous smile. ‘Or more secret confirmation messages on that “share” button. Or a pop-up screen just to annoy Eve.’ She tapped her fingers together like she was hatching an evil plan. ‘I’m going to have soooo much fun hiding surprises for you in that code!’
Now Hamsa really couldn’t help laughing.
‘Jokes aside though,’ said Eve, ‘thank you, Hamsa. Thanks for your hustle – for bringing us back together when we were all ready to give up. And, more than anything else, thanks for being you.’
Hamsa looked at the floor again. She’d never been thanked for being her.
‘Hey, Hamsa,’ called Zoe, pulling her away from her thoughts. ‘If you’re heading to the oval for recess, can you save us a spot and we’ll meet you there?’
Hamsa looked at Zoe and her friends, with their identical friendship necklaces hanging around their necks. She could see it now. Being friends didn’t mean that you had to be identical. Eve, Niki, Maggie and her were all so different. But being with them felt exactly like home.
‘Thanks,’ said Hamsa, ‘but I’ll sit this one out.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Zoe with a gentle smile. She turned to leave with Wai-Ling, Michelle and Sal, then paused, looking back at Hamsa. ‘And, um, you were great up there. This whole tech thing suits you, Hamsa.’
Hamsa smiled her thanks as Zoe flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and walked out with the others.
Hamsa watched them leave, a weight lifting off her chest.
‘C’mon,’ said Maggie, standing up. ‘We need to get going.’
‘Where?’ asked Hamsa.
Maggie’s lip curled into a smile. ‘The Making Room, of course. We need to
get started on this bracelet.’
PUFFIN BOOKS
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand | South Africa | China
Penguin Random House Australia is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, in 2019
Text copyright © Girl Geek Academy 2019
Illustrations copyright © Girl Geek Academy 2019
Branding copyright © Girl Geek Academy 2019
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, published, performed in public or communicated to the public in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd or its authorised licensees.
Cover design by Amanda Watts
Cover and internal illustration by Taieri Christopherson
ISBN 9781760147013
penguin.com.au
Girl Geek Academy acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Sign up to Read More and discover new favourites
Visit penguin.com.au/readmore
